Exiled USWNT star Ashley Sanchez has admitted that she has had no contact with new international head coach Emma Hayes as she awaits a recall after nearly a year in the wilderness.
The North Carolina Courage player in the NWSL has experienced a rollercoaster 12 months, failing to play a single international minute after being picked for the Women's World Cup last year before a shock departure from the Washington Spirit. Amid her self-confessed "heartbreak" after leaving her former employers, she has also not been called up for her country since last October.
The latest blow for midfielder came as she failed to make the roster for the United States' upcoming involvement at the Olympic Games in Paris this summer. Despite this snub, 27-time international is still optimistic that the installment of former Chelsea boss Hayes, who recently took over the USWNT, could help her cause as she chases a return to the fold.
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Either way, reflecting on what was a historically poor showing from America at the last World Cup, Sanchez was honest about the fact that she was disappointed not to play a single minute at the tournament. She told GOAL : "I think that I've definitely processed [last summer’s disappointing World Cup ], and I wouldn't say I'm over it necessarily, because obviously there are times where I'm like, 'Dang, that really did suck'.
"But I would just say that I do feel like everything that was meant to happen happened and I'm just hoping that I get another opportunity. I'm just trying to do everything I can to get another opportunity to play and do all the things that I wanted to do. That's pretty much how I'm looking at it.
Explaining what her relationship is like with Hayes, who took on her new post upon the conclusion of the previous WSL season, Sanchez also confessed that they have not spoken yet. Giving a candid response, she said: "I've had pretty much no contact really, whatsoever, which is definitely hard as a player.
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"But hopefully, after the Olympics , we'll see what happens. I'm just focusing on what I can and hopefully getting another shot. I'm just going to try to do the best I can for my team. I think that if I do that, I will get another chance."
Still, the California-born ace is grateful for how the last year has panned out, even if it has not gone how she would have planned. She vowed: "I think this last year has been absolutely wild, but I do think that I've been very fortunate with injuries and setbacks and different things like that.
"I haven't really experienced anything and I think all the greatest players in the world have experienced something like this. It's really easy to be like, 'Poor me', but I felt like [the trade] was meant to happen and it was just going to be the start of something different."
Sanchez added: "I thought that if I just changed my mindset to want to grow and get better and be the best player I can be, that's pretty much the only option I had, because I already wasn't with the national team, I just got traded and there's a lot of things that could have been a downward spiral."
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