U-20 USWNT closes Concacaf Championship group stage tonight vs. Honduras

U.S. Under-20 Women’s National Team vs. Honduras
2020 Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship – Group C
Estadio Olimpico Felix Sanchez; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
6 p.m. ET (Concacaf Go, Facebook, YouTube & TUDN)
Feb. 26, 2020

The U.S. Under-20 Women’s National Team will close out group play at the 2020 Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship on Wednesday, February 26 vs. Honduras (6 p.m. ET).

The USA has enjoyed a strong start to World Cup qualifying, downing Cuba 9-0 and topping host Dominican Republic 4-0 in its first two matches. Honduras has struggled in Santo Domingo, dropping its first two results by a combined score of 13-1. The U.S. has already clinched a berth in the knockout stage, as the top three teams from each group advance to the Round of 16. The young Americans will be looking to lock up the top spot in Group C with a win over Honduras.

Wednesday’s match will be broadcast live on Concacaf Go, Facebook, YouTube and TUDN. Follow the U-20 WNT throughout the tournament on ussoccer.com, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

2020 CONCACAF WOMEN’S U-20 CHAMPIONSHIP

Group C Schedule – USA

WATCH U-20 WNT QUALIFYING: Concacaf will broadcast all matches of the 2020 Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship on Concacaf Go, as well as its Facebook and YouTube. Additionally, all matches will be available on TUDNxtra.

USA VS. HONDURAS

• The USA has faced Honduras just once at this competition, a 7-0 win at the 2015 Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship, hosted by Honduras. Current WNT forward Mallory Pugh netted two goals in the match.
• Honduras qualified to the tournament as the 8th-ranked team in the Concacaf Women’s U-20 ranking.
• The Honduras roster features five players born in 2000, five born in 2001, three born in 2002, three born in 2003 and four born in 2004. The players born in 2003 and 2004 are also eligible for the 2020 Concacaf Women’s U-17 Championship.
• All 20 of Honduras’ players are based domestically, with the most, six, playing at CD Marathon in San Pedro Sula.

GROUP C SCHEDULE/RESULTS

Feb. 22
USA 9, Cuba 0
Dom. Rep. 7, Honduras 0

Feb. 24
USA 4, Dom. Rep. 0
Cuba 6, Honduras 1

Feb. 26
USA vs. Honduras
Cuba vs. Dom. Rep.

USA KEEPS ROLLING VS. HOST DR: Following a rollicking 9-0 win against Cuba to open the tournament, head coach Laura Harvey made six changes to the USA’s starting lineup and the team kept cruising in a 4-0 victory over Dominican Republic. The U-20 WNT got off to a searing start, going up 3-0 before 12 minutes had elapsed, boosted by the red-hot Mia Fishel, who netted her fifth and sixth goals of the tournament in just two games. Forward Rebecca Jarrett also scored her first U-20 goal while midfielder Brianna Pinto scored her third of the competition. Goalkeeper Julia Dohle kept a clean sheet vs. the tournament host.

ROCKY START FOR HONDURAS: Sporting a very young roster, Honduras has struggled in its first two games of the competition. Half of the Honduras squad is age-eligible for the 2022 Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship. Facing Dominican Republic in its tournament opener, Honduras fell to the hosts in a 7-0 defeat. The Central American nation was more competitive vs. Cuba in its second game as Maylin Menjivar netted the team’s first goal of the tournament, but ultimately lost 6-1.

2020 CONCACAF WOMEN’S U-20 CHAMPIONSHIP ROSTER BY POSITION (COLLEGE OR CLUB; HOMETOWN; U-20 CAPS/GOALS)

GOALKEEPERS (2): 1-Claudia Dickey (UNC; Charlotte, N.C.; 1/0), 12-Julia Dohle (Penn State; Scarsdale, N.Y.; 7/0)

DEFENDERS (7): 14-Maycee Bell (UNC; Wichita, Kan.; 5/1), 4-Sierra Enge (Stanford; Cardiff, Calif.; 1/0), 5-Naomi Girma (Stanford; San Jose, Calif.; 26/0), 13-Shae Holmes (Washington; Highlands Ranch, Colo.; 3/0), 2-Brianna Martinez (Notre Dame; Albuquerque, N.M.; 5/0), 3-Emily Mason (PDA; Flemington, N.J.; 3/0), 15-Kennedy Wesley (Stanford; Rossmoor, Calif.; 2/0)

