U.S. U-20 Women’s Youth National Team roster announced for Germany trip

CHICAGO – U.S. U-20 Women’s Youth National Team head coach Tracey Kevins has named a 20-player roster for the team’s trip to Germany from April 1-7 where it will play matches against the hosts and Canada.

The USA will face its counterparts of Germany on Friday, April 5 at Sportclub Arena Verl before taking on Canada on April 7 at Stadion Am Furlbach. Both matches will take place in Verl, Germany.

The camp marks the next steps toward the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, to be held in Colombia in September, for which the USA qualified last June at the Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship in the Dominican Republic.

Players born on or after Jan. 1, 2004, are age-eligible for the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. For this trip, Kevins selected 13 players born in 2004, five born in 2005 and two born in 2006.

The training camp roster features four professional players, 14 college players and two youth club players. The four current pros – defender Savy King (Bay FC), midfielders Riley Jackson (North Carolina Courage) and Ally Lemos (Orlando Pride) and forward Emeri Adames (Seattle Reign FC) – are all in their rookie years in the NWSL.

U.S. U-20 WOMEN’S YOUTH NATIONAL TEAM – APRIL INTERNATIONAL CAMP – VERL, GERMANY
ROSTER BY POSITION (COLLEGE OR CLUB; HOMETOWN)

Goalkeepers (2): Mackenzie Gress (Penn State; Lyndhurst, N.J.), Teagan Wy (California; Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.)

Defenders (6): Jordyn Bugg (San Diego Surf SC; El Cajon, Calif.), Tessa Dellarose (North Carolina; Grindstone, Pa.), Elise Evans (Stanford; Redwood City, Calif.), Heather Gilchrist (Florida State; Boulder, Colo.), Savy King (Bay FC; West Hills, Calif.), Maggie Taitano (Florida State; Carlsbad, Calif.)

Midfielders (6): Sofia Cook (UCLA; Huntington Beach, Cali), Sam Courtwright (Texas Tech; Dallas, Texas), Danielle Davis (Clemson; Port Washington, N.Y.), Riley Jackson (North Carolina Courage; Roswell, Ga.), Ally Lemos (Orlando Pride; Glendora, Calif.), Lauren Martinho (North Carolina FC; Cary, N.C.)

Forwards (6): Emeri Adames (Seattle Reign FC; Red Oak, Texas), Jordynn Dudley (Florida State; Milton, Ga.), Shae O’Rourke (Texas A&M; Wheatfield, N.Y.), Giana Riley (Gonzaga; Manteca, Calif.), Taylor Suarez (Florida State; Charlotte, N.C.), Pietra Tordin (Princeton; Miami, Fla.)

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

• The players in this camp from the roster that helped the USA qualify for the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup are goalkeepers Mackenzie Gress and Teagan Wy, defenders Elise Evans, Savy King and Tessa Dellarose, midfielders Ally Lemos, Sofia Cook and Lauren Martinho and forward Jordynn Dudley.
• Dudley and defender Heather Gilchrist had big 2023 college seasons, helping Florida State win the NCAA Championship. Dudley was named ACC Freshman of the Year after scoring a remarkable 14 goals with nine assists, including a goal and an assist in the NCAA Championship Game. Gilchrist, a sophomore, started all 21 matches for the Seminoles. Defender Maggie Taitano played in 17 games off the bench for the NCAA champs.
• The two youth club players are Martinho, who is committed to Duke, and defender Jordyn Bugg, a Florida State commit, both of whom played in the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, along with Riley Jackson (who captained the team), King and Adames and forward Taylor Suarez.
• King, who had a dynamic freshman year in 2023, gave up her final three years of eligibility to enter the 2024 NWSL Draft and was taken second overall by Bay FC.
• Lemos declared for the 2024 NWSL Draft with two years of eligibility remaining at UCLA and was taken ninth overall by the Orlando Pride.
• Adames skipped college and signed with Seattle Reign FC in March as the club’s first U-18 Entry Mechanism player in club history.
• Jackson signed with the North Carolina Courage in the summer of 2023 but did not play that season due to injury and made her pro debut this season.
• Midfielder Sam Courtwright was the 2023 Big 12 Freshman of the Year. She had five goals and eight assists in helping lead Texas Tech to the regular season conference title.
• Forward Giana Riley led the West Coast Conference in scoring for Gonzaga with 12 goals to go along with six assists.
• Princeton forward Pietra Tordin made a dramatic U-20 WYNT debut in February, scoring a late game-winner in a 1-0 victory over Colombia in Bogota. The USA won the second game of that trip, 1-0, as well on a goal from Ally Sentnor.
• This is the first U-20 WYNT call-up for Bugg, Taitano and forward Shae O’Rourke from Texas A&M.