On Monday, February 3rd, CONCACAF released the provisional rosters (PDF) for all teams participating in the final stages of the 2020 CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship, giving us clues as to which players are still in the mix for new head coach Laura Harvey’s final 20-player roster, including #1 NWSL College Draft pick Sophia Smith.
The tournament, which will be hosted by the Dominican Republic and runs from February 22nd to March 8th (full schedule), will be used to decide the two – yes, just 2 – at-large qualification slots from CONCACAF for this year’s FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica and Panama.
U-20 USWNT Provisional Roster for 2020 CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship
Goalkeepers: Claudia Dickey, Julia Dohle, Meagan McClelland, Katie Meyer
Defenders: Michela Agresti, Maycee Bell, Talia DellaPeruta, Sierra Enge, Naomi Girma, Samar Guidry, Shae Holmes, Smith Hunter, Brianna Martinez, Emily Mason, Makenna Morris, Bria Schrotenboer, Natalia Staude, Kennedy Wesley
Midfielders: Hannah Bebar, Maya Doms, Katelyn Duong, Mia Fishel, Avery Lockwood, Jenna Nighswonger, Brianna Pinto, Alexa Spaanstra, Astrid Wheeler
Forwards: Ainsley Ahmadian, Rebecca Jarrett, Rachel Jones, Samantha Meza, Sydny Nasello, Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith, Summer Yates
NOTABLES AND CURIOSITIES
Of the players who were on the published 26-player roster for January’s U-20 USWNT camp, all but one, Catherine Barry, is on the preliminary roster.
All four 2000-born call-ups for December’s USWNT identification camp, including Stanford center back Naomi Girma, who was a late scratch from that camp due to injury, are included on the provisional roster. Of those four, only North Carolina midfielder Brianna Pinto is listed as an attendee for the January U-20 camp.
A third USWNT identification camp attendee and #1 pick of the 2020 NWSL College Draft, Sophia Smith, likely would have attended the January camp, had she not been called into January’s senior USWNT camp. Smith has not been in any known U-20 camps this cycle, primarily due to an injury she suffered in October 2018.
No public explanation exists for the omission from the January U-20 camp of the fourth 2000-born call-up for that USWNT identification camp, Maycee Bell.
None of the remaining seven players were on the published roster for last December’s Nike Friendlies, including 2002-born defender Makenna Morris, who has been curiously absent from the published rosters for the last three U-20 camps, as well as the recent U-18 USWNT camp.
Two of those seven players have not been listed on any published U-20 USWNT camp rosters this cycle: North Carolina’s Rachel Jones and Stanford’s Sierra Enge.
Three 2001-born players last attended the November 2019 U-20 camp: midfielder Hannah Bebar, plus forwards Ainsley Ahmadian and Samantha Meza.
Lastly, Notre Dame defender Brianna Martinez‘s most recent known camp attended was the La Manga trip in February 2019.
Women's Soccer Express 