MIDFIELDERS (6): 20-Talia DellaPeruta (Köln/GER; Cumming, Ga.; 6/0), 18-Katelyn Duong (Minnesota; Portland, Ore.; 5/0), 10-Jenna Nighswonger (Florida State; Huntington Beach, Calif.; 6/1), 6-Brianna Pinto (UNC; Durham, N.C.; 34/7), 17-Alexa Spaanstra (Virginia; Brighton, Mich.; 15/3), 7-Summer Yates (Washington; Pasco, Wash.; 6/3)

FORWARDS (5): 9-Mia Fishel (UCLA; San Diego, Calif.; 2/6), 16-Rebecca Jarrett (Virginia; Clifton, N.J.; 6/1), 19-Samantha Meza (Solar Soccer Club; Dallas, Texas; 9/2), 8-Trinity Rodman (SoCal Blues SC; Newport Beach, Calif.; 3/1), 11-Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns; Highlands Ranch, Colo.; 27/23)

HONDURAS ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB):

GOALKEEPERS (2): 1-Linda Reyes (Juticalpa FC), 12-Isabella Rios (Eurosport)

DEFENDERS (7): 7-Emelly Chicas (Eurosport), 19-Kerlyn De La O (UPN), 5-Bessy Diaz (Olimpia), 6-Sidney Flores (CD Marathon), 4-Giselle Guzman (FC Motagua), 8-Josselin Irias (Juticalpa FC), 3-Perla Moreno (Montecarlo)

MIDFIELDERS (8): 17-Jennifer Castro (Juventus), 14-Ailen Escoto (Eurosport), 9-Vivian Flores (Platense Jr.), 15-Reyna Pereira (Juventus), 16-Dileyla Rodas (FC Motagua), 13-Marcela Santos (CD Marathon), 11-Debora Tobias (FC Motagua), 2-Cesia Ulloa (CD Marathon)

FORWARDS (3): 20-Josselyn Fuentes (CD Marathon), 10-Maylin Menjivar (CD Marathon), 18-Ana Valladares (CD Marathon)

RUN-UP TO DR: The U-20 WNT enters World Cup qualifying after facing a collection of the world’s top teams throughout 2019, topping the likes of Sweden, Germany, and Japan. The USA closed out the year with an exciting run at the 2019 Nike International Friendlies, finishing the tournament with a 2-1 win over France on goals from midfielder Alexa Spaanstra and forward Trinity Rodman.

The timing of the 2020 Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship at the start of the year after the college season made the player selection process less difficult. Fifteen of the 20 players on the roster are currently in college while three are playing for youth clubs. Forward Sophia Smith is the sole professional on the roster after she was drafted by the Portland Thorns last month, becoming the first teenager to be taken No. 1 overall in the NWSL College Draft. Midfielder Talia DellaPeruta is currently playing as an amateur in Germany with Frauen-Bundesliga club FC Koln.

Players born on or after Jan. 1, 2000 are eligible for the 2020 U-20 Women’s World Cup and head coach Laura Harvey named players from three birth years: 12 players born in 2000, five born in 2001 and three born in 2002. The roster features two of the last three U.S. Soccer Young Female Players of the Year in Smith (2017) and midfielder Brianna Pinto (2019).

TOURNAMENT FORMAT: This year brings the 10th edition of the Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship. The tournament began in 2002 as the CONCACAF Women’s U-19 Championship.

The tournament field features 20 teams. Sixteen have been drawn into four groups of four, while four advanced directly to the Round of 16 via a pre-qualifying tournament. The top three finishers in each group will also qualify to the Round of 16. From there, it’s a knockout bracket to the tournament final. The two winners of the semifinal matches will qualify to the 2020 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup.

This year’s Women’s U-20 Championship will only send two teams to the U-20 Women’s World Cup, rather than the usual three, due to the World Cup being played in the Concacaf region and hosts Costa Rica and Panama both receiving automatic bids.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

• Mia Fishel’s six goals in two games lead the entire tournament so far
• Six players have scored for the USA at the 2020 Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship: Fishel (6), midfielders Brianna Pinto (3), Alexa Spaanstra and Summer Yates as well as forwards Rebecca Jarrett and Samantha Meza.
• Eight players have recorded an assist for the USA: defenders Maycee Bell, Brianna Martinez and Kennedy Wesley, midfielders Pinto, Spaanstra (two) and Yates, as well as forwards Jarrett and Trinity Rodman (four).
• With her 34th U-20 appearance vs. Dominican Republic, Pinto moved into a tie for sixth all-time in U-20 caps. Maya Hayes holds the record with 43 U-20 appearances.
• Pinto is the only player to play all 180 minutes for the USA in the tournament thus far.
• The USA has recorded shutouts in its first two games at this tournament for the first time since the 2014 Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship.
• The USA’s +13 goal differential through its first two games is its largest at this tournament since 2008.