Since joining the Spirit as the number one overall pick in the 2018 NWSL Draft, Andi Sullivan has been a stalwart in the midfield for the club, accumulating over 100 appearances. In 2021, Sullivan captained the Spirit to the NWSL Championship, scoring the equalizing penalty kick in the championship match. The Lorton, Virginia native also represented the USWNT at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and has made over 53 appearances for the national team.
What is your first soccer memory?
I remember playing rec soccer and my dad being my coach. My team was the Tigers – we had orange jerseys with black stripes. I remember us all huddling and my dad saying, ‘Which goal are we going to?’ and we’d all have to point to which goal we were going to because we didn’t know which goal to score on.
Did you play any sports growing up?
Basketball and swimming. Breaststroke was my favorite stroke because it was the stroke my dad swam at Coast Guard.
What is your favorite sport to watch?
Soccer because I can see more of the nuances and have a better understanding of it. I like watching basketball. I like watching tennis. I think basketball has a lot of soccer similarities in terms of passing and vision, but I barely know the rules, so that makes it difficult.
What’s your favorite way to spend an off day?
It’s hard to actually do something on an off day because you’re so tired, but I guess my ideal off day would be to get some sleep, get coffee, and go on a walk with Drew (Skundrich) (Andi’s husband) and our dog, Copua – not Koopa Troopa. It was a name of a café at Stanford where Drew and I met. Sometimes, though, many of the things I would really like to do are too taxing. I would love to go on a hike or play pickleball, but I can’t do that on an off day.
What’s your favorite restaurant in the DMV?
In DC: Chloe, in Navy Yard. In Northern Virginia, back to (my) roots: Kumo – it’s a sushi place in Alexandria, so amazing and has the best sushi. I haven’t had a sushi spot that compares to it. My family has been going there for so long. We go there for everyone’s birthday. They know my family there, so it’s sentimental, and it’s delicious. Out in the ‘burbs, in Leesburg, I go to Cowbell Kitchen for breakfast, and then there’s a restaurant called Tuscarora Mill, which is very good for dinner. In Maryland, I like Inferno Pizza. So good.
What’s always in your fridge?
Milk for my coffee, carrots, and hummus, specifically “Everything but the Bagel” seasoned hummus.
What’s your go-to coffee or tea order?
Latte, always.
What’s your favorite coffee shop?
Goosecup (Leesburg) and Yellow (Navy Yard & Georgetown).
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
To always ask myself, “What else can I do?” A strength coach at Stanford told me that after I tore my ACL, and I still think about it.
What phone app do you use the most?
I would probably say FaceTime. I’m FaceTiming Drew if I’m on the road. I’ll FaceTime my nephews, my parents, and my friends. I also could say Instagram.
What’s on your social media algorithm?
I want it to adjust a little bit, I don’t love my algorithm. I get a lot of recipes and clothing stuff that I never wear because I only wear sweatpants, but it’s like spring dresses.
Do you collect anything?
I have a lot of mugs. I really love mugs. I’m starting to, if we go on the road and we go to a coffee shop and they have cool shirts, I’ve been starting to get those. I’ve been wanting to do it for years and years, and I should’ve started years ago, but I didn’t because I thought it was silly to spend my money on. Then, for my birthday this year, Drew got me two shirts from coffee shops I’ve been to that I really liked.
