Alexa Spaanstra joins US U20 Women's National team

Good luck and congratulations to Hawks alumni Alexa Spaanstra. She is headed to the La Manga Tournament with the US U-20 Women’s National Team.

CHICAGO (Via U.S. Soccer) – The U.S. Under-20 Women’s National Team will travel to La Manga, Spain from Feb. 24-March 6 to play its first three international matches of the year at the Women’s U-19 La Manga Tournament.

It’s the U-20s’ second tournament after December’s Nike International Friendlies as the team continues in the early stages of the 2019-20 cycle with the goal of qualifying for the 2020 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.

The USA will face the Under-19 sides from Germany on March 1, France on March 3 and Sweden on March 7 in La Manga but the opponents will feature players from the same birth years as the U.S. team as it embarks on the first year of the new two-year cycle.

The 20-player U.S. roster is made up of 11 players born in 2000 (the age cut-off year for the next U-20 WWC), eight players born in 2001 and one in 2002. Nine players on the roster were a part of the USA’s 2018 FIFA U-17 WWC Team and three – defender Naomi Girma, midfielder Brianna Pinto and forward Alexa Spaanstra – were a part of the USA’s 2018 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup roster and return for their second U-20 cycle.

The roster is a mixture of collegiate and youth club players, with seven already enrolled in college. Eight of the 13 youth club players on the roster currently play in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, including 2017-18 West Conference U-16/17 Player of the Year Sophia Jones. The team will be coached by Mark Carr, who helmed the USA through the last U-17 Women’s World Cup cycle.

The friendly competition will feature 14 countries. In addition to the USA and its three opponents, China, Denmark, England, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Scotland, Spain and Switzerland will also participate.

U.S. U-20 WNT Roster by Position – Women’s U-19 La Manga Tournament 2019

GOALKEEPERS (2): Julia Dohle (New York City FC; Scarsdale, N.Y.), Hensley Hancuff (Villanova; Edmond, Okla.)

DEFENDERS (6): Michela Agresti (FC Stars of Mass; Swampscott, Mass.), Maycee Bell (NC Courage; Wichita, Kan.), Naomi Girma (Stanford; San Jose, Calif.), Brianna Martinez (Notre Dame; Albuquerque, N.M.), Makenna Morris (Bethesda SC; Germantown, Md.), Natalia Staude (Tophat; Atlanta, Ga.)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Maya Doms (Davis Legacy; Davis, Calif.), Coriana Dyke (Colorado Rapids; Littleton, Colo.), Emily Gray (Virginia Tech; Sewell, N.J.), Sophia Jones (San Jose Earthquakes; Menlo Park, Calif.), Brianna Pinto (North Carolina; Durham, N.C.). Sakura Yoshida (Reign Academy; Redmond, Wash.)

FORWARDS (6): Jordan Canniff (Washington Spirit Academy – MD; California, Md.), Isabella D’Aquila (So Cal Blues; Mission Viejo, Calif.), Samantha Meza (Solar Soccer Club; Dallas, Texas), Alexa Spaanstra (Virginia; Brighton, Mich.), Hannah Richardson (Sockers FC; Bartlett, Ill.), Summer Yates (Washington; Pasco, Wash.)