U.S. U-20 WNT Prepares for Cuba in Second Match of CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Championship

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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STARTING STRONG: The U.S. U-20 Women’s National Team started off the 2012 CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Championship on a high note defeating Guatemala 6-0 in the team’s first Group B match. Forward Lindsey Horan scored a hat trick in the group opener, with Julie Johnston, Katie Stengel and Cari Roccaro adding one goal apiece. The U.S. next faces Cuba on Sunday, March 3, at 5 p.m. ET. 

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION 
GOALKEEPERS (2): 1-Bryane Heaberlin (North Carolina; St. Petersburg, Fla.), 12-Abby Smith (Dallas Texans; Dallas, Texas)

DEFENDERS (6): 19-Stephanie Amack (Mustang Blast; Pleasanton, Calif.), 17-Olivia Brannon (Virginia; Troy, Mich.), 4-Crystal Dunn (North Carolina; Rockville Centre, N.Y.), 5-Kassey Kallman (Florida State; Woodbury, Minn.), 2-Mollie Pathman (Duke; Durham, N.C.), 3-Cari Roccaro (Albertson Fury; East Islip, N.Y.)

MIDFIELDERS (6): 6-Morgan Brian (Virginia; St. Simons Island, Ga.), 12-Vanessa DiBernardo (Illinois; Naperville, Ill.), 8-Julie Johnston (Santa Clara; Mesa, Ariz.), 16-Sarah Killion (UCLA; Fort Wayne, Ind.), 10-Mandy Laddish (Notre Dame; Lee’s Summit, Mo.), 15-Samantha Mewis (UCLA; Hanson, Mass.)

FORWARDS (6): 13-Micaela Capelle (Portland; Gresham, Ore.), 20-Maya Hayes (Penn State; West Orange, N.J.), 11-Lindsey Horan (Colorado Rush; Golden, Colo.), 7-Kealia Ohai (North Carolina; Draper, Utah), 14-Katie Stengel (Wake Forest; Melbourne, Fla.), 9-Chioma Ubogagu (Stanford; Coppell, Texas) 

GROUP B STANDINGS 
Team GP W L  T  GF GA GD Pts. 
USA  1    1  0   0   6    0   +6   3 
PAN  1   1   0  0    2    1   +1  3 
CUB  1   0   1  0   1    2    -1  0 
GUA  1   0  1   0   0    6    -6  0 

GROUP B RESULTS 
March 2 
United States 6, Guatemala 0 
Panama 2, Cuba 1 

March 4 
United States vs. Cuba 
Panama vs. Guatemala 

March 6 
Guatemala vs. Cuba 
Panama vs. United States 

ROSTER NOTES 

Crystal Dunn, Maya Hayes and Samantha Mewis are the three carryovers from the 2010 CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Championship. 
Dunn, Hayes and Mewis also played together at the 2008 CONCACAF U-17 Women’s Championship in Trinidad & Tobago, along with Morgan Brian.

Five players represented the U.S. at the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup: Bryane Heaberlin, Dunn, Hayes, Mewis and Mollie Pathman.

The majority of the players were born in 1992, with four players born in 1993 (Olivia Brannon, Brian, Heaberlin and Abby Smith) and three born in 1994 (Stephanie Amack, Lindsey Horan and Cari Roccaro).

Four of the players are still in high school while the other 16 are in college.

Two players on the roster have been named Gatorade National Girls’ Soccer Player of the Year: Pathman in 2009-10 and Brian in 2010-11.

Hayes scored 31 goals for Penn State this season, garnering the Big Ten Forward of the Year award and being named a Hermann Trophy finalist. 

USA VS. CUBA SERIES 

The U.S. has only played Cuba at the Women’s U-20 level once in CONCACAF qualifying, a 9-0 victory on June 20, 2008.

U.S. Women’s National Team defender Kelly O’Hara, a forward during the 2008 CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Championship, scored a hat trick in that game.

The other goal scorers from that match were current U.S. WNT forward Alex Morgan, Nikki Washington (2), Michelle Enyeart (2) and Becky Edwards. 

