U.S. U-17 Women’s Youth National Team roster announced for 2024 FIFA U-17 World Cup

CHICAGO – U.S. U-17 Women’s Youth National Team head coach Katie Schoepfer has named the 21 players who will represent the United States at the 2024 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup, to be held in the Dominican Republic from Oct. 16-Nov. 3.

The USA kicks off Group B action on Wednesday, Oct. 16 against reigning champions Spain (4 p.m. ET on FS2, Universo and Telemundo digital) at Felix Sanchez Stadium in Santo Domingo. The USA will then face Colombia on Oct. 19 (7 p.m. ET on FS2, Universo and Telemundo digital) in Santo Domingo and wraps up first round play against the Korea Republic on Oct. 22 (4 p.m. ET on FS2 and Telemundo digital) at CFC Stadium in Santiago de los Caballeros. All of the matches of the tournament will be broadcast in English on either FS2 or Fox Soccer Plus and in Spanish on the Telemundo family of networks.

For the first time ever, a U.S. roster for the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup will feature professional players, those being Angel City FC midfielder Kennedy Fuller, San Diego Wave FC midfielders Melanie Barcenas and Kimmi Ascanio and Seattle Reign midfielder Ainsley McCammon.

Players born on or after Jan. 1, 2007, are age-eligible for this World Cup. Schoepfer chose 16 players born in 2007 and five born in 2008. Fifteen players will be 17 years old at the start of the World Cup and six will be 16.

“Leading this group through their first World Cup is a true honor and I know everyone is very excited to play in a World Cup and use this unique opportunity to grow as people and players,” said Schoepfer. “This is an important stepping-stone in the development of these young, talented athletes. The team has continued to evolve since the qualifying tournament and are focused on preparing to play their best. The experience of representing the United States on the world’s biggest stage for this age group will be an amazing challenge and I know it will create lifelong memories.”

Schoepfer named 14 players who were part of the USA’s Concacaf championship team and seven players who made late runs to earn a World Cup roster spot, including four players born in 2008 who have seen the majority of their recent WYNT action with the U.S. U-16s.

2024 U.S. Under-17 Women’s World Cup Team Roster by Position (U-17 Caps/Goals):

Goalkeepers (3): Wicki Dunlap (North Carolina Courage Academy; Raleigh, N.C.; 2), Evan O’Steen (Solar SC; Grapevine, Texas; 2), Molly Vapensky (Carolina Ascent; Evanston, Ill.; 6),

Defenders (6): Trinity Armstrong (UNC; Frisco, Texas; 4/0), Kiara Gilmore (FC Dallas; Allen, Texas; 8/0), Jordyn Hardeman (Solar SC; Midlothian, Texas; 9/1), Daya King (Legends FC; Moreno Valley, Calif.; 7/0), Katie Scott (Penn State; Fairview, Penn.; 9/1), Jocelyn Travers (FC Bay Area Surf; Santa Cruz, Calif.; 7/1)

Midfielders (7): Scottie Antonucci (Legends FC; Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.; 2/0), Kimmi Ascanio (San Diego Wave; Doral, Fla.; 9/4), Melanie Barcenas (San Diego Wave; San Diego, Calif.; 14/2), Kennedy Fuller (Angel City FC; Southlake, Texas; 8/9), Ainsley McCammon (Seattle Reign; Bedford, Texas; 5/1), Jaiden Rodriguez (San Diego Surf; San Diego, Calif.; 2/0), Y-Lan Nguyen (Virginia Development Academy; Fairfax, Va.; 4/1)

Forwards (5): Anna Babcock (Crossfire Premier SC; Sedro-Woolley, Wash.; 2/0), Micayla Johnson (Michigan Hawks, Troy, Mich.; 2/1), Mary Long (Duke; Mission Hills, Kan.; 2/2), Maddie Padelski (Alabama; Nolensville, Tenn.; 2/0), Leena Powell (Tudela FC; Culver City, Calif.; 7/1)

The 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup features 16 nations divided into four groups of four teams. The top two finishers in each group advance to quarterfinals of the knockout round. All 32 matches of the tournament will take place in just two stadiums: Felix Sanchez Stadium in the capital of Santo Domingo and CFC Stadium, which is about 100 miles north of Felix Sanchez, in Santiago de los Caballeros.

