U.S. Under-19 Women's National Team Scores Two Late Goals to Defeat Czechia, 2-0 in Portugal
Rylee McLanahan Scores in 87th Minute and Sealey Strawn Clinches Game in the 90th
SÃO JOÃO DA MADEIRA, Portugal (Feb. 27, 2026) – The U.S. Under-19 Women’s National Team showed why games are 90 minutes long, scoring twice in the last four minutes to defeat the Czechia U-19 WNT in the first of three friendly matches in Portugal.
The USA will next take on Wales on March 2 before finishing against host Portugal on March 6. These are the first international matches of 2026 for this group of players, 15 of whom were born in 2007 and five who were born in 2008.
The USA limited Czechia to just two total shots and one on goal but could not find the net until three minutes remained in regulation. Forward Rylee McLanahan, a rare USYNT player from Oklahoma who attends DukeUniversity, collected the ball in a crowd of Czechia players trying to clear and unleashed a shot that snuck through the defense and rolled into net in the 87th minute.
The exclamation point came from a combination of two USL Super League players as Sporting Jax forward Ashlyn Puerta send a beautiful through ball the Dallas Trinity’s Sealey Strawn, who skipped past the back line and fired a powerful shot past the goalkeeper in the 90th. Puerta has 11 goals scored in 15 matches to lead the league in scoring.
Players born on or after Jan. 1, 2006, are age-eligible for next year’s 2026 FIFA Women’s U-20 World Cup in Poland, meaning all 20 players in camp are training and playing for a shot at that tournament.
These matches are part of the Federation’s continued focus on the U.S. Way philosophy, which emphasizes increased programming for Youth National Teams to create more opportunities for young players to advance through the pathway to the senior National Team with the goal of representing their country at a world championship.
--U.S. Under-19 Women's National Team Match Report--
Match: U.S. U-19 Women’s National Team vs. Czechia U-19 Women’s National Team
Date: February 27, 2026
Competition: International Friendly
Venue: Estadio Conde Dias Garcia Stadium; São João da Madeira, Portugal
Weather: Rainy, 52 degrees
| Scoring Summary | 1 | 2 | F |
| USA | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| CZE | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| USA – Rylee McLanahan | 87th minute |
| USA – Sealey Strawn (Ashlyn Puerta) | 90 |
Lineups:
USA: 12-Daphne Nakfoor; 13-Madeline Herniter, 3-Jocelyn Travers (2-Isabelle Devey, 46), 15-Edra Bello, 5-Pearl Cecil (4-Ella Bard, 63); 16-Riley Cross (6-Nyanya Touray, 69), 17-Sariyah Bailey (7-Micayla Johnson, 63), 18-Keira Kemmerley (8-Kennedy Ring, 63); 9-Lauren Malsom (19-Rylee McLanahan, 46), 20-Mya Townes (Capt.) (10-Ashlyn Puerta, 63), 14-Avery Oder (11-Sealey Strawn, 63)
Subs not used: 1-Evan O’Steen
Head Coach: Carrie Kveton
CZE: 16-Nikola Harantova: 3-Kiara Danickova, 4-Zuzana Vavrlova, 7-Stella Balazsova (2-Bianca Patik, 63), 10-Lucie Kroupova, 13-Tereza Vesela (6-Natalie Rupcova, 72), 15-Karolina Krupnikova, 17-Natalie Bohacova (9-Adela Trachtova, 63), 18-Denisa Rancova, 19-Nikola Sotova, 20-Natalie Navratilova (14-Ellen Eiseltova, 46)
Subs not used: 1-Gabriela Sobotkova, 5-Karolina Vytiskova, 8-Nicol Podlesna, 11- Viktorie Bechynova, 12-Nikola Lesakova
Head Coach: Daniel Smejkal
Stats Summary: USA / CZE
Shots: 7 / 2
Shots on Goal: 6 / 1
Saves: 1 / 3
Corner Kicks: 6 / 1
Fouls: 9 / 9
Offside: 4 / 0
| Misconduct Summary | |
| CZE – N/A (Caution) | 34th minute |
Officials:
N/A