U.S. Soccer snubbed Ashley Hatch. In hindsight it didn’t deserve the former BYU star

The United States Women’s National Team could have used Ashley Hatch.

In the end, however, the former BYU star should be glad to have been far away from this team’s humiliation.

The four-time World Cup champions made an embarrassing early exit in this year’s tournament in a loss to Sweden on penalty kicks Sunday.

The USA had no offense. No heart. Just politics.

Just like the rest of the time they’d spent on the world stage in this affair.

This team really could have used Hatch, who has proven to be a key cog in creating an efficient attack as a center forward.

When the roster came out earlier this year, the snub of Hatch made headlines across the country because of her National Women’s Soccer League performances, her consistency and her experience.

Wrote CBS Sports about Hatch’s absence back on June 22: “Her omission from the roster may be a head-scratcher for some as they debate who the backup No. 9 will be on the team. She’s been a top scorer in the league, and a frequent part of USWNT camps over the last two years, but is not headed to the tournament.”

Hatch had the resume and time with the team. Also, she probably would have avoided getting mired down on all the garbage dog-and-pony media show this USA team apparently cared more about than the game.

In 2021 Hatch had a career-best NWSL season with the Washington Spirit, helping her team to the league title and winning the Golden Boot in the same year. This year prior to the World Cup, she played five games with the USWNT, scoring one goal.

In retrospect, the honor and opportunities Hatch would have gained by being part of this team may have been overshadowed by the stain this USA team brought upon itself with its sideshows and disappointment in representing the country.

This was the worst performance by a USA women’s team in World Cup history.

Why would Hatch want to be a part of that?

Well, she is a competitor, and that fueled her.

But now?

Ashley, be glad you were not part of this stink.

This 2023 team was more concerned with taking selfies, making political statements and fueling the far-left woke virtue-signaling agenda than putting the ball in the net, diving for loose balls or acting like world champions out on the field.

And that’s from at least one former teammate who saw it all coming.

For what?

Well, for an 18-year old with little experience (Alyssa Thompson) who had rarely played and a 38-year-old (Megan Rapinoe) who didn’t play well, according to Greg Wrubell, voice of BYU soccer.

Hatch, Wrubell accurately pointed out, at 28 years of age, in the prime of her career was left home — unselected.

Stupidity.

This will be the legacy of the 2023 U.S. women, a conglomeration of uninspired, self-interest peddling athletes who were obviously more concerned with their political activism than performing.

By the time the USWNT lost to Sweden, it had been four hours of goal-less USA offense — something everyone got used to witnessing from this team.

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Fightless, uninspired, gutless players going through the motions of disrespectful kneeling when their country’s national anthem was played.

Why can’t we just watch sports these days?  Why do we have to have political agendas shoved down our throats?

Former team member Carlie Lloyd could see it all coming a long time ago.

Lloyd, who has been providing commentary of the World Cup on Fox Sports, ripped into the USWNT after lackluster performances against Portugal and the Netherlands.

She had promised to be candid and honest in her analysis. Boy, was she.

According to Yahoo Sports,“ She (Lloyd) ripped into players and “question[ed] their heart” at halftime of a 1-1 draw with the Netherlands last Thursday. After Tuesday’s draw with Portugal, she called them “lackluster” and “uninspiring.”

“Then she saw the postgame videos, of players dancing and taking selfies with fans, and “I have never witnessed something like that,” she said on air. “There’s a difference between being respectful of the fans and saying hello to your family, but to be dancing, to be smiling” — she was disturbed.”

Then came the loss to Sweden — a copycat act of sputtering soccer from the most storied team in the world.

Said Lloyd, “Like, I lived it; I saw it,” she told Yahoo Sports.

“I’m basically just saying what I see because I was a part of it. And the last couple years, when I was retiring, you could just feel that love and that hunger and that humbleness just kinda dissipating a bit.”

“It was not a good environment,” she added. “You didn’t see people fighting on the field, fighting for every loose ball, sprinting. And that is a reason why we didn’t win the Olympics.”

Yes, the USWNT could have used Hatch, sans the social activism this team made a priority as it circled the drain.

If not for Hatch’s offensive skills, it really could have used her common sense and perspective.

This team didn’t deserve Hatch.