The U.S. U20 Women’s National Team finished the 2016 NTC Invitational with an 0-2-1 record. The USA was the only team of the four in the tournament to fail to score over the course of the three games. Two hundred and seventy minutes of scoreless soccer is not how the USA wanted to enter the World Cup, which kicks off in Papua New Guinea on Nov. 13.
Prior to the international tournament in Southern California, the USA looked like the favorite of the group of four. Michelle French’s side brought in a strong roster that included U.S. Olympian Mallory Pugh. The teenager played 45 minutes over the course of three games as she slowly eased back into game fitness following an ankle injury with the full women’s national team.
Despite Pugh’s limited availability, the USA still felt like the heavyweight of the event, which made the struggles in Carson even more jarring. The USA’s losses at the NTC Invitational came against Brazil, a fellow World Cup qualifier, and England, which failed to qualify for the World Cup. The USA played to a scoreless draw against South Korea, which also qualified for the World Cup, on the opening day of the event. The winless record took some of the shine away from a group that won the CONCACAF Championship in 2015 and looked to be ready to contend at the marquee event.
Now, the USA has two months to rearrange and regroup in hopes of erasing the NTC performance and usurping expectations in Papua New Guinea. The game against Brazil was an excellent showcase into the areas where the USA needs to improve against the competition they will face at the World Cup.
