The manager called up 13 Major League Soccer players and several newcomers for matches against South Korea and Japan
Mauricio Pochettino has made it clear that among his priorities as USMNT manager is expanding the player pool. Just 12 months ago, it was thin, a select 10-15 guaranteed spots, while nearly everyone else forced to look in from the outside. The Argentine has suggested in selection alone that he plans on expanding his options.
Thus far, he has handed out a flurry of debuts, brought in new faces to USMNT camps, and repeatedly expressed his support of Major League Soccer. Pochettino appears to be considering a number of players that others have been reluctant to take a look at.
This camp is no different. Just nine months out from a World Cup, Pochettino is, once again, in the business of giving his player pool chances. There are 13 MLS players overall. There are four uncapped players on the roster, and two more with just one international appearance under their belt. Who are the new faces? And might they make an impact long term?
GOAL US looks at the U.S. newcomers ahead of September international friendlies.
IMAGNRoman Celentano, FC Cincinnati
Celentano is the model of what U.S. goalkeepers used to look like – but with an eye to the future. The FC Cincinnati shot-stopper starred for Indiana University for three years, and was the second overall pick in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft. The MLS club immediately sent him out on loan to their second team, but recalled him after a month.
By April 2022, he was the nailed-down starter for Cincinnati, and has remained since. The statistical body of work paints a picture of an excellent goalie – especially for his age.
Celentano's save percentage has been north of 70 for last three years as a pro. He is overperforming his post-shot xG – effectively a measure of how often he is saving shots that should otherwise be goals. He is second in MLS in clean sheets this season. If Matt Freese is the top American goalkeeper, Celentano is making a pretty compelling case to be No. 2.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportJonathan Klinsmann, Cesena
First of all: yes, he is related to the guy you know. He is, in fact, the son of Jurgen Klinsmann, the former USMNT coach. Now would seem an odd moment to bring him into the fold, but the timing tracks with Pochettino's principles of handing out debuts left and right.
Klinsmann is a journeyman of sorts, starting his career at UC Berkeley before embarking on a European and American tour, yet settling abroad. He played sparingly for Hertha Berlin II from 2017-2019, and was given a couple of looks across three years in the LA Galaxy system from 2021-2023.
But now, he has found a more permanent home, and shown his quality as a result. Klinsmann signed a year deal with Italian Cesena in Febuary 2024. It seemed a last chance for a player whose soccer career might otherwise have passed him by.
Instead, Klinsmann thrived. He starred between the sticks as Cesena achieved promotion to Serie B, and has retained his spot in goal. This isn't his first call up – Klinsmann was named to a squad in November 2018. But that inclusion was as a last minute replacement for the injured Zack Steffen.
GettyTristan Blackmon, Vancouver Whitecaps
Technically, we all knew this one early. Vancouver's Thomas Muller accidentally leaked Blackmon's inclusion at a rather funny news conference on Aug. 24 – some 48 hours before the USMNT roster was announced. But that, of course, doesn't make Blackmon any less deserving.
A solid centerback who has been a crucial part of the Whitecaps' recent success, Blackmon will add depth to the already expanding pool in defense. His career has been one not particularly atypical of the old fashioned MLS route. He played four years at the University of the Pacific, where the coaching staff converted him from a forward into a centerback.
LAFC were the first MLS club to bite, and took him third overall in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft. He bounced around from there before landing in Vancouver in 2022. Since then, he has become a stalwart of one of MLS's best back lines – and good value for the call up that some had been clamoring for.
(C)Getty ImagesSean Zawadzki, Columbus Crew
Sean Zawadzki is another domestic success story. A standout in the Columbus Crew academy, he elected to attend Georgetown, where he was molded into one of the nation's best defensive midfielders. He led the Hoyas to the 2019 National Championship, and earned a Big East Defensive Player of the Year award in the process.
The Crew signed him to a homegrown deal in 2022, and initially sent him on loan to the reserve side, before bringing him into the senior setup the following year. He played sparingly, at first, but worked his way into the side towards the latter end of the 2023 campaign – when he became an unlikely goal threat.
Manager Wilfried Nancy made him a regular in 2024, while the club handed him a long term deal that will keep him in Ohio through the end of the 2027 season. The 25-year-old has one previous cap for the U.S., where he started against Slovenia in a January camp.