CRYSTAL DUNN TAKES ON A LEADERSHIP ROLE: U.S. U-20 WNT defender Crystal Dunn is one three players in her second CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Championship cycle. Unlike the previous tournament, as well as the U-17 qualifying tournament before that, Dunn is now one of the older and more experienced players. She took time to speak with ussoccer.com about her role as a leader on the team, leaving home for college and embracing the chance to play in another Women’s World Cup. 

CONTINUING THE JOURNEY: Six members of the current U.S. U-20 WNT were part of the U.S. U-17 WNT that did not qualify for the 2010 FIFA U-17 World Cup. Three members of that squad, Morgan Brian, Bryane Heaberlin and Lindsey Horan, reflect on that tournament and what the experience taught them heading into the 2012 CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Championship. 

BY THE NUMBERS: 

2     Times the U.S. has won the CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Championship (2006, 2010) 
3     Goals scored by Lindsey Horan against Guatemala 
4     Different goal scorers in the first Group B match: Horan, Julie Johnston, Katie Stengel, Cari Roccaro 
3     Players looking for their third youth World Cup: Crystal Dunn, Maya Hayes and Samantha Mewis 
3     Regional berths to the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 
5     Players who were on the roster for the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 
8     Players who have been on a U-17 or U-20 roster for a youth FIFA Women’s World Cup 
13   Players born in 1992 

IN FOCUS: CUBA 
ASOCIACIÓN DE FÚTBOL DE CUBA (CUB) 
Founded: 1924 (Joined FIFA in 1929) 
Head Coach: Jose Luis Elejalde 
Best FIFA World Cup Finish: None 
Best CONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: First Round, 2008 
Top Scorer: Rachel Pelaez (7) 
Key Players: M Rachel Pelaez, F Yoana Calderon, D Indira Manzano 

CUBA UPDATE 

Cuba qualified for the CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Championship for the third straight event, also qualifying in 2010 and 2008.

Facing the hosts in their group opener, Cuba fell 2-1 to Panama on March 1.

Pelaez was on the bench for Cuba team that fell 9-0 to the U.S. in 2008 but not play in the match. 

CUBA ROSTER BY POSITION 
GOALKEEPERS (2): 1-Dainelis Moreno, 12-Maysu Leon 
DEFENDERS (6): 15-Odette Bayeaux, 3-Indira Manzano, 5-Yarisleidy Mena, 6-Esmeralda Marcos, 17-Regla de la Caridad Ponce, 4-Milagro Ramirez 
MIDFIELDERS (5): 2-Tayde Bacallao, 16-Roxana Galan, 7-Solayne Gutierrez, 11-Rachel Pelaez, 9-Maria Perez 
FORWARDS (3): 18-Yoana Calderon, 14-Maidoni Goitizolo, 8-Yanet Tamayo 

CUBA ROSTER NOTES 

Midfielder Rachel Pelaez leads the team with once goal at the 2012 CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Championship and six during Caribbean qualifying.

Three players on the roster have senior team experience as Indira Manzano, Pelaez and Maria Isabel Perez all played in CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying in Vancouver in January. 

LAST TIME 
On the field for USA: 
March 2, 2012 – Estadio Rommel Fernandez – Panama City; Panama – 2012 CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Championship – Group B 
USA 6 Horan 12, 46, 74, Johnston 29, Stengel 54, Roccaro 74 
Guatemala 0 

USA: 1-Bryane Heaberlin; 4-Crystal Dunn, 3-Cari Roccaro, 5-Kassey Kallman, 2-Mollie Pathman (capt.); 15-Samantha Mewis, 6-Morgan Brian (12-Vanessa DiBernardo, 68), 8-Julie Johnston; 11-Lindsey Horan, 14-Katie Stengel (9-Chioma Ubogagu, 57), 7-Kealia Ohai (20-Maya Hayes, 46) 
Subs not used: 18-Abby Smith, 17- Olivia Brannon, 10-Mandy Laddish, 13-Micaela Capelle 
Head coach: Steve Swanson 

