When youth national teams bring in local opposition for friendly scrimmages there is always one clear cut advantage they hold over their opposition.

It’s called depth.

On Tuesday, playing against a strong U17 Real So Cal group, the U.S. U15 GNT camp squad exploited their edge to a tune of a 2-0 victory at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA.

Seriously though, when you’re facing a team where players like dangerous striker Jasmine Paterson and midfielder Sandra Yu are the subs, you know you’re in for an uphill battle.

And although the score in these events is generally the least significant barometer, the U.S. team’s two-goal second-half did speak to how they overpowered an overmatched So Cal team late in the match.

Starting for the national team were: forwards Brittany Ratcliffe and Reilly Parker; midfielders Kelli Hubly, Morgan Andrews, Isabel Farrell and Lindsey Horan; defenders Lauren Bernard, Katie Naughton, Ashley Spivey and Rachel Price, and McKenzie Karas in goal. 

Real initiated a lot of the early action and tested the U.S. back four a little. Among the real standouts in the back were Spivey, who played aggressively in cutting off lanes and played some good balls on the attacking side. Price patrolled the center with her speed, which helps her play out of the back with ease. Her probing helped set up a good early shot for Ratcliffe. 

Keeper Karas was particularly good on set pieces and she came off her line to break up more than one potentially dangerous play.

On the other side of the ball, one never tires of watching Parker with the ball. She blazed the left wing with her unrelenting speed but couldn’t combine for any real chances with her teammates. For the U.S., the first half was mostly marked by strong defending and individual runs – Farrell made a few good ones in the center midfield but not a lot of sustained offense.

That would change quickly as the second half unit came in led by the likes of Paterson, Yu, Haley Washburn and Gabrielle Galante in the attacking midfield, along with Courtney Raetzman, Ashley Meier and Sandra Yu in the midfield as well. 

Laura Liedle was in the back with Melissa Bomberger and Stephanie Amack.

The final session saw the national squad create opportunities around the goal. Galante got the team on the board when she tried to play a through ball and had the pass ricochet back to her off of an out of position defender before taking it in and finishing inside the box.

Meier set up the second goal and has established herself as one of the most powerful strikers of the ball in the camp. She fired a bullet through the cold night air from 30 yards away that hit the crossbar and forced the So Cal keeper to leap for a play leaving her vulnerable for an easy follow from Paterson.  

Paterson figured prominently in the half. She was very active up front and unleashed a couple good left-footed shots on goal. 

Raetzman had a nice run and attempt that was saved as the U.S. group dominated the possession for the half. 

Of course, there’s a much bigger picture for head coach Mike Dickey and the staff as they prepare this group for a possible stint in next year’s FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in Trinidad and Tobago.

“They’re getting a lot of information,” Dickey said. “The hard part is that we don’t have them on a consistent basis – (this is just our third meeting this year). You don’t know what training is like when they’re away so you try to make the most of this time.”

GOALKEEPERS (3): Sarah Cox (Slammers; Newport Beach, Calif.), McKenzie Karas (Premier ’95 Black; Las Vegas, Nev.), Katelyn Rowland (San Juan Soccer; Vacaville, Calif.)  

DEFENDERS (5): Stephanie Amack (Mustang Black; Pleasanton, Calif.), Melissa Bomberger (Ohio Premier; Dublin, Ohio), Laura Liedle (San Diego Surf; San Diego, Calif.), Katie Naughton (Sockers FC; Arlington Heights, Ill.), Rachel Price (Space Coast United; Melbourne, Fla.)  

MIDFIELDERS (11): Morgan Andrews (FC Stars of Mass.; Milford, Mass.), Caroline Coyer (Chantilly Burn; Oak Hill, Va.), Isabel Farrell (Crossfire; Bellevue, Wash.), Mariana Galvan (SC Sporting; San Jose, Calif.), Lindsey Horan (Colorado Rush; Golden, Colo.), Kelli Hubly (Sockers FC; Elk Grove, Ill.), Ashley Meier (Cleveland Whitecaps; Strongsville, Ohio), Reilly Parker (Mustang Blast; Danville, Calif.), Courtney Raetzman (Sockers FC; Elk Grove, Ill.), Haley Washburn (San Juan Spirits; Folsom, Calif.), Sandra Yu (Cleveland Futbol; Strongsville, Ohio)  

FORWARDS (5): Lauren Bernard (Nordic SC; Colchester, Vt.), Gabrielle Galante (Montclair Thunderbolts; Howell, N.J.), Jasmine Paterson (Kendall Soccer Coalition; Key Largo, Fla.), Brittany Ratcliffe (FC Pennsylvania Strikers; Williamstown, N.J.), Ashley Spivey (Baltimore Soccer Bays; Baltimore, Md.)