Mauricio Pochettino has been the US men’s national team boss for two camps. Those camps, it should be made clear, fell on official FIFA dates and entailed rosters composed of the perceived top players in the US pool.
The next camp, coming in January 2025, is not that.
January camp is traditionally for MLS players, a LIGA MX-based guy or two (who get released by their clubs, anyway – the Clausura starts around the second week of January, so there’s overlap with the camp), and maybe one of the few Yanks playing in Norway. It's essentially a look-see to determine which MLS veterans have kept their level high, and which kids might be ready to push their way into the mix. That's all while making sure everyone, down to basically the 40th guy on the depth chart, is familiar with the game model.
You know this, I’m sure. But there it is in writing, just in case.
Ok, now I’m just gonna list my thought process:
- Very obviously, most of the best players in the US pool play in the best leagues in Europe. This is especially true in the final third, where my honest take is I don’t think any MLS-based attacker has a realistic shot at making the 2026 World Cup roster. Such is the quality, depth and accomplishment of the guys at/near the top of the depth charts already.
- Just as obviously, central defense is a big, fat mess. Chris Richards and Mark McKenzie haven’t developed how we’d hoped, while Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty play in Scotland. Tim Ream, at age 37, is still well in the mix. What I’m saying is there are center-back minutes to be won (or won back, in the case of Miles Robinson and Walker Zimmerman).
- Goalkeeper is an even bigger sore spot. Given what happened first to Zack Steffen and then to Matt Turner, can we never send an American goalkeeper to England again? (Turner, to be clear, has been much more good than bad for the US, even as he’s not getting playing time. And if we had a must-win game tomorrow, I’d probably pick him to start. But he’s not the ‘keeper he was three years ago, either). So again, there are minutes here to be won. I don’t think it would all happen during one camp, but I am keeping a very close eye on Matt Freese. My hunch is he’s about where Turner was in 2019.
- We’ve really missed Sergiño Dest, eh? He’ll be back soon, but we very clearly bumped up against the limits of Joey Backpass’s comfort on the ball, and his limits in distribution put a pretty hard ceiling on how effective this team was going to be in possession. Which is to say I have an unorthodox ask at right back.
Ok, here’s the 26-man roster I’d call in for the upcoming friendlies vs. Venezuela (Jan. 18) and Costa Rica (Jan. 22). The first game is at Inter Miami's Chase Stadium, while the second is at Orlando City's Inter&Co Stadium:
GOALKEEPER (3): Matt Freese (New York City FC), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew), Chris Brady (Chicago Fire FC)
LEFT BACK (2): John Tolkin (New York Red Bulls), Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew)
CENTER BACK (6): Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Andrew Privett (Charlotte FC), Jackson Ragen (Seattle Sounders FC), Jalen Neal (LA Galaxy)
RIGHT BACK (2): Emeka Eneli (Real Salt Lake), DeAndre Yedlin (FC Cincinnati)
DEFENSIVE MIDFIELD (3): James Sands (New York City FC), Edwin Cerrillo (LA Galaxy), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders FC)
CENTRAL MIDFIELD (4): Cole Bassett (Colorado Rapids), Jake Davis (Sporting Kansas City), Jack McGlynn (Philadelphia Union), Timothy Tillman (LAFC)
ATTACKING MIDFIELD/WINGER (4): Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake), Brian Gutiérrez (Chicago Fire FC), Djordje Mihailovic (Colorado Rapids), Quinn Sullivan (Philadelphia Union)
CENTER FORWARD (2): Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders), Patrick Agyemang (Charlotte FC)
- Chris Brady (Chicago Fire FC)
- Matt Freese (New York City FC)
- Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew)
Freese was incredible this year, posting Turner-esque shot-stopping numbers across more than 3,600 minutes. That itself came on the heels of solid shot-stopping numbers from 2023, which itself came on the heels of an outstanding MLS NEXT Pro season for Philly in 2022.
The trajectory is up. I’m going to assume it stays pointed in that direction until he gives me a reason not to.
I’m not as high on Schulte as some others – I don’t think he’s as good a shot-stopper – but he’s young, unfazed by bad moments, and is good with his feet. Brady is the opposite of that last part, but he’s the furthest along of the super-young options. And I always like to see the US bring a pure prospect to these camps.
