U-20 USWNT eliminated from World Cup in round of 16 following penalty shootout against Brazil

Ainsley McCammon scored to send the match into extra time, but Emeri Adames missed a penalty in the shootout ensuring the U.S. team would notch an early exit Sep 16, 2026 at 1:06 pm ET • 5 min read The U.S. were eliminated from the U-20 Women's World Cup in Poland in the round of 16 on Wednesday, their exit coming courtesy of a penalty shootout defeat to Brazil.After a goalless first half, Brazil defender Sofia Couto opened the scoring in the 59th minute after her side earned a corner. The set piece was taken short but midfielder Clarinha eventually put a cross into the box, Couto finishing the chance off with a header from close range. The U.S. had their equalizer just four minutes later courtesy of midfielder Ainsley McCammon. Several players made their way towards goal during the play, eventually engaging in a game of pinball between Brazil's defenders and the U.S.' attackers, the former failing to properly clear the ball out of danger several times over. The ball fell to McCammon, who took a powerful shot from outside the box. It was enough to force the game to extra time and eventually a penalty shootout, where Brazil converted each of their spot kicks to earn a spot in the quarterfinals. The U.S. were successful with each of their penalties except for the first one, with Emeri Adames' attempt saved by Brazil goalkeeper Thais Lima. The U.S. team leaves Poland with just one win in four games, their lone victory coming in their Group D finale in which they beat New Zealand 9-0. They opened the tournament with a 2-1 loss to Italy and followed that up with a 2-2 draw with Japan, the collection of results ensuring they would finish third in the group.The result extends the USWNT's stretch without winning the U-20 Women's World Cup to 14 years, a team led by eventual senior World Cup winners Crystal Dunn, Julie Ertz and Sam Mewis lifting the trophy in Japan in 2012. It also marks the third time in the last four editions of the biennial tournament that the USWNT failed to make the quarterfinals, the exception being their third-place run in Colombia two years ago.U-20 tournament fails to go according to plan for USWNTThe U-20 Women's World Cup had become a tournament of focus for the U.S. women's national team program as a whole, the tournament viewed by many as a crucial stepping stone for rising talents with the potential of becoming regulars on the senior team in the not-too-distant future. The Poland-set tournament, though, became a lightning rod for several high-level issues in the game – it was once the subject of a UEFA boycott following FIFA president Gianni Infantino's failed plans to privatize the senior World Cups, all while becoming the source of a back-and-forth on the future of women's soccer in the U.S. specifically. Senior national team head coach Emma Hayes spent much of the year publicly advocating that age-eligible players should make the trip to Poland, regardless of their experiences on her team – and their likelihood of taking part in next summer's senior World Cup in Brazil like midfielder Lily Yohannes. The list of age-eligible players on the senior team included midfielder Claire Hutton, who has made a case to a starter in Brazil over the course of the last year but is illustrative of Hayes' point – the USWNT head coach has frequently complained that the U.S.' rising talents are not as exposed to elite tournament experiences at youth levels as their counterparts in Europe, hindering their ability to adjust to the demands at the senior level.The issue for Hayes and U.S. Soccer is that the U-20 Women's World Cup was scheduled outside of a FIFA window, which meant U-20 head coach Vicky Jepson needed clubs to release players in order for them to actually make the trip to Poland. In recognition of this, Hayes did a month-long tour of the U.S. last spring in the hopes of convincing the owners of different NWSL teams of the benefits of the U-20 Women's World Cup not only to the players to their clubs. The results were ultimately mixed – while eight professional players, including the Seattle Reign's McCammon and Adames, made the cut, Jepson admitted last month that several players were selected but were then told by their clubs that they could not go."If everybody was available and everyone was released, it's a great challenge to have because then you can look at the right people for the environment that we're going into," Jepson told CBS Sports before the roster was named. "It's a shame that there are a percentage of players that won't get that opportunity to add value to bridging the gap to the women's national team by gaining experience in a World Cup, but also all the preparation, hard work that they've put in, they won't be allowed to go forward and apply that at the World Cup." Hayes' argument has been bolstered in recent days by several high-profile players, both current and retired, who recently signed an open letter to FIFA demanding they schedule the tournament during windows that do not conflict with players' club responsibilities. Women's World Cup winner Alex Morgan is among the list as is Olympic silver medalist Marta, while Hutton and Lindsey Heaps were amongst the current members of the USWNT to sign off."Aligning the tournament with the international match calendar would enable federations to select their strongest possible squads, allow players to represent their countries with clarity and confidence, and support clubs in planning their competitive seasons," the letter read in part. "The player landscape has evolved."The U.S. team's mixed results in Poland ultimately poses the question of whether or not the structures of American soccer allows the U-20 team to adequately prepare for the tournament, especially in an increasingly competitive women's soccer landscape. USWNT players almost exclusively developed in college soccer as recently as 15 years ago, which was more robust than the fractured systems that existed around the world. More investment has been placed in the club system around the world since, though, and in particular in academies across Europe. The fact that eight members of the U.S.' 21 player squad come from the NWSL is a signal of the evolution of the women's game, one that ultimately exposes players to the demands of the professional game at younger ages. Hayes has raised several questions over the years about when exactly Americas are introduced to the rigors of being a professional soccer player, especially as it pertains to competition settings like World Cups. The USWNT's latest early exit might strengthen her belief that the team's poor track record at this tournament in recent years may be reversed if all age-eligible players are allowed to take part, regardless of their involvement in the senior team or their importance to their club teams.The next edition of the U-20 Women's World Cup is slated for 2028 but FIFA has yet to confirm the exact dates for the tournament.