Author: RD Welch

U-17 USWNT: USA 7, Panama 0. U-17 WWC Ticket Punched. (CONCACAF WU-17)

The United States Under-17 Women’s National Team will be back at the Under-17 Women’s World Cup due to its 7:0 victory over Panama in the first semifinal match of the 2012 CONCACAF Under-17 Women’s Championship. Summer Green had her third hat trick to lead all-scorers with 12 goals. With the win, the USA will play Canada in the final, on Saturday, May 12th at 6:30 pm EDT. Continue reading “U-17 USWNT: USA 7, Panama 0. U-17 WWC Ticket Punched. (CONCACAF WU-17)”

U-17 WWC 2012: Things To Know

Today, the United States qualified for the 2012 Under-17 Women’s World Cup by defeating Panama 7:0 in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Under-17 Women’s Championship.  Also, Canada qualified by defeating Mexico 1:0. Panama and Mexico will play for the final spot from CONCACAF on Saturday.

Here are some key things to know about the U-17 WWC.

BASIC DETAILS

(This tournament kicks off two weeks after the U-20 WWC finishes: August 19th to September 8th.)

* * *

QUALIFIED TEAMS

Four of the six confederations have completed qualification, with UEFA (Europe) and CONCACAF the only two to not yet have all their spots decided.

  • Host (1): Azerbaijan
  • Africa (3): Nigeria, Ghana, Gambia
  • Asia (3): Japan, North Korea, China
  • North America (3): United States, Canada,…
  • Oceania (1): New Zealand
  • South America (3): Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia

YET TO QUALIFY

Europe. UEFA has two spots (besides the host) and their tournament is down to a four-team knock-out phase, with the winners of the semifinals going to the U-17 WWC. That phase of the tournament will be played in late June, in Switzerland, with the win-or-go-home semifinals on June 26th. The two semifinal match-ups:

  • Switzerland vs. France
  • Denmark vs. Germany

With France and Germany being the favorites in their matches. Tournament Website (UEFA.com)

North America. CONCACAF has one spot left to decide, which will be between Panama and Mexico, in the third-place match of the U-17 Championship, which will be played on Saturday.

* * *

FORMAT

The tournament is a traditional sixteen team world cup, with the teams divided into four groups of four, and the top two teams in each group advance to the knock-out stage which consists of quarterfinals, semifinals, a third-place match, and a final.

Most of the matches will be held in Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, which has four venues that will be used, with Lankaran being the only other host city.

No Extra Time: In the knock-out stage, if the teams are tied after the end of regulation, the match will go straight to a penalty shoot-out. There will not be thirty minutes of added time. This was a change made in 2011 for all U-17 and under FIFA tournaments, including the men’s. The original proposal was put forth by “the Medical Committee and the FIFA Task Force Football 2014” (PDF on the U-17 Men’s World Cup).

Roster Size: 21 players, including three goalkeepers.

See also, the full regulations (PDF).

U-17 USWNT: USA-Panama Preview Notes (CONCACAF WU-17)

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. Continue reading “U-17 USWNT: USA-Panama Preview Notes (CONCACAF WU-17)”

USWNT: May Camp Roster – Christen Press Unable to Attend, Two New Faces

US Soccer released the roster of players called into the USWNT’s next camp, which will be held in New Jersey, from May 10th to the 25th, prior to the team’s friendly versus China, which is on May 27th. Twenty-eight players were called up, including first-timers Adrianna Franch (goalkeeper) and Gina Lewandowski (centerback). Not included in the roster is Christen Press who was invited (per her interview in this video), but was presumably not released by her club, K/Göteborg FC. Continue reading “USWNT: May Camp Roster – Christen Press Unable to Attend, Two New Faces”

U-17 USWNT: Summer Green and the USA Blank Mexico 3:0 (CONCACAF WU-17)

In the final group match of the 2012 CONCACAF Under-17 Women’s Championship, the United States held their southern neighbors, Mexico, scoreless while scoring three goals, all from the feet of Summer Green, who now has nine goals through just three matches. With the win, the USA secured the top spot in their group, which means that they will play the second place team from Group A, Panama, on Thursday in the tournament’s semifinal round.

The winner of that match qualifies for the Under-17 Women’s World Cup and will play in the Championship match on Saturday versus the winner of the other semifinal, which is Canada versus Mexico. The losers of the two semifinals will face off for CONCACAF’s third ticket to the U-17 WWC in a repechage match which will be played prior to the Championship match. Continue reading “U-17 USWNT: Summer Green and the USA Blank Mexico 3:0 (CONCACAF WU-17)”

U-20 USWNT: May 2012 Camp Roster Includes Kelly Cobb, Plus Other Updates

With just over 100 days left until the kick-off of the 2012 Under-20 Women’s World Cup, US Soccer has released the roster for its next camp, which runs from May 13th to the 20th. Twenty-six players were called up, including nineteen of the twenty players who competed in the CONCACAF Championship in Panama, earlier this year. And, returning to the team is Duke forward Kelly Cobb, who has been recovering from ankle surgery. Continue reading “U-20 USWNT: May 2012 Camp Roster Includes Kelly Cobb, Plus Other Updates”

U-23 USWNT: May 2012 Camp Roster

On Monday, US Soccer released the roster of players who have been called into a camp at The Home Depot Center which will run from May 13th to the 20th. During the camp, the team will scrimmage twice versus the U-20 WNT, who will be in a concurrent camp as they prepare for the Under-20 Women’s World Cup, which starts in mid-August. Continue reading “U-23 USWNT: May 2012 Camp Roster”

USWNT Olympic Opponent Watch: Colombia – May Camp Details and More

Earlier this month, USWNT group stage opponent Colombia ramped up its preparation for the 2012 Olympics by convening for a month-long training camp. Twenty-two players were called up, including at least eleven players with American connections. Along with a camp roster, Colombia also released details of its schedule ahead of the Olympics. (ColFutbol.org news release, in Spanish) Continue reading “USWNT Olympic Opponent Watch: Colombia – May Camp Details and More”

U-17 USWNT: The USA Struggles Early, But Gets Past Trinidad and Tobago 5:0 (CONCACAF WU-17)

In their second match of the 2012 CONCACAF Under-17 Women’s Championship, the United States Under-17 Women’s National Team struggled to secure the match against a tenacious Trinidad and Tobago side. The USA ended up winning 5:0, but only managed one goal in the first sixty-four minutes. Continue reading “U-17 USWNT: The USA Struggles Early, But Gets Past Trinidad and Tobago 5:0 (CONCACAF WU-17)”

USWNT: The Forwards Situation for the 2012 Olympics

The deadline for Olympic rosters is two months away and Pia Sundhage has some challenging decisions to make regarding which players are included in the final roster for the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) and which players are left out.

In this first post of a potential series, the situation regarding forwards is examined. Continue reading “USWNT: The Forwards Situation for the 2012 Olympics”