GUA: 12-Stephanie Castellon; 2-Hayme Bucaro, 3-Marilyn Rivera (capt.), 5-Waleska Barrios-Castañeda, 6-Jeymi Hernandez, 7-Gabriela Mejía (4-Maria Morales, 90), 9-Mia Espino, 10-Yoseline Razuleu (14-Maria Argueta, 35), 17-Marleny Marroquin (16-Rocio Calderon, 86), 18-Daniela Andrade, 20-Idania Perez 
Subs not used: 1-Noemi Franco, 11-Carmen Garcia-Gallont, 13-Clahyri Calderon, 15-Marlen Veliz 
Head coach: Benjamin Monterroso 

On the field for Cuba: 
March 2, 2012 – Estadio Rommel Fernandez – Panama City; Panama – 2012 CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Championship – Group B 
Panama 2 Evans 16, Cox 54 
Cuba 1 Pelaez 27 

PAN: 12-Dayton Wetherby; 4-Yomira Sanford, 5-Leslie Fareaux, 7-Yerenis De Leon, 8-Yaniska Garcia, 9-Angela Evans (capt.), 10-Marta Cox, 11-Yvamara Rodriguez, 14-Yessenia Zorrilla, 15-Astrid Diaz, 17-Mayra Jordan 
Subs not used: 1-Anyuri Montenergro, 2-Onelys Alvarado, 6-Leyda Camacho, 13-Margie Moreno, 16-Katherine Gonzalez, 18-Yanis Sanjur, 20-Karla Riley 
Head coach: Luis Tejada 

CUB: 1-Dainelis Moreno; 3-Indira Manzano (capt.), 5-Yarisleidy Mena, 6-Esmeralda Marcos, 9-Maria Perez, 11-Rachel Pelaez, 14-Maidoni Goitizolo, 115-Odette Bayeaux, 16-Roxana Galan, 17-Regla de la Caridad Ponce, 18-Yoana Calderon 
Subs not used: 2-Tayde Bacallao, 4-Milagro Ramirez, 7-Solayne Gutierrez, 12-Maysu Leon 
Head coach: Jose Luis Elejalde 

Against Cuba: 
June 20, 2008 – Estadio Cuauhtemoc – Puebla, Mexico – 2008 CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Championship 
USA 9 Morgan 2, Washington 33, 43, O’Hara 46, 54, 80, Enyeart 59, 66, Edwards 72 
Cuba 0 

USA: 18-Kristin Arnold; 19-Kiersten Dallstream (22-Sydney Leroux, 59), 8-Kaley Fountain, 4-Nikki Marshall, 3-Meghan Klingenberg; 25-Becky Edwards, 21-Ingrid Wells, 9-Gina DiMartino (11-Christine Nairn, 46); 17-Alex Morgan (13-Michelle Enyeart, 37), 10-Kelley O’Hara, 7-Nikki Washington 
Subs not used: 1-Alyssa Naeher, 5-Keelin Winters, 14-Jessica McDonald, 15-Casey Nogueira 
Not available: Lauren Fowlkes, Elli Reed 
Head Coach: Tony DiCicco 

CUB: 12-Lucileno Martinez; 3-Leodana Beyerano, 4-Yamara Lopez, 6-Jessica Popo Alvarez, 10-Yareni Kareilia Fuentes (14-Leidy Carp, 69); 15-Yeanna Valdes (13-Olga Lidia Blanco, 90), 14-Leidy Carp, 9-Yudisleivi Felio Hernandez, (7-Yamisleidy Bernal Chacon, 46), 18-Yudisleivi Reyes, 20-Yisel Rodriguez; 8-Yesenia Gallardo 
Subs Not Used: 5-Yadira Rodriguez, 15-Yeanna Valdes, 10-Yareni Karelia Fuentes, 1-Katherine Montesino, 11-Rachel Pelaez 
Head Coach: Rufino Sotolongo