Lisonbee To Train With U-20 National Team

PROVO -- Starting BYU defender Lindsi Lisonbee will be headed to California next week to train with the Under-20 Women's National Team in preparation for the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Germany.

Lisonbee, a Park City, Utah, native, is one of seven defenders to be invited to the training camp. For BYU, Lisonbee anchors a defensive line that only allowed 15 goals last season and was named to the NCAA Division I All-Pacific Region third team for her first year as a starting defender. She finished the 2009 campaign with one goal of her own and seven shots.

Women’s National Team head coach Jill Ellis has called 26 players to training camp until April 18 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., as she continues to move towards finalizing a roster for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.

In 2009, Ellis took over the reins of the U-20 program, starting her second stint at the helm of this age group. Ellis was the U.S. U-20 head coach in 2007, but left the post to join Pia Sundhage’s staff on the full Women’s National Team, eventually helping the team to the gold medal.

The 16 other teams that have qualified for the U-20 Women’s World Cup are: host Germany, Japan, Korea DPR and Korea Republic from Asia; Ghana and Nigeria from Africa; England, France, Sweden and Switzerland from Europe; the USA, Costa Rica and Mexico from CONCACAF; New Zealand from Oceania; and Brazil and Colombia from South America.