United States Women’s Under-20 head coach Tracey Kevins has set the roster of 21 players who will travel to Costa Rica in August to compete for the title of best in the world.
Players born on or after January 1, 2002 are eligible for the tournament. The group selected by Kevins consists mostly of women already competing at the collegiate level, although one youth team player and two already playing professionally were also included.
The team will take on Ghana, Netherlands and Japan in Group D, with the corresponding games set for August 11, 14 and 17, respectively. They will play the first and third games in the Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto Alajuela, and the second in the nations capital of San José, in the 35,000 capacity Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica.
Japan are the regning champions, after beating Spain in the 2018 final, a tournament where the Americans disappointed by not even making it out of the group stage.
Together with Germany, the USWNT U-20 program is the most historically successful program in this tournament since its inception in 2002, with each of the teams having three titles to their name.
Kevins’ squad qualified for the final tournament by way of their dominant performance in February’s qualifying tournament, where they scored a total of 49 goals over the three group and four knockout games.
Their closest win was the traditional “dos a cero” result against the Mexican ladies in the final.
Duke forward Michelle Cooper was top scorer at that tournament, and highlights a potent group of forwards that also includes Andrea Kitahata and Simone Jackson. The three combined for 21 goals in February, with Cooper scoring what was ultimately the winning goal in the final.
The tournament kicks off on August 10 with the Germans hosting Colombia in the lunchtime opener, with the Americans taking the field at a similar time on the following day.
Should they live up to expectations and advance to the late stages of the tournament, they will be aiming to compete in the final happening on Sunday, August 28 at 8pm local time.
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)
