USA takes on Korea Republic with chance to advance in FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup

Following a decisive 2-0 win over Colombia on Oct. 19, the U.S. Under-17 Women’s National Team will be seeking to advance out of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup group stage when it faces Korea Republic on Tuesday, October 22, in Santiago de los Caballeros (4 p.m. ET; FS2 & Telemundo Digital).

The USA currently sits second in the group with three points. Spain sits atop of Group B with six points following a 5-0 win over Korea Republic on Oct. 19. The final group stage matches will be played concurrently and the U.S. would advance to the quarterfinals with a win regardless of what happens in the Spain-Colombia match. If Spain defeats Colombia, the USA will just need a draw to advance out of the group. A loss would eliminate USA from the tournament regardless of the Spain result. If both matches end in draws, the USA will advance. In the quarterfinal, the second-place team in Group B would face the Group A winner, which is shaping up to be Nigeria, the same opponent the USA faced in the quarterfinals of the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in India. The USA lost that game in penalty kicks despite dominating the match. Fans can follow the U-17 WNT throughout the tournament on ussoccer.com, Facebook, Twitter/X (@USYNT) and Instagram (@USYNT). For all the tournament results, go FIFA.com.

USA BOUNCES BACK AGAINST COLOMBIA: The USA earned its first win of the tournament following a 2-0 shutout win over Colombia on Oct. 19 in Santo Domingo. The U.S. came out on the front foot from the opening kickoff, peppering the Colombian goalkeeper with six shots on target in the first half. Forward Micayla Johnson finally broke through for USA with a 43rd-minute goal set up by forward Mary Long. It was more of the same in the second half as the U.S. applied constant pressure on the Colombian backline, rarely giving their opponent a chance to create any attacking momentum. In the 53rd minute, it was Long again creating problems, drawing a foul in the box that, after a video review, earned a penalty for USA. Midfielder Kennedy Fuller stepped to the spot and buried her shot to make it 2-0. Colombia only managed to take three shots the entire match with all of them coming after the 89th minute.

2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup
Group B – USA Schedule

Group B Results

Oct. 16
Spain 3, USA 1
Korea Republic 1, Colombia 1

Oct. 19
Spain 5, Korea Republic 1
USA 2 Colombia 0

Oct. 22
USA vs. Korea Republic
Spain vs. Colombia

Group B Standings

2007s AND 2008s TAKE CENTER STAGE: U-17 WYNT head coach Katie Schoepfer has assembled a talented, versatile 21-player roster for the World Cup in the Dominican Republic. 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 were 17 years old at the start of the World Cup and six were 16.

2024 U.S. UNDER-17 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TEAM ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB; HOMETOWN; CAPS/GOALS):

Goalkeepers (3): Wicki Dunlap (North Carolina Courage Academy; Raleigh, N.C.; 2), Evan O’Steen (Solar SC; Grapevine, Texas; 3), Molly Vapensky (Carolina Ascent; Evanston, Ill.; 7),

Defenders (6): Trinity Armstrong (UNC; Frisco, Texas; 6/0), Kiara Gilmore (FC Dallas; Allen, Texas; 9/0), Jordyn Hardeman (Solar SC; Midlothian, Texas; 10/1), Daya King (Legends FC; Moreno Valley, Calif.; 9/0), Katie Scott (Penn State; Fairview, Penn.; 11/1), Jocelyn Travers (FC Bay Area Surf; Santa Cruz, Calif.; 9/1)

Midfielders (7): Scottie Antonucci (Legends FC; Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.; 3/0), 10-Kimmi Ascanio (San Diego Wave; Doral, Fla.; 11/4), Melanie Barcenas (San Diego Wave; San Diego, Calif.; 16/3), Kennedy Fuller (Angel City FC; Southlake, Texas; 10/10), Ainsley McCammon (Seattle Reign; Bedford, Texas; 7/1), Jaiden Rodriguez (San Diego Surf; San Diego, Calif.; 4/0), Y-Lan Nguyen (Virginia Development Academy; Fairfax, Va.; 5/1)

Forwards (5): Anna Babcock (Crossfire Premier SC; Sedro-Woolley, Wash.; 3/0), Micayla Johnson (Michigan Hawks, Troy, Mich.; 4/2), Mary Long (Duke; Mission Hills, Kan.; 4/2), Maddie Padelski (Alabama; Nolensville, Tenn.; 4/0), Leena Powell (Tudela FC; Culver City, Calif.; 8/1)

ROSTER NOTES:

