Coach Mark Carr has named an 18-player roster for the 2016 Concacaf U-15 Girls Championship Aug. 9-21 in Orlando, Florida, at which the USA will face Trinidad & Tobago,Haiti, Mexico and the Dominican Republic in Group A.
The roster is comprised mostly of players born in 2001 who are nearing the completion of a two-year cycle before moving to the U-17s in2017.
States Represented
4 Georgia.
2 California, Hawaii, North Carolina, Virginia, Texas.
1 Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Illinois.
U.S. U-15 girls national team
GOALKEEPERS (2): Ruthie Jones(Charlotte SA; Charlotte, N.C.), Lindsey Romig (Richmond United; Midlothian, Va.).
DEFENDERS (6): Talia DellaPeruta (Tophat SC; Cumming, Ga.), Tori Hansen (CASL; Raleigh, N.C.),D’awncey Jones-Black (Honolulu Bulls SC; Ewa Beach, Hawaii), Makenna Morris (Bethesda SC; Germantown, Md.), Leah Scarpelli (PDA; Brick, N.J.), Natalia Staude (Tophat SC; Atlanta, Ga.).
MIDFIELDERS (6): Croix Bethune (Concorde Fire; Alpharetta Ga.), Mia Fishel (San Diego Surf; San Diego, Calif.), Eleanor Glenn (Tophat SC; Avondale Estates, Ga.), Madison Mercado (SanDiego Surf; San Diego, Calif.), Gabrielle Robinson (BRYSC; Springfield, Va.), Hollyn Torres (FC Dallas; Frisco, Texas).
FORWARDS (4): Sunshine Fontes (Honolulu Bulls SC;Wahiawa, Hawaii), Payton Linnehan (FC Stars of Mass.; Douglas, Mass.), Samantha Meza (Dallas Kicks; Balch Springs, Texas), Kalyssa Van Zanten (Eclipse Select SC; Buffalo Grove, Ill.).
South America’s Venezuela joins 22 Concacaf teams at the tournament. The USA faces Trinidad & Tobago Aug. 9, Mexico Aug. 10, Haiti Aug. 12 and the Dominican Republic on Aug. 13.
“I am very excited about the group of players we have selected to represent the USA at this tournament,” said Carr. “It’s a technical group that is very creative,unpredictable and exciting to watch. We have a good balance of different personalities that will complement each other and that will allow us to play an exciting brand of soccer. I am looking forwardto seeing us improve and come together as the tournament progresses.”
The group winners and second-place teams from groups A, B and C, will advance to the quarterfinals.
Group A: United States, Mexico, Trinidad & Tobago, Haiti, Dominican Republic
Group B: Canada, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Jamaica, El Salvador
Group C: Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Santa Lucia, Grenada, St. Vincent & the Grenadines
Group D: Barbados, U.S. Virgin Islands, Curaao, Anguilla
Group E: Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas