Mauricio Pochettino’s first camps as U.S. men’s national team boss have mainly featured the stars of the program, but January’s camp should see a lot of domestically-based players.
The USMNT opens their 2025 schedule with home friendlies against Venezuela and Costa Rica respectively. While many USMNT stalwarts will continue with their club seasons in Europe, plenty of MLS and Liga MX talents will be in the middle of their offseason.
Pochettino has previously stated that all players will have an opportunity to prove themselves ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, opening the door for many new and familiar faces.
Diego Luna, Duncan McGuire, and Quinn Sullivan are just three players that deserve opportunities this January as they aim to start their new years off on a high note.
Here is a closer look at who deserves a USMNT call up for the January window:
Diego Luna
The 2024 MLS Young Player of the Year, Diego Luna is a live wire on the field.
Luna registered eight goals and 12 assists for Real Salt Lake last season, finishing second on the squad in goal contributions. A former USYNT player, Luna was expected to be part of the Olympic roster last summer, but was not included after all.
Luna is also eligible to represent Mexico on the international stage, so a January call-up would be a key positive in hopefully keeping him in the USMNT plans.
Duncan McGuire
Duncan McGuire has started his life in MLS on the right foot.
McGuire, a former Mac Hermann trophy winner, has registered double-digit goals for Orlando City in each of his first two seasons. He’s tallied 23 goals in 64 MLS appearances for the Lions, becoming a rising talent for the club.
After previously being linked with a potential move to England, McGuire for now has remained in the United States ahead of the 2025 season. The 23-year-old could boost himself into the No. 9 picture.
Djordje Mihailovic
Djordje Mihailovic might be 26-years-old, but the attacking midfielder still remains an option for the USMNT.
Mihailovic registered double-digit goals (11) and assists (14) for the first time of his career. After joining the Colorado Rapids from Dutch club AZ Alkmaar, Mihailovic got back to playing regularly and making an impact in the attacking third.
His playmaking abilities could be of use in 2025.
Quinn Sullivan
Fresh off of his best MLS season yet, 20-year-old Quinn Sullivan should earn a USMNT chance in January.
Sullivan scored five goals and registered 11 assists for the Philadelphia Union, finishing the season as one of the club’s bright performers. A former USYNT player, Sullivan can play a number of different roles including as a winger, midfielder, and forward.
He would become the latest Union academy player to earn his USMNT debut.
Chris Brady
The USMNT’s goalkeeping corps features plenty of options, including Chicago Fire shot-stopper Chris Brady.
A former USYNT player, Brady is coming off back-to-back 30+ appearance seasons for the Fire, despite the club’s struggles. At only 20-years-old, Brady still has a bright future ahead of him and now has the chance to work with former USMNT boss, Gregg Berhalter.
Sam Vines
Similar to Djordje Mihailovic’s situation, Sam Vines also enjoyed a productive return to MLS.
Vines, 25, featured in 29 MLS matches for the Rapids last season, becoming a consistent starter under Chris Armas. The USMNT left back has been out of the international picture for a while, but could be an option for the No. 2 role behind Antonee Robinson.
Nate Harriel
Nate Harriel is one of several right back options for 2025.
Harriel set a career-high in appearances last season (29), beating out Olivier Mbaizo for the Union’s No. 1 right back job. A fast runner and strong defender, Harriel was part of the U.S. Olympic roster last summer.
Cade Cowell
A productive Liga MX Apertura campaign should boost Cade Cowell into the USMNT picture again.
Cowell scored eight goals in all competitions for Chivas de Guadalajara, taking another major step forward in his development. Unlike other players on this list, Cowell has senior USMNT experience before, which could give him a leg up over others.
Niko Tsakiris
A rising talent for the San Jose Earthquakes, 19-year-old Niko Tsakiris could earn a senior call up next month.
Tsakiris made 25 appearances for the Quakes in MLS play last season, registering one assist. A creative midfielder with a strong engine, Tsakiris could follow in the footsteps of Cade Cowell, who excelled with San Jose before moving to Mexico.
Jack McGlynn
One of the more technical 21-year-old’s in the USMNT player pool, Jack McGlynn deserves another opportunity.
McGlynn scored four goals and added seven assists in MLS play, continuing his rise as a pro player. A former USYNT standout, McGlynn is a smart and intelligent player, possessing one of the best left foots for his age.
McGlynn has already made 100+ appearances for the Union, but might need a bigger move to truly get into Pochettino’s long-term plans.
i will be curious if some of the transfer rumors guys, eg, luna, mcguire, play. historically the camps would go on into february (when the idea was to bridge to late march MLS opening days and march friendlies) or we’d play pretty close to march, and transfer players would either not be called or disappear from camp to finalize deadline deals. but our games will be done sooner this year so i will be curious if that allows transfer targets to shop window for the NT then make their deals. or if they will skip to stay in bubble wrap til their moves are done.
