South American champion Clarinha sees USA friendlies as U20 World Cup prep
South American champion Clarinha sees USA friendlies as U20 World Cup prep Brazil’s Women’s Under-20 National Team has begun preparations in Kansas (USA) for the friendlies against the United States, a key step on the road to the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, which will be played in September in Poland. Midfielder Clarinha highlighted the importance of facing one of the main powerhouses of women’s football in the world. “Everyone is well prepared for this new stage, because our goal is the World Cup.
These two friendlies will be very important, not only for the coaching staff but also for the players, because it’s a different kind of match for us,” she said. According to the player, facing a national team from outside the South American sphere raises the level of difficulty and directly contributes to the group’s development. “It’s a very important part of our preparation for our next objective.
Everyone knows that the United States are a very technically strong team, so we need to prepare ourselves really well for that,” she added. Clarinha also drew attention to the growth of women’s football in the United States, both at youth level and in the professional game. Clarinha celebrates a goal scored at the Women’s South American Under-20 Championship in Paraguay Credits: Staff Images “It’s a national team that has been improving a lot, and their league is very strong and well respected.
So, we’re going into these matches with great seriousness, focus, and hard work,” she said. The midfielder arrives for the FIFA international window riding the momentum of the South American Under-20 title, won in February in Paraguay. As one of the key players in the campaign, Clarinha scored one of the goals in the 2-0 victory over Venezuela in the final, a result that secured Brazil’s 11th continental title in the category.
Now, Brazil is using the friendlies against the United States as a benchmark to assess the team’s level ahead of the World Cup. The first match will be played on April 11 at CPKC Stadium. The second will take place on the 15th at Riverside Stadium, both in Kansas, United States.