This will be the final FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup with 16 nations as next year, the tournament will start to be held annually with 24 countries and will be staged for the next five years in Morocco.

Roster Notes:

• Of the USA’s four professional players, Kennedy Fuller has seen the most NWSL minutes, playing 966 over 18 matches with one goal. Kimmi Ascanio has played 145 minutes in six matches while Melanie Barcenas, who is in her second professional season, has played 376 minutes in nine matches and scored her first career NWSL goal on Sept. 28 against the Portland Thorns. Ainsley McCammon made her NWSL debut on Sept. 6 vs. Angel City FC, playing the very end of the match.
• The USA’s four college players, defender Trinity Armstrong, defender Katie Scott and forwards Maddie Padelski and Mary Long, all entered college early. Amstrong has started all 12 games for North Carolina thus far and played 993 minutes. Scott has battled some minor injuries early in her freshman season at Penn State and has played in three matches while Padelski has started 10 of 12 matches for the Crimson Tide and scored two goals with two assists. Long has played 215 minutes for Duke in seven games and has scored twice.
• With nine career goals at this level, in just eight caps, Fuller enters this World Cup as the USA’s leading scorer. She won the Golden Ball as the top player at the 2024 Concacaf Women’s U-17 Championship.
• At that tournament, the USA handily won its group, defeating Panama, 13-0, Puerto Rico, 3-1, and Canada, 5-0, before downing Haiti, 7-1, in the semifinal to earn its World Cup berth.
• In the championship game, the USA rolled past host Mexico 4-0, on goals from Maya Townes, Ascanio, Alex Pfeiffer and an own goal.
• Pfeiffer, who will miss the World Cup due to an ACL injury suffered with her NWSL club Kansas City Current, scored six times while Ascanio had four goals.
• The seven players on the World Cup roster who were not a part of the U.S. team at the 2024 Concacaf Women’s U-17 Championship are goalkeeper Evan O’Steen, midfielders Scottie Antonucci and Jaiden Rodriguez and forwards Padelski, Micayla Johnson, Long and Anna Babcock, who can also play in the defense.
• Johnson scored against Brazil in July and Long scored twice against Brazil in July.
• Padelski was an alternate during the pre-tournament training camp in Guatemala ahead of the Concacaf Women’s U-17 Championship.
• All 21 players on the roster have been capped at the U-17 level, led by Barcenas, who has 14 U-17 caps and was also a part of the 2022 cycle. Defenders Katie Scott and Jordyn Hardeman and Ascanio all have nine caps each.
• The roster features four professional players, goalkeeper Molly Vapensky, who is on the books of the Carolina Ascent in the USL Super League on an amateur contract, four players currently in college and 12 players from nine different youth clubs.
• The 5-foot-10 Vapensky played the lion’s share of the minutes in goal for the USA during the World Cup qualifying tournament.
• Six players hail from California and six come from Texas, meaning more than half the roster is from those two states.
• While there are current pros and college players on the World Cup Team, of the 21 players on the roster, 19 represent or represented ECNL clubs, one is from the Girls’ Academy and one is from the NPL.
• As a player, Schoepfer was in the U.S. Youth National Team player pools from the U-17 to U-23 and started all four years for Penn State University, twice earning All-American honors while scoring 48 career goals. In her professional career, the forward made 100 appearances with the Boston Breakers in two leagues — Women’s Professional Soccer and the National Women’s Soccer League. She played the NWSL’s first four seasons, and her 100 games for the Breakers are the third-most in club history. The Connecticut native was inducted into the Connecticut Soccer Hall of Fame in 2019.