Michigan State Fr. M, Lacey Kindel (10), crosses the ball towards the net for her teammates in DeMartin Stadium in East Lansing, Mich., on Aug. 12, 2026.
No. 2 Michigan State Women’s Soccer freshman midfielder Lacey Kindel and freshman goalkeeper Sam Powell were named to the Canada squad for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup later this month.
The pair will travel to Morocco for the tournament that will take place from Oct. 17 to Nov. 7.
Kindel scored her first goal on Sunday and has played significant minutes off the bench throughout the season. Powell has not yet touched the field for the Spartans. Both are 17, some of the youngest players in the NCAA.
Kindel is one of four players on Canada’s roster playing in their second World Cup. She competed for Canada in both the 2024 U-15 CONCACAF Championship, where Canada won bronze, and the 2025 FIFA U-17 Qualifiers and World Cup in Morocco in October, where Canada advanced to the quarterfinals. She started four of five games at the World Cup last year.
Kindel scored four goals in three games to help Canada qualify. She was named to the Women’s U-17 Qualifiers Best XI by CONCACAF. She is a frequent captain of the side.
It will be Powell’s first World Cup, but not her first experience for Canada. She earned a call-up to the Canadian Women’s National U-17 squad for the 2025 Four Nations Cup and won a bronze medal at the 2024 U-15 CONCACAF Championship alongside Kindel.
Kindel, from Vancouver, British Columbia, and Powell, from Winnipeg, Manitoba, have a long history of playing together. Both came through the Vancouver Rise Academy, where Kindel became the youngest player ever in Canada’s top division, and Powell became the youngest keeper to play in the CONCACAF W Cup in both 2024 and 2025.
Canada will compete in Group C against Brazil, Norway and Ghana. The tournament kicks off for Canada on Oct. 18 against Brazil.
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