U20 Women’s World Cup – Page 3 – Women's Soccer Express

U-20 WWC 2024: Official Squad Lists Released + Summary Stats and Notables

Earlier this week, FIFA released the official squad lists for this year’s Under-20 Women’s World Cup, which is hosted by Colombia and kicks off on August 31st.

Here is a Google Sheets version of the squad lists, which is converted from the original PDF file (FIFA.com). (Update, 30-Aug-2024: Brazil, Colombia, and Japan have each replaced a player. See the “Notes” page of the spreadsheet for more details.)

Of the 24 teams in this year’s tournament, the United States Under-20 Women’s Youth National Team is the 4th oldest, based on median age, and the 2nd tallest team, based on median height. Only the Netherlands has a higher median height.

Out of 504 total players, 71 are based in the United States, with 47 currently playing for NCAA Division I teams. In all, 14 teams have at least one USA-based player.

Eleven of the US-based players are full professionals who compete in the NWSL: In addition to the 8 USA players, the other NWSL pros are forward Amanda Allen of the Orlando Pride, forward Milly Clegg of Racing Louisville, and midfielder Manaka Matsukubo of the North Carolina Courage, who play for Canada, New Zealand, and Japan, respectively.

For the complete tables of comparative age and height statistics, keep reading…

NWSL News of Note: Olympics Break Catch-Up: Balcer-Howell Swap, Katie Zelem to Angel City, Jess Carter to Gotham, and Lots More

After a seven week break for the 2024 Paris Olympics, where the USWNT once again won gold, the second-half of the 2024 National Women’s Soccer League season gets underway on Friday, August 23rd.

During the Olympic break, most of the teams were involved in player trades, signings, and other roster moves. The most notable (and shocking) trade during the break, just happened on Monday, when the Seattle Reign and Racing Louisville swapped forward Bethany Balcer for Racing’s captain, midfielder Jaelin Howell. Meanwhile, the most surprising signing was not a player, but an interim head coach: Landon Donovan, with the San Diego Wave.

Updates:

August 20th: Racing signs Colombian defender Ángela Barón, NC Courage loan defender Talia Staude to USL Super League side Tampa Bay Sun…

For player-related moves, as well as other developments involving all fourteen NWSL teams, including Angel City FC’s sale to Willow Bay and Bob Iger, keep reading…

U-20 WYNT: Midfielder Sam Courtwright Is Out Due to Knee Injury, Will Be Replaced By Addison Halpern

On Thursday, August 15th, U.S. Soccer announced, through their @USYNT x.com account that midfielder Sam Courtwright, who had 8 youth international caps with the United States Under-20 Women’s Youth National Team will not be representing the USA at the upcoming FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia due to an ACL injury.

Halpern’s replacement will be midfielder Addison Halpern from New Jersey. Halpern, who plays for PDA, was one of the alternates named in last week’s roster announcement.

That announcement came a couple hours after Courtwright’s collegiate team, Texas Tech, posted on social media that Courtwright had suffered a season-ending knee injury (post on team’s X.com account). Courtwright’s injury came during a Texas Tech training session.

U-20 WYNT: Roster Announced for the 2024 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup

On Thursday, August 8th, U.S. Soccer announced its roster for the upcoming FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup, which will be hosted by Colombia.

Update (15-Aug-2024): Midfielder Sam Courtwright suffered an ACL injury while training with Texas Tech. She will be replaced by alternate midfielder Addison Halpern.

For the first time, a significant number of the players, who range in age from 18 to 20 years old, will be professionals, as eight out of the twenty-one players will represent NWSL teams at the tournament.

Up through the 2012 cycle, the USA’s final roster for the U-20 WWC consisted exclusively of collegiate and pre-collegiate players. Until this year, only two professionals have played for the USA at the U-20 WWC: Lindsey Horan (Wikipedia) in 2014 and Olivia Moultrie (Wikipedia) in 2022.

This year’s roster is also unusual in another respect, as multiple age-eligible professional players have not been included: Jaedyn Shaw, who is currently with the USWNT at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Olivia Moultrie, and Alyssa Thompson. All three have full senior caps with the USWNT and have essentially ‘graduated’ from the U-20 WYNT after competing for the USA at the last U-20 WWC in 2022.

CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship: Subtraction Through Addition

The CONCACAF.com article started out so promising…

Following confirmation from FIFA that Costa Rica and Panama will co-host the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, in August of 2020, and that Concacaf has been awarded one additional slot…

An “additional slot”? Awesome.

But, then came the parenthetical…

(four in total)

Uh, that doesn’t sound good.

And, then, there was the next paragraph, that started:

The Concacaf Council has determined that Costa Rica and Panama, as host countries of the World Cup, will automatically qualify to the World Cup and will no longer participate in the 2020 Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship.

Wait… A confederation can “determine” whether the host country/countries will automatically qualify or not? Well, that is worth a clarification.

Anyway, moving on for the moment…

The two remaining slots in the World Cup will be determined via the 2020 Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship.

Well, fu…….n. Yeah, “fun.” That’s the word.

Oh. And, then there’s this bit of news that was slipped in as well:

…the Confederation announced changes to its World Cup Qualifying tournament, to be hosted in the Dominican Republic between Feb 22 – Mar 8, 2020.

Uh, that’s not what was announced back in November…

So, instead of three at-large qualification slots from CONCACAF for the 2020 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup, there are just two available slots, meaning that the semifinals will be must-win all-or-nothing affairs. (Unless CONCACAF or FIFA decides to throw another curveball.)