- John Tolkin (New York Red Bulls)
- Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew)
There are a million obvious reasons for Tolkin to be there. As for Arfsten, I’m giving the mic to my guy Calen Carr:
Finding a two-footed wingback who can play either side of the pitch is rare. Arfsten brings a combination of technical proficiency and a level of calmness to his game that outplays his pro minutes. That’s usually a good combination for January camp, which is often much more about untapped potential than universally recognized talent. We’ve gotten a little linear with thinking our youth ID programs should always set the current USMNT pool’s direct path. Arfsten has had to fight to get on the field, and shown the IQ and the quality with Columbus to indicate there are more levels to his game waiting when thrown in with elite talent.
- Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC)
- Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati)
- Tim Ream (Charlotte FC)
- Andrew Privett (Charlotte FC)
- Jackson Ragen (Seattle Sounders FC)
- Jalen Neal (LA Galaxy)
I don’t really need to explain why Ream, Robinson and Zimmerman should and will be there, right?
Ragen’s done a ton of that over the past three years, both in MLS play and continental competition. The Sounders are a ball-dominant team that rely upon him to initiate attacking sequences, break lines and get wingers into 1v1 positions. Sound familiar?
Privett and Neal are less proven, but both are worth bringing in. Privett, in particular, defends on the front foot in a way few American center backs ever have. It’s Matt Besler-esque.
- Emeka Eneli (Real Salt Lake)
- DeAndre Yedlin (FC Cincinnati)
Eneli is my out-of-right-field ask. His ability to receive the ball in traffic, his comfort with it once he gets it on his foot, and then his ability to change speeds and explode past the first defender… it was Darlington Nagbe-esque in central midfield this year.
But remember, he came into the league as a right back! This is his natural spot, and I want to see him playing there for a team that needs a better ball-progressor under pressure than the other options have proven to be.
(I’ll have more on this particular pattern of play in a second).
Yedlin’s a useful veteran presence.
- James Sands (New York City FC)
- Edwin Cerrillo (LA Galaxy)
- Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders FC)
Sands and Cerrillo have both earned it with their club performance. I don’t think either will pass the Tyler Adams/Tanner Tessmann/Johnny Cardoso trio, but injuries happen. So let’s get them into camp with Poch.
Roldan’s there as the veteran leader.
- Cole Bassett (Colorado Rapids)
- Jake Davis (Sporting Kansas City)
- Jack McGlynn (Philadelphia Union)
- Timothy Tillman (LAFC)
Through four games, the biggest difference between Pochettino’s system and previous head coach Gregg Berhalter’s is the freedom the central midfielders have to push forward off third-man combinations:
That is basically Bassett’s whole life. Same with Davis and, to a lesser extent, Tillman. All three of those guys are elite defensive presences as well.
Given how injury-prone the guys ahead of them on the depth chart are, there is, I think, a non-zero chance one of these guys can play themselves into a role for 2026. If that’s going to happen, it needs to start next month.
McGlynn is a different kind of option. I honestly think he’s a South American No. 10 miscast as a No. 8. Either way, his unique skillset brings him to camp.
- Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake)
- Brian Gutiérrez (Chicago Fire FC)
- Djordje Mihailovic (Colorado Rapids)
- Quinn Sullivan (Philadelphia Union)
- Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders)
- Patrick Agyemang (Charlotte FC)
I want Morris there for his veteran leadership and his direct, threaten-in-behind running. Moving him to the No. 9 changed Seattle’s season, and while I wouldn’t expect him to crack the 2026 roster, his pace and power up top presents a different sort of option than the Europe-based No. 9s Poch has gotten a look at so far.
As for Big Pat, I’m going to point out he beat out a Polish World Cup striker for the starting No. 9 job, and that he can do stuff like this:
And now I’m gonna give Andrew Wiebe the pen to finish this off:
I am a card-carrying member of the Agyemang hive, but I’m not here to tell anyone, let alone Poch, to jam Big Pat into the USMNT. I’m just intrigued, mostly because there’s a ton of undiscovered potential in his game and also because Agyemang has one skill we don’t see too often in the player pool from center forwards: he creates space, time and shooting angles for himself off the dribble. There’s something unorthodox about it, but the 24-year-old consistently unbalances defenders. What he needs most going forward is consistency, in execution and decision-making, and exposure to a new level at January camp could help him along that path.
