The draw has been held, and the US was placed in Group B as defending champions. Also in Group B are Costa Rica, Canada, and Bermuda. Group A consists of Nicaragua (host), Mexico, Haiti, and Puerto Rico. The schedule (all games in Managua, Nicaragua): April 20: US v Costa Rica, 10 pm ET (8 pm local) April 22: US v Bermuda, 10 pm ET April 24: US v Canada, 10 pm ET Semifinal matches are on April 27, and the 3rd place match and final are on April 29. Top three teams qualify for the U-17 WWC in Uruguay (Nov. 13-Dec. 1, 2018).
not sure this is stiff preparation competition. https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/20...-argentina-for-copa-provincia-de-buenos-aires don't we usually go to europe or japan for tough games? belt tightening starting already. no men's wc $$ to look forward to, & that's huge. I can feel the pain already. watch out for canada and maybe costa rica in our group.
Somebody explain to me how combining the U20 & U17 WC competitions into a single U19 WC grows the game on the women's side.
All I can think is that instead of two 16 team tournaments, you could have a 24 or 32 team tournament where there is more interest and money available to help countries that can't fund sending a team. Since the 16 countries in the U17 and U20 tournaments don't probably are the same teams; a bigger combined tournament would have 8-16 teams that would never get a chance to go. That helps the game grow in those countries.
But if they just keep it a 16 team U19 tournament, that wouldn't do much. We will have to wait for the details.
Generally the smaller countries do better in the 17s than the older groups because it's hard to keep their players in the program.
It's also harder for large countries (like the US) to actually identify their best 15-17 year old players, eliminating some of the economies of scale that help larger countries at the senior level.
Adding to the obvious US size issue, Not surprising we don't select the "best" team, especially when those actually choosing the players are head scratchers themselves. Sitting on the bench at the U20 qualifiers. Two female members of JEs "crew" the u18 WNT head coach whose most recent position of distinction was "volunteer" assistant at UVA and U16 YNT coach. He carried "his" 16s forward with no challenge. And there is also a very weak ACC team's head coach whose job is most likely hanging by a thread. They made a mistake in making these youth HC positions full time. No accomplished college or pro head coach will consider it and they would have to fight into the cabal to get there anyway. Add the fact that the YNT "assistants" are all powerful youth club coaches and DOCs and get many "free" player adds to the camps where they then can nurture them along while acting against other players in competition. Are we really surprised that we have some selection problems? Really looking forward to seeing who is appointed GM on the women's side. If its a "crew" member we aren't moving from the current trajectory any time soon. The only bright side is the ROTW is having a hiccup right now themselves in transition so the decline may not be grossly evident until the next cycle.
Roster named for qualifying: GOALKEEPERS (2): Angelina Anderson (Mustang FC; Danville, Calif.), Julia Dohle (New York City FC; Scarsdale, N.Y.) DEFENDERS (6): Michela Agresti (FC Stars, Swampscott, Mass.), Talia DellaPeruta (NTH Tophat; Cumming, Ga.), Smith Hunter (Seattle Reign Academy; Seattle, Wash.), Makenna Morris (Bethesda SC; Germantown, Md.), Natalia Staude (NTH Tophat; Atlanta, Ga.), Kennedy Wesley (So Cal Blues; Rossmoor, Calif.) MIDFIELDERS (6): Hannah Bebar (Eclipse Select SC; Naperville, Ill.), Croix Bethune (Concorde Fire; Alpharetta, Ga.), Maya Doms (Davis Legacy; Davis, Calif.), Mia Fishel (San Diego Surf; San Diego, Calif.), Sophia Jones (San Jose Earthquakes; Menlo Park, Calif.), Astrid Wheeler (Concorde Fire; Atlanta, Ga.) FORWARDS (6): Isabella D'Aquila (So Cal Blues; Mission Viejo, Calif.), Sunshine Fontes (Hawaii Rush; Wahiawa, Hawaii), Payton Linnehan (FC Stars; Douglas, Mass.), Samantha Meza (Solar SC; Dallas, Texas), Diana Ordoñez (FC Dallas; Prosper, Texas), Kate Wiesner (LAFC Slammers; Monrovia, Calif.) https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/20...rr-names-20-player-concacaf-qualifying-roster
Cut from the training camp roster: GK Lindsey Romig (IMG Academy; Midlothian, Va.), Def. Tori Hansen (NC Courage Academy; Raleigh, N.C.), For. Samantha Kroeger (World Class FC; West Milford, N.J.), For. Kalyssa Van Zanten (Eclipse Select; Buffalo Grove; Ill.) Also Kate Wiesner who played as a defender in the 2016 U17 WWC and was listed as a defender on the training camp roster is now listed as a forward. Jordan Canniff is also out with a knee injury.
Surprised that Romig did not make the squad as she has been a regular on our youth national teams at GK for two if not three years. Keeper decisions are always a bit subjective and weird.
