U-17 WWC: USA coach seeks perfection ahead of Nigeria clash

Head coach of the USA team, Katie Schoepfer, looks to strike perfection ahead of their 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup quarterfinal clash with Nigeria at Estadio Cibao, Santiago de Los Caballeros, on Saturday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The gaffer made the observation after her team overran South Korea 5-0 in their last Group A match on Tuesday.

“I still think there are a few things we need to clean up that can get us to a next level and get us even better, but we looked very good against a very good opponent, so it’s a credit to the players,” she said in a post-match press conference cited by FIFA.com.

After losing 3-1 to Spain in their first match, the Americans defeated Colombia 2-0 and obliterated Korea Republic 5-0 to set up with the Flamingos a rematch of their quarter-final duel at India 2022, when Nigeria emerged victorious after a penalty shootout.

Nigeria are one of the few teams to have finished the group phase with a 100 per cent record, whitewashing New Zealand and Ecuador 4-1 and 4-0 in their first and second matches, respectively, before edging Dominican Republic 1-0 on Wednesday morning, a contest that attracted a record crowd of 13,535, resulting in the highest attended football match for any Dominican Republic national team.

The Flamingos, who were noted for their goalscoring ability, surprisingly dug deep to score against the host nation seeking redemption from two previous massacres by New Zealand and Ecuador.

Despite the slim win, Nigeria’s coach, Bankole Olowookere, was satisfied with their perfect run, saying, “I’m so happy; I’m happy for myself, happy for the team, and happy for the whole of Nigeria. We knew in this match we had to manage our energy and strength; these are young girls with many games to play, so we had to take it easy.”

Nigeria finished third at the last edition in India and will hope to go all the way this time, but they must watch out for a certain Kennedy Fuller, a prodigiously talented player who roams the midfield like a colossus against Korea Republic, scoring a goal and making her biggest impact by calmly controlling the centre of the park.