U.S. U-17 Women’s National Team Draws 1-1 with Canada to Open 4 Nations Tournament In Mexico City, Then Wins Penalty Kick Shootout, 5-3

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (July 26, 2025) – The U.S. U-17 Women’s National Team opened the 4 Nations Tournament with a 1-1 draw with Canada as outside back Sydney Schmidt equalized with a header off a corner kick in the 88th minute.

Tournament regulations stipulate that each team earns one point for a draw, followed by a penalty kick shootout, with the winner earning an additional point in this round-robin tournament, which also features host Mexico and Costa Rica.

The USA went first in the shootout, and Schmidt made it two goals in a matter of minutes when she led with a powerful conversion. Forward Lauren Malsom, midfielder Scottie Antonucci (whose shot was touched by the goalkeeper but hit the post and rolled over the line), and team captain and central defender PearlCecil then all coolly finished their spot kicks. On Canada’s fourth attempt, Olivia Chisholm squared off with U.S. goalkeeper Peyton Trayer but skied her shot way over the bar. That set the stage for Nyanya Touray’s winning shot, which she calmly dispatched into the net, sparking an exuberant celebration from the U.S. team.

The USA will next face Costa Rica on July 29 (9 a.m. MT / 11 a.m. ET on live on Telemundo Deportes’ YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok accounts) and then Mexico on Aug. 1 (11:15 am MT / 1:15 pm ET live on Telemundo Deportes’ YouTube and Facebook accounts) to finish up the round-robin competition.

The young Americans struggled to get things going in the first half, and a tough and athletic Canada side scored off a set play in the 41st minute. A long service into the penalty box by Lacey Kindel found the head Chloe Taylor, and she guided it into the upper right side of the net for the 1-0 lead, giving Trayer no chance.

In an evenly played first half, the USA had the first chance, coming in the fifth minute when midfielder Jaiden Rodriguez struck a heavy free kick from about 25 yards that had to be parried away by Canada goalkeeper Olivia Busby at the right post.

Canada skimmed a shot off the crossbar soon after, and in the 21st minute Rodriguez hit the woodwork as well, spinning her shot 17-yard off attempt off the intersection of the crossbar and post at the right corner.

Trayer had to make a nice save on a low shot to the left post, but the USA had the final two chances of the half as Rodriguez flashed a shot just outside the right post from the top of the penalty area.

In the 45th minute, center forward Ella Kral ran the ball down on the left wing, cut in and forced a diving save from Busby with a shot from 19 yards out that was headed into the left side of the net.

The second half was an entirely different story as the USA kept Canada pinned in its half with a combination of quick passing through the midfield, pressing defense and some dangerous flank play. Canada had a few dangerous looks off the counter, but it always seemed as if another goal came, it would be the Americans to score it. And they did.

With stellar performances from second-half subs Antonucci, Loradana Paletta, Touray, Anastasia Showler-Little, Malsom and Elayna Kocher putting intense attacking pressure on Canada, the USA earned a corner kick from the right side in the 88th minute. Antonucci served a perfect cross to the far post, where Schmidt, who played both left and right back in the game, crashed through traffic to hammer home a header from close range. It was Schmidt's first international goal in her fifth U-17 cap.

The USA had a few more chances to win it in the waning moments, but the three minutes of stoppage time passed and the match went to penalty kicks, setting the stage for the Americans to convert all five of their penalty shots.

The other match of the day featured a 2-2 draw between Mexico and Costa Rica. Mexico won that shootout, 4-1, to earn an additional point, meaning the USA and Mexico are tied atop the 4 Nations Tournament standings with two points each. Canada and Costa Rica each have one point, making the second matchday on Tuesday, July 29, vital towards the tournament title. Mexico, with two goals scored to the USA’s one, is currently in first place via that tiebreaker.

The tournament is serving as important World Cup preparation for all teams as each will be competing in the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup later this fall in Morocco. The scheduling of the international matches is a part of the continuing focus on the U.S. Way philosophy which emphasizes increased programming for Youth National Teams to create more opportunities for young players to advance through the pathway to the full U.S. Women’s National Team with the goal of representing their country at a world championship.

