When midfielder Yuna McCormack scored the United States’s first goal of the FIFA U-20 World Cup back in September 2024, soccer fans were getting one of the clearest glimpses of the future they could see. She's part of the next generation of U.S. women's soccer.

McCormack, 20, the daughter of a triathlete and a natural athlete herself, has been a mainstay in the US international system for years. Her first contribution to the national team (when she was 14) helped the USA win the 2018 Concacaf Girls' U-15 Championship. Since then, she has competed regularly with the youth national squads. She recently received a U-23 call-up and was one of 24 young players selected by Emma Hayes in January 2025 to attend a futures camp, where she was able to practice alongside the national team.

But where McCormack has really been able to shine so far in her career is while playing midfield at the collegiate level. In her two years with the University of Virginia Cavaliers, she started in and played 28 total games. Her freshman year was one for the books: She started every game, scoring one goal and assisting five, and was named to the ACC All-Freshman team. Her sophomore year with the Cavaliers was interrupted, as she missed a big chunk of the season helping the US U-20 national team bring home the bronze medal at the FIFA U20 World Cup—but she still managed to score two goals and nab 11 assists.

After her second season, McCormack entered the transfer portal and decided to join the Seminoles of Florida State, where she’s been since the spring of 2025, getting acclimated for the fall season. The opportunity likely came to her because Florida State was grappling with how to replace legendary Seminole Taylor Huff, who joined Bay FC after completing a groundbreaking final season for Florida State in 2024.

While Virginia somewhat built its on-field strategy around McCormack, she will have the new challenge at Florida State of fitting into an already-existing system. Luckily for McCormack, though, many of her old and current international teammates make up the roster. Players like Heather Gilchrist and Giana Riley will ease McCormack’s transition; she has already been playing alongside them for years.

Fellow USWNT international Taylor Suarez will also be a source of comfort on the field for McCormack. And it’s likely that head coach Brian Pensky will want Suarez and McCormack to work together in the midfield to generate both the team’s forward movement and ability to recover quickly. If Suarez and McCormack can connect in the midfield, a NCAA championship could very well be in reach for the Seminoles before those two graduate.