July 17, 2014
Chicago, Ill.; July 17, 2014 - Sophomore Brittany Basinger (Purcellville, Va.) and freshman Rose Chandler (Atlanta, Ga.) were named to the U.S. Under-20 Women's National Team that will compete at the 2014 FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup in August, head coach Michelle French announced.
Chandler is making her U-20 debut, while this is Basinger's second appearance on the U-20 roster. She won the CONCACAF Championship in 2014 with the U-20 WNT under the guidance of Penn State Head Coach Erica Walsh. Walsh is an assistant coach on the U.S. U-20 WNT staff.
The roster announcement comes on the heels of a weeklong training session with the U.S. Under-20 Women's National Team in Seattle, Wash.
Basinger discussed her experience at the camp and what representing the USA means to her.
This isn't your first time attending a camp. Can you remember being invited to your first camp, and what was that like?
My first camp was about three years ago. It was actually sent to my parents' email address. They told me at dinner and I was shocked, nervous and extremely excited all in a matter of two seconds. It was such a rush of emotions being called in to a national team camp. My first camp was scary for the first couple of days because I did not know any of the girls but then they were very welcoming and the camp turned out to be fantastic. Being invited to camp is always such a rewarding feeling. You know you have worked so hard and it finally pays off.
You've been to several camps for the Women's National Team, played on the U-17 team and won the 2014 CONCACAF U-20 Women's Championship with the U-20 team. How did this camp differ from previous ones in which you've been involved?
This camp was different from previous camps because it is our last camp before we go to Canada for the U-20 Women's World Cup. We knew that the roster would be announced at the end of camp so that made it exciting. But being at camp is always a great time. You are coached by tremendous coaches and play with players that are willing to do anything to get better. Each time I come to camp, I learn something new and I get better, on and off the field. Obviously, I have grown so much as a player on the field. But off the field, I have learned how to be more professional with every move I make and to represent something that is way bigger than myself and do it in a respectable way.
What did a typical day at camp look like for you?
Days in camp vary but a typical day includes training in the morning for two hours, a break for lunch, more training in the afternoon, dinner and then meetings. I've been able to enjoy Seattle outside of soccer, though. We were able to go on a tour around Seattle and it was really interesting. My favorite thing we got to visit was the Space Needle.
Can you draw any parallels between being at the U.S. U-20 camps and a preseason camp at Penn State?
The experience of playing in this environment is something that you can't get anywhere else, but the environment for preseason at Penn State and these camps are pretty similar. Going into the season for Penn State is so exciting, and especially this season, everyone has been training and working hard. I'm looking forward to a fantastic season. Coach (Erica Walsh) does a fantastic job with our preseason at school. Everyone is working hard and trying to improve during the Penn State preseason but here, there is always a chance that you could not get called back into the next camp. That adds a whole new level of stress and competitiveness throughout our entire team, which makes the playing level much higher.
You were named to the team with Rose Chandler, who's an incoming freshman on the Nittany Lions. What has training with her been like? Have you imparted any of your wisdom on her regarding what it's like to be a freshman on the team?
Rose and I just met this week. She's awesome and I am so happy that she will be one of my teammates for the next couple years. She has been asking me questions about what Penn State is like but I have no doubt in my mind that she will fit in and love every second of it of her time at Penn State. I am so happy she will be a freshman this upcoming season.
What does the opportunity to represent the USA mean to you?
Representing the USA on the soccer field means to much to me. To be able to step out on the field in a USA jersey while our national anthem is playing is a tremendous honor and something that will never get old.
The U-20 Women's World Cup is Aug. 5-24 in Canada. The United States opens the tournament on Aug. 5 against Germany in Edmonton, Alta., Canada. For more information on the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, visit http://fifa.com/u20womensworldcup.
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