Group B: Spain, USA, Colombia, Korea Republic

The group stages of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Dominican Republic 2024™ have concluded, with the knockout stages set to be intriguing as teams with different styles of play bid to be crowned world champions. Spain and the USA progressed from Group B and here, Vanessa Bernauer, from FIFA’s Technical Study Group summarises how each of the four teams fared.

In possession
Spain have been very impressive in the group stages, dominating the ball in each of their games and all players have demonstrated very high levels of technique. They can adapt their shape and team structure easily, with every player understanding their roles. They execute really clever patterns of attacking play, full of rotations and movements ahead of the ball. Spain have exhibited high levels of game intelligence and understanding of how to create and exploit space, with deliberate movements designed to distort opposition defensive structures.

Out of possession
Out of possession, Spain counter-press and high press if they lose the ball in the final third because they have numbers forward when attacking, and have players in position to activate early pressure. In 1v1 defensive situations, their defenders are very competent, with good strength and timing in duels.

In possession
The USA showed that they had different approaches to different opponents which was interesting to see. They are a smart team with a clear plan and all players are comfortable in their roles. When they win the ball back, they transition quickly, looking to get early, direct balls from their midfielders to the attacking players. The USA played with a back four but tended to build in a three, pushing their left-back higher up the pitch with the left-winger, Mel Barcenas (13), tucking into the pockets of space inside. She is a technical player who is solid in 1v1 situations and has a good striking technique when in a position to shoot at goal.

Out of possession
When defending, the USA pressed high in a 1-4-4-2 formation with their two centre-forwards staying narrow to protect the central space and force the opposition wide. They are a physical, strong team that work really well as a collective.

In possession
In possession, Colombia preferred a direct, long-ball approach with the strong distribution skills of their goalkeeper, Luisa Agudelo (1), being a key facilitator to this tactic. She is a very important player in this team.

Out of possession
When Colombia did not have the ball, they had different strategies in each game, opting to press high in a 1-4-4-2 setup which was quite effective, but they also used a lower block 1-4-1-4-1 where they were a bit more passive in defending.

In possession
Korea Republic are a team that likes to combine centrally when building their attacks with Phair Casey (9) and Han Guk-hee (14) being particularly influential when on the ball. Both players are technical and good at progressing the play when dribbling, showing tidy close control.

Out of possession
When they did not have the ball, Korea Republic mostly defended in a 1-4-4-2 mid-block but adapted to a back five in their game against Spain when they were struggling to get good pressure on the ball in the wide areas.

Click here to go to Group C