ROSTER: U.S. U-20 Women’s National Team holding April training camp in Kansas City
ATLANTA – U.S. Under-20 Women’s National Team head coach Vicky Jepson has called up 24 players for a training camp in Kansas City, MO running from April 7-16 that will include two matches against fellow 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup qualifier Brazil.
The USA will face the Brazil U-20 WNT on April 11 at CPKC Stadium (6:30 p.m. CT), the first purpose-built stadium for women’s soccer, and on April 15 at Riverside Stadium (2 p.m. CT), located at the Kansas City Current’s state-of-the-art training facility. The matches are part of the Kansas City Current’s inaugural Teal Rising Week, which runs from April 8-15. Designed to celebrate global women’s soccer, Teal Rising Week features a collection of professional, international and youth talent with elite matches, tournaments, skills challenges, education sessions and more.
The camp and matches are a part of continued preparations for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, which will be held in Poland from Sept. 5-27. The USA and Brazil are among the 16 nations to have qualified for the tournament. The tournament will feature 24 countries, with the Asia and Africa Confederations yet to qualify their representatives.
U.S. U-20 Women’s National Team Training Camp Roster by Position (College/Club; Hometown) Domestic Camp – Kansas City, MO
Goalkeepers (3): Caroline Birkel (Stanford; St. Louis, Mo.), Kate Ockene (Florida State; Sandy, Utah), Kealey Titmuss (Penn State; Grand Blanc, Mich.)
Defenders (8): Aven Alvarez (UNC; New Hill, N.C.), Ella Bard (Louisville; Wadsworth, Ohio), Lizzie Boamah (Stanford; San Diego, Calif.), Jordyn Bugg (Seattle Reign FC; El Cajon, Calif.), Abby Gemma (Florida; Flemington, N.J.), Emma Johnson (Penn State; Greenfield, Ind.), Hope Munson (UNC; Holladay, Utah), Katie Scott (Kansas City Current; Fairview, Pa.)
Midfielders (7): Kimmi Ascanio (San Diego Wave; Doral, Fla.), Sofia Cedeno (Seattle Reign FC; Dallas, Texas), Kennedy Fuller (Angel City FC; Southlake, Texas), Ainsley McCammon (Seattle Reign FC; Bedford, Texas), Y-Lan Nguyen (Stanford; Fairfax, Va.), Nyanya Touray (Florida State; Silver Spring, Md.), Linda Ullmark (Houston Dash; Buffalo, N.Y.)
Forwards (6): Emeri Adames (Seattle Reign FC; Red Oak, Texas), Alex Buck (Washington; Medina, Wash.), Izzy Engle (Notre Dame; Edina, Minn.), Onyeka Gamero (Bay FC; Cerritos, Calif.), Alex Pfeiffer (Bay FC; St. Louis, Mo.), Chloe Ricketts (Boston Legacy FC; Dexter, Mich.)
Additional Notes:
- Players born on or after Jan. 1, 2006, are eligible for the 2026 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup.
- The average age of this roster is 18.8.
- This roster is made up of 14 players born in 2006, eight born in 2007 and two, midfielders Nyanya Touray and Kimmi Ascanio, who were born in 2008.
- Despite being the youngest player in camp, Ascanio is actually one of the most experienced players on the roster as she is in her third season in the NWSL for the San Diego Wave. She played in the 2022 Concacaf Girls’ U-15 Championship, the 2024 Concacaf U-17 Women’s Championship and the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. She was age-eligible for the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup but was not available for selection.
- Four of the 10 NWSL players – defender Katie Scott (Kansas City Current) midfielders Ainsley McCammon (Seattle Reign FC), Kennedy Fuller (Angel City FC), and Ascanio – played in the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup on the team that finished third in the world. Stanford midfielder Y-Lan Nguyen also played in the tournament.
- Forward Alex Pfeiffer, who is now with Bay FC (and has two goals so far this year) after starting her pro career with the Kansas City Current, would have played in that tournament if not for an ACL injury from which she has now fully recovered.
- This is the second National Team camp for speedy winger Onyeka Gamero since she recovered from ACL surgery. Gamero, who was one of the top players on the USA’s 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Team, signed with Barcelona “B” in the summer of 2023, but her comeback from an ACL injury suffered that November has kept her out of action since then.
- Gamero left Barcelona to sign with Bay FC in July of 2025 but did not play in a NWSL match last season. She made her NWSL debut on March 28 against North Carolina.
- Goalkeeper Caroline Birkel (Stanford), defender Jordyn Bugg (Seattle Reign FC) and forward Emeri Adames (Seattle Reign FC) were on the USA’s 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Team that took third in the world.Adames and Bugg each started all seven matches.
- Of the NWSL players on the roster, Seattle Reign FC midfielder Sofia Cedeno (19 years old), Houston Dash midfielder Linda Ullmark (19), and Gamero (20) are in their rookie years. Cedeno played a few matches in the Northern Super League with the Halifax Tides last year. McCammon (18) is in her second professional season. Fuller (19), Pfeiffer (18), Adames (19) and Ascanio (18) are in their third pro seasons while Boston Legacy forward Chloe Ricketts (18) is in her fourth. Bugg (19) is in her second full NWSL season.
- Midfielder Nyanya Touray played in the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, a tournament in which she scored four goals, tallying in all three group matches, one against Ecuador, two against China PR and one against Norway.
- Defenders Bugg and Lizzie Boamah (Stanford), goalkeeper Kealey Titmuss (Penn State) and Adames were a part of the U.S. U-19 WNT that took bronze at the 2023 Pan American Games while playing against senior national teams. That team also featured current full USWNT pool players Gisele Thompson and Claire Hutton.
- Of the 14 college players on the roster, three are from Stanford. Florida State, Penn State and UNC have two players each.