NWSL Player Profile: Marlene Sandoval

OK, so you’re a huge women’s soccer fan – you know Alex Morgan’s favorite breakfast cereal and you know what Abby Wambach watches on Tuesday night.

But when the NWSL kicks off on April 13, you might want to brush up on some of the international stars hitting the pitch. So, once a week or so, we’ll be posting brief profiles on some of these amazing players from Canada, Mexico and the world stage.

Today we profile Mexican National team defender, Marlene Sandoval.

NWSL Team: Portland Thorns FC
Position: Defender
Age: 29
Citizenship: Dual-citizenship with U.S. and Mexico

Background:
Orange County local soccer fans are already familiar with the name of Marlene Sandoval. The O.C. native was a standout athlete at Valencia High School, playing soccer, volleyball and track, as well as a 4-year starter for Cal-State Fullerton.

Notables:
Marlene has 72 caps and has 5 goals with the MWNT. The veteran defender will be on the Mexico roster at the 2013 Algarve Cup. This will mark Mexico’s first time participating in the tournament which takes place March 6-13 in Portugul.

Portland Thorns FC:
Whether she starts or comes off the bench, Marlene should match up nicely with a Portland backfield that includes U.S. defender Rachel Buehler and fellow Mexican national Luz Saucedo.

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