25 MLS Players Called Into USMNT January Camp

Gregg Berhalter and the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team have called up 25 MLS players to represent the United States in a January friendly against Slovenia. The game will be played on January 20th with a camp held prior to the game between January 8th and 16th. The roster for this camp looks like:

Goalkeepers:

Drake Callender - Inter Miami CF

Roman Celetano - FC Cincinnati

Patrick Schulte - Columbus Crew

Defenders:

DeJuan Jones - New England Revolution

John Tolkin - New York Red Bulls

Caleb Wiley - Atlanta United FC

Shaq Moore - Nashville SC
Nathan Harriel - Philadelphia Union

Miles Robinson - FC Cincinnati

James Sands - NYCFC

Jackson Ragen - Seattle Sounders

Nkosi Tafari - FC Dallas

Ian Murphy - FC Cincinnati

Midfielders:

Aidan Morris - Columbus Crew

Joshua Atencio - Seattle Sounders

Jack McGlynn - Philadelphia Union

Sean Zawadzki - Columbus Crew

Timothy Tillman - LAFC

Aziel Jackson - St. Louis City SC

Forwards:

Cade Cowell - San Jose Earthquakes

Diego Luna - Real Salt Lake

Bernard Kamungo - FC Dallas

Esmir Bajraktarevic - New England Revolution

Duncan McGuire - Orlando City SC

Brian White - Vancouver Whitecaps

Honestly looking at this roster position by position, I don’t have too many complaints. I am looking at these call ups  with this criteria; first, obviously the players have to be American, second, the player has to play within MLS, third, the player has to be unproven at the international level, and lastly, the player can’t be injured or in a transfer deal. When looking at the goalkeeping group, this is easily the best three you could have asked me to pull. Patrick Schulte just won MLS Cup with the Crew, Celetano just won a Supporters’ Shield with FC Cincinnati, and Callender played in two finals this past season… winning the 2023 Leagues Cup. There performances were some of the top in MLS, let alone Americans within MLS. 

My pick for starting goalkeeper: Drake Callender - Inter Miami CF

Berhalter called five fullbacks into this camp. In my eyes, I am okay with four of the five call ups. I would start DeJuan Jones on the left, but making sure that John Tolkin gets his minutes as well. That is no shot at Caleb Wiley, he deserves  to be in this camp, but with the perspective of who can help the U.S. in the more immediate future… I think Jones and Tolkin have more of that shot. At rightback, I love giving some praise to Nathan Harriel who was very good last season for Philly. My one fullback call up that I don’t agree with is Shaq Moore. We’ve seen Shaq Moore and what he can do for the United States. I just think this would be a better opportunity for someone we haven’t seen much of like Jake Davis from Sporting Kansas City. 

My picks for starting fullbacks: DeJuan Jones - New England Revolution & Nathan Harriel - Philadelphia Union

The centerback group is another one that I feel there are little to no arguments with. Miles Robinson and James Sands are two players who should be on this roster even though we’ve seen them in the past. We are still needing to see what the post-Robinson version of himself looks like with the United States. James Sands is another one that we need to see what a post-Rangers form for him looks like with the USMNT. Next up I think two top performing American centerbacks in MLS last season getting a deserved call up… Nkosi Tafari and Jackson Ragen. Tafari became a household MLS name with his performances for a top defense at Dallas. Ragen also broke out into MLS conversations as well with how he performed for the Sounders. The only name in this group that I don’t fully agree with being there is FC Cincinnati’s Ian Murphy. Two MLS centerbacks that I would have loved to see make it over Murphy is Nashville SC’s Jack Maher and New York Red Bull’s Sean Nealis. 

My picks for starting centerbacks: Miles Robinson - FC Cincinnati & James Sands - NYCFC 

With the defensive midfield spot, I still believe that the backup to Tyler Adams is still up in the air. Who is going to take that role for Copa America and beyond? For this camp we will see the likes of Aidan Morris and Joshua Atencio try to impress Berhalter. The two time MLS Cup Champion Aidan Morris is the bigger of the two names right now. But Atencio has a decent resume himself, playing in some of the largest club games in North American soccer. In the central midfield spot next to that starting “six”, we have two options Jack McGlynn and Sean Zawadzki. Though I love the versatility of a Zawadzki, I think McGlynn is the easy standout starter. What he has done to elevate the Union’s midfield has been incredible, even gaining the eyes of some European suitors. Personally, I would have loved to see guys like Keaton Parks or Noel Buck called in over Zawadzki. In the attacking midfield, Berhalter called up Timothy Tillman and Aziel Jackson. This isn’t the strongest group within MLS right now for Americans so these two are close to the best you are going to get. Personally, I would have made sure that Brian Gutierrez was called in before both of the two listed above. 

My picks for a starting midfield trio: Aidan Morris - Columbus Crew, Jack McGlynn - Philadelphia Union, & Timothy Tillman - LAFC

Now we are down to the starting attacking three. The interesting thing here for me is that Diego Luna is listed as a winger. Not that I don’t see him as a potential winger, I just really love him more centrally and could see him as a starting attacking midfielder option. With Luna we also have; Cade Cowell, Bernard Kamungo, and Esmir Bajraktarevic. The three wingers of Luna, Cowell, and Kamungo are great picks by Berhalter if you ask me. Personally, I think Bajraktarevic is in a group of young wingers that still have a lot to prove. I would have called up Kristian Fletcher over him, but that is probably splitting hairs. At striker we have Brian White and Duncan McGuire called up. Duncan McGuire is clearly on a rapid pace to the top of the MLS striker pool, only after his rookie season. Brian White is another deserving callup, even though he is at a bit of an older age for this group. The only other MLS striker I would have liked to see be called up was Jesus Ferriera, but I can’t justify him at this point. We know what Jesus is and can be for the USMNT, let’s see what Brian White can do. 

My picks for the starting attacking three: Cade Cowell - San Jose Earthquakes, Duncan McGuire - Orlando City SC, Diego Luna - Real Salt Lake