Jaedyn Shaw had a memorable pro debut last month. (Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports)
The U.S. Under-20 women’s youth national team opens the U-20 Women’s World Cup on Thursday – the second match day of the tournament – against Ghana at Estadio Morera Soto in Alajuela, Costa Rica (1 p.m. ET; FS2).
It will be the USA’s first youth World Cup match in almost exactly four years since the 2-2 draw with Spain on Aug. 13, 2018, which ended group play at the 2018 U-20 Women’s World Cup in France. After the 2020 FIFA U-20 World Cup was cancelled due to the global pandemic, the U.S. U-20s return to the world stage in a difficult Group D that also includes Netherlands and Japan.
The Americans will face the Dutch for the first time in a U-20 World Cup on Sunday, Aug. 14 at Estadio Nacional in San José (7 p.m. ET; FS1) and finish the group stage against Japan on Wednesday, Aug. 17 at Estadio Morera Soto (7 p.m. ET; FS2)
USA Schedule – Group D
| Date | Match | Kickoff (ET) | Venue; City | Broadcast |
| Aug. 11 | USA vs. Ghana | 1 p.m. | Estadio Morera Soto; Alajuela, Costa Rica | FS2 |
| Aug. 14 | USA vs. Netherlands | 7 p.m. | Estadio Nacional; San José, Costa Rica | FS1 |
| Aug. 17 | USA vs. Japan | 7 p.m. | Estadio Morera Soto; Alajuela, Costa Rica | FS2 |
Two of the USA’s group stage matches will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 2 with one on Fox Sports 1. Each of the 32 matches of the tournament will be broadcast on either Fox Soccer Plus (8 matches), FS1 (10 matches) or FS2 (14 matches) and will be available online at Foxsports.com and the Fox Sports App with corresponding authentication. All the knockout stage matches will be shown on either FS1 (5 matches, including both semifinals and the championship game) or FS2 (3 matches). All 32 games will be streamed live on FIFA+.
Head coach Tracey Kevins named a 21-player roster. The USA roster is composed of 18 players currently in college or enrolling this fall, one youth club player and two professional players, the most professionals ever for a U.S. team at a FIFA youth Women’s World Cup. Players born on or after Jan. 1, 2002, are age-eligible for the World Cup, and the USA roster features eight players born in 2002, eight born in 2003, four born in 2004 and one in 2005. Sixteen of the 20 players who helped the USA roll to a 7-0-0 record and 49-0 goal differential at the Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship made the World Cup roster.
Forward Jaedyn Shaw made history by signing with the San Diego Wave in the NWSL at the age of 17, then made even more headlines in her pro debut on July 30, scoring in her first game and first start against the Chicago Red Stars. The goal turned out to be the game-winner in the Wave’s 1-0 victory and she got on a plane the next day to join the U.S. U-20 WYNT for its pre-World Cup training camp in Houston, Texas.
U.S. roster
GOALKEEPERS (3): Mia Justus (Florida State; Lakewood, Ohio; 6), Neeku Purcell (UCLA; Seattle, Wash.; 6), Teagan Wy (California; Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.; 2)
DEFENDERS (6): Lauren Flynn (Florida State; Arlington, Va.; 8/0), Samar Guidry (Virginia; McKinney, Texas; 10/0) Emily Mason (Rutgers; Flemington, N.J.; 15/3), Ayo Oke (California; Lawrenceville, Ga.; 9/0), Lilly Reale (UCLA; Hingham, Mass.; 7/1), Laney Rouse (Virginia; Cary, N.C.; 7/0)
MIDFIELDERS (5): Korbin Albert (Notre Dame; Grayslake, Ill.; 4/1), Talia DellaPeruta (UNC; Cumming, Ga.; 19/5), Carina Lageyre (Duke; Cooper City, Fla.; 4/0), Sally Menti (Santa Clara; Seattle, Wash.; 7/1), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns FC; Wilsonville, Ore.; 7/2)
FORWARDS (7): Trinity Byars (Texas; Richardson, Texas; 9/3); Michelle Cooper (Duke; Clarkston, Mich.; 7/8); Simone Jackson (USC; Redondo Beach, Calif.; 9/7), Andrea Kitahata (Stanford; Hillsborough, Calif.; 6/7), Ally Sentnor (UNC; Hanson, Mass.; 2/0), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave FC; Frisco, Texas; 4/3), Alyssa Thompson (Total Futbol Academy; Studio City, Calif.; 5/3)
