FIFA U-20 World Cup

TOURNAMENT NOTES: U-20 WYNT READY TO TAKE ON THE WORLD AT 2022 FIFA U-20 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP

USA OPENS 2022 FIFA U-20 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP AGAINST GHANA: The U.S. Under-20 Women’s Youth National Team opens the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup on Thursday, Aug. 11 – the second match day of the tournament – against Ghana at Estadio Morera Soto in Alajuela, Costa Rica (1 p.m. ET; FS2). It will be the USA’s first youth World Cup match in almost exactly four years since the 2-2 draw with Spain on Aug. 13, 2018, to end group play at the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in France. After the 2020 FIFA U-20 World Cup was cancelled due to the global pandemic, the U.S. U-20s return to the world stage in a difficult Group D that also includes Netherlands and Japan. The U-20s will face the Dutch for the first time in a U-20 World Cup on Sunday, Aug. 14 at Estadio Nacional in San José (7 p.m. ET; FS1) and finish the group stage against Japan on Wednesday, Aug. 17 back at Estadio Morera Soto (7 p.m. ET; FS2). Fans can follow the U-20 WNT throughout the tournament on ussoccer.com, Facebook, Twitter (@USYNT) and Instagram (@USYNT).

WATCH FIFA U-20 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP ON FOX: Two of the USA’s group stage matches will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 2 with one on Fox Sports 1. Each of the 32 matches of the tournament will be broadcast on either Fox Soccer Plus (8 matches), FS1 (10 matches) or FS2 (14 matches) and will be available online at Foxsports.com and the Fox Sports App with corresponding authentication. All the knockout stage matches will be shown on either FS1 (5 matches, including both semifinals and the championship game) or FS2 (3 matches). Additionally, all 32 games will be streamed live on FIFA+.

SHORT RUN-UP TO COSTA RICA: The U.S. U-20 WYNT saw its first action of this cycle only at the end of February after a long break due to the global pandemic. The USA played seven games at the 2022 Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship and then an additional five friendlies over the spring to prepare for the World Cup. This group of U-20s have complied a record of 11-0-1 while scoring 65 goals and allowing three. Two of those allowed goals came in the one draw, a 2-2 tie with the Netherlands, a team the USA will face at this tournament, during the Sud Ladies Cup in Aubagne, France in June. The USA played 10 different opponents over those 12 games, facing Mexico and World Cup host Costa Rica twice each.

21 FOR THE WORLD CUP: Head coach Tracey Kevins has named a talented and deep 21-player roster for the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. The USA roster is composed of 18 players currently in college or enrolling this fall, one youth club player and two professional players, the most professionals ever for a U.S. team at a FIFA youth Women’s World Cup. Players born on or after Jan. 1, 2002, are age-eligible for the World Cup, and the USA roster features eight players born in 2002, eight born in 2003, four born in 2004 and one in 2005. Sixteen of the 20 players who helped the USA roll to a 7-0-0 record and 49-0 goal differential at the Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship made the World Cup roster.

Five players who did not make the World Cup qualifying roster persevered to make the World Cup Team. Those players are forward Jaedyn Shaw, midfielders Carina Lageyre and Korbin Albert, forward Ally Sentnor and goalkeeper Teagan Wy.

The roster is made up of players from 12 different colleges and 13 different states. There are four players on the roster from California, three from Texas and two from Georgia, Washington and Massachusetts.

UCLA, UNC, Florida State, Duke, Virginia and California each have two players on the World Cup roster. The only player on the roster who is not in college or will be this fall is forward Alyssa Thompson, who plays for the U-17 boys’ team in MLS Next at Total Futbol Academy in Los Angeles and is headed to Stanford in the fall of 2023.

The World Cup roster features one player still in high school (Thompson), three rising college freshman, 10 rising college sophomores, five rising college juniors and two professional players, which is the most ever on U.S. Youth World Cup roster.

