Next up for USWNT U-17's

By Anonymous (not verified), April 1, 2025

U.S. U-17 WNT FACES HONDURAS IN SECOND GROUP C MATCH AT 2025 CONCACAF WOMEN’S U-17 QUALIFIERS: Following a hard-fought 3-0 win over host Trinidad & Tobago, the U-17 WNT continues its quest to qualify for the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup when it takes on Honduras in its second Group C match on Wednesday, April 2 (4 p.m. ET; FS2 & Univision). The U.S. could qualify for the U-17 WWC as soon as Wednesday with a win and a draw between Trinidad & Tobago and El Salvador. Those results would give the USA the group title, and the accompanying World Cup berth, with one match left to play. The USA will finish group play on Saturday, April 5 (4 p.m. ET; Tubi & Univision) against El Salvador and wins in the final two matches will also book the young Americans a ticket to Morocco.

TOURNAMENT FORMAT: Concacaf has once again changed the qualifying format for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, which starting this year, will be staged annually and has been expanded from 16 to 24 nations. Instead of a tournament in which the top three Concacaf finishers qualify for the Women’s U-17 World Cup, 12 teams were drawn into three groups of four teams each with the winner of each group and the best second place team qualifying for the World Cup, set for Oct. 17-Nov. 8 in Morocco. The next five editions of the tournament will be held in Morocco.

With the start of the expanded annual U-17 Women’s World Cup this year, the Concacaf region has been allocated a fourth berth. Since the tournament’s inception in 2008, North America, Central America and the Caribbean have received three berths. Unlike in previous editions of the qualification tournament, there will not be a champion crowned.

2025 CONCACAF WOMEN’S U-17 QUALIFIERS – TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

GROUP C SCHEDULE - USA

Date	Match-up	Kickoff (ET) / TV	Venue
Wednesday, April 2	USA vs. Honduras	4 p.m. / FS2 & Univision	Ato Boldon Stadium
Saturday, April 5	USA vs. El Salvador	4 p.m. / Tubi & Univision	Ato Boldon Stadium

Group C Results

March 31

El Salvador 1, Honduras 1

USA 3, Trinidad & Tobago 0

April 2

Honduras vs. USA

Trinidad & Tobago vs. El Salvador

April 5

USA vs. El Salvador

Honduras vs. Trinidad & Tobago

Group C Standings

TEAM	GP	W	L	D	GF	GA	GD	PTS
USA	1	1	0	0	3	0	+3	3
El Salvador	1	0	0	1	1	1	0	1
Honduras	1	0	0	1	1	1	0	1
T&T	1	0	1	0	0	3	-3	0

CONCACAF U-17 HISTORY: The U.S. has successfully qualified for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup six times (2008, 2012, 2016, 2018, 2022, and 2024). In the new qualification format, the U.S. will qualify for the 2025 FIFA U-17 WWC if they finish first in the group or end the tournament as the best second-place finisher.

In previous editions of the tournament where a champion was crowned, the U.S. won the Concacaf U-17 Women’s Championship six times (2008, 2012, 2016, 2018, 2022, and 2024). The two Concacaf Women’s U-17 Championships at which the USA finished third – 2010 and 2014, with the USA falling in penalty kicks in the semifinal both times – were both years in which the World Cup was held in Concacaf countries and thus only two berths from the region were up for grabs.

GROWTH OF THE WOMEN’S GAME: This is the second U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifying squad to include professional players. In 2024, midfielder Melanie Barcenas from San Diego Wave FC and forward Alex Pfeiffer from the Kansas City Current were the pros on the roster. This time around, San Diego Wave midfielder Kimmi Ascanio – who is the only holdover from that 2024 World Cup qualifying roster but was not yet a pro -- and forward Micayla Johnson from the Chicago Stars represent the National Women’s Soccer League. Ascanio is heading into her second pro season while Johnson is a rookie this year and made her pro debut on March 14 against the Orlando Pride.

THE CONSISTENT FOUR: Only four different teams have qualified out of Concacaf for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup: The USA (six times), Mexico (seven times), Canada (seven times) and Costa Rica (one time). Trinidad & Tobago hosted in 2010, Costa Rica hosted in 2014, and the Dominican Republic hosted in 2024, thus earning automatic berths to those World Cups.

A TRIO OF HOSTS: The 2025 Concacaf U-17 Women’s Qualifiers will take places in three different countries: Mexico, Nicaragua, and Trinidad & Tobago. All three countries have hosted the tournament in the past. Trinidad & Tobago in 2008, Nicaragua in 2018, and Mexico in 2024.

