Ella Ryan Sanchez (born March 8, 2005) is an American professional soccer player who plays as an attacking midfielder for Liga MX Femenil club Pachuca. She has represented the United States at the youth international level. A product of the Racing Louisville FC academy, she signed with Pachuca at the age of 18.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name |
Ella Ryan Sanchez[1] Ella Ryan Sanchez Stickel[2][a] | ||
| Date of birth | March 8, 2005[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Ohio, U.S. | ||
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Pachuca | ||
| Number | 27 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2023 | Racing Louisville | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022–2023 | Racing Louisville (USL W) | ||
| 2023– | Pachuca | 14 | (1) |
| International career | |||
| 2022 | United States U-17 | 7 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Early life
editSanchez was raised in Louisville, Kentucky, the second oldest of four children born to Shana (née Stickel) and Mario Sanchez.[3][4] Her father played professional soccer before becoming a soccer coach, and her mother played college soccer at Cal Poly.[5][6] Her older brother, Sebastian, turned professional with Louisville City FC.[7]
She attended Ballard High School, where she set the school's scoring record with 144 goals and 60 assists in three seasons and twice received first-team all-state honors.[8][9] She was named the Kentucky Gatorade Girls Soccer Player of the Year in 2021–22 for her junior season when she scored 64 goals, helping her team get to the regional tournament semifinals.[9][10]
Sanchez played for Racing Louisville's academy team while her father was the director of Louisville City FC and Racing's academy programs.[6][11] She was named an ECNL All-American in 2020–21.[12] She was listed on the Racing first team's roster for one game, dressing for the Women's Cup final against Bayern Munich on August 21, 2021.[3][13] She played for Racing's USL W League side in 2022 and 2023.[10][14]
Club career
editPachuca
editSanchez signed with Mexican club C.F. Pachuca on July 3, 2023.[15] She scored her first Liga MX goal off the bench in a 4–0 win against Santos Laguna on March 25, 2024.[16]
International career
editSanchez holds United States and Mexican citizenship.[2] She was called into virtual training camp with the United States national under-17 team in February 2021.[3] She was selected to represent her country at the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in India, where the U.S. team won their group but lost in the first knockout round on penalties.[10][17] She was invited to train with the United States combined under-18/under-19 team in April 2023.[18]
References
edit- ^ In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Sánchez and the second or maternal family name is Stickel.
- ^ a b "Squad List: FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup India 2022" (PDF). FIFA. October 4, 2022. p. 16. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
- ^ a b "Ficha Jugadora – Ella Ryan Sanchez Stickel". Liga MX Femenil (in Mexican Spanish).
- ^ a b c Kirven, J.L. (June 20, 2024). "'She's absolutely the best player in the state': Meet Ballard midfielder Ella Sanchez". Courier Journal. Archived from the original on July 20, 2024.
- ^ "Mario Sanchez – Head Coach – Men's Soccer". SIU Edwardsville Cougars. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
- ^ Lane, Tom (May 12, 2023). "Racing Louisville academy star, Ballard senior Ella Sanchez will soon decide if to turn pro or play in college". WDRB. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
- ^ a b "Sanchez family comes together with LouCity, Racing Academy". WHAS-TV. March 9, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
- ^ Wilson, Erin (October 1, 2022). "Racing Louisville Academy player heads to World Cup". Spectrum News 1 Kentucky. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
- ^ Woodson, Dyuce (September 28, 2021). "How the name Sanchez and soccer go hand-in-hand in Louisville". WLKY. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
- ^ a b "Gatorade 2021–2022: Player of the Year – Girls Soccer – Kentucky". Gatorade. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
- ^ a b c Frakes, Jason (September 22, 2022). "Ballard's Ella Sanchez selected to US Under-17 Youth National Soccer Team". Courier Journal. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
- ^ Saxon, Jonathan (March 9, 2021). "Parenting and coaching have shown Mario Sanchez the direct approach is his best approach". Courier Journal. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
- ^ "Girls ECNL announces 2020–21 All Americans". Elite Clubs National League. September 20, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2024 – via TopDrawerSoccer.
- ^ "Sanchez marks another 'first' for Racing's academy, making senior team squad". LouCity | Racing Academy. August 28, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
- ^ "Trio of set pieces earn Racing a win in its W League opener". Racing Louisville FC. May 18, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
- ^ Club Pachuca Femenil [@tuzasoficial] (July 3, 2023). "She is Ella!". Retrieved July 20, 2024 – via Instagram.
- ^ Gutiérrez, Paulina (March 25, 2024). "Un gran Tuzalto". Once Diario. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
- ^ Clark, Travis (October 17, 2022). "USA Wins Group at U17 World Cup". TopDrawerSoccer. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
Clark, Travis (October 21, 2022). "US U17 WNT World Cup Run Comes to an End". TopDrawerSoccer. Retrieved July 20, 2024. - ^ "U20, U18/19 Rosters Announced for NC Camps". United States Soccer Federation. April 4, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2024 – via TopDrawerSoccer.
External links
edit- Ella Sanchez at Soccerway.com
- Ella Sanchez at Liga MX Femenil (archive) (in Spanish)
