BRADENTON, Florida – There is a strong sense of unity within the United States team as they head into the Sunday’s semifinals at the 2018 CONCACAF Women’s Under-17 Championship.
The U.S. completed the group stage with a perfect 3W-0D-0L record and will face Haiti with a spot in the 2018 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup on the line.
With such a strong bond felt within the team, there is a sense that a fourth U-17 WWC is within grasp for the U.S.
“I think we prepare like we’ve prepared for the past two years: go into it mentally tough knowing what we need to do and lay it all on the field,” said U.S. MF Hannah Bebar in an exclusive interview with CONCACAF following Friday’s 1-0 win over Canada.
“We do everything together, everyone is on the same page, and we fight for each other,” added Bebar.
Friday’s contest was the U.S.-Canada rivalry at its best: A tight, intense encounter against two high-quality sides. For the U.S. getting the win is a big confidence boost going into Sunday.
“We feel amazing, we feel it was a huge team effort. We fought for 90 minutes doing everything we possibly could. It was a great win. It was a battle, it was tough, it was physical. Ultimately, I think we played some good soccer, we played our style and the team did amazing,” said Bebar.
The 16-year-old also took a moment to reflect on playing in her first CONCACAF Under-17 tournament and expressed appreciation for having the platform to compete on such a big stage.
“We’re humbled and we feel empowered to be here. We can play sports just as well as anyone and getting an opportunity to represent our country, represent our team is something you can’t describe,” concluded Bebar.
