U.S. U-17 WNT kicks off CONCACAF Championship vs. Jamaica on Friday

(Via U.S. Soccer) – The U.S. Under-17 Women’s National Team kicks off the 2016 CONCACAF U-17 Women’s Championship on Friday, March 4, when it faces Jamaica (2:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. local on FOX Soccer Plus and FOX Soccer 2Go) in what will be the first step toward qualification for the 2016 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in Jordan.

+Read: U.S. U-23 WNT defeats Slovenia 3-0 in Istria Cup

The USA will continue Group B play against Mexico on Sunday, March 6 (2:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. local on FOX Soccer Plus), and finish the first round against Costa Rica on Tuesday, March 8 (Noon ET / 1 p.m. local on FOX Soccer Plus). All of the USA’s matches will be played on natural grass at the Grenada National Stadium.

2016 CONCACAF U-17 Women’s Championship
USA Group B Schedule

WATCH THE USA U-17 WNT ON FOX SOCCER PLUS; FOX PROVIDING FREE WEB STREAM OF QUALIFYING MATCHES: All of the USA and Mexico group stage matches will be shown on FOX Soccer Plus, the premium television network dedicated to delivering the world’s best soccer and international sports, and streamed live on FOX Sports GO to authenticated cable/satellite subscribers. In addition, both semifinals will be on FOX Soccer Plus, with the third-place and championship game on FS2. The third-place match and championship will also be streamed on FOX Sports GO. In addition, FOX Soccer 2Go will stream all the games, including the semifinal, third-place and championship game. Go to foxsoccer2go.com and enter promo code “U17WNT” on the registration page when prompted.  The promo code can be activated from March 3-13.

TOURNAMENT FORMAT: The 2016 CONCACAF U-17 Women’s Championship – the fifth one to be contested – features eight nations divided into two groups of four teams. The top two finishers in each group will qualify for the semifinals, with the winners of those games as well as the winner of the third-place match earning berths to the 2016 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Jordan. Group A is comprised of host Grenada, Guatemala, Canada and Haiti. Group A kicks off the tournament on March 3 as Guatemala faces Canada and host Grenada meets Haiti. The USA will play all of its matches at Grenada National Stadium while the semifinals, the third-place match and championship will be played at the Grenada Athletics Stadium.

HISTORY LESSON: During the previous cycle, the U.S. Under-17 Women’s National Team out-scored its opponents 26-1 in the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying tournament, but lost to Mexico in penalty kicks in the semifinal after a 1-1 draw in regulation and did not make it to the Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica. The 2012 U.S. U-17 Women’s National Team won the CONCACAF championship, roaring through group play by outscoring its opponents 18-0, and then defeating Panama 7-0 in the all-important semifinal to qualify for the 2012 U-17 Women’s World Cup in Azerbaijan. The USA then defeated Canada in the championship game 1-0 on a goal from Amber Munerlyn. The USA’s 2010 U-17 team was the first U.S. Women’s National Team that failed to qualify for a Women’s World Cup when it fell in penalty kicks to Canada in the semifinal match of the qualifying tournament played in Costa Rica. Amazingly, the U.S. team missed out on the World Cup despite outscoring its opponents 38-0 during the tournament and lost its World Cup dreams based on one missed penalty kick. This year’s U-17s will be looking to emulate the success of the 2008 U-17s, which won the CONCACAF Qualifying Tournament, advanced to the first-ever FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Final in New Zealand and then came within minutes of winning the title before falling in overtime to Korea DPR.

THEY’RE IN: So far, four countries have qualified for the 2016 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup which will be contested with 16 nations. Jordan qualifies as host, but as Jordan is a member of the Asian Football Confederation, Asia gets just two more berths and those went to youth women’s soccer powers Korea DPR, which was runner-up in 2012 U-17 WWC and world champions in 2008, and Japan, which is defending champion, and runners-up in 2010. New Zealand has predictably qualified out of Oceania where it out-scored its opponents 55-0 over five games in the qualifying competition. Yet to qualify are three teams from CONCACAF, three from Africa, three from Europe and three from South America.

RUN-UP TO GRENADA: The 2016 U.S. U-17s had the benefit of hosting the NTC U-17 Women’s Invitational in early February in Los Angeles, getting three excellent games against talented teams from England, South Korea and Japan. The USA won all three games compiling a 6-1 goal difference to win the tournament for the third year in a row. Eighteen of the 20 players who were on the NTC Invitational roster will head to qualifying, with Kiara Picket rejoining the roster after recovering from an injury suffered while playing with the U.S. U-20 WNT during its qualifying tournament last December. In addition, goalkeeper Hillary Beal was added to the roster due to an injury to Brooke Bollinger who was originally one of two ‘keepers named to the roster along with Laurel Ivory.

