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US vs. North Korea in U-17 Women’s World Cup semifinals: How to watch, bracket, USA roster

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US vs. North Korea in U-17 Women’s World Cup semifinals: How to watch, bracket, USA roster

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Performance at a youth World Cup is not a guarantee of success at the senior level. It can be an indication of a national team’s pipeline, however, which is why the U.S. women’s performances at the Under-20 and Under-17 World Cups this fall are a big deal.

The USWNT’s U-17 team will play in the World Cup semifinals on Wednesday, a month after the U-20 team won the bronze medal at their tournament. It’s the first time since 2008 that both teams have reached the semifinals of their respective World Cups, and assures the U-17 of its best finish since that same year.

Long before the USWNT crashed out of the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in the Round of 16, their earliest exit ever at a major tournament, the subpar performances of the youth teams had been something of a warning light. The USWNT won two senior World Cup titles with the same core of players, but they weren’t going to play forever and the youth results sparked concern about who would replace them.

The U-20 team hadn’t gotten out of the group stage at the World Cup since 2016 while the U-17s had not finished higher than sixth since 2008. This at a time when Spain, the reigning World Cup champion, was dominating the youth tournaments.

But the performances this fall, along with some of the young players Emma Hayes has added to the senior talent pool, is a sign that the USWNT’s development pipeline is at least flowing again.

USA TODAY Sports will provide updates, highlights and analysis of the U-17 Women’s World Cup semifinal:

The U.S. has made its first substitutions, with Daya King and Maddie Padelski coming on in the 59th minute. They replaced Katie Scott and Micayla Johnson, respectively. 

Jocelyn Travers was shown a yellow card in the 47th minute, the first in the game. But it didn’t cost the U.S. women, as they cleared out the ensuing free kick.

Well, what did you expect from two of the best defensive teams in the U-17 World Cup?

The U.S. women and North Korea are scoreless at the half of a very evenly matched semifinal game. North Korea had one more shot (five) than the Americans, but chances were hard to come by for both teams because of the other’s stingy defense.

The USWNT’s best chance came in the 41st, when Kimmi Ascanio fed Micayla Johnson deep in the box. Johnson juked a North Korean defender and, once clear, took a shot that sailed over the crossbar.

North Korea had two chances right after, skying one shot and putting another into the side of the net.

The Americans did catch a break in the fifth minute of the game, when a penalty on Katie Scott was reversed by VAR. 

If the rest of the tournament is any indication, goals won’t be easy to come by for the U.S. women.

North Korea has given up just one goal in this tournament, back in the group stage opener against Mexico. It hasn’t trailed, either, that goal coming when North Korea was already up 3-0.

The one goal allowed is the best of the 16 teams in the tournament. 

VAR came through for the U.S. women in the first key moment of the semifinal.

An early penalty on Katie Scott was reversed, denying North Korea a chance for an early goal.

Scott, who is back in the starting lineup after coming off the bench against Nigeria, was whistled for a penalty on Choe Il-son in the fifth minute of the game. The referee said Scott clipped Choe as she was going for the ball just outside the 6-yard box.

But the U.S. appealed – Scott immediately signaled for the bench to challenge the penalty – and it was overturned after a review by the video assistant referee. 

The game begins at 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on FS1 and Telemundo.

It’s a youth World Cup, so that means it must be North Korea.

This will be the ninth time the U.S. women have played North Korea in an Under-17 or U-20 World Cup. They’ve played them three times previously at the U-17 World Cup, including the 2008 final, when North Korea beat a team that included Crystal Dunn and Sam and Kristie Mewis to win the inaugural tournament.

And just last month, the USWNT lost to North Korea in the semifinals of the U-20 World Cup. North Korea went on to win that tournament while the U.S. women beat the Netherlands for the bronze medal.

U.S. coach Katie Schoefper is going back to a familiar lineup.

Katie Scott and Micayla Johnson are in the starting lineup for Wednesday night’s semifinal against North Korea after coming off the bench in the quarterfinal. Both Scott and Johnson had started the final two group games for the Americans.

The rest of the lineup remains unchanged:

Goalkeeper: Evan O’Steen

Defenders: Katie Scott, Trinity Armstrong, Kiara Gilmore, Jocelyn Travers

Midfielders: Ainsley McCammon, Kennedy Fuller (captain), Kimmi Ascanio, Melanie Barcenas

Forwards: Micayla Johnson, Mary Long 

The U-17 World Cup is for players born on Jan. 1, 2007, or later, so it’s mostly high schoolers or players who are early in their college careers. But in a sign of the game’s development, this U.S. squad contains professional players for the first time. There are four, all midfielders: Kennedy Fuller of Angel City; Melanie Barcenas and Kimmi Ascanio of the San Diego Wave; and Ainsley McCammon of the Seattle Reign.

All four have been fixtures in the starting lineup, and Fuller and Barcenas lead the team with three goals each.

Fun fact: Barcenas is wearing No. 13 for the U.S., the same jersey made famous by former Wave teammate Alex Morgan. When Barcenas texted Morgan a photo of herself in her new jersey, Morgan posted it on Instagram with the caption, “Will need 1 Adult Medium and 2 Kids Smalls.”

No. Its best finish came in 2008, the first time the tournament was held. The Americans reached the final where they lost to North Korea, 2-1, in extra time.

The Americans opened group play with a loss to Spain, the two-time defending champions in the U-17 World Cup. But they rebounded with wins over Colombia and South Korea, advancing to the knockout rounds as the runner-up in the group.

Kennedy Fuller had a goal and an assist in the USWNT’s 2-0 win over Nigeria in the quarterfinals. It was the third consecutive clean sheet for the Americans, a first for them at the U-17 World Cup.

The Dominican Republic.

U.S.-North Korea is in Santiago de los Caballeros while the other semifinal, between two-time defending champion Spain and England, is in Santo Domingo. Both the final and the third-place game will be played Nov. 3 in Santo Domingo.

Goalkeepers (3): Wicki Dunlap (North Carolina Courage Academy), Evan O’Steen (Solar SC), Molly Vapensky (Carolina Ascent),

Defenders (6): Trinity Armstrong (UNC), Kiara Gilmore (FC Dallas), Jordyn Hardeman (Solar SC), Daya King (Legends FC), Katie Scott (Penn State), Jocelyn Travers (FC Bay Area Surf)

Midfielders (7): Scottie Antonucci (Legends FC), Kimmi Ascanio (San Diego Wave), Melanie Barcenas (San Diego Wave), Kennedy Fuller (Angel City FC), Ainsley McCammon (Seattle Reign), Jaiden Rodriguez (San Diego Surf), Y-Lan Nguyen (Virginia Development Academy)

Forwards (5): Anna Babcock (Crossfire Premier SC), Micayla Johnson (Michigan Hawks), Mary Long (Duke), Maddie Padelski (Alabama), Leena Powell (Tudela FC)

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