USA plays Japan to 2-2 draw in FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup group stage

LODZ, Poland – With its 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup fate hanging in the balance during its second Group D match, the U.S. Under-20 Women’s National Team put together an excellent performance to tie Japan, 2-2, and position itself for advancement when it finishes first round play against New Zealand on Sept. 12 in Sosnowiec.

The USA will need a win over the Kiwis and hope that four points, plus a positive goal difference, will be enough to earn advancement to the Round of 16 as one of the four best third place teams. The USA can also finish in second place in the group if Italy defeats Japan in the other Group D finale, the USA defeats New Zealand, and the USA has the better goal difference than Japan at the end of group play. Those results would give both the USA and Japan four points and second place in the group would be determined on goal difference. The USA’s goal difference currently stands at minus-one while Japan is at plus-one.

The USA will certainly rue numerous missed chances, including two breakaways that were saved by Japan goalkeeper Uruha Iwasaki, as well as taking two leads only to relinquish them both. The USA has never beaten Japan at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup and tonight’s game marked the second draw in this competition between the teams. Japan has finished in the top four of the last five FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup tournaments it has participated in. The possession in the game was split right down the middle at 50/50 while the USA compiled a slightly superior expected goals.

The Americans created more danger in the attacking third on the night, whether it was on the counterattack, building from the back or from set pieces. The U.S. applied consistent pressure on Japan’s defense and did enough to win, but late attacks from the Young Nadeshiko – whose majority of shots came from distance – eventually led to two goals and the tie.

The USA started a lineup featuring five NWSL professionals and six college players and saw a goalscorer from each group. Ainsley McCammon of Seattle Reign FC and Alex Buck, also hailing from the Pacific Northwest as Washington Huskies leading scorer, both scored their first World Cup goals.

U.S. head coach Vicky Jepson made two changes to the starting XI that fell to Italy on Sept. 6, inserting Penn State’s Emma Johnson at left back and Buck at center forward.

The USA had an early chance to score as Buck was sent behind the Japan defense down the left side. She drove to the end line and sent a pass back into the box that Houston Dash midfielder Linda Ullmark ran onto and took a shot that was deflected for a corner kick. The USA would earn eight corner kicks on the night and would score its first goal from one.

Japan could have taken an early lead, winning the ball off the U.S. back line in the eighth minute and in a 1-v-1 situation with U.S. goalkeeper Caroline Birkel, Haruko Suzuki sent a low shot just wide. The U.S. withstood another breakaway and two back-to-back corners from Japan, all before the 14th minute.

The USA settled into the game and Chicago Stars forward Micayla Johnson ripped a shot in the 19th minute from the top of the box that forced Iwasaki to stretch and make the save on the ball that headed towards the bottom left corner.

Japan continued to pressure the U.S and created another opportunity in the 27th minute. The U.S. dropped quickly into a defensive shape and deflected the first cross and shot before the ball fell to Noa Fukushima who shot from the top left side of the box. Birkel knocked it down and then was shielded by her Stanford teammate, Lizzie Boamah, so she could pounce on the ball.

The U.S. earned a corner in the 35th minute when Seattle Reign forward Emeri Adames received the ball on the left wing, shook off a defender twice and then attempted a cross that was deflected over the endline.

On the ensuing corner kick. team captain Kennedy Fuller of Bay FC sent an in-swinging service into the six-yard box and McCammon snuck behind a jumping Buck, bending down to redirect the ball into the net. It was the first goal of the tournament for McCammon and her first at the U-20 international level.

Fuller had the first major opportunity of the second half. Micayla Johnson received the ball at the top of the box from UNC defender Aven Alvarez, dodged two defenders and laid it off to Fuller at the top of the box on the leftside. Fuller took a beautiful curling shot with her left foot that forced Iwasaki to make another impressive save.

From then, the U.S. would not relent, applying further pressure throughout the the rest of the second half. Japan broke into the U.S. defensive third twice in the first ten minutes of the second half, but Birkel and the backline handled both smoothly, shutting down the attack each time.

In the 60th minute, Buck outran a Japanese defender and raced in free on a breakaway. Her last touch was a bit heavy, and Iwasaki came out to stuff the golden opportunity.

Japan would equalize in the 74th minute after Boamah, who otherwise was a rock in the back for the USA, was dispossessed at the top of the USA’s defensive third. Miyu Matsunaga won the ball and then found Natsumi Tago on the run in a mess of U.S. defenders. Tago broke through with the ball and sent it past Birkel to even the score.

That scoreline wouldn’t last long though. Mere seconds later, Buck scored her first World Cup goal. After the reset, Boamah sent a long ball up to Ullmark, who settled it and turned at pace into the Japanese defensive third. She then played a perfect ball through to Buck who raced past a defender and slotted the ball under Iwasaki to reinstate the one-goal lead only 58 seconds after Japan had equalized.

