The Under-15 United States Girls’ National Team is currently holding its first camp of 2020. For the camp, which runs from Monday, March 2nd, to Sunday, March 8th, 34 players, all born in 2005, have been called up. All but six of those players previously attended last October’s talent identification camp.
Leading the camp, which is being held at the National Training Center in Carson, California, is Sean Nahas, who is an assistant coach of NWSL side North Carolina Courage (profile), as well the Development Academy Director for the Courage’s youth teams.
External Link: U-15 Girls’ National Team To Hold First Training Camp of 2020 (U.S. Soccer)
The six new players are goalkeeper Shay Kercher-Pratt (Real Colorado), defenders Zoe Cuneio (St. Louis Scott Gallagher) and Imani Newby (Heat FC), plus midfielders Mia Bhuta (Internationals SC), Kiera Clemens (NC Courage Academy), and Daniela Monzon (East Meadow SC).
The remaining 28 players all attended last year’s transitional 59-player U-15 identification camp, which under U.S. Soccer’s refreshed talent identification program could be retroactively considered as a U-14 GNT camp.
Seven of those 28 players had previously called into last cycle’s U-14 USGNT, including Amelia “Mimi” Van Zanten, who was a member of the U-14 squad that won the 2018 CONCACAF Girls’ Under-15 Championship. The six other players with U-14 call-ups in 2016 are Treasure Byars, Anna Castenfelt, Joelle Jung, Lillian Danner, Madison Krakower, and Melina Rebimbas.
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In June, the U-15 USGNT is scheduled to travel to Europe for an overseas camp where they will play their age cohorts from the Netherlands and Germany. (Known YNT calendar for 2020) Another domestic camp will likely be held before that.
A few 2005-born players have recently attended older youth national team camps: Maggie Taitano and Gisele Thompson were called into both U-16 USGNT camps this year, including the trip to England for a UEFA development tournament, plus Olivia Moultrie, who attended both U-17 camps held so far in 2020.
U-15 USGNT TRAINING CAMP ROSTER – MARCH 2020
Players with italicized entries have not been previously listed on a published YNT camp roster. They are also identified via an asterisk (*).
This list is a modified version of the one published by U.S. Soccer. Spelling and style corrections have been made. Club names have been standardized.
Goalkeepers (4):
Valentina Amaral (Florida Kraze Krush; Oviedo Fla.)
Amaris Franco (So Cal Blues SC; South Pasadena, Calif.)
Shay Kercher-Pratt (Real Colorado; Broomfield, Colo.)*
Adelyn Todd (Real Colorado; Denver, Colo.)
Defenders (9):
Zoe Cuneio (SLSG; Wildwood, Mo.)*
Brooke Fabri (Phoenix Rising Youth FC; Phoenix, Ariz.)
Savannah King (Real So Cal SC; West Hills, Calif.)
Imani Newby (Heat FC; Las Vegas, Nev.)*
Cameron Roller (FC Dallas Acad.; Sherman, Texas)
Kiera Staude (NTH Tophat; Atlanta, Ga.)
Abigail “Abby” Unkraut (Cincinnati Dev. Acad.; Burlington, Ky.)
Amelia “Mimi” Van Zanten (Eclipse Select; Buffalo Grove, Ill.)
Emma Wang (San Jose Earthquakes Acad.; San Carlos, Calif.)
Midfielders (12):
Mia Bhuta (Internationals SC; Pittsburgh, Pa.)*
Anna Castenfelt (Utah Royals Acad.; Paradise Valley, Ariz.)
Kiera Clemens (North Carolina Courage Acad.; Raleigh, N.C.)*
Riley Jackson (Concorde Fire SC; Atlanta, Ga.)
Joelle Jung (MVLA; San Jose, Calif.)
Kate Mallory (Concorde Fire SC; Atlanta, Ga.)
Lauren Martinho (North Carolina Courage Acad.; Cary, N.C.)
Daniela Monzon (East Meadow SC; Levittown, N.Y.)*
Melina Rebimbas (PDA; Warren N.J.)
Samantha Smith (Boise Thorns FC; Boise, Idaho)
Viet-Thy Tran (San Jose Earthquakes Acad.; Santa Clara, Calif.)
Elizabet Velkova (Reign Acad.; Lynnwood, Wash.)
Forwards (9):
Kennedy Bell (Charlotte SA; Charlotte, N.C.)
Treasure Byars (Solar SC; Richardson, Texas)
Ella Carter (FC Virginia; Leesburg, Va.)
Lillian “Lily” Danner (Cincinnati Dev. Acad.; Cincinnati, Ohio)
Mila Erceg (Sunshine Prime FC; Weston, Fla.)
Erica Grilione (Placer United; Roseville, Calif.)
Nicollette Kiorpes (NEFC; Worcester, Mass.)
Madison Krakower (Cedar Stars Acad. – Monmouth; Warren, N.J.)
Ava Verplancke (So Cal Blues SC; Irvine, Calif.)
NOTABLES
At least three players have older sisters with USA youth national team experience:
- Treasure Byars is the younger sister of U-17 USWNT standout forward Trinity Byars. (You can read more about Trinity Byars, here.) Their older sister, Tatyana, is on the roster for Texas’ soccer team.
- Kiera Staude is the younger sister of UVA’s Talia Staude (UVA profile), who was on the USA’s squad for last year’s Under-17 Women’s World Cup, and was an alternate for this year’s U-20 USWNT squad for qualifying to this year’s FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup.
- Amelia “Mimi” Van Zanten is the younger sister of Notre Dame’s Kalyssa “Kiki” Van Zanten (Notre Dame profile), who is a veteran of over a dozen USA youth camps and was part of the U-15 USGNT that won the 2016 CONCACAF U-15 Girls’ Championship.
Samantha “Sammy” Smith is also a highly-ranked competitive freestyle skier. (2017 Idaho Statesman article on her and her older sister, SVSEF.com write-up) In March, she finished 5th overall in moguls at the U.S. Freestyle Junior Nationals (2019 results, PDF file). Her father, Steve Smith, played collegiate soccer for Duke (1990-1993), captaining the team in 1993. Current U-23 USMNT head coach Jason Kreis (Wikipedia) was also a captain for the Blue Devils that year. (Duke men’s soccer media guide)
Kiera Clemens is apparently verbally committed to Duke University, per her Instagram account.
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