The first major international soccer event for U.S. Soccer kicks off on Friday with the Concacaf U20 Championship. After two years without youth international competition, the first tournament back in the spotlight is an exciting prospect for the Federation and the fans. 

Tracey Kevins leads the way for the U.S. group, which is composed of players born after January 1, 2002. Kevins elected to take a younger roster to this event, which includes one player born in 2005 (Olivia Moultrie) and a player born in 2004 (Alyssa Thompson). 

USA kicks off the competition on Friday, February 25 against Nicaragua from Dominican Republic. The competition wraps up on March 12 with the championship game. The two finalists plus the winner of the third place game qualify for the 2022 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup, which is scheduled for August. 

Competition 

USA was placed in Group E with hosts Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Nicaragua. On paper, USA is the heavy favorite to advance from the group but these youth events are always full of surprises. 

The opener against Nicaragua could be an early hurdle for this team. Nicaragua played USA close (2-0 result) during the 2018 edition of the event. Elna Dixon is still in charge of the program and previously showed how to keep the game competitive against the powerhouse program of the region. 

Puerto Rico features some familiar names to the college and club game. Georgia State trio Ana Diaz, Brooke Hart, and Alondra Nieves are all part of the roster for this tournament. NC Courage’s Iliana Pardo is also part of the team. Pardo is an Elon commit for the 2023 class. The defender was an All-Conference selection in the ECNL during the 2021-2022 campaign. Jess Torres, a Creighton commit for 2022, is one of the standouts among the midfielders on the roster. Bryana Pizarro (Oregon State), Indigo Sims (DKSC), Marilia Nieves-Melchor (Charlotte SA) are also on the Puerto Rico roster among the familiar faces from the U.S.-based leagues. Nieves-Melchor, born in 2006, is one of the younger players in this group. She is club teammates with U.S. U17 Women’s National Team star Taylor Suarez. 

Dominican Republic, the host for the event, round out the group. The home team is counting on five returning players from the last U20 regional championship to lead the squad during this tournament. Monmouth’s Jazlyn Oviedo is one of those players. Oviedo has played for the full women’s national team four times with one goal to her credit. 

“I think the United States is the most difficult team because they are very technical and fast,” Oviedo told the Dominican Republic National Team website earlier this week. “But we are going to fight and give everything to do well.”

Jazlyn Oviedo’s older sister Alyssa has been on a hot streak with the full women’s national team and one of the top scorers recently. Dominican Republic fans are hoping that luck in front of goal carries over to the Jazlyn during this tournament. 

Twelve of the players on the Dominican Republic roster play either club or college soccer in the United States. FC Prime is home to three of the players: Paloma Peña, Isabella Ventura, and Jazmin Herrera. Ariana Diaz (East Meadow SC), Angelina Vargas (PDA), and Odaliana Gomez (Match Fit) also still play at the club level. 

Nadia Colon (UTRVG), Gabriella Marte (Hofstra), Alexa Pacheco (Golden Beacom), Emely Pichardo (Barton), Liliane Clase (Angelina College), and Oviedo (Monmouth) play at the college level. Dominican Republic began training as a team on Monday. 

The top three teams from each group advance to the Round of 16. The rest of the competition is single-game elimination in order to determine the winner. There is less pressure on the opening group stage with three of the four teams advancing to the next stage of the competition. 

USA Schedule 

Feb. 25 USA vs Nicaragua, 3 pm (ET)

Feb. 27, USA vs. Puerto Rico, 3 pm (ET)

March 1, USA vs Dominican Republic, 6 pm (ET) 

USA Players to Watch

Olivia Moultrie is probably the name under the brightest light heading into this event. She is the youngest player on the roster, and arguably the most famous. Moultrie spent the past few years trying to break down a wall so she could start her professional career. She is going to be one of the leaders of the midfield for this group. 

There are plenty of other standouts to keep an eye with this group. Last week, we broke down the roster and discussed some of the strengths and weaknesses of this group. 

Check back on TDS throughout the event for recaps from the games as USA attempts to defend the title at the 2022 U20 Concacaf Championship.