Ank kumar · CC BY-SA 4.0Ashley Sanchez returns to USWNT squad for Spain friendlies
The reported call-up ends a gap of nearly two years, and the same roster leaves out Shaw.
Matthew Wilkinson from Saddleworth, England · CC BY-SA 2.0Ashley Sanchez is reported to be back in the United States women's national team squad for the first time in nearly two years, with the Americans preparing for two friendlies against Spain next week. The same roster leaves out Shaw. The squad has been reported rather than announced.
The federation has not confirmed the call-up and no squad list has been published. The two matches against Spain are the United States' next fixtures; their dates, venues and kick-off times have not been set out.
2025/26
- POS
- 3rd
- W-D-L
- 20–11–7
- GF
- 69
- GA
- 50
Season 2025/26
Sanchez's NWSL form
Ank Kumar · CC BY-SA 4.0Sanchez is reported to be the leading goalscorer in the NWSL. That is the clearest context for the recall, although no reason has been given for the near two-year gap in her international appearances before now.
A return of that kind is a statement about where a player sits in the pecking order, and it arrives in a window rather than at a tournament, which is where these judgements are usually made and remade.
Shaw left out
Paul · CC BY 2.0The reported roster omits Shaw, the other selection point in the squad. No explanation has been given for it, and it is not clear whether the absence is expected to last beyond this window.
Why the Spain friendlies matter
Spain are ranked No. 1 in the world. The two friendlies are therefore the next measure available to the United States, and for Sanchez they are an immediate test of whether a near two-year international absence ends as a single appearance or the start of a longer run.
What is not yet known
- The dates, venues and kick-off times of the two matches against Spain.
- Whether US Soccer has formally announced the squad, and the full list of players included.
- The reason for Shaw's omission from the reported roster.
- How large a role Sanchez is expected to play, and whether she will start either match.
- What, if anything, the window is building towards later in the calendar.
Beyond those two names, the rest of the roster has not been set out: who else returns, who else is missing and how many players have been named are all unanswered. That picture fills in when the squad is published.
Squad announcements are where a returning player is either reintegrated or left out again, and where a missing name either signals a short break or a longer one. Neither question can be settled until the squad is confirmed and the two matches are played.
The friendlies take place next week. Until then, Sanchez's inclusion and Shaw's omission stand as reported selection news rather than established fact.
Frequently asked questions
- Why is Ashley Sanchez back in the USWNT squad?
- She is reported to have been named in the squad for next week's two friendlies against Spain, ending a gap of nearly two years since her last involvement with the national team.
- Who has been left out of the USWNT roster?
- Shaw is the omission named in reports of the squad. No reason has been given for it, and the federation has not published a full list.
- Who do the USWNT play next?
- The United States are preparing for two friendlies against Spain, the world's top-ranked team, scheduled for next week. Exact dates and venues have not been set out.
- When did Ashley Sanchez last play for the USWNT?
- The reports describe the gap as nearly two years without giving an exact match or date, so the precise date of her last appearance is not established.
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