A pair of former Philadelphia Union homegrowns have been named to the U.S. Men's National Team for the Concacaf Nation League Final Four after being selected by Head Coach Gregg Berhalter on Monday afternoon.
Mark McKenzie and Brenden Aaronson both were selected after aiding their European sides to championships over the past few weeks. Aaronson not only helped Red Bull Salzburg claim its eighth-consecutive league title but he scored a goal that aided the club in capturing the OFB Cup. Meanwhile McKenzie helped K.R.C. Genk to the Belgium Cup in late April and this past weekend got the start in the championship-winning match.
The U.S. will face off against Costa Rica, Honduras and Mexico all in hopes of capturing the inaugural tournament title. In preparation for the event, the USMNT will take on No. 13-ranked Switzerland on May 30 in St. Gallen as the USA prepares for its final match ahead of the Concacaf Nations League Final Four. ESPN, UniMás and TUDN will broadcast the match live from kybunpark at 2 p.m. ET.
The match against Switzerland represents the sixth time the USMNT will face a Top 20 opponent since Berhalter became head coach in 2019. Led by Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka and Liverpool midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri, the Swiss are gearing up for the European Championship where they have been drawn into Group A with four-time World Cup champion Italy, Turkey and Wales.
The Switzerland encounter, combined with the Concacaf Nations League Final Four and the USMNT’s match in Salt Lake City on June 9 against Costa Rica, presented by Allstate, will simulate a match cadence similar to what many players coming from Europe will experience during the upcoming three-match window during the World Cup Qualifying campaign which kicks off in September. As with numerous players in the pool during World Cup qualifying, the U.S. team will travel from Europe to North America for three matches, two in the Nations League in Denver and then Costa Rica in Utah.
