24 Players Called Up for First U.S. Under-23 WNT Training Camp of 2026

ATLANTA(Feb. 18, 2026) –Twenty-four players have been called up to the first U.S. Under-23 Women’s National Team training camp of 2026, which will run from Feb. 27 to March 7 in South Florida.

U.S. U-23 WNT head coach Heather Dyche will train a squad featuring 21 professional players – 19 from the NWSL and two from the USL Super League – along with three current collegiate players.

The camp will end with two matches against the Mexico U-23 Women’s National Team, on March 3 at Noon ET and March 6 at 2 p.m. ET, both at the FIU Soccer Stadium in Miami. The matches are open and free to the public.

After a highly successful 2025 for the U.S. U-23 WNT, a year in which 14 players who saw minutes with the U-23s eventually earned full USWNT call-ups (counting the 2026 January training camp), this event continues the emphasis of U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Emma Hayes on this age group as a vitally important part of the continued growth and depth of the senior side.

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; Charlote, 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.)

Additional Notes:

• There is one player in training camp with full U.S. Women’s National Team experience and that is defender Ayo Oke, who was in the USA’s January training camp and earned her first cap on Jan. 27 when she went 90 minutes in the 5-0 win over Chile in Santa Barbara.
• Of the 19 NWSL players in camp, 10 are entering their rookie seasons in the league.
• The two USL Super League players called up are Lexi Missimo from Dallas Trinity FC and goalkeeper Liz Beardsley who joined the Tampa Bay Sun in late January on loan from the Houston Dash.
• The roster features players from three different birth years – 2003 through 2005.
• Eight players on the roster have represented the USA in the FIFA Women’s World Cup at the youth level: goalkeeper Neeku Purcell, defenders Leah Klenke and Oke, midfielders Ally Lemos, Yuna McCormack and Taylor Suarez, and forwards Andrea Kitahata and Pietra Tordin.
• Portland Thorns FC have the most players on the roster of any club with four, while the Denver Summit, which has yet to play its inaugural NWSL match, and Gotham FC have three players each.
• Jasmine Aikey, who was a part of the 2024 U.S. U-20 WNT cycle but did not play in the World Cup, won the 2025 MAC Hermann Trophy as college soccer’s top player after scoring 21 goals with 11 assists for Stanford last season when she led the Cardinal to the NCAA title game. Kitahata scored 17 goals for Stanford with 10 assists.
• Kat Rader had 12 goals with 12 assists for Duke during her final year of college competition in 2025.
• Klenke, McCormack, Lemos, Suarez and Tordin were on the U.S. team that took third at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. Tordin led the team with four goals in that tournament, which included a hat trick against Paraguay. She scored four goals for the Portland Thorns in her rookie year.
• Forward Hope Leyba scored 22 goals (with one assist) for the Colorado Buffaloes last season.