2022 FIFA U.S. U-20 Women’s World Cup Roster by Position (College or Club; Hometown; U-20 Caps/Goals)

GOALKEEPERS (3): Mia Justus (Florida State; Lakewood, Ohio; 6), Neeku Purcell (UCLA; Seattle, Wash.; 6), Teagan Wy (California; Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.; 2)  

DEFENDERS (6): Lauren Flynn (Florida State; Arlington, Va.; 8/0), Samar Guidry (Virginia; McKinney, Texas; 10/0) Emily Mason (Rutgers; Flemington, N.J.; 15/3), Ayo Oke (California; Lawrenceville, Ga.; 9/0), Lilly Reale (UCLA; Hingham, Mass.; 7/1), Laney Rouse (Virginia; Cary, N.C.; 7/0)                              

MIDFIELDERS (5): Korbin Albert (Notre Dame; Grayslake, Ill.; 4/1), Talia DellaPeruta (UNC; Cumming, Ga.; 19/5), Carina Lageyre (Duke; Cooper City, Fla.; 4/0), Sally Menti (Santa Clara; Seattle, Wash.; 7/1), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns FC; Wilsonville, Ore.; 7/2)

FORWARDS (7): Trinity Byars (Texas; Richardson, Texas; 9/3); Michelle Cooper (Duke; Clarkston, Mich.; 7/8); Simone Jackson (USC; Redondo Beach, Calif.; 9/7), Andrea Kitahata (Stanford; Hillsborough, Calif.; 6/7), Ally Sentnor (UNC; Hanson, Mass.; 2/0), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave FC; Frisco, Texas; 4/3), Alyssa Thompson (Total Futbol Academy; Studio City, Calif.; 5/3)     

ROSTER NOTES

• The USA’s two professional players -- Jaedyn Shaw of San Diego Wave FC and Olivia Moultrie of Portland Thorns FC – are trailblazers.
• Shaw entered the NWSL via the Discovery Process and signed her first professional contract with the Wave on July 18 after training for six months with the Washington Spirit. Moultrie signed with the Thorns in June of 2021 to become the youngest player ever to join the National Women’s Soccer League.
• The incoming college freshman on the roster are goalkeeper Neeku Purcell (UCLA), midfielder Carina Lageyre (Duke) and goalkeeper Teagan Wy (California).
• The rising sophomores are goalkeeper Mia Justus (Florida State), defender Ayo Oke (California), Emily Mason (Rutgers), Lilly Reale (UCLA), midfielder Korbin Albert (Notre Dame) and forwards Andrea Kitahata (Stanford), Michelle Cooper (Duke), Simone Jackson (USC), Trinity Byars (Texas) and Ally Sentnor (UNC), although Sentnor did redshirt freshman season due to injury.
• The rising juniors are defenders Laney Rouse (Virginia), Lauren Flynn (Florida State) and Samar Guidry (Virginia) plus midfielders Talia DellaPeruta (UNC) and Sally Menti (Santa Clara).
• Every player on the roster has been capped at the U-20 level, led by DellaPeruta (19 caps) and defender Emily Mason (15 caps), the two players on the roster who participated in the previous U-20 WYNT cycle.
• The five players born in 2004 and 2005 – forwards Thompson, Shaw and Sentnor, midfielder Moultrie and goalkeeper Wy -- are age-eligible for the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
• The USA has played the second-most games (47) in the FIFA U-19/U-20 Women’s World Cup, behind only Germany (48) and has scored the second-most goals (101), also behind Germany (127).

MEMORABLE PRO DEBUT FOR SHAW: Forward Jaedyn Shaw made history by signing with the San Diego Wave in the NWSL at the age of 17, then made even more headlines in her pro debut on July 30, scoring in her first game and first start against the Chicago Red Stars. The goal turned out to be the game-winner in the Wave’s 1-0 victory and she got on a plane the next day to join the U.S. U-20 WYNT for its pre-World Cup training camp in Houston, Texas.

MOULTRIE IN THE MIDDLE: Midfielder Olivia Moultrie has played in 10 matches for Portland Thorns FC this season, starting five, and has two goals and three assist, her latest coming in a 3-3 tie with the North Carolina Courage on Aug. 5 when she set up Sophia Smith’s second goal in what was Moultrie’s final game before she joined the U-20s. Her goals came on June 12 in a 4-0 win over the Houston Dash and July 16 in a 5-0 win NJ/NY Gotham FC. Moultrie’s goal against the Dash made her the youngest goal-scorer in NWSL history.

RUNNING IT BACK: Two players in Costa Rica were a part of the last U-20 cycle, which won the 2020 Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship just days before the sporting world shut down that March. Those players getting another shot at the U-20 World Cup are midfielder Talia DellaPeruta and defender Emily Mason, who unsurprisingly are the most experienced players on the roster with 15 and 19 U-20 caps, respectively. DellaPeruta and forward Trinity Byars are the only players on the roster with previous World Cup playing experience, as both played in the 2018 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in Uruguay. Defender Samar Guidry was on that squad but did not see action in the tournament.