U.S. U-17 WNT CONCACAF Women’s World Cup Qualifying Roster by Position – Detailed Roster
GOALKEEPERS (2): 12-Hillary Beall (So Cal Blues; Laguna Beach, Calif.), 1-Laurel Ivory (Sunrise Sting; Surfside, Fla.)
DEFENDERS (7): 4-Naomi Girma (Central Valley Crossfire; San Jose, Calif.), 9-Kiara Pickett (Eagles SC; Santa Barbara, Calif.), 11-Izzy Rodriguez (Michigan Hawks; Canton, Mich.), 16-Karina Rodriguez (So Cal Blues; Torrance, Calif.), 6-Emily Smith (De Anza Force; Los Gatos, Calif.), 15-Kennedy Wesley (So Cal Blues; Rossmoor, Calif.), 19-Kate Wiesner (Slammers FC; Monrovia, Calif.)
MIDFIELDERS (5): 18-Jaelin Howell (Real Colorado; Windsor, Colo.), 8-Brianna Pinto (CASL; Durham, N.C.), 20-Frankie Tagliaferri (PDA; Colt Neck, N.J.), 2-Taryn Torres (FC Dallas; Frisco, Texas), 5-Sydney Zandi (Penn Fusion; West Chester, Pa.)
FORWARDS (6): 17-Jordan Canniff (Richmond United; California, Md.), 13-Rachel Jones (Tophat; Lawrenceville, Ga.), 14-Civana Kuhlmann (Colorado Rush; Littleton, Colo.), 10-Ashley Sanchez (So Cal Blues; Monrovia, Calif.), 3-Sophia Smith (Real Colorado; Windsor, Colo.), 7-Alexa Spaanstra (Michigan Hawks; Brighton, Mich.)

2016 U.S. U-17 WNT Schedule and Results

U.S. ROSTER NOTES:

• Aside from forward Civana Kuhlmann and midfielder Frankie Tagliaferri, who were a part of the USA’s last U-17 cycles as 14-year-olds, and Ashley Sanchez and Kiara Pickett, who were a part of the U.S. U-20 WNT that qualified for the U-20 WWC last December, this is the first major international tournament for this group of U-17 players.
• At the 2013 CONCACAF U-17 Women’s Championship, Kuhlmann played 100 minutes in three matches, starting one, and scored twice with one assist.
• Tagliaferri also played in three games with one start, playing 133 minutes and getting one assist.
• The roster is a mix of three birth years, with 12 players born in 1999, the age cut-off year for the 2016 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. U.S. head coach B.J. Snow also named five players born in 2000 and three 2001s in defenders Kennedy Wesley (14 years old) and Kate Wiesner (15) and forward Jordan Caniff (14). All three are age-eligible for the U.S. U-15 Girls’ National Team.
• Of the 12 players born in 1999, most were just a few months old when the USA won the 1999 Women’s World Cup and two were not even born yet.
• The U.S. roster is made up of three players who are 17-years-old, 11 players who are 16, four players that are 15 and two 14-year-olds.
• Fifteen of the 20 players on the roster came through the U.S. Under-14 Girls’ National Team program: Beall, Girma, Howell, Ivory, Jones, Kuhlmann, Pickett, Pinto, Smith, Sanchez, Spaanstra, Tagliaferri, Wesley and Zandi.
• The roster is mildly experienced at the international level for this age group every player on the roster has played at least one international matches at the U-17 level ranging from one to 13 caps. Eleven players have eight or more caps, led by Tagliaferri who has 13. Sophia Smith is the only other player in double-figures with 10.
• Ashley Sanchez leads the team with 12 international goals at the U-17 level in just nine caps.
• Sanchez was one of two players who helped the U.S. U-20 WNT qualify for the next U-20 FIFA Women’s World Cup during its qualifying tournament last December in Honduras.
• Sanchez had an excellent tournament, playing in all five games, starting four, and scored three goals with five assists which was second on the team behind current WNT player and U-20 captain Mallory Pugh.
• Kiara Pickett was the other who made the U-20 qualifying roster, but was injured in the second match against Panama after playing just 31 minutes.
• The first game will be unique experience for U.S. forward Rachel Jones. Her family is from Jamaica and her older brother Zach Jones played for Jamaica’s U-17 MNT during World Cup qualifying in 20013 and her cousin Nick Nelson played for Jamaica’s U-20 MNT during World Cup qualifying in 2015.
• 11 players on the roster hail from the Western region with eight from California (1 from NorCal, 7 from SoCal) and three from California.
• The players on the roster hail from 10 states and 15 different youth clubs. Four players play for the SoCal Blues out of Orange County, Calif., while two play for Real Colorado.
• Some notable players who have played in the CONCACAF U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifying for the USA include:
  2008: Morgan Brian, Crystal Dunn, Kristie Mewis, Samantha Mewis, Erika Tymrak
  2010: Morgan Brian, Abby Dahlkemper, Jaeline Hinkle, Lindsey Horan, Cari Roccaro
  2012: Jane Campbell, Summer Green, Toni Payne, Andi Sullivan
  2014: Kelcie Hedge, Natalie Jacobs, Ellie Jean, Civana Kuhlmann, Mallory Pugh, Taylor Racioppi, Frankie Tagliaferri

