Not to be outdone by their field hockey and lacrosse sisters, the United States U-20 women’s national soccer team has chosen a roster for a domestic camp in Athens, Ga. in preparation for a pair of friendlies against Mexico.
The U-20 team has been seen as a barometer for the fortunes of the U.S. senior women’s national program. Its last win at a World Cup was 2012 when players like Julie Johnston, Morgan Brian, and Kealia Ohai paced the U.S. to the championship. It is notable, however, that the States’ leading goal-scorer, Maya Hayes, played just four years as a professional and managed a mere nine goals.
I think this group, however, will have a tremendous upside, given the number of professional NWSL players who are U-20 eligible. However, this gropy are folks you might not have heard of — Savy King (Bay FC), Gisele Thompson (Angel City FC), Riley Jackson (North Carolina Courage), Ally Lemos (Orlando Pride), Claire Hutton (Kansas City Current), Emeri Adames (Seattle Reign) and Ally Sentnor (Utah Royals).
Notice that there are several top names you don’t see in the roster, such as Portland’s Olivia Moultrie, Angel City’s Alyssa Thompson, and San Diego’s Jaedyn Shaw. Truthfully, however, Shaw is up a level, playing with the senior national team at the Olympics.
Head coach Tracey Kevins has a good amount of talent at hand, even though there is a delicate balancing act. A big part of the balance is the calendar. The U-20 World Cup is being held Aug. 31 to Sept. 22 in Columbia. The players that will be on this roster are ones which can miss time from their college or pro teams for the three-week competition.
I’ll be interested to see how well this U.S. team comes together.