COOP IN THE BOX: Forward Michelle Cooper (Duke) enters the World Cup as the USA’s leading scorer during this cycle with eight international goals, while fellow linemates Simone Jackson (USC) and Andrea Kitahata (Stanford) have seven each. Twelve of the 18 field players on the roster have scored internationally.

CAPTAIN COOPER: The nineteen-year-old Cooper, who hails from Clarkson, Michigan, has been named the U.S. captain for the World Cup by head coach Tracey Kevins. The rising sophomore at Duke will wear the captain’s armband when she is on the field. She is the first Black player to captain the USA in a Women’s World Cup although current USWNT defender Naomi Girma served as captain during on numerous occasions during friendlies and qualifying tournaments during her YNT career.

WELCOME BACK, ALLY: Forward Ally Sentnor, who was one of the top players in the USA’s Youth National Team system before the pandemic, come back to make the World Cup roster after recovering from an ACL injury suffered in the fall of 2021 during her first college scrimmage at UNC. Sentnor had two goals for the U-18 WYNT, both against England, six international goals at the U-17 level, and one goal at the U-16 international level, that coming against Switzerland.

KEVINS AT THE HELM: This will be the first World Cup as U.S. head coach for Tracey Kevins, who took over the program in October of 2021 after previously leading the U.S. U-17 WYNT, but she is no stranger to youth World Cup tournaments. She previously served as head coach for the U-17 and U-19 England Women’s National Teams during tournaments and training camps and was an assistant coach for the England team that finished second at the 2007 U-19 Women’s Euros and for the team that finished in the top four in 2008. She was also an assistant coach for England at the 2008 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Chile.

MORE ON THE U-20 WNT

Sud Ladies Cup Champions

World Cup Roster Named

World Cup Roster Video

Jaedyn Shaw’s First NWSL Goal (Scored in her first NWSL game)

Olivia Moultrie goal vs. Houston Dash (Youngest player to score an NWSL regular season goal)

Olivia Moultrie goal from distance vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC

The U.S. U-20 WYNT Arrives in Costa Rica

Meet the Team Video

Neeku Purcell and the Search for Sloths Video

Written Feature: Simone Jackson on Football, Fútbol and Family

5 Things to Know about the 2022 FIFA U-20 WWC

16 TEAMS VIE FOR 10TH U-20 TITLE: This year marks the 10th edition of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, FIFA’s most high-profile women’s competition after the World Cup and the Olympic Games. The biennial competition began as the FIFA U-19 Women’s World Championship in 2002 and was held as a U-19 event in 2004 before moving to its current Under-20 format in 2006. The 16 nations were drawn into four groups of four teams. The top two finishers in each group advances to the quarterfinals, to be held on Saturday, Aug. 20 and Sunday, Aug. 21. The winners of those matches move on to the semifinals on Thursday, Aug. 25. The Championship and Third-Place match will be played on Sunday, Aug 28. The USA is one of four teams to have qualified for every FIFA WWC at this age level, along with three-time champions Germany, Brazil and Nigeria.

THE VENUES: All matches will be played at two venues which are only about 12 miles apart: Estadio Nacional in San Jose (capacity 34,024 for the tournament) and Estadio Morera Soto in Alajuela (downsized to 4,980 for the U-20 WWC), which is named after a famous Costa Rican player who played for Barcelona in the 1930s. The stadium was named in 1966 in honor Soto, whose heart was buried in one of the stadium’s columns. Currently all the energy used by the stadium is 100% solar, which makes it one of the few stadiums in all Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean to be completely supplied with renewable energy.

HOW WE GOT HERE: CONCACAF QUALIFYING IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Due to the long pause in programming due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the first international matches for this group of U-20 players came at the Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship in the Dominican Republic at the end of February and into early March. The USA rolled through the tournament, winning all seven games by shutout while outscoring its opponents 49-0. The USA defeated Puerto Rico, 7-0, in the semifinal to earn its World Cup berth and then downed Mexico, 2-0, in the championship game.

Drawn into Group E, the USA opened the tournament with a 6-0 victory over Nicaragua as forward Andrea Kitahata scored twice. In the second group stage game, the USA cruised past Puerto Rico, 7-0, as forward Avery Patterson scored her first four international goals to tie a U.S. record for most goals in a Concacaf youth qualifying match. The USA defeated the hosts Dominican Republic 7-0 to finish group play and then routed an over-matched Suriname, 14-0, in the Round of 16 as Emily Colton (2), Kitahata (3), Michelle Cooper (2) and Alyssa Thompson (2) all had multi-goal games.

