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 healthy player in the league age 19 and under -- including those on inbound and outbound loans (Fridah Mukoma is injured) -- 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.