U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino on Monday named an almost entirely MLS-based roster for the Americans’ two friendlies later this month against Venezuela and Costa Rica.
Veteran defender and captain Tim Ream headlines the 24-player squad along with fellow 2022 World Cup veterans Jesús Ferreira, Shaq Moore and Walker Zimmerman. Europe-based U.S. standouts like Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah were not available because of club commitments; because these two January games will be contested outside a designated FIFA window, clubs aren’t compelled to release their players for national team duty.
With MLS in its offseason, Pochettino and his staff raided the domestic league for its best American talent.
“We are extremely excited to work with a new group of players and continue to implement our ideas,” Pochettino said in a press release that accompanied the announcement. “As I have said, MLS is very important to the national team project, and these players have earned this opportunity.”
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CF Montreal and the Columbus Crew lead the way with three players each. Only one invitee, winger Matko Miljevic, isn’t under contact with an MLS club, though he did play 35 games for Montreal from 2021-23. MLS terminated Miljevic’s contract after discovering that he had played in a local amateur league under an assumed name.
Currently a free agent, the 23-year-old Miami-born, Argentina-raised Miljevic last played for Newell’s Old Boys in the Argentine Primera División — Pochettino’s former club. The U.S. coach was in attendance last November when Miljevic scored a goal for Newell’s.
The U.S. meets Venezuela on Jan. 18 at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Pochettino’s side then takes on the Ticos in Orlando on Jan. 22.
Here’s the full roster:
Goalkeepers: Drake Callender (Inter Miami), Matt Freese (New York City FC), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew), Zack Steffen (Colorado Rapids)
Defenders: Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew), George Campbell (CF Montreal), DeJuan Jones (Columbus Crew), Shaq Moore (FC Dallas), Jalen Neal (CF Montreal), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), John Tolkin (New York Red Bulls), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC)
Midfielders: Benjamin Cremaschi (Inter Miami), Emeka Eneli (Real Salt Lake), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake), Jack McGlynn (Philadelphia Union)
Forwards: Patrick Agyemang (Charlotte FC), Caden Clark (CF Montreal), Jesús Ferreira (FC Dallas), Brian Gutiérrez (Chicago Fire), Matko Miljevic (Unattached), Indiana Vassilev (St. Louis City), Brian White (Vancouver Whitecaps)
Miljevic is one of 10 players hoping to make his senior international debut this month. The annual January camp has been used as a stepping stone to the full-strength U.S. roster for decades; although sometimes jokingly referred to as “Camp Cupcake,” its proven to be a vital formative experience for some of the program’s most decorated players.
Five members of the USMNT’s exclusive 100-cap club earned their first or second senior appearances in January, as did nine of the 26 men who made the cut for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where the Americans reached the second round. In all, 30 such players later went on to represent the U.S. at a World Cup.
The USMNT has an all-time record of 3W-1L-2T against Venezuela, with the one loss coming in the most recent encounter, in 2019. The Americans haven’t faced Concacaf rival Costa Rica since their final 2022 World Cup qualifier, a 2-0 away loss, though they lead the overall series 19-17 (with six ties).
Doug McIntyre is a soccer reporter for FOX Sports. A staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at FIFA World Cups on five continents. Follow him @ByDougMcIntyre.
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