The 2028 Olympics will feature players born in 2005 or later and, unless the roster rules change, teams will carry 18 players, three of whom can be overage players. For this camp, the U.S. will face Scotland on Sunday, Nov. 15, at 3 p.m. local time (9 a.m. ET) and close camp against Ukraine on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 2 p.m. local time (8 a.m. ET). Both matches will be played at Pinatar Arena. The Ukraine match will reportedly be played behind closed doors, and broadcast details for the Scotland match haven’t been announced.
The roster
GK, Julian Eyestone, Rotherham United (2006)
GK, Duran Ferree, San Diego FC (2006)
GK, Andrew Rick, Philadelphia Union (2006)
RB, Frankie Westfield, Philadelphia Union (2005)
LB, Luca Bombino, Stoke City (2006)
LB, Tate Johnson, Vancouver Whitecaps (2005)
CB, Robert Deziel Jr., Legia Warszawa (2005)
CB, Ethan Kohler, New England Revolution (2005)
CB, Drew Murray, WSG Tirol (2005)
CB, Nolan Norris, FC Dallas (2005)
CB, Joshua Wynder, New England Revolution (2005)
DM, Matthew Corcoran, Nashville SC (2006)
DM, Brooklyn Raines, New England Revolution (2005)
CM, Snyder Brunell, Seattle Sounders (2007)
CM, Benjamin Cremaschi, Parma Calcio 1913 (2005)
CM, Taha Habroune, Columbus Crew (2006)
AM, Marvin Dills, Eintracht Frankfurt (2007)
AM, Sebastian Gomez, Seattle Sounders (2006)
AM, Niko Tsakiris, San Jose Earthquakes (2005)
W, Cole Campbell, SV 07 Elversberg (2006)
W, Andre Gitau, FSV Mainz 05 (2006)
W, David Vazquez, San Diego FC (2006)
CF, Damion Downs, St. Louis City (2004)
Roster reactions
The first Olympic roster of this cycle features four players who were part of the USMNT’s September-October window: Westfield, Raines, Campbell and Downs. Peyton Miller and Zavier Gozo would likely have been here too, but both are nursing minor injuries.
Goalkeepers
Eyestone, Ferree and Rick are all expected selections. Diego Kochen is also age-eligible but is with the senior team. Expect a very competitive race between these three for the GK1 job. Of the three, Eyestone has the highest ceiling.
Left-back
Bombino and Johnson are solid options here, and Peyton Miller may be in play down the line if he doesn’t solidify himself with the senior team. He isn’t at this camp because he’s nursing a minor injury. Bombino is acclimating well to the Championship with Stoke City, and Johnson has quietly been a very solid starter for one of the best teams in the Western Conference.
Right-back
Frankie Westfield is the only true right-back on the roster, and it’s no surprise to see him here. He struggled in his first USMNT camp, and this is a more appropriate level for him right now. I was hoping to see Harbor Miller among the 2007 call-ups, assuming he was available. To me, he’s the top 2007 in MLS who hasn’t yet been called in at this level, and he’s a very projectable right-back for the USMNT. I have no doubt he’ll get to this team at some point.
Center-backs
There are five center-backs on the roster if you count Nolan Norris, who can also play left-back. Kohler, Norris and Wynder are all currently MLS starters. Kohler has played the most minutes, and Wynder is the most talented of the entire CB group. Deziel is an interesting selection. He developed at two of the most famous clubs in the world, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, and is now a starter in Poland for Legia Warszawa. I’ve always been intrigued by Drew Murray’s tools. He has good size, mobility and ability on the ball (a great foundation for any young center-back), and he’s been playing a lot in Austria’s top flight.
From what we can see, the player with the strongest case to be here was Stuart Hawkins, who has been solid in his first season of true first-team action for the Seattle Sounders.
