USA U-17s vs. HAITI: The USA and Haiti have met twice before at the Concacaf Women’s U-17 Championship, in 2010 and in 2018. The 2010 meeting was long before Haiti had developed into a strong Concacaf nation at the women’s youth national team levels and the USA won 9-0 as current USWNT captain Lindsey Horan scored four goals. The match was much closer in 2018 as the USA won 3-2 with Sunshine Fontes scoring twice and current USWNT forward Mia Fishel tallying once. Current Haiti WNT star and Olympique Lyon player Melchie Dumonay scored both of Haiti’s goals in that game. Haiti qualified for its first Women’s World Cup at the senior level in 2023, and while it lost all three group games, did distinguish itself with a 1-0 loss to eventual finalist England, a 1-0 loss to China PR and a 2-0 loss to Denmark.
2024 Concacaf Women’s U-17 Championship Roster by Position (Club; Hometown)
Goalkeepers (3): 12-Franky Dunlap (NC Courage Academy; Raleigh, N.C.), 1-Molly Vapensky (Chicago FC United; Evanston, Ill.), 21-Kennedy Zorn (SC del Sol; Peoria, Ariz.)
Defenders (7): 4-Trinity Armstrong (FC Dallas; Frisco, Texas), 3-Lexi Coughlin (Legends FC; Corona, Calif.), 5-Kiara Gilmore (FC Dallas; Allen, Texas), 2-Jordyn Hardeman (Solar SC; Midlothian, Texas), 15-Daya King (Legends FC; Moreno Valley, Calif.), 13-Katie Scott (Internationals SC; Fairview, Penn.), 16-Jocelyn Travers (FC Bay Area Surf; Santa Cruz, Calif.)
Midfielders (6): 7-Kimmi Ascanio (Florida United SC; Doral, Fla.), 11-Melanie Barcenas (San Diego Wave FC; San Diego, Calif.), 8-Riley Cross (PDA; Chatham, N.J.), 10-Kennedy Fuller (Solar SC; Southlake, Texas), 7-Ainsley McCammon (Solar SC; Bedford, Texas), 19-Y-Lan Nguyen (Virginia Development Academy; Fairfax, Va.)
Forwards (5): 9-Carrie Helfrich (Virginia Union FC; McLean, Va.), 18-Rylee McLanahan (FC Dallas; Edmond, Okla.), 17-Alex Pfeiffer (Kansas City Current; St. Louis, Mo.), 14-Leena Powell (Tudela FC; Culver City, Calif.), 20-Mya Townes (TSJ FC Virginia; Aldie, Va.)
YOUNG PROS: This is the first-ever U.S. Under-17 Women’s World Cup qualifying roster to include professional players: 16-year-old midfielder Melanie Barcenas from San Diego Wave FC and 16-year-old forward Alex Pfeiffer from the Kansas City Current. Barcenas is entering her second year as a pro – she played in seven matches in 2023 for the Wave, spanning 116 minutes – while Pfeiffer will enter her rookie year this upcoming season after KC announced her contract in November as the fourth-youngest player to sign in the NWSL. Barcenas became the youngest player in league history when she signed with San Diego in March of 2023. Barcenas, who was a part of the last cycle of the U.S. U-17s at age 14, has the most U-17 caps on the roster with nine. She would have made the 2022 qualifying squad, but suffered an ankle injury.
ELEVEN DIFFERENT PLAYERS HAVE SCORED FOR THE USA SO FAR: The U.S. U-17 Women’s Youth National Team has scored 21 goals and allowed just one through its first three matches at the Concacaf Women’s U-17 Championship. Those goals have remarkably come from 11 different players: Kennedy Fuller (6), Alex Pfeiffer (4), Mya Townes (3), Melanie Barcenas, Jordyn Hardeman, Carrie Helfrich, Rylee McLanahan, Y-Lan Nguyen, Leena Powell, Katie Scott and Jocelyn Travers. Two of those goals came from the penalty spot. All of those players except for Pfeiffer have scored their first U-17 international goals at this tournament.
U-17 WYNT Roster Notes:
- The top two scorers in the tournament will meet when the USA takes on Haiti as U.S. midfielder Kennedy Fuller and Haiti forward Lourdjina Etienne both have six goals. Canada’s Annabelle Chukwu and the USA’s Alex Pfeiffer have four goals each.
