U-20 USWYNT ready for FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Round of 16 clash with Mexico

After finishing Group C with a rousing and dominating 7-0 victory over Paraguay, the USA has earned a Round of 16 match against a familiar foe, Mexico, which finished second in Group A behind host Colombia.

The match will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 11 at 35,000-seat El Campin Stadium in Bogotá (9 p.m. ET; FS2 & Universo).

This is the first-ever Round of 16 at the U-20 WWC with the competition expanding to 24 nations for the 2024 edition and thus necessitating an extra round of knockout play. The USA also advanced to the knockout rounds at this tournament for the first time since 2016, when the USA made the semifinals and finished fourth. The USA did not advance out of group play in 2018 and 2022, while the 2020 tournament was cancelled due to the global pandemic.

USA BLOWS PAST PARAGUAY TO FINISH GROUP PLAY IN IMPRESSIVE FASHION: The USA entered its final match of Group C at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup needing a win or a tie to advance to the Round of 16, but two goals from forward Pietra Tordin in a span of 2 minutes and 33 second early in the game signaled that it would be the USA’s night. The 7-0 win the USA’s largest ever in a FIFA U-20 women’s World Cup (the USA had three previous 6-0 wins) and is tied for the second largest margin of victory by any team this tournament in a match not involving U-20 WWC debutante Fiji (which sadly gave up 29 goals during group play). Japan beat New Zealand, 7-0, and North Korea beat Costa Rica, 9-0. While the USA lost its opening game, 1-0, to Spain, it did finish the group with the most goals scored (9) and best goal difference (+8).

SISTERS SCORE FOR USA IN A WORLD CUP FOR FIRST TIME: When Gisele Thompson scored the USA’s third goal against Paraguay on Sept. 7 in the 29th minute, it marked the first time that two sisters had scored for the USA in a World Cup. Older sister Alyssa Thompson, who is teammates with Gisele on Angel City FC, scored for the USA against Ghana at the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. Samantha and Kristie Mewis both played for the USA at a FIFA U-17 WWC (together in 2008) and U-20 WWC (together in 2010, while Sam also helped the USA win the U-20 World Cup in 2012), but while Kristie scored in both of her youth World Cups, Sam did not find the net in hers.

TORDIN’S HAT TRICK IS FIFTH IN U.S. U-20 WWC HISTORY: ForwardPietra Tordin’s hat trick against Paraguay on Sept. 7 was the USA’s fifth in 11 Women’s World Cups at this age group. Tordin’s goals in the 10th, 12th and 67th minutes tied her with four other players for most goals in a FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup match. Those players were Savannah DeMelo in 2018 vs. Paraguay, Maya Hayes in 2012 vs. Ghana, Sydney Leroux in 2010 vs. Switzerland and Kelly Wilson in 2002 vs. Denmark, when the tournament was a U-19 event. Only Hayes would not go on to earn a cap for the full USWNT.

ADAMES TIES U-20 WWC SINGLE GAME ASSIST RECORD: Emeri 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. You have to go back all the way to 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. Even more impressively, no U.S. player has had three assists in an entire U-20 World Cup tournament since Samantha Mewis did so 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-Edge Sword” of forwards during that tournament along with Kelly Wilson, had six assists as the USA won the inaugural FIFA youth world championship.

2024 FIFA U-20 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP ROUND OF 16 MATCH-UPS: The USA’s clash with Mexico will not be the only inter-Confederation match-up in the Round of 16 as European sides France and Netherlands will square off in Medellin. All six other Round of 16 matches feature clashes between different Confederations. The winner of the USA-Mexico match will play the winner of the Germany-Argentina match in the quarterfinals. All four stadiums being utilized for this tournament will host Round of 16 matches. Among the 16 team that advanced were all five European teams, the three countries from Concacaf, three from South America, three from Asia and two from Africa.

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 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 by 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.

2024 FIFA U.S. U-20 Women’s World Cup Roster by Position (College or Club; Hometown; U-20 Caps/Goals)

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.; 11)

DEFENDERS (6): Jordyn Bugg (Seattle Reign; El Cajon, Calif.; 7/1), Elise Evans (Stanford; Redwood City, Calif.; 13/0), Heather Gilchrist (Florida State, Boulder, Colo.; 8/0), Savy King (Bay FC; West Hills, Calif.; 15/0), Leah Klenke (Notre Dame; Houston, Texas; 14/0), Gisele Thompson (Angel City FC; Studio City, Calif.; 10/2)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Addison Halpern (PDA; Middlesex, N.J.; 0/0), Claire Hutton (Kansas City Current; Bethlehem, N.Y.; 8/0), Riley Jackson (North Carolina Courage; Roswell, Ga.; 11/1), Ally Lemos (Orlando Pride; Glendora, Calif.; 15/1), Yuna McCormack (Virginia; Mill Valley, Calif.; 5/2), Taylor Suarez (Florida State; Charlotte, N.C.; 11/1)

