Ashley Sanchez makes her case as USWNT battle back for draw against Spain

Ashley Sanchez and Mallory Swanson scored to help the U.S. team claw their way out of a 2-0 deficit against the world champions Oct 13, 2026 at 9:25 pm ET • 3 min read CHESTER, Pa. – The U.S. women's national team needed to start solidly against Spain on Tuesday, four days after the visitors took a two-goal lead in 14 minutes and never looked back. The steady start came but by the 32nd minute, the USWNT were in the same exact pickle. Two defensive lapses cost them against the reigning world champions and the USWNT were in need of a problem-solver with roughly an hour still left on the clock.On a team that boasts several likely suspects, one finally emerged – Ashley Sanchez. Sophia Wilson darted towards goal but with a defender inching closer, she sent the ball to her left. It slowly drifted towards Sanchez, who had the space to do whatever she wanted. She cut inside and entered the penalty area, unbothered by the two defenders in front of her who had otherwise proven to be up for the task of handling the U.S. team's historically capable offense. They left a crevice of space that only the most talented of players could exploit, Sanchez rising to the challenge effortlessly. The ball took a bounce near the goal line but she took the hit for a reason – no one was in a position to stop it and so it landed in the back of the net, just as she had intended.The moment of brilliance is hardly a surprise from the NWSL's golden boot leader, the 27-year-old in the form of her life and as well-equipped as any to rattle an otherwise sturdy Spain back line. Sanchez had earned her spot in the starting lineup on Tuesday, the USWNT's most dynamic attacker a natural inclusion on a day they hoped to show the attacking end product that was missing in Saturday's loss. The overall results were mixed – the U.S. team still came out with a 2-2 draw, Spain the aggressors this time on a day where their attacking might was genuinely hard to miss. In Sanchez, though, the USWNT had a bright spot. Until Sanchez's goal, the USWNT had gone goalless in 139 minutes of play against Spain and not for a lack of effort. Finishing was an issue – they generated 2.26 expected goals without actually scoring, the issue exemplified in Lily Yohannes' missed penalty midway through the second half. Matters felt worse at halftime of Tuesday's defeat, the U.S. team only generating 0.23 expected goals from six shots. They were in desperate need of someone who would finally make a difference and Sanchez stepped up, both at a timely juncture for the team and for herself.Sanchez had been out of the national team picture for two years until this month's friendlies, though her return had become undeniable by the time Hayes named the roster two weeks earlier. She had pulled off the feat after a position change at the North Carolina Courage, enjoying the best season of her career as a left winger after years of playing in midfield. Finding a way to impress against Spain would be another challenge entirely but one Sanchez ultimately embraced, making her case not a moment too soon.The Spain friendlies were always destined to test the USWNT's depth, especially without a few key players through injury, Sanchez adding to the narrative in all the right ways. She started in the place of Alyssa Thompson, who was amongst the positives on Saturday and still very much looks like a potential starter at the Women's World Cup in eight months' time. That spot on the left of Hayes' preferred three-person front line, though, is as competitive as any on a team that has aimed to have cover in just about every position on the pitch. Hayes has a good type of problem on her hands in that position, if this week's games are anything to go by. How she picks between two talented players who seem poised to make a difference on good days and bad is one of the many questions that await over the next eight months, though in some ways it may not need answering. On days where the U.S. team's shortcomings are on display, particularly in defense without the injured Naomi Girma and Sam Coffey, that very specific type of depth might be the exact thing to bail Hayes' side out of trouble in a make-or-break situation.