United States women's national under-18 soccer team
| Nickname(s) | Team USA The Stars and Stripes The Yanks | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | United States Soccer Federation | ||
| Confederation | CONCACAF (North America) | ||
| FIFA code | USA | ||
| |||
| Pan American Games | |||
| Appearances | 1 (first in 1999) | ||
| Best result | Gold (1999) | ||
Medal record | |||
The United States U-18 women's national soccer team is a youth soccer team operated under the auspices of U.S. Soccer. Its primary role is the development of players in preparation for the senior women's national team, as well as bridging the development between the two major youth competition levels of the U-17 and the U-20.
History
Between 1998 and 2001, the United States U-18 was active as the primary youth-level team.[1] It was led by Shannon Higgins-Cirovski, the first coach in the team's history, through the middle of 1999 before she left for the Maryland Terrapins soccer team. Jay Hoffman, who served as Higgins-Cirovski's assistant, took charge of the team and led them to a gold medal for the 1999 Pan American Games, the first time the tournament was open to women's teams. Among the U-18 women playing at the 1999 Pan American Games were future senior national team members Cat Whitehill and Hope Solo.[2]
In 2001, the United States Soccer Federation decided to change the age limit from the U-18 team to U-19. The move was in preparation for FIFA's introduction of the first ever FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship (which has since changed). The team therefore became dormant with only periodic competitions until 2019, when the Federation (under general manager Kate Markgraf) reinstated all youth-level teams in their own right.
Competitive record
Pan American Games
The under-18 team participated and won the inaugural soccer tournament in the 1999 Pan American Games,[3] while competing against full national teams. These opportunities are a consequence of holding the FIFA Women's World Cup in the same year as the Pan American Games.
| Year | Result | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | GF | GA | Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Champions | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 2 | Jay Hoffman |
| Total | 1/1 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 2 |
Players
Current squad
The following 24 players were called up for the June/July 2025 training camp.[4]
Caps and goals are updated as of February 26, 2025 after the match against Spain.[5]
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Daphne Nakfoor | (17) | 0 | 0 | Slammers FC HB Koge | |
| GK | Nyamma Nelson | (17) | 0 | 0 | Portland Thorns Academy | |
| GK | Carson Proctor | (17) | 0 | 0 | FC Prime | |
| DF | Edra Bello | (17) | 0 | 0 | San Diego Surf SC | |
| DF | Braelyn Even | (17) | 0 | 0 | Cincinnati United SC | |
| DF | Kiara Gilmore | February 11, 2007 | 0 | 0 | Wisconsin | |
| DF | Emma Johnson | July 20, 2006 | 0 | 0 | Lexington SC | |
| DF | Zoe Matthews | May 25, 2007 | 0 | 0 | Houston Dash | |
| DF | Leena Powell | October 3, 2007 | 0 | 0 | UCLA | |
| DF | Katie Scott | June 20, 2007 | 0 | 0 | Kansas City Current | |
| DF | Jocelyn Travers | October 10, 2007 | 0 | 0 | FC Bay Area Surf | |
| MF | Olivia Belcher | (17) | 0 | 0 | Alabama | |
| MF | Riley Cross | September 18, 2007 | 0 | 0 | Penn State | |
| MF | Bella Devey | April 23, 2007 | 0 | 0 | North Carolina | |
| MF | Natalia DiSora | October 28, 2007 | 0 | 0 | Pittsburgh Riveters SC | |
| MF | Jordyn Hardeman | May 5, 2007 | 0 | 0 | Virginia | |
| MF | Lily Kiliski | (18) | 0 | 0 | New York SC | |
| MF | Ashlyn Puerta | (17) | 0 | 0 | Penn State | |
| FW | Montgomery Draham | (17) | 0 | 0 | Real Football Academy | |
| FW | Eres Freifeld | (17) | 0 | 0 | North Carolina | |
| FW | Eleanor Hodsden | (17) | 0 | 0 | Notre Dame | |
| FW | Mary Long | January 27, 2007 | 0 | 0 | Kansas City Current | |
| FW | Maddie Padelski | September 29, 2007 | 0 | 0 | Alabama | |
| FW | Mya Townes | July 29, 2007 | 0 | 0 | Georgia | |
Recent call-ups
The following players were named to a squad in the last 12 months.
- March 2025 training camp.[6]
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Wicki Dunlap | November 6, 2007 | 0 | 0 | North Carolina Courage | March 2025 friendlies |
| DF | Tyra Chu | (17) | 0 | 0 | Nationals SC | March 2025 friendlies |
| MF | Sofia Atehortua | (17) | 0 | 0 | UCLA | March 2025 friendlies |
| MF | Kate Kemmerley | (17) | 0 | 0 | Penn Fusion SA | March 2025 friendlies |
| MF | Y-Lan Nguyen | June 2, 2007 | 0 | 0 | VDA | March 2025 friendlies |
| MF | Kennedy Ring | (17) | 0 | 0 | World Class FC | March 2025 friendlies |
| FW | Ryder Ajeto | (17) | 0 | 0 | Legends FC | March 2025 friendlies |
| FW | Bella Devey | (17) | 0 | 0 | North Carolina | March 2025 friendlies |
| FW | Rylee McLanahan | August 14, 2007 | 0 | 0 | Solar SC | March 2025 friendlies |
| FW | Kylie Maxwell | (17) | 0 | 0 | Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals | March 2025 friendlies |
| FW | Sealey Strawn | October 1, 2007 | 0 | 0 | Dallas Trinity FC | March 2025 friendlies |
| FW | Chloe Ricketts | May 23, 2007 | 0 | 0 | Washington Spirit | March 2025 friendliesINJ |
- INJ - Injured
- PRE - Withdrew prior to camp
Coaches
- Shannon Higgins-Cirovski (1998–1999)
- Jay Hoffman (1999)
- Steve Swanson (2000)
- Tracey Leone (2001)
- Tracey Kevins (2019)
- Mark Carr (2019)
- Chris Petrucelli (2020)
References
- ^ 2009 WNT U.S. Soccer Media Guide
- ^ U.S. Under-18 Women Defeat Mexico 1–0, Take Home Inaugural Pan Am Championship, US Soccer, August 5, 1999.
- ^ "U.S. Under-18 Women Defeat Mexico 1–0, Take Home Inaugural Pan Am Championship". U.S.Soccer. August 5, 1999. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
- ^ "U.S. Under-19 and U.S. U-18 Women's National Teams to Hold Joint Training Camp in Fayetteville, Georgia". United States Soccer Federation. June 24, 2025. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
- ^ "U.S. Under-19 Women's National Team Draws Host Spain, 1-1, in Third and Final Match of The L'Albir U-19 Women's International Tournament". United States Soccer Federation. February 26, 2025. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
- ^ "U.S. Under-19 and U.S. U-18 Women's National Teams to Hold Concurrent Training Camps in Fayetteville, Ga". United States Soccer Federation. March 27, 2025. Retrieved March 29, 2025.