U.S. Under-20 Women Will Travel to Cyprus for Tournament Against Full Women's National Teams
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.
Feb. 25, 2008
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
