Ashley Sanchez is a forward for the Washington Spirit. Drafted 4th overall in the 2020 NWSL Draft, she was recently called up to the USWNT for their October training up. She sat down with JWS to talk about her decision to leave UCLA early, her experience with the national team, and a rookie season like no other.

A few weeks ago, you were called into the USWNT October camp. Can you talk a bit about what that experience was like? 

I would say it was a little bit of a different experience than any other camp I’ve been to. We weren’t really allowed to leave our rooms or the hotel. And unlike the Challenge Cup, we weren’t able to order any delivery, except on two off-days when they sanitized all of the food coming in.

We also got tested three times a day. During the first couple of days, we were all quarantining in our rooms until we got two or three negative test results back. We couldn’t leave the hotel at all and we were pretty much only able to walk around the two floors that we had to ourselves. So, all in all, it was a little strange.

But really, I was just happy to even have this opportunity to participate at a camp during these weird times. And even though it was a bit intense, I learned a lot.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by U.S. Soccer WNT (@uswnt)

Aside from very strict safety protocols, were there any other surprises that stood out?

Definitely the intensity and competitiveness. Every training, you had to be on your game and just compete. Everything was just so fast-paced. It took me a day or two to adjust to the speed of everything because you’re just like, “Holy crap, what is going on?” And then eventually you kind of get used to it and get in your own flow.

Overall, how would you judge your performance?

I thought I did well. My coaches talked to Vlatko [Andonovski] and they discussed how I did, but from my perspective, I think I did well. Coming out of this, there are always areas to improve on. So with this experience, I now know what I need to do and I’m going to work on that and just continue working to get better.

This was your second call-up to the senior roster, right? How did this camp compare to your first?

So technically it’s my second call-up, but my first one I was like 16. Back then I was just so young. This was the first camp where I felt mature enough to compete and play at a high enough level to stick with everyone.

I would say I learned a bit more this time around because I felt like I was actually able to do what they were asking. Whereas when I was younger, I was little. I knew I couldn’t really hang and it wasn’t much of a learning experience from a hands-on perspective. It was more like, “Okay, every training you just have to try to do your best.” Whereas now I’m like, “Okay, I can do this. I belong here.”

Onto some more technical stuff, how was Vlatko’s coaching style? Did anything stand out to you from a coaching perspective? 

He’s incredibly smart. He knows the game really well. There are these moments when we’re training where he’s pretty quiet, which can feel pretty intense. But then he’ll step in, stop play, and tell you exactly what you could be doing better. So in a lot of ways, he’s very observational and just analyzing every little detail as we’re playing.

And in terms of next steps, where do you see yourself in regards to this USWNT program? 

I have no idea. Obviously, I hope to be continuously called in. I’m just going to keep working on what Vlatko told me to work on, and hopefully I just keep getting invited to camps.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ashley sanchez (@ashley.sanchez)

This year has been pretty crazy on a bunch of different levels, especially for you. In January you were drafted 4th overall after leaving UCLA early. Can you talk about that decision to leave school and enter the NWSL?

I had a really good experience at UCLA, but I felt like it was time for me to take that next step. It just seemed like the right move to try and improve my game even more and put myself in an uncomfortable situation. At that time, I just felt like that was the best thing for me. And now looking back, I do not regret that decision whatsoever.

Your rookie season started with the NWSL Challenge Cup. What was this first taste of the pro life like for you? 

Honestly, it was just weird. Thankfully, our team was able to bond throughout that entire experience. We have a really young group of players, so I’m glad we were able to build such strong relationships.

But it just felt like the longest month of my life. It was just so strange. On one hand, I’m glad it happened, because if I were at school, I wouldn’t have been able to play at all. So, I’m just grateful for the opportunity to play, but it was definitely just the weirdest situation I’ve ever been through.

Thinking back to that Cup, I don’t really remember what my mind was thinking at the time. It was just like, “I guess this is the new normal.” It felt like I blacked out throughout the whole thing.

Despite it being weird, you were able to grind it out and win the Future Legend Award for the tournament. What was that like, and did it feel like validation giving your decision to go pro early?

I definitely wanted to come in and make my mark, but I wasn’t looking for any type of award or anything. I came into this year and was like, “Okay, I need to get better.” I just wanted to improve as much as I could and adapt to this playing style in fast games, as quickly as possible.

