U.S., Nigeria to duel in U17 Women’s World Cup quarter final

MIAMI, Florida – The knockout round of the 2022 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in India gets underway this Friday with the United States taking on Nigeria in the quarterfinals at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

The U.S. arrive into the encounter after a very successful group stage in which they captured the top spot in Group A with an impressive 2W-1D-0L record, with a tournament-leading 13 goals scored and just one conceded.

Several players have stood out for the U.S. in India, namely Charlotte Kohler, who leads the team with three goals thanks to a goal in the opening 8-0 win versus India and then a brace in the 4-0 group stage finale triumph over Morocco.

Contributing to the cause have been Melina Rebimbas and Samantha Smith, who each have two goals thus far. Rebimbas had a brace against India, while Smith’s two goals came against Morocco.

Meanwhile, in the back, goalkeepers Victoria Safradin and Valentina Amaral have teamed up to allow just one goal between the two of them. Safradin started in the win versus India and the 1-1 draw against Brazil, while Amaral kept a clean sheet against Morocco.

Up next is a sturdy quarterfinal test against a very tough Nigeria side. The Flamingoes finished second in Group B behind Germany and enjoyed an excellent group stage.

After a narrow 2-1 loss to the Germans to open the tournament, Nigeria bounced back nicely with a 4-0 victory against New Zealand and a 2-1 triumph versus Chile.

Miracle Usani has accounted for two of her team’s seven goals in the tournament, scoring the lone Nigeria goal against Germany and then finding the back of the net against New Zealand.

Friday’s contest marks the first ever U17 Women’s World Cup meeting between the two nations.