The USA then defeated Haiti in the quarterfinal, 6-0, as six different players scored. The semifinal victory over Puerto Rico featured a hat trick from Simone Jackson and the championship game featured goals from Cooper and Talia DellaPeruta.

HISTORY OF SUCCESS AT THE U-20 WWC: The USA has qualified for every edition of the U-20 WWC and has won three of the nine previous tournaments, compiling a 31-7-9 (W-L-T) overall record. At the inaugural FIFA U-19 Women’s Championship in 2002, the USA took home the title by defeating host Canada 1-0 with on a golden goal in overtime from Lindsay Tarpley in front of nearly 50,000 fans.

In 2008, future senior WNT stars Sydney Leroux and Alex Morgan helped lead the USA to the tournament title, scoring in the championship match against North Korea. Most recently, the U.S. won the 2012 tournament, downing three group winners in the knockout rounds en route to the trophy as future National Team stars and World Cup winners Crystal Dunn, Morgan Brian, Julie Ertz and Samantha Mewis played major roles.

Heartbreakingly, the USA has been knocked out of the tournament in penalty kicks in 2006, 2010 and 2014. The U-20s have lost just six games in regulation in the previous nine tournaments, including three defeats to Germany and two to Japan. The USA also lost a game in overtime to Korea DPR. In addition to three tourney titles and three PK exits, the USA has finished third in 2004 and fourth in 2016.

U.S. U-20 WYNT A SPRINGBOARD TO SENIOR WNT: The FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup has been a launching point for many players who have gone on to represent the full USWNT and many more who have played professionally. In fact, 47 different players who have played in a FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup for the USA have gone on to earn at least one cap for the senior side. From 2002-2018, an average of 6.4 players per U.S. U-20 World Cup Team have gone on to represent the full USWNT (although several players played in multiple World Cups).

Most recently, up and coming USWNT players Emily Fox, Naomi Girma, Jaelin Howell, Ashley Sanchez and Sophia Smith – four of whom were on the USA’s roster for World Cup/Olympic qualifying last month, played for the USA at the 2018 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France. Mallory Pugh captained the USA in 2016 in Papua New Guinea. Morgan Brian, Crystal Dunn, Julie Ertz and Samantha Mewis helped the U-20s lift the trophy in 2012, while Alyssa Naeher backstopped Sydney Leroux and Alex Morgan’s 2008 team to the championship. Tobin Heath, Kelley O’Hara and Amy Rodriguez appeared at the 2006 tournament in Russia, while Megan Rapinoe, Becky Sauerbrunn and Rodriguez also represented the U-20s in 2004 in Thailand. Lori Chalupny, Heather O’Reilly, Lindsey Tarpley, Leslie Osborne, Ashlyn Harris and Rachel Buehler were among a record 12 future WNT players who helped the USA lift the first tournament trophy in 2002.

USA U-20 WYNT vs. GHANA:

• The USA will face Ghana in group play at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup for the fourth time. In 2016, the teams tied 1-1 in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, but that was good enough for the USA to win the group by the slimmest of margins (via Fair Play Ranking). Current USWNT star Mallory Pugh scored the lone goal in that game.
• In 2010, the teams played to a 1-1 draw in Dresden, Germany as Sydney Leroux scored the USA’s lone goal. In 2012, the USA won 4-0 as forward Maya Hayes scored a hat trick and Ghana scored an own goal.
• This will be the second time the countries have opened the U-20 Women’s World Cup against each other.
• The Black Princesses are competing in their sixth consecutive FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, but the West Africans have yet to advance to the quarterfinals.
• Ghana went on a winding and wild qualifying road to make it to this World Cup. Ghana got a bye in the First Round of the lengthy African qualifying process and were paired with Mauritania in the Second Round, but the Mauritanians pulled out and Ghana advance via forfeit. In the Third Round, Ghana played a tough two-game series with Zambia, drawing 0-0 in the first leg played in South Africa and winning 1-0 in the second leg at home on a crucial 35th minute goal from Evelyn Badu.
• In the Fourth Round, Ghana drew Uganda and won the two-game series 7-1 on aggregate, winning 2-1 in Entebbe and 5-0 at home. Salamatu Abdulai and Doris Boaduwaa scored twice each over the two legs while Badu, Grace Animah and Rahama Jafaru had single scores.
• In the Fifth (and final) Round, Ghana drew Ethiopia and won 5-1 on aggregate, winning 3-0 away on two goals from Abdulai and one from Cecilia Nyama, and then 2-1 at home as Abdulai scored twice more, to earn its berth to Costa Rica.
• Adbulai was second in scoring during the entire African qualifying process with her six total goals.
• In a sign of the growth of African women’s soccer and women’s soccer in Ghana, five players on Ghana’s roster play professionally in First Divisions in Europe: defender Susan Duah Evelyn Badu for Avaldsnes in Norway, Jacqueline Owusu for Emek Hefer FC in Israel, Azumah Bugre for Norrkoping FK in Sweden and Mukarama Abdulai for Deportivo Alavés Gloriosas in Spain.
• Ghana forward Sharon Sampson has had an interesting path. She was born Ghana – where her father was playing professionally – but moved to Sweden as a young child and grew up there. She now plays collegiately in the USA at Oakland University in Michigan. Her father, Charles Sampson, played a few matches for Ghana during a journeyman career across 10 European clubs in Greece and Sweden.

