Amalia Villareal deftly floated a ball over two defenders, clipping it into the path of Charlotte Kohler. It was the kind of pass that needed a delicate finish — deserved one, even. And Kohler obliged, feeding the ball past the Costa Rica keeper.
Kohler’s finish was the second of five for the U17 USWNT in a comfortable win to wrap up the group stage of the Concacaf Group. Despite the lop-sided nature of the result, Wednesday’s win served as the lowest margin of victory over the USWNT’s three group games.
Indeed, the U17s sauntered through the group stage, navigating an admittedly simple slate with aplomb. Grenada, Puerto Rico, and Costa Rica were all dispatched, by a combined scoreline of 38-0.
In head coach Natalia Astrain’s first tournament overseeing the squad, the team has made good on their pre-competition expectations. And although the early stages were presumed to be an easier task, Astrain has still needed to get strong performances out of her team, and instill an identity to carry from game to game.
Here are three takeaways from the group stage.
