March 28, 2023 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – Washington Spirit News Release
Washington, D.C. – Four Washington Spirit players have been called up for the U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) to participate in international friendly matches against Ireland this April, U.S. Soccer announced today. Spirit forwards Ashley Hatch and Trinity Rodman along with midfielders Ashley Sanchez and Andi Sullivan will report to national team training early next week. The four Spirit call-ups are tied for the most of any National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) club as Chicago and OL Reign also have four call-ups each.
Sullivan is the most experienced USWNT call-up from the Spirit with 42 caps while Hatch has scored the most goals (5), doing so in only 17 appearances. Together, the quartet has a combined 116 appearances and 13 goals and helped guide the USWNT to victory in the 2023 VISA She Believes Cup.
The USWNT will travel to Austin, Texas and St. Louis, Missouri to play Ireland in matches on April 8 and April 11. The first match will be broadcast on TNT, while the second will be available on Peacock and HBO Max. These two games will serve as the final friendlies before the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, held in Australia and New Zealand this July and August.
During the 2022 NWSL regular season, the four Spirit players called-up combined for 17 goals and eight assists in a combined 67 total appearances for the club. Hatch (9), Rodman (4) and Sanchez (3) ranked first, second and third, respectively, on the team in goals scored. Half of Hatch’s 40 shots were on goal, establishing a single-season career high in shots on target average. Rodman added four additional goals on eight appearances during the Challenge Cup and was nominated for the Ballon d’Or Féminin in 2022. Meanwhile, Sanchez led the team in assists (5) and set a single-season career high in shots (59). Sullivan appeared in 12 matches, missing time due to injury and international duty.
The Spirit’s next home match will be on Saturday, April 22 when the team takes on the Houston Dash. The club announced earlier this offseason that all 14 home matches will be played for the first time atâ¯Audi Field in Buzzard Point, ensuring players and fans alike access to a facility befitting a professional club. Fans can secure tickets now to all remaining 2023 home matches with a season membership. Availableâ¯here, the season membership grants fans access to priority seating, an exclusive Trinity Rodman…