On the Pitch

USA Downs Argentina 4-0 to Win Group B at 2023 Pan American Games

Kendall Bodak, Charlotte Kohler, Amalia Villarreal and Grace Restovich Score; USA Will Face Chile in Semifinal on Oct. 31; Mexico Takes on Argentina in Other Semifinal

VALPARAÍSO, Chile (Oct. 28, 2023) – The U.S. Under-19 Women’s Youth National Team defeated Argentina, 4-0, to complete an impressive sweep of all three group matches and will now focus on a semifinal matchup against host Chile.

The win gave the USA the full nine points from its three group matches and set up a meeting with Group A second-place finisher Chile on Oct. 31 in a match that will likely be played in front of a large crowd.

The win over Argentina came on the heels of a 6-0 win over Bolivia to open the tournament and a 3-1 win over Costa Rica in the second game, and once again, the USA started fast.

In the 16th minute, defender Lizzie Boamah broke pressure by dribbling into midfield and played a long ball to forward Emeri Adames, who was streaking down the left side of the field. Adames won the foot race with an Argentinian defender and lofted a left-footed cross to the back post where midfielder Kendall Bodak was waiting to head it home.

Five minutes later the USA made it 2-0 after midfielder Eleanor Klinger received the ball in midfield and slotted a pass through three defenders to a darting Adames, who took a touch inside and then found midfielder Charlotte Kohler, who timed her run behind the backline perfectly before executing a first-time finish with the outside of her right foot.

The USA took that lead into halftime but then scored twice in a four-minute span early in the second half to put the game away. Once again Boamah started the goal-scoring attack by breaking pressure with a dribble into midfield. Her pass found forward Amalia Villarreal on the backline. Villarreal played a quick combination with Kohler, receiving the through ball back from Kohler inside the penalty area and finishing to the far post with her right foot.

In the 55th minute, midfielder Grace Restovich jumped on a loose ball on top of the six-yard box after a corner and smashed a first-time shot on the half turn into the upper 90 for the final scoreline.

Argentina, which was playing with numerous full National Team players, out-shot the USA 12-5, but the young Americans were clinical in their finishing and goalkeeper Kealey Titmuss earned the shutout while making six saves.

In the other Group B match, Costa Rica and Bolivia tied 0-0. Mexico won Group A with wins over Chile, Paraguay and Jamaica while scoring 14 goals and allowing just two and will face Argentina in the other semifinal on Oct. 31.

2023 Pan American Games – Women’s Soccer -- Final Group B Standings

TEAM GP W L D GF GA GD PTS
USA 3 3 0 0 13 1 +12 9
ARG 3 1 1 1 3 4 -1 4
CRC 3 0 1 2 1 3 -2 2
BOL 3 0 2 1 0 9 -9 1

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

  • Charlotte Kohler, Kendall Bodak and Grace Restovich all scored their first goals of the tournament.
  • Amalia Villarreal notched her third goal of the tournament.
  • Eight different players have scored for the USA in the tournament.
  • This is the first time since 2007 that U.S. Soccer has sent a women’s team to the Pan American Games, a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring Olympic summer sports.
  • While the USA is facing teams consisting mostly of senior National Team players, the USA has brought a U-19 team featuring the younger part of the USA’s Under-20 Women’s National Team player pool. The entire roster has yet to enter college as the collegiate players in the U-20 pool are all currently embroiled in their college campaigns.
  • Seven players on the roster played for the USA at the 2022 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup, in which the USA dominated Nigeria before falling in penalty kicks in the quarterfinal, so they have some experience at a major world event.
  • The U.S. players who played in the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup are defenders Nicki Fraser and Jordyn Bugg, midfielders Charlotte Kohler and Lauren Martinho and forwards Samantha Smith (who is a defender on this roster), Emeri Adames and Amalia Villarreal.
  • All the players on the U.S. roster are age-eligible for the team that will compete in the 2024 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup about a year from now in Colombia. U.S. Under-19 WYNT head coach Carrie Kveton named a Pan Am roster with 15 players born in 2006 and five born in 2005. The age cut-off to play in the U-20 World Cup next year is players born on or after Jan. 1, 2004.
  • U.S. Soccer has competed in two Pan American Games for women’s soccer, the first in 1999 in Canada when U.S. Under-18 Women’s National Team, coached by Jay Hoffman, won the gold medal with a 1-0 victory over an older Mexico squad.
  • U.S. Soccer sent an Under-20 women’s team to the 2007 Pan American Games in Brazil and advanced to the gold medal game by beating the senior Canada Women’s National Team, 2-1, in the semifinal, but then ran into a buzzsaw host side at the famed Maracanã Stadium and lost 5-0 to earn a silver medal. That U.S. team, coached by future two-time Women’s World Cup champion Jill Ellis, featured several future USWNT stars, including Alyssa Naeher, Lauren Cheney, Kelley O’Hara and Tobin Heath.

-U.S. UNDER-19 WOMEN’S YOUTH NATIONAL TEAM MATCH REPORT-

Match: United States U-19 Women's National Team vs. Argentina Women’s National Team
Date: October 28, 2023
Competition: Pan American Games – Group B
Venue: Estadio Elias Figueroa; Valparaíso, Chile
Weather: 58 degrees, cloudy
Attendance: 1,000

Scoring Summary:   1          2          F         
USA                             2          2          4
ARG                             0          0          0

USA – Kendall Bodak (Emeri Adames)                     16th minute
USA – Charlotte Kohler (Emeri Adames)                 21
USA – Amalia Villarreal (Charlotte Kohler)             51
USA – Grace Restovich                                               55                       

Lineups:
USA: 12-Kealey Titmuss; 3-Aven Alvarez, 4-Lizzie Boamah, 18-Jordyn Bugg, 13-Sammy Smith (Capt.) (2-Gisele Thompson, 54), 6-Grace Restovich, 17-Eleanor Klinger, 8-Charlotte Kohler (10-Lauren Martinho, 66), 16-Emeri Adames (9-Amalia Villarreal, 46), 11-Katie Collins (7-Ava McDonald, 54), 15-Kendall Bodak
Subs not used: 1-Sonoma Kasica, 5-Nicki Fraser, 14-Claire Hutton
Head Coach: Carrie Kveton

ARG: 1-Vanina Correa (Capt); 3-Eliana Stabile, 4-Julieta Cruz, 5-Camila Gomez (8-Daiana Falfan, 46), 6-Aldana Cometti, 10-Maricel Pereyra (15-Milagros Martin, 59) 13- Sophia Braun, 14-Miriam Mayorga, 16-Brisa Priori (7-Romina Nunez, 32), 17-Agostina Holzheier (9-Paulina Gramaglia, 59), 18-Estefania Palomar (11-Erica Lonigro, 59)
Subs not used:12-Laurina Oliveros, 2-Adriana Sachs,12-Laurina Oliveros, 13-Sophia Braun
Head Coach: German Portanova

Stats Summary: USA / ARG                       
Shots: 5 / 12
Shots on Goal: 4 / 6
Saves: 6 / 1
Corner Kicks:  6 / 3
Fouls: 7 / 11
Offside: 3 / 1

Misconduct Summary:
USA – Sammy Smith (Caution)          18th minute

Officials:
Referee: Andreza Siqueira (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Barbara Da Costa (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Anne Gomes De Sa (BRA)
Fourth Official: Giselle Giler (ECU)

Go Deeper

U-19 WYNT