Washington Spirit First-Year Midfielder Riley Tanner Called Up to Panama National Team
Panama will play an international friendly in preparation for its first-ever FIFA Women’s World Cup Appearance
Washington, D.C. (03/30/2023) – Washington Spirit midfielder and first-year player Riley Tanner has been called up to the Panama Women’s National Football Team, the Panamanian Football Federation announced today.
Tanner, the 30th overall pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft, signed a two-year contract with the Spirit earlier this year. This is her third call-up to the Panama National Team. Tanner and Panama will play an international friendly match against the Dominican Republic on April 6. The team will debut at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup on July 24 against Brazil. They will play in Group F against France, Jamaica and Brazil.
Panama is one of three sides set to make its first-ever appearance in this year’s World Cup after beating Paraguay, 1-0, to advance out of the inaugural FIFA Play-Off Tournament. This tournament featured ten teams split into three groups with each group’s winner earning a berth in the World Cup. Tanner scored her first international goal in the semifinal of the Play-Off Tournament against Papua New Guinea.
Prior to joining the Spirit, Tanner played collegiately at the University of South Carolina before transferring to the University of Alabama. In 2019, she became the first Gamecock to score in three straight NCAA Tournament games. In her final season of college soccer, Tanner was named a Second Team All-SEC member with Alabama. There, she finished her career third all-time single-season game-winning goals (3) and fourth all-time single-season assists (8).
Beginning this season, your favorite Washington Spirit players will take the field at Audi Field for every home match. Fans can secure their tickets to all 2023 Spirit home matches with a season membership. Available here, the season membership grants fans access to priority seating, an exclusive gift from the Spirit, access to special events throughout the season and more. The Spirit’s next home match will be on Saturday, April 22 when the team hosts the Houston Dash at 7 p.m. EST. Tickets to the home opener are available now.
About The Washington Spirit
The Washington Spirit is the professional women’s soccer team based at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. Launched in 2012, the Spirit plays in the National Women’s Soccer League, the premier women’s soccer competition in North America. For more information about the Spirit, visit WashingtonSpirit.com and follow the club on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
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