Preview: U.S. U-20 WYNT Continues World Cup Qualifying Against Puerto Rico

U.S. Under-20 Women’s Youth National Team

2022 Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship - Group A

Estadio Olimpico Felix Sanchez; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

3 p.m. ET (Fox Soccer Plus, TUDN Digital - App and Website)

Feb. 27, 2022

 

U-20 WYNT LOOKS TO TAKE ANOTHER STEP:

The U.S. Under-20 WYNT will continue its quest for a berth to the 2022 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup when it resumes the 2022 Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship on Sunday, Feb. 27 against Puerto Rico (3 p.m. ET; Fox Soccer Plus, TUDN Digital). The USA got off to a solid start with a 6-0 win vs. Nicaragua as 12 players saw their first U-20 international action. Puerto Rico also began the tournament on the right foot, downing host and 2020 semifinalist Dominican Republic with a 3-1 come-from-behind victory. The top three teams in each group advance to the Round of 16. If there is a winner in this match, that team will qualify for the knockout round.

 

2022 CONCACAF WOMEN’S U-20 CHAMPIONSHIP

USA SCHEDULE - GROUP A

 

Date	Match	Kickoff (ET)/Result	TV Info	Venue
Friday, Feb. 25	USA vs. Nicaragua	W 6-0	Fox Soccer Plus, TUDN	Estadio Olimpico Felix Sanchez; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Sunday, Feb. 27	USA vs. Puerto Rico	3:00 p.m.	Fox Soccer Plus, TUDN Digital (App and Website)	Estadio Olimpico Felix Sanchez; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Tuesday, March 1	USA vs. Dominican Republic	6:00 p.m.	FS2, TUDN Digital (App and Website)	Estadio Olimpico Felix Sanchez; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

 

 

USA VS. PUERTO RICO

 

●      This is the USA’s first meeting with Puerto Rico at this tournament. Las Boricuas are the 15th opponent that the U.S. has faced in 52 matches at the competition.

 

●      Puerto Rico is making its second appearance at the Concacaf Championship after making its debut in 2020 alongside seven other teams with the expanded tournament format.

 

●      In 2020, PR finished third in Group D with three one-goal results, topping Nicaragua for its lone win. In the Round of 16, the Puerto Ricans fell in penalties to Trinidad and Tobago.

 

●      Puerto Rico has called up four players born in 2002, six in 2003, four in 2004, four in 2005 and two in 2006.

 

●      Eighteen players on the Puerto Rico roster currently play in the United States, including eight collegiate players. Only one is based in Puerto Rico.

 

●      Goalkeeper Ariana Anderson comes from Dallas-area Solar Soccer Club, where U.S. forward Trinity Byars and midfielder Alexis Missimo played youth club soccer.

 

●      Three Puerto Rican players are teammates at Georgia Southwestern State University.

 

2022 CONCACAF WOMEN’S U-20 CHAMPIONSHIP

GROUP A STANDINGS

 

Team	W	L	D	GD	Pts.
USA	1	0	0	6	3
Puerto Rico	1	0	0	2	3
Dominican Republic	0	1	0	-2	0
Nicaragua	0	1	0	-6	0

 

GROUP A RESULTS

Feb. 25

USA 6, Nicaragua 0

Puerto Rico 3, Dominican Republic 1

STRONG START FOR USA:

The U.S. kicked off the Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship with a strong 6-0 victory against Nicaragua. The USA got on the scoreboard early as midfielder Olivia Moultire tallied in just the second minute while captain Michelle Cooper added another five minutes later. Simone Jackson netted a highlight-reel goal in the 17th to close out the first half scoring.

After the break, halftime substitute Andrea Kitahata bagged the first brace of the tournament with tallies in the 50th and 64th minutes. Defender Aidan McConnell put an exclamation point on things in the 87th to secure an opening three points for the USA. 

Because of the interruption of YNT programming due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, 12 players made their first U-20 WYNT international appearance and five scored their first goals.

 

PR WINS OPENER:

Puerto Rico opened the tournament with a solid 3-1 victory against 2020 Women’s U-20 Championship semifinalist and host Dominican Republic. Forward Brooke Hart gave Las Boricuas an early lead in the 12th, but the Dominican Republic equalized in the 43rd. Puerto Rico pulled ahead just before the break during first-half stoppage time with a goal from forward Marilia Nieves-Melchor. Midfielder Ivy Garner netted the insurance goal in the 68th to earn Puerto Rico its second-ever win at the tournament.

 

2022 CONCACAF WOMEN’S U-20 CHAMPIONSHIP ROSTER BY POSITION (COLLEGE OR CLUB; HOMETOWN)

 

GOALKEEPERS (2): 1-Mia Justus (Florida State; Lakewood, Ohio; 2/0), 12-Neeku Purcell (OL Reign Academy; Seattle, Wash.; 0/0)

 

DEFENDERS (8): 14-Lauren Flynn (Florida State; Arlington, Va.; 0/0), 13-Samar Guidry (Virginia; McKinney, Texas; 4/0), 4-Emily Mason (Rutgers; Flemington, N.J.; 7/0), 15-Aidan McConnell (Wisconsin; Dexter, Mich.; 1/1), 3-Ayo Oke (California; Lawrenceville, Ga.; 1/0), 16-Avery Patterson (UNC; Jacksonville, Fla.; 0/0), 5-Lilly Reale (UCLA; Hingham, Mass.; 0/0), 2-Laney Rouse (Virginia, Cary, N.C.; 1/0)

