While all eyes are on the U.S. Men's National Team as they compete in the 2017 Gold Cup, it has been a busy few weeks for U.S. Soccer, particularly th
While all eyes are on the U.S. Men’s National Team as they compete in the 2017 Gold Cup, it has been a busy few weeks for U.S. Soccer, particularly their women’s teams who have been traveling all over the world. To keep you up to date with the best in local talent, we’ll be dropping these U.S. Youth Soccer Updates to keep you informed.
U-2o Women’s National Team
The U-20 Women’s National Team just recently returned from a successful European trip that saw them defeat England twice before splitting a two-match series against Germany.
The squad featured seven California natives: Defenders Naomi Girma (Central Valley Crossfire; San Jose), Tara McKeown (San Diego Surf; Newbury Park), Sophia Serafin (West Coast FC; Glendora), midfielders Tierna Davidson (Stanford; Menlo Park), Savannah DeMelo (USC; Bellflower), and Viviana Villacorta (Beach FC; Lawndale), and forward Ashley Sanchez (So Cal Blues; Monrovia).
In the first game against England, Sanchez scored in the 58th minute to help the US win 2-1. The U.S. then won their second match against England 2-0. In the first match against Germany, Villacorta provided the assist on the match-winning goal in the 65th minute. The U.S. Then dropped the final match 1-0.
U-18 Women’s National Team
The U-18 Women’s National Team traveled to Australia for a training camp and three matches against Canada U-20 and Australia U-20 (played them twice). This squad featured two California natives, defender Madelyn Desiano (So Cal Blues; San Clemente) and midfielder Jenna Nighswonger (Slammers FC; Huntington Beach).
The squad dropped their first match against Canada and then rebounded with back-to-back wins over Australia. In the first match against Australia, Nighswonger provided the match-winning assist in the 88th minute after she forced a turnover.
This group of U.S. players is in the middle of the first year of a two-year cycle as U-18s before transitioning to U-20s in 2019, and will form the core of the group that will eventually attempt to qualify for the 2020 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
