Mary Long of USA celebrates after winning the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Dominican Republic 2024

Quarterfinal match between Nigeria and USA at CFC Stadium on October 26, 2024 in Santiago De Los Caballeros, Dominican Republic. (Photo by Pedro Vilela – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
USA take on England for a spot on podium at the U-17 Women’s World Cup
Forward Long started four of USA’s five matches at the tournament
The Duke University player spoke to FIFA about the team’s motivation to finish third
Mary Long is a very competitive person.

The USA forward, who has a goal in five appearances at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup™ for the Stars and Stripes, is going to have her game-face on against any opponent, even if it’s playing cards, party games or the unique American sport of cornhole.

“It’s going to get rough,” Long said to FIFA with a laugh. “We had a Halloween celebration and there was definitely some competitive energy there. We did some little fun games and competitions. Cornhole got pretty heated. It was fun.”

That is good news for any USA fan who might have worried about a letdown in the match for third place against England on Sunday following their 1-0 semi-final defeat to Korea DPR.

“It’s never easy to lose, especially in a tournament as important as this one, but now we’re looking ahead to the third-place match and we’re super-excited to hopefully get the bronze,” said Long. “They’re a good team and it’s going to be a great game. We’ve been lucky to play five very different styles of play and I think this one is going to be super-fun.”

Should USA emerge victorious, they will match the feat accomplished by their U-20 counterparts at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Colombia 2024™, giving the country podium finishes in both tournaments in the same year for the first time since 2008 when the U-17s were runners-up at the inaugural U-17 Women’s World Cup and the U-20s were champions at Chile 2008.

“We’re all one big family and we watched [the U-20s] throughout their whole tournament and I think a lot of them are watching us, too,” said Long. “What they did was really cool and it would be awesome to do something similar.”

Long, who is in her first year at Duke University and will return to the women’s soccer team after Sunday, says that she has benefitted greatly from the level of competition at Dominican Republic 2024, calling the pace of play against teams like finalists Korea DPR and Spain a great test.

“One of the things that our coach always talks about is facing international pressure,” said Long. “It’s obviously a different game when you’re playing girls who are talented from all over the world. I think I’ve become a better person and player during this month. It’s been amazing. I think this is the most fun I’ve had playing soccer in a long time, so I’m grateful for that.

“A part of playing teams like this is that everything has to be that much faster. That’s something that I’ve gotten better at over the tournament and getting to train with these girls every day. They are making me so much better because they are so talented.”

Sunday will mark the end of this U-17 Women’s World Cup, and also bring a close to a memorable period for Long and her team-mates. Coming home with a medal would be the icing on the cake.

“We’re focused now on getting that bronze medal, but what I’ll remember are the times on the field,” concluded Long. “Anytime anyone scores, there is a lot of joy in that moment, so that’s something I’ll back on. The fun times, the meals, the team bonding… I’m going to miss it.”