U.S. U-17 WYNT Reaches Semifinals for the First Time Since 2008 to Square Off With Korea DPR

U.S. U-17 WYNT REACHES SEMIFINALS FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2008 AND WILL SQUARE OFF WITH KOREA DPR: The USA will play in the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup semifinals for just the second time ever when it takes on Korea DPR on Wednesday, October 30, in Santiago de los Caballeros (7 p.m. FS1 & Telemundo Digital). The USA and North Korea met in the 2008 FIFA U-17 WWC Final, the first-ever championship game of this tournament. The U.S. reached the semifinals after shutting out Nigeria 2-0 to register its third consecutive clean sheet of the tournament. North Korea dispatched Poland, 1-0, in the other quarterfinal. Fans can follow the U-17 WNT throughout the tournament on ussoccer.com, Facebook, Twitter/X (@USYNT) and Instagram (@USYNT). For all the tournament results, go FIFA.com.

USA DOWNS NIGERIA IN QUARTERFINALS: The U.S. reached the semifinals for just the second time ever following a 2-0 win over Nigeria. Both steams started the match a bit nervy, but the U.S. had the first real opportunity when forward Mary Long forced the Nigerian keeper to make a diving save in the 29th minute. The USA finally broke through just before halftime. Defender Jocelyn Travers drew a foul in the box to, after video review, earn a penalty and midfielder Kennedy Fuller calmly converted from the spot to make it 1-0 in the 43rd minute. The U.S. defense continued stifling the Nigerian attack in the second half but goalkeeper Evan O’Steen did have to make an impressive diving stop in the 64th minute to keep Nigeria off the scoresheet. Midfielder Kimmi Ascanio put the match away with a goal in the 74th minute to make it 2-0.

THE ROAD TO THE 2024 FIFA U-17 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP SEMIFINALS: The 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup semifinals feature two countries from Europe, one from Concacaf and one from Asia. It also features two former champions Korea DPR (2008, 2016) and Spain (2018, 2022). Spain is the two-time defending champions while England last made the semifinals in 2008. This is England’s fourth FIFA U-17 WWC appearance. Spain has scored the most goals of any team in the tournament (15). The USA and North Korea also met in the semifinals of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup on Sept. 18 with the USA falling, 1-0. Here is a look at the USA and North Korea’s run through this tournament so far, with the USA having scored 10 goals while North Korea has found the net 12 times.

USA

KOREA DPR

2007s AND 2008s TAKE CENTER STAGE: U-17 WYNT head coach Katie Schoepfer has assembled a talented, versatile 21-player roster for the World Cup in the Dominican Republic. Players born on or after Jan. 1, 2007, are age-eligible for this World Cup. Schoepfer chose 16 players born in 2007 and five born in 2008. Fifteen players were 17 years old at the start of the World Cup and six were 16.

2024 U.S. UNDER-17 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TEAM ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB; HOMETOWN; CAPS/GOALS):

Goalkeepers (3): Wicki Dunlap (North Carolina Courage Academy; Raleigh, N.C.; 2), Evan O’Steen (Solar SC; Grapevine, Texas; 5), Molly Vapensky (Carolina Ascent; Evanston, Ill.; 7),

Defenders (6): Trinity Armstrong (UNC; Frisco, Texas; 8/0), Kiara Gilmore (FC Dallas; Allen, Texas; 11/0), Jordyn Hardeman (Solar SC; Midlothian, Texas; 10/1), Daya King (Legends FC; Moreno Valley, Calif.; 11/0), Katie Scott (Penn State; Fairview, Penn.; 13/1), Jocelyn Travers (FC Bay Area Surf; Santa Cruz, Calif.; 11/1)

Midfielders (7): Scottie Antonucci (Legends FC; Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.; 4/0), 10-Kimmi Ascanio (San Diego Wave; Doral, Fla.; 13/5), Melanie Barcenas (San Diego Wave; San Diego, Calif.; 18/3), Kennedy Fuller (Angel City FC; Southlake, Texas; 12/12), Ainsley McCammon (Seattle Reign; Bedford, Texas; 9/1), Jaiden Rodriguez (San Diego Surf; San Diego, Calif.; 5/0), Y-Lan Nguyen (Virginia Development Academy; Fairfax, Va.; 7/1)

Forwards (5): Anna Babcock (Crossfire Premier SC; Sedro-Woolley, Wash.; 3/0), Micayla Johnson (Michigan Hawks, Troy, Mich.; 6/2), Mary Long (Duke; Mission Hills, Kan.; 6/2), Maddie Padelski (Alabama; Nolensville, Tenn.; 6/1), Leena Powell (Tudela FC; Culver City, Calif.; 10/1)

