U.S. U-20 National Team Coach Dave Chesler has called his second camp since taking over for Jill Ellis last month. His first camp with the U.S. U-20 team took place in mid-January, and this latest camp started Sunday in Chula Vista, Calif., and runs through Feb. 20. This group has 10 different players than the squad picked for January’s camp.
Chesler brought in 10 new players (some familiars and some new faces), including keepers Abby Smith and Caroline Stanley, defenders Megan Fuller, Kasey Kallman, and Ariana Martinez, midfielders Kaysie Clark, Sarah Killion, and Julie Johnston, and forwards Tawni Martino and Mollie Pathman. Also of note, Morgan Brian, the nation’s number one recruit out of Frederica Academy in Georgia, was called into her second-ever U-20 camp after having spent time with the U-17s … Portland’s Michelle Cruz was brought into the January camp as a forward, this time as a midfielder … Gatorade named its state players of the year, and U-20 midfielder Samantha Mewis was named the Massachusetts State Player of the Year for the second straight year. Other girls on this roster who earned state player of the year honors include: Sarah Killion and Alex Doll. Forward Mollie Patham of Duke was last year’s Gatorade National Player of the Year. This year’s national winner has yet to be announced … Mewis, Pathman, and Maya Hayes are the only three players on this roster who competed for the U.S. at the 2010 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany.
U-20 roster for Feb. 13-20 training camp
Goalkeepers: Emily Oliver (Stanford), Abby Smith (Dallas Texans), Caroline Stanley (KCFC Alliance/Missouri)
Defenders: Abby Dahlkemper (MVLA Avalanche/UCLA), Megan Fuller (Ohio State), Briana Hovington (Penn State), Jaelene Hinkle (Real Colorado/Texas Tech), Kasey Kallman (Florida State), Ariana Martinez (UCLA)
Midfielders: Morgan Brian (Ponte Vedra Storm/Virginia), Kaysie Clark (KC Select/Missouri), Michelle Cruz (Portland), Alex Doll (Bethesda SC), Lindsay Elston (Washington), Julie Johnston (Santa Clara), Sarah Killion (Fort Wayne Fever/UCLA), Samantha Mewis (Scorpions SC/UCLA)
Forwards: Kelly Cobb (Inlet Velocity/Duke), Arin Gilliland (Lexington Football Club/Kentucky), Maya Hayes (Penn State), Tawni Martino (Loyola Marymount), Mollie Pathman (Duke), Taylor Smith (Solar SC), Katie Stengel (Wake Forest)