Alexandra Popp/Germany (19) – 10 goals in 5 games tells you everything. Popp also contributed two assists in the tournament. Her achievements are particularly outstanding considering she plays in more of a defensive role for her Duisburg team.

Marina Hegering/Germany (20) – The captain was the first line of defense for her back four but she also contributed a lot going forward including two goals and two assists. Could she be the German WNT’s Bastian Shweinsteiger?

Bianca Schmidt/Germany (20) – The Potsdam fullback was the most capped player in the German squad and she was perhaps the best rightback of the tournament. Her love of attacking can probably be attributed to the fact that she’s actually a striker.

Ebere Orji/Nigeria (17) – Orji was consistently Nigeria’s most dangerous player in terms of both creating goals and taking them herself. She led the tournament with four assists and also had two goals to her name. She often played as a withdrawn striker to teammate (and 16 year-old) Desire Oparanozie and opened up space for her in attack.

Joy Jegede/Nigeria (18) – The captain was perhaps one of the best centerbacks of the tournament. Skilled both in the air and in 1 v. 1 situations, Jegede brought organization and calmness to the back line.

Ji So Yun/South Korea (19) – A true #10 and the most dynamic player of the tournament, Ji was absolutely clinical in front of goal. Technically refined and the ultimate cog in the South Korean machine, she was a joy to watch. Sadly she wasn’t as brilliant in the latter stages of the tournament but her eight goals stand as a testament to her prolificity.

Kim Narae/South Korea (20) - She was always a productive force in midfield and had the most assists on her team.

Kim Hye Ri/South Korea (20) – The captain was always a calm and collected presence in the back four.

Yorely Rincon/Colombia (16) – The #10 was an attacking force throughout the tournament and she provided one of the goals of the tournament against Sweden in the quarterfinals.

Antonia Goransson/Sweden (19) - The converted midfielder tallied four of Sweden’s five goals and assisted in the other. Goransson currently plays for Kristianstads in the Damallsveskan.

Sofia Jakobsson/Sweden (20) – The striker led the 2009 U-19 European Championship in goal scoring with five goals. She wasn’t as effective this time around but she did manage to score one goal and earn two assists.

Renae Cuellar/Mexico (20) – The Arizona State junior was Mexico’s top goal scorer. She also scored the vital goal in the 1-0 victory over England to essentially lift Mexico into the next round.

Sydney Leroux/USA (20) – Despite the heartbreaking ending, Leroux scored a bucket of goals and essentially carried her team throughout the group stage. Goodness knows where the U.S. would have finished if it wasn’t for her prolific goalscoring and athletic prowess.

Kristie Mewis/USA (19) – The central midfielder dictacted the United States’ passing game throughout.

Bianca Henninger/USA (19) – Selected as goalkeeper of the tournament, Henninger looked completely unshakable. Until it came to penalties, of course.

Elizabeth Cudjoe/Ghana (17) – The ebullient midfielder scored three goals and had one assist in just three group games.

Marina Makanza/France ( 19) – The Saint-Etienne striker scored three of France’s four goals and perhaps could have scored more if she had not been rested as a sub in France’s final group game.

Mana Iwabuchi/Japan (17) – Iwabuchi was hyped as being the future of Asian women’s soccer and she didn’t exactly disappoint. She was involved in half of Japan’s goals and scored the crucial last-gasp equalizer against Mexico in the first group match.

Team of the Tournament: Germany Unstoppable. Solid from top to bottom and scored more than three goals per match while still being defensively sound.

Biggest Surprises: Colombia The Colombians got out of perhaps the most difficult group in the tournament and definitely punched above its weight reaching the semifinals. Despite having one of the youngest squads (their eldest player was 19), the team was organized and flamboyant.

Team to Watch: Nigeria The Falconets gave the Germans a run for their money in the final. If Popp hadn’t scored that wonderful goal in the 8′, who knows what would have happened. The Nigerians were aggressive without being brutal and their physicality and finesse saw them through. The average age of the team’s strikers Orji and Oparanozie is just 16.5 which pretty much ensures the future of Nigerian women’s soccer will be ok.

Biggest Disappointments: England The team came out flat against the likes of Japan, Mexico and Brazil and only managed to score two goals in the group stage. England had won the 2009 UEFA Women’s U-19 Championships and came in as runner-ups in the 2010 edition but finished with just one point in this tournament. Was the team unable to cope with the tactical differencs of non-European countries perhaps?

Best Team To Exit the Group Stage: Ghana The Ghanians may not have scored a whole lot, but they were very tactically astute.

Teams That Will Ultimately Be Forgotten: Costa Rica, New Zealand

Lesson of the Tournament: Much of the world is on equal-footing now in terms of the development of women’s soccer. Most of – if not all – the games ended around the 50/50 mark in terms of possesssion. There were few blowouts (for everyone save for Germany, of course). More traditional powers seem to be waning such as the likes of the U.S. and Brazil. Norway and China did not even qualify. Nations like Nigeria and perhaps Colombia could steal a seat at the big kids’ table now.

But the ultimate lesson is: The 2011 Women’s World Cup is Germany’s to lose. The U-20′s could probably be able to beat a few senior teams. That’s a terrifying thought when thinking of depth. Also, Germany were greats hosts throughout. An average of over 11,000 people attended each game. Imagine what the attendance will be like next year in much more prominent German cities.

View Original Post at allwhitekit.wordpress.com

• Filed Under:  
• Soccer, Sports, WNT, FIFA

This post is related to an event on our Calendar:

• FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup

This post is related to the following ongoing stories:

• 2010 U-20 Women`s World Cup in Germany