I knew going into Utah that we only had a couple of games, so I had to really take advantage of this situation of being able to play. But obviously, winning that award was great. So, I’m definitely happy about that!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Washington Spirit (@washingtonspirit)

A few weeks later, you got right back into the swing of things for the NWSL Fall Series. The Washington Spirit had a pretty great run, and you ended up placing third. How was everyone’s mindset compared to during the Challenge Cup?

After the Challenge Cup, we weren’t even sure if there were going to be more games. But then once the Fall Series was announced, our competitive mindset turned back on.

We had a couple of starters that were injured for these games. I think that put a little bit more pressure on me. I was like, “I need to come out even more, and try to be somewhat of a bigger presence on the field because we were missing our two captains, Andi [Sullivan] and Tori [Huster].”

But I think the girls really stepped up. We had a strong game plan going in, and everyone chipped in. Our bench was incredibly strong and the girls that came in each game did a great job. I think third place was a great step forward for us.

So after a unique and successful rookie season, what are your goals moving forward as we look toward 2021?

My goals for next year are to get called into national team camp regularly and to also have more of an impact for the Spirit. Going into next season, I definitely want to focus on scoring more goals and creating more goals for my teammates.

Lastly, any plans during this offseason?

I’m just enjoying my time back home. In California, there isn’t much that you can do during this quarantine, and because everything is closed right now, I will probably head back to DC at some point to train with some of my coaches and my teammates who are still there. But right now, I’m just going to rest up and focus on my training so that I can be ready for next season.

The USA Basketball Women's National Team is still considering Caitlin Clark for a spot on the Paris Olympics squad, says selection committee chair Jennifer Rizzotti. 

On Monday, Rizzotti told the AP that the committee will be evaluating the college phenom’s Olympic prospects by keeping a close eye on her first few weeks of WNBA play with Indiana.

The move is somewhat unconventional. While Clark was invited to participate in the 14-player national team training camp held earlier this month — the last camp before Team USA’s roster drops — she was unable to attend due to it coinciding with Iowa’s trip to the NCAA Women’s Final Four.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

Judging by the immense talent spread throughout the league in what might be their most hyped season to date, competition for a piece of the Olympic pie could be fiercer than ever before.

"You always want to introduce new players into the pool whether it's for now or the future," said Rizzotti. "We stick to our principles of talent, obviously, positional fit, loyalty and experience. It's got to be a combination of an entire body of work. It's still not going to be fair to some people."

Of course, Clark isn’t the first rookie the committee has made exceptions for. Coming off an exceptional college season that saw her averaging 8.7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 19.4 points per game for UConn, Breanna Stewart was tapped to represent the U.S. at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil less than two weeks after being drafted No. 1 overall by the Seattle Storm. Eight years prior, fellow No. 1 pick Candace Parker punched her ticket to the 2008 Games in Beijing just two weeks after making her first appearance for the L.A. Sparks.

In the lead-up to Paris’ Opening Ceremony on July 26th, USA Basketball Women’s National Team is scheduled to play a pair of exhibition games. They'll first go up against the league's finest at the July 20th WNBA All-Star Game in Phoenix before facing Germany in London on July 23rd. While an official roster announcement date hasn’t yet been issued, players won’t find out if they’ve made this year’s Olympic cut until at least June 1st.

For the first time in history, three different WNBA teams have completely sold out of season ticket plans well before the league's May 14th kick-off.

Call it the Caitlin Clark effect, attribute it to this year’s tenacious rookie class, or look to the skyrocketing visibility of veteran players across the board. But no matter the cause, facts are facts: Tickets to the 2024 WNBA season are selling like never before. 

On Monday, the Dallas Wings became the third team to sell out of season ticket memberships in the league’s 27-year history. The announcement from Arlington came shortly after the Atlanta Dream issued their own season ticket sell-out statement, also on Monday, and almost seven weeks after the back-to-back WNBA Champion Las Vegas Aces made headlines by becoming the first-ever WNBA team to sell out their season ticket allotment.   

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by espnW (@espnw)

According to the Wings, season ticket memberships will fill nearly 40% of the 6,251 seats inside their home arena, College Park Center. The club also said that their overall ticket revenue has ballooned to the tune of 220% this year, spanning not just season tickets but also a 1,200% increase in single ticket sales. There’s currently a waitlist to become a Dallas season ticket holder, a status that comes with extra incentives like playoff presale access and discounts on additional single-game tickets. 

