Paxten Aaronson’s USMNT debut makes a positive impression despite scoreless draw

CARSON, Calif. — Paxten Aaronson carried a game ball in one arm after making his international debut in a 0-0 draw against a feisty Colombian squad. He still needed to have it signed by his United States men’s national teammates, some of them World Cup contemporaries of his older brother, Brenden.

“Paxten is a young kid [19] that’s always learning,” said forward Jesús Ferreira, 22. “He’s got a good vibe, good attitude. I’m glad that I was able to play with him and his brother. Great family.”

» READ MORE: Paxten Aaronson earns his senior USMNT debut in scoreless tie vs. Colombia

The Medford-raised midfielder, who rose up through the ranks of the Union development system before being sent to Germany in a deal with Eintracht Frankfurt, earned praise from Ferreira for his grit in the game.

“He did a great job,” Ferreira said. “They were very physical with him, and he was still wanting to get the ball and do things.”

Aaronson played the full 90 minutes, with one shot on goal, one shot blocked, three fouls drawn, and an 82% passing rate.

What remained on his mind once the final whistle blew were those two shot attempts that didn’t end up being goals.

“Of course I think I should have slotted one home of my one of two chances,” Aaronson said. “The defender made a great block, and it ended up hitting the post. The first chance I had, I tried to reverse it because I kind of saw the goalkeeper cheating, but, yeah, I just didn’t hit it as clean as I would like.”

» READ MORE: Paxten Aaronson excited to be at USMNT camp ahead of Serbia, Colombia games

Another World Cup veteran, Kellyn Acosta, 27, was pleased with Aaronson’s effort.

“Paxten reminds me a lot of Brenden — it’s actually funny, his mannerisms,” Acosta said. “[Paxten] is a special player. There’s a reason he’s at [Eintracht] Frankfurt. We saw some glimpses of what he’s capable of, and I know that he’ll continue to grow.”

Although it was Aaronson’s first cap with the USMNT, he is experienced in international youth competitions, and the game against Colombia, backed by a sellout crowd at Dignity Health Sports Park vociferously urging Los Cafeteros on, had a similar intensity, despite being a low-stakes friendly match.

“It was a tough game,” said interim coach Anthony Hudson. “In midfield, in transition, you need physicality, and there’s a lot of quick and physical players in there. But [Aaronson] never gave up — he kept going. And he had some really good moments in the game.”

Playing the entire match also allowed Aaronson to show his versatility, as Hudson switched tactics at halftime.

“We adjusted because it was becoming a track meet,” Aaronson said. “We wanted to control it more.”

Colombia coach Néstor Lorenzo said, “The U.S. has various players who are at a very good level” and commended his team’s defensive effort to hold the Americans scoreless.

Despite the uncertainty at the administrative level of U.S. Soccer, which currently has no permanent USMNT coach (Gregg Berhalter is out of contract and under investigation), or general manager (Brian McBride left the post at the end of his 2022 contract) and a sporting director who is leaving in about two weeks for the Netherlands (Earnie Stewart), the men’s team is forging onward. The January camp is yielding the highest number of debutantes in decades. The players themselves seem unfazed by the situation.

“I don’t think [Hudson] has really addressed [USSF administrative changes],” said Walker Zimmerman, 29, another World Cup veteran. “We kind of know how things are going and we’re focused on what we can do as players, which is continue what we’ve been doing.”

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The centerback mentioned that the men’s team was looking forward to the United States’ participation in theCopa América in 2024. With the World Cup coming to the Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. in 2026, the lack of qualifying games leaves the American squad scrambling for tougher tests to get players ready to face the world’s best teams.

“That’s important to have competitive games to help us prepare,” Zimmerman said.

“Hopefully I can just grow and get better and better,” said Aaronson about lessons learned against Colombia. “From a crowd perspective and dueling situations, everything gets kind of ramped up more. You’re playing against better players, bigger players, more athletic players.”

As much as Aaronson showed he had heart against Colombia, he needs more sureness to hold off opponents’ tackles.

“He’s a high-potential young player,” Hudson said. “This was a camp for this very reason — to look at players like this.”

Indeed, Brenden also earned his first cap at 19, following a January camp in 2020. Besides Brenden and Paxten, of the eight brothers who have played for the senior national team in U.S. Soccer history, only one pair did so as teenagers. Ken and Steve Snow, however, played only a total of four times for the USMNT.

But like the ball still needing to be signed, most of Paxten Aaronson’s future with the men’s team is yet to be written.

Acosta, however, didn’t have any doubt.

“The sky’s the limit for him, and he’s going to be with the national team for a long time,” he said.