Getting their first look with Poch might encourage guys to play unless deals are in the final stages. As I told Striker last week probably not a lot of scouts going to be attending domestic based sides from the US, Venezuela or Costa Rica playing in preseason for the players. So if you aren’t already finalizing a deal it would be difficult to showcase yourself enough in these to get a move. Might have some players in Concacaf Champions League opt out too but I don’t think the MLS clubs play until mid-February some Liga Mx and Central American clubs play the first week in February.
re brady, c’mon, he had the highest GA of any US GK in MLS, 2nd most of any nationality to a canadian keeper, on the 2nd worst team in MLS by points. heck, my ol’ favorite cohen was better than he was on numbers, and you’ll notice i am not putting him up.
should be usual suspects MLS keepers, eg, celentano, schulte, maybe macmath or frei, the first couple of which we call up a bunch but never play behind turner. ok, sing for your pecking order supper.
and since we have 2 games it should be shared out so they have to actually compete.
Well since basically only MLS keepers are available in mid January yes I think it will be the usual mls keepers. I think there is some hope Diego Kochen could be released since Barca generally doesn’t focus too much on its B teams winning championships. Matt Freese would be a candidate, his goals prevented stats were tops among US GKs. Frei would be 40 at the 2026 WC I just don’t see the benefit if he’s not going to be the #1 and he’s still good in MLS but not better than some of the guys in front. If you want an old GK Guzan had better numbers than Frei, although 2 yrs older. I’m 90% sure Steffen will get called. With Brady and Steffen it’s hard to judge because their teams put them in a lot of bad spots.
I think John Nelson deserves a look too at LB.
Dennis would agree, he’s been in Nelson’s corner since U17 WC.
Or Larry Henry, is just trying to generate some discussion by not just listing all the obvious choices.
I wanted to give some love to a few younger players who I think deserve a chance, and also some more seasoned players who have been in the plans before Poch.
Really could be a wide range of guys who get included!
Probably like 23-26 mostly young guys. Thanks as always Larry we do appreciate you.
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What do you think about a Cole Bassett inclusion?
Vines over Tolkin is…odd. Is this because Tolkin may not be available due to a transfer to Europe?
DeJuan Jones is my personal pick. I still maintain he’s the most underrated fullback in our pool by a fair margin. He can legitimately play left or right and he has the athleticism to match up against even EPL-level guys and he’s got the mobility to get himself forward and spring stuff.
I agree on DeJuan Jones. I admit I haven’t seen him play that often, but when I’ve seen him he was an impactful player.
For the CB pool we gotta move on from Ream Poch should look up calling theseCB don’t care if they playing 3rd division in the reserves, these guys need a look. If you call them up give them a stage to shine bigger clubs will come knocking at the door. Most these Center Back players are in Europe, I am naming. Jalen Neal, Grayson Dettoni, Arnie Chase, Noah Allen, Matai Akinmboni, Noah Cobb, Noahkai Banks, Chris Mbai-Assem, and Tyler Meiser
Josh Wydner, Kobe Henry.
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Chase of course wouldn’t be released for this and Poch says he’s not recruiting so Anrie would have to make the first move I guess. That Japan hasn’t brought him in leaves some hope I guess that he is open to a switch.
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I’m not sure how many clubs will be scouting the US vs Venezuela/Costa Rica B/C teams.
Josh Wynder and Freddy Adu were both scouted by Benfcica at Fifa youth u-20 world cup. So I disagree with you, saying they won’t scout b c nat team squads.
Striker,
From Wikipedia:
“In April 2022, Wynder was selected for the 33-player USYNT U-19 squad. The then 17-year old Wynder captained the side in his debut win over England. Wynder played in four of the five United States games in the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup. The U.S. exited the tournament in the quarterfinals with a 0–2 loss against Uruguay, with Wynder scoring an own goal in the match.
In April 2023, Wynder was selected in the 23-man roster for the men’s national team friendly against Mexico, which ended in a 1–1 draw. He did not feature in the game.”
Freddy also had quite a body of credible work before Benfica signed him.
“Adu was also captain of the U-20 United States men’s national team in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, where he made an impressive showing. After the conclusion of that tournament, Benfica of the Portuguese Liga secured Adu’s rights from MLS for a transfer fee of $2 million.”
The point is Benfica had a lot of data from established credible sources before they signed Wynder and Freddy.
Of course it is always a good idea to play your best at all times since you never know who is watching the games or the practices.
However, the game JR is referring to “ US vs Venezuela/Costa Rica B/C teams.” will basically be a scrimmage. The data on a player you will get from that JR game compared to the data you will get from the substantial performance in an U 20 World Cup, is apples to oranges.
Barring a Haaland-like 9 goal performance, my guess would be that a serious scout would take any performance they saw in that game with a big grain of salt.
Nice comment Vacqui, I see your point. I agree Benfica did have a lot of data and time to move forward with Wynder and Adu.
I’m surprised Tolkin is not mentioned in this article. If I remember correctly he has had a couple of national team call ups and acquitted himself well.
I only went with Vines because he was used before Poch’s time. I think Tolkin gets the nod tbh but wouldn’t be mad to see Vines again
Do you consider Vines to be a legitimate possibility for 2026?
I’ve never seen evidence of that. If he is not the first, second or third best American left back in MLS why is he even being mentioned?
Would like to see Jackson Regan and Jalen Neal brought in for CB.
Patrick Agyemang at FWD.
Tolkin at LB if not sold in this transfer window.
And I think the names listed in the article seem likely.
Cowell might not be available. Lig MX Clausura starts back up January 10th.
Noah Allen from Inter Miami needs a look at LB too.
Good shout!
Thanks Larry!✌️
True. I agree
Larry did you mean Agyemang or Allen?