FC Cincinnati players received infrequent invitations to join their senior men's national teams during the club's early days in Major League Soccer but there's been a significant uptick in international appearances in less than two years under general manager Chris Albright and head coach Pat Noonan.
Just weeks after Junior Moreno (Venezuela) and Marco Angulo (Ecuador) were called into their respective senior national teams, FC Cincinnati on Wednesday saw three of its top players selected to join the USMNT camp that will be highligthted by a match against arch-rival Mexico in Glendale, Arizona on April 19.
Brandon Vazquez and goalkeeper Roman Celentano earned their second call-ups of 2023 after they participated in the USMNT's annual January camp.
Center back Matt Miazga's call-up signalled his return to the national team setup after being excluded from it since 2021 when manager Gregg Berhalter was in charge.
Vazquez has one goal in 2023 for Cincinnati but also scored for the USMNT during a January friendly against Serbia.
Celentano, who didn't see minutes in two January friendlies, and Miazga have helped steer FC Cincinnati's defense to a joint-MLS-leading five shutouts through seven matches, and just four goals allowed.
The meaning of Miazga's return
After hinting in November at frustration in the pre-FIFA World Cup vetting process for players late last year, Miazga said Wednesday he felt "screwed over" by the decision makes in charge of selecting America's World Cup squad last year. He declined to comment further on past player selections since some of the individuals involved, including Berhalter, aren't currently involved with the USMNT program.
Miazga's point all along was that he felt he belonged in America's World Cup team in Qatar last year, and he sees his national team return as an opportunity to build toward playing for the team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is to be jointly hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
More:Matt Miazga talks USMNT, Qatar World Cup
"Excited to be back. It's been a while," Miazga said during an interview at FC Cincinnati's Mercy Health Training Center. "We obviously know the rivalry that we have with (Mexico). I've played a few games, been a part of a few memorables ones as well, even youth national teams. It's always been very exciting as a rivalry.
"I told you guys last time, I was screwed over multiple times in the past. Yeah, I think it is what it is. I always felt like I should be a part of that group throughout my career, especially the last few years. And now that I'm back in this capacity, the state that we're in with an interim manager, I'm grateful to be able to show face again and try to stamp my ground again."
Miazga said the 2026 World Cup was definitely a personal goal, and that he believed he could begin to make strides toward it even with interim USMNT manager Anthony Hudson running the program for the time being.
"I remember when (Dave) Sarachan was the interim a few years ago and I got a lot of games as well," Miazga said. "A lot of guys (did) actually. I think it's a good opportunity. You've got the Gold Cup coming up. You've got Nations League. You've got this friendly, so I think it's a lot of opportunities for guys to stamp their ground and be a part of the core group. You see it a lot of times, especially in recent times, a lot of guys go into 'Jan' camp and then they're mainstays... We shall see. I'm excited to be back."
The implications for FC Cincinnati
The April 19 match against Mexico falls between two MLS matches for FC Cincinnati, one this weekend at St. Louis CITY and another at TQL Stadium April 22 against Portland Timbers.
Vazquez, Celentano and Miazga will be available this weekend at St. Louis prior to departing for Glendale, a team official confirmed. The three players wouldn't necessarily be ruled out for the following match against Portland either, so it's possible these call-ups have little to no impact for FC Cincinnati.
Cincinnati sits atop MLS through seven matches with 17 points and an undefeated 5-0-2 record.
The rest of the call-ups
USMNT ROSTER BY POSITION (Club/Country; National team appearances/Goals)
GOALKEEPERS (3): Drake Callender (Inter Miami; 0/0), Roman Celentano (FC Cincinnati; 0/0), Sean Johnson (Toronto FC/CAN; 11/0)
DEFENDERS (9): Sergiño Dest (AC Milan/ITA; 24/2), Aaron Long (LAFC; 31/3), Julian Gressel (Vancouver Whitecaps/CAN; 2/0), Matt Miazga (FC Cincinnati; 22/1), Shaq Moore (Nashville SC; 17/1), Caleb Wiley (Atlanta United; 0/0), Joshua Wynder (Louisville City; 0/0), DeAndre Yedlin (Inter Miami; 77/0), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC; 39/3)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Kellyn Acosta (LAFC; 57/2), Aidan Morris (Columbus Crew; 2/0), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders; 32/0), James Sands (New York City FC; 7/0), Alan Soñora (FC Juárez/MEX; 2/0), Jackson Yueill (San Jose Earthquakes; 16/0)
FORWARDS (5): Paul Arriola (FC Dallas; 50/10), Cade Cowell (San Jose Earthquakes; 2/0), Jesús Ferreira (FC Dallas; 17/7), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders; 51/11), Brandon Vazquez (FC Cincinnati; 2/1)
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