In as well-rounded an effort as the U.S. has put together in quite some time, the U17s took down Canada 5-0 behind five different goal-scorers. It sets the stage for a semi-final matchup versus Haiti to decide who qualifies for the U17 World Cup. 

The first goal came nine minutes into the game as Melanie Barcenas connected on a 1-2 with Kennedy Fuller before blasting a long-range beauty past the Canadian keeper. Those two have arguably been the best players all tournament, so it was only fitting that they open the scoring. 

Melanie Barcenas sets the tone with the opening goal in @USYNT's 5-0 victory over Canada 🇺🇸⭐ pic.twitter.com/fw4m0Np9Tn

— Concacaf W (@ConcacafW) February 6, 2024

The remainder of the half continued to see the U.S. dominate, but bad luck saw the team hit the crossbar on three occasions as the score remained 1-0. Without the country’s best-attacking threat, Annabelle Chukwu, in the starting XI, the Canadians struggled to create much as their only shot all game came on an off-target attempt in the first half. 

Much like the opening 45, the second half started with more American chances, with Alexandra Pfeiffer making the score 2-0 in the 51st after a well-oiled pressing trap resulted in Leena Powell winning the ball in the final third and firing a pinpoint pass across the six-yard box. 

Those two reconnected in the 57th minute, with Pfeiffer returning the favor with a cross that found Powell at the back post for her first of the tournament. And before Canada could regain its bearings, Kennedy Fuller made it 4-0 as the goalkeeper spilled a Katie Scott cross into her path for an easy tap-in just two minutes later. 

Y-Lan Nguyen would round out the scoring in the 73rd as she was in the right place at the right time to pick up an Ainsley McCammon pass initially intended for Kimmi Ascanio. The other note-worthy moment of the game was the goalkeeping substitution of Wicki Dunlap for Molly Vapensky with six minutes remaining, meaning every player who made the trip has now appeared. 

As a reward for winning Group A, the U.S. will face Haiti in the Semi-finals on Friday, with the winner moving on to the championship and the U17 World Cup. The challenge will be defending the talented Lourdjina Etienne, who has been on fire all tournament with six goals.

U.S. Lineup: Molly Vapensky (Wicki Dunlap); Jordyn Hardeman, Kiara Gilmore, Daya King; Katie Scott, Melanie Barcenas (Y-Lan Nguyen), Kennedy Fuller (Riley Cross), Ainsley McCammon; Rylee McLanahan (Leena Powell), Mya Townes (Carrie Helfrich), Alexandra Pfeiffer (Kimmi Ascanio)

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