U.S. U17 Women’s National Team Roster Announced for FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup
Head coach B.J. Snow has named his roster for the 2016 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup held in Jordan during the first three weeks of October. The U.S. U17 Women’s National Team will meet for a final camp in Florida from August 26th to September 3rd with two friendly matches versus Venezuela scheduled during the week.
Youth Soccer News: U.S. U17 Women’s National Team head coach B.J. Snow has named the 21 players who will represent the United States at the 2016 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup being held in Jordan from Sept. 30-Oct. 21.
The U.S. plays its first Group D match against Paraguay on Oct. 1 at Prince Mohammed International Stadium in Al Zarqa (7 p.m. local / Noon a.m. ET) before facing Ghana on Oct. 4 at King Abdullah II International Stadium in Amman (4 p.m. local / 9 a.m. ET). The USA will finish group play on Oct. 8 against Japan at Amman International Stadium (7 p.m. local / Noon ET).
“This is an immensely exciting time for our players and staff,” Snow said. “After a thorough evaluation process over the course of the last two years, we feel that we have selected a group of players capable of embracing the challenges that a World Cup presents. The selection process has been excruciatingly intense and this is a direct result of the depth of the player pool for this age group. We evaluated over 120 players within our training camps this cycle and they all deserve a ton of credit.”
Snow, who has taken the squad through eight training camps/events and 12 international matches so far this year, will bring the 2016 U-17 Women’s World Cup Team to a final camp in Florida from Aug. 26-Sept. 3 before departure for Jordan later in the month. During the camp, the USA will play the Venezuela U-17 WNT twice, on Aug. 30 at the Water Soccer Complex in Tampa, Fla. (7 p.m. ET kickoff) and on Sept. 2 at the Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch, Fla. (7 p.m. ET kickoff). Admission is free to both matches.
“We have five weeks left to prepare for our first game in Jordan and we need to take advantage of every day,” Snow said. “The two games against Venezuela will provide a very important snapshot of where we are and what we need to continue to focus on. Venezuela is an outstanding opponent that has a history of success at the U-17 level, highlighted by their fourth-place finish in the last U-17 World Cup. Having the opportunity to play them will be a tremendous challenge and we look forward to testing ourselves.”
United States 2016 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Team Roster by Position:
GOALKEEPERS (3): Hillary Beall (So Cal Blues; Laguna Beach, Calif.), Laurel Ivory (West Florida Flames; Surfside, Fla.), Meagan McClelland (PDA; Kearny, N.J.)
DEFENDERS (7): Naomi Girma (Central Valley Crossfire; San Jose, Calif.), Kiara Pickett (Eagles; Santa Barbara, Calif.), Isabel Rodriguez (Michigan Hawks; Canton, Mich.), Karina Rodriguez (So Cal Blues; Torrance, Calif.) Emily Smith (De Anza Force; Los Gatos, Calif.), Kennedy Wesley (So Cal Blues; Rossmoor, Calif.), Kate Wiesner (Slammers FC; Monrovia, Calif.)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Jordan Canniff (Richmond United; California, Md.), Lia Godfrey (Jacksonville Armada; Fleming Island, Fla.), Jaelin Howell (Real Colorado; Windsor, Colo.), Brianna Pinto (CASL; Durham, N.C.), Alexa Spaanstra (Michigan Hawks; Brighton, Mich.), Frankie Tagliaferri (PDA; Colts Neck, N.J.), Sydney Zandi (Penn Fusion; West Chester, Penn.)
FORWARDS (4): Civana Kuhlmann (Colorado Rush; Littleton, Colo.), Adrienne Richardson (Minnesota Thunder Academy; Oakdale, Minn.), Ashley Sanchez (So Cal Blues; Monrovia, Calif.), Sophia Smith (Real Colorado; Windsor, Colo.)
Source/Photo Credit: U.S. Soccer
