Sophomore Savannah Jordan saw success on the field for Florida in the 2013 season, but she’s seen even more success with the U.S. Under-20 National Team.
On Thursday, Jordan was named to the roster for the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
The matches will begin Aug. 5 and last until Aug. 24 throughout four Canadian cities against 15 other nations.
The freshman joins 20 other players for the World Cup representing a total of 12 states.
The U.S. Under-20 coach, Michelle French, named the team roster after the first week of a two-week training camp for the U-20 team, but the search for the right players took more than a year.
“The investment that players put in has paid off for them,” French said. “Some players have been in longer than others, but for players that have been in for a short period of time to come in and make that big of an impact and to make this roster is exciting for our team and it’s exciting for our country.”
Jordan’s first season with the Gators is the best that Florida soccer fans have seen since U.S. Women’s National Team player Abby Wambach.
The Fayetteville, Ga., native picked up accolades that made her a nationally known player.
She was named Soccer America Freshman of the Year and the National Rookie of the Year by topdrawersoccer.com
Jordan was also named the Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2013. For the first time in the league’s history, a freshman earned the honor.
In Jordan’s first season with Florida, she played 1,897 minutes, scored 22 goals and totaled 47 points.
The U-20 team is the reigning World Cup winner and has already made a big splash in a game against France that ended with Jordan giving America a 1-0 win.
If the U-20 team makes it to the finals, Jordan won’t be back in time to start the season with Florida.
“We have a good mixture of leadership, talent and great technical ability on all three lines.” French said. “We have a lot of tactical understanding and creativity based on the way they read the game, and I see a lot of grit and bite in the way we defend. The combination of these factors gives us a very well-rounded team.”
ESPN3 and WatchESPN will be the only channels airing all games live while ESPN will air only four live games with the rest of the matches on tape-delay.
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Freshman forward Savannah Jordan dribbles the ball during Florida's 3-0 victory against LSU on Oct. 20 at James G. Pressly Stadium.
