Penn Fusion trio called into U.S. Under-18 team for Pinatar Cup

Three Penn Fusion Academy teammates are heading to Spain for the Pinatar Cup next week with the U.S. Under-18 youth national team.

Goalkeeper Cate Cantu and forwards Elayna Kocher and Kate Kemmerley are all on the squad. The trio is part of the Penn Fusion 2008 team that won the ECNL national championship in 2024.

Cantu is committed to the University of Louisville, Kocher to Penn State and Kemmerley to Notre Dame.

The Pinatar Cup 2026 will be held in San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain on February 25-March 6. The U.S. will play two matches, both at the Pinatar Arena, taking on the Sweden U-18 WNT on March 3 and the Hungary U-19 WNT on March 6.

The winner of the round-robin competition will be determined on total points, with three for a win, one for a tie and zero for a loss. The tiebreakers are 1) best goal difference, 2) most goals scored, 3) best Fair Play Ranking, 4) Best FIFA ranking and then 5) drawing lots.

The #U18WNT will travel to Spain for the Pinatar Cup 2026 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/DmwS0Fbj2D

— U.S. Soccer YNT (@USYNT) February 19, 2026

Matthew Ralph

Matthew Ralph is the managing editor of Philadelphia Soccer Now. He's covered soccer at all levels for a decade in the Philadelphia region and has also written for TheCup.us, NPSL, PrepSoccer and other publications. He lives with his wife and two young children in Broomall, Pa., but grew up in South Jersey and is originally from Kansas.

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