Ashley Nicole Sanchez (born March 16, 1999) is an American professional
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
player who plays as a
midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
for the
Washington Spirit in the
National Women's Soccer League
The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a professional women's soccer league at the top of the United States league system. It is owned by the teams and, until 2020, was under a management contract with the United States Soccer Federatio ...
(NWSL) and the
United States national team
The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions.
Olympic teams
Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...
. She played collegiate soccer for the
UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). ...
and broke several school records in the three years she played.
In 2016, Sanchez was named
U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year. In 2020, she was named the
2020 NWSL Challenge Cup Future Legend. In 2021, she helped the Spirit win the
NWSL Championship.
Early life and education
Born in
Pasadena, California
Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district.
I ...
in the Los Angeles region to Julie and Ralph Sanchez, Ashley was raised in the nearby city of
Monrovia
Monrovia () is the capital city of the West African country of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic coast and as of the 2008 census had 1,010,970 residents, home to 29% of Liberia’s total population. As the ...
.
She is of Mexican descent, with roots in
Jalisco
Jalisco (, , ; Nahuatl: Xalixco), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco ; Nahuatl: Tlahtohcayotl Xalixco), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal En ...
.
As a high schooler, Sanchez attended Mountain Park School for three years and
Monrovia High School
Monrovia High School is a public high school located in Monrovia, California, a northeastern suburb of Los Angeles, United States. Monrovia High School is the only grades 9–12 comprehensive high school in the Monrovia Unified School Distric ...
for one year.
She played for the varsity team in 2013 and began participating in national team camps the same year.
As a senior in 2016, she was named
NSCAA
The United Soccer Coaches (formerly known as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)) is an organization of American soccer coaches founded in 1941. It is the largest soccer coaches organization in the world, with more than 30 ...
Youth Girls All-American Player of the Year.
She competed in regional Olympic Development Programs as well.
Sanchez played youth soccer for Santa Anita SC, Legends FC, and So Cal Blues.
She was named Cal South Youth Female Player of the Year in 2016 as well as
U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year.
College career
Sanchez attended the
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
(UCLA) and played for the
Bruins from 2017 to 2019.
She committed to UCLA in eighth grade, having also considered Los Angeles rival
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...
.
As a freshman in 2017, Sanchez's 12 assists set a new all-time record for Bruin freshmen that ranked fourth all-time in a single-season.
The 24 points she notched (six goals, including 3 game-winners, and 12 assists) ranked third on the team.
During the Bruins’ eight-game win streak, she notched a goal or assist in each consecutive game elevating UCLA to be ranked sixth in the nation.
Sanchez earned Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week, Top Drawer Soccer National Player of the Week honors and was named to Pac-12 All-Freshman, First-team All-West Region, and All-Pac-12 teams.
During the
2017 NCAA College Cup, her four assists (tied for third-most in UCLA record books)
helped lead the team to the Championship where they were eliminated by
Stanford Cardinal
The Stanford Cardinal are the athletic teams that represent Stanford University. As of June, 2022, Stanford's program has won 131 NCAA team championships. Stanford has won at least one NCAA team championship each academic year for 46 consecutive ...
3–2.
During the 2018 season, Sanchez led the Bruins in goals (10), assists (15), and points (35). Her assists ranked second nationwide.
She set new school records to single-game assists, consecutive games with a goal or assist, assists at the NCAA College Cup, and career NCAA Tournament assists.
She also tied the previous school record for assists in a single season.
Sanchez was named a
Hermann Trophy
The Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the Missouri Athletic Club to the United States's top men's and women's college soccer players.
History
In 1967, Bob Hermann, the president of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) and the ...
semifinalist, first-team All-American by United Soccer Coaches, and
earned first-team All-West Region and All-Pac-12 honors for the second time.
In what ended up being her final season with the Bruins in 2019 (before turning professional), Sanchez tied her own season record for assists with 15.
Her seven goals and 29 points ranked second on the team. She was named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week as well as Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week, and earned first-team All-Pac-12 and second-team All-Pacific Region honors.
Her 42 career assists broke UCLA's record despite her only playing three seasons.
Club career
Sanchez was drafted by the
Washington Spirit in January 2020. She made her professional debut for the Spirit during the
2020 NWSL Challenge Cup
The 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup was a tournament during the 2020 National Women's Soccer League season to mark the league's return to action from the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the first professional team sports event to return to play in United States. ...
. At age 21, she was the youngest player on the squad.
She was a starter in four of the team's five matches and created the highest number of chances and key passes, with 8 and 7 respectively.
Her performance earned her the
2020 NWSL Challenge Cup Future Legend Award. During the
NWSL Fall Series (a modified season due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
), Sanchez was a starter in all four of the team's matches.
The Spirit finished in third place with a record.
