Previewing Aotearoa at the 2024 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup
There is a Women’s U20 World Cup starting very shortly and it was beginning to seem like nobody realised... until finally NZ Football released their squad list a mere 12 days before the opening game. Shades of the Olympics all over again – where both teams were delayed as player availability proved a point of contention. Perhaps that was the case here too because, tell ya what, we never used to have so many professional players still in the age grades. There are seven players in Leon Birnie’s 21-woman squad who are listed with overseas pro clubs (only one of those is an A-League team) and that doesn’t include the seven others who have already made A-League appearances for the Wellington Phoenix. Those that haven’t played professionally are the minority here... and it’s probably only a matter of time for them.
The squad is almost identical to what we saw in the two-match series against Australia in July. There Birnie picked a 26-player group in order to give as many players as he could that last chance to impress and the entirety of the World Cup squad has been drawn from those 26 players with one exception: Milly Clegg. That means that six of that previous squad missed out: Jasmine Barney, Alexis Cook, Charlotte Eagle, Juliette Lucas, Charlotte Mortlock, and Phoebe Riley. A couple of potential surprises in there. Mortlock is a very talented creative midfielder while Lucas is a strong striker who is currently over in the United States playing semi-pro. But that just goes to show the depth of the talent available.
As for Milly Clegg, it was no guarantee that she’d be here. Although she hasn’t yet debuted for Racing Louisville, she has been training there intently since April and has made six matchday squads (Racing Lou are not a team that rotates very much, as you can guess). They recently traded for a new striker, Bethany Balcer, which theoretically makes it even tougher for Clegg to break through in the immediate term... but that’s okay because she’s on a multi-year contract so they’re very invested in her future. Having only just gotten her back from the Olympics, Louisville might have kicked up a fuss about losing her again so soon. But they haven’t. Back in 2022, Clegg announced herself to the kiwi public when she scored at both the U17 and U20 World Cups within a few months of each other. Now she’ll get to attend a second U20 World Cup and this time she’ll do so as a fully capped senior international and Olympian.
Clegg is not a lone in doubling up here. In fact, there are a remarkable five players in this squad who also went to the previous U20 World Cup. Ruby Nathan joined Clegg in attending both the U17s and U20s last cycle and she’s back for another U20 spin. As are Emma Pijnenburg, Ella Findlay, and Zoe McMeeken. Similarly, we’ve got Kiara Bercelli, Aimee Danieli, Madeleine Iro, Olivia Page, Zoe Benson, Ella McCann, Marie Green, Manaia Elliott, Ella McMillan, Olivia Ingham, Suya Haering, Rebekah Trewhitt, Lara Colpi, and Helena Errington all joining Clegg and Nathan as having progressed from the 2022 U17s to the 2024 U20s. That’s 16/21 players. The five U17s not to make the cut for the U20s wave are: Charlotte Mortlock, Charlotte Eagle, Alexis Cook, Megan Simpson, and Lara Smith. Only two members of this squad will also be eligible for the 2026 U20 WC: Daisy Brazendale and Zoe Benson.
The 2024 U20s edition is being held in Colombia and the Kiwis actually got a pretty sweet draw. We’re in a group with Japan, Austria, and Ghana. You never know what to expect from youth teams, whose ability doesn’t always match up with the prestige of their senior sides, apart from safely assuming that Japan will be awesome. They’ve made the semis in three straight events including winning the thing in 2018. But Austria and Ghana... who knows? Austria are at their first ever Women’s U20 World Cup.
This is an experienced Aotearoa side with plenty of professionals though so they oughta turn up with ambitions to try and win those last two games. Might even be able to sneak into the knockout stages which is something that the NZ Women’s U20s have only ever achieved once and it was way back in 2014 thanks to the class of Katie Bowen, CJ Bott, Meikayla Moore, and Daisy Cleverley. Every NZ youth grade team has made World Cup knockouts - the Men’s U20s have done it four times in a row – but 2014 is the least recent of any of them. However, this lot are being coached by Leon Birnie who helmed the 2018 U17s Women on their run to third-place in 2018 so if anyone knows what it takes then he’s the guy.