In Atlanta, season tickets aren't the only thing flying off the shelves. The Dream also announced that they broke their own record for single-game ticket sales during a recent limited presale campaign. Sunday was reportedly their most lucrative day, with five different games totally selling out Gateway Center Arena. Individual tickets for all upcoming matchups will hit the market this Thursday at 8 a.m., while a waitlist for season ticket memberships will open up next Tuesday at 10 a.m.

"Excitement around women's sports, particularly basketball, is at an all-time high and nowhere is that felt more than here in Atlanta," Dream president and COO Morgan Shaw Parker said in the team’s statement. "We’ve continued a record-setting growth trajectory over the past three years under new ownership — both on and off the court — and 2024 is shaping up to be our best season yet."

As of Tuesday, season ticket sales revenue for Caitlin Clark’s hotly anticipated Indiana Fever debut haven’t yet been announced by the club. But if these numbers are any indication — not to mention the explosive demand for Fever away games felt by teams around the country — it won’t be long before we see some scale-tipping figures coming out of Indianapolis.

25-year-old American pro golfer Nelly Korda secured her spot in LPGA history on Sunday, notching her fifth-straight title at this weekend's Chevron Championship in The Woodlands, Texas.

Ranked No. 1 in the world by Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, Korda joins Nancy Lopez (1978) and Annika Sörenstam (2005) as just the third LPGA player to rack up five consecutive tour wins. She is also the third No. 1-ranked player to capture The Chevron Championship victory since the rankings debuted in 2006, accompanied by Lorena Ochoa and Lydia Ko.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by LPGA Tour (@lpga_tour)

The Florida native shot three-under 69 in Sunday's final, besting Sweden's Maja Stark despite Stark's valiant come-from-behind attempt in the 18th. Korda finished with a four-day total of 13-under 275, celebrating her two-stroke win by cannonballing into Poppie's Pond, much to the crowd's delight. She left The Club at Carlton Woods with $1.2 million from an overall purse of $7.9 million.

It wasn't long ago that the two-time major champion's current winning streak seemed unimaginable. After maintaining her No. 1 position for 29 weeks, Korda underwent surgery to remove a blood clot from her left arm in 2022. She returned to the course not long after, but failed to win a single tournament in 2023 before seeing a surge in form during the first four months of 2024. As of today, she hasn't lost a tournament since January.

Korda will attempt a record sixth-straight win at next week's JM Eagle LA Championship at Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles, where she'll vie for a cut of the $3.75 million purse.

USWNT regulars Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson furthered their cases for Olympic inclusion with their respective club victories on Saturday and Sunday.

After a roller coaster of a week that saw former Thorns head coach Mike Norris reassigned and a flurry of last-minute roster reshufflings as Friday's trade window closure loomed, the NWSL sprung to life over the weekend with standout performances from ninth-place Portland and third-place Chicago, among others.

After her blocked attempt at goal set up a volleying sixth-minute opener from veteran Christine Sinclair — now the only player in history to record a goal in all 11 NWSL seasons — Smith swiftly netted her own in the 27th minute off a breakaway run that eluded Houston's backline. The goal represented Smith's third of the season as well as her 35th for the Thorns, ultimately leading to the home side's first win of the season in a 4-1 routing of the Dash.

But that wasn't Smith's only stat of the evening. The star forward also lapped former Chicago Red Star Sam Kerr to become the youngest player to reach 50 NWSL goal contributions across all games, chalking up 40 goals and 10 assists at the age of 23 years and 254 days.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

"Obviously it feels good to get a win," said Smith in a post-match press conference. "But this is the standard the Thorns have always had. So a win is great, but a win is the expectation — we're hungrier than ever after the way we started."

170 miles up the road, Lumen Field similarly showcased some promising Olympic prospect footwork on Sunday. In Chicago's 2-1 victory over the lagging 13th-place Seattle Reign, striker Mallory Swanson racked up an impressive counterattack assist on fellow forward Ally Schlegel's fourth-minute goal. Swanson went on to find the back of the net herself before halftime, lacing an explosive ball into the top corner in the 31st minute, her second of the season after returning from a lengthy sidelining injury.

Speaking of injuries, fellow USWNT favorites Alex Morgan and Tierna Davidson were not as fortunate as their national squad teammates this weekend. Each exited their club matches early, Morgan with an ankle knock in San Diego's loss to Orlando and Davidson with an apparent hamstring incident early on in Washington's win over Gotham.