USA wins 2022 U15 Concacaf Championship, Fuller named MVP

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The U.S. U15 Women's Youth National Team defeated Canada 4-1 in the Concacaf U15 Championship League A Final on Sunday from Tampa, Florida. It was the third consecutive U15 regional championship for the USA program (2016, 2018, and 2022). The 2020 edition of the tournament was canceled due to the pandemic.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Solar SC's [player_tooltip player_id='26916' first='Kennedy' last='Fuller'] scored the game-winning goal for USA on a penalty kick in the first half. The midfielder converted from the spot after a handball in the box from a Canada defender on a cross from Carrie Helfrich. Fuller's goal was USA's second in the opening 12 minutes of the game. [player_tooltip player_id='23361' first='Alexandra' last='Pfeiffer'] scored the opening goal.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Canada cut the lead in half late in the opening period on a shot from Isabelle Chukwu from just inside of the 18-yard box that went over the goalkeeper and found the top corner of the net.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The tally from Canada was as close as it would get in the game. USA's sniffling pressure through the forward and midfield lines dictated where the game was played. Canada goalkeeper Noelle Henning was the player of the game for her team. She made two outstanding saves including one in the second half on a flick from Fuller that looked like it had sealed the game for USA, but Henning's diving effort just tipped it past the post.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Substitutes [player_tooltip player_id='20370' first='Abby' last='Ballek'] and [player_tooltip player_id='33314' first='Ashlyn' last='Puerta'] linked up for a pair of goals late in the game to seal the result for the home side. Ballek scored first on an assist from Puerta as the duo linked up through the center of the field for a quick combination that resulted in Ballek putting the ball between Henning's legs to give USA a 3-1 lead in the 67th minute.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ballek turned to provider for the next goal as she put in the service for Puerta's one-touch finish to make the final score 4-1 on the day.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/JREskilson/status/1556317735549685761","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/JREskilson/status/1556317735549685761 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>USA finished the event with five wins, zero losses, and only one goal conceded. [player_tooltip player_id='26916' first='Kennedy' last='Fuller'] was the leading scorer for USA with nine goals and three assists in five games. She was awarded the Golden Ball (Best Player) for the event.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The win on Sunday clinches a sweep for the USA program in the regional championships with title-winning performances in the U15, U17, U20, and senior level in 2022.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2022 CONCACAF GIRLS' UNDER-15 CHAMPIONSHIP ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB; HOMETOWN)&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>GOALKEEPERS (2):&nbsp;[player_tooltip player_id='33355' first='Molly' last='Vapensky'] (Chicago FC United; Evanston, Ill.), Kennedy Zorn (SC del Sol; Peoria, Ariz.)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DEFENDERS (6):&nbsp;[player_tooltip player_id='23212' first='Mya' last='Brandon'] (Michigan Hawks; Canton, Mich), [player_tooltip player_id='24524' first='Maddie' last='Costello'] (SUSA; Stony Brook, N.Y.), [player_tooltip player_id='50061' first='Alexis' last='Coughlin'] (Legends FC, Corona, Calif.), [player_tooltip player_id='26834' first='Jordyn' last='Hardeman'] (Solar SC, Prosper, Texas), [player_tooltip player_id='54185' first='Daya' last='King'] (Legends FC; Moreno Valley, Calif.), [player_tooltip player_id='21749' first='Kai' last='Price'] (Concorde Fire; Atlanta, Ga.)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>MIDFIELDERS (5):&nbsp;Kimmi Ascanio (Florida United; Doral, Fla.), [player_tooltip player_id='26916' first='Kennedy' last='Fuller'] (Solar SC; Southlake, Texas), [player_tooltip player_id='26393' first='Ainsley' last='McCammon'] (Solar SC; Aubrey, Texas), [player_tooltip player_id='33314' first='Ashlyn' last='Puerta'] (Albion SC; Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.), [player_tooltip player_id='25216' first='Katharine' last='Scott'] (Internationals; Erie, Pa.)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>FORWARDS (5):&nbsp;[player_tooltip player_id='20370' first='Abby' last='Ballek'] (Real Colorado; Timnath, Colo), Ava Harrison (San Diego Surf; San Diego, Calif.), [player_tooltip player_id='27682' first='Caroline' last='Helfrich'] (VA Union; Mclean, Va.), [player_tooltip player_id='19178' first='Ayva' last='Jordan'] (Slammers FC; Las Vegas, Nev.), [player_tooltip player_id='23361' first='Alexandra' last='Pfeiffer'] (St Louis Scott Gallagher; St. Louis, Mo.)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->