[USA-CRC] https://www.go90.com/videos/8n85Lc5JxRa Anthems! ... egad, we sing like we pass: all over the place, everybody in their own key
USA's starters: Let's get this thing started. USA. Costa Rica. Right now at #CU17W!Watch live » https://t.co/q8hcWH4LrR pic.twitter.com/ponowFbGtl— U.S. Soccer YNT (@USYNT) April 21, 2018 04' 1-0 USA attack down box left, cross pings around frenetically, cleared to 25m center. USA quickly switch right to #16 Payton Linnehan at arc top right, she drives past the LB down box right to 6m mid-right, turns a hard cross to 7m right post. #8 Jeimy Umaña, facing own net, reflex-kicks to block, perfectly places it into right 90. Bad luck under early pressure. I wonder if YNT will tweet goalcaps off the go90 feed
15' 2-0 USA pass to #7 Samantha Meza at box top wide left, with three players lurking at spot. Meza dribbles down to 12m, turns back to 14m, all in box do the jump-back crusher dance to stay onside. Meza crosses right outstep inswinging to 11m center, USA somehow have three unmarked from spot to right post. All three lunge behind CRC's line, Linnehan heads a high lob over #1(c) Fabiana Solano, drops into left 90. Costa Rica look overmatched. 21' 2-0 CRC catch USA's backline all stacked to the left of centerline, turn-and-flick from circle top right toward an unmarked runner up mid-left -- but the pass is too low, intercepted by USA's legs. Welp, that would have been a breakaway.
24' 2-0 #8 Umaña tries to poke past #3 Kate Wiesner at arc top mid-left, Wiesner stuff-blocks ball past Umaña, counters down to 3m mid-left. Backpass to 12m 6-left, #18 Sunshine Fontes runs on and shoots left foot one-touch rising toward 1/3 left. Solano reflex-blocks it over crossbar and wide left. 25' 2-0 USA right ck, promptly lost.
Tweetcap of Linnehan's header: Make it ✌️! Payton Linnehan doubles the U-17 #USWNT lead in the 15th. pic.twitter.com/0ou8jqof2w— U.S. Soccer YNT (@USYNT) April 21, 2018 60' 3-0 Wiesner right ck, inswings to 5m 2/5 left. Lone CB #5 Kennedy Wesley (in a 3-4-3) outjumps her defender, heads down softly into left lower 90. We see you, Kennedy Wesley! 🇺🇸 strikes for the third time. pic.twitter.com/cpAcEwMazR— U.S. Soccer YNT (@USYNT) April 21, 2018
78' 3-0 USA counter down box left on a fast break, cross blocked over. 79' 4-0 USA left ck, sailed high to 6-top right. 2-3 USA players are so tightly clumped there that there's no space for any defenders to mark any of them . #20 Sophia Jones outjumps her teammates and bloops a high lob header across mouth, way over Solano stranded, drops perfectly into left lower 90. We're outheighting them FT 4-0.
I have to say. I really like some of these players. I hope they can maintain form against stronger competition but in general: I really like Sophie Jones. Neat and tidy. Tough and brace. First touch is outstanding and that should hold her in good stead against bothe athletic and organized top competition. I also liked her vision and technical ability to get the right pass off quickly. Very sophisticated player. She has filled out since the last time I saw her in person and really had a great presence. She reminds me somewhat of Rebecca Quinn and am not surprised that duke picked her up. Linnehan also impressed. Not quite as sure that her form will hold but hopeful. She was a menace to the defense. I think Fontes was a bit unlucky. She showed some real promise as well. The defense wasn't really tested enough to draw conclusions. However typically they get out of shape when especially the outside backs bomb forward and there is a turnover. I think Jones is very smart and will hold to cover some of the attacking runs that weisner especially is like to make. I thought Meza and Bebar were not really impactful. I know Meza served the Linnehan goal. Well those are my initial impressions. I think I will enjoy watching this team much more than it's predecessor.
It's hard to take a Concacaf competition seriously, to be candid--not on the women's side, certainly. One whale (USA), one swordfish (Canada) and the rest minnows. When the broadcast started, it seemed as if they were playing at 3:00 a.m., with a crowd of, what, 15 people sitting on the far side of the stadium in near darkness. There couldn't have been many fans on the near side, either. After a Costa Rican player whelped the ball into her own net within 4 minutes, I was surprised that we were only up 2-0 at half; I thought it would be much more, so credit to Costa Rica for hanging in there. I suspect several of our better club teams could beat most of these central American sides that simply don't have the population pools or resources to compete with us. Our match against Canada might be interesting, but otherwise...
I was not particularly impressed. There was some nice ball movement but first touch tended to be sloppy at best. Set pieces were the difference in this match.
The tournament has been cancelled because of the situation in Nicaragua: U.S. Soccer's statement on the cancellation of the 2018 Concacaf Women's U-17 Championship in Nicaragua: pic.twitter.com/3c5VseEli2— U.S. Soccer (@ussoccer) April 22, 2018
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/nicaragua-open-dialogue-dead-unrest-54635867 Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega said Saturday that his government is willing to enter into talks over social security reforms that have sparked four days of protests and clashes in which, rights monitors say, at least 25 people have died. A journalist covering the unrest was also killed.