Family's Trip To See U-17 USWNT Severely Hampered By Japan's Precision & An A**hole Dog

York Plagge
Jun 28, 2025
6 min read

Updated: Dec 10, 2025

Our family was finally united at the soccer match we had anticipated for months... and the results on the pitch were less than we hoped.

Visiting Japan carved up the U.S. during this international friendly between U-17 squads. In fact, these four soccer observers left their inaugural visit to the beautifully designed CPKC Stadium with no doubt that one side was superior... and it wasn't our beloved red, white, and blue.

Four Nomadic Hippies' Fútbol Is Life National Tour

Match Seven: U-17 National Team Friendly (6/28/25)

Location: Kansas City, MO (CPKC Stadium)

Score: Japan U-17 WNT (3) U.S. U-17 WNT (0)

4NH Team: U.S. U-17 WNT

4NH Fan Record: 5-2-0

4NH Human Of The Match: Noa Fukushima

Playing in her sixth match for Japan's U-17 YNWT, Noa Fukushima had perhaps the best match of her national team career at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City. A 16-year-old midfielder, Noa scored Japan's second goal of the night in the middle of the first half and assisted on an early second-half goal that put the match away for Japan early.

If Fukushima's play in this match is any indication of the impact she typically has while on the pitch, she should be a player we continue to hear about in the international stage.

Already enjoying a one-goal advantage, Fukushima gave Japan a commanding 2-0 lead at the 32'. Getting into the box after beating two defenders with the dribble from the left side, Noa put the shot past the opposing net minder from 17 yards out. Fukushima added a second-half assist when she played a beautiful ball into the left side of the box for Yuma Takahashi, who promptly sent it into the lower right corner of the net.

When not representing the national team, Fukushima plays for the JFA Academy Fukushima side, currently a member of the Nadeshinko League Division 2 (the third tier on the Japanese women's football pyramid). At age 16, Fukushima is the youngest roster member for JFA Academy.

4NH Fav Of The Match: Kimmi Ascanio

During her career with the national team, Kimmi Ascanio has already been a part of some major individual and team successes. The midfielder scored a hat trick (v. Haiti) in a semifinal match of the CONCACAF Women's U-17 Championship, a tournament the U.S. ultimately won. Also a member of the bronze medal-winning U.S. team at the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, Ascanio scored a goal in a quarterfinal victory over Nigeria.

Despite not having an overwhelming impact during the match v. Japan, Ascanio has already built an impressive resume as a professional and international player.

Ascanio seemingly has a leg up on most of the rest of the U-17 USWNT team, as she has been a member of the San Diego Wave's NWSL side since she was sixteen. Getting her first professional start on April 27th, 2024 (two weeks after he professional debut), Kimmi also added an assist during the match. This put her in rare company, as Ascanio became the third youngest contributor on a goal in NWSL history.

Already scoring three goals and adding an assist thus far during the 2025 NWSL season, and her continued contributions to the U-17 team, there seems to be a considerable upside to Ascanio's game. It is almost a question of when, not if, she makes he first appearance for the senior team at the international level.

Dickhead Move Of The Night: Sonic The Dog And His Hotel Room Meltdown

One time, a few years back, we were staying in the Huntsville, AL area for a bit. While delivering an Instacart order well north of the city in a remote rural area, we were greeted by a dog that we mistook for a puppy. Instead, it was a full-grown Jack Russell/Mini Aussie that weighed all of eight pounds. Commenting on the cuteness of the “puppy,” we were quickly corrected by the dog owner about the age of the full-grown dog and produced the last puppy from the current litter. The dog was cute, and our children were smitten. The man with the puppy explained to us that he had sold all of the remaining canines' brothers and sisters for around $100 each and wanted to unload the last dog, preferably on us. Balking at the price and not being all that interested in another dog (we already had two), we quickly dismissed the idea. But, with each passing second, our kids fell more and more in love and were entertained with tales of how the little guy was the smartest of the bunch. After receiving an additional $5 cash tip from the gentleman for our hard work, the price of the dog was quickly reduced to a mere $10.

Sonic is an adorable and loving dog... because if he weren’t, he most likely would not have made the return trip from KC with us.

Our kids' cute faces won out that day, and we gave back the extra $5 we had just earned with an additional $5 we had in the car. The kids were thrilled and promptly named the dog Sonic. Months and years passed, and the dog became part of our family. During this time, it became pretty apparent that Sonic was not an overly intelligent dog at all and had a severe case of separation anxiety... like freaking out with barking, whining, and howling when all four humans were not in the RV at the same time (which was getting somewhat worse over time). Unattended hotel behavior was slightly better for Sonic… as long as the room lights were shut off, the television was left on at a reasonable level, and he had his other two dog buddies with him. The night of the U-17 match, Sonic fell horribly short of what we expected.

About three minutes before kickoff, my wife’s phone rang with an unknown, but local KC, number. It was the hotel calling about loud doggy wailing from our room that had garnered several complaints and had pushed a nearby guest to go as far as attempting to break into our room (to which I can only assume was to kill Sonic). Sonic’s wailing had also prompted our elderly beagle/rat terrier to take part in an impromptu competition of the loudest dog while belting out her beagle howl. Problematic… one… because the dogs were not letting up… two… because we had only paid for one dog to stay… three… because we were 30 minutes away from the hotel. Elizabeth took one for the team and headed back to deal with the doggie BS, which instantly put a damper on the evening. Without her for the first half, the three remaining hippies were mostly just sad. Elizabeth did join us for the second half as she put the dogs in the car and was forced to leave the car running and AC on (it was in the 90s) upon her return. The real gut punch was that by the time Elizabeth got back to the hotel, all three dogs had fallen asleep and weren’t making a noise. Why in the hell do we have dogs again?

4NH Best Logo/Kit: USWNT

What is the greatest U.S. Soccer National Team jersey of all time? If you answered anything other than the old "Bomb Pop" design, then you are just a huge liar, horribly confused, or not very smart. It is one of the most excellent kit designs in the history of the world... and perhaps beyond.

So... the modified "Bomb Pop" design on display in Kansas City made this decision very easy. Granted, this is less preferable than the original, but it is close enough to garner a large portion of the same excitement. Pairing it with the blue shorts and blue socks, as the U-17 USWNT did that night, the gap closed all that much more.

Why doesn’t U.S. Soccer stick with one kit design when there is such an obvious best choice? Well… money has to be the most likely answer. I mean… if you don’t switch it up all the time, the steady flow of cash will dry up a bit, and the powers that be won’t get to treat themselves to fancy dinners as often. We had a fancy dinner after the match… at… wait for it… SONIC!! Damn, those tots are the bomb.