But, hey, at least there’s another week to prepare for the 2020 CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship, since the tournament was pushed back a week, so that it now starts on Saturday, February 22nd instead of the 15th.

But, wait, there’s more… Continue reading “CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship: Subtraction Through Addition”

U-20 USWNT: The USA’s Goal-Scoring Play Versus Germany

The winning goal scored off the foot of Kealia Ohai in the final of this year’s Under-20 Women’s World Cup was scored via a sequence that involved at least eight United States players and at least eight passes. A ninth player, Katie Stengel was indirectly involved as she was the intended target of the final pass by Crystal Dunn, but unintentionally dummied the ball, allowing it to roll to Ohai. And, it is possible that a tenth USA player, goalkeeper Bryane Heaberlin, actually restarted the play, but the available video evidence does not show the apparent opening pass of the play.

This post breaks down that goal-scoring play and examines the potential errors made by Germany’s defense which allowed the goal to be scored. Continue reading “U-20 USWNT: The USA’s Goal-Scoring Play Versus Germany”

U-20 WWC: The USA Wins Third Title, Defeats Germany [Brief]

After struggling in the group stage, the United States Under-20 Women’s National Team put on a solid defensive effort and defeated Germany in the final of the 2012 Under-20 Women’s World Cup on a lone goal from Kealia Ohai, off an assist from fellow UNC Tar Heel, Crystal Dunn.

USA captain Julie Johnston (centerback) won the Bronze Ball for third overall best player, with Japan’s Hanae Shibata getting Silver and Germany’s Dzsenifer Marozsan claiming top honors, the Golden Ball. Germany’s Laura Benkarth won the Golden Glove as best goalkeeper.

FINAL: United States 1, Germany 0.
USA Goal: Kealia Ohai (44′).
See Also: FIFA.com match page, USSoccer.com write-up, ESPN3 replay*.

*For those who only want to watch the goal-scoring play, that sequence begins at the 01:02:45 mark, off a free kick restart. The replay also has the closing ceremony.

In the earlier match, host Japan weathered a potential comeback by Nigeria to secure a third place finish.

THIRD PLACE: Japan 2, Nigeria 1.
JPN Goals: Y. Tanaka (24′), Nishikawa (50′).
NGA Goal: Oparanozie (73′).
See Also: FIFA.com match page, ESPN3 replay.

U-20 WWC: The Semifinals – The United States and Germany Win, Will Meet in the Final

After struggling in the group stage, the United States are right where they wanted to be, in the final of the Under-20 Women’s World Cup, after defeating Nigeria 2:0 on Tuesday in the first semifinal, via a header goal by Morgan Brian and a counter-attack goal off the foot of Kealia Ohai. In the later semifinal, host Japan fell to a merciless Germany who scored a goal in the first minute and then added two more in the next eighteen minutes.

Thus, the United States and Germany will meet in the title match on September 8th at 6:30 a.m. EDT. That match will be televised live on ESPNU, starting at 6:20 a.m. EDT, with Adrian Healey and Julie Foudy as commentators, instead of the single pool announcer (Foudy’s Twitter). Continue reading “U-20 WWC: The Semifinals – The United States and Germany Win, Will Meet in the Final”

U-20 WWC: Quarterfinals Round-Up – Nigeria, Japan, Germany, and the USA Advance

The quarterfinals matches for the 2012 Under-20 Women’s World Cup were a mix of the predictable and the dramatic.

On the predictable side, Germany rather easily defeated Norway 3:0. The match between Japan and South Korea was more a mix of predictable and dramatic, with South Korea getting an early equalizer before Japan re-took the lead for good.

The other two quarterfinals, Mexico vs. Nigeria, and United States vs. North Korea, were each a bit more dramatic, as both went to extra time. Against Mexico, Nigeria needed a stoppage time goal to seal victory. Meanwhile, the United States took a 1:0 lead over North Korea off a strike from Vanessa DiBernardo, only to see the Koreans equalize and send the match into extra time. Eight minutes into extra time, Chioma Ubogagu headed in the game-winner, off a Crystal Dunn cross. Continue reading “U-20 WWC: Quarterfinals Round-Up – Nigeria, Japan, Germany, and the USA Advance”

U-20 WWC: Match Day 6 – USA Loses But Still Advances, Canada Eliminated

On the final day of group play at the 2012 Under-20 Women’s World Cup, the marquee match-up, between the United States and Germany, was anything but a thriller, as the USA’s defensive lapses and lack of attacking prowess was punished by the Germans in a 0:3 loss. In the other Group D match, China only managed a 1:0 win over Ghana, so even though the United States and China were tied on points, the USA advanced to the quarterfinals via a better goal differential.

In Group C, Norway defeated Argentina 4:1 while Canada lost 1:2 to North Korea. Norway, on a goalkeeping error, let in an 82nd minute Argentine goal to make the score 2:1, but a goal by Andrine Hegerberg three minutes later restored the Norwegian’s two goal advantage.

On Friday, August 31st, Germany will face Norway in the earlier quarterfinal (3:00 a.m. EDT), while the United States will play North Korea in the later one (6:30 a.m. EDT). Both matches will be televised live on ESPNU. Continue reading “U-20 WWC: Match Day 6 – USA Loses But Still Advances, Canada Eliminated”