ROSTER NOTES

• With its 2-0 shutout win over Nigeria, the U.S. has strung together three consecutive clean sheets for the first time ever in the FIFA U-17 WWC.
• The U.S. extended its new clean sheet record streak to 277 minutes. The previous record was 184 minutes in 2012.
• Three USA players have played in all 360 minutes of the tournament: midfielder Ainsley McCammon and defenders Trinity Armstrong and Jocelyn Travers.
• Two additional USA players have logged 300+ minutes: midfielders Kennedy Fuller (330) and Kimmi Ascanio (311).
• Five USA players have logged 200+ minutes: goalkeeper Evan O’Steen (270), defenders Kiara Gilmore (270) and Daya King (237), midfielder Melanie Barcenas (269), and forward Mary Long (277).
• Six U.S. players have scored the 10 U-17 WWC goals: forwards Micayla Johnson, Mary Long, and Maddie Padelski, and midfielders Kimmi Ascanio, Melanie Barcenas and Kennedy Fuller.
• Following her penalty kick goal against Nigeria, Kennedy Fuller is tied with Melanie Barcenas for the most goals on the team with three.
• Fuller and Barcenas are also in the hunt for the Golden Boot for most goals in the tournament. They are one goal behind Nigerian midfielder Shakirat Moshood, North Korea attacker Choe Rim Jong and Spain forward Pau Comendador, who each have four goals. Spain’s Celia Segura also has scored three times.
• The USA’s four college players, defender Trinity Armstrong, defender Katie Scott and forwards Maddie Padelski and Mary Long, all entered college early. Amstrong started all 13 games for North Carolina before leaving for the World Cup and played 1065 minutes. Scott has battled some minor injuries early in her freshman season at Penn State and has played in six matches, earning two assists, while Padelski has started 11 of her 13 matches for the Crimson Tide and scored two goals with two assists. Long has played 215 minutes for Duke in nine games off the bench and has scored twice.
• At that tournament, the USA handily won its group, defeating Panama, 13-0, Puerto Rico, 3-1, and Canada, 5-0, before downing Haiti, 7-1, in the semifinal to earn its World Cup berth.
• In the championship game, the USA rolled past host Mexico 4-0, on goals from Maya Townes, Ascanio, Alex Pfeiffer and an own goal.
• Pfeiffer, who missed the World Cup due to an ACL injury suffered with her NWSL club Kansas City Current, scored six times while Ascanio had four goals.
• U.S. head coach Katie Schoepfer named 14 players to the World Cup Team who were part of the USA’s Concacaf championship team and seven players who made late runs to earn a World Cup roster spot, including four players born in 2008 who have seen the majority of their recent WYNT action with the U.S. U-16s.
• The seven players on the World Cup roster who were not a part of the U.S. team at the 2024 Concacaf Women’s U-17 Championship are goalkeeper Evan O’Steen, midfielders Scottie Antonucci and Jaiden Rodriguez and forwards Padelski, Micayla Johnson, Long and Anna Babcock, who can also play in the defense.
• Johnson scored against Brazil in July and Long scored twice against Brazil in July.
• Padelski was an alternate during the pre-tournament training camp in Guatemala ahead of the Concacaf Women’s U-17 Championship.
• The roster features four professional players, goalkeeper Molly Vapensky, who is on the books of the Carolina Ascent in the USL Super League on an amateur contract, four players currently in college and 12 players from nine different youth clubs.
• Six players hail from California and six come from Texas, meaning more than half the roster is from those two states.
• While there are current pros and college players on the World Cup Team, of the 21 players on the roster, 19 represent or represented ECNL clubs, one is from the Girls’ Academy and one is from the NPL.

PROS LEAD THE WAY: For the first time ever, a U.S. roster for the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup features professional players, those being Angel City FC midfielder Kennedy Fuller, San Diego Wave FC midfielders Melanie Barcenas and Kimmi Ascanio and Seattle Reign midfielder Ainsley McCammon. Of the four, Fuller has seen the most NWSL minutes, playing 975 over 19 matches with one goal. Ascanio has played 145 minutes in six matches while Barcenas, who is in her second professional season, has played 446 minutes in 10 matches and scored her first career NWSL goal on Sept. 28 against the Portland Thorns. McCammon made her NWSL debut on Sept. 6 vs. Angel City FC, playing the very end of the match, and earned her first start in her final match before joining the U-17s, playing 63 minutes.

U-17 WYNT VS. KOREA DPR

• The USA has played Korea DPR three times in the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup and is 0W-2L-1D in those games.
• The countries first met in the inaugural FIFA U-17 WWC Final in 2008, a 2-1 North Korea win. In their second meeting in 2012, the two teams drew 1-1 in the final match of group stage play. In their most recent meeting, the U.S. fell 3-0 in the group stage in 2018.
• North Korea is making its 7th appearance in the FIFA U-17 WWC.
• North Korea is a two-time World Cup champion, winning the tournament in 2016 and 2008.
• North Korea qualified for the FIFA U-17 WWC via the AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup.
• North Korea went 3W-0L-0D in the group stage and outscored their opponents 22-0.
• In the knockout stages, North Korea defeated China 1-0 in the semifinals to qualify for the World Cup and downed Japan 1-0 in the finals to win the AFC title.
• At this tournament, North Korea finished atop Group C with a 3W-0L-0D record, defeating Mexico, England and Kenya and outscoring their opponents 11-1.
• Midfielder Choe Rim Jong leads the team in scoring with four goals.
• Forward Choe Il Son helped lead North Korea to the 2024 FIFA-20 Women’s World Cup title, earning the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player.

2024 NORTH KOREA FIFA U-17 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB)

GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Pak Ju Gyong (Naegohyang), 18-Choe Kyong Mi (Amnokgang), 21-Hong Ryu Mi (Sobaesku)

DEFENDERS (6): 2-Choe Chong Gum (April 25), 3-Jopng Pok Young (April 25), 5-Ri Ye Gyong (April 25), 14-Pak Il Sim (Amnokgang), 16-Ri Pom (Naegohyang), 17-Ri Kuk Hyang (Naegohyang)

MIDFIELDERS (6): 7-Jon Il Chong (Amnokgang), 8-So Ryu Gyong (Amnokgang), 11-Choe Rim Jong (Amnokgang), 13-Choe Yon A (Naegohyang), 19-Ro Un Hyang (Naegohyang), 20-An Kyong Yong (April 25)

FORWARDS (6): 4-Son Jo Ye (Sobaeksu), 6-Pak Ok I (Sobaesku), 9-Ri Su Jong (Naegohyang), 10-Ho Kyong (Sobaesku), 12-Kang Ryu Mi (Rimyongsu), 15-Choe Il Son (April 25)