This afternoon, the United States Under-17 Women’s National Team takes on Panama for the first ticket from CONCACAF to the Under-17 Women’s World Cup in Azerbaijan, later this year. Unlike last time, three spots are available, so this is not a do-or-die encounter.
BASIC DETAILS
Kick-Off: 3:30 pm EDT (1:30 pm local time)
Online: CONCACAF TV
Referee: Dianne Ferreira-James of Guyana will be the referee. (CONCACAF.com) She has been an international referee since 1999, and two of her more notable matches include the 2002 Under-19 Women’s World Cup final between the USA and Canada and the 2004 Olympic Gold Medal match between the USA and Brazil where she was the fourth official, but was given the whistle by an injured Jenny Palmqvist shortly before the end of regulation (de.Wikipedia).
Extra Time and Penalty Shoot-out: According to the official regulations (PDF), if, at the end of regulation, the match ends with both teams even on goals, then thirty minutes of extra time will be played. If the match is still tied, then a penalty shoot-out will be held.
Also worth noting is that last year, FIFA voted to eliminate extra time at all U-17 tournaments, both men’s and women’s (PDF). However, that decision appears to only affect FIFA tournaments.
Weather: Temperatures will be just above 80°F at kick-off. There is a chance for rain and thunderstorms. Wind should be minimal (5 MPH or less). (Weather Underground)
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UNITED STATES
Roster Changes: In a US Soccer podcast interview, Montoya has indicated that three or four players who have yet to start may be in the starting line-up.
Previous Matches: USA 10, Bahamas 0; USA 5, Trinidad & Tobago 0; USA 3, Mexico 0.
Playing Time: Eighteen of the twenty players have seen minutes so far, with centerback Lizzie Raben and back-up ‘keeper Cassie Miller being the only players to not get onto the pitch. Eight players have more than 240 minutes minutes of action (out of 270).
TABLE: United States U-17 WNT Playing Time, So Far
NAME P. BAH TRI MEX TOTAL Jane Campbell GK 90 90 90 270 Cassie Miller GK 0 --------------------------------------------- Maddie Bauer CB 90 90 90 270 Mandy Freeman CB 90 90 90 270 Lizzy Raben CB 0 --------------------------------------------- Gabbi Miranda FB 90 90 90 270 Brittany Basinger FB 90 73 90 253 Morgan Reid FB 17 17 --------------------------------------------- Morgan Andrews MF 90 90 90 270 Sarah Robinson MF 90 90 68 248 Morgan Stanton MF 45 79 17 141 Lauren Kaskie MF 45 56 101 Joanna Boyles MF 11 34 45 --------------------------------------------- Summer Green FW 71 90 90 251 Margaret Purce FW 90 90 180 Emily Bruder FW 45 90 135 Andi Sullivan FW 45 66 111 Amber Munerlyn FW 83 83 Toni Payne FW 19 22 41 Darian Jenkins FW 24 24
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PANAMA
Scoring Threats: Marta Cox and Karla Riley. Both can score from distance and Cox has a rocket foot, as shown in her only goal at this year’s U-20 Championship.
Goalkeeping: Karen Chavarria is a relatively short and not that athletic ‘keeper, so her effective blocking range is not that great. Her punts and goal kicks are on the lower end of the spectrum, both in terms of distance and accuracy, which limits Panama’s ability to clear the ball out of its own half.
U-20 WNT Veterans: Eight players from Panama’s 2012 U-20 WNT are on this team, including five who played in the match versus the U-20 USWNT (a 6:0 win for the USA). Those five were defenders Astrid Diaz and Katherine Gonzalez, midfielder Yanis Sanjur, and forwards Marta Cox and Karla Riley. Marta Cox picked up a red card in the semifinal match versus Canada for intentionally kicking a Canadian player when both were on the turf.
Fitness Issues: Panama’s final group match versus Jamaica looked to be in slow motion. At the end of the match, most of the players on both sides collapsed to the pitch in exhaustion. Panama does have an extra day’s rest advantage.
Previous Matches:
Panama 0, Canada 6:
Panama 1, Jamaica 1:
Panama 7, Guatemala 1:
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TABLE: Panama U-17 WNT Playing Time, So Far
PLAYER P. CAN GUA JAM TOTAL Karen Chavarria GK 90 90 90 270 Yerenis De Leon^ DF 90 90 90 270 Astrid Diaz* DF 90 90 90 270 Yomira Sanford^ DF 75 90 90 255 Astrid Gonzalez DF 33 90 90 213 Yanis Sanjur* MF 90 75 90 255 Laurie Batista MF 90 90 90 270 Yerenis Franco MF 90 90 89 269 Marta Cox* FW 67 90 90 247 Karla Riley* FW 90 88 86 264 ================ Could Start ================ Kenia Rangel MF 90 26 45 161 Yaniska Garcia^ MF 64 45 109 Katherine Castillo DF 57 4 61 =============== Probable Subs =============== Génesis Samuels MF 23 2 25 Schiandra Gonzalez DF 15 1 16 Katherine Gonzalez* DF 15 15 Meybin Saavedra MF 0 Nicole Medianero DF 0 Joselin Quintero GK 0 Karla De La Rosa MF 0
Notes: Players with asterisks (*) or carats (^) by their names were on Panama’s U-20 WNT. Those with asterisks (*) played against the United States in that tournament.
Panama’s most probable line-up is the first group of ten players plus either Rangel or Garcia.
Women's Soccer Express 