HISTORY OF SUCCESS: Including this year, the USA has compiled a 41W-0L-2D all-time record at this tournament and has outscored its opponents 252-12, but despite the big goal difference, the young Americans have had plenty of close matches, including one-goal wins over Mexico and Canada, a draw with Mexico, and 3-2 wins over Haiti and Mexico in 2018. In 2022, the USA defeated Mexico, 2-1, in the championship game on goals from Lauren Martinho and Melina Rebimbas. Five of the 10 goals the USA has allowed in this tournament all-time have been to Mexico. In last year’s tournament, the U.S. beat Puerto Rico 3-1 in the group stage.

CLIMBING THE LADDER: The U.S. Under-17 Women’s National Team had been a launching pad for numerous players who have moved up through the National Team programs to eventually represent the senior USWNT. From 2008-2018, an average of almost three players per U.S. U-17 qualifying squad have gone on to represent the full USWNT.

In fact, a total of 19 players who have played for the USA in the Concacaf Women’s U-17 Championship have gone on to earn caps at the senior level, including six who won World Cups in either 2015 or 2019. Morgan Brian, Samantha Mewis, Crystal Dunn and Kristie Mewis played for the team that advanced to the 2008 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Final in New Zealand.

2025 U-17 WWC QUALIFIED TEAMS SO FAR: Seven countries have already qualified for the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. In addition to host Morocco, China PR, Japan, Korea DPR and Korea Republic have qualified from Asia via nominations by the Asian Football Confederation based on results of the last three editions of AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup in Thailand in 2017 and 2019 and in Indonesia in 2024. New Zealand and Samoa have qualified from Oceania via the 2024 OFC U-16 Women’s Championship.

JUST GETTING STARTED: This group of U.S. U-17s comes into World Cup qualifying having had three training camps together – one in September of 2024 in Atlanta, one in January of 2025 in Mesa, Ariz., and one in February of 2025 in West Palm Beach, Fla. These Concacaf qualifiers will be the first international matches together for this group of players.

U-17 WNT Roster Notes:

• USA’s 3-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago was the first international match for this group of players together and the first U-17 international caps for 12 of the 17 players who played.

• Ashlyn Anderson and Chloe Sadler tallied their first international goals at the U-17 level while Micayla Johnson, a member of the USA’s 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Team, scored her third.

• Midfielder Kimmi Ascanio played in six league matches last year for the San Diego Wave totaling 145 minutes. She played two more matches in the NWSL x La Liga Summer Cup, totaling 27 minutes.

• At the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, Ascanio started all six games, scored the clinching goal against Nigeria in the quarterfinals and had an assist in group play against Korea Republic.

• Midfielders Jaiden Rodriguez and Scottie Antonucci spent most of 2024 with the U.S. U-16 GNT, but both made late runs to make the World Cup squad. Antonucci played in three games off the bench at the World Cup while Rodriguez played in five matches in DR as a reserve.

• Goalkeeper Evan O’Steen sat out the first match at the U-17 World Cup but then played every minute of the next five, allowing just one goal and winning the Golden Glove as the tournament’s top netminder.

• Two pro clubs and 14 different youth clubs from 12 different states are represented on the roster, with five players from Southern California, three from Texas and two each from Maryland and North Carolina.

USA U-17 WNT vs. Honduras:

• This will be the first time the USA will play Honduras during World Cup qualifiers.

• Honduras qualified for the final round of qualification by finishing first in Group B of the qualification stage. Honduras topped the group with three shutout wins. Las Catraches downed Belize 2-0, then defeated the U.S. Virgin Islands 4-0 before ending group play with a 1-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago.

HEAD COACH KATIE SCHOEPFER: U.S. U-17 WYNT head coach Katie Schoepfer is the first-ever U.S. head coach for this age group to have played in a women’s professional league in the United States. In fact, she played in two. Schoepfer started her career in WPS (Women’s Professional Soccer), the USA’s second pro league that ran from 2009-2011, where she played for Sky Blue FC and the Boston Breakers. The powerful target forward also played at the start of the National Women’s Soccer League, playing 82 matches for the Boston Breakers from 2013-2016. Schoepfer was a two-time All-American at Penn State where she helped lead the Nittany Lions to four straight Big 10 titles. Schoepfer played for the USA at the U-23 and U-17 levels. Prior to taking over the help of the U-17s, she coached the U.S. U-15s, leading them to title at the 2022 Concacaf Girls’ U-15 Championship.