United States manager Vicky Jepson named her 21-player roster for next month's U20 Women's World Cup in Poland, calling the absence of several top age-eligible stars "upsetting" but expressing confidence in the selected players.

Among the notable absentees were midfielders Claire Hutton, Lily Yohannes, and Kimmi Ascanio, along with defender Jordyn Bugg. These players were unavailable due to club commitments, with Hutton, Ascanio, and Bugg playing in the NWSL during its regular season, while Yohannes competes for French power OL Lyonnes.

"Of course we would love Lily to come and play in this squad as well as Claire, as well as Jordyn," Jepson said. "But ultimately, the main focus now is the players that are released, the players are that are coming, because I think that we have enough quality within this squad."

The U20 World Cup is not part of official FIFA windows, meaning clubs are not required to release players. Jepson acknowledged the difficulty of omitting players due to club decisions, stating, "We can't force a club to release a player. We have to respect that."

Eight of the 21 roster spots went to NWSL professionals, including Kennedy Fuller, who has captained the U20 team multiple times. The remaining 13 players come from the U.S. college system.

Senior USWNT head coach Emma Hayes emphasized the importance of youth international experience for player development, warning that American players are lagging behind their international counterparts in high-level competition exposure.

The U.S. opens group play on Sept. 9 against Italy, followed by matches against Japan and New Zealand. The team has not won a U20 World Cup since 2012.