Michelle French Selects U20 Women’s Roster
Held in Papua, New Guinea from November 13 through December 3, 2016, the 8th FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup brings together the top young female soccer players in a contest for international supremacy. This biennial women’s youth soccer championship for under-20 was won by Germany in 2014. Back in March, the USA was placed in the top position with Papua New Guinea, Germany and Nigeria; with each country heading up their own Group.
Soccer News: Head Coach Michelle French has announced the roster for her U.S. U20 Women’s National Team. The 21 players who earned a spot to represent the United States at the 2016 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup are prepared to leave it all on the field in Papua New Guinea when the games kick off on November 13th. The champion of this year’s FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup will not be known until December 3rd, but the excitement for this international soccer event has already started.
The United States is in Group C and opens the tournament on November 14th against France, takes on New Zealand on Thursday, November 17th and finishes the group against Ghana on Monday, November 21st.
The young Americans will play its first two group matches at PNG Football Stadium and its final group game at Sir John Guise Stadium. Both stadiums are located in Port Moresby, the capital city of Papua New Guinea. All the games will be broadcast on the FOX family of networks.
Here is the match-schedule-fifa-u20-wwc
From U.S. Soccer’s Announcement:
“Throughout this cycle, we have gone through an extensive process evaluating a number of players in various environments,” French said.
“The final World Cup roster is comprised of players that provide great depth and versatility in every position,” said French.
The way in which players competed to be a part of the roster, their commitment to be a part of this cycle, and their overall dedication to each other, has been tremendous,” said French. “This group of players is highly motivated which has proven to be the impetus for their individual and collective development, particularly over the last six months.”
French named her roster after the completion of the recent training camp in Florida, while saw the U.S. defeat the Venezuelan U-20 Women’s National Team twice.
U.S. U-20 Women’s World Cup Team Roster by Position:
GOALKEEPERS (3): Rose Chandler (Penn State; Atlanta, Ga.), Brooke Heinsohn (New England FC; Norfolk, Mass.), Casey Murphy (Rutgers; Bridgewater, N.J.)
DEFENDERS (7): Madeline Elliston (Penn State; Omaha, Neb.), Emily Fox (FC Virginia; Ashburn, Va.), Sabrina Flores (Notre Dame; Livingston, N.J.), Ellie Jean (Penn State; Coventry, Conn.), Natalie Jacobs (Notre Dame; Coto de Caza, Calif.), Taylor Otto (North Carolina; Apex, N.C.), Kaleigh Riehl (Penn State; Fairfax Station, Va.)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Marley Canales (San Diego Surf; San Diego, Calif.), Katie Cousins (Tennessee; Forest, Va.), Savannah DeMelo (Beach FC; Bellflower, Calif.), Kelcie Hedge (Washington; Post Falls, Idaho), Emily Ogle (Penn State; Strongsville, Ohio), Courtney Petersen (Virginia; Canton, Mich.), Parker Roberts (Florida; Leawood, Kansas)
FORWARDS (4): Ashley Sanchez (So Cal Blues: Monrovia, Calif.), Mallory Pugh (Real Colorado; Highlands Ranch, Colo.), Jessie Scarpa (North Carolina; Lakeland, Fla.), Ally Watt (Texas A&M; Colorado Springs, Colo.)
Among the 21 players named, three were a member of the USA’s 2014 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Team. While goalkeeper Rose Chandler and defender Kaleigh Riehl did not play in Canada in 2014, they have now been key players throughout the current cycle. Chandler earned the Golden Glove during the qualifying tournament, while Riehl has remained a steady leader of the backline during 2016.
The third is Mallory Pugh who started at the last U20 Women’s World Cup at 16-year-olds and would go on to debut for the senior Women’s National Team at the beginning of this year. She currently has 17 caps and four goals for the WNT, which includes her goal against Colombia in the 2016 Olympics, making her the youngest American soccer player to score in an Olympic Games.
“I think this team is very dynamic, both on and off the field,” Pugh said. “We all have this drive when we wake up in the morning to inspire each other to get better and that’s really special. Off the field, it’s one of the most tight-knit and positive teams I’ve ever been a part of during my career. We have some big challenges ahead in PNG and we’re looking forward to them.”
For more Info: U.S. Soccer
