For National Hispanic Heritage Month, we’re honoring the best American women of Hispanic descent who have played for the U.S. Women’s National Team. There haven’t been that many (just five to date on record), but two, Sofia Huerta and Ashley Sanchez, were members of the 2023 U.S. Women’s World Cup squad.

Who was the first female Hispanic soccer player on the USWNT?

On record, the first female Hispanic soccer player for the USWNT was Keri Sanchez in the late 1990s. Stephanie Cox became the first Mexican-American on the team when she played in 2007.

How many current female Hispanic-American soccer players are there?

Five women of Hispanic descent have played for the senior USWNT.

Famous Hispanic Female Soccer Players

Amy Rodriguez Shilling is the most famous Hispanic-American female soccer player. She helped the USWNT win the World Cup in 2015 and reach the final in 2011.

Celebrating the Top Six Most Influential Hispanic-American Female Soccer Players in USWNT History

  1. Viviana Villacorta

Hometown: Lawndale, Calif.
Birthdate: Feb. 2, 1999
Position: Midfielder
Career Span: 2016 to present
Teams: Santa Clarita Blue Heat, Orlando Pride
Awards and Honors: NCAA Runner-Up (2017), UWS Championship (2016)

Viviana Villacorta hasn’t played for the USWNT senior team yet, but she has accumulated 17 caps (and six goals) for the U.S. Under-20 team. Originally from California, she stayed close to home and starred at UCLA. Villacorta was then the ninth overall pick in the 2021 NWSL draft by the Orlando Pride and has been a regular with that team ever since.

  1. Keri Sanchez

Hometown: San Jose, Calif.
Birthdate: Dec. 25, 1972
Position: Defender
Career Span: 1995 to 2009
Teams: Silicon Valley Red Devils, Suzuyo Shimizu FC, Boston Breakerx, San Jose CyberRays, California Stom, Los Angeles Sol
Awards and Honors: NCAA Championship (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994) 

Former USWNT defender Keri Sanchez is the current coach of the Colorado College soccer team. Before that, she had a successful career playing in both the USL W League and Women’s Premier Soccer League. She was also part of the famed North Carolina women’s soccer team of the early 1990s and won four straight NCAA titles as an undergraduate.

Sanchez earned 13 caps for the USWNT, making her one of five USWNT Hispanic players.

  1. Ashley Sanchez

Hometown: Monrovia, Calif.
Birthdate: March 16, 1999
Position: Midfielder
Career Span: 2020 to present
Team: Washington Spirit
Awards and Honors: U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year (2016), NWSL Championship (2021), SheBelieves Cup Champion (2022, 2023), CONCACAF Women’s Champion (2022)

Ashley Sanchez is a young Mexican-American soccer star on the rise. She was named U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year at 17 years old in 2016 before attending UCLA. The Washington Spirit of the NWSL drafted Sanchez, and she has been a mainstay for the squad ever since, helping them win the 2021 NWSL title.

Sanchez was first called up to the USWNT at age 17 in 2016 but wasn’t capped until 2021. She was named to the 2023 Women’s World Cup squad and has already accumulated 26 caps for the team.

  1. Stephanie Cox

Hometown: Elk Grove, Calif.
Birthdate: April 3, 1986
Position: Defender
Career Span: 2009 to 2021
Teams: Los Angeles Sol, Boston Breakers, Seattle Sounders Women, Seattle Reign, OL Reign
Awards: NCAA Championship (2005), Olympic Gold medal (2008)

Formerly known as Stephanie Lopez, Cox grew up in California with a Mexican-American father and a German mother. She attended the University of Portland and won the 2005 NCAA championship on an undefeated Pilots team. She had a nomadic club career but settled into the NWSL with the Seattle Reign.

Cox excelled for the U.S. national team, appearing 89 times from 2005 to 2014. She was part of the American team that won a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

  1. Sofia Huerta

Hometown: Boise, Idaho
Birthdate: Dec. 14, 1992
Position: Right back
Career Span: 2015 to present
Teams: Chicago Red Stars, Adelaide United, Houston Dash, Sydney FC, OL Reign
Awards: SheBelieves Cup Champion (2016, 2022, 2023), CONCACAF Women’s Champion (2022), NWSL Best XI (2022), NWSL Shield (2022)

Like Ashley Sanchez, Sofia Huerta also played for the USWNT at the 2023 Women’s World Cup tournament. However, Huerta, whose father is from Mexico, was also eligible to play for the Mexican national team and actually played for that country from 2012 to 2013, earning five caps. She made the one-time switch to the USWNT in 2017 and has since been a mainstay for the Americans, appearing 31 times and helping the U.S. win three SheBelieves Cup championships.

On the club side, Huerta currently plays for OL Reign. She has made the NWSL Best XI once and the NWSL Second XI on four occasions. 

  1. Amy Rodriguez Shilling

Hometown: Lake Forest, Calif.
Birthdate: Feb. 17, 1987
Position: Forward
Career Span: 2008 to 2021
Teams: Boston Breakers, Philadelphia Independence, FC Kansas City, Utah Royals, Kansas City, North Carolina Courage
Awards and Honors: Olympic Gold Medal (2008, 2012), FIFA Women’s World Cup Champion (2015), CONCACF Women’s Champion (2014), NWSL Champion (2014, 2015)

Amy Rodriguez isn’t just the most accomplished USWNT player of Hispanic descent, she is also one the best female soccer players in the sport’s history. After starting at USC and then winning a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics, she joined the Boston Breakers as the first pick in the 2009 WPS draft. She excelled in both the WPS and NWSL, making First XI squads in each league (and even winning the NWSL Championship Game MVP award in 2015).

Rodriguez’s 132 caps for the USWNT are the most of any Latina soccer player on this list. She helped the U.S. win the World Cup in 2015, appearing in two matches and starting one. Before that, she started all five of the Americans’ games at the 2011 World Cup.

Rodriguez is the best Hispanic-American female soccer player of all time.

Parameters of Rankings

These rankings are based on each player’s total appearances for the USWNT, each player’s career achievements at the club/international level, and the importance of the games in which each player played.

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