All-MLS roster named for USMNT camp ahead of Slovenia friendly

United States males’s nationwide group supervisor Gregg Berhalter named a 25-player, all-MLS roster ahead of the group’s annual January camp, which begins subsequent week.

The group will embrace 17 uncapped gamers and can prepare for 9 days in Orlando, Florida, earlier than a friendly towards Slovenia in San Antonio on Jan. 20.

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Thirteen of the 25 gamers are eligible for this 12 months’s Olympics, the place males’s soccer is restricted to gamers below 23, with three wild playing cards per nation over the restrict.

“This January camp does have a different look, and the reason why is because the Olympics are coming up and we’re able to use this opportunity to purposely bring in Olympic age-eligible players,” Berhalter stated throughout media availability Friday.

With the match and coaching camp falling exterior of a FIFA worldwide window, Berhalter had entry solely to gamers not presently in season (there have been exceptions up to now).

As would be the case this 12 months, this camp has historically been used to combine youthful gamers into the nationwide group program.

Nashville right-back Shaq Moore is the one participant on the roster who was with the group on the 2022 World Cup, making substitute appearances towards England and Iran.

Four gamers — San Jose’s Cade Cowell, Real Salt Lake’s Diego Luna, Atlanta’s Caleb Wiley and Philadelphia’s Jack McGlynn — participated on the U20 World Cup final 12 months.

Defender Walker Zimmerman is damage; goalkeeper Zack Steffen was left off after his switch on Thursday to the Colorado Rapids from Manchester City; and ahead Brandon Vázquez was omitted as a result of of a pending transfer from FC Cincinnati to Monterrey.

Steffen has not performed for the U.S. since March 2022 and was left off the 2022 World Cup roster by Berhalter.

“It’s important for him to be with the club for preseason.” Berhalter stated. “He’s going to play a big role with Colorado. I’ve talked to him about his potential role with us, and he’s very much in the pool of players and we expect him to challenge for a position.”

Nashville’s Zimmerman is coming off an Achilles harm.

“Walker was, I think up until the beginning of January, in a boot,” Berhalter stated. “His rehab is going to take a little bit longer.”

Vázquez was on the preliminary roster.

“It was really about understanding the player’s trajectory and what could be going on with him in his career, but then also being about to evaluate other players,” Berhalter stated.

Miles Robinson, recent off his transfer from Atlanta to Cincinnati, is the group’s most skilled worldwide participant with 27 caps. Robinson reportedly had curiosity from European groups however opted to stay in MLS.

“That’s a personal choice that he makes,” Berhalter stated. “The expectations will be that he’s a dominant center back in this league, that he performs at a really high level at this league, and I think he’s well aware of that.”

If LAFC midfielder Timothy Tillman performs towards Slovenia, he and brother Malik Tillman will develop into the tenth set of brothers to play for the USMNT, with Brenden and Paxten Aaronson the most recent to affix the membership final 12 months.

DETAILED ROSTER BY POSITION (Club/Country; Caps/Goals)

GOALKEEPERS (3): Drake Callender (Inter Miami CF; 0/0), Roman Celentano (FC Cincinnati; 0/0), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew; 0/0)

DEFENDERS (10): Nathan Harriel (Philadelphia Union; 0/0), DeJuan Jones (New England Revolution; 7/0), Shaq Moore (Nashville SC; 17/1), Ian Murphy (FC Cincinnati; 0/0), Jackson Ragen (Seattle Sounders; 0/0), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 27/3), James Sands (New York City FC; 13/0), Nkosi Tafari (FC Dallas; 0/0), John Tolkin (New York Red Bulls; 3/0), Caleb Wiley (Atlanta United; 1/0)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Joshua Atencio (Seattle Sounders; 0/0), Aziel Jackson (St. Louis City; 0/0), Jack McGlynn (Philadelphia Union; 0/0), Aidan Morris (Columbus Crew; 4/0), Timothy Tillman (LAFC; 0/0), Sean Zawadzki (Columbus Crew; 0/0)

FORWARDS (6): Esmir Bajraktarevic (New England Revolution; 0/0), Cade Cowell (San Jose Earthquakes; 8/1), Bernard Kamungo (FC Dallas; 0/0), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake; 0/0), Duncan McGuire (Orlando City; 0/0), Brian White (Vancouver Whitecaps/CAN; 0/0)

Information from The Associated Press was used on this report.