Additional Notes: 

• Nineteen of the 20 players on the U.S. roster played in the match with goalkeeper Josie Biehl the only player not to see action.
• The match marked the first international caps at the U-17 level for seven players: defenders Ryana Dill, Melia Brewer and Alexa Strickler, midfielder Loradana Palletta and forwards Anastasia Showler-Little, Lauren Malsom and Elayna Kocher. Kocher was named to the USA’s Concacaf World Cup qualifying squad but had to withdraw from that tournament due to an injury.
• The USA did not allow a shot on goal in the second half and ended up out-shooting Canada 11-7 while piling up an 8-2 advantage in corner kicks, with seven of those coming in the second half.
• The Americans qualified for the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup for the seventh time — and the fifth in a row — by winning Group C of the Final Round of Concacaf Women’s U-17 Qualifiers last April. The World Cup will be held in Morocco from October 17 to November 8, 2025.
• The USA has several professional players from the NWSL in the pool, but none of them are on this roster.
• Players born on or after Jan. 1, 2008, are age-eligible for the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. Eighteen of the players on this roster were born in 2008. Defender Melia Brewer is a 2009 and midfielder Loradana Paletta is the youngest player on the roster, who was born in 2011.
• Paletta is at this moment age-eligible for the U.S. U-14 Girls’ National Team and would be moving to the U-15s at the end of this month. She was the youngest player on the field for this match.
• For the 2025 FIFA U-17 WWC, the USA was drawn into Group C and will face Ecuador (9 a.m. ET / 2 p.m. local time) in its first match on Saturday, Oct. 18. The USA will then face China PR on Tuesday, October 21 (Noon ET / 5 p.m. local) and finish group play against Norway on Friday, October 24 (9 a.m. ET / 2 p.m. local). All three of the USA’s Group C games will be played at the Football Academy Mohammed VI (Pitch 3) in Sale, which is just outside of the capital of Rabat.
• In this 4 Nations Tournament, if matches end in draw, teams go to penalty kick shootout with the winning teams earning an additional point in the standings.
• The tiebreakers at the end of round-robin play are as follows: 1) goal difference, 2) goals scored, 3) head-to-head result, 4) discipline rankings. The USA did not pick up a yellow card in the match.
• Teams are allowed unlimited substitutes during the tournament, but are limited to three substitution windows during the match, not counting halftime.

-U.S. UNDER-17 WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM MATCH REPORT-

Match: United States U-17 Women's National Team vs. Canada U-17 Women’s National Team

Date: July 26, 2025

Competition: 4 Nations Tournament

Venue: Centro de Alto Rendimiento-CAR, Field 1: Mexico City, Mexico

Attendance: 50

Weather: 65 degrees, cloudy, warm 

Penalty Kicks:

USA: Schmidt (Goal), Malsom (Goal), Antonucci (Goal), Cecil (Goal), Touray (Goal)

CAN: Kekic (Goal), Istocki (Goal), Alexis (Goal), Chisholm (Miss)

Lineups:

USA: 1-Peyton Trayer; 2-Ryana Dill (13-Alex Strickler, 46), 15-Lauren Hemann (4-Melia Brewer, 46), 5-Pearl Cecil(Capt.), 3-Sydney Schmidt; 20-Charlee Siria (8-Scottie Antonucci, 57), 6-Chloe Sadler (16-Loradana Paletta, 66), 10-Jaiden Rodriguez (18-Nyanya Touray, 72), 17-Addison Feldman (14-Anastasia Showler-Little, 66),9-Ella Kral (19-Lauren Malsom, 72), 7-Ashlyn Anderson (11-Elayna Kocher, 57)

Subs not used: 12-Joise Biehl

Head Coach: Katie Schoepfer

CAN: 21-Olivia Busby; 2-Marika Martineau, 4-Bridget Mutipula, 5-Chloe Taylor(Capt.) (15-Torah Betteridge, 67), 12-Emma Donnelly (3-Mya Angus, 67); 6-Olivia Chisholm, 13-Emma Reda (22-Maïka-Kim Guerrier, 74), 19-Gabriela Istocki; 7-Lacey Kindel (17-Ailish Hennessy, 62), 9-Melisa Kekic, 11-Molly Hale (24-Mélyna Alexis, 62)

Subs not used:1-Khadijah Cissé, 8-Isabella Lanzillotta, 10-Alyssa McLeod, 14-Felicia Hanisch, 16-Clara Monck, 18-Kellyane Dumas, 20-Mia Ugarte, 23-Adrianna Giese, 25-Naomi Lofthouse, 26-Samantha Powell

Head Coach: Jen Herst 

Stats Summary: USA / CAN

Shots: 11/ 7

Shots on Goal: 5 / 2

Saves: 1 / 4

Corner Kicks: 8 / 2

Fouls: 7 / 11

Offside:1 / 1

Officials:

Referee: Itzel Hernández Fuentes (MEX)

Assistant Referee 1:Karla Sobeida González Arroyo (MEX) 

Assistant Referee 2:Carolina Cepeda Ortíz(MEX) 

Fourth Official: Mayra Isabel Martínez Javier (MEX)