Ashley Hatch was a surprise exclusion from the USWNT roster after appearing with the team consistently over the past year. (John Todd/USSF/Getty Images)
In some ways, U.S. women’s national team head coach Vlatko Andonovski has one of the toughest jobs in women’s soccer, especially when it comes to the decisions he has to make about his roster construction. The USWNT’s depth has been tested due to unexpected injuries, and Andonovski nonetheless has had to leave a number of very talented players home from the 2023 World Cup.
Here are a few of the players on the bubble not dealing with injury who very likely could have made the USWNT 2023 World Cup roster.
Ashley Hatch, forward
It feels like a harsh rite of passage in a way for a player to, through no fault of their own, find themselves on the very edge of a USWNT World Cup roster after months spent in camp with the team. In 2015, that player was Crystal Dunn; in 2019, it was Casey Krueger; and this year, it is Washington Spirit center forward Ashley Hatch.
Hatch wasn’t beaten out…
