Twenty-four players have been called up to the first U-23 USYNT training camp of 2026, including players from the Portland Thorns, Denver Summit, and NJ/NY Gotham FC, US Soccer announced on Wednesday. The camp will run from February 27 to March 7 in South Florida.
19 players on the roster play in the NWSL, while two (Lexi Missimo and Liz Beardsley) play in the USL Super League. Three players—Sierra Sythe, Sydney Cheesman, and Hope Leyba—currently play in the NCAA. Of the NWSL players on the roster,
ten are currently entering their rookie season.
Just one player on the roster, defender Ayo Oke, has previous experience playing for the Senior USWNT. Oke earned her first cap in January in a match against Chile.
The U-23 team serves as a crucial way USWNT coach Emma Hayes has developed the USWNT player pool. 14 players who played on the U-23 squad last year eventually earned caps with the Senior USWNT.
U.S. U-23 WNT Roster by Position – (Club/College; Hometown)
Domestic Training Camp and Matches — Miami, Fla.
Goalkeepers (2): Liz Beardsley (Tampa Bay Sun FC; Lakeland, Fla.), Neeku Purcell (Seattle Reign FC; Seattle, Wash.)
Defenders (8): Macy Blackburn (Racing Louisville FC; Fort Worth, Texas), Carolyn Calzada (Portland Thorns FC; Sugar Hill, Ga.), Sydney Cheesman (Louisiana State; Lafayette, Colo.), Leah Klenke (Houston Dash; Houston, Texas), Ayo Oke (Denver Summit FC; Lawrenceville, Ga.), Jayden Perry (Portland Thorns FC; Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.), Evelyn Shores (Angel City FC; Atlanta, Ga.), Sierra Sythe (Wake Forest; Long Beach, Calif.)
Midfielders (7): Sofia Cook (Gotham FC; Huntington Beach, Calif.), Shae Harvey (Portland Thorns FC; Hermosa Beach, Calif.), Ally Lemos (Orlando Pride; Glendora, Calif.), Yuna McCormack (Denver Summit FC; Mill Valley, Calif.), Lexi Missimo (Dallas Trinity FC; Southlake, Texas), Sarah Schupansky (Gotham FC; Pittsburgh, Pa.), Taylor Suarez (Angel City FC; Charlotte, N.C.)
Forwards (7): Jasmine Aikey (Denver Summit FC; Palo Alto, Calif.), Andrea Kitahata (Gotham FC; Hillsborough, Calif.), Karlie Lema (Bay FC; Morgan Hill, Calif.), Hope Leyba (Colorado; Phoenix, Ariz.), Kat Rader (Houston Dash; Stuart, Fla.), Pietra Tordin (Portland Thorns FC; Miami, Fla.), Sarah Weber (Racing Louisville FC; Gretna, Neb.)
The U-23 team will play two matches against the Mexico U-23 Women’s National Team, on March 3 and March 6.
