USA FOOTBALL U.S. NATIONAL TEAM ALUMNI TO COMPETE IN UNDER ARMOUR NEXT ALL-AMERICA GIRLS FLAG FOOTBALL GAME

– Premier Under Armour event features 14 Junior U.S. National Team medalists –  

INDIANAPOLIS, IND. & DELAND, FLA. – Under Armour hosts its second-ever Under Armour Next All-America Girls Flag Football Game at Spec Martin Stadium in Deland, Fla. on January 3. The event will feature more than a dozen alumni from USA Football’s 15U and 17U Junior National Teams, including some of the most successful athletes in the history of youth international football. The game will stream live on the on the Under Armour TikTok channel (@UnderArmour) channel at 2 p.m. ET. 

Fourteen Junior National Team alumni who previously competed in USA Football’s Junior International Cup earned Under Armour All-America honors and will compete for either Team Roses or Team Pearls in the game. Combined, the athletes have accounted for 31 gold medals across the past three years of competition, including when the 17U U.S. Girls’ Flag National Team defeated Team Azteca 19-12 in the finals of the 2025 Junior International Cup.  

Among the collection of elite athletes are seven who have won three Junior International Cup gold medals, a number yet to be surpassed by any athlete in the girls’ divisions.  

"It's incredible to see so many of our Junior National Team alumni honored as All-Americans by Under Armour," said USA Football Manager of U.S. National Teams and the Head of Player Personnel, Charles Torwudzo. "These selections speak to our program's ability to identify and develop elite emerging talent. I'm excited to watch all of our alumni compete in the new year and can't wait to see the next steps of their football journeys." 

Under Armour debuted the Under Armour Next All-America Girls Flag Football Game as part of its All-America Game Week in early 2025. Alexandria Lofton (Columbus, Ga.), a gold medalist from the 2024 17U Girls’ National Team, earned MVP honors in the inaugural game.  

Under Armour is the Official and Exclusive Uniform, Apparel, and Footwear Partner of USA Football, including the U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams that will represent the U.S. in the 2028 Summer Olympics. USA Football and Under Armour share a commitment to growing the sport of football and providing more opportunities for women and girls to compete and develop.  

USA Football is the National Governing Body of American Football in the United States and selects, trains and leads Team USA Football® in tackle and flag football disciplines for events like the Olympics. 

Under Armour selected some of the most accomplished girls’ and women’s flag football coaches in the world for the 2026 Under Armour Next All-America Girls Flag Football Game. The U.S. Women’s National Team coaching staff, including head coach Saaid Mortazavi and assistants Mary Kate “MK” Beach and Matthew Hernandez, and U.S. Men’s National Team assistant coach Willy Perez, will lead the All-America teams.  

Mortazavi and Bula guided the U.S. Women’s National Team to an IFAF Flag Football World Championship in 2024. Hernandez leads the national powerhouse girls’ flag program at Alonso High School (Tampa, Fla.) and served as the 17U U.S. Girls’ Flag National Team head coach in 2024. Perez is the women’s flag football head coach at Baker University and previously served as the 15U U.S. Girls’ Flag National Team head coach in 2023 and 2024.  

Flag football is one of the nation’s fastest-growing sports, especially among girls and women. According to USA Football’s analysis of the Physical Activity Council’s Annual Participation study data, in the decade from 2015 to 2024, the number of girls ages 6-17 playing flag football increased 57%, surpassing 267,000 participants in 2024.  

New opportunities are emerging every month for girls and women to play flag football. Sixteen states sanction it as a high school varsity sport, and opportunities to earn college scholarships and compete for national championships exist at the NAIA and NJCAA levels. The NCAA is considering women’s flag football for its Emerging Sports for Women program.  

Below is a list of all U.S. Junior National Team alumni who will participate in the UA Next All-America Girls Flag Football Game: 

Emery Beckett; Lakeway, Texas (Team Roses) 

• 2023 15U U.S. Girls’ Flag National Team 

• 2024 15U U.S. Girls’ Flag National Team 

• 2025 17U U.S. Girls’ Flag National Team 

Juliet Gambino; Tampa, Fla. (Team Pearls) 

• 2024 15U U.S. Girls’ Flag National Team 

• 2025 17U U.S. Girls’ Flag National Team 

Cate Goddeau-Hall; West Palm Beach, Fla. (Team Roses) 

• 2024 Alternate 17U U.S. Girls’ Flag National Team   

Akemi Higa; Las Vegas, Nev. (Team Roses) 

• 2023 15U U.S. Girls’ Flag National Team 

• 2024 17U U.S. Girls’ Flag National Team 

• 2025 17U U.S. Girls’ Flag National Team 

Akiko Higa; Las Vegas, Nev. (Team Roses) 

• 2025 17U U.S. Girls’ Flag National Team 

Alison Kaltenbacher; North Wales, Pa. (Team Roses) 

• 2023 15U U.S. Girls’ Flag National Team 

• 2024 15U U.S. Girls’ Flag National Team 

• 2025 17U U.S. Girls’ Flag National Team 

Maeva Koong; Kapolei, Hawaii (Team Roses) 

• 2025 17U U.S. Girls’ Flag National Team 

Hailey Morgan; Vernon, Conn. (Team Pearls) 

• 2023 15U U.S. Girls’ Flag National Team 

• 2023 Junior International Cup 15U Girls’ Division MVP 

• 2024 15U U.S. Girls’ Flag National Team 

• 2025 17U U.S. Girls’ Flag National Team 

Kaitlyn Reynolds; Cedar Park, Texas (Team Pearls) 

• 2023 15U U.S. Girls’ Flag National Team 

• 2024 15U U.S. Girls’ Flag National Team 

• 2025 17U U.S. Girls’ Flag National Team 

Landri Smit; Cedar Park, Texas (Team Pearls) 

• 2023 15U U.S. Girls’ Flag National Team 

• 2024 17U U.S. Girls’ Flag National Team 

• 2025 17U U.S. Girls’ Flag National Team 

Kate Smith; Land O' Lakes, Fla. (Team Pearls) 

• 2024 Alternate 17U U.S. Girls’ Flag National Team 

• 2025 17U U.S. Girls’ Flag National Team 

Samaya Taylor-Jenkins; Chandler, Ariz. (Team Pearls) 

• 2024 17U U.S. Girls’ Flag National Team 

• 2024 Junior International Cup 17U Girls’ Division MVP 

• 2025 UA Next All-America Girls Flag Football Game Participant  

Trishelle Tucay; Las Vegas, Nev. (Team Roses) 

• 2024 15U U.S. Girls’ Flag National Team 

• 2025 17U U.S. Girls’ Flag National Team 

Tessa Wieloch; Lansdale, Pa. (Team Roses) 

• 2024 15U U.S. Girls’ Flag National Team 

• 2024 17U U.S. Girls’ Flag National Team 

• 2025 17U U.S. Girls’ Flag National Team 

About USA Football: USA Football is the National Governing Body (NGB) for American Football in the United States and the sole U.S. member of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), the international governing body for the sport of American football. USA Football selects, trains and leads Team USA Football® in tackle and flag football disciplines, while delivering world-class football development resources, sport standards and competitive opportunities to empower athletes at every level. USA Football is committed to ensuring every athlete has access to develop and compete in the game through safer, inclusive and innovative pathways. For more information, visit usafootball.com.