US U20 Women Capture CONCACAF Crown

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala (Jan. 30, 2010) – Forward Sydney Leroux scored her tournament-leading sixth goal in the 87th minute to give the U.S. Under-20 Women’s National Team a 1-0 victory against Mexico and the title at the 2010 CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Championships.

Both teams had already qualified for the 2010 FIFA Women’s World Cup by virtue of semifinal victories two days ago, but pride and a CONCACAF regional title were more than enough motivation to spur both countries.

In what will surely go down as Mexico’s best-ever performance against the USA in a youth competition, the Americans finally broke through an organized and committed defense with less than three minutes to play in regulation and appropriately it was Leroux who bagged the game-winner.

Leroux, who plays college soccer for the UCLA Bruins, who was also the top scorer at the 2008 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Chile, tallied in four out of five matches the USA played in Guatemala, with her final goal worthy of a tournament winner.

In the third-place match, Costa Rica stunned Canada, 1-0, to qualify for its first ever FIFA Women’s World Cup at this level. The Ticas had their first-ever Women’s World Cup experience at the 2008 U-17 WWC in New Zealand. It also marked the first time Canada has failed to qualify for a FIFA Women’s World Cup at the youth level.