Japan would score another equalizer in the 84th minute as Konoha Nakamura lost two U.S. defenders in the left side of the penalty area before sending a bending shot just inside the far post. The ball curled wonderfully over the outstretched arms of Birkel and into the net to make it 2-2.

In the first minute of second half stoppage time, the U.S. created an opportunity as Fuller sent a long ball up to Adames who broke through the Japanese line to shoot but Iwasaki raced off her line to make the save. The U.S. forced two corners from the opportunity but couldn’t capitalize on either.

GOAL SCORING RUNDOWN:

USA – Ainsley McCammon (Kennedy Fuller), 35th minute: After Emeri Adames won the corner kick and Fuller took it from the left side. She bent her cross near the goal line and a run from Alex Buck froze the goalkeeper, allowing McCammon to sneak in and redirect the ball into the net from close range. USA 1, JPN 0

JPN – Natsumi Tago (Miyu Matsunaga), 74th minute: After the U.S. lost possession in the defensive half, Matsunaga won the ball and dribbled towards goal carrying two U.S. defenders. She sent the ball to Natsumi Tago through the mess of feet and Tago shot low past Birkel for the score. USA 1, JPN 1

USA – Alex Buck (Linda Ullmark), 75th minute: Lizzie Boamah sent a long ball up to Ullmark who corralled it, dribbled forward at speed and passed through the backline to Buck on the run into the left side of the penalty box. She then slotted it under Iwasaki. USA 2, JPN 1

JPN – Konoha Nakamura (Mone Sato), 83rd minute: Sato laid the ball off to Nakamura, who shook off two defenders to get open before shooting a curling ball from the top left corner of the box just inside the right post. USA 2, JPN 2 FINAL

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

• Alex Buck earned her first FIFA World Cup start and scored her first FIFA World Cup goal at any level and her second U-20 goal overall.
• Ainsley McCammon scored her first U-20 international goal.
• The U.S. U-20 WNT’s all-time record against Japan at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup is 0W-2L-2D including tonight’s match.
• Even if the USA defeats New Zealand on Sept. 12, if will have to wait until the conclusion of group play on Sept. 13 to find out if it will advance to the Round of 16.

-U.S. UNDER-20 WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM MATCH REPORT-

Match: United States Under-20 Women’s National Team vs. Japan Under-20 Women’s National Team
Date: Sept. 9, 2026
Competition: 2026 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup – Group D
Venue: Stadion Miejski LKS Lodz; Lodz, Poland
Attendance: 718
Kickoff: 6 p.m. local (Noon ET)
Weather: 73 degrees, cloudy

Lineups:

USA: 1-Caroline Birkel; 3-Emma Johnson (14-Hope Munson, 84), 5-Lizzie Boamah, 4-Ella Bard, 2-Aven Alvarez; 8-Kennedy Fuller (Capt.), 6-Ainsley McCammon, 10-Linda Ullmark (16-Y-Lan Nguyen, 78); 17-Micayla Johnson (19-Sealey Strawn, 67), 9-Alex Buck (7-Audrey McKeen, 78), 11-Emeri Adames

Substitutes not used: 12-Evan O’Steen, 13-Katie Scott, 15-Pearl Cecil, 18-Nyanya Touray, 20-Lily Joseph, 21-Kealey Titmuss

Head coach: Vicky Jepson

JPN: 1-Uruha Iwasaki (Capt.); 2-Yuna Aoki, 17-Momoka Sano, 3-Tamami Aso, 15-Haruko Suzuki (18-Mone Sato, 73); 5-Yura Honda, 6-Asako Furuta, 19-Yuka Kurimoto (7-Miyu Matsunaga, 55),14-Miharu Shinjo (20-Konoha Nakamura, 79) 13-Noa Fukushima (10-Miku Matsuzawa, 73); 9-Natsumi Tago

Substitutes not used: 4-Mitsuki Ota, 8-Rinka Higuchi, 11-Anon Tsuda, 12-Hinaha Ishida, 16-Hibari Hara, 21-Sako Nawa

Head coach: Akira Ijiri

Stats Summary: USA / JPN
Shots: 16 / 18
Shots on Goal: 7 / 8
Saves: 6/ 5
Corner Kicks: 8 / 3
Fouls: 4 / 8
Offside: 2 / 4

Misconduct Summary:
None

Officials:
Referee: Marta Huerta (ESP)
AR1: Iragartze Fernandez (ESP)
AR2: Adreia Sousa (POR)
Fourth Official: Milagros Arruela (PER)
VAR: Angelos Evangelou (GRE)
Asst. VAR: Letticia Viana (SWZ)