USA Defeat England 3-0 To Claim U-17 Women’s World Cup Bronze.
The United States U-17 women’s team triumphed over England with a decisive 3-0 victory to secure the bronze medal in the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. The match, held on Sunday night at the Santo Domingo Stadium in the Dominican Republic, saw the American side, dubbed the “Yanky Babes,” dominate the England Lionesses to clinch third place.
The game opened with Kennedy Fuller putting the USA ahead in the 24th minute after receiving a well-timed assist from Amelia Barcenas. Fuller later provided an assist to central defender Ainsley McCammon, who scored the second goal in the 72nd minute. Following a tactical substitution, Barcenas made way for Maddie Padelski in the 69th minute. Padelski made an impact, scoring the third goal in the second minute of stoppage time, assisted by Reese O’Steen, sealing a comfortable win for the American team.
The match was overseen by referee Alejandra Quisbert, who rarely had her decisions challenged by VAR. The only yellow card of the match went to Kennedy Fuller in the 45th+2 minute.
USA’s journey to the third-place match included mixed results: after a 1-3 loss to Spain, they defeated Colombia 2-0 and South Korea 5-0, progressing with a 2-0 win over Nigeria in the quarterfinal. However, they were narrowly defeated by North Korea in the semi-final, missing out on the final.
England’s path to the bronze play-off saw them overcome Kenya 2-0, rout Mexico 4-0, and advance past Japan on penalties after a 2-2 draw in the quarterfinals, before falling 0-3 to Spain in the semi-final.
Both the USA and England are well-established teams in U-17 women’s football, with both achieving podium finishes in the tournament’s maiden edition in 2008. The USA claimed a silver medal in that debut tournament, while England finished fourth.
Next year’s tournament will see significant changes, expanding to 24 teams and moving to an annual format. The event is set to take place in Morocco, marking the first time the competition will be hosted in Africa.
