Karina Rodriguez Named to Mexico National Team Roster

Defender Karina Rodriguez has been named to Mexico’s Women’s National Team by head coach Monica Vergara for the team’s upcoming match against Colombia.

The team will play one game during the September FIFA window against Colombia at Aztec Stadium in Mexico City, Mexico. The match will take place on September 21st at 8pm ET.

Rodriguez was called up to the senior Mexican National Team for a pair of matches against Costa Rica, where she earned her first cap on February 23. Rodriguez received two more call-ups from the senior team in May and June. The former Bruin was also a previous member of the U.S. U-20s Women’s National Team and competed in the 2018 CONCACAF Women’s Championship. Since joining the Spirit in late June, Rodriguez has made three appearances.

In June, Washington announced that they signed Rodriguez to a one-year contract with a one-year team option.

“We’re excited that Karina has joined the Spirit family after a great career at UCLA,” said Spirit Chief Soccer Officer and President of Sporting Operations Larry Best on Rodriguez after re-signing her in June. “We look forward to her contributions as she brings international experience as a capped player for the Mexican National Team.”

Rodriguez originally joined the Spirit as a recent UCLA graduate. In 2020, the defender was named to Top Drawer Soccer’s Best XI second team and the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week after helping UCLA to two consecutive shutouts in the 2020-2021 season. As a junior, Rodriguez was one of four players to start all 24 games and was selected to Top Drawer’s Soccer’s Preseason Best XI third team. During her entire collegiate career, Rodriguez recorded 82 starts along with a total of 85 appearances for the Bruins.