FORWARDS (6): Emeri Adames (Seattle Reign; Red Oak, Texas; 9/1), Maddie Dahlien (North Carolina; Edina, Minn.; 11/6), Jordynn Dudley (Florida State; Milton, Ga.; 10/3), Giana Riley (Florida State; Manteca, Calif.; 10/1), Ally Sentnor (Utah Royals; Hanson, Mass.; 19/10), Pietra Tordin (Princeton; Miami, Fla.; 10/5)

ROSTER NOTES

• 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 three matches.
• Four players have played all 270 minutes so far: goalkeeper Teagan Wy and defenders Jordyn Bugg and Savy King. Midfielder Riley Jackson got her first rest of the tournament when she came out of the Sept. 7 match vs. Paraguay at halftime.
• Ten players played have played more than 175 minutes.
• Five different players have scored the USA’s nine goals at this tournament and five also have assists.
• Forward Pietra Tordin’s three goals against Paraguay upped her career total to five in 10 U-20 caps.
• She is the first U.S. player to score a hat trick U-20 Women’s World Cup match since Aug. 8, 2018, when Savannah DeMelo scored three, also against Paraguay. Sophia Smith also scored twice in that match.
• Defender Gisele Thompson’s goal was her second for the U-20 WYNT. Her sister Alyssa scored the night prior on Sept. 6 for Angel City against the Seattle Reign in NWSL play, making it two goals in two nights for the Thompson sisters.
• Midfielder Yuna McCormack’s goal, in just her fifth cap, was her second of the World Cup and second of her U-20 career.
• Central defenders Heather Gilchrist and Jordyn Bugg have played all 90 minutes next to each other for two consecutive matches.
• Forward Maddie Dahlien’s goal vs. Paraguay was her sixth at the U-20 level in her 11th cap and second score off the bench at this tournament.
• Against Paraguay, U.S. goalkeeper Teagan Wy picked up her second shutout of the World Cup, but did not have to make a save.
• The USA’s World Cup roster features eight pros, one rising college freshman, two rising college sophomores, one redshirt college sophomore, seven rising college juniors and high schoolers Caroline Birkel and Addison Halpern. Florida State leads all colleges with four players on the roster.
• Defender Gisele Thompson is the only player on the roster who has seen training time with the senior U.S. Women’s National Team, that coming during the USA’s February training camp this year ahead of the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup.
• All players on the roster have been capped at the U-20 level except for Birkel and Halpern, who was a late addition to the World Cup Team replacing Sam Courtright, who tore her ACL just days before the team’s departure for Colombia.
• Forward Ally Sentnor, who is in her second U-20 cycle, is unsurprisingly the most experienced player on the roster with 19 U-20 caps heading into the World Cup and is also the USA’s leading scorer with 10 international goals.
• Earlier this NWSL season, forward Emeri Adames, a veteran of the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, became the youngest scorer in Seattle Reign history. In her final game before joining the USA in Colombia, Adames sent a header on goal that snuck into the net for the game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory over the North Carolina Courage on a night that club and USWNT legend Megan Rapinoe had her jersey retired. Adames then celebrated the goal by pulling out Rapinoe’s iconic celebration pose.
• Adames also played for the USA at the 2023 Pan American Games, where she scored in the 2-1 semifinal loss to the senior Chile Women’s National Team, getting the ball past one of the world’s best goalkeepers, Christiane Endler.
• Defender Jordyn Bugg, Hutton and Thompson also played in the Pan Ams, giving them excellent experience against senior National Teams.
• Five-foot-11 forward Jordynn Dudley, along with college teammate Heather Gilchrist, had a big 2023 college season, helping Florida State win the NCAA Championship. Dudley was named ACC Freshman of the Year after scoring a remarkable 14 goals with nine assists, including a goal and an assist in the NCAA Championship Game. Gilchrist, as a sophomore, started all 21 matches for the Seminoles.
• Forward Maddie Dahlien, who tied with Sentnor for leading scorer in qualifying with four goals, is a former Minnesota state track champion in the 100M and 200M.
• Forward Giana Riley, who has since transferred to Florida State, led the West Coast Conference in scoring for Gonzaga last season with 12 goals to go along with six assists.
• Tordin, a rare Ivy Leaguer on a U.S. World Cup Team, made a dramatic U-20 WYNT debut in February, scoring a late game-winner in a 1-0 victory over Colombia in Bogotá. The USA won the second game of that trip 1-0 as well, on a goal from Sentnor.
• Six players on this U-20 WWC roster played for the USA in the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup: Thompson, Savy King, Bugg, Adames, Leah Klenke and Jackson.
• The USA is one of four teams to have qualified for every FIFA WWC at this age level, along with three-time champions Germany, as well as Brazil and Nigeria.

