USA WU17s Take Bronze in the Third Place Playoff of the U17 Women’s World Cup 2024

The England U17 Lionesses fell short of a bronze medal in the World Cup, despite a thrilling tournament. Goals from Fuller, McCammon and Padelski put the USA ahead, securing them a third place position on the podium.

Both teams kicked off the third-place playoff with lots of fuel and determination, with their end goal being to win the bronze medal for the 2024 U17 Women’s World Cup.

In the 24th minute, Kennedy Fuller was able to give the Americans a first-half lead, as Team USA went 1-0 up against the young Lionesses.

The young Lionesses attempted to get the two teams back on level terms after the break, however US midfielder Ainsley McCammon doubled the lead in the 72nd minute, making it harder for the Young Lionesses to fight back.

US forward Maddie Padelski was able to secure USA the bronze medal in the U17s Women’s World Cup, with her stoppage time goal in the 90th minute that powerfully found its way past England substitute goalkeeper Rebekah Dowsett.

Both teams kept up their fight with England trying to create chances and the US staying strong to maintain their 3-0 lead. However, England were unable to find an opportunity to come back from the three goals, with the young Lionesses returning home to England with disappointment at the bitter defeat, but a sense of pride for their strong performance, that allowed them to get to the third place playoffs.

Although England were unable to bring home some silverware, they were given the valuable experience of a Women’s World Cup in which enabled the young Lionesses to gain the experience that will be crucial for their successful careers in the future.

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Both England and USA’s Head Coach spoke in a post match interview. 

England WU17s Head Coach, Natalie Henderson stated: “My overall feeling is disappointment but I am so proud of the girls. What they have achieved is incredible and I am beyond proud of them. “ 

When asked about England’s performance both this evening and throughout the whole tournament, Henderson stated: “I think we need to think of the bigger picture. The girls need to be so proud of themselves. If you had told us at the start of the year that we would have been playing in a World Cup and compete as the top four teams at this tournament, we'd have never believed you."

Henderson, in response to how the tournament would help the Young Lionesses, stated “They are a special group of players and a special group, and I hope they go on to achieve many great things within the Lionesses. These girls have given me memories on and off the pitch.”

The USA’s Head Coach, Katie Schoepfer stated: “I’m super proud of this team, we’ve gone through so many ups and downs through this team, and gone through so much. I’m super proud of us,” in response to her team winning the bronze medal. 

When asked about the USA’s performance both tonight and throughout the tournament, Schoepfer stated: “Yeah just super proud of the group, they dug deep, they played so many different styles of play and played so many different teams. We talked about resilience this entire tournament. There were plenty of ups and downs.“  

When asked about the victory, Schoepfer stated: “It is amazing- we always want to continue making sure our logo is synonymous and our crest is synonymous.”