The United States was eliminated in the round of 16 of the U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland on Wednesday, losing to Brazil in a penalty shootout.
After a goalless first half, Brazilian defender Sofia Couto opened the scoring in the 59th minute after winning a corner kick. The set piece was intercepted, but midfielder Clarinha eventually passed the ball into the penalty area, where Cotto headed home from close range.
The U.S. equalized just four minutes later through midfielder Ainsley McCammon. Several players rushed towards the goal during the match, which ended up being a game of marbles between Brazil’s defenders and the U.S. attackers, with the former repeatedly failing to properly get the ball out of harm’s way. The ball fell to McCammon, who fired a powerful shot from outside the penalty area.
That was enough to send the game into overtime and eventually penalties, with Brazil converting every penalty to earn a spot in the quarter-finals. The Americans were successful on every penalty kick except the first, when Emery Adames’ shot was saved by Brazilian goalkeeper Thaïs Lima.
The United States leaves Poland with just one win in four games, their only victory coming against New Zealand 9-0 in the Group D final. They lost 2-1 to Italy in this World Cup and then drew 2-2 with Japan, a result that ensured they finished third in the group.
The result brings a 14th consecutive year without a U-20 Women’s World Cup title for the U.S. women’s team, which was led by eventual senior World Cup winners Crystal Dunn, Julie Ertz and Sam Mewis, who lifted the trophy in Japan in 2012. It also marked the third time in the past four biennial tournaments that the U.S. women’s soccer team has failed to reach the quarterfinals, with the only exception being a third-place finish in Colombia two years ago.
U-20 tournament not going ahead as planned by USWNT
The U-20 Women’s World Cup has become a focal point event for the entire U.S. Women’s National Team program, with many viewing the event as an important stepping stone for emerging talent who could become regulars on the senior team in the near future. However, the World Cup in Poland became a lightning rod for several high-level issues within the game – it was briefly the subject of a boycott by UEFA after FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s plan to privatize the senior World Cup failed, and it became a focus of debate over the future of the U.S. women’s soccer team.
Senior national team coach Emma Hayes has spent much of this year publicly advocating that age-eligible players should travel to Poland, regardless of their experience with the national team or the likelihood that they, like midfielder Lily Yohannes, will play in next summer’s senior World Cup in Brazil. The list of age-eligible players on the senior team includes midfielder Claire Hutton, who applied for a starting spot in Brazil last year, but it illustrates Hayes’ point – the U.S. women’s head coach has often complained that rising stars in the U.S. don’t have the experience of elite tournaments at the youth level like their counterparts in Europe, hampering their ability to adjust to the demands of the senior level.
The problem for Hayes and U.S. Soccer is that the U-20 Women’s World Cup is scheduled outside of the FIFA window, meaning U-20 head coach Vicky Jepson needs the club to release players so they can actually travel to Poland. Aware of this, Hayes undertook a month-long visit to the United States last spring in hopes of convincing the owners of the various NWSL teams that the U-20 Women’s World Cup would be a benefit not only for the players, but also for their clubs. The final results were mixed — while eight pros were drafted, including the Seattle Reign’s McCammon and Adams, Jepsen admitted last month that several players were drafted but then told by their clubs they couldn’t leave.
“It’s going to be a huge challenge if everybody’s available and everybody’s released because then you can find the right guys for the environment that we’re going to be in.” Jepsen told CBS Sports before the roster was named. “Unfortunately, a certain group of players will not have the opportunity to bridge the gap with the women’s national team by gaining experience at the World Cup, and all the preparation and hard work they have put in will not be allowed to move forward and apply it at the World Cup.”
Hayes’ argument has been backed by several current and retired players in recent days, who recently signed an open letter to FIFA asking them to schedule games during a window that does not conflict with players’ club responsibilities. Women’s World Cup champion Alex Morgan and Olympic silver medalist Marta are on the list, while Hutton and Lindsay Heaps are among the current signatories of the USWNT.
“Aligning the tournament with the international match calendar will allow federations to select the strongest possible squads, allow players to represent their countries with clarity and confidence, and support clubs in planning their competitive seasons,” the letter reads in part. “The player landscape has changed.”
The U.S. team’s mixed results in Poland ultimately raised the question of whether U.S. Soccer’s structure allows the U-20 team to be adequately prepared for competition, especially in the increasingly competitive world of women’s soccer. Just 15 years ago, women’s soccer players in the United States were developed almost entirely within college soccer, a stronger system than the broken system that existed around the world. Since then, though, there has been greater investment in club systems around the world, particularly academies across Europe.
The fact that eight of Team USA’s 21 players come from the NWSL is a sign of the evolution of the women’s game, finally exposing players to the demands of the professional game at a young age. Over the years, Hayes has raised several questions about when exactly America began to embrace the rigors of professional soccer, especially when it comes to competition settings such as the World Cup. The U.S. Women’s Soccer Team’s recent early exit may reinforce her belief that the team’s poor record at the tournament in recent years could be reversed if all age-eligible players were allowed to participate, regardless of their involvement with the senior team or importance to their club teams.
The next Women’s U-20 World Cup is scheduled to be held in 2028, but FIFA has yet to confirm a specific date for the event.