Ashley Sanchez: USWNT World Cup role ‘not what I had planned’

Sanchez called the USWNT’s World Cup trip ‘a tough experience’

It’s safe to say that no one associated with the U.S. women’s national team had the World Cup they had envisioned.

Few players are likely feeling that as keenly as Ashley Sanchez.

The Washington Spirit playmaker did not play a single second for the USWNT at the World Cup, a wholly unexpected turn of events that has resulted in plenty of criticism for the team’s former coach, Vlatko Andonovski.

Speaking to reporters after her NWSL club’s training session on Wednesday, Sanchez declined to go into much depth about how the World Cup went for her, only conceding that she had imagined the experience would be different than it was.

“I probably shouldn’t comment on that,” said Sanchez. “Let’s just say the role was not what I had planned.”

Sanchez had solid reason to plan on some real minutes at this World Cup. For one thing, the USWNT ended the tournament on a 238-minute run without scoring a goal, the last 120 of which came with Rose Lavelle suspended. The realities of the tournament seemed to strongly indicate a need for a creative player whose whole career is predicated on opening up opposing defenses.

Additionally, Sanchez had become a regular under Andonovski. After receiving her first cap in a November 2021 win over Australia, the 24-year-old had appeared in 25 of a possible 28 USWNT matches heading into the World Cup, including a start in the team’s send-off friendly win over Wales.

Instead, Andonovski — who had raised eyebrows already by including three No. 10s, including Sanchez, on his roster — opted to start Savannah DeMelo against Vietnam and the Netherlands. Lavelle’s only start of the tournament came against Portugal, while a formation change saw Lindsey Horan deployed in a more attacking role for the team’s final game, a round of 16 loss on penalties against Sweden.

Sanchez would join center back Alana Cook, another previously established regular for Andonovski, as the only two field players who spent the entire four-game run on the bench.

Speaking more generally about the USWNT’s World Cup, Sanchez called the event “a tough experience” for the team, adding that her full attention has now shifted to Washington’s NWSL stretch run.

“Obviously we needed time to process what happened, but as soon as it was over and we’re back here, our main focus is on the Spirit,” said Sanchez. “We can’t really look back and be thinking in the past anymore, and we have a new goal to be obviously champions again. So I think that’s our sole focus right now.”

Sanchez’s teammates for club and country were quick to note that even though Sanchez was deprived of a role on the field, she still offered the USWNT everything she could throughout the tournament.

“I was so impressed with Sanchez, because obviously that is such a difficult situation,” Andi Sullivan told reporters. “I think we’re all aware that that can happen to any of us at any point. And she was so steady, at least front-facing to the group, which is part of the [USWNT] culture.

“She was contributing a lot as a teammate. Because like we said, there’s so much stress and tension, and she had the loudest laugh, making jokes, especially around the meal room… She was still giving, and giving such an important aspect to the group. So I’m really impressed with her, and proud of her.”

“I think she handled it as well she could have,” added Aubrey Kingsbury, who like Sanchez was confined to the bench as Alyssa Naeher remained first-choice in goal. “We understand that you have to embrace the role you’ve been given, even if you don’t really like it.”

Sanchez: ‘It’s hard to really process’ World Cup

Regardless of how difficult the World Cup experience was, Sanchez has already taken steps to put it behind her. Making her Spirit return off the bench against the Houston Dash in Sunday’s 1-1 draw, Sanchez scored what was clearly a statement goal roughly 40 seconds after entering as a substitute.

“That felt really good,” Sanchez conceded with a smile. “Honestly, yeah, I needed that.”

“I was laughing maniacally,” said Sullivan, who watched the game from home as she recovered from playing every minute at the World Cup.

Trinity Rodman, who like Sullivan was granted a few extra days to rest after the tournament, added that she “jumped off the couch and started screaming” as Sanchez scored.

“I saw it coming from a mile away, as soon as she started dribbling up the field,” said Rodman. “I was like ‘yup, she’s baaaack!'”

In a follow-up interview with Pro Soccer Wire, Sanchez said there were also more practical concerns in putting the World Cup behind her. Namely, she had to do battle with the major jet lag upon returning to the D.C. suburbs.

“The first two days I was waking up just so early, and couldn’t go back to sleep,” said Sanchez. “I hit the third or fourth day and I slept the whole entire day. And then since then, it’s been good.”

On the tournament as a whole, Sanchez admitted that while she knows going to a World Cup is an achievement in and of itself, it might be a while before she feels that way about an experience that didn’t follow the script.

“I feel like for me, it hasn’t really sunk in. I feel like we got back and we just like started getting into it again,” said Sanchez. “It’s hard to really process, but I feel like we didn’t achieve what we wanted to, and I feel like until we do, it’s not going to feel like an accomplishment [for me], if that makes sense. Like it is an accomplishment, but ultimately our goal was to win, so it doesn’t feel the same.”

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