The U.S. U20 Women’s National Team won the 2020 Concacaf U20 Championship in dominant fashion in early March, the sixth title for USSF in the history of the event and the first since 2015. USA put together a run to the championship unlike any team in the history of the event. With 44 goals for and only one conceded, it was clear that USA was a class above the competition at the 2020 Concacaf Championship.   

Two players who really stood out from the action were Mia Fishel, the Golden Ball winner of the tournament, and Brianna Pinto, the outstanding midfielder who dominated most games. Fishel led USA with 13 goals at the tournament. Pinto finished with nine goals. 

Another star from the tournament was new U20 head coach Laura Harvey. The former Utah Royals FC (NWSL) coach brought a new energy to the sideline for U.S. Soccer. She was on the edge of her technical box for all 90 minutes of every game. On and off the pitch, Harvey’s style really resonated with the players. 

“I just really liked [Laura Harvey’s] approach,” Pinto told TopDrawerSoccer in a telephone interview last week when asked about Harvey. “She took a humble perspective where she introduced herself as the new person in our room. Some of us have been playing together on and off for the last year or so - with camps with Mark (Carr) in the past. She used the first couple of days of our January camp to see how our Youth (National Team) system works, to see how we interact with the support staff. Once she got comfortable and had a chance to speak with the assistant coaches, they made their plan really detailed because they wanted everyone on the same page.”

Fishel echoed the endorsement for Harvey. She cited how clear the message was from the coach even though they only had one camp to get to know each other before the Concacaf Championship.