The midfield of the U.S. U17 Women’s National Team features some of the brightest talents of the pool. A few of them have already made the jump up to the U20 WNT group while others have been cornerstone pieces for the U17s since the start of the process. 

With the 2016 U17 Women’s World Cup opener only days away, learn more about the midfielders on the U.S. World Cup roster. 

Read More: U.S. U17 World Cup Roster Announced | Meet the Team:  Part One  | Part Two

Brianna Pinto, Midfielder, CASL

Brianna Pinto is the catalyst of the U.S. U17 Women’s National Team. She is the funnel of the play moving forward as the attacking midfielder. She is also the leader of the group from the attacking line in how and when they pressure the defense. 

The responsibility fell on her youthful shoulders because she understood what the role entailed and she showed up in the right spots in the big occasions. Pinto’s club career has been built around preparing for those moments. 

The midfielder joined Capital Area Soccer League (CASL) three and a half years ago. 

“We always knew Brianna had a great potential to play at the national level,” CASL ECNL Director of the Player Development Sean Nahas told TopDrawerSoccer. “Her technical quality and understanding of the game along with her drive made it very apparent she was destined for this level.”

It’s easy to point to her natural talents, as her father played at North Carolina and that got off to an early start with the sport. Pinto was beating up on the boys at five years old. The early start only takes a player so far. It was an inner drive that pushed the midfielder from good to special.  

“Her drive for excellence pushes her to get better each day,” Nahas said. “Her drive is very unique. Seeing her in the dark working on her fitness while everyone else goes home is something special.” 

Returning from National Team duty, Nahas noticed that she improved in her understanding of her role off the ball. He mentioned that her improvement in that area has made her into a more complete player. 

“She is a very humble kid/player,” Nahas said when asked how the club keeps her challenged. “Having her train up a year and even training with boys at time is the best way to challenge a player like Bri. But her humbleness and willingness to be pushed day in and day out is critical for her success.”

With that mentality, Pinto has helped drive her club team forward as well. 

“She has it inside her to want to get better each and every day and that quality allows us as a staff to hold her accountable while also insuring she is gaining the necessary confidence to continue her career at the national level,” Nahas said. 

 

Jordan Canniff, Midfielder, Richmond United 

Canniff is another one of the players born in 2001 who is playing up two years with this national team. It would be a rarity in any other year, but the 2001 birth year looks to be something extraordinary. 

Canniff was one of the first players from that group to break through. She has made a big impact on the team with her quality on the ball. 

Canniff, from California, Maryland, made the two-hour travel each way for training in 2014 when she joined Richmond United. 

“Her potential was immediate and so positive,” Richmond United Director of ECNL Operations Aaron Brunner told TopDrawerSoccer. “A tremendous capacity to progressively learn and with deliberate thoughtfulness in every phase of the game. Every moment to improve her team, teammates, and herself has so much detailed care. Her top quality is she is a fierce competitor and always has a smile.”

It did not take long for Canniff to make an impression on the Richmond coaches. 

“It was in November of 2014 at the US Soccer Training Center in Richmond,” Brunner said when asked about the moment he realized that Canniff could be a special player. “I was speaking with Ken Krieger, Ali Krieger’s Father, about the 2000/2001 pool during our session. I pointed to Jordan and said ‘see that kid right there, she is the best player I have ever coached in my career so far.’  At that time she wasn’t even in the U15 GNT pool yet and I had only coached her for 3 months but I was able to see the exponential growth of her ability in such a short time. It still took additional 3 months before she was selected by Mark Carr (U15 GNT Head Coach) inviting her into his next camp.”

Carr selected Canniff and then helped push her up to the U17 Women’s National Team. Canniff made enough of an impression in camps that she made the roster for the CONCACAF Championship, the World Cup qualifying event. 

“Move forward one-year after that initial U15 WNT Camp, Mark Carr and I were texting before the U17 CONCACAF semifinal vs. CANADA and we both said almost at the same time, ‘Jordan is going to score,” Brunner said. “BJ Snow started her (14 years old) that match and sure enough, she did score. Now she is going to the U17 Women’s World Cup.”

Despite the success, Canniff has continued to approach her club training in the same manner. 