During the
2021 season, Sanchez played a total of 25 games (starting in 24) and recorded 5 goals, displaying her versatility as an attacking player.
Her vision and ability to create scoring opportunities were evident throughout the season, as she helped the Spirit push for a playoff spot.
The Spirit finished the regular season in third place with a record advancing to the
NWSL Playoffs where they defeated the North Carolina Courage 1-0 in extra time. Sanchez scored the game-winning goal in the team's second playoff match against
OL Reign to advance to the championship final. The Spirit went on to beat the
Chicago Red Stars 2-1 in extra time to clinch their first championship title.
An offensive force, Sanchez led the Spirit in assists as well as shots and shots on goal during the
2022 season.
In her 19 appearances (16 starts), she also scored three goals.
Her first goal of the season was a "stunning" strike that opened the door to a 2-1 win over
OL Reign in Seattle.
International career
Sanchez has represented the United States on the under-14, under-15,
under-17,
under-20
Junior is a category of athletics in which athletes compete under the age of 20 years. Countries all around the world compete in athletics. World Junior Athletics Competitions are held every two years which contain the best junior competitors in ...
, under-23, and
senior national teams.
She captained the United States at the
2016 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup
The 2016 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup was the fifth edition of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, the biennial international women's youth football championship contested by the under-17 national teams of the member associations of FIFA. The tournam ...
and played at the
2016 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup
The 2016 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup was the 8th edition of the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, the biennial international women's youth football championship contested by the under-20 national teams of the member associations of FIFA. The tourname ...
as well as the
2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup
The 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup was the ninth edition of the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, the biennial international women's youth football championship contested by the under-20 national teams of the member associations of FIFA, since its i ...
. In 2016, Sanchez became the first player in United States history to play in multiple World Cups in the same year.
Senior national team, 2021–
Sanchez received her first call-up to the
senior national team in March 2016 at the age of 17.
She earned her first cap on November 30, 2021, at the age of 22.
In 2022, she scored three goals and notched three assists in the 731 minutes she played.
She scored her first goal for the senior national team during a friendly match against
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked cou ...
on April 9, 2022, followed by a second goal at their next match on April 12. These were two of four goals that she scored over a two-week stretch in four consecutive matches (the other two were with the Spirit in the
2022 Challenge Cup
The 2022 Challenge Cup, known for sponsorship reasons as the 2022 Betfred Challenge Cup, was the 121st edition of the Challenge Cup, the main rugby league knockout cup tournament in British rugby league run by the Rugby Football League (RFL). It s ...
).
2023 FIFA Women's World Cup
In June 2023, Sanchez was named to the U.S. squad for the
2023 FIFA Women's World Cup
The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup is scheduled to be the ninth edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup competition, the quadrennial international women's football championship contested by the women's national association football teams organised ...
in Australia and New Zealand.
Personal life
Sanchez has two older siblings named Evan and Sierra. Her grandfather, John Shirk, played football for the University of Southern California (USC) Trojans.
Endorsements
Sanchez has an endorsement deal with
Adidas
Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...
. In 2022, she was featured in a commercial for
Taco Bell
Taco Bell is an American-based chain of fast food restaurants founded in 1962 by Glen Bell (1923–2010) in Downey, California. Taco Bell is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. The restaurants serve a variety of Mexican-inspired foods, includi ...
. The campaign ran until the final day of the men's 2022 FIFA World Cup on a variety of platforms and channels.
Career statistics
International
:''Scores and results list United States's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Sanchez goal.''
Honors
Individual
*
U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year
*
2020 NWSL Challenge Cup Future Legend Award
Washington Spirit
*
NWSL Championship:
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
United States
*
CONCACAF Women's Championship
The CONCACAF W Championship (previously known as the CONCACAF Women's Championship, CONCACAF Women's Invitational Tournament, CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup and CONCACAF Women's World Cup Qualifying) is a football competition organized by the Confede ...
:
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
*
SheBelieves Cup:
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
,
2023
Events
Predicted and scheduled events
* January 1
** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law.
** Croatia will adopt the eu ...
References
External links
Ashley Sanchezat
United States Soccer Federation
The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, the federation is ...
*
Ashley Sanchezat
Washington Spirit
Ashley Sanchezat
UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanchez, Ashley
1999 births
Living people
American women's soccer players
United States women's youth international soccer players
United States women's under-20 international soccer players
United States women's international soccer players
American sportspeople of Mexican descent
Women's association football forwards
UCLA Bruins women's soccer players
Sportspeople from Pasadena, California
Soccer players from Los Angeles County, California
Washington Spirit draft picks
Washington Spirit players
National Women's Soccer League players
Competitors at the 2019 Summer Universiade
21st-century American sportswomen
2023 FIFA Women's World Cup players
Women's association football midfielders