With so many young players in the January camp while the veterans continued with their European clubs, it was only matter of time before several of them would make the scoresheet for the first time with the United States’ Men’s National Team.
That was the case Saturday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., when Jack McGlynn in his second match and debutante Patrick Agyemang scored two minutes apart in the first half and first-timer Matko Miljevic added a goal in the 64th to help the U.S. to a 3-1 win over Venezuela in its first match of 2025.
New coach Mauricio Pochettino, like his predecessors, is using this period to evaluate the next generation of talent while Major League Soccer is in its early stages of preseason with 20 of the 21 players in camp representing 14 MLS clubs. The lone exception is the Miami-born Miljevic, who recently signed for Huracán of Argentina.
He could have given the U.S. a lead in the third minute but his penalty was saved by Wuilker Farinez.
The U.S. broke through in the 37th minute with a blistering strike to the upper right corner from outside the box by the Philadelphia Union’s McGlynn.
Agyemang of Charlotte FC took a pass by Miljevic and scored through the legs of Farinez before McGlynn set up Miljevic for a 20-yard strike to make it 3-0.
Patrick Schulte of the Columbus Crew got his first win in his third match but lost the shutout in the 68th minute when Jorge Yriarte scored a header off a corner kick. He made two saves in the match. Farinez had six.
In addition to Agyemang and Miljevic, four other starters made their U.S. debuts: Max Arfsten (Columbus), George Campbell (CF Montreal), Caden Clark (CF Montreal) and Brian Gutiérrez (Chicago Fire).
That’s the purpose of the January window. Since 2002, 30 players who earned their first or second USMNT appearances during this time went on to make a World Cup roster.
Emeka Eneli (Real Salt Lake) and Indiana Vassilev (St. Louis City) made their debuts in the second half.
–Field Level Media
