The U.S. men’s Olympic soccer team could have four players with Philly ties

Though the Olympics are just under two months away, that a U.S. men’s soccer team is about to play in the event for the first time in 16 years still hasn’t received widespread attention.

The time is coming for that to change, and a big step toward it happened Wednesday. The U.S. program announced its 25-player roster for a training camp next month in Kansas City, Kan., giving the clearest indication yet of who’s likely to make the final squad.

The Union could have the biggest contribution of any club — not just in MLS, but worldwide — on what will be an 18-player team in France, plus four alternates in case of injuries.

The camp squad includes current Union midfielder Jack McGlynn and defender Nathan Harriel and former Union playmaker Paxten Aaronson, from Medford. They’re part of the under-23 age group that forms the core of the Olympic men’s tournament. They are part of a collective that will train in Kansas City starting June 3, then play Japan’s under-23s at Children’s Mercy Park, the stadium for MLS’s Sporting Kansas City, on June 11.

“It feels really close,” McGlynn said. “You don’t want to say it is the roster, but you kind of hope it is the roster, because it’s the biggest event in the world. So you want to be included, for sure.”

» READ MORE: Union fans should treasure watching Jack McGlynn, because they might not be able to for much longer

McGlynn, 20, has been a stalwart of the U.S. youth program for some time. In 2022, he was on the under-20 squad that won Concacaf’s continental title at that age group, an event that doubled as Olympics qualifying. Last year, he played at the under-20 World Cup.

“We’ve been missing [the Olympics] for the past four cycles, so I think to be a part of the cycle that got us over the line and qualified was huge,” he said. “And now to be potentially in the group that goes and actually plays in the Olympics, it’s kind of surreal to be able to do both for us.”

Harriel, on the other hand, has been a latecomer. The 23-year-old wasn’t in the picture until last year, when the U.S. staff started to notice his defensive skills and versatility. He has played right back, left back, and even some centerback for the Union and has a great jump for headers in the air.

“Being almost two months out from it, it’s a shock to the system thinking about possibly being in the Olympics with only an 18-man roster,” Harriel said. “Versatility is big, of course, in this group when there’s only a certain amount of roster spots — so playing as many positions as possible is a good sign. All the staff just told me to keep going, keep my head down.”

The age group designation is so the Olympics don’t overshadow the larger FIFA World Cup. But there’s some accommodation for spectacle because the tournament allows each team to put three over-age players on its squad. For now, there’s one over-age player in the June camp, and it’s not surprising: veteran centerback Walker Zimmerman.

Former Union centerback Auston Trusty is a leading candidate for one of the other spots, as senior U.S. team manager Gregg Berhalter indicated earlier this month. Should the Media-born defender join, that would make four players with Union ties in all. The roster deadline is July 3.

Olympic team coach Marko Mitrović praised the Union in a news conference Wednesday.

“We have a lot of players from the Philly program in every age group, which means that they are doing a good job with their academy and developing players,” he said.

When the U.S. men play their Olympic opener against host France on July 24, one can imagine a scenario unfolding. Between the sorts of viewers who watch the Olympics but not soccer in general and fans of European soccer who don’t watch the Union, how many people will turn on their TVs and say: “Wait, there’s that many players on this team from here?”

» READ MORE: The countdown to Julián Carranza’s departure from the Union draws nearer, and it has to

Yes, there are. And coincidentally, it’s the same here whose biggest local company, Comcast, writes the multibillion-dollar checks to broadcast the Olympics on NBC and the rest of its empire.

(Be warned, though: The U.S. probably will lose to France, which is as star-studded a nation as there is, before easier games against New Zealand and Guinea.)

The last time the Philadelphia region contributed multiple players to a U.S. men’s Olympic team was 2000 — and you have to stretch it to include Middletown, Pa.’s Ben Olsen with Philly-born Chris Albright. Otherwise, you have to go back to 1948, when Hall of Famers Walter Bahr and Benny McLaughlin of the old Philadelphia Nationals were joined by Swarthmore collegian Rolf Valtin.

