Despite missing out on qualification to the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup, Caribbean side Haiti had something to celebrate from their failed Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship campaign, as striker Lourdjina Etienne was named Player of the Tournament, in Mexico.
Etienne, was instrumental in Haiti getting to the semi-finals, as she accounted for eight of the French-speaking Caribbean nation’s nine goals in the tournament, the last of which came in a 1-4 defeat to Canada in the third-place playoff.
The sensational Etienne, first scored both goals in a 2-1 win over Costa Rica, followed by a four-timer in their 5-3 triumph over El Salvador. She then scored both goals for Haiti in the knockout stage, as they lost 1-7 to eventually champions United States in the semi-finals and surrendered the lead in their third-place playoff loss to Canada.
United States, who clinched their sixth hold –fourth-consecutively – on the Concacaf Under-17 Women’s title, headlined the standout performances over the two weeks at, both the individual and collectively. Along with their overall honours, they also copped the tournament’s Fair Play award, while striker Kennedy Fuller took the Top Scorer award.
Fuller was as prolific as a young player can be, as she started the tournament with a five-goal performance in a 13-0 group stage win over Panama. She then followed that up with a goal in the 5-0 win over Canada in their group stage top-of-the-table clash. Fuller was just as effective in the knockout round, where she secured a brace in the 7-1 semi-final win over Haiti to give to end with eight goals for the tournament.
Meanwhile, host and runners-up Mexico was not to be left out, as Camila Vazquez copped the Best Goalkeeper award.
Vazquez was a big part of Mexico’s run to the final, as she registered a clean sheet in each of El Tricolor’s three group stage matches, and then just a single goal in the semi-finals against Canada. However, she had no answers to the rampant United States attack, as Mexico conceded four times.
United States, Mexico, and Canada –with their fifth third-place finish, the most by any team in the tournament’s history –will join host Dominican Republic as Concacaf's representatives at the 16-team Under-17 Women's World Cup later this year. This will be the first time Spanish-speaking Caribbean nation hosts a FIFA World Cup, and their first participation at this age level.
Caribbean side Haiti and Canada will do battle to decide Concacaf's other representative at this year's FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup, as the curtains come down on the Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship in Mexico, on Sunday.
Both United States and Mexico secured their sixth and seventh World Cup berths by virtue of contrasting 7-1 and 2-1 semi-finals victories over Haiti and Canada respectively. The powerhouse teams will again lock horns in Sunday's final to crown the winners of the championship.
United States, Mexico, the winner of the third-place game between Haiti and Canada, will join host Dominican Republic as Concacaf's representatives at the 16-team Under-17 Women's World Cup later this year. This will be the first time Dominican Republic hosts a FIFA World Cup, and their first participation at this age level.
United States 7-1 Haiti
The day started with defending champions United States again demonstrating their class, as they overpowered Haiti in a lopsided affair.
After applying early pressure and were denied on two occasions by the left upright, as well as good excellent glove work by Haiti's Kimberly Prince, United States inevitably broke the deadlock in the 24th minute through Mya Townes, who finished off a pass from Melanie Barcenas.
Kennedy Fuller then applied the finish tough to an Alexandra Pfeiffer cross in the 40th, to put United States 2-0 up at the break.
Fuller then scored her eighth goal of the tournament in the 47th with a smooth right-footed stroke into net, before Pfeiffer added her name to the scoresheet in the 59th, when she hauled in a long ball from Katie Scott.
Though up against it at 0-4 down, Haiti battled bravely and eventually pulled one back through striker Lourdjina Etienne, who converted her seventh goal of the tournament from the penalty spot in the 80th.
However, United States were far from done, and Kimmie Ascanio's hat-trick in a six-minute span, ensured the North Americans ended strongly. Her first came in the 83rd from dead centre of the 18-yard box, with the second coming two minutes later with an assist from Scott.
Ascanio completed the hat-trick in the 88th when she pounced on a rebound off the post and calmly tucked away a left-footed shot, to cap the win.
Mexico 2-1 Canada
Things were not as straightforward for Mexico, as they required an extra-time from Vanessa Aguilar to edge Canada in a lively encounter.
Mexico struck first courtesy of a 25th-minute right-footed strike from Carla Montes Frias from just outside the area.
The contest remained evenly poised from there as Canada responded strongly through Annabelle Chukwu, but were denied by Mexico's goalkeeper Camila Vazquez, who came up big with back-to-back saves in the 74th.
However, there was nothing Vazquez could do in the 75th when Chukwu unleashed a right-footed shot that bettered the custodian at her near post, to send the game into extra-time.
Mexico eventually found the winner in 101st minute when Aguilar followed up her initial blocked shot with a fine finish from an angle.
Despite suffering a 0-4 loss to Mexico in their Group A top-of-the-table clash, Caribbean side Haiti remains poised to secure one of three top spots at the Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship in Toluca, Mexico.
The Haitians, who placed second in Group A with six points, will face Group B winners and defending champions United States in one semi-final, while Mexico and Canada will lock horns in the other, on Friday. These will be followed by the third-place match and final on Sunday, February 11.
