ACCRINGTON, England -- United States women's national team head coach Emma Hayes has described the under-23 setup as "a lost generation," but following her program to reform what is a vital age group for progression to the senior team, the U.S. now seems to be bolstering its options ahead of the 2027 World Cup.
A comprehensive 4-2 win over England's U23s on Monday proved as much and, with a team comprised mainly of National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) stars, the U.S. was clinical and dominant -- with goals from Emeri Adames and Maddie Dahlien in the first half before Sarah Weber and Ally Sentnor, a regular figure in the senior squad, sealed the win.
"[They] gave us a really tough time," Sentnor, who has dropped down to the U23s for more minutes and to develop her confidence, told ESPN. "I'm really proud of our team and the way that we came back after goals are scored on us, and really just came together as a collective. But we've loved being here and it's been a great honor to play at U23 level."
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With the quality of players on show, it was clear to see why Hayes has focused so heavily on reinstating the age group since she was appointed last year.
"I really feel there's like a lost generation that didn't get a lot of opportunities because they went from U20s ... and if they didn't make the seniors, there weren't a lot of opportunities there," she told ESPN's Futbol W show in February. "And I actually learned the other day that in the U.S. there are less U23s playing domestically and internationally in terms of experience than a lot of top nations."
Hayes took a lot from what England have done with their youth teams in recent years and began the U23 program in the U.S. in April. The benefits are already clear.
The need to bridge the gap
England manager Sarina Wiegman had taken steps to reintroduce the Lionesses' U23 setup when she was appointed by the Football Association in 2021. By February 2024 it was blossoming, and she took both the U23s and seniors on a joint camp to Marbella. That trip gave the coaching staff a chance to work with some of the untested players and it led to several being called up to the senior squad.
U23 players are now often used in England's senior training sessions, not only to see how they handle the challenge but also to test the main squad with new styles of play. Indeed, Wiegman has created a rotating pool, meaning she has essentially double the number of players at her disposal, and most of her recent callups -- including the likes of Grace Clinton, Aggie Beever-Jones, Lucia Kendall and Anouk Denton -- earned their place after keeping pace in those sessions.
So when former Chelsea boss Hayes took over as USWNT head coach late last year, one of her first aims was to rebuild the team's U23 pathway. During a news conference, she admitted that a women's football development strategy was "the one thing that's absent" from the setup, and that the U.S. must "develop a coherent strategy that's achievable" to close the gap and provide "more playing opportunities for our players."
The U.S.'s U23 program, which was introduced in 2008 after the U21s were disbanded, had faded -- the team played only four matches in 2019, one in 2022, two in 2023, plus three preseason friendlies against NWSL teams, and none in 2024. But after the USWNT won Olympic gold in Paris, Hayes set out to form a "B team" to bridge the gap into the senior squad.
Hayes took a leaf out of Wiegman's book with her Futures Camp in January, and the full U23 program then followed in April 2025. The U.S. played four games at U23s level in 2025 and intense work has gone on behind the scenes to figure out what is exactly needed for this age group, with a specific focus on developing the player pool ahead of the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.
"It's not just been talk," U.S. U23s manager Heather Dyche, who as appointed in November, told ESPN. "The federation has put its money where its mouth is with the U23s, and it's given us space for players to come try different things and build confidence."
A space to develop
Kansas City Current midfielder Sentnor already has four goals in 13 appearances for the USWNT senior team. Her debut came last year amid a breakout NWSL season where she was named the 2024 U.S. Soccer Young Player of the Year. But to round out 2025, the 21-year-old featured with the U23s, giving her the chance to develop certain aspects of her game with the intention of returning to the senior setup in the new year.
"I was just in with the full team and now, being able to come here, it gave me a lot of freedom, a lot of areas to just grow as a player," she told ESPN. "We have really talented group, so to be able to learn from the greats that are with the national team right now and then to come back here and be a leader and also just build confidence with the players here has been so great.
"Playing against quality opponents really helped. So any international experience that you can get, especially against the top opponent is really cool."
The opportunity has provided Sentnor, who has scored twice in two games for the U23s, with a vital chance to show her skills. If she was with the seniors -- she played against Portugal, but not against New Zealand during the October camp -- with competition for places at an all-time high, she may not have had such a productive two weeks. And that is exactly what Hayes envisaged for the setup when she committed to reintroducing it.
