Ashley Sanchez and Sofia Huerta know what it’s like to struggle with identity. The two US Women’s National Team players, who are both half white and half Mexican, share the experience of hiding behind one part of themselves while ignoring the other.
“I think for a long time, I didn’t feel Mexican enough,” Sanchez said in the latest episode of NBC Sports’ women’s soccer podcast. My New Favorite Futbolista . Sanchez was born in Pasadena, California. Maybe it was the blond hair, or the fact that she didn’t speak Spanish, but growing up, classmates and teammates often expressed surprise when they found out she was half Mexican. It wasn’t until a couple of years ago that Sanchez decided she could interpret her identity however she wanted. “I can still be Mexican and look white or whatever,” she said.
Huerta also spoke with Sanchez on the podcast, and said she had a similar feeling when it came to her identity. “Spanish was my first language. But then once I started going to school, I was embarrassed because I couldn’t speak good English,” she said. “And so I think from the beginning, I didn’t want to speak Spanish anymore.” Huerta, who grew up in a largely white area in Boise, Idaho, just wanted to fit in. And yet, she always felt proud of her heritage and connected to her roots. As a kid, Huerta visited her father’s family in Puebla during Christmas and in the summer. She said, “I always loved being Mexican and definitely felt that in my blood.”
At this year’s Women’s World Cup, Sanchez and Huerta will make history as the first Mexican Americans to represent Team USA at the event since Stephanie Cox in 2007, the only other Mexican American to ever play for the women’s national team.
“At the beginning, I didn’t realize how big of a deal [it] was,” Sanchez said. “And now, [I’m] coming to terms [with] the fact that there has been only one [Mexican American] before me.”
Sanchez played at UCLA, where she met teammates who had similar backgrounds. “I was surrounded on a team with girls who were also either half Mexican or fully Mexican,” Sanchez said. “And they were totally supportive and weren’t like, ‘you’re not Mexican.’ And I think that really helped me to embrace it more.” Sanchez’s best friend in college was Karina Rodriguez, a defender who was also of Mexican descent. Yet unlike Sanchez, Rodriguez spoke Spanish. Sanchez wasn’t yet ready to learn her mother’s tongue, but Rodriguez helped pique her curiosity.
Huerta had a very different college experience at Santa Clara University. While she thought she’d meet other Mexicans and Latinos, college felt as white as Boise. “It was kind of the same story that I had growing up,” Huerta said. It was Huerta’s boyfriend at the time, who was from the same town in Mexico as her father, who encouraged her to explore her heritage. “I was spending a lot of time with him and his family,” Huerta said. “I just was able to see more of the world.”
And then, in 2012, Huerta faced a new kind of identity crisis. After she wasn’t selected for the US roster for the FIFA U-20 World Cup, Huerta found her opportunity by joining Mexico’s team. The decision caused a divide among fans; people called her all sorts of derogatory names, gringa – a term to describe a white woman who speaks English – being one of them. “I have lighter hair and lighter skin, so I think people are just questioning how Mexican I was, which is just so funny because my family’s from Mexico and I go there all the time,” Huerta said. “So it was always pretty difficult for people to understand who I really was.”
Nevertheless, Huerta represented Mexico, scoring three of the country’s seven goals throughout the tournament. Two years later, in 2014, Huerta left the Mexican national team to play for the US. “I received some criticism from the fans that I was, you know, a traitor. I wasn’t really Mexican. And I go back to where I belong.” But playing for her home country had been a dream of Huerta’s since she was five years old. She was born in America and she grew up watching American players on TV. She always wanted to be one of them.
Both women now play in the National Women’s Soccer League – Huerta in Seattle and Sanchez in DC – but in late July both players will be sporting Team USA jerseys with their Mexican surnames on the back. Huerta and Sanchez are excited to represent not only their country, but their culture. The players have both come to embrace – and even be proud of – their dual identities. “What an awesome opportunity I have to be Mexican-American,” Huerta said. “Because as cliche as it sounds, I think we all agree that if you could see it, you can be it. And so I think for any little girl or boy who’s from the community who sees my last name now, they’ll believe that they can do it.”
My New Favorite Futbolista , hosted by World Cup champion Meghan Klingenberg and Mexico National Team star Janelly Farias, will introduce you to more inspiring soccer players leading up to the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Check out the podcast feed or watch the video version on the NBC Sports YouTube page .
2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup schedule, start time, dates, how to watch live
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When: July 20 to August 20
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Group stage kick-off times: 12:30am, 1am, 1:30am, 3am, 3:30am, 4am, 6am, 7am, 8am, 8:30am, 8pm, 9pm, 10pm (all ET)
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Location: Australia and New Zealand
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TV channels in Spanish: Telemundo, Universo, Peacock
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Streaming en Español: Peacock (all 64 matches)
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