U.S. U-20 WYNT vs. MEXICO:

• Mexico is quite experienced at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup as this is the 10th tournament it has participated in, missing only 2004. Mexico has advanced to the quarterfinals four times and did not advance out of group play five times.
• The only previous meeting between the USA and Mexico at the U-20 WWC came in 2016 in Papua New Guinea in the quarterfinal when the USA came from behind to win 2-1. Mexico’s goal came from current San Diego Wave attacker Maria Sanchez in the 65th minute, but the USA tied the game through current Orlando Pride forward Ally Watt. Kelcie Hedge then scored in the 90+3rd minute to send the USA to the semifinals.
• Mexico opened the World Cup with a 2-2 draw with Cameroon. Mexico built a 2-0 lead in that match through first half goals from Paola García and Montserrat Saldívar, but the Indomitable Lionesses launched an impressive comeback, scoring in the 52nd and 85th minutes while outshooting Mexico, 18-8.
• In its second Group A match, Mexico picked up a big 2-0 win over Australia, dominating the Matildas with a 23-3 shot margin, but only scored two goals via Fatima Servín in the 57th and Alejandra Lomelí in 90+1.
• In its third game, Mexico played host Colombia close, outshooting the hosts 11-6, but the lone goal of the game went to Las Cafeteras in the 38th minute.
• Mexico is the reigning Concacaf champions at the U-20 level having beaten the USA, 2-1, in the Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship Final in June of 2023.
• In the match, the USA out-shot Mexico 14-9, and missed a penalty kick when it was 0-0 before giving up a goal against the run of player in the 71st to Malin Orozco. Onyeka Gamero, who missed this World Cup as she continues to rehab from an ACL injury, tied the game in the 80th, only for Mexico to bag a game-winner in the 88th via Fatima Servin.
• Remarkably, just five starters from that match are on this World Cup team – Teagan Wy, Savy King, Elise Vans, Ally Sentnor and Maddie Dahlien — although Leah Klenke, Ally Lemos and Jordynn Dudley played as substitutes.
• Ten of 11 Mexico starters in that match are on the World Cup Team as are three of the five subs who played in that game.
• Gisele Thompson was suspended for that game after receiving a highly questionable red card in the semifinal.
• The most recent meetings between the teams came just a few months ago in July in a pair of friendlies in Athens, Ga. The Americans earned a 1-1 draw in the first game thanks to a goal from Pietra Tordin before defeating Mexico, 3-0, three days later with goals by Ally Sentnor (2) and Georgia product Riley Jackson.
• Mexico has five players currently playing in the USA, two at UCLA in forward America Frias (who hails from San Jose, Calif.) and six-foot goalkeeper Mariangela Medina, one across town in Los Angeles at USC in Maribel Flores (from Fullerton, Calif.) and two from Southern California clubs, midfielder Valerie Vargas from Beach FC and forward Hailey Gordon from LAFC Slammers.
• The majority of Mexico’s players are playing for professional clubs in Liga MX Femenil, which has seen fantastic growth over the past several years.

Mexico 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Roster by Position (Club)

GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Renatta Cota (Club León), 12-Valeria Martinez (Club Necaxa), 21-Mariangela Medina (UCLA, USA)

DEFENDERS (6): 2-Michel Fong (Club Tijuana), 3-Ana Mendoza (Pumas UNAM), 4-Natalia Colin (Tigres UANL), 5-Giselle Espinoza (FC Juárez), 13-Nicol De Leon (Club Santos Laguna), 14-Isabela Esquivias(Club León)

MIDFIELDERS (6): 6-Alejandra Lomeli (CF Atlas), 8-Fatima Servin (CF Monterrey), 10-Alice Soto (CF Pachuca), 11-Valerie Vargas (Beach FC, USA), 15-Silvana Gonzalez (Atlético San Luis), 16-Yareli Valadez(CF Pachuca)

FORWARDS (6): 7-Maribel Flores (USC Trojans, USA), 9-Paola Garcia (CF Atlas), 17-Tatiana Flores (Tigres UANL), 18-América Frías (UCLA, USA), 19-Montserrat Saldivar (Club América), 20-Hailey Gordon (LAFC Slammers, USA)