Meanwhile, forward Jaedyn Shaw has split her time between both setups throughout 2025, following her move to Gotham FC, and Hayes has used the U23s to allow her to work on some specifics in her game. Indeed, depending on how her form has been, Hayes has made the decision about which camp would most benefit her.
It is a similar story for 18-year-old Seattle Reign defender Jordyn Bugg who joined the senior USWNT side for the first time in June. Hayes admitted that she will likely have Bugg feature at U23 level, and even the U20 World Cup in Poland next September, "because that's in the best interest of her long-term development strategy."
It works both ways, too. Players who have spent time in the seniors are able to impart the wisdom and values they've learned from sharing the stage with some of the best in the country. And the transition is easy because of the way things have been set up.
"I was telling the girls here, they're like, 'what's different?' I'm like, 'really just the players are different,'" Sentnor said. "Our meetings are the same; the processes we go through, the scouts, the analysis, the tactics, even the training sessions -- we do the same exact drills. The replication is just really cool to see. And then you can just see the next generation of players for the U.S. which I think is really special.
"Those women [the senior team] were my idols and still are my idols from growing up. So being able to go in there, the speed of play is just crazy high. The competitiveness, the games that we play, there's a lot on the line and the standard that they hold there is just so wild and incredible. So if we can just inch our standard closer and closer to that, and our next generation coming up has that, it's going to be able to help us win World Cups and Olympics in the future."
And U23 boss Dyche, who works closely with Hayes, believes that creating an environment where players can move between the two setups with ease will help create a deep player pool ahead of the World Cup in 2027.
"She [Hayes] wants to make sure that all of these players, all the players that are with her now that might come back down to the U23s, continue to grow and they're being given the same message," she said. "I think we're doing a good job of bridging that gap and that's the goal.
"When Ally [Sentnor] goes back to the [USWNT], then she'll even be more confident and when someone else comes back down here, they get a chance to work on things and then some of these players bounce up that they're ready. It's a great system that Emma's putting in place and it's fun to be a part of."
What the future looks like
Emma Hayes reflects on her first year in charge of the USWNT.
With the college draft being phased out and more players bypassing college soccer altogether to pursue opportunities in the NWSL, the makeup of the U.S. U23 team is continuing to evolve. And a clear shift away from college-based talent is already underway.
When Hayes launched the Futures Camp in January 2025, it included 10 college players and 14 professionals. However, the U23s setup is now made up solely of those on professional contracts, and all but three (two in Europe; one in Mexico) play in the NWSL. This is not to say that the current college talent are not up to scratch, but using those already within the professional game makes the transition easier and shifts the player pool closer to that of the seniors.
The NWSL has also floated plans to introduce a second tier -- similar to England's WSL and WSL 2 -- where all of England's U23 players currently compete. This structure could provide a valuable alternative pathway for U.S. players who are weighing up college options or are not yet ready to break into top-level NWSL squads. However, that system remains years away and will not have an immediate impact, though it will inevitably influence the long-term national pipeline.
Another major question is how to maximize the U23 program itself. In 2023, a European U23 league was formed featuring nine national teams: England, Belgium, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden. These countries all have established youth infrastructures, something that can't be said for many of the U.S.'s regional neighbors. But joining or expanding this competition could be a valuable opportunity for the U.S.
In 2025, the U.S. U23 team faced both England and Germany, accounting for three of their four matches this year; by comparison, England's U23s played eight fixtures. The U.S. did face the Slovakia senior team -- and won 1-0 thanks to Sentnor's strike -- but it remains clear that, for now, Europe offers the most competitive environment for meaningful U23 development.
The differing league calendars between the NWSL and Europe create logistical hurdles, yet securing more fixtures will be vital as preparations intensify for Brazil 2027.
Still, U.S. Soccer is committed to the future of the U23s and, following the win over England's next generation, the future appears to be in safe hands. Hayes has used 50 different players across her 30 USWNT games and over 30% of those are aged 23 and under. Many, if not all, of the youngsters will be itching to prove themselves with the hope of breaking into the senior squad ahead of the World Cup.
Hayes already has a sense of the core group she expects to rely on in the pursuit of a fifth World Cup trophy, many of whom have featured in the most recent two camps. But, as a result of the changes she has implemented, the U23s have earned themselves a look-in. It will be a crucial 18 months ahead.