‘There’s so much I still need to be able to do’ - Ashley Sanchez is only scratching the surface, and the USWNT stand to benefit

“She’s had a great year,” Hayes said after the first game against Spain, a 2-0 defeat in which Sanchez entered in the 66th minute. “But, again, it’s all the little details.”

That was the next challenge: bringing her club form into a team whose demands she was still learning.

“But it’s best to put her in now, and she can learn those things because I think she can be an important player for us,” Hayes added.

Sanchez leads the NWSL Golden Boot race with 20 goals in 27 games. Her 20th tied Temwa Chawinga’s single-season record, set in 2024, and made her the first American player to reach that milestone.

Sanchez has had impressive seasons before, but nothing quite like this. A move from central midfield to the wing has helped bring out the best in her attacking game. Her runs are more varied, she’s arriving in the box to attack service, and she’s unpredictable on the dribble because she can take defenders inside or outside.

A positional switch that might have complicated her route back to a USWNT squad already loaded out wide has instead become one of her biggest assets.

Even when Hayes left her out of June’s camp for two matches in Brazil, Sanchez stayed the course.

The competition was clear. Emma Sears, Michelle Cooper, Alyssa Thompson, Trinity Rodman and Mallory Swanson were all options out wide. In attacking midfield, Rose Lavelle, Lindsey Heaps, Jaedyn Shaw and Croix Bethune were among the players earning opportunities.

Whether Sanchez was viewed as a winger or an attacking midfielder, she was trying to break into a crowded group.

By October, though, her scoring form had earned her another look.

“This is a player that was always tipped for great things as a youth national team player. And so I’m happy to see her fulfilling her potential. And now it’s about the step up to the senior level,” Hayes said when announcing the 26-player roster to face Spain.

Hayes had also spoken with Courage coach Mak Lind, who praised Sanchez’s maturity and determination to return to the national team.

“She has done a great job with herself,” Hayes said. “I think the next step for her is to maintain that consistency.”

In the first game against Spain, Sanchez was adjusting to the U.S.’s tactics while trying to keep up with the visitors’ speed in possession. There was plenty of defending and chasing, leaving little room for an attacking player to settle into a rhythm.

The U.S.’s problems in front of goal went well beyond Sanchez. Chances came, but the finishing did not.

The second game brought a starting opportunity. Sanchez found promising positions throughout the first half, but the final touch or pass kept letting her down. After halftime, she found the finish the U.S. needed.

In the 49th minute, she collected a pass from Sophia Wilson on the left, drove into the box and added a little shimmy as she sized up the defense. The defender didn’t bite, but Sanchez spotted an opening at the far post and placed her shot beyond Misa Rodriguez.

“I knew the back post was open,” Sanchez said.

It was composed, clinical and a reminder of why she had earned this opportunity. Her goal started the comeback, with Swanson later securing a 2-2 draw.

“I’m really happy with the goal,” Sanchez said after the game.

The goal mattered. So did Sanchez’s assessment of everything around it.

She felt comfortable with her teammates and their connections, but knew there were still tactical adjustments to make - particularly when the U.S. didn’t have the ball.

“It has only been a week. I know that I, defensively, could do a little bit better, so I think for me, that’s my biggest takeaway,” Sanchez said.

It’s a work in progress, and Sanchez is willing to do the work.

The 2027 World Cup is on the horizon. She was part of the U.S.’s 2023 squad but didn’t play a single minute. Getting back into camp is a start; earning a lasting role is the next challenge.

After the two Spain matches, Hayes highlighted Sanchez’s maturity and ability to take what she was learning onto the field. She also pointed to something Sanchez had already recognized herself: there was more to do.

“Even she said to me at the end, ‘There’s so much I still need to be able to do,’ which is natural,” Hayes said. “But yeah, I thought she did a great job. I’m really happy for her to get a goal.”