USA squad set for 2018 U-17 Women's World Cup

• by Mike Woitalla  @MikeWoitalla, Oct 22, 2018

Coach Mark Carr  has named his 21-player roster for the U-17 Women's World Cup that kicks off Nov. 13 in Uruguay. The USA, which faces Cameroon (Nov. 14), North Korea (Nov. 17) and Germany (Nov. 21) in Group C, is aiming to reach the knockout stage of the biennial tournament for the first time since the inaugural U-17 Women's World Cup in 2008.

USA 2018 U-17 Women's World Cup Roster
Name (Club; hometown; U-17 caps/goals)
GOALKEEPERS (3)
Angelina Anderson (Mustang SC; Danville, Calif.; 14/0)
Julia Dohle (New York City FC; Scarsdale, N.Y.; 5/0)
Lindsey Romig (IMG Academy; Midlothian, Va.; 9/0)
DEFENDERS (6)
Michela Agresti (FC Stars; Swampscott, Mass.; 16/2)
Talia DellaPeruta (Tophat; Cumming, Ga.; 24/1)
Samar Guidry (FC Dallas; McKinney, Texas; 4/0)
Smith Hunter (Reign Academy; Seattle, Wash.; 15/0)
Makenna Morris (Bethesda SC; Germantown, Md.; 18/3)
Natalia Staude (Tophat; Atlanta, Ga.; 18/0)
MIDFIELDERS (5)
Hannah Bebar (Eclipse Select SC; Naperville, Ill.; 12/2)
Maya Doms (Davis Legacy SC; Davis, Calif.; 26/11)
Mia Fishel (San Diego Surf; San Diego, Calif.; 26/5)
Sophia Jones (San Jose Earthquakes; Menlo Park, Calif.; 16/1)
Astrid Wheeler (Concorde Fire; Atlanta, Ga.; 20/2)
FORWARDS (7)
Trinity Byars (Solar SC; Richardson, Texas; 3/0)
Jordan Canniff (Washington Spirit Academy-Maryland; California, Md.; 25/9)
Isabella D'Aquila (So Cal Blues; Mission Viejo, Calif.; 14/9)
Sunshine Fontes (Hawaii Rush; Wahiawa, Hawaii; 29/22)
Payton Linnehan (FC Stars; Douglas, Mass.; 22/8)
Samantha Meza (Solar SC; Dallas, Texas; 19/2)
Trinity Rodman (So Cal Blues; Laguna Niguel, Calif.; 6/2)

Carr's team has convened 17 times and played against 15 different national teams, compiling a 23-2-6 record, since this U-17 cycle began in April of 2016.

"On this roster, you've got high levels of soccer intelligence, you've got creativity, you've got pure athleticism, you've got technicians that can control the game and run the game," said Carr. "And as with any American team, it's full of spirit, competitiveness, desire to improve and it’s ultimately designed to win at the highest levels.”

Players born in 2001 or later are eligible for the 2018 U-17 World Cup. The U.S. roster is comprised of 15 players born in 2001, five 2002s and one 2003.

• Forward Jordan Caniff, who played at the 2016 U-17 World Cup, returns to the team after recovering from an ACL injury earlier this year.

• Also back from injury is forward Isabella D’Aquila, who missed the qualifying tournament, at which the USA won the 2018 Concacaf U-17 Championship.

• Key players missing because of ACL injuries are defenders Kate Wiesner (34 U-17 caps) and Kennedy Wesley (32), and forward Lia Godfrey (12 caps). Croix Bethune, a regular call-up, suffered an ACL injury during the qualifying tournament last summer.

• Twelve players are high school seniors, eight are juniors and one, Trinity Byars, is a sophomore. Byars, born in 2003, is also eligible for the 2020 U-17 Women’s World Cup.

• California is the best represented state with six players, followed by Georgia and Texas (three each). A total of 10 states are represented.

“We feel we've prepared and we're in a good place," said Carr. "Ultimately the journey to this point, the improvements, the lessons learned, our time together and all our work have prepared us for this moment. We are excited as a group to go and compete on the world stage.”

USA U-17 WOMEN'S WORLD CUP RECORD
Year Finish (Coach)
2008 runner-up: 3W-2L-1T (Kazbek Tambi)
2010 did not qualify (Kazbek Tambi)
2012 first-round exit: 1W-0L-2T (Albertin Montoya)
2014 did no qualify (B.J. Snow)
2016 first-round exit: 1W-2L-0T (B.J. Snow)
2018 in Uruguay Nov. 13-Dec. 1 (Mark Carr)