This is the first year that the U20 Women’s WC has been expanded to 24 teams which no doubt helped with the ol’ group stage draw niceties. New Zealand were inexplicably given a second seed which automatically ruled out the chances of facing Nigeria, Brazil, Mexico, USA, or the Netherlands. Note that Australia have qualified for this one and were only seeded in pot three. Fiji are also there as a second Oceania representative and those poor jokers have been drawn up against France, Canada, and Brazil. Watch out for drones is the only advice we can offer there.
Back to the NZ squad, there are only three domestic clubs represented here but that’s misleading because every single one of these players has played National League football, most of them for multiple seasons, except for Amber Bennett who last year was third-choice keeper for Canterbury United behind Una Foyle (now playing professionally in Ireland) and Maddie Iro (also in this squad – though now at college in the USA). Iro is the only current USA college player in the group, reflecting how that pathway has shrunk in popularity amongst the very best prospects from NZ. Mostly because there are so many more professional opportunities now available for players of that age... as is also reflected in this group.
Two of these players are capped Football Ferns: Milly Clegg (12 caps, 1 goal) and Ruby Nathan (5 caps, 1 goal). Emma Pijnenburg, Aimee Danieli, and Manaia Elliott have all been called up to Ferns squads as injury replacements over the past 12 months though none of them have earned debuts quite yet. Let us now break things down by positions.
GOALKEEPERS
Amber Bennett - Cashmere Technical, NZ
Aimee Danieli - Wellington Phoenix, NZ
Maddie Iro - High Point University, USA
Three goalkeepers here, led by Aimee Danieli who is the most advanced of the trio. She’s already been in a national team squad, already debuted in the A-League (albeit only for a ten minute stint). Spent the whole of last season as the Wellington Phoenix’s third-choice keeper on an amateur deal and a day after being named in this squad she was elevated to a scholarship deal with the ALW squad. Prior to that she won the Kate Sheppard Cup with Auckland United as a 17 year old and had already played National League prior to that with WaiBOP.
Expect her to be the top choice... though she’s got some good competition from a couple of Cantabrians. Maddie Iro has been around the Canterbury United Pride team for several years as a hot prospect, only this year did she move overseas to attend university in the States (and also had a gig with semi-pro team North Carolina Fusion). Amber Bennett hasn’t has been splitting the goalie duties at Cashmere Tech with 16yo Scarlett Gray during the South Island League. Probably won’t get a chance to see what Bennett’s about during this tournament but the experience will be massive and the National League beckons afterwards.
What’s funky about this is that both Iro and Bennett have leapfrogged Charlotte Eagle, who started twice during qualifying and was the main goalie for the WeeNix in the last National League. Only two keepers were picked in the 18-woman Oceania U19 Championships squad last year and they were Danieli and Eagle. Eagle doesn’t appear to have played for the Welly Nix Reserves for several weeks, suggesting she’s potentially out injured.
DEFENDERS
Ella Findlay - Western Springs, NZ
Marie Green - Wellington Phoenix, NZ
Suya Haering - FFC Turbine Potsdam, GER
Zoe McMeeken - Wellington Phoenix, NZ
Ella McMillan - Wellington Phoenix, NZ
Olivia Page - Sheffield United FC, ENG
Rebekah Trewhitt - Wellington Phoenix, NZ
The positions here are speculative so keep that grain of salt handy. Ella McMillan and Ella Findlay are both capable midfielders. Lara Colpi and Helena Errington could as easily play amongst the forwards. Manaia Elliott can play wing or fullback. Olivia Page can play pretty much anywhere. You get the idea.
During qualifying they used a 4-2-3-1 formation. The grand final line-up (a 7-0 win vs Fiji) looked like this:
Aimee Danieli | Rebekah Trewhitt, Marie Green, Ella McMillan, Zoe McMeeken | Helena Errington, Emma Pijnenburg | Manaia Elliott (c), Ruby Nathan, Kiara Bercelli | Ella McCann
In the first game against Australia recently, the one that was available to the public and streamed online, they used a very similar formation and the starting eleven went as thus:
Maddie Iro | Zoe McMeeken, Ella Findlay, Ella McMillan, Suya Haering | Daisy Brazendale, Emma Pijnenburg | Manaia Elliott (c), Helena Errington, Kiara Bercelli | Ruby Nathan
Manaia Elliott also captained at the U17 World Cup so we don’t need to write that one in pencil. But she probably won’t need to play fullback since A) she hasn’t been doing so at previous stops on the journey, and B) there are more than enough fullbacks in this group already. McMeeken’s 36 ALW appearances have spanned some serious development since being the youngest player in the Wellington Phoenix’s inaugural squad. The inverted fullback activities we saw from her last year (especially for the Reserves) were thrilling and a fascinating use of her athleticism. Suya Haering hasn’t debuted for Turbine Potsdam yet but she did spend half a year with them on the way towards promotion and is therefore now prepping for season in the Bundesliga. She’s a teammate of former NZ age-grader Maya Hahn in Potsdam. Haering is a left-back specialist with shades of a young Ali Riley about her (and not just because they were both also eligible for America – Haering actually has four nations of eligibility, with Germany and Taiwan also in there).
