U.S. Under-23 national team coach Marko Mitrovic has named veteran center back Walker Zimmermann as an overage player and four new faces to the roster for training camp and friendlies ahead of this summer’s Olympic Games in France.
New additions to the Olympic team also include Chelsea goalkeeper Gaga Slonina, FC Köln forward Damion Downs, Hajduk Split midfielder Rokas Pukstus and LA Galaxy centre-back Jalen Neal, who join veterans Bryan Reynolds, John Tolkin, Gianluca Busio, Jack McGlynn and Tanner Tessman on the national team.
This summer, the U.S. men’s team will be competing in the Olympics for the first time since 2008. With the Copa America taking place earlier this year, it opens up a huge opportunity for young players hoping to make the senior team. The 18-man men’s Olympic roster is limited to players 23 or younger, with up to three over-age players in that group.
Zimmermann, who has earned 42 caps for the United States and started three games at the 2022 World Cup, is the first over-age player called up by Mitrovic for the tournament.
The U.S. Under-23 team will face Japan on June 11 at 8 p.m. ET at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City.
Who is the new guy?
Striker was not considered a weak link in the under-23 pool, with Duncan Maguire and Ricardo Pepi expected to lead the way for Paris, but Pepi has been called up to Gregg Berhalter’s squad for the Copa America. Damion DownsThe 19-year-old Downs, a massive 6-foot-4, has played 181 minutes and scored two goals in the Bundesliga for FC Köln. Downs is a dual U.S.-German citizen and has previously been called up to the U.S. U-20 national team training camp.
His first Bundesliga goal showed he was more than just a threat in the air, running onto a low through ball and scoring a deft left-footed shot at the far post to give Köln a late equaliser against Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Pepi’s call-up to the senior squad seems to create a need for an over-age striker, but Downs, who has emerged late in the season, has plenty of experience at club level and could be a natural replacement for Maguire, who has been part of the U-23 program throughout Mitrovic’s tenure. While some players will struggle for a role in the team, Downs could benefit from going into the tournament as the team’s “Plan B” striker, although he may be better suited at the top end of this camp and beyond.
Jalen Neal Neal is one of the most promising defensemen in the USMNT pool, having earned a regular spot with LA Galaxy last season as a 19-year-old. Two surgeries (sports hernia and adductor strain) caused him to miss the first third of the 2024 season, but he has returned to Greg Vanney’s lineup in recent weeks. Neal has six senior caps and is on the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup roster, and if he performs well this year, he could figure into the complex senior central defender pool.
Born in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Locus pucustus Pukstas initially grew out of Sporting Kansas City’s academy before signing with Croatian club Hajduk Split in late 2020. He quickly established himself as a regular, helping Hajduk finish third in the Croatian Football League this season. Pukstas has been an impressive scorer in an attacking midfield role, averaging nearly two shots per game and scoring eight goals for 2,435 yards. The son of a Lithuanian marathon runner, Pukstas could become a second-generation Olympian if he makes the squad.
Gaga Slonina He has long been expected to start in the competition since his breakout performance with Chicago Fire in 2022, and especially since joining Chelsea at the end of that year. His first year in Europe was on loan at Belgian side Eupen, but the team finished bottom of the pro league with one of the weakest defensive records and was relegated at the end of the season. Jeff Rueter
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Who else can join?
The U.S. can add three overage players for this summer’s tournament in France, giving Mitrovic plenty of options, although clubs will have to relinquish players as this is not a FIFA rule.
Zimmerman, a former captain of the U.S. men’s national team, would be the obvious choice to bolster the backline, but Mitrovic could also bolster his depth by adding another veteran center back to his squad, with options including Auston Trusty and Mark McKenzie.
The U.S. could also add another overage player at a forward position. U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter is expected to take four forwards to the Copa America, but there may be room for an overage player like Brandon Vazquez or Pepi. Club America winger Alejandro Zendejas, 26, could also be a candidate for the roster.
Ultimately, many of these decisions will depend on the club’s willingness to let players go, but with a midfield full of age-qualified players, the backline and forward line are more likely to see overage additions. Paul Tenorio
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Answers to questions about the USMNT roster
The U-23 team will be fully involved in the Olympic training camp in June
Goalkeepers (2): Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew), Gaga Slonina (Chelsea)
Defenders (7): Nathan Harriel (Philadelphia Union), Jalen Neal (LA Galaxy), Bryan Reynolds (KVC Westerlo), John Tolkin (New York Red Bulls), Jonathan Tomkinson (Norwich City), Caleb Wiley (Atlanta United FC), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC)
Midfielders (7): Cole Bassett (Colorado Rapids), Gianluca Busio (Venice), Benjamin Cremaschi (Inter Miami CF), Jack McGlynn (Philadelphia Union), Aidan Morris (Columbus Crew), Rocas Pukstas (Hajduk Split), Tanner Tessman (Venice)
Forwards (9): Pakhten Aaronson (Eintracht Frankfurt), Esmir Bayraktarević (New England Revolution), Taylor Booth (Utrecht), Cade Cowell (Guadalajara), Damion Downs (Cologne), Johan Gomes (Eintracht Braunschweig), Duncan Maguire (Orlando City SC), Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg), Griffin Yeo (KVC Westerlo)
(Photo: Federico Gambarini/Picture Alliance via Getty Images)
