Italy U20 ready to face United States at World Cup in Poland

Tomorrow afternoon, Italy U20 will make its debut at the Under‑20 Women’s World Cup against the United States at 18:00, at the Stadion Miejski in Łódź, Poland, after a 14‑year absence. The Azzurrine, led by coach Nicola Matteucci, earned their place in the final tournament thanks to last year’s European semifinal.

The road to the World Cup

Qualification came thanks to the European semifinal played a year ago, where Italy showed the ability to respond to difficulties. The return to the tournament is described as historic, as the Azzurrine had not participated for fourteen seasons. The FIGC’s official channels highlighted the anticipation for this event.

“We arrive at this World Cup – says coach Matteucci in this special – after a great journey, having also known how to react in the face of difficulties. In this competition we are the newcomers, but we will certainly not be an easy team to face,” the coach said.

The players' voices

“Participating in a World Cup is pride and excitement,” said Marta Zamboni. Lidia Consolini added: “We train all year for milestones like this.” Midfielder Paolo Fadda said: “I am very close to my teammates, they are like sisters.”

Caterina Venturelli, one of the new faces, declared: “I am getting back into the game and trying to write a new story, hoping to always do better.” Karen Appiah, class of 2007, commented: “I had to wait until I turned eighteen to wear the blue shirt. I have always wondered how it would have been…”.

The squad consists of ten girls under the age of twenty‑one called up, plus twelve who were present in Poland the previous year. Among the defenders stand out Martina Bressan (Inter) and Martina Cocino (Aarau); in midfield Giada Catena (Res Donna Roma) and Maya Cherubini (Fiorentina); up front Karen Appiah (Cesena) and Giulia Galli (Roma).

The technical staff includes Nicola Matteucci as head coach, Fabio Andolfo as methodologist, Erika Lisi as assistant coach, Mattia Volpi as goalkeeping coach, Lorenzo Corsi and Vincenzo Piermatteo as athletic trainers, Alessandro Rossi as match analyst, doctors Michela Cammarano and Andrea Gattelli, physiotherapist Marco Fiore, nutritionist Vito Flavio Valletta and secretary Aurora Leo.

The opening match is set for Sunday 6 September at 18:00, United States‑Italy, at the Stadion Miejski in Łódź, with live TV coverage on RaiSport. Afterwards Italy will play New Zealand on 9 September and Japan on 12 September.