Rebekah Trewhitt is a sturdy right-sided defender who came through the Central Football ranks prior to joining the Nix Academy. Olivia Page was a wing-back for Eastern Suburbs when they won the 2022 National League – although has been used more as a central defender or defensive midfielder since moving to Sheffield United where she played a few first team games in the Conti Cup, though didn’t get further than the bench in Championship action. Glad to see her still listed with Sheffield United in this squad because you never really know with these things. Women’s clubs aren’t always forthcoming with release lists... but the Blades have effectively since confirmed she’ll be back by offering up a congrats post in which they referred to her as “U21s defender Olivia Page”.
Ella McMillan will be an important leader at the back. She captains the Phoenix Reserves, where she’s usually partnered in central defence with Marie Green. McMillan is from the Waikato, Green is from Auckland. Both therefore get coached to have a big emphasis on playing out from the back. McMillan in particular is really strong on the ball, hence her midfield antics... but then again so is Ella Findlay who recently made the switch from Eastern Suburbs to Western Springs, having been a Lilywhites junior. Findlay spent a little bit of time at Creighton University in the USA around the time of the previous U20 World Cup. Classy defender. McMillan has predictably been given one of the Phoenix’s four scholarship spots for next season.
MIDFIELDERS
Daisy Brazendale - Wellington Phoenix, NZ
Lara Colpi - BSC Young Boys, SUI
Helena Errington - Unattached
Emma Pijnenburg – Feyenoord, NED
Where to even start with this lot? Let’s go with Helena Errington who won the Golden Ball during qualifying, a tournament in which the young Ferns scored 45 goals and conceded zero, playing mostly as a deeper midfielder where her slick technique and excellent passing rhythm shone through... but was then deployed as a number ten against Australia where her creative vision and quick touches gathered the shine instead. Errington’s one of our very best prospects and she’ll do well wherever Birnie puts her. That’s why the “Unattached” tag is so interesting.
Errington came through the Ole Academy and played for Capital in the WNL when she was 15 years of age. She then spent some time with the Welly Nix prior to joining Sporting CP in Portugal... but only on a training basis. Errington returned to the Nix and made five bench appearances in the A-League and has lately been doing fine things with Bentleigh Greens in the Victorian NPL, though she didn’t play in Bentleigh Greens’ most recent fixture (a 2-1 win against Heidelberg United, who themselves just happened to have Vibha Godha in their line-up, previously seen playing National League for Ellerslie in 2023... heaps of kiwi women in the NPL leagues this year, probably more than anyone realises). This despite it being the club’s penultimate fixture during a relegation battle. Then suddenly she’s labelled as clubless right before the European season is due to begin? That’s the type of alignment that tin foil hats and crystal balls were made for.
Emma Pijnenburg is already established in Europe. She took her clever eye for a through-ball from Western Springs to Feyenoord’s academy at the start of 2023 and within a year she was breaking into first team squads. From there it all happened very quickly. Her debut. Her first start. A cup run that included a quarter-final win against the defending champs. Her first goal. Her first national team call-up. A two-year professional contract. She did get pretty much all of her Feyenoord minutes at right-back but there’s little doubt she’ll be amongst the midfield for this World Cup. Of all the players at overseas clubs in this squad, Pijnenburg is by far the most settled. The rest are all trying to earn game-time whereas Pijnenburg spent the second half of 2023-24 as a regular starter.