TOURNAMENT NOTES:

• Players born on or after Jan. 1, 1999, are age-eligible for this tournament and the 2016 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
• In the semifinals, third-place match and championship game at the U-17 level, there is no overtime. Matches tied at the end of regulation now go directly to penalty kicks.
• Teams are allowed three substitutes per match.
• A single yellow card received in the group stage will not carry over to the knockout stage.
• Two cautions received in different games in the group stage will result in a suspension for the next match.
• Should teams be tied on points at the end of the group stage, the tie-breakers are as follows:
  1. Best goal difference
  2.Most goals scored
• If two more teams are tied on goal difference and goals scored, the tie-breakers are as follows:
  1. Head-to-head result
  2. Goal difference between the teams concerned
  3. Great number of goals scored between the teams concerned
  4. Drawing of lots
• At the end of the tournament, CONCACAF will present four awards: Golden Ball for most valuable player, Golden Boot for the top scorer, Golden Glove for the best goalkeeper and the Fair Play Award.

BY THE NUMBERS:

ON USSOCCER.COM
About the Veterans of the U-17 WNT
U-17 WNT Wins NTC Invitational
Head coach B.J. Snow Names Grenada Roster 

B.J. SNOW FACT FILE: Head coach B.J. Snow is in his second cycle heading up the U.S. U-17 WNT program. On Jan. 25, 2013, he became the first coach to hold this position on a full-time basis. Below are some of his accomplishments as a player and coach.

• Snow previously served as an assistant with the U.S. Under-20 Women’s National Team for the 2010 FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Germany. He has also worked with U.S. Soccer as a clinician at a number of coaching seminars.
• Snow came to U.S. Soccer from UCLA, where he was the head women’s soccer coach for two seasons in 2011 and 2012. Snow became the fourth head coach in UCLA history when he took over for longtime head coach Jillian Ellis, who left UCLA to accept the job with U.S. Soccer as the Women’s Development Director, and later became head coach of the senior WNT, leading the team to the Women’s World Cup title in 2015.
• Snow led UCLA to a 16-1-4 overall record in his first season as head coach in 2011, helping the Bruins reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament. UCLA also compiled an 8-1-2 record in league play for a second-place finish in the extremely competitive Pac-12 Conference.
• In his second year with the Bruins, the squad finished 18-3-2 and lost in the NCAA Quarterfinals by a 2-1 score to Stanford.
• Snow arrived at UCLA as a volunteer assistant coach in 2006 and quickly rose through the coaching ranks, going from volunteer assistant to full-time coach in the span of just one year. He was promoted to assistant head coach in 2009. During his time at UCLA, the Bruins compiled a record of 131-22-13, reaching the NCAA College Cup from 2006-09. UCLA also won three consecutive Pac-10 titles from 2006-08.
• Snow arrived at UCLA after spending four years as the head men’s coach at his former high school, Portage Central in Kalamazoo, Mich. During his tenure at PCHS, he led the Mustangs to three Southern Michigan Athletic Conference (SMAC) titles, including three district championships. In addition, Portage Central set the school record for wins in both 2004 (19) and 2005 (20). He also coached NSCAA National High School Player of the Year Eric Alexander, who went to Indiana. Snow was also an assistant with the girls’ team at PCHS.
• Snow was an excellent college player who was a four-year starter on defense for Indiana from 1996-99. Snow helped the Hoosiers capture four-straight Big Ten titles, including back-to-back national championships in 1998 and 1999. Indiana’s record during his time in Bloomington was 81-8-3.
• Snow is married to former U.S. Women’s National player and two-time Olympic gold medalist Lindsay Tarpley. The two welcomed their first child, a son Jacob, in July of 2012, and had daughter Alexandra in January of 2015.

