Who is the best teenager playing in the NWSL? Ranking every player 19 and younger

The floodgates haven't opened entirely to teenage signings in the NWSL, but they are no longer so rare that the mere age of a player turns heads.

The NWSL still lacks a unified academy system, but with the college draft being abolished and combines -- including a youth combine to scout talent as young as 13 -- age is not holding recruitment back as it did in years past. Now, more teams are increasingly identifying young players who can make a difference -- and several already are, in big ways. So we've again ranked every player in the league age 19 and under -- including those on inbound and outbound loans -- to look at who's got next in one of the best leagues in the world.

The best of the bunch have already cracked into their senior national teams. Others are tearing it up at the youth international level, or slowly chipping away at growing into their future selves.

Several of the stars in the making from last year's U19 rankings have aged out of this category: U.S. women's national team stars Alyssa Thompson, Jaedyn Shaw and Olivia Moultrie, and Japan international Manaka Matsukubo have all since turned 20. (Thompson left the NWSL in September in a blockbuster transfer to Chelsea, anyway.)

Still, there are four more teenagers in the NWSL's pool this year than in last year's ranking. Who is the best right now? And who has shown potential for the future? Let's get to it.

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21. Zoe Matthews

Age: 18
Position: Defender
Club: Houston Dash (on loan with Dux Logroo)
Country: USA

Matthews is on loan in Spain until June 30, 2026, which the Dash hope will allow the 18-year-old to gain the necessary minutes to step into a bigger role with Houston come next summer. She's a regular with the U.S. youth national teams after training with Jamaica's senior team in the past.

20. Katie Scott

Age: 18
Position: Defender
Club: Kansas City Current
Country: USA

Scott is still finding her way in the league, having played in just two matches. Her place on the best and deepest team in the league doesn't help with earning game time right now, but it is a great long-term development tool.

The Current loaned Scott to Racing Louisville in August, but the defender was recently recalled without making an appearance. She has played for the U.S. at several youth national team levels.

19. Mak Whitham

Age: 15
Position: Forward
Club: NJ/NY Gotham FC
Country: USA

Still the youngest player in the league, Whitham has earned minutes in six league games as well as several Concacaf Champions Cup games. Those minutes, particularly in Concacaf, should prove invaluable in her development.

18. KK Ream

Age: 16
Position: Forward
Club: Utah Royals
Country: USA

Ream signed with Utah as a 15-year-old and in August, she became the youngest goal-scorer in NWSL history -- a game-winner over the Portland Thorns in Providence Park, to boot. The Utah native is part of the U.S. team set to compete at the U17 World Cup later this month.

17. Micayla Johnson

Age: 17
Position: Forward
Club: Chicago Stars FC
Country: USA

The Stars have had a difficult season in a myriad of ways, but Johnson offers some hope for the future. She scored her first pro goal earlier this month before departing for the U17 World Cup. Chicago signed her to a long-term deal, so she is part of another rebuild there.

16. Ainsley McCammon

Age: 18
Position: Midfielder
Club: Seattle Reign FC
Country: USA

Earning regular minutes is a major part of development at such a young age, and McCammon has quietly chipped away at that task in Seattle. With no goal contributions, her stats don't jump off the page, but 14 matches played -- including five starts -- for a team contending for a home playoff game shows the trust that Reign head coach Laura Harvey has in the young midfielder.

15. Chloe Ricketts

Age: 18
Position: Midfielder
Club: Houston Dash (pre-contract with Boston Legacy for 2026)
Country: USA

Ricketts will get a fresh start next year with NWSL expansion team Boston Legacy FC, who signed the midfielder to a two-year deal with a mutual option for 2029. Ricketts plays with a flair on the wing that can excite any casual observer.

Her reality in Portland was that of a teenager -- who is already wrapping up her third professional season! -- fighting for minutes on one of the most talented teams in the league. Boston's start-up nature should mean more gametime and more meaningful development. The potential has been there in glimpses.

14. Alex Pfeiffer

Age: 17
Position: Forward
Club: Kansas City Current
Country: USA

It was just last year that Pfeiffer burst onto the scene and scored for the Kansas Current in her debut as a 16-year-old. She plays with the swagger and confidence of a young player who knows no limits.

She'd be higher on this list too, if not for a knee injury that cut her 2024 season short and kept her out for half of 2025.

13. Mary Long

Age: 18
Position: Forward
Club: Kansas City Current
Country: USA

Long, the daughter of Current co-owners Angie and Chris, has slowly built up first-team minutes in her debut season after leaving Duke University as a freshman to turn pro. She has been a regular at the U.S. youth level and helped the U17s finish third at the 2024 World Cup. She has one assist in nine appearances for Kansas City -- no small feat considering the team's depth of international firepower up top.