• Following USA’s second Group B match, 20 of the U.S.’s 21 players have played in the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
• Four USA players have played in all 180 minutes of the tournament: midfielders Kennedy Fuller and Ainsley McCammon and defenders Trinity Armstrong and Jocelyn Travers.
• Four additional USA players have logged 100+ minutes: midfielders Kimmi Ascanio (143) and Melanie Barcenas (123) and defender Daya King (128) and forward Mary Long (108).
• Through two matches, three U.S. players have notched their first U-17 WWC goals: forward Micayla Johnson and midfielders Melanie Barcenas and Kennedy Fuller.
• With her goal against Colombia, midfielder Kennedy Fuller now has 10 international goals in 10 matches for the USYWNT. Fuller is also the only player on the team with both a goal and an assist in this tournament.
• The USA’s four college players, defender Trinity Armstrong, defender Katie Scott and forwards Maddie Padelski and Mary Long, all entered college early. Amstrong started all 13 games for North Carolina before leaving for the World Cup and played 1065 minutes. Scott has battled some minor injuries early in her freshman season at Penn State and has played in six matches, earning two assists, while Padelski has started 11 of her 13 matches for the Crimson Tide and scored two goals with two assists. Long has played 215 minutes for Duke in nine games off the bench and has scored twice.
• U.S. head coach Katie Schoepfer named 14 players to the World Cup Team 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.
• 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.
• 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. She and Evan O’Steen have split games through the first two matches of the 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.

PROS LEAD THE WAY: For the first time ever, a U.S. roster for the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup features 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. Of the four, Fuller has seen the most NWSL minutes, playing 975 over 19 matches with one goal. Ascanio has played 145 minutes in six matches while Barcenas, who is in her second professional season, has played 446 minutes in 10 matches and scored her first career NWSL goal on Sept. 28 against the Portland Thorns. McCammon made her NWSL debut on Sept. 6 vs. Angel City FC, playing the very end of the match, and earned her first start in her final match before joining the U-17s, playing 63 minutes.

CONCACAF CHAMPS IN THE DR: The USA qualified for the 2024 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup at the 2024 Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship in Mexico. 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 berth. In the championship game, the USA rolled past host Mexico 4-0, on goals from Maya Townes, Kimmi Ascanio, Alex Pfeiffer and an own goal. Midfielder Kennedy Fuller led the USA with eight goals, including five in the opening game against Panama, and won the Golden Ball as the top player in the tournament. Pfeiffer, who will miss the World Cup due to an ACL injury suffered with her NWSL club Kansas City Current, scored six times while Townes scored five times and Ascanio had four.

U-17 WYNT VS. KOREA REPUBLIC

• The USA has only played Korea Republic once in a FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, a 4-2 quarterfinal win in 2008. Eventual U.S. senior National Team player Kristi Mewis notched a goal in that match.
• Korea Republic is making its fourth appearance in a FIFA U-17 WWC and its first appearance in the tournament since 2018.
• Korea Republic won this tournament in 2010, one of just five countries to lift the trophy.
• Korea Republic finished third in the 2024 AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup held in Indonesia.
• At that tournament, Korea Republic went 1W-1L-1D in group play to reach the semifinals before losing to Japan, 3-0. A 2-1 win over China in the Third-Place Match locked in their spot in the FIFA U-17 WWC.
• Baek Jieun, Beom Yeju, and Casey Phair, an American from New Jersey, led the team in scoring with two goals each.
• Korea Republic’s Kim Minseo and Han Gukhee are the two youngest players in Group B and the only 15-year-olds in the group. Minseo is the youngest player by just three days.
• Phair, the lone professional player on the roster, is teammates with U17WYNT player Kennedy Fuller at Angel City FC.
• Phair comes into the 2024 FIFA U-17 WWC after representing Korea Republic in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. When she made her first appearance at that tournament, she became the youngest player ever to play in a World Cup, men’s or women’s.
• Phair scored Korea Republic’s only goal of the tournament so far, a penalty kick against Colombia.

2024 KOREA REPUBLIC FIFA U-17 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB)

GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Woo Sumin (Pohang Girls’ Electronic HS), 18-Jeong Haerim (Chungju Yeseong Girls’ MS), 21-Jung Yujeong (Ulsan Hyundai HS)

DEFENDERS (7): 2-Shin Dain (Ulsan Hyundai HS), 3-Kim Hanah (Gwangyang Girls’ HS), 4-Shin Sunghee (Ulsan Hyundai HS), 5-Shun Yuna (Gwangyang Girls’ HS), 13-Ryoo Jihae (Ulsan Hyundai HS), 19-Jung Hayun (Gyeongnam Robot HS), 20-Noh Sieun (Ulsan Hyundai HS)

MIDFIELDERS (9): 6-Lim Yeji (Pohang Girls’ Electronic HS), 7-Kim Yeeun (Ulsan Hyundai HS), 8-Beom Yeju (Gwangyang Girls’ HS), 10-Yang Jimin (Pohang Girls’ Electronic HS), 11-Seo Minjeong (Gyeongnam Robot HS), 12-Baek Jieun (Ulsan Hyundai HS), 15-Kim Minseo (Gajeong Girls’ MS), 16-Park Jiyu (Chungju Yeseong Girls’ MS), 17-Nam Sarang (Ulsan Hyundai HS)

FORWARDS (2): 9-Casey Phair (Angel City FC), 14-Han Gukhee (Hyundai Chungun MS)