USA defeats Costa Rica 5-0 in Group G finale at Concacaf Women’s U-17 Championship

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic – The U.S. U-17 Women’s Youth National Team finished first in Group G at the 2022 Concacaf Women’s U-17 Championship with a convincing 5-0 win against Costa Rica to take another step closer to qualifying for the 2022 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup.

The USA scored two goals in the first half and found the net three times in the second as five different players scored.

With the group title secured, the U-17s will now face Curaçao in the Round of 16, which advanced directly to the knockout stage through a pre-qualifying tournament. The match will take place at Estadio Panamericano in San Cristobal on Saturday, April 30 at 4 p.m. ET.

The USA opened the scoring with their fastest goal in the tournament thus far when forward Onyeka Gamero, who terrorized Las Ticas on the right wing all game, found forward Amalia Villarreal inside the penalty box with a low cross and she finished with authority from six yards out. It was Villarreal’s tournament-leading seventh goal in just three matches.

Amalia Villarreal's opener! The midfielder's 7 goals are the most of any player at #CWU17 ?pic.twitter.com/Wdrk8cUQAc

— U.S. Soccer YNT (@USYNT) April 27, 2022

Costa Rica defended in a very organized 5-4-1 formation and made it difficult for the USA to find space in the attacking third. The USA moved the ball and weaved through the midfield well, but some better final third passes and touches were needed to increase the score line. That’s exactly what the USA got in the first minute of first half stoppage time as Villarreal played a perfect chipped ball behind the defense to midfielder Charlotte Kohler. After timing her run perfectly, she had only the goalkeeper to beat, which she did with a clever right-footed shot into the lower right corner from 12 yards out.

Despite an impressive performance on the night from Costa Rica goalkeeper Genesis Pérez – she made nine saves, at least five of the spectacular variety — the USA got back its scoring rhythm after Gamero was cut down inside the penalty box, which led to midfielder and team captain Riley Jackson stepping up and converting the penalty confidently to make it 3-0 in the 58^th minute. Just three minutes later, Gamero took back her stolen chance as she skillfully split two defenders on the dribble down the right wing and blasted a powerful strike just under the crossbar and into the net. In the 90^th minute, midfielder Claire Hutton made an impact off the bench after coming into the match 11 minutes earlier as she smartly finished a cross from midfielder Mia Oliaro just before the final whistle.

GOAL SCORING RUNDOWN:

USA – Amalia Villarreal (Onyeka Gamero), 4th minute – Gamero got on the end of a ball down the right wing, ran past her defender and played a low cross into the box, which Villarreal met and finished first-time from the edge of the six-yard box to open the scoring. USA 1, CRC 0 

USA – Charlotte Kohler (Amalia Villarreal), 45+1st minute – While controlling the ball near the center of the attacking third, Villarreal chipped a perfectly weighted ball to break the line and find Kohler on the run. She dribbled into the penalty box and beat the goalkeeper one-on-one from about 12 yards with a nifty finish into the right corner. USA 2, CRC 0

USA – Riley Jackson (Penalty Kick), 58th minute – After Onyeka Gamero was cut down inside the penalty box, Jackson stepped up and cleanly converted from the penalty spot for the first goal of the second half. USA 3, CRC 0

USA – Onyeka Gamero (Charlotte Kohler), 61st minute – Gamero received the ball on the right flank from Kohler and skillfully split two defenders on the dribble, driving into the box before firing a powerful strike that clipped the underside of the crossbar and sailed into the back of the net. USA 4, CRC 0

USA – Claire Hutton (Mia Oliaro), 90th minute – Olario took the ball down the left flank and sent in a left-footed cross near the penalty spot for Hutton, who finished with a one-touch right footed strike from 13 yards out. USA 5, CRC 0

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

• Forward Amalia Villarreal’s opening goal in the fourth minute marked her seventh goal in three matches and the team’s fastest opening goal of the tournament. She is the USA’s leading scorer so far and also has two assists.

• On the opening goal, forward Onyeka Gamero recorded her fourth assist of the tournament. She then went on to score her first goal of the competition in the 61^st minute.

• Mia Oliaro also recorded her fourth assist of the tournament.

• Midfielder Charlotte Kohler’s goal marked her fifth of the tournament. Her assist was her second of the tourney.

• With her converted penalty, midfielder and team captain Riley Jackson registered her first goal of the tournament.

• With Gamero and Jackson’s first goals of the tournament and of their international careers, the USA now has had 13 different goal scorers across three matches in the tournament.

• Goalkeeper Victoria Safradin recorded one save on the night to tally her second clean sheet of the tournament.

-U.S. UNDER-17 WOMEN’S YOUTH NATIONAL TEAM MATCH REPORT-

Match: United States Under-20 Women’s Youth National Team vs. Costa Rica
Date: April 27, 2022
Competition: Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship
Venue: Estadio Olimpico Félix Sánchez; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Attendance: 50
Kickoff: 4 p.m. ET
Weather: 80 degrees, partly cloudy, breezy

Scoring Summary:   1          2          F
USA                            2          3          5
CRC                            0          0          0

USA – Amalia Villarreal (Onyeka Gamero)                4^th minute
USA – Charlotte Kohler (Amalia Vilarreal)                 45+1
USA – Riley Jackson (Penalty Kick)                          57
USA – Onyeka Gamero (Charlotte Kohler)                61
USA – Claire Hutton (Mia Oliaro)                               90

Lineups:

USA; 12-Victoria Safradin; 20-Gisele Thompson, 17-Alyssa Gonzalez, 4-Cameron Roller, 3-Savannah King; 7-Riley Jackson (Capt.), 19-Lauren Martinho (10-Mia Bhuta, 59), 8-Charlotte Kohler (13-Claire Hutton, 79); 18-Onyeka Gamero (11-Nicollette Kiorpes, 79), 16-Amalia Villarreal (14-Melina Rebimbas, 66), 9-Taylor Suarez (6-Mia Oliaro, 58)

Substitutes Not Used: 1-Abigail Gundry, 2-Nicola Fraser, 5-Keegan Schmeiser, 15-Shae Harvey

Head Coach: Natalia Astrain

CRC: 1-Genesis Pérez; 2-Brittanny Vasquez (13-Ashly Gonzalez, 65), 3-Josselyn Briceño, 4-Jimena Rodriguez (Capt.), 12-Valentina Rivera; 6-Priscilla Rodriguez (19-Sharon Lobo, 84), 8-Luciana Gonzalez, 10-Sheika Scott (17-Tanisha Fonseca, 77); 11-Veronica Matarrita, 9-Yoselin Fonseca (5-Jimena Jimenez, 64), 16-Monica Matarrita (14-Marian Solano, 84)

Substitutes not used: 18-Valeria Delgado, 7-Ashley Elizondo, 15-Keishlyn Mena, 20-Sara Ramirez

Head coach: Patricia Aguilar

Stats Summary: USA / CRC
Shots: 24 / 2
Shots on Goal: 14 / 1
Saves: 1 / 9
Corner Kicks: 6 / 2
Fouls: 12 / 7
Offside: 5 / 0

Misconduct Summary:
USA – Amalia Villarreal (Caution)                  27^th minute
USA – Cameron Roller (Caution)                   53

Officials:
Referee: Myriam Marcotte (CAN)
1^st Assistant Referee: Stephanie Fortin (CAN)
2^nd Assistant Referee: Suelle Shepperd (SUR)
4^th Official: Mayary Cartagena (GUA)