The World Cup, where there’s no age limit, has been a different story: three locals in 2006 (Olsen, Albright, and Philadelphia’s Bobby Convey), and two in 2022 (Medford’s Brenden Aaronson and Hershey’s Christian Pulisic).

There will never be a time again like there was in 1936 when Hall of Famer Francis “Hun” Ryan was one of 10 Philadelphia German-American players in the 17-man squad. But these days, with how much soccer has grown around here, four Union men out of 22 should be seen as its own historic feat.

“For all of us to be on that roster from Philadelphia, it’s a huge thing,” Harriel said. “You even look at Mark [McKenzie] and Brenden, who are on the Copa [América] squad right now for that [senior U.S. team] camp, it’s just a huge sign that what this club is doing is great for young kids.”

McGlynn also couldn’t help bragging a little. But at a moment like this, he’s allowed.

“I think it just shows the development we have here at the club,” he said. “We’re the best academy in the country, and I think probably one of the best in the world at developing young guys and giving them opportunities with the first team.”

» READ MORE: Emma Hayes sets up her U.S. women's team debut with the last roster before picking the Olympic squad

Goalkeepers (2): Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew; St. Charles, Mo.), Gabriel “Gaga” Slonina (Chelsea, England; Addison, Ill.)

Defenders (7): Nathan Harriel (Union; Oldsmar, Fla.), Jalen Neal (Los Angeles Galaxy; Lakewood, Calif.), Bryan Reynolds (KVC Westerlo, Belgium; Fort Worth, Texas), John Tolkin (New York Red Bulls; Chatham, N.J.), Jonathan Tomkinson (Norwich City, England; Plano, Texas), Caleb Wiley (Atlanta United; Atlanta), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC; Lawrenceville, Ga.)

Midfielders (7): Cole Bassett (Colorado Rapids; Littleton, Colo.), Gianluca Busio (Venezia, Italy; Greensboro, N.C.), Benjamin Cremaschi (Inter Miami; Key Biscayne, Fla.), Jack McGlynn (Union; Queens, N.Y.), Aidan Morris (Columbus Crew; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), Rokas Pukstas (Hajduk Split, Croatia; Stillwater, Okla.), Tanner Tessmann (Venezia, Italy; Birmingham, Ala.)

Forwards (9): Paxten Aaronson (Eintracht Frankfurt, Germany; Medford, N.J.), Esmir Bajraktarevic (New England Revolution; Appleton, Wisc.), Taylor Booth (Utrecht, Netherlands; Eden, Utah), Cade Cowell (Chivas Guadalajara, Mexico; Ceres, Calif.), Damion Downs (Köln, Germany; Schwebenried, Germany), Johan Gomez (Eintracht Braunschweig, Germany; Keller, Texas), Duncan McGuire (Orlando City; Omaha, Neb.), Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg, Germany; South Riding, Va.), Griffin Yow (KVC Westerlo, Belgium; Clifton, Va.)

All times listed are Eastern. Broadcast details aren’t set yet, but there will be an online stream of the Japan friendly, and NBC will have broadcast all of the Olympics in some form.

June 11: vs. Japan at Kansas City, Kan., 8 p.m.

July 24: vs. France at Marseille, Olympics group stage, 3 p.m.

July 27: vs. New Zealand at Marseille, Olympics group stage, 1 p.m.

July 30: vs. Guinea at Saint-Étienne, Olympics group stage, 1 p.m.

Aug. 2: Olympics quarterfinal at Bordeaux (if group winner), 3 p.m., or Paris (if runner-up), 9 a.m.

Aug. 5: Olympics semifinal at Lyon (if group winner), 3 p.m., or Marseille (if group runner-up), noon

Aug. 8: Olympics bronze medal game at Nantes, 11 a.m.

Aug. 9: Olympics gold medal game at Paris, noon