U.S. Soccer to host second annual U-17 Women’s NTC Invitational

CHICAGO (Via U.S. Soccer) – For the second consecutive year, U.S. Soccer will host a four-team Under-17 women’s international tournament at the U.S. Soccer National Training Center in Carson, California. This year’s event will run from Feb 11-15 as the USA will host Japan, Mexico and Canada in the 2015 U-17 Women’s NTC Invitational. All the matches will be staged on Glenn “Mooch” Myernick Field at the U.S. Soccer NTC.

Each of the match days – February 11, 13 and 15 – will feature a doubleheader with the USA playing the second game of the day. The winner of the competition will be based on total points with the first two tie-breakers being overall goal difference and then total goals scored. All six matches of the tournament will be shown live on ussoccer.com.

At last year’s event, the USA defeated China PR, 4-0, New Zealand, 2-0, and Japan 2-1 to win the competition. Japan went on to win the 2014 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica later that summer.

“We feel very fortunate that U.S. Soccer has given us another opportunity to host one of the top international tournaments in the world for this age group,” said U.S. U-17 Women’s National Team head coach B.J. Snow. “The inaugural event last year was a huge success and for the women’s game to continue to grow it’s critical that we provide a platform for our players to play against the best international competition at a younger age.”

Snow has called in 20 players for the tournament, 14 born in 1999 – which is the age cut-off for the next U-17 Women’s World Cup – and six born in 2000.

“At this point in the cycle we want to continuously asses both individual player development and team development,” said Snow. “There is no better way to accomplish this than to compete against highly sophisticated and organized teams in a tournament environment. This should give us a great indication of where we are as team with a little over a year left before World Cup Qualifying.”

The 2016 U-17 Women’s CONCACAF Championship tournament, slated for March of next year, will qualify three teams from the confederation for the 2016 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup that is scheduled to take place in Jordan.

U.S. U-17 Women’s National Team Roster by Position

GOALKEEPERS (2):  Hillary Beall (West Coast FC; Laguna Beach, Calif.) Brooke Bollinger (Orlando City; Melbourne, Fla.)

DEFENDERS (7): Sierra Enge (Carlsbad Elite; Cardiff, Calif.), Joanna Harber (Eastside FC; Bellevue, Wash.), Karlie Paschall (Tennessee Soccer Club; Brentwood, Tenn.), Kiara Pickett (Camarillo Eagles; Santa Barbara, Calif.), Isabel Rodriguez (Michigan Hawks; Canton, Mich.), Karina Rodriguez (So Cal Blues; Torrance, Calif.), Sydney Zandi (Penn Fusion; West Chester, Pa.

MIDFIELDERS (5): Emina Ekic (Javanon SC; Fairdale, Ky.), Jaelin Howell (Real Colorado; Windsor, Colo.), Brianna Pinto (CASL; Durham, N.C.), Ashley Sanchez (So Cal Blues; Monrovia, Calif.), Ohio), Taryn Torres (Solar Chelsea; Frisco, Texas)

FORWARDS (6): Rachel Jones (Tophat; Lawrenceville, Ga.), Sophia Smith (Real Colorado; Fort Collins, Colo.), Alexa Spaanstra (Michigan Hawks; Brighton, Mich.), Frankie Tagliaferri (PDA; Colts Neck, N.J.), Jordan Taylor (Ohio Premier Eagles; Wadsworth), Olivia Wade (La Roca FC; Kaysville, Utah)

Additional Notes:

• Each team is allowed 20 players on its NTC Invitational tournament roster.
• Teams will be allowed six total substitutions per game with no re-entry. In the second half of the matches, a team may stop the game a maximum of three times to make substitutions. During each of these stoppages, a team may make more than one substitution, up to the limit of the six total per match. Substitutions made at halftime do not count as a stoppage in the second half.
• Players eligible for the 2015 U-17 Women’s NTC Invitational must have been born on or after Jan. 1, 1999, which is the age cut-off for the 2016 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
• There will be no suspensions for accumulation of yellow cards during the tournament, but a player receiving a red card will have to sit out a minimum of one match.
• If two or more teams are equal on goal difference and goals scored, the ties will be broken as follow: 1) greatest number of points obtained in the matches between the teams concerned; 2) goal difference resulting from the matches between the teams concerned; 3) greater number of goals scored in the matches between the teams concerned; 4) drawing of lots by the U-17 Women’s NTC Invitational Tournament Committee.