Youth: U.S. U-20 women to get taste of France

• by Mike Woitalla  @MikeWoitalla, Feb 20, 2018

Coach Jitka Klimkova  has named a 24-player roster for two-week trip to France, five months ahead of the France-hosted U-20 Women's World Cup for which the USA qualified last month.

The Feb. 23-March 7 trip will include games against France March 3 in Vannes and March 6 in Saint-Malo -- two of the four venues for the Aug. 5-24 U-20 World Cup.

Seventeen of the players called in were on Klimkova's roster for qualifying, in which the USA finished runner-up to Mexico in the Concacaf U-20 Championship.

• The players on the France trip who weren't part of the qualifying tournament are goalkeeper Brooke Heinsohn (Duke), defender Jordan Brewster (Internationals FC), defender Samantha Hiatt (Stanford), midfielder Delanie Sheehan (UCLA) and forwards Amirah Ali (Rutgers), Jenna Bike (Boston College) and Chardonnay Curran (Oregon).

• Players born in 1998 or later are eligible for the 2018 U-20 World Cup. Klimkova's roster is comprised of nine 1998s, 12 1999s and three 2000s.

• All but five players -- Jordan Brewster, Naomi Girma, Sophia Smith, Jaelin Howell and Brianna Pinto -- are collegians.

U.S. U-20 women's national team
GOALKEEPERS (3): Brooke Heinsohn (Duke; Norfolk, Mass.), Laurel Ivory (Virginia; Surfside, Fla.), Amanda McGlynn (Virginia Tech; Jacksonville, Fla.).
DEFENDERS (7): Jordan Brewster (Internationals SC; North Canton, Ohio), Naomi Girma (California Thorns FC; San Jose, Calif.), Samantha Hiatt (Stanford; Newcastle, Wash.), Tara McKeown (USC; Newbury Park, Calif.), Zoe Morse (Virginia; East Lansing, Mich.), Kiara Pickett (Stanford; Santa Barbara, Calif.), Karina Rodriguez (UCLA; Torrance, Calif.).
MIDFIELDERS (6): Samantha Coffey (Boston College; Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.), Savannah DeMelo (USC; Bellflower, Calif.), Jaelin Howell (Real Colorado; Windsor, Colo.), Brianna Pinto (NTH Tophat; Durham, N.C.), Delanie Sheehan (UCLA; Brentwood, Calif.), Viviana Villacorta (UCLA; Lawndale, Calif.).
FORWARDS (8): Amirah Ali (Rutgers; Voorhees, N.J.), Jenna Bike (Boston College; Trumbull, Conn.), Chardonnay Curran (Oregon; Ewa Beach, Hawaii), Abigail Kim (California; Vashon, Wash.), Civana Kuhlmann (Stanford; Littleton, Colo.), Sophia Smith (Real Colorado; Windsor, Colo.), Taryn Torres (Virginia; Frisco, Texas), Kelsey Turnbow (Santa Clara; Nashville, Tenn.).