USA PLAYS FOR THIRD AT 2024 FIFA U-20 WWC IN SEVENTH AND FINAL MATCH: Only four of the 24 countries at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup get to play seven matches at the tournament and the USA is one of them. Unfortunately, after a 1-0 loss to an extremely talented Korea DPR side on Sept. 18, the USA will not be playing in the final. Still, a medal is on the line in the Third-Place Match taking place on Sept. 21 at Estadio El Campin in Bogotá (5 p.m. ET on FSP & Universo) when the USA will face the Netherlands, 2-0 losers to Japan in the other semifinal. The USA is guaranteed to at least match its best finish in this tournament since 2016 – when the young Americans lost in the semifinal to North Korea and in the Third-Place match in Japan -- but a win would give the USA its best finish since 2012, when it won the U-20 World Cup. Fans can follow the U-20 WNT throughout the tournament on ussoccer.com, Facebook, Twitter/X (@USYNT) and Instagram (@USYNT). For all the tournament results, go FIFA.com.
THE ROAD TO THE 2024 FIFA U-20 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP THIRD-PLACE MATCH: The all-Asian championship game is a rematch of the AFC U-20 Women’s Championship Final, won by the North Koreans, 2-1. Japan is going for its second World Cup title at this age level while Korea DPR is going for its third, which would tie the USA and Germany for most titles in the history of this tournament. This is the 11th edition of this FIFA tournament for this age group. Three of the semifinalists in this tournament were in the USA’s group at the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup: the USA, Netherlands and Japan.
USA
| Date | Opponent | Result | Goal Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sept. 1 | Spain | 0-1 L | -- |
| Sept. 4 | Morocco | 2-0 W | McCormack, Dahlien |
| Sept. 7 | Paraguay | 7-0 W | Tordin (3), Thompson, McCormack, Sentnor, Dahlien |
| Sept. 11 | Mexico | 3-2 W | Tordin, Sentnor, Dudley |
| Sept. 15 | Germany | 2-2 D (3-1 PKs) | Dudley, Sentnor |
| Sept. 18 | Korea DPR | 0-1 L | -- |
NETHERLANDS
| Date | Opponent | Result | Goal Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sept. 2 | Costa Rica | 2-0 W | Elbernink, Buurman |
| Sept. 5 | Argentina | 3-3 D | Lacroix, Van Egmond, Burrman |
| Sept. 8 | Korea DPR | 0-2 L | -- |
| Sept. 12 | France | 2-1 W | Stoit, Van Beijeren |
| Sept. 15 | Colombia | 2-2 D (3-0 PKs) | Weiman, Stoit |
| Sept. 18 | Japan | 0-2 L | -- |
USA IN THE U-20 WWC THIRD-PLACE GAME: In 11 editions of this FIFA tournament for this age group, the USA has advanced to the semifinals seven times. The USA won the semifinal match three times, advanced to the final, and won those tournaments. The other three times the USA was relegated to the bronze medal match, winning once (2004 in Thailand over a Brazil team led by Marta, 3-0), and losing in 2006 (in Russia to Brazil in PKs after drawing 0-0) and in 2016 (1-0 to Japan in Papua New Guinea).
THE U.S. ROSTER -- PROS LEAD THE WAY: Players born on or after Jan. 1, 2004, are age-eligible for this World Cup, and this roster will set a record for the most professional players on a U.S. FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Team with eight. All are in their rookie years for National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) clubs with midfielder Claire Hutton (Kansas City Current) and Ally Sentnor (the #1 pick in the 2024 NWSL draft for the Utah Royals) seeing the most minutes among their peers so far this year. Defender Gisele Thompson (who joined her older sister Alyssa at Angel City FC this season), defender Savy King (the #2 pick in the 2024 NWSL Draft for Bay FC), midfielder Ally Lemos (the #9 pick in the 2024 NWSL Draft for the Orlando Pride), former U.S. U-17 WYNT captain Riley Jackson (North Carolina Courage) and forward Emeri Adames (Seattle Reign) have all seen action for their clubs this season. Adames, who signed last March, was the club’s first-ever U-18 signing. The now 18-year-old defender Jordan Bugg signed with Seattle on July 19.While Sentnor, King and Lemos were all high draft picks, the other five pros – Jackson, Adames, Thompson, Hutton and Bugg -- all signed professional contracts as high schoolers under the NWSL Under-18 Entry Mechanism, opting out of college soccer.
GOALKEEPERS (3): Caroline Birkel (St. Louis Scott Gallagher; St. Louis, Mo.; 0), Mackenzie Gress (Penn State; Lyndhurst, N.J.; 5), Teagan Wy (California; Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.; 14)
DEFENDERS (6): Jordyn Bugg (Seattle Reign; El Cajon, Calif.; 10/1), Elise Evans (Stanford; Redwood City, Calif.; 16/0), Heather Gilchrist (Florida State, Boulder, Colo.; 11/0), Savy King (Bay FC; West Hills, Calif.; 18/0), Leah Klenke (Notre Dame; Houston, Texas; 17/0), Gisele Thompson (Angel City FC; Studio City, Calif.; 13/2)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Addison Halpern (PDA; Middlesex, N.J.; 0/0), Claire Hutton (Kansas City Current; Bethlehem, N.Y.; 9/0), Riley Jackson (North Carolina Courage; Roswell, Ga.; 14/1), Ally Lemos (Orlando Pride; Glendora, Calif.; 18/1), Yuna McCormack (Virginia; Mill Valley, Calif.; 8/2), Taylor Suarez (Florida State; Charlotte, N.C.; 14/1)
FORWARDS (6): Emeri Adames (Seattle Reign; Red Oak, Texas; 12/1), Maddie Dahlien (North Carolina; Edina, Minn.; 14/6), Jordynn Dudley (Florida State; Milton, Ga.; 13/5), Giana Riley (Florida State; Manteca, Calif.; 11/1), Ally Sentnor (Utah Royals; Hanson, Mass.; 22/12), Pietra Tordin (Princeton; Miami, Fla.; 13/6)
Of the USA’s 18 field players on the roster, all but Addison Halpern, the youngest player on the roster, have seen action thus far over the first five matches.
Fifteen different players have started a match for the USA.
Only goalkeeper Teagan Wy has played all 600 minutes so far.
Defender Jordyn Bugg came out of the semifinal at the end of the game and has played all but four minutes of the tournament.
Defender Savy King (580 minutes) has played all but 20 minutes of the tournament while Riley Jackson has played 555 minutes and team captain Ally Sentnor has logged 672.
Six different players have scored the USA’s 14 goals at this tournament and six also have assists, led by Emeri Adames with four.
Adames tied a U.S. record for most assists in a single U-20 WWC match when she set up three of the first four goals vs. Paraguay on Sept. 7. That last happened way back in 2002 and the first-ever FIFA tournament for this age group when Heather O’Reilly had three assists in the opening 5-1 win over England.
No U.S. player has had three assists in an entire U-20 Women’s World Cup tournament since Samantha Mewis in 2012 in Japan. Sydney Leroux also had three assists in the 2008 U-20 WWC in Chile. Amanda Poach had three assists in the 2006 U-20 WWC in Russia. Stephanie Lopez had three assists in the 2004 U-20 WWC in Thailand.
O’Reilly holds the U.S. record for most assists in a FIFA World Cup for this age level with seven while Lindsey Tarpley, another member of the “Triple-Edged Sword” of forwards during that tournament along with Kelly Wilson, had six assists as the USA won the inaugural FIFA women’s youth world championship.
Yuna McCormack and Pietra Tordin both have two assists so far in this tournament.
McCormack also has two goals, the first of her international career, in eight caps.
Forward Pietra Tordin’s hat trick against Paraguay on Sept. 7 and single goal against Mexico on Sept. 11 give her four for the tournament, the most of an American player at a FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup since Maya Hayes scored four in Japan at the 2012 tournament.
Sydney Leroux scored five times at the 2010 U-20 WWC in Germany (and won the Bronze Boot) and scored five at the 2008 FIFA U-20 WWC in Chile (where she won the Golden Boot). Alex Morgan scored four times at the 2008 tournament.
Tordin was also the first U.S. player to score a hat trick in a U-20 Women’s World Cup match since Aug. 8, 2018, when Savannah DeMelo scored three times, also against Paraguay, in a game in which Sophia Smith also had two goals.
Sentnor had her goal against Germany (questionably) changed to an Own Goal, which gives her two tallies in the tournament while forwards Jordynn Dudley and Maddie Dahlien and midfielder Yuna McCormack also have two each. Gisele Thompson has the USA’s other goal.
Sentnor, who is in her second U-20 cycle, is unsurprisingly the most experienced player on the roster with 22 U-20 caps and is also the USA’s leading scorer with 11 international goals.
Dahlien, who has played in all six games off the bench, has scored twice in the World Cup to up her career total to six in 14 U-20 caps.
Leah Klenke has also come off the bench in all six games so far.
GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Femke Liefting (AZ Alkmaar), 16-Netty Booms (AZ Alkmaar), 21-Febe Copier (FC Utrecht)
DEFENDERS (7): 2-Louise Van Oosten (ADO Den Haag), 3-Djoeke De Ridder (AZ Alkmaar), 4-Veerle Buurman (PSV Eindhoven), 5-Emma Frijns (PSV Eindhoven), 12-Inske Weiman (PEC Zwolle), 13-Eef Smits (PSV Eindhoven), 14-Noelle Van Der Sluijs (Feyenoord Rotterdam)
MIDFIELDERS (5): 6-Kealyn Thomas (AZ Alkmaar), 8-Ilse Kemper (PEC Zwolle), 10-Robine Lacroix (PSV Eindhoven), 15-Jet Van Beijeren (SC Heerenveen), 18-Nayomi Buikema (PEC Zwolle)
FORWARDS (6): 7-Zoë Zuidberg (PEC Zwolle), 9-Bo Van Egmond (PEC Zwolle), 11-Iris Remmers (ADO Den Haag), 17-Fleur Stoit (PSV Eindhoven), 19-Eva Oude Elberink (FC Twente), 20-Fieke Kroese (AZ Alkmaar)
