With their ticket to the final round already booked, the U.S. will put some players through a trial by fire in the last match of the semifinal phase.  A largely inexperienced will get to test their mettle against a Guatemala team desperate for a victory that would keep their hopes of advancement alive. 

In the relatively brief history of women’s soccer across the globe, the United States has paved the way in many regards. Winners of the first-ever FIFA Women’s World Cup in 1991, the U.S. Women built on their legacy by hosting the most successful women’s sporting event ever – the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Three years after the USA captured the world title, FIFA launched its first women’s event at the youth level.

AOTY Candidate Bios

The U.S. Under-20 Women’s National Team kicks off its FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup campaign on Wednesday, Nov. 19 against France in a match that will broadcast live on ESPN2 at 1 p.m. ET. In addition to the live ESPN2 broadcast, Galavision will be showing the game on tape delay at 6 p.m. ET and fans will be able to follow along live at ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker.

U.S. Soccer has announced the finalists for the 2008 “Best of U.S. Soccer” awards and voting for the 12 categories begins today on ussoccer.com.