CHICAGO (February 25, 2008) - The U.S. Under-20 Women’s National Team will travel to Cyprus, an island country situated in the eastern Mediterranean south of Turkey, north of Egypt and southeast of Greece, for the Cyprus Women’s Cup 2008, a tournament featuring five full Women’s National Teams and the U.S. U-20s.

It will be the second consecutive high-level competition for the U.S. U-20s, who in February won a tournament in La Serena, Chile, against the English, Norwegian and Chilean U-20 Women’s National Teams. This time U.S. head coach Tony DiCicco’s team will face competition against full Women’s National Teams from the Netherlands and Scotland in Group 2 while the full Women’s National Teams of Canada, Japan and Russia make up Group 1.

Each country will play the other two within its group with the group winners playing for the championship, the second place finishers playing for third and the third-place finishers playing for fifth, all on March 12.

Because the tournament features six teams, each country will also play a “non-tournament” match during the competition, giving each nation a chance to play four total games -- two group games, a non-tournament game and a placement game -- while in Cyprus.

The USA opens against Scotland on March 5 in Group 2 play, plays its non-tournament match against Russia on March 7, then finishes group play against the Netherlands on March 10. The U.S. U-20s are currently in preparations for qualifying for the 2008 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup to be held in Chile from Nov. 20-Dec. 7.

DiCicco will once again get a chance to evaluate his players under highly competitive conditions as three of the five Women’s National Teams have participated in Women’s World Cups in the past (Canada, Japan and Russia).

Dates and venues for CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Qualifying have yet to be set, but the eight-team tournament, which will send three teams to Chile, will feature Cuba, Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, Nicaragua and the USA.
DiCicco will bring 20 players to Cyprus, a country that has not hosted any U.S. Women’s National Teams since March of 1993, when the full U.S. Women’s National Team played three matches there in a precursor to what evolved into the Algarve Cup.

U.S. Under-20 Women’s National Team Roster
Cyprus Women’s Cup 2008
March 2-14, 2008 
GOALKEEPERS (2): Kristin Arnold (Texas A&M), Alyssa Naeher (Penn State);
DEFENDERS (5): Lauren Barnes (UCLA), Kaley Fountain (Wake Forest), Lauren Fowlkes (Notre Dame), Elli Reed (Portland), Lauren Wilmoth (UCLA);
MIDFIELDERS (7): Amanda DaCosta (Florida State), Becky Edwards (Florida State), Sinead Farrelly (Virginia), Meghan Klingenberg (UNC), Teresa Noyola (MVLA Mercury), Ingrid Wells (Georgetown), Keelin Winters (Portland);
FORWARDS (6): Gina DiMartino (Boston College), Michelle Enyeart (Portland), Sydney Leroux (Sereno FC), Kelley O’Hara (Stanford), Brittney Steinbruch (Miami), Nikki Washington (UNC).

Group 1
Canada
Japan
Russia

Group 2
Netherlands
USA U-20
Scotland

Cyprus Women’s Cup 2008 Schedule
Date              Match-Up                                Venue
March 5        USA U-20 vs. Scotland         GSZ/Larnaca
                      Canada vs. Russia                GSZ/Larnaca
                      Japan vs. Netherlands*         Alpha Sports Center

March 7        Japan vs. Canada                  GSZ/Larnaca
                      Netherlands vs. Scotland      GSZ/Larnaca
                      USA U-20 vs. Russia*            Alpha Sports Center

March 10      USA U-20 vs. Netherlands    GSZ/Larnaca
                       Russia vs. Japan                    Dasaki/Achna
                       Canada vs. Scotland*             Alpha Sports Center

Placement Matches
March 12      5th Place Match                        GSP/Nicosia
                       3rd Place Match                       GSP/Nicosia 
                       Championship                         GSP/Nicosia

*Non-tournament match