U.S. U-17 Women’s National Team heading to Sweden in September for friendly tournament

CHICAGO – The Under-17 Women’s National Team will travel to Sweden to participate in a friendly tournament from Sept. 11-17 which will feature games against three of the top countries in European women’s soccer.

Sweden will be hosting the 2020 UEFA European Women’s Under-17 Championship in May of next year.

The USA will face Sweden on Sept. 11, meet Spain on Sept. 14 and finish against Germany on Sept. 17. All of the matches will be played in and around Falkenberg, Sweden on the southwest coast of the country about 60 miles below Gothenburg.

In the round-robin competition, the teams will get three points for a win and zero for a loss, but if a match is tied at the end of regulation, the teams will take penalty kicks. In the case of the tie and then penalty kick shoot-out, the winning team will get three points and the losing team will get one point.

U.S. head coach Tracey Kevins has called up 20 players, all of whom helped the USA sweep China PR in two matches in June in Chula Vista, Calif., winning 3-1 and 3-0. Forward Amelia White, forward Trinity Byars, forward Allyson Sentnor (two goals) and midfielder Jillian Shimkin scored over those two matches, while the USA also benefited from an own goal.

All of the players in the tournament must have been born on or after January 1, 2003, which is the age cut-off date to be eligible for the 2020 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup to be held in India. Nineteen of Kevins’ call-ups were born in 2003 with Sentnor the only one born in 2004. Sentnor is tied for the team lead in goals this year with five. White has four.

The U.S. U-17 WNT is undefeated in international competition this year, going 8-0-0 so far while scoring 31 goals and allowing just three.

The roster features multiple players from Beach FC and Legends FC out of Southern California, Solar FC out of Texas, Tophat out of Georgia and South Shore Select out of Massachusetts. Sixteen of the 20 players play for U.S. Soccer Development Academy clubs.

U.S. U-17 WNT ROSTER BY POSITION – FRIENDLY TOURNAMENT – SWEDEN:

GOALKEEPERS (2): Nadia Cooper (Challenge SC; Katy, Texas), Neeku Purcell (Reign Academy; Seattle, Wash.)

DEFENDERS (7): Courtney Boone (Legends FC; West Covina, Calif.), Baleigh Bruster (Tophat; Atlanta, Ga.), Andrea Kitahata (San Jose Earthquakes; Hillsborough, Calif.), Aidan McConnell (Michigan Hawks; Dexter, Mich.), Ayooluwa Oke (Tophat; Atlanta, Ga.), Shea O’Malley (NC Courage; Cary, N.C.), Lilly Reale (South Shore Select; Hingham, Mass.)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Emma Egizii (Beach FC; Downey, Calif.), Tatiana Fung (Legends FC; Fullerton, Calif.), Annie Karich (Beach FC; Surfside, Calif.), Devin Lynch (Sockers FC; Naperville, Ill.), Alexis Missimo (Solar SC; Southlake, Texas), Jillian Shimkin (Sky Blue NYSC; Rockville Centre, N.Y.)

FORWARDS (5): Trinity Byars (Solar SC; Richardson, Texas), Simone Jackson (Beach FC; Redondo Beach, Calif.), Arianna Manrique (Tophat; Buford, Ga.), Allyson Sentnor (South Shore Select; Hanson, Mass.), Amelia White (Fort Wayne United FC; Fort Wayne, Ind.)