Four Key Performances from the USA U17 WNT quarterfinal loss

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The United States under-17 Women's National Team ended their World Cup run on Friday in the quarterfinal round against Nigeria with a 1-1 draw and then 4-3 loss in PK shootout. The sloppy conditions certainly played a factor in the result as the kickoff for the game was delayed nearly two hours due to a storm in the area. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>USA finished the game with a 27-8 advantage in shots, and a 15-4 advantage in corner kicks. However, a questionable VAR review in the first half awarded Nigeria a penalty kick for the opening goal. USA answered back through [player_tooltip player_id='26447' first='Amalia' last='Villarreal'] later in the first half. A strong defensive effort from Nigeria including a goal-line save in the second half, had the two teams level at 1-1 after the 90-minute whistle. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While the result will certainly not sit well with the players who were hoping to get the U.S. their first championship at the U17 level, there are still plenty of positives from their four matches and some good items to build off of moving forward in their playing careers. Winning a World Cup at the U17 level would have been great, but it is still a development tournament for the senior level. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here were four key performances from the USA squad on Friday: </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_6352a3823700c","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["26447"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"The USWNT needed a spark and they got it in the 40th minute thanks to an excellent run on the counter-attack from Villareal. The Michigan-native scored the lone goal of the game for her side right before half.  Her effort and persistence at finding that first goal paid off.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["18947"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Although Villarreal will get many of the plaudits for the opening goal (and justifiably so) it wouldn't have happened without Gamero's constant pressure on the Nigerian defensive midfield. Even after the penalty kick goal, the Beach FC forward/Stanford commit never showed a moment of letting up. Her persistent defensive work led to a timely steal and a superb run on the counter-attack. Her passing, as it has been all tournament long, was once again on point finding Villarreal with open space to exploit. It was a fantastic set up play that led to some excellent execution. Her shot in the 84th minute would have sealed it for the Americans but credit to Nigerian defender Miracle Usani for making a brilliant defensive stop. Gamero was named the FIFA Player of the Match.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["21915"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Jackson had a solid match prior to that and once again proved she is one of the top midfielders in the world at the U17 level. After going down a goal, her leadership helped pull the side together to mount a comeback. In the 35th minute, she laid in a dangerous cross into the box for [player_tooltip player_id='33426' first='Lauren' last='Martinho'], who smashed it off of the right post. This probably isn't the way Jackson wanted her tournament to end, but the Duke 2024 commit will undoubtedly use this experience and grow from it like all good captains do.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["33426"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Martinho came very close to getting her first World Cup goal on multiple occasions in the first half. The midfielder from the NC Courage developed a strong partnership with Gamero early on, finding small pockets of space to exploit. Her chance in the 20th minute came off a brilliant pass from Gamero, with her shot being saved by Nigerian goalkeeper Faith Omilana. Her second chance was perhaps the best though, the aforementioned mentioned shot in the 35th minute that hit the woodwork.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":4,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"edit"} /-->