12. Melanie Barcenas

Age: 17
Position: Winger
Club: San Diego Wave FC
Country: USA

Barcenas is probably the most viral player on this list. Odds are if you follow the NWSL, you've seen a clip of her crossing up a defender with a stepover move or a spin turn.

Her next challenge is and has been about production -- completing those plays to turn them into serious scoring opportunities for her team. She has done more of that in 2025 as a reliable substitute (even with limited minutes).

11. Casey Phair

Age: 18
Position: Forward
Club: Angel City FC (on loan to Djurgrden)
Country: South Korea

Progress has been incremental for Phair, who signed a long-term extension this summer and immediately went on loan to Sweden's Damallsvenskan. She has earned more minutes there than she had at Angel City in the first half of the season, but Phair is still fighting for first-team appearances.

It's worth remembering that Phair turned pro at 16 and had already played at a senior World Cup for South Korea. She has a nose for goal, and those around Angel City expect that to start to pay off in the NWSL.

10. Valerin Loboa

Age: 18
Position: Forward
Club: Portland Thorns FC
Country: Colombia

Portland invested significantly in signing Loboa -- her contract runs through 2028 with a club option for 2029 -- after she scored her first international goal and played in all six games at Copa America this summer for finalists Colombia. That included a full 90 in the group stage against Brazil and starting the final against Brazil.

Loboa debuted in her home country as a 14-year-old and while NWSL fans haven't yet seen much of her, the forward's experience at Copa America for a relatively strong team speaks to her potential.

9. Laila Harbert

Age: 18
Position: Midfielder
Club: Portland Thorns FC (on loan from Arsenal)
Country: England

Harbert's entire Arsenal senior career to date has been spent on loan, but those around the club have high expectations for the England youth international and expect she will eventually make it to the Lionesses' senior team.

Her loan to Portland is only through the end of the 2025 NWSL season, meaning it's brief, but it's also the highest level of first-team exposure she's had to date outside of Arsenal. Even if Portland proves to be a pit stop, Harbert's ceiling is high.

8. Trinity Armstrong

Age: 18
Position: Defender
Club: San Diego Wave FC
Country: USA

Armstrong is strong in duels and growing into her own as a center-back. Granted, San Diego's 31 goals conceded this season isn't great, but Armstrong, in large part, was tasked with filling the gigantic shoes of Naomi Girma, who left for Chelsea in the offseason.

Armstrong started the year as a 17-year-old thrown straight into the center-back role, and she has largely shown she has the ability to handle it.

7. Emeri Adames

Age: 19
Position: Forward
Club: Seattle Reign FC
Country: USA

Adames leads all teenagers this year with six goals, achieving that in just 989 minutes while coming off the bench half the time. Adames has game-changing abilities on the ball and can change matches off the bench. Her late game-winner in San Diego in June was a taste of how special she can be on the ball:

6. Kimmi Ascanio

Age: 17
Position: Forward
Club: San Diego Wave FC
Country: USA

Ascanio has drawn comparisons to a young Tobin Heath -- who happens to be her childhood idol. Ascanio's production is up from last year, with four goals and an assist for a Wave team that has generally struggled going forward.

Ascanio's style is just different -- free-flowing, smooth, confident -- in a way that might draw comparisons to a young Heath. It's a rare combination, especially in the USWNT pool.

5. Riley Jackson

Age: 19
Position: Midfielder
Club: North Carolina Courage
Country: USA

Have you seen that assist on Manaka Matsukubo's recent goal for the North Carolina Courage? That was Riley Jackson doing what she does on the ball. Her final pass can be exquisite:

Yes, that was her lone assist of the year, but she leads all players on this list in expected assists (3.77), which speaks to her potential. North Carolina has also struggled as a team this season, but that dip is not indicative of Jackson's potential.

4. Kennedy Fuller

Age: 18
Position: Midfielder
Club: Angel City FC
Country: USA

Fuller's four goals and three assists have been a bright spot in an inconsistent season filled with change for Angel City. Still, Fuller has the makings of a long-term No. 10 for club and, potentially, for country.

Fuller is a dynamic playmaker whose decision making at speed is exceptional for her age. She is also productive for a midfielder -- regardless of age -- with seven total goal contributions. Fuller has made tremendous gains in her second season as a professional.

3. Jordyn Bugg

Age: 19
Position: Defender
Club: Seattle Reign FC
Country: USA

Multiple coaches have compared Bugg's skill set to that of USWNT defender Naomi Girma, who landed at No. 2 on ESPN's ranking of the top 50 players last year. Need we go on? (OK, we will.)

Bugg is the central anchor to Seattle Reign FC's defense, and she recently got her first cap with the senior USWNT. She possess the subtle balance of vision and technical skill of an elite center back, and she is also good for an epic highlight.

2. Gisele Thompson

Age: 19
Position: Defender
Club: Angel City FC
Country: USA