ATLANTA (Oct. 16, 2025) – Twenty-four players have been called up to the U.S. Under-23 Women’s National Team training camp outside of Philadelphia, Pa. that will run from Oct. 20-28. From Oct. 20-23, the camp will run concurrently with the U.S. Women’s National Team’s time in Philadelphia so U.S. head coach Emma Hayes and her staff can observe trainings. The U-23s will also attend the USA vs. Portugal match on Oct. 23 at Subaru Park in Chester, Pa. The U-23s will stay in the Philadelphia area to train after the USWNT leaves for Connecticut and then Kansas City to finish its October slate of matches.
The U-23 programming in Philadelphia is another step in U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Emma Hayes’ emphasis on this age group and its importance along the player pathway to the full National Team. This will be the third USWNT training camp of the year to feature concurrent programming with the U-23s, following camps in Los Angeles and Denver. Hayes also held a “Futures Camp” last January alongside the USWNT in Florida. Orlando Pride assistant coach Yolanda Thomas will serve as head coach for this camp.
Eight players on the USA’s October training camp roster have seen time with the U.S. U-23s this year or attended January’s “Futures Camp,” a clear example of the symbiosis with the senior side.
“We've been preparing players to not only help us qualify for the 2027 World Cup but also with a view to the ‘28 Olympics and beyond, and this is one of the reasons the Under-23 program is so valuable,” said Hayes. “Along with the senior team roster, we want to prepare 50-plus players every camp so there is dual messaging, exposure to our principles of play and the alignment around our framework. The great thing about this is when players move among the two teams in the system, there is clarity and hopefully a better understanding of what is expected at the highest level.”
This U.S. U-23 WNT roster features players with five birth years ranging from 2006 to 2002, which is the age cut-off for players to be a part of the U.S. U-23 WNT this year.
U.S. Roster by Position – U.S. U-23 WNT Training Camp – Philadelphia, Pa.
Goalkeepers (3): Liz Beardsley (Houston Dash; Lakeland, Fla.), Leah Freeman (Bay FC; Berkeley, Calif.), Neeku Purcell (Seattle Reign; Seattle, Wash.)
Defenders (9): Natalie Bain (Xavier University; Alexandria, Ky.), Eva Gaetino (Paris Saint-Germain FC, FRA; Dexter, Mich.), Ella Hase (Racing Louisville FC; Orland Park, Ill.), Emily Mason (Seattle Reign; Flemington, N.J.), Quincy McMahon (San Diego Wave; Highland Ranch, Colo.), Ayo Oke (CF Pachuca, MEX; Lawrenceville, Ga.), Jayden Perry (Portland Thorns FC; Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.), Evelyn Shores (Angel City FC; Atlanta, Ga.), Gisele Thompson (Angel City FC; Studio City, Calif.)
Midfielders (6): Abi Brighton (Juventus FC; Beaufort, S.C.), Gia Corley (San Diego Wave; Tacoma, Wash.), Taylor Huff (Bay FC; Mansfield, Ohio), Riley Jackson (North Carolina Courage; Roswell, Ga.), Katie O'Kane (Racing Louisville FC; Seattle, Wash.), Sarah Schupansky (Gotham FC; Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Forwards (6): Emeri Adames (Seattle Reign; Red Oak, Texas), Maddie Dahlien (Seattle Reign; Edina, Minn.), Jameese Joseph (Chicago Stars FC; Beltsville, Md.), Karlie Lema (Bay FC; Morgan Hill, Calif.), Riley Tiernan (Angel City FC; Voorhees, N.J.), Pietra Tordin (Portland Thorns FC; Miami, Fla.)
Additional Notes:
- The only college player on the roster is Xavier defender Natalie Bain, who gets her first-ever call-up to a U.S. Women’s National Team. The 2024 All-American was the 2024 Big East Defender of the Year.
- The roster also features a first-time call-up for midfielder Gia Corley, who was born in Tacoma, Washington, but spent her entire youth career in Germany. She has played in 22 matches for the San Diego Wave this season and has scored two goals. The dual American-German citizen started her professional career at Bayern Munich and played for TSG Hoffenheim before coming to the NWSL. She has played for Germany at the U-17, U-19, U-20 and U-23 levels. In fact, she played against the USA during the U.S. U-23 WNT’s trip to Germany last May.
- The two players on the roster who have seen time with the senior USWNT are defenders Eva Gaetino (one cap, earned in 2024) from Paris Saint-Germain and Angel City FC’s Gisele Thompson (four caps, all earned in 2025).
- Riley Jackson (NC Courage), Emeri Adames (Seattle Reign FC), Pietra Tordin (Portland Thorns FC), Maddie Dahlien (Seattle Reign FC) and Thompson were all a part of the U.S. team that took third at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia.
- Defender Ayo Oke, who is currently with CF Pachuca in the Liga MX Femenil, and Emily Mason and Neeku Purcell of the Seattle Reign, played in the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica.
- Midfielder Evelyn Shores, a rookie with Angel City who has played 11 matches after joining the team in July, won the NCAA Championship in 2024 at the University of North Carolina. Dahlien was also on that Tar Heels team. Shores scored the game-winner for the U.S. U-23s in the dying seconds against Germany on May 30. October USWNT call-up Lilly Reale scored the other goal for the USA in that 2-1 win.
- Including the January Futures Camp, this is the fifth U-23 WNT training camp of 2025 since USWNT head coach Emma Hayes made it an emphasis in her philosophy to increase programming for this age group. The U-23s will have one more camp this year, that coming during the final FIFA window of the year in November, which could include international matches.
- Dahlien, Jackson and Mason have been in all four previous camps. Taylor Huff (Bay FC), Sarah Schupansky (Gotham FC), Shores and Jameese Joseph (Chicago Stars) have been in three previous camps.
- The players who have been with the U-23s or at the January Futures Camp this year and are on the October USWNT roster are: Lilly Reale, Sam Meza, Jordyn Bugg, Michelle Cooper, Claire Hutton, Avery Patterson, Jaedyn Shaw and Kennedy Wesley.
- The eight players on the roster who played against Germany this year in late May and early June are Abi Brighton (Juventus FC), Dahlien, Jackson, Joseph, Mason, Schupansky, Shores and Riley Tiernan (Angel City FC).
- Fourteen players named to the roster have scored in the NWSL this season: Katie O’Kane for Racing Louisville, Dahlien and Adames for Seattle, Joseph for Chicago, Schupansky for Gotham FC, Jackson for North Carolina, Corley for San Diego, Karlie Lema and Taylor Huff for Bay FC, Tordin and Jayden Perry for Portland Thorns FC and Shores, Thompson and Tiernan for Angel City FC.
- Tiernan leads all rookies in goals with eight and has the second most goals of any American in the NWSL, behind only Emma Sears (10). Adames has six goals and Dahlien has four, all game-winners. Tordin and Huff also have four goals each. Joseph and Perry each have three scores.
- Brighton, a rare American playing in Italy’s Serie A, helped Juventus FC win the league and cup double last season. She is playing in the UEFA Women’s Champions League this season.
