U.S. Under-17 Women’s National Team Will Travel To Spain To Participate In Mima Cup

ATLANTA (Jan. 29, 2026) – The U.S. Under-17 Women’s National Team will travel to San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain to participate in the sixth edition of the MIMA Cup, an eight-team competition featuring strong U-17 WNTs across the brackets.

U.S. U-17 WNT head coach Ciara Crinion has named 20 players for the tournament which will run from Feb. 9-14. The format will see each team play a first-round match with the four winners advancing to the Gold Medal Path and the losers going through the Consolation Path. There will be semifinals in each path with the winners of the Gold Medal Path Semifinals playing for the tournament title while the losers will play for third place. The winners of the Consolation Path semifinals will meet for fifth place, and the losers will play for seventh place.

All the matches will be played at the 3,000-seat Pinatar Arena in San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain. The USA is the top seed in the tournament based on the FIFA Women’s World Ranking of the senior WNT.

In Path A, the USA will play its first-round match against the Wales on Feb. 9 (2:30 p.m. ET) while Scotland takes on Morocco. In Path B, Poland will face Norway and Mexico will take on England.

Each team may make as many substitutions as they’d like, but each team may only have three substitution opportunities, not counting halftime. If any match ends in a draw, the match will go directly to a penalty shootout to determine the winner.

Eighteen of the 20 players named to the roster by Crinion were born in 2009, which is the age cut-off year for players to participate in the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. The roster features one player born in 2010, defender Gigi Zuniga, and one born in 2011 in midfielder Loradana Paletta.

Eight players on the roster for the Spain trip helped the USA win the 2024 Concacaf Girls’ U-15 Championship: forwards Maddie DiMaria, Amari Manning and Deus Stanislaus, midfielders Mia Corona, Elena Vera and Paletta, defender Taylor Morrell and goalkeeper Ella McNeal. That team was coached by Crinion.

The players come from 14 different youth clubs (and one college in Deus Stanislaus, who has enrolled at UNC) with three from St. Louis Scott Gallagher and two from Eclipse Select out of Chiago. There are five players on the roster from California.

The U.S. U-17 WNT has played two international matches so far this year, both also in Spain, tying Germany 2-2 and beating Denmark, 3-0. Stanislaus and Manning scored against Germany while Sophia Ahrens, Paletta and Stanislaus were the goal scorers against Denmark.

The trip to this tournament is 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. U-17 WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM (Club; Hometown) 

International Training Camp – MIMA Cup

Goalkeepers (2): Alexis Fischer (Eclipse Select SC; Chicago, Ill.), Ella McNeal (St. Louis Scott Gallagher; Manchester, Mo.)

Defenders (6): Sophia Ahrens (St. Louis Scott Gallagher; Fenton, Mo.), Kendra Hansen (Pateadores SC; Tustin, Calif.), Madeline Maves (Crossfire Premier SC; Seattle, Wash.), Venina Moodie (De Anza Force SC; Oakland, Calif.), Anaiah Williams (Eclipse Select SC; Glendale Heights, Ill.), Gigi Zuniga (Mountain View Los Altos SC; Watsonville, Calif.)

Midfielders (6): Mia Corona (Legends FC; Cypress, Calif.), Jordyn Heathcock (FC Dallas; Edmond, Okla.), Lilah Helwig (FC DELCO; Frackville, Pa.), Taylor Morrell (Virginia Development Academy; Leesburg, Va.), Loradana Paletta (New York City FC; Syosset, N.Y.), Elena Vera (Bay Area Surf ASC; Fairfield, Calif.)

Forwards (6): Giselle Aguilar (Solar SC; Cleburne, Texas), Maddie DiMaria (St. Louis Scott Gallagher; Fenton, Mo.), Gianna Hanf (Match Fit Academy; Chesterfield, N.J.), Alexia Hansen (FC Prime; West Palm Beach, Fla.), Amari Manning (Players Development Academy; Flemington, N.J.), Deus Stanislaus (UNC; Fort Washington, Pa.)

6th MIMA Cup Match Schedule:

Match Day 1 - Monday, February 9:

A1: Scotland vs. Morocco 

A2: Wales vs. USA

B1: Poland vs. Norway

B2: Mexico vs. England

Match Day 2 – Thursday, Feb. 12 - Semifinals:

A3: Winner A2 vs. Winner A1 (Gold Medal Path Semifinal)

A4: Runner-Up A2 vs. Runner-Up A1 (Consolation Path Semifinal)

B3: Winner B2 vs. Winner B1 (Gold Medal Path Semifinal)

B4: Runner-Up B2 vs. Runner-Up B1 (Consolation Path Semifinal)

Match Day 3 – Saturday, Feb. 14 - Finals:

F1: Winner A3 vs. Winner B3 (Final)

F2: Winner A4 vs. Winner B4 (5th Place Match)

F3: Runner-Up A3 vs. Runner-Up B3 (3rd Place Match)

F4: Runner-Up A4 vs. Runner-Up B4 (7th Place Match)