By Mike Woitalla
North Korea beat defending champion Japan, 5-4, in a penalty kick shootout in the final to win the 2016 U-17 Women’s World Cup. Spain took thirdplace thanks to a 4-0 win over Venezuela.
Japan, which knocked the USA out in group play, outshot the North Koreans 24-7. The victory made North Korea the first two-time champion of thecompetition that was launched in 2008.
U-17 Women’s World Cup Champs
2008 North Korea
2010 South Korea
2012 France
2014 Japan
2016 North Korea
Under-17Women’s World Cup: Results
DeynaCastellanos, a freshman at Florida State, who scored five goals for Venezuela, won the Bronze Ball and the Bronze Boot. She wonthe Golden Boot in 2014 when Venezuela also finished fourth.
The U.S. U-18 women’s national team, coached by April Heinrichs,opened the 2016 Women’s International Cup in Northern Ireland with a 2-1 loss to England and a 3-1 win over France. The Americans face host Northern Ireland on Sunday.
After Francetook a 5th-minute lead, the USA stormed back on two goals by Kelsey Turnbow and a third from Isabella Briede.
Against England, Mireya Greyequalized for the USA in the 50th minute but Charlie Wellings responded with the gamewinner in the 75th minute. It was the U.S. U-18s’ fourth meeting between England this yearfollowing a 2-2 tie, a 1-0 loss win and a 1-0 win.
Oct. 20 in Lurgan, Northern Ireland
USA 3 France 1. Goals: Turnbow 11, Turnbow22, Briede 53; Boutaleb 5.
USA — Heinsohn, Doyle, Dawson, Coffey, Berg (Davis, 66), Jones (Weiner, 75), Grey (Villacorta, 66), Turnbow (18-Shea Moyer, 84), Paschall, Ali(Briede, 46), Harber (McKeown, 46)
France — Pecharman; Prette, Pau (Bonet, 63), Thibaud (Gavory, 63), Karadjov, Lefevre, Piga,
Rogon, Bodain, Closset (Ollivier, 63),Boutaleb.
Video: full game.
USA 1 England 2. Goals: Grey 50; Babajide 28, Wellings 75.
USA — Heinsohn, Abello,Doyle (Palmer, 46), Dawson, Coffey, Jones, Grey (Villacorta, 80), Moyer (Berg, 71), Paschall, Davis (Turnbow, 46), Ali (Briede, 71).
England — Maciver, Parker (Johnson, 71),Pacheco, Rouse (Shepherd, 84), Fisk, Finnigan (Tierney, 84), Kelly, Peplow, Babajide, Cross (Allen, 71), Devlin (Wellings, 71).
Video: full game.
U.S. U-16 boys head to France
U.S. U-16 boys national team coach Shaun Tsakiris has named a20-player roster for the Val-de-Marne Tournament in France at which the USA will face England (Oct. 25), Russia (Oct. 27) and host France (Oct. 29).
All the players in the squad were born in2001. Two are foreign-based: Miami native Konrad De la Fuente who plays in Barcelona’s academy and Connecticut native Ian Hoffmann of Germany’sKarlsruhe.
U.S. U-16 boys national team
GOALKEEPERS (2): Michael Collodi (FC Dallas; Frisco, Texas), Nicolas Defreitas-Hansen (WestonFC; Southwest Ranches, Fla.).
DEFENDERS (9): Nico Benalcazar (NYCFC; Wilton, Conn.), Eduardo Blancas (Real Salt Lake; Napa, Calif.), Jackson Conway (Atlanta United FC;Marietta, Ga.), Cameron Duke (Sporting KC; Olathe, Kan.), John Hilton (Unattached; Long Beach, Calif.), Julian Hinojosa (FC Dallas; Garland, Texas), Ian Hoffmann (Karlsruher SC; Germany), Alexsi Morel(New York City FC; Huntington Station, N.Y.), Leonardo Sepulveda (LA Galaxy; Corona, Calif.).
MIDFIELDERS (7): Luis Arriaga (Real Salt Lake; Santa Rosa, Calif.), Taylor Booth(Real Salt Lake; Eden, Utah), Azriel Gonzalez (Seattle Sounders FC; Renton, Wash.), Ulysses Llanez (LA Galaxy; Lynwood, Calif.), Marcelo Palomino (Houston Dynamo; Houston, Texas), Jose Rivas (WestonFC; Weston, Fla.), Indiana Vassilev (IMG Academy; Savannah, Ga.).
FORWARDS (2): Konrad De la Fuente (FC Barcelona; Barcelona, Spain), Stefan Stojanovic (Sockers FC; DesPlaines, Ill.).
Players from 17 states at Alianza finals
Fifty-six players from 17 states who emerged from tryouts in 12 U.S. cities are competing at the Powerade Sueno Alianza National Showcase in Miami in front of scouts from Mexico and the USA.
More than 9,000 players took part in the free Sueno Alianza tryouts in the program that was launched in 2008 to expose young Latino talent to professional scouts.
More than 30 scouts from Liga MX, USL and MLS clubs and the Mexico nationalteam program are attending the event that ends Saturday. The best represented states are Texas with 14 players, followed by California (10).
Sueno Alianza NationalShowcase: Rosters
Youth soccer at a subway station
Atlanta United, which joins MLS in 2017, is fundingconstruction of a soccer field at the Five Points MARTA Station, the city’s busiest metro station. Soccer in the Streets will organize plat at “Station Soccer,” reports the Atlanta Business Chronicle.
“The field will allow our organization to expandthrough a totally new concept in urban soccer, designed specifically for kids who live in under-served neighborhoods,” said Phil Hill, executive director of Soccer in the Streets.
“Kids will now be able to takeMARTA to the Five Points field to compete and play with peers from diverse communities across the city,” said Atlanta United President Darren Eales said.