NWSL’s Newest Star
New Houston Dash attacking player, Maria Sánchez lit the pitch on fire as she led the Houston Dash to a comeback win over Racing Louisville FC. The former Santa Clara University Bronco took the long way to this season where she leads the Dash upfront in one of the best women's soccer leagues in the world.
Sánchez had only one college offer after her magnificent high school career. Idaho State University was the only school that offered her a chance to play due to her financial situation at home. She was unable to play in elite competitions like clubs because her parents just could not afford the cost of playing on a club team. USWNT midfielder Samantha Mewis played for Scorpions SC, an elite soccer club in Foxborough, Massachusetts to demonstrate to colleges and the national team that she had the ability to play against the best of the best and succeed. Sánchez did not have that privilege of a chance to better her skills and show to scouts she had what it took to play for them.
C/O: Alejandro Garza
After only seven appearances for the Chicago Red Stars, Sánchez spent time in her home country of Mexico in Liga MX Femenil for both Guadalajara and Tigres UANL. Her first stint in the NWSL did not go the way she had planned, but she is back, and ready to prove something to the league. Sánchez just has that presence around the net that few players around the world have. As seen in the second match of the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup, Sánchez has a world-class left foot in her arsenal. Her left foot was on display last season in Mexico where Sánchez netted 11 of her 14 goals for Tigres with just her left foot. After only a month on loan with the Dash last season, “La Bombi" signed a two-year contract to stay in Houston. It is two weeks into the NWSL season, and Sánchez is becoming a force in the Dash attack along with Rachel Daly, and Canadian Nichelle Prince. Sánchez is glowing with confidence on the pitch even though it is so early in the season. The world can tell she is ecstatic to get back to the NWSL full-time after three years.
After officially signing with the Dash, Sánchez stated, "Joining the Dash is such a privilege for me...It’s getting another shot at my dream, and I couldn’t be more excited to do it with a team and coaching staff that I have tremendous respect for!"
Her one-on-one abilities in the box, and in dribbling tight spaces make her a mismatch for anyone who challenges to stop her progress down the pitch. She was the hidden talent of Idaho that was overlooked until she wasn't. In Sánchez's international career for Mexico, she has scored five goals in 33 appearances for the women's national team so far. One of those goals was an absolute screamer of a free-kick with her left foot to put Mexico up 2-0 in an international friendly against Colombia back in September in Estadio Azteca.
C/O: Getty Images
Heading into the rest of the 2022 Challenge Cup, Sánchez hopes to build off her performances so far and continue to create havoc for the back lines of each opposition. From her beginnings in one of the most forgettable states in the United States, this Mexican-American has bet on herself to get to where she is today. Sánchez is a story of someone with very little, who managed to make the best out of what she was given. She may have not gone to a big university like the 21-time National Champion, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, but that did not affect Sánchez whatsoever in her aspirations to succeed in what she loved to do.
In 2015, she was the second-youngest player at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup the year the USWNT hoisted the trophy behind a 5-2 win over Japan in the final. At the age of only 26 years old, Sánchez has so much room to improve on her game she is already elite as it is. From starting at a school with less than 7,300 students to starting up top for the Houston Dash, Sánchez has come a long way. With her spectacular foot skills and world-class shooting attributes, Sánchez has the talent and quality to become one of the most clinical attacking players in the NWSL.
