PREVIEW: USA facing Korea DPR in FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup semifinals

After downing Germany in a 2024 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup quarterfinal penalty kick shootout in one of the most improbable, dramatic and memorable wins in the history of the U.S. Women’s National Team programs, the USA must quickly turn its focus to a Korea DPR team which has shown to be perhaps the strongest in the tournament.

The USA will play in the first semifinal on Sept. 18, kicking off at 5:30 p.m. ET (FS2 & Telemundo Digital) at what will surely be a steamy Estadio Pascual Guererro in Cali, Colombia, with Japan facing Netherlands at the same venue at 9 p.m. ET. This is the USA’s first trip to the semifinals of the U-20 WWC since 2016 — a tournament that featured 16 teams instead of the 24 that contested this year’s competition — where the Americans fell to North Korea, 2-1, in overtime.

MATCH FOR THE AGES EARNS USA SEMIFINAL BERTH: Trailing Germany by two goals and about two minutes from elimination, the U.S. U- 20 Women’s Youth National Team conjured a comeback for the ages on Sept. 14 and went on to win an unforgettable FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup quarterfinal in penalty kicks, 3-1, after a 2-2 draw over 120-minutes that was closer to 130 with added time, and those were precious minutes that the USA would dearly need. Two stoppage-time goals in under 90 seconds, by Jordynn Dudley in 90+8th and captain Ally Sentnor in 90+9th, rescued the USA, and then Sentnor, Riley Jackson and Leah Klenke converted the Americans’ penalty kicks. Germany made its first, but then missed two kicks, and U.S. goalkeeper Teagan Wy saved Germany’s fourth, pushing the USA to the World Cup’s last four.

Wy has played every minute of this World Cup and is one of two Americans, along with Sentnor, who was on the team at the 2022 U-20 WWC in Costa Rica. Wy made a save-of-the-tournament quality play in the 17th minute when she leaped right and got her right hand to a high, blistering 20-yard strike from Germany’s Sophie Nachtigall. In a sign of the USA’s continued impact from its bench, which has been a key storyline all tournament, substitute Maddie Dahlien set up the game-winner to fellow sub Dudley.

THE ROAD TO THE 2024 FIFA U-20 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP SEMIFINALS: The 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup semifinals feature two countries from Asia, one from Concacaf and one from Europe. It also features three former champions in the USA (2002, 2008, 2012), Japan (2018) and Korea DPR (2006, 2016) with the Netherlands going for its first Women’s World Cup title in any age group. North Korea has scored the most goals by far of any team in the tournament with 23 and has already beaten semifinalists Netherlands, 2-0, in the final game of Group F. Here is a look at teach team’s run through the tournament.

USA

KOREA DPR

USA IN THE U-20 WWC SEMIFINALS: In the 11th edition of this FIFA tournament for this age group, the USA has now advanced to the semifinals for the seventh time. In its previous six semifinal matches, the USA has won three and lost three, with two of those setbacks being a penalty kick loss and an overtime loss. Each time the USA won the semifinal, it went on to win the tournament. The USA advanced to the semifinals in the first four editions of this tournament, defeating Germany 4-1 in 2002 on the way to winning the inaugural tournament, losing to Germany 3-1 in 2004, and falling to China PR in penalty kicks after a 0-0 draw in 2006. The USA defeated Korea DPR, 1-0, in the 2008 semifinal on the way to winning the World Cup. In 2012, the USA beat Nigeria, 2-0, in the semifinal and then in 2016, fell to Korea DPR, 2-1, in the semifinal in OT. The USA did not advance out of the group in 2018 and 2022 (the 2020 tournament was cancelled due to the global pandemic) and now the USA returns to the final four, eying its first trip to the final since 2012.

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 will 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.; 13)

DEFENDERS (6): Jordyn Bugg (Seattle Reign; El Cajon, Calif.; 9/1), Elise Evans (Stanford; Redwood City, Calif.; 15/0), Heather Gilchrist (Florida State, Boulder, Colo.; 10/0), Savy King (Bay FC; West Hills, Calif.; 17/0), Leah Klenke (Notre Dame; Houston, Texas; 16/0), Gisele Thompson (Angel City FC; Studio City, Calif.; 12/2)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Addison Halpern (PDA; Middlesex, N.J.; 0/0), Claire Hutton (Kansas City Current; Bethlehem, N.Y.; 9/0), Riley Jackson (North Carolina Courage; Roswell, Ga.; 13/1), Ally Lemos (Orlando Pride; Glendora, Calif.; 17/1), Yuna McCormack (Virginia; Mill Valley, Calif.; 7/2), Taylor Suarez (Florida State; Charlotte, N.C.; 13/1)

FORWARDS (6): Emeri Adames (Seattle Reign; Red Oak, Texas; 11/1), Maddie Dahlien (North Carolina; Edina, Minn.; 13/6), Jordynn Dudley (Florida State; Milton, Ga.; 12/5), Giana Riley (Florida State; Manteca, Calif.; 11/1), Ally Sentnor (Utah Royals; Hanson, Mass.; 21/12), Pietra Tordin (Princeton; Miami, Fla.; 12/6)