Ghana 2022 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Roster by Position (Club)
GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Cynthia Konlan (Pearlpia Ladies FC), 16-Grace Buoadu (Hasaacas Ladies FC), 21-Farahana Ziblim (Prison Ladies FC) 

DEFENDERS (6): 2-Abena Opoku (Darko Ladies FC), 3-Ayisha Yakubu (Pearlpia Ladies FC), 4-Rebecca Atinga (Prison Ladies FC), 5-Susan Duah (Avaldsnes IL, NOR), 12-Anasthesia Achiaa (Darko Ladies FC), 19-Louisa Aniwaa (Police Ladies FC)

MIDFIELDERS (7): 6-Jacqueline Owusu (Emek Hefer FC, ISR), 7-Suzzy Teye (Lady Strikers FC), 10-Evelyn Badu (Avaldsnes IL, NOR), 11-Rahama Jafaru (Northern Ladies FC), 14-Azumah Bugre (IFK Norrkoping FK, SWE), 18-Mafia Nyame (Faith Ladies FC), 20-Cecilia Nyama (Ridge City Women FC)

FORWARDS (4): 8-Mukarama Abdulai (Deportivo Alavés Gloriosas, ESP), 9-Doris Boaduwaa (Hasaacas Ladies FC), 13-Salamatu Abdulai (Northern Ladies FC), 15-Ophelia Amponsah (Ampem Darko Ladies FC), 17-Sharon Sampson (Oakland University, USA) 

TOURNAMENT NOTES

• Players born on or after Jan. 1, 2002, are age-eligible for this tournament.
• Each team gets five substitutes per match.
• The tournament is historic in the sense that it will be the first FIFA youth Women’s World Cup to feature the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), which was first used at a FIFA women’s event for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France and then again at the 2020 Olympics women’s soccer tournament in Japan.
• Two cautions received during two different matches will result in suspension for the following match.
• If a player is sent off as a result of a direct or indirect red card, she will be suspended for the following match.
• Single yellow cards will be wiped clean after the quarterfinal round.
• Should teams be tied on points at the end of the group stage, the tiebreakers are as follows:
  
  1. Goal difference in all matches
  2. Greatest number of goals scored
• If two or more teams are still tied on the basis of the first three criteria, the ranking will be determined as follows:
  
  1. Greatest number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned
  2. Goal difference resulting from the group matches between the teams concerned
  3. Greatest number of goals scored in all group matches between the teams concerned
  4. FIFA Fair Play points
  5. Drawing of lots
• At the end of the tournament, FIFA will present several awards. The Golden, Silver and Bronze Boot will be awarded to the three players with the highest numbers of goals scored, with number of assists serving as a tiebreaker.
• The Golden, Silver and Bronze Ball will be awarded to the best players of the tournament. The FIFA Technical Study Group will select a short list after the semifinals.
• The Golden Glove will be awarded to the top goalkeeper in the tournament, as selected by the FIFA Technical Study Group.
• In the knockout rounds, if matches are tied at the end of regulation, 30 minutes of overtime will be played followed by penalty kicks if the match is still tied.
• The tournament’s official slogan is “Vamos Juntas,” translated as “Let’s Go Together” is a statement of sisterhood, sustainability and legacy, a natural calling that fans, players, teams, the whole of Costa Rica and the entire global football community can use to unite behind, sharing their collective passion for football and celebrating the future of the game.