 

MIDFIELDERS (5): 6-Emily Colton (UNC; Carlsbad, Calif.; 1/0), 20-Talia DellaPeruta (UNC; Cumming, Ga.; 11/0), 17-Sally Menti (Santa Clara; Seattle, Wash.; 3/0), 10-Alexis Missimo (Texas; Southlake, Texas; 1/0), 8-Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns FC; Wilsonville, Ore.; 1/1)

 

FORWARDS (5): 18-Trinity Byars (Texas; Richardson, Texas; 1/0), 9-Michelle Cooper (Duke; Clarkston, Mich.; 1/1), 7-Simone Jackson (USC; Redondo Beach, Calif.; 1/1), 19-Andrea Kitahata (Stanford; Hillsborough, Calif.; 1/2), 11-Alyssa Thompson (Total Futbol Academy; Studio City, Calif.; 1/0)

 

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

 

●      Midfielder Olivia Moultire’s goal was the 300th goal for the USA at this tournament and it came in the team’s 51st game at the competition.

 

●      Moultrie is the first professional to score for the U.S. at the Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship. At 16 years old, she’s also the youngest player to score for the U.S. at this tournament.

 

●      Forward Andrea Kitahata’s two goals tied her with three Canadian players for the tournament lead after the first match day.

 

●      Four players have scored so far for the USA at CWU20: Kitahata (two), Michelle Cooper, Simone Jackson, Aidan McConnell and Moultrie.

 

●      Four players are seeking their first U-20 WYNT cap vs. Puerto Rico: goalkeeper Neeku Purcell plus defenders Lauren Flynn, Avery Patterson and Lilly Reale.

 

●      Players born on or after Jan. 1, 2002, are age-eligible for the 2022 Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship. U.S. head coach Tracey Kevins selected nine players born in 2002, nine born in 2003, one born in 2004 and one born in 2005.

 

●      The roster consists of 17 collegiate players, two youth club players and one professional.

 

●      Midfielder Talia DellaPeruta is seeking her fourth youth Concacaf title after winning previous championships at the U-15 (2016), U-17 (2018) and U-20 (2020) levels.

 

●      Forward Alyssa Thompson, one of two youth club players on the roster, helped the U-15 WYNT win the 2018 Concacaf U-15 Championship. While that tournament featured mostly 2003-birth year players, the USA brought a younger squad composed of players born in 2004 and 2005, including the 2004-born Thompson.

 

PUERTO RICO ROSTER (CLUB/COLLEGE):

 

GOALKEEPERS (2): 12-Ariana Anderson (Solar SC/USA), 1-Jlo Varada Vazquez (Florida/USA)

 

DEFENDERS (7): 2-Michelle Berndt (Florida United/USA), 4-Emma Gonzalez (Orange County SC/USA), 6-Estafania Gonzalez Cintron (Montverde Academy/USA), 15-Iliana Pardo (NC Courage Academy/USA), 3-Bryanna Pizarro (Oregon/USA), 14-Maria Sanabria Buono (Nova Southeastern/USA), 5-Natasha Soto (Angelo State/USA)

 

MIDFIELDERS (6): 8-Ana Diaz (Georgia Southwestern State/USA), 10-Ivy Garner (Liberty/USA), 17-Lilyana Hernandez (AFC Lightning/USA), 18-Marilia Nieves-Melchor (Charlotte Soccer Academy/USA), 11-Karish Rivera de Jesus (Caribbean Stars/CAN), 19-Laniaya del Valle (FC Prime/USA)

 

FORWARDS (5): 9-Brooke Hart (Georgia Southwestern State/USA), 16-Leyla Molina (Sunrise Prime FC/USA), 20-Alondra Nieves (Georgia Southwestern State/USA), 13-Indigo Sims (D’Feeters Kicks Soccer Club/USA), 7-Jessica Torres (Puerto Rico Sol)

 

RETURN TO ACTION:

The sporting world shut down due to the global COVID-19 pandemic shortly after the 2020 Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship wrapped up on March 8, 2020, canceling the 2020 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup and all Youth National Team programming for the rest of the year. The U-20 WYNT finally returned to the field for its first traditional training camp in October 2021 with a roster of top youth club players, while a squad of standout collegiate players was assembled in December 2021 ahead of World Cup qualifying. Only four players on the WCQ roster had U-20 WYNT international match experience prior to the tournament kicking off, led by midfielder Talia DellaPeruta’s 10 caps.

 

TOURNAMENT FORMAT:

This year marks the 11th edition of the Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship. The tournament began in 2002 as the CONCACAF Women’s U-19 Championship, qualifying two teams to the inaugural FIFA U-19 Women’s World Cup.

 

The 2020 competition introduced a new 20-team tournament format after all previous iterations were comprised of eight teams split into two groups of four. Now, sixteen countries are drawn into four groups of four, while four countries advance directly to the Round of 16 via a pre-qualifying tournament.

 

The top three finishers in each group qualify to the Round of 16, where they will be joined by the four teams from pre-qualifying. From there, it’s a knockout bracket to the tournament final. The two winners of the semifinal matches, plus the winner of the third-place game, will qualify to the 2022 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica.

 

The three teams that earn World Cup berths in the Dominican Republic will join Costa Rica as representatives of Concacaf at this summer’s world championship tournament. Costa Rica qualified automatically as host.

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