Lydia Bedford has named a 24-player England Women’s Under-20s squad for fixtures against the USA and Colombia as preparations continue for the WU20 World Cup.
The Young Lionesses will travel to US Soccer’s National Training Centre, just south of Atlanta, Georgia for a training camp and two international fixtures. Bedford’s side first face their American hosts on Thursday 9 July (18:00 EST / 23:00 BST) before playing Colombia, who like England and the USA have also qualified for the World Cup, on Wednesday 15 July (kick-off time TBC).
The camp is the third of four scheduled this summer as England continue their preparations for a first FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup appearance since 2018.
England have been drawn in Group B for September’s tournament in Poland alongside Brazil, Tanzania and Canada. They will get their campaign underway against Canada on Saturday 5 September in Bielsko-Biała.
Head coach Lydia Bedford said: “We’re really looking forward to getting out to the USA and spending some valuable time together as a group. For many of the players, it’s an exciting opportunity to travel and experience a different environment, and that’s all part of their development. Playing against two strong teams in the USA and Colombia will give us a great opportunity to challenge ourselves and
continue building towards the World Cup. Every camp is another chance for the players to grow, strengthen our connections as a team and keep moving in the right direction ahead of September.”
England Squad:
Goalkeepers: Katie Cox (Chelsea), Kaiya Jota (Stanford University), Sophia Poor (London City Lionesses)
Defenders: Ria Bose (West Ham), Rachel Maltby (Aston Villa), Grace McEwen (Brighton & Hove Albion), Lucy Newell (Manchester United), Chloe Paxton (Sunderland), Chloe Sarwie (Chelsea), Cecily Wellesley-Smith (Arsenal, on loan to FC Rosengård)
Midfielders: Lola Brown (Chelsea), May Cruft (Rangers), Laila Harbert (Arsenal), Chloe Hylton (Carolina Ascent), Vera Jones (Chelsea), Lexi Potter (Chelsea)
Forwards: Princess Ademiluyi (Gotham FC), Lily Dent (Brighton & Hove Albion), Denny Draper (Leicester City), Layla Drury (Manchester United), Jessie Gale (Arsenal), Eva Hendle (Chelsea), Eleanor Klinger (Stanford University), Vivienne Lia (Arsenal, on loan to Hammarby)
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