U.S. U-16 Women’s Youth National Team heads to Sweden for UEFA Development Tournament

CHICAGO – The U.S. Under-16 Women’s Youth National Team will take on Norway, France and Sweden at a UEFA Development Tournament in Bieknige, Sweden from May 14-24.

U.S. Under-17 Women’s Youth National Team head coach Natalia Astrain will coach the squad during the friendly competition. Astrain is currently guiding the U-17 WYNT through World Cup qualifying at the Concacaf Women’s U-17 Championship in the Dominican Republic.

Players born on or after Jan. 1, 2006, are age-eligible for the tournament and all 20 players called to travel to Sweden were born in 2006.

U.S. U-16 WYNT ROSTER BY POSITION – UEFA DEVELOPMENT TOURNAMENT

GOALKEEPERS (2): Caroline Birkel (St. Louis Scott Gallagher SC; St. Louis, Mo.), Kealey Titmuss (Nationals; Grand Blanc, Mich.)

DEFENDERS (6): Elizabeth Boamah (ALBION SC San Diego; San Diego, Calif.), Jordyn Bugg (San Diego Surf; El Cajon, Calif.), Cassidy Corcione (PDA; Howell, N.J.), Reese Klein (Florida United, Cooper City, Fla.), Tabitha Sine (Dallas Texans; Dallas, Texas), Carla Small (IMG Academy; Waipahu, Hawaii)

MIDFIELDERS (5): Kendall Bodak (NEFC; Monson, Mass.), Ines Derrien (San Diego Surf; San Diego, Calif.), Eleanor Klinger (Internationals SC; Pepper Pike, Ohio), Grace Restovich (St. Louis Scott Gallagher SC; St. Louis Mo.), Avery Robinson (Florida Elite; St. John’s, Fla.)

FORWARDS (7): Emeri Adames (Solar SC; Red Oak, Texas), Sophia Bradley (PDA; Wayne, N.J.), Sophia Brelage (Florida United; Pembroke Pines, Fla.), Addison Hess (TSJ FC Virginia; South Riding, Va.), Ava McDonald (FC Dallas; Allen, Texas), Nevaeh Peregrina (LA Roca FC; Ogden, Utah), Kennedy Roesch (San Diego Surf; San Diego, Calif.)

The U-16 WYNT player pool is also age-eligible for the U-17 WYNT, which is aiming to compete at the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in India later this year.

These matches mark the first international games for the U-16 WYNT since it played in a UEFA Development Tournament in England in February of 2020, just before the onset of the COVID-19 global pandemic. In 2020, the U.S. U-17 Men’s Youth National played in a concurrent UEFA Development Tournament in England and will compete at a UEFA tournament in Portugal while the U-16 WYNT is in Sweden.

The 20 players on the U.S. U-16 roster come from 15 different youth clubs, led by three from San Diego Surf and two each from Florida United, PDA in New Jersey and St. Louis Scott Gallagher SC. Twelve states are represented on the roster, with the most players – four –coming from California. IMG Academy defender Carla Small is a rare, but becoming more common, USYNT call-up from the state of Hawaii.