The United States women's under-17 football team is set to face Spain in the Round of 16 of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 2026, taking place in Morocco. The group stage concluded on Sunday, with the US team finishing their participation in Group E after a narrow defeat to China PR, ending the match at 3-2 at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Rabat, Morocco.
The match started with a bang as Yuxi Liu opened the scoring for China PR in the 7th minute, striking a right-footed shot from inside the penalty area. The excitement continued into the second half, where standout player Maddie Dimaria managed to level the score for the United States with a powerful header in the 69th minute, bringing her tournament tally to 11 goals.
However, China PR quickly regained the lead just two minutes later when Jiayi Zhao netted a right-footed shot that found the back of the net in the 71st minute. Yuxi Liu then completed her brace in the 81st minute, scoring the third goal for the Asian side. As the match approached its conclusion, a well-executed team play allowed Isa Ortiz to score for the United States in injury time, specifically at the 90+7 minute mark.
With this result, the United States concluded the group stage in second place in Group E, boasting a record of 2 wins, 0 draws, and 1 loss, accumulating six points while scoring an impressive 25 goals in total. Maddie Dimaria is currently leading the race for the Golden Boot. The upcoming match against Spain is scheduled for Thursday, October 29, at the same venue in Rabat, promising to be an exciting encounter for fans and players alike.
As reported by es.concacaf.com.
