A key yr begins for the US Males’s Nationwide Workforce (USMNT). With the house World Cup quickly approaching, the US should make the most of each huge sport alternative. Each the Nations League and the Copa America are on the docket for the US in 2024. However it all will get began towards a group that the US performed a thriller towards on the 2010 World Cup: Slovenia.
As a key yr begins, the annual January Camp is as soon as once more devoid of any of the massive American stars. This has lengthy been the case, on condition that this camp will not be in an official FIFA window. As such, a lot of the current roster is made up of Olympic group hopefuls. The US males’s U-23 group can be competing on the Summer time Olympics in Paris for the primary time since Beijing 2008. And whereas three over 23 aged gamers are allowed, certainly a few of these gamers will profit from a full nationwide group camp.
Preview: A unique USA roster Slovenia conflict
Of the 24 gamers known as in by Gregg Berhalter, solely seven of them have ever appeared for the US on the worldwide degree. However it’s the uncapped gamers who determine to take advantage of this camp and pleasant sport. The goalkeeping battle is between Drake Callender, Roman Celentano, and Patrick Shulte. The latter two are each 23 or youthful.
The backline is the place a lot of the expertise on this group is. For instance, Miles Robinson has 27 caps and three targets in a US shirt. Nonetheless, as a key yr begins for the US it’s the participant below 23 that bear watching. Caleb Wiley, John Tolkin, and Nathan Harriel are all Olympic-age gamers and solely Tolkin has any worldwide expertise (3 caps).
The midfield does characteristic Aidan Morris with 4 caps, however no one else with any worldwide appearances. Josh Atencio, Aziel Jackson, and Jack McGlynn are the gamers younger sufficient to compete on the Olympics this summer season.
Not one of the forwards on this roster have ever appeared for the US. The one to observe, nonetheless, is 20-year-old Diego Luna of Actual Salt Lake. He scored 5 targets in 20 appearances for the US U-20 group and 13 targets in 41 appearances for the El Paso Locomotive within the USL Championship. In MLS, he bagged seven targets in 39 video games for RSL.
Slovenian opponents
A key yr begins, not only for the USMNT, however for his or her opponent Slovenia as effectively. They completed second of their group throughout Euro 2024 qualifying and have been drawn into Group C for this match in Germany this summer season, together with Denmark, Serbia, and England.
This isn’t the primary time the US and Slovenia have met. The primary assembly between the 2 groups was on the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The US trailed 2-0 at halftime earlier than a livid rally noticed them equalize at 2-2 with lower than ten minutes to play. The sport is known for the referee disallowing Maurice Edu’s last-second winner for no purpose particularly. The next yr, the US beat Slovenia 3-2 in Ljubljana for the second win of Jurgen Klinsmann’s tenure.
The roster known as in by supervisor Matjaz Kek (who was the Slovenia boss for that sport on the World Cup) options largely domestic-based gamers. Nonetheless, it does embody 19-year-old defender Mitja Ilenic of New York Metropolis FC in MLS. Ilenic might earn his first cap on this sport.
Notes
As such a key yr begins, it’s good to see US Soccer making an attempt to take the USMNT to new areas. This explicit sport is in San Antonio, a metropolis the USMNT hasn’t visited since an April 2015 pleasant towards Mexico. Not like that sport within the Alamodome, this sport is on the residence of USL Championship facet San Antonio FC.
Kickoff on Saturday is at 2 p.m. Central Time at Toyota Area in San Antonio, Texas. The sport will air on TNT and Max in English, and on Telemundo and Peacock in Spanish.
PHOTOS: IMAGO
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