US women's soccer players, including Alex Morgan and Marta, have written to FIFA, calling for the U20 Women's World Cup to be held in sync with the international match calendar. The letter, obtained by ESPN, aims to address issues with the current system. According to ESPN, the letter states that 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.
Several NWSL players are missing from the United States' roster, including Lily Yohannes, Claire Hutton, Alex Pfeiffer, Jordyn Bugg, Kimmi Ascanio and Melanie Barcenas. U.S. U20 head coach Vicky Jepson described their absences as "upsetting" when she named her 21-player roster in August. Close Jeff Kassouf, who covers women's soccer for ESPN, has been a prominent voice in the women's soccer community, having founded The Equalizer, a women's soccer news outlet, in 2009.