Photo: CJ Hellner/TopBin90
By Billy McGee – @iambillymcgee
As the 2026 FIFA World Cup draws closer, the United States Men’s National Team has called up 27 players for their March training camp, where they will face off against two top-10-ranked national teams, Belgium and Portugal.
Of the 27 players on the squad, 11 are former college players. Here’s a look at the 11 players who played college soccer and their careers so far:
Goalkeepers
Roman Celentano – Indiana
Celentano played three seasons for the Hoosiers, finishing as the runner-up in the 2020 College Cup, tallying 28 career clean sheets, being named an All-American twice, and becoming the first-ever two-time winner of the Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year award. Following his college career, he was drafted second overall by FC Cincinnati in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft, amassing 124 MLS regular-season starts for the club as of the time of his call-up.
Matt Freese – Harvard
The now New York City FC goalkeeper came up through the Philadelphia Union academy before playing at Harvard for two seasons. In his sophomore season with the Crimson, he was named Second Team All-Ivy and made a career high nine saves against Dartmouth. Following his sophomore season in 2022, Freese signed a professional contract with the Philadelphia Union as a homegrown player. He was used sparingly by Philadelphia before being traded to NYCFC ahead of the 2023 season, eventually becoming the team’s first-choice goalkeeper starting in the 2024 season.
Matt Turner – Fairfield
The most accomplished experienced goalkeeper of the group, Matt Turner, played his collegiate career at Fairfield, where he made 39 appearances, allowed 31 goals, and made 152 saves in his four seasons with the Stags. Turner went undrafted in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft and later signed with the New England Revolution. After a successful stint with the Revs that saw him win MLS Goalkeeper of the Year in 2021, he made the move to Europe. From 2022-2025, Turner would play for Arsenal, Nottingham Forest, and Crystal Palace before being sold to Lyon, who loaned him to the New England Revolution in August of 2025 for his second stint with the team.
Defenders
Max Arfsten – UC Davis
Arfsten played for UC Davis from 2019-2021, appearing in 39 games with the 2020 season being canceled due to COVID-19. In his 39 appearances, he recorded eight goals and seven assists before leaving college early to play professionally for San Jose Earthquakes II in MLS Next Pro. He scored nine goals in 24 appearances for the Earthquakes’ second team before being announced as eligible for the 2023 MLS SuperDraft, where he was selected 14th overall by the Columbus Crew. In his time with the Crew, the 24-year-old wing back has become one of their most reliable players, tallying 10 goals and 16 assists in 76 appearances as of his call-up.
Mark McKenzie – Wake Forest
The Toulouse defender played a single season of college soccer for the Demon Deacons before signing a professional contract as a homegrown player with the Philadelphia Union in 2018. He played three seasons for the Union, two of which were alongside fellow USMNT center back Auston Trusty, before earning a transfer to Belgian side Genk in 2021. McKenzie played with Genk until 2024, when he made the move to his current team, Toulouse.
Tim Ream – Saint Louis
The 38-year-old center back is the second most-capped player on the current USMNT squad, making 79 appearances for the United States. He played collegiately for Saint Louis University in his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. In his four years for the Billikens, he appeared in 82 games, making 68 starts. After college, he was selected in the second round of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft by the New York Red Bulls. After two seasons in New York, he made a move to England, joining Bolton Wanderers in 2012, then made the move to join Fulham in 2015. After nine seasons with Fulham, he made his way back to the United States to join Charlotte FC in 2024.
Miles Robinson – Syracuse
Robinson played two seasons of college soccer for the Syracuse Orange, scoring four goals in each season as a defender. During his sophomore campaign, he was named to the All-ACC First Team and was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. Following the season, he entered the 2017 MLS SuperDraft and was selected second overall by Atlanta United. During his time with Atlanta, the 29-year-old center back was named to the MLS Best XI in 2019 and 2021 before leaving to join FC Cincinnati in 2024 via free agency.
Midfielders
Sebastian Berhalter – UNC
The son of former USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter, Sebastian, followed in his father’s footsteps, attending North Carolina to play college soccer. Unlike his dad, who was an All-American for the Tarheels, Sebastian only played a single season for them before signing with the Columbus Crew as a homegrown player. He made just nine appearances for the Crew in 2020 before being loaned to Austin FC for their inaugural season in 2021. Berhalter joined the Vancouver Whitecaps in 2022, where he has been since, enjoying a breakout season in 2025 that saw him tally eight goals and 16 assists across all competitions.
Aidan Morris – Indiana
Morris played just one season for the Hoosiers in 2019, being named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and earning First Team All-Big Ten honors, scoring two goals and adding another eight assists. He signed as a homegrown player with the Columbus Crew in 2020, contributing six goals and seven assists in 83 appearances during his time with the Crew before making the move to join Middlesbrough in June 2024.
Cristian Roldan – Washington
Roldan’s college career with Washington lasted just two seasons, being named to the All-Pac-12 First Team and the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2013, recording seven goals and five assists. He would earn All-Pac-12 First Team honors again in his sophomore year before entering the 2015 MLS SuperDraft, where he was selected 16th overall by the Seattle Sounders. Roldan has been with the Sounders ever since and was named to his first career MLS Best XI in 2025.
Forwards
Patrick Agyemang – Rhode Island
Agyemang’s college career is perhaps the one that fans know the most about, starting at Division III Eastern Connecticut State and scoring 30 goals in 39 games before transferring to Division I Rhode Island. Agyemang spent three years at Rhode Island. After a COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, he tallied 17 goals and eight assists across his 2021 and 2022 seasons before being selected 12th overall by Charlotte FC in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft.
Agyemang played sparingly for Charlotte in 2023 before bursting onto the scene in 2024 with 10 goals and five assists while starting 19 of his 31 appearances in the regular season. He earned his first national team call-up in January 2025, parlaying that into six goals and an assist in 16 appearances before earning a move to Europe to join Derby County, where he has become their joint top scorer with 10 goals.