Lara Colpi has been named as a BSC Young Boys player for both this squad and also the previous U20s squad. She was an absolute standout during the 2023 National League with Western Springs before leaving earlier this year to hit the trial circuit in Europe. Seems as though that strategy worked – granted, it does have to be said that there isn’t any other mention of her with BSCYB (Switzerland top division) outside those two NZ Football announcements. The Swiss season hasn’t kicked off yet which could be why. Or maybe she’s been registered in the reserves with less publicity. Time will tell. Colpi’s a number ten who can also play on the wing. Short in stature but has a knack for scoring wicked goals from outside the box.
Then we’ve got Daisy Brazendale who last season made six appearances for the Wellington Phoenix, where she occupied a scholarship spot last season and has just been promoted to a full contract (along with Olivia Ingham) to make room for the new crop of scholars... a crop that includes three other teammates from this cohort (McMillan, Danieli, McCann... and 16yo Ela Jerez who we’ll see at the U17 World Cup later in the calendar). Nelson-native Brazendale is a hard-tackling midfielder whose passing game has improved heaps this year as well – she’ll fancy her chances to pick up where Kate Taylor left off with the Nix.
Brazendale is the most defensive-minded of these midfielders (unless Findlay, Page, or McMillan get minutes there) and as such will probably find herself starting. This genuinely might be one of the most impressive and balanced midfield contingents we’ve ever sent to one of these things.
FORWARDS
Zoe Benson - Eastern Suburbs, NZ
Kiara Bercelli - U.C. Sampdoria, ITA
Milly Clegg - Racing Louisville FC, USA
Manaia Elliott - Wellington Phoenix, NZ
Olivia Ingham - Wellington Phoenix, NZ
Ella McCann - Wellington Phoenix, NZ
Ruby Nathan - Canberra United, AUS
The attackers aren’t too shabby either, especially with Milly Clegg in attendance to offer that finishing touch. It was Ruby Nathan who top-scored in qualifying with eight goals but such were the creative resources in that team that seven different players scored at least three times and that doesn’t even include Errington who won Golden Ball. Nathan’s been tagged as a Canberra United player which is cool because they haven’t actually confirmed if she’s returning or not. She’s been back at Auckland United during her offseason – although didn’t play the Kate Sheppard Cup semi-final last weekend against a Wellington Phoenix Reserve side that included: McMillan, Green, McMeeken, Elliott, Brazendale, Ingham, and Trewhitt. Nathan can play across the frontline which will be handy in a squad that also includes her old mate Milly Clegg. Those two won the 2022 KSC together with Auckland United, a squad that also included Aimee Danieli.
Zoe Benson is the only domestic forward of this crew but she’s also the youngest of the 21. Equally as talented as most of the others, a tricky and clever winger who’ll both score and assist. Kiara Bercelli is preparing for her third season in Italy with Sampdoria. The first season she was in the youth team. The second season she went out on loan to Chievo in the second division. KB is a very busy player, quick and direct.
Manaia Elliott will be familiar to most folks already from her Wellington Phoenix efforts where she featured so much as a scholar that her contract had to be upgraded to a senior one. Absolute nugget of a player who runs hard up the wings and has a powerful shot to go with her boundless energy. Olivia Ingham missed a lot of the last two years recovering from an ACL tear. She managed to get a debut off the bench towards the end of the A-League season and has been building up her match fitness with the reserves since then – earning herself a full contract for 2024-25. She’s another wide player, possessing good pace and a willingness to run in behind. Ella McCann is a striker from Nelson who has played National League for both Canterbury United and the WeeNix. Strong and mobile. Another Welly Nix scholarship recipient.
Chuck all that in the pot and we’re staring at something along these lines... Danieli with the gloves; a McMeeken – Findlay – McMillan – Haering quartet in defence; in front of them could see Brazendale and Pijnenburg in midfield with Helena Errington more advanced; then let’s say Elliott on the right wing with Nathan on the left and Milly Clegg at the pointy part of the formation. That’s with a fine selection of proper game-changers primed amongst the substitutes too.
The draw turned up a reasonable outcome. There’s continuity between the U17s and U20s as well as returning players from the previous U20s wave. The coach not only helmed those 2022 U17s but he’s also had unprecedented success in age grade tournaments in the past. Should be good fun. All games will be streamed on FIFA+.
Aoteaora vs Japan, Tuesday 3 September at 1pm NZT
Aotearoa vs Austria, Friday 6 September at 1pm NZT
Aotearoa vs Ghana, Monday 9 September at 1pm NZT
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