U.S. U-16 Women’s Youth National Team routs Portugal 4-1

MORTAGNE-SUR-SÈVRE, FRANCE – The U.S. Under-16 Women’s Youth National Team opened a series of four matches at the Mondial Montaigu Football Tournament with a rousing 4-1 win against Portugal.

In the six-team tournament, the USA is in Group F with Portugal and Norway while Group E features host France, Japan and Mexico.

Each team will play the other teams in its group once, plus one game against a team in the other group that will not count in the tournament standings. The group winners will play for the championship, the two second-place finishers will play for third and the two third-place finishers will play for fifth.

The USA will face France (in the game that is outside of the tournament competition) on April 5 and finishes against Norway on April 7. The placement matches are on April 9. In the Group E match on April 3, France downed Mexico, 6-0.

The USA wasted no time getting on the scoreboard against Portugal as forward Ayva Jordan scored in just the third minute. Midfielder Kennedy Fuller played a pass to Jordan inside the penalty box and she turned toward goal before finishing with her left foot.

The USA doubled its lead in the 18^th minute as forward Mya Townes blasted a shot that was deflected by the goalkeeper and then back to Fuller who scored with a one-time finish.

The USA effectively put the game away just four minutes into the second half when midfielder Ainsley McCammon played a through ball from halfway line into the penalty box for Townes to finish and take a 3-0 lead.

Portugal’s Cintia Martins did pull a goal back three minutes later, but the USA restored its three-goal cushion in the 71^st as a long throw-in was flicked on by the head of forward Carrie Helfrich and it fell to midfielder Tessa Knapp for the finish.

All the players on the U.S. roster were born in 2007, which is the birth year that will form the primary age group working to earn a berth to the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

— U.S. UNDER-16 YOUTH WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM MATCH REPORT —

Match: U.S. U-16 Women’s Youth National Team vs. Portugal U-16 Women’s National Team
Date: April 3, 2023
Competition: Mondial Montaigu Women’s Football Tournament
Venue: Complexe Sportif Stephane Traineau; Mortagne-sur-Sèvre, France
Weather: 58 degrees, partly cloudy

Scoring Summary:   1          2          F
USA 2          2          4
POR 0          1          1

USA – Ayva Jordan (Kennedy Fuller) 3^rd minute
USA – Kennedy Fuller 18
USA – Mya Townes (Ainsley McCammon)    49
POR – Cintia Martins (Matilde Nave)             52
USA – Tessa Knapp (Caroline Helfrich)         71

Lineups:

USA:1-Molly Vapensky, 8-Daya King, 19-Kai Price (2-Alexis Coughlin, 58); 5-Jordyn Hardeman, 4-Mya Brandon (3-Katie Scott, 50); 13-Ainsley McCammon, 15-Y-Lang Nguyen (9-Tessa Knapp, 68); 10-Kennedy Fuller (Capt.), 18-Alexandra Pfeiffer, 14-Mya Townes (20-Caroline Helfrich, 58); 7-Ayva Jordan (16-Madeline Padelski, 41)

Subs not used: 6-Trinity Armstrong, 11-Zoe Matthews, 12-Kennedy Zorn, 17-Kiara Gilmore

Head Coach: Patchy Toledo

POR:1-Chloe Romao; 2-Maria Cruz, 4-Carolina Simoes, 5-Caetana Vicente, 6-Sofia Liu (11-Joana Valente, 41); 7-Matilde Vaz (Capt.)(14-Nuria Ribeiro, 69); 8-Cintia Martins (9-Melanie Pinheiro, 69); 10-Matilde Nave, 15-Maria Rego (13-Joana Ramos, 69); 18-Rita Melo (19-Matilde Melo, 77); 21-Victoria Leite.

Subs not used: 3-Matilde Sousa, 12-Carolina Rodrigues, 16-Rita Martins, 17-Leonor Sousa, 20-Filipa Augusto, 23-Luana Teixeira

Head Coach: Ricardo Tavares

Stats Summary: USA / POR
Shots: 28 / 4
Shots on Goal: 14 / 3
Saves: 3 / 10
Corner Kicks: 11 / 3
Fouls: 9 / 6
Offside: 7 / 1