“She is always about the ‘team first’ with club and country,” Brunner said. “She always wants to improve her game and to help everyone else improve without looking for credit or accolades. She is always present and takes things day by day knowing that everything is a process and takes time.”

Canniff is ahead of schedule in getting to the U17 WNT, but that does not mean she is slowing down. 

“There are standards of excellence that hold the players accountable for all players no matter what phase of development they’re in,” Brunner said. “It is their journey and they are responsible for their development. I try my best to facilitate individual, group and team development to maximize each player’s potential but they players themselves must have the capacity to see how far they can go and if they are willing to put in the work knowing the road may be tough but worth it.”

The journey has definitely been worth it for Canniff so far.

 

Jaelin Howell, Midfielder, Real Colorado 

Like Pinto, Howell comes from a pretty athletic family. Her father John played American Football at the professional level with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks. 

Unlike Pinto, Howell did not dominate the game from the start. 

“She was horrible,” Laura Howell, Jaelin’s mom, told the Coloradoan in 2014. “She was seriously not good.” 

Luckily for Jaelin and the U.S. U17 WNT, her soccer skills definitely improved from her early days on the field. She went from a general disinterest in finding the ball to hunting down the ball like a hawk. 

Her physical traits combined with her intelligence made her obvious choice as a defensive midfielder for the U.S. U17 WNT. She has been with the group since the first camp and been a part of every event since then. Howell’s dedication and commitment to the group has helped the coaching staff build the system of play around her.

With the full national team struggling to find a defensive midfielder, Howell is shaping up to be a long-term prospect within the U.S. Soccer system. Howell has been exceptional along the way and is a major reason why this team has never faced defeat in competitive play. 

Her club journey with Real Colorado began in 2013. After playing for Arsenal Colorado, she made the jump to the ECNL club when she was 13 years old. 

“As a staff, we realized that [Sophia Smith and Jaelin Howell] both had the pedigree to reach the next level,” Real Colorado Executive Director of Coaching Lorne Donaldson told TopDrawerSoccer. “To be honest, we know what national team players are made of and they fit the bill because they are willing to work.”

Howell travels over three hours round trip for training with Real Colorado, which reveals her level of commitment as well as the belief her family had in the Real Colorado coaches. 

“Since they joined the national team, they are mentally tougher and will push themselves to the maximum in training,” Donaldson said about Howell and her club teammates Smith.

Howell’s hunger for more soccer has only helped her game progress in recent years. She has trained with the boys teams at the club as well as worked with coach Rivers Guthrie to advance her technical abilities. 

Howell, the glue of the U17s, continues to improve with her extra work, which has her in a position to have a big impact at the 2016 U17 World Cup.

 

Sydney Zandi, Midfielder, Penn Fusion

Sydney Zandi had an early start at Penn Fusion and it set her down the path toward greatness. 

“Sydney joined our club at the age of five and started in our U6 recreation league,” Penn Fusion Girls Assists Director of Coaching Craig Scangarella told TopDrawerSoccer.  “She has played for our program ever since. She grew up in a soccer crazy family: her mom, her dad, her sister, and her brother all played/play at a very high level.” 

The pedigree was there for a special player and Sydney took advantage of the gifts that her family provided and added to that with the guidance that she received from her club coaches. 

For her club coaches, it was obvious fairly early on that she had the attributes of a player with a very bright future in the game. 

“Her technical ability and soccer IQ always stood out,” Scangarella said.  “When Sydney was 13/14 her game began to sky rocket. Her ability to dominate players 1v1 on the dribble and her change of pace with the ball was incredible for her age. Remembering back to top level events and games, she always made a big impact in games, even as a late bloomer physically. The better the competition, the better Syd performed. You could tell there was something special.”

Zandi made the U17 WNT for the first time at the August camp of 2014. She has been with the team fairly consistently since then. 

“Since her start with the Youth National Team Program, her training habits have improved for the better and she opened herself up to playing different positions,” Scangarella said. “Versatility is a big strength of Syd. Her drive and motivation has always been there, but now it burns deeper.  She owns her development and always works on her game outside of our training environment.”

Penn Fusion has challenged Zandi by having her play up an age group as well as train with the elite boys program. She also made her debut with the WPSL team over the summer. 

This year has already been a busy one for Zandi, but she is looking to put the cherry on top with a memorable World Cup in Jordan.