Gracie Falla Named to U.S U-20 Youth National Team Roster

CHICAGO, IL – Sophomore defender Gracie Falla has been named to the 24-player roster for the U.S. Under-20 Women’s Youth National Team, as announced by head coach Tracey Kevins on Tuesday. This marks the first U-20 WYNT call-up for Falla.

The team’s first training camp of the year will take place January 15-22 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif.

The camp marks the first steps toward the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, to be held in Colombia in September, for which the USA qualified last June at the Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship in the Dominican Republic. 

Falla, the 2023 SEC Defender of the Year, was a huge piece of the Gamecock defense this past season. The sophomore started in 20 of 21 games, and played the full 90 minutes for South Carolina in 14 games as the youngest member of the backline.

As a defender, Falla scored the game-winner in back-to-back games against Texas A&M and Georgia. Both goals were the result of set pieces off of corners, where Falla positioned herself perfectly for a shoulder chip-in against the Aggies and a header vs. the Bulldogs. Falla’s goals were the first two of her career, and her first two game-winners overall and in conference play.

An SEC All-Freshman Team selection in 2022, Falla has now collected three conference honors in her first two seasons. Her Defender of the Year selection is the first for South Carolina since Grace Fisk in 2019.