The two finalists and third-placed team will join host Dominican Republic as Concacaf's representatives at the 16-team Under-17 Women's World Cup later this year. This will be the first time Dominican Republic hosts a FIFA World Cup, and their first participation at this age level.
Hosts Mexico will take good form into their encounter against Mexico as they peppered Haiti's goal from the opening whistle of Monday's clash. However, it wasn't until the 34th minute that they inevitably broke the deadlock when Dana Sandoval fired past Haiti's goalkeeper Kimberlie Prince.
The El Tricolor increased their tempo on the resumption with three goals in a 14-minute span that pushed the scoreline beyond Haiti's reach.
Abril Fragoso scored 54th-minute free kick, which was followed by Dafne Sanchez's strike three minutes later. The scoreline was then capped by Djoulissa Pierre's 67th-minute own-goal.
On Tuesday, United States hammered neighbours Canada 5-0 to claim the top spot in Group B.
They opened the scoring in the ninth minute courtesy of Melanie Barcenas's powerfully struck right-footed shot from outside the area.
After hitting the woodwork three times through Ainsley McCammon, Rylee McLanahan and Jordyn Hardeman, United States eventually doubled the lead in the 51st minute through Alexandra Pfeiffer
Leena Powell added a third in the 57th when she turned in a rebound off a Pfeiffer shot, before Kennedy Fuller stretched the lead to 4-0 in the 59th with a sweeping shot that gave Canada's custodian Noelle Henning no chance at a save, in a goalmouth melee.
Y-Lan Nguyen then completed the rout for the defending champions with a composed 73rd-minute finish.
By all indications, it could be another United States versus Mexico showpiece, but both Haiti and Canada will be intent on turning their fortunes on Friday.
Panama booked their spot in the CONCACAF Under-17 Women’s Championship by securing a 1-0 victory over hosts Jamaica in their qualifying fixture at Sabina Park in Kingston on Sunday.
Due to the withdrawals of Anguilla and Grenada from qualifying Group E, Jamaica and Panama played a pair of fixtures on Friday and Sunday to determine who would progress to the main tournament set for next year.
The teams played out a 1-1 draw at the same venue on Friday before the Panamanians came out on top on Sunday.
Panama’s goal on Sunday came through Analia Arosemena seven minutes before halftime.
Panama got to the Round of 16 at last year's tournament while Jamaica made it to the quarterfinals.
Head coach of Jamaica’s Under-17 Reggae Girlz, Hugh Bradford, says his team is ready ahead of their first game of the Concacaf Women’s U-17 Championship Qualifiers.
The young Reggae Girlz will tackle Anguilla at Sabina Park on Saturday before taking on Grenada on the 28th and Panama on the 30th at the same venue. All three games start at 6:00pm Jamaica time.
Bradford says the team is as ready as they can be with the time they’ve had to prepare for the fixtures.
“They are as ready as they are going to be with the time we have to train,” Bradford told SportsMax.tv.
“I saw progress in being with them through the week but that’s the time we had so that’s as ready as we are,” he added.
When questioned about the style of play his coaching staff would like to see from the girls, Bradford preferred a possession-based approach.
“We would like to see them possess the ball and keep it going from our end to the other end. We would like them to be able to move the ball around and be in control of the tempo of the game,” he said.
Getting through these qualifiers is the first step for the team to match what they were able to achieve in last year’s Concacaf Women’s U-17 Championship where they got all the way to the quarterfinals before losing 0-4 to eventual champions, USA.
Bradford was not with that group but his hope is that they can at least match what was done in 2022.
“My hope is that we keep making it through the rounds,” he said.
Jamaica’s senior Reggae Girlz made history at the recently concluded FIFA Women’s World Cup where they became the first Caribbean team to advance to the Round of 16 before losing 0-1 to Colombia.
“Absolutely,” was Bradford’s response to whether or not his team was inspired by the exploits of their senior counterparts.
“They were very excited to watch the senior team play and so I’m sure they’re coming out wanting to do something similar but football is funny so you have to see how things go but they are definitely inspired by them,” he added.
Jamaica will be in Group E of the qualifiers alongside the aforementioned Grenada, Anguilla and Panama. The winners of the group will advance to the 2024 Concacaf Under-17 Women’s Championship.
Jamaica U-17 Reggae Girlz were forced to settle for a share of the spoils with Canada after playing to a 1-1 draw in the CONCACAF Women’s U-17 Championship on Wednesday.
With both teams having secured their spot in the next round before kickoff, the win saw Canada top Group F on goal difference ahead of second-place Jamaica.
It was the Jamaicans who took the lead against the previously unbreeched Canadian defense when Natoya Atkinson got the go-ahead goal in the 38th minute. The striker popped the ball into the net after a deflected cross, which headed goalward was parried by the goalkeeper, and fell at her feet.
The Canadians began the second half in an enterprising fashion and were level soon after the resumption. Substitute Renee Watson brought the Canadians back on level terms in the 50th minute when, after ghosting past the defense and firing high into the net, over an outstretched goalkeeper Liya Brooks.
The Canadians will now face Honduras on Sunday in the round of 16, while Jamaica will play neighbours and Group H third-place team Cuba on the same day.
The CONCACAF champion, runner-up, and third-place finisher will qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup in India in October.
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