McGlynn one of 20 named to USA roster for 2018 CONCACAF U-20 Championship

USA to face three in quest for berth to 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in France

January 10, 2018

CHICAGO – U.S. Under-20 Women’s National Team head coach Jitka Klimkova has named the 20-player roster for the 2018 CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Championship to be held Jan. 18-28 in Trinidad & Tobago and Virginia Tech sophomore Mandy McGlynn has earned one of the two spots as a goalkeeper.

The Jacksonville, Florida, native had been training with the national team on three separate occasions over the past year, which included the most recent event in Sarasota, Florida that ended on Jan. 6. Klimkova used that New Year's training camp to help her solidify the final roster spots for the World Cup qualifier.

“This was not an easy process,” Klimkova said. “To look over the entire year, then boil it down to the 30 players in the New Year’s camp and then pick the final roster was difficult, and that’s a credit to the players. The most recent camp was so competitive. The players left everything on the field and they were really battling for roster spots.”

The 2018 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship features eight nations divided into two groups of four teams. The top two finishers in each group will qualify for the semifinals, with the winners of those games along with the winner of the third-place match earning berths to the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in France.

All 16 matches of the tournament will take place across eight matchdays at Ato Bolden Stadium in Couva, Trinidad. The United States will open the tournament on Jan. 19 against Nicaragua, face Jamaica on Jan. 21 and finish group play against Mexico on Jan. 23.

“It’s a real positive that so many players have experience in qualifiers,” said Klimkova. “That can help us a lot. They know what to expect, they know how difficult it is to travel to these CONCACAF countries and they know how challenging all these games will be. We know that CONCACAF teams are improving every year, we know that every game, every goal we score, every goal we allow and every yellow card we get will be important. These players are experienced in being prepared for every situation and that can help us qualify and win the tournament. Focusing on all those details will be really important.”

For additional information on the team, the schedule or to view the full release, CLICK HERE.

2018 CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Championship Roster (College or Club; Hometown; Caps/Goals):
GOALKEEPERS (2): Laurel Ivory (Virginia; Surfside, Fla.; 5/0), Amanda McGlynn (Virginia Tech; Jacksonville, Fla.; 2/0)
DEFENDERS (7): Tierna Davidson (Stanford; Menlo Park, Calif.; 6/0), Naomi Girma (California Thorns FC; 6/0; San Jose, Calif.), Tara McKeown (USC; Mission Viejo, Calif.; 11/0), Zoe Morse (Virginia; East Lansing, Mich.; 9/0), Kiara Pickett (Stanford; Santa Barbara, Calif.; 2/0), Isabel Rodriguez (Ohio State; Canton, Mich.; 8/0), Karina Rodriguez (UCLA; Torrance, Calif.; 3/0)
MIDFIELDERS (5): Samantha Coffey (Boston College; Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.; 7/1), Savannah DeMelo (USC; Bellflower, Calif.; 23/4), Jaelin Howell (Real Colorado; Windsor, Colo.; 12/0), Brianna Pinto (NTH Tophat; Durham, N.C.; 9/0), Viviana Villacorta (UCLA; Lawndale, Calif.; 10/1)
FORWARDS (6): Abigail Kim (California; Vashon, Wash.; 11/3), Civana Kuhlmann (Stanford; Littleton, Colo.; 12/8), Ashley Sanchez (UCLA; Monrovia, Calif.; 20/6), Sophia Smith (Real Colorado; Windsor, Colo.; 11/8), Taryn Torres (Virginia; Frisco, Texas; 3/1), Kelsey Turnbow (Santa Clara; Scottsdale, Ariz.; 8/2)

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