Pivots
The two 6s, Corcoran and Raines, are both starters for very good MLS teams. Raines had a solid first USMNT camp and might have been expecting a call back, but instead he’ll be asked to be a leader within this group. Corcoran has quietly put together a nice season for one of the best teams in MLS, Nashville SC.
The more box-to-box options are Brunell, Cremaschi and Habroune. Brunell gets a promotion from the U20 level, though he’ll likely still be a candidate for the U20 World Cup. Cremaschi and Habroune have always been viewed as key figures for this age group.
Attacking midfielders
Dills, Gomez and Tsakiris are all best suited to more advanced midfield roles in the half-spaces. Dills is one of two 2007s on the roster, a selection that’s a bit ahead of where I’d have him, though the staff clearly sees something. This is Gomez’s first youth national team camp, so cheers to him. He’s a good example that talent can arrive at different times, and he’s become a good rotational player for Seattle this year. Tsakiris is the big name in this group. When fit, he’s a USMNT-level talent and will be one of the most important players for this team.
Wingers
Campbell, Gitau and Vazquez are the wingers. Of all the players on this roster, Campbell is the one I felt was most deserving of a spot with the senior team. He’ll be seen as one of the focal points of this team’s attack. Gitau is an interesting selection. The physical tools and talent have always been there, but the final-third production hasn’t come yet. U.S. Soccer continues to bet that it will. Vazquez has fallen out of the rotation a bit in San Diego, but he’s a good, versatile attacker.
Center-forwards
With Julian Hall and Justin Ellis with the senior team again, this group is very thin at striker. Without knowing the full picture, it seems the staff felt the on-age options weren’t quite ready, opting instead for Damion Downs as an overage option despite a long goal drought. I would have liked to see Arif Kovac, the MLS NEXT Pro Golden Boot winner, and maybe they did, but he’s with Bosnia’s U21 team. Another option would have been Eddy Davis III, who has scored eight goals in 13 matches for Loudoun United since being loaned out by the Philadelphia Union. By 2028, I think Malik Jakupovic, the headliner of the recently announced U17 World Cup team, will be the guy here.
GK, Julian Eyestone, Rotherham United (2006)
GK, Duran Ferree, San Diego FC (2006)
GK, Andrew Rick, Philadelphia Union (2006)
RB, Frankie Westfield, Philadelphia Union (2005)
LB, Luca Bombino, Stoke City (2006)
LB, Tate Johnson, Vancouver Whitecaps (2005)
CB, Robert Deziel Jr., Legia Warszawa (2005)
CB, Ethan Kohler, New England Revolution (2005)
CB, Drew Murray, WSG Tirol (2005)
CB, Nolan Norris, FC Dallas (2005)
CB, Joshua Wynder, New England Revolution (2005)
DM, Matthew Corcoran, Nashville SC (2006)
DM, Brooklyn Raines, New England Revolution (2005)
CM, Snyder Brunell, Seattle Sounders (2007)
CM, Benjamin Cremaschi, Parma Calcio 1913 (2005)
CM, Taha Habroune, Columbus Crew (2006)
AM, Marvin Dills, Eintracht Frankfurt (2007)
AM, Sebastian Gomez, Seattle Sounders (2006)
AM, Niko Tsakiris, San Jose Earthquakes (2005)
W, Cole Campbell, SV 07 Elversberg (2006)
W, Andre Gitau, FSV Mainz 05 (2006)
W, David Vazquez, San Diego FC (2006)
CF, Damion Downs, St. Louis City (2004)
Roster grade: A-
At this age group, the roster largely picks itself. My only gripes are that I would have called up Harbor Miller, and I probably would have selected Gabriel Wesseh instead of Marvin Dills, though Wesseh has only just been integrated into the program, so the staff is moving him through methodically. I think he’ll get to this level eventually, and pretty quickly. I also would have brought in Eddy Davis over Downs. There may be reasons for these choices we’re not seeing. Overall, it’s a solid roster that could get much better once Miller and Gozo are fit.
