Ashley Sanchez has 20 NWSL goals this season — tied with Temwa Chawinga for the all-time regular-season record — and Emma Hayes has noticed. The USWNT boss named the 27-year-old North Carolina Courage forward to her 26-player roster for upcoming friendlies against Spain, ending an absence from the national team that stretched back to January 2025.
But Hayes wasn't handing out trophies. Her tone was direct: this call-up is an opportunity, not a reward, and Sanchez has to earn what comes next.
"I didn't see that last season nor the season before," Hayes said bluntly. "I think at this stage of her career, I'm sure she doesn't want to waste the opportunities that are in front of her."
What's changed for Sanchez
The raw numbers are striking. Sanchez has never hit double figures in a single NWSL season since entering the league out of UCLA in 2020. This year she's at 20 with four games still to play — making her the highest-scoring U.S. international in NWSL regular-season history. Hayes credited not just the goals but the consistency behind them, and mentioned a conversation with North Carolina head coach Mak Lind, who praised Sanchez's maturity and desire to get back into the national picture.
That context matters. This isn't a hot streak — it looks more like a player who finally put everything together.
She'll be looking to score for the USWNT for the first time since the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship, a competition the U.S. returns to this November when World Cup qualification is on the line. With Cat Macario dealing with injury and Mallory Swanson finding her feet again after maternity leave at a struggling Chicago Stars side, Hayes genuinely needs attacking options that work. Sanchez's timing couldn't be better — or more scrutinized.
Spain, then the World Cup picture
The friendlies against Spain on October 10 and 13 are not soft preparation games. Spain are the reigning World Cup champions and currently ranked number one in the world. Hayes didn't shy away from that: "We're not choosing easy. We want the hard path."
Sanchez isn't the only player with something to prove in this camp. Jordan Silkowitz, Evelyn Shores, Pietra Tordin, and Trinity Byars are all in line for potential senior debuts. It gives the double-header a genuine edge — Hayes is assessing depth with the 2027 World Cup in Brazil approaching fast.
For anyone tracking USWNT forward depth heading into qualifying, Sanchez's odds of cementing a long-term spot look considerably shorter than they did three months ago. Whether she can translate NWSL form against the best international defense in the world is the question Hayes is specifically asking her to answer.
"The next step for her," Hayes said, "is to maintain that consistency."