- Alex Pfeiffer and Carrie Helfrich lead the U.S. team with two assists each, which is tied for second-most in the tournament.
- The USA has by far the most goals (21), assists (13) and shots (87) in the tournament thus far.
- Against Puerto Rico on Feb. 4, U.S. head coach Katie Schoepfer made nine changes to the lineup that started the 13-0 win against Panama on Feb. 2.
- Against Canada on Feb. 6, Schoepfer made two changes from the opening game lineup.
- All 21 players on the roster have played so far as back-up ‘keeper Franky Dunlap got on at the end of the 5-0 victory vs. Canada as the USA received a sixth substitute due to Canada having to make a concussion sub earlier in the game.
- Schoepfer has spread the minutes around with 17 players having played 100 or more minutes and just two having 200 or more minutes, those being center backs Kiara Gilmore and Jordyn Hardeman who have both played 225.
- No U.S. player has started all three games.
- With her hat trick against Panama, Pfeiffer became the 20thS. player to score three or more goals in a U-17 Concacaf qualifying match while Fuller became the 21st player to achieve the feat with her five goals.
- With her five goals vs. Panama, Fuller became just the third player to score five goals in a match at the U-17 level, joining Amalia Villarreal (2022) and Summer Green (2012).
- Armstrong, who started next to Hardeman against Panama, midfielder Ainsley McCammon and forward Rylee McLanahan also earned their first U-17 international caps against Panama.
- Midfielder Y-Lan Nguyen earned her first U-17 cap on Feb. 4 vs. Puerto Rico.
- Two pro clubs and fourteen different youth clubs from 11 different states are represented on the roster, with Texas clubs FC Dallas and Solar FC each having three players on the roster. Legends FC out of Southern California has two players. Almost half the roster hails from Texas and California with five players each from those states.
- The USA has five players 5-foot-9 or taller in goalkeepers Molly Vapensky (5-10) and Franky Dunlap (5-10) and central defenders Jordyn Hardeman (5-9), Kiara Gilmore (5-10) and midfielder Ainsley McCammon (5-9).
- Aside from the two professionals (who are both doing online high school, Melanie Barcenas is technically a junior and Alex Pfieffer is technically a sophomore), the breakdown for high school academic class is as follows: There are 14 players who are juniors while Leena Powell, Franky Dunlap, Rylee McLanahan and Kimmi Ascanio are all sophomores. Midfielder Kennedy Fuller graduated early and has completed high school. Defender Katie Scott will graduate early, after her junior year, and play for Penn State next fall.
- This is just the second-ever National Team event for McLanahan, who attended her first in January in San Diego, from which this roster for World Cup qualifying was selected.
HISTORY OF SUCCESS: The USA has compiled a 38W-0L-2D all-time record at this tournament and has outscored its opponents 238-11, 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 11 goals the USA has allowed in this tournament all-time have been to Mexico.
TWO QUALIFIED TO THE DR SO FAR: Of the 16 countries that will participate in the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, just two have qualified so far, that being host Dominican Republic and Oceania U-16 champions New Zealand. Two more countries will come from Concacaf, with three from Asia, three from South America, three from Europe and three from Africa.
U-15 CONCACAF CHAMPS: Eleven of the players on the roster played for U.S. U-17 WYNT head coach Schoepfer on the team that won the 2022 Concacaf U-15 Girls’ Championship that was played in Tampa, Fla. Those players are goalkeepers Molly Vapensky and Kennedy Zorn, defenders Lexi Coughlin, Jordyn Hardeman, Daya King and Katie Scott, midfielders Ascanio, Fuller and McCammon and forwards Carrie Helfrich and Pfeiffer. At that tournament during group play, the USA played two nations it will be facing in group play in Mexico. The USA downed Puerto Rico, 12-0, as Fuller scored four times and Ascanio and Pfeiffer each had three goals, and Canada, 1-0, as Fuller scored the game-winner. The USA also defeated Canada, 4-1, in the championship game. Fuller won the Golden Ball as Tournament’s Best Player after scoring nine goals.
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.