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 five matches.
• Fifteen different players have started a match for the USA.
• Only goalkeeper Teagan Wy and defender Jordyn Bugg have played all 510 minutes so far. Defender Savy King has played all but 20 minutes of the tournament while Riley Jackson has played 465 minutes and team captain Ally Sentnor has logged 482.
• Eleven players have seen more than 300 minutes of action.
• Six different players have scored the USA’s 14 goals at this tournament and six also have assists, led by Emeri Adames who has four.
• 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’d have to go all the way back 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.
• 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.
• Yuna McCormack and Pietra Tordin both have two assists so far in this tournament.
• McCormack also has two goals, the first two of her international career, giving her two career goals in just seven caps.
• ForwardPietra Tordin’s hat trick against Paraguay on Sept. 7 and single goal against Mexico on Sept. 11 gives her four for the tournament, the most of an American player at a FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup since Maya Hayes scored four in Japan at the 2012 tournament.
• Sydney Leroux scored five times at the 2010 U-20 WWC in Germany (and won the Bronze Boot) and scored five at the 2008 FIFA U-20 WWC in Chile (where she won the Golden Boot). Alex Morgan scored four times at the 2008 tournament.
• The U.S. record for most goals in a FIFA World Cup at this age level is nine when forward Kelly Wilson scored two against England, two against Australia, three against Denmark and two against Germany in the inaugural 2002 tournament. In that same tournament, Lindsay Tarpley scored six times. Wilson and Tarpley won the Gold and Silver Boots, respectively.
• Tordin was also 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 times, also against Paraguay, in a game in which Sophia Smith also had two goals.
• Sentnor has scored three times in the tournament while forwards Jordynn Dudley and Maddie Dahlien, and midfielder Yuna McCormack have two each. Gisele Thompson has the USA’s other goal.
• Sentnor, who is in her second U-20 cycle, is unsurprisingly the most experienced player on the roster with 21 U-20 caps and is also the USA’s leading scorer with 12 international goals.
• Dahlien, who has played in all five games off the bench, has scored twice in the World Cup to up her career total to six in 13 U-20 caps.
• Leah Klenke has also come off the bench in all five games so far.

U.S. U-20 WYNT vs. KOREA DPR:

• Asian teams have earned quite a bit of success at FIFA Women’s Youth Tournaments and North Korea has played a big part in that. The two-time U-20 champions beat China PR, 5-0, in the final in 2006 and took down a talented France team, 3-1, in the final in 2016.
• The USA and Korea DPR have met twice at the U-20 World Cup, the first coming in the quarterfinals in 2012 when North Korea brought essentially its 2012 Olympic Team to Japan, a team the senior USWNT had beaten just 1-0 in group play at those Summer Games. The U.S. U-20s had finished second in its group while PRK had had dominated its group, scoring 15 goals, but the Americans pulled off a huge upset led by team captain Julie Johnston (now Ertz) and won 2-1 on a long-distance strike from long-time NWSL veteran Vanessa DiBernardo and an overtime header from Chioma Ubogagu. The USA would go on to win the tournament.
• The teams met again in 2016, this time in the semifinals, and while the USA hung in the match, the Koreans were the superior team, eventually winning 2-1 AET despite Natalie Jacobs’ late equalizer in the 89th minute to send the game to overtime.
• North Korea won a slighter weaker Group F in this tournament, rolling past Argentina (6-2), Costa Rica (9-0) and Netherlands (2-0) in first round play. In the Round of 16, the Koreans smashed Austria, who got a first-half red card, winning 5-2 to earn a quarterfinal clash with a talented Brazil team. North Korea scored just once against Brazil, on a brilliant strike from captain Chae Un Hong, but had the match well in hand, out-shooting Brazil 17-10 and only allowing two shots on goal.
• An impressive nine different players have scored North Korea’s goals, led by Choe Il Son, who has four, despite being a 2007 birth year, which makes her youngest player on the team, and one of the youngest in the tournament.
• Chae Un Yong, Pak Mi Ryong and Hyang Sin have each tallied three times.
• Of course, all of the North Koreans play inside their own country with seven clubs representing the entire roster.

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

GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-HYON Son Gyong (April 25 SC), 18-GK PAK Su Mi (Sobaeksu SC), 21-CHAE Un Gyong (Pyongyang City SC)

DEFENDERS (5): 2-RI Su Yang (April 25 SC), 3-HAN Hong Ryon (Wolmido SC), 5-OH Sol Song (Sobaeksu SC), 6-KIM Kang Mi (Amrokgang SC), 16-PAK Hyo Son (Naegohyang Women’s FC)

MIDFIELDERS (8): 8-CHOE Song Gyong (April 25 SC), 9-KIM Song Gyong (Amrokgang SC), 11-HAM Ju Hyang (April 25 SC), 12-CHOE Kang Ryon (April 25 SC), 13-JON Ryong Jong (April 25 SC), 17-KIM Song Ok (Naegohyang Women’s FC), 19-MIN Kyong Jin (Naegohyang Women’s FC), 20-CHAE Un Yong (Wolmido SC)

FORWARDS (5): 4-SIN Hyang (Wolmido), 7-JONG Kum (Naegohyang Women’s FC), 10-PAK Mi Ryong (Naegohyang Women’s FC), 14-HWANG Yu Yong (Amrokgang SC), 15-CHOE Il Son (April 25 SC)