NWSL players dominate U.S. U-23 WNT roster

It was announced Friday that twenty-four players have been called up to the upcoming U.S. Under-23 women’s national team training camp. The camp will run from June 23 through July 2 in Commerce City, Colorado. From June 23 to 26, it will run concurrently with the U.S. senior national team camp so that head coach Emma Hayes and her staff can observe training.

This U-23 programming continues Hayes’ emphasis on this age group and its importance to the player pathway to the senior national team.

The roster features 19 National Women’s Soccer League players, four college players and one player from Mexico’s Liga MX Femenil. Seattle Reign FC leads the charge with five players on the roster — Madison Prohaska, Emily Mason, Sally Menti, Emeri Adames and Maddie Dahlien. Bay FC, Utah Royals, North Carolina Courage and Orlando Pride each have two players on the roster, while San Diego Wave, Washington Spirit, Portland Thorns, Houston Dash, Gotham FC and Angel City FC will each send one.

Nine players attending the upcoming camp were in Germany for the U-23’s last pair of games in late May and early June — defenders Lauren Flynn (Utah Royals FC), Mason (Seattle Reign FC), Evelyn Shores (UNC), midfielders Riley Jackson (North Carolina Courage), Sarah Schupansky (Gotham FC), Jaedyn Shaw (North Carolina Courage), and forwards Dahlien (Seattle Reign FC), Makenna Morris (Washington Spirit) and Riley Tiernan (Angel City FC). Those matches were split between the U.S. and Germany, each team winning one game by a 2-1 score.

Four additional players who were with the U-23s in Germany — goalkeeper Angelina Anderson, defenders Jordyn Bugg and Lilly Reale and midfielder Sam Meza — will be with the senior U.S. team this time around.

“Players from the Futures Camp in January and the two U-23 camps this year, in LA and Germany, are now getting senior team call-ups, and that’s what we want to see,” Hayes said in a release. “It doesn’t mean that some of these players won’t be in with the 23s down the line, or that some U-23 players who haven’t been called up yet to the full team won’t get their chances, but this is the kind of symbiosis we want between programs. We want to do what’s best for the players to give them National Team exposures so they are as prepared as possible for ’27, ’28 and even ’31.”

North Carolina Courage attacker Jaedyn Shaw is the only player on the roster with senior USWNT appearances, but an additional 12 have been rostered for the USA at a FIFA Youth Women’s World Cup.

GOALKEEPERS (3): Emmie Allen (Bay FC; High Point, N.C.), Mia Justus (Utah Royals FC; Lakewood, Ohio), Madison Prohaska (Seattle Reign FC; West Chester, Ohio)

DEFENDERS (8): Lauren Flynn (Utah Royals FC; Arlington, Va.), Heather Gilchrist (Florida State; Boulder, Colo.), Emily Mason (Seattle Reign FC; Flemington, N.J.), Quincy McMahon (San Diego Wave; Highlands Ranch, Colo.), Makenna Morris (Washington Spirit; Germantown, Md.), Ayo Oke (CF Pachuca; Lawrenceville, Ga.), Jayden Perry (Portland Thorns FC; Trabuco Hills, Calif.), Evelyn Shores (UNC; Atlanta, Ga.)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Maggie Graham (Houston Dash; Atlanta, Ga.), Taylor Huff (Bay FC; Mansfield, Ohio), Riley Jackson (North Carolina Courage; Roswell, Ga.), Ally Lemos (Orlando Pride; Glendora, Calif.), Yuna McCormack (Florida State; Mill Valley, Calif.), Sally Menti (Seattle Reign FC; Seattle, Wash.), Sarah Schupansky (Gotham FC; Pittsburgh, Pa.)

FORWARDS (6): Emeri Adames (Seattle Reign FC; Red Oak, Texas), Maddie Dahlien (Seattle Reign FC; Edina, Minn.), Simone Jackson (Orlando Pride; Redondo Beach, Calif.), Giana Riley (Florida State; Manteca, Calif.), Jaedyn Shaw (North Carolina Courage; Frisco, Texas), Riley Tiernan (Angel City FC; Voorhees, N.J.)