Category: Under-xx Teams

Everything related to the USWNT youth teams (U-23, U-20, U-17, etc.)

US Soccer To Make U-17 and U-20 WNT Head Coach Positions Full-Time

Somewhat out of the blue, US Soccer announced last weekend that the head coach positions for the two main youth women’s national teams, the Under-17s and the Under-20s will be full-time, starting after the two youth Women’s World Cups later this year.

Also, a “development coach” will be hired to focus “on enhancing the player development environment for young players” across the USA and to oversee the Under-15 Girls’ National Team program. In other words, this sounds as if the U-15 GNT head coach position will also be made a full-time job, but with broader duties.

Continue reading “US Soccer To Make U-17 and U-20 WNT Head Coach Positions Full-Time”

U-20 USWNT: More on the June Trip to Japan (Courtesy of the JFA)

The details of the United States U-20 WNT’s trip to Japan have yet to be publicly released by US Soccer, but the Japan Football Association has released the full details of two friendlies between Japan’s U-20 WNT and the USA’s U-20 WNT, along with their camp roster.

And, there is some potential good news for USA fans: At least one of the team’s matches will be streamed live on JFA-TV, although the kick-off will be at 2:00 a.m. EDT on a weekday. The other match will air on Fuji-TV in Japan, at least in the Tokyo and Osaka areas. In any case, there should be a good chance that online highlights will be available, whether official or not. Continue reading “U-20 USWNT: More on the June Trip to Japan (Courtesy of the JFA)”

U-20 USWNT: A Statistical Comparison to Past Cycles (Part 1)

The main inspiration for this post was a quote by German U-20 WNT head coach Maren Meinert on FIFA.com, from earlier this month:

Who are favourites to win?
We’re one of the favourites. As hosts, Japan are up there, as well as Brazil and USA, who have a very good U-20 team this year. In my opinion it’s one of the best USA U-20 teams I’ve ever seen.

Maybe Meinert is just being nice because she would like to be the USWNT’s head coach someday, or maybe she is trying to prop up her team’s case for being one of the seeded teams…

…But, in any case, at least by a few metrics, the facts back up her opinion. Continue reading “U-20 USWNT: A Statistical Comparison to Past Cycles (Part 1)”

U-20 USWNT: A Review of their May 2012 Camp

On May 19th, the United States Under-20 Women’s National Team wrapped up its latest camp with a solid 5:0 win over New Zealand. Also, during this camp, the team scrimmaged the U-23 USWNT twice, resulting in a 4:4 draw and a 3:1 win.

During the camp, Vanessa DiBernardo and newcomer Makenzy Doniak had standout performances, while Julie Johnston played as a centerback for two additional matches, which seems to signify that a position switch is in the works for her. Continue reading “U-20 USWNT: A Review of their May 2012 Camp”

U-20 WWC: Thoughts on the Probable Draw Procedure

[Edit, 1-June-2012: Based on new information, the below predicted procedure will probably not be used. Please see this newer post for a more likely procedure.]

With the Under-20 Women’s World Cup field of sixteen teams fully settled, it is time to look at the draw procedure, which will determine how the four groups in the group stage of the tournament are populated. The actual draw procedure will most likely not be announced until the day before the draw is held. As the draw is scheduled for Monday, June 4th* in Tokyo, Japan, that leaves two weeks of speculation. However, based on past U-20 WWC draws and other draws conducted by FIFA, the most likely draw procedure can be reasonably predicted. Continue reading “U-20 WWC: Thoughts on the Probable Draw Procedure”

U-17 USWNT: A Review of the 2012 CONCACAF Under-17 Women’s Championship Final

Last weekend, the United States Under-17 Women’s National Team defeated their northern neighbors, Canada, 1:0 in a tight match that saw the USA defense being tested seriously for the first time in the tournament. The USA held onto a 1:0 lead for over 70 minutes, in a staunch defensive effort which was made all the more challenging due to the USA’s inability to maintain possession and to control the match’s tempo. Continue reading “U-17 USWNT: A Review of the 2012 CONCACAF Under-17 Women’s Championship Final”

CONCACAF WU-17: Preview Notes For USA-Canada Championship Final

Later today, at 6:30 p.m. EDT, the United States Under-17 Women’s National Team will face off versus its northern cohorts, Canada, in the final of the CONCACAF Under-17 Women’s Championship final. Both teams have already qualified for the Under-17 Women’s World Cup, so not too much is at stake. But, a win by the USA should help guarantee it a seeded slot in the U-17 WWC as one of the top three teams. However, even if the USA loses, they could still get a seeded position. (Compare the 2008 women’s U-20 cycle: The USA lost to Canada 1:0 in the CONCACAF Championship final, but was still seeded.)

Here are some quick notes about the match’s format, the teams (including updated minutes played tables and maps of goals scored), and highlights of Canada’s matches. Continue reading “CONCACAF WU-17: Preview Notes For USA-Canada Championship Final”

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)”