IN FOCUS: JAMAICA

Jamaica Football Federation
U-17 WNT Head Coach:  Lorne Donaldson

JAMAICA U-17 WNT CONCACAF Women’s World Cup Qualifying Roster by Position:
GOALKEEPERS (2): 1-Sydney Schneider (Match Fit Academy/USA), 13- Ella Dennis (FC Durham/CAN)
DEFENDERS (8): 2-Peta-Gay Dixon (Trelawny Women’s), 3-Maya Swaby-Wallerson (Stony Creek Bat./CAN), 4-Rachel Walters (Waterhouse FC), 5-Lyana Steele (Weston FC/USA), 7-Shanhaine Nelson (Waterhouse FC), 12-Erin Mikalsen (Florida Kraze Krush/USA), 14-Madiya Harriott (Sunrise SC/USA), 20-Kendaya Chin-Jackson (Lauderhill Lions/USA).
MIDFIELDERS (5):  9-Tarania Clarke (Waterhouse FC), 11-Giselle Washington (Concord Fire/USA), 16-Ebony Clarke (Surrey United/CAN), 18-Emily Caza (GS United/CAN), 19-Alyssa Julien (Woodbridge SC/CAN)
FORWARDS (4): 6-Shayla Smart (Florida Kraze Krush/USA), 10-Jody Brown (Ocho Rios High), 15-Marlee Fray (Sunrise SC/USA), 17-Dominique Moxie (GSA/USA)

USA VS. JAMAICA SERIES:

• The USA and Jamaica have met just one time in this tournament, that coming in 2013 CONCACAF U-17 Women’s Championship in Montego Bay, Jamaica, as both teams fell in the semifinals and played in the third-place match (with no World Cup berth on the line as CONCACAF had just two berths to the 2014 FIFA U-17 WWC in Costa Rica).
• The USA won 8-0 to rebound from its semifinal penalty kick loss as current U-20 captain and senior WNT player Mallory Pugh scored twice while current U-17 forward Civana Kuhlman scored once.

JAMAICA ROSTER NOTES:

• Jamaica is led by Lorne Donaldson, who is President and Executive Director of Coaching at Real Colorado, where USA players Sophia Smith and Jaelin Howell play (also where U.S. WNT player and current U-20 WNT captain Mallory Pugh plays).
• Jamaica is the only Caribbean side to qualify for all five editions of the CONCACAF Under-17 Women’s Championship.
• The Reggae Girlz earned their place in the 2016 version by winning the Caribbean title, defeating Haiti in the final, 2-1.  Jody Brown netted the first goal and was team’s top scorer in regional qualifying, scoring six times.
• In the 2013 CONCACAF U-17 Women’s Championship, Jamaica went unbeaten in the group stage (2-0-1), but lost to Canada and the United States in the semifinals and third place-match, respectively, to fall short of its first-ever FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup berth.
• Nine players on Jamaica’s roster are based in the USA and/or are playing club and high school soccer in Florida or the southeast region of the United States.

LAST TIME:

On the field in an international match for the USA:
Feb. 15, 2016 – Glenn “Mooch” Myernick Field – U.S. Soccer National Training Center; Carson, Calif.

USA    2          Sanchez 13; Own Goal 25
JPN     1          Endo

Lineups:
USA: 1-Laurel Ivory, 15-Kennedy Wesley, 16-Karina Rodriguez (6-Emily Smith, 66), 4-Naomi Girma, 19-Kate Weisner (11-Izzy Rodriguez, 84), 5-Sydney Zandi (20-Frankie Tagliaferri, 66), 18-Jaelin Howell (3-Sophie Smith, 46), 7-Alexa Spaanstra (13-Rachel Jones, 74), 10-Ashley Sanchez, 8-Brianna Pinto (2-Taryn Torres, 84), 14-Civana Kuhlmann
Subs not used: 12-Hillary Beall, 17-Jordan Canniff, 21-Emina Ekic
Head Coach: BJ Snow

JPN: 2-Riko Ushijima, 3-Nana Ono, 4-Miyu Takahira, 6-Hina Morinaka (12-Akari Kurata, 72), 17-Oto Kanno, 10-Fuka Nagano, 8-Hinata Miyazawa, 11-Saori Takarada, 16- Jun Endo (15-Haruka Miura, 81), 9- Riko Ueki
Subs not used: 1-Chiaki Kogure, 5-Risa Kanehira, 7-Namami Kitamura, 13-Hina Inoue, 14-Miyu Tomita, 19-Shino Matsuda, 20-Makoto Nezu
Head Coach: Naoki Kusunose