Three of our Seattle Reign players are officially headed to Poland next month for the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup, and it’s a HUGE deal for the Emerald City! Goalkeeper Evan O’Steen, midfielder Ainsley McCammon, and forward Emeri Adames all made the 21-player roster, a testament to the talent brewing right here in Seattle. What’s even wilder is that the Reign are sending more players than any other professional club, tied only with college powerhouses like UNC and Stanford. Professional clubs could have declined these call-ups since it’s outside a FIFA window, but our Reign stepped up and said, “Go get ’em!”
Our Stars Ready for the World Stage
These aren’t just any players; they’ve got some serious experience already. Evan O’Steen, our brick wall in goal, has already seen action in two U17 Women’s World Cups! In 2024, she even snagged the Golden Glove as the best goalkeeper, helping the US to a third-place finish. Talk about an elite talent! Then there’s Ainsley McCammon, who also played in the 2024 tournament and even rocked the captain’s armband in three of the six US matches. That’s leadership right there. And up top, Emeri Adames is a playmaker, having started all seven US games in the 2024 U20 World Cup and dishing out a team-high four assists as the US again finished third. Seriously, these women are ready to make some noise. And let’s not forget University of Washington forward Alex Buck also joining the squad; Seattle is repping HARD! We also learned that age-eligible Reign defender Jordyn Bugg isn’t on the final roster, alongside several other NWSL and overseas players like Claire Hutton, Kimmi Ascanio, and Mel Barcenas, showing just how competitive this roster is.
What It Means for the Reign, and a Massive Question Mark
Now, here’s the kicker for us Reign fans: if the US makes it all the way to the final on September 27 in Lodz, these three stars would miss at least five league games for the Reign during September. That’s a significant chunk of our season! The tournament kicks off on September 5, and the US has a tough Group D schedule ahead. They face Italy on Sunday, September 6, then Japan on Wednesday, September 9, both at 9 AM PT. Their final group stage match is against New Zealand on Saturday, September 12 at 6 AM PT. You know we’ll be tuning in!
But here’s the wrench in the works: there’s still a huge cloud hanging over the whole tournament. UEFA, yeah, *UEFA*, has threatened to boycott all international competitions until FIFA President Gianni Infantino gets the boot. Wild, right? For now, teams are moving forward like the games are on, but that’s a massive “what if” that could blow everything up.
So, while we’re hyped to see O’Steen, McCammon, and Adames shine on the world stage, we’ll be holding our breath not just for their performance, but also for the tournament to actually happen! Let’s cheer on our Reign stars and hope they bring home some hardware, even if it means missing a few games for the club. Fingers crossed this boycott threat is just noise, and we get to watch our Emerald City talent light up Poland!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Sounder at Heart.
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