ONLY IN AMNEWYORK
New York Red Bulls holding midfielder Daniel Edelman was forced to sit in his frustration as he watched the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) fall to Mexico 2-1 in the CONCACAF Gold Cup Final on Sunday night.
The 22-year-old New Jersey native has come up through the US ranks while cementing his spot as an integral part of the Red Bulls’ midfield. He broke into the USMNT Under-16 side in 2019, making four appearances, before he became a mainstay for the U20 side from 2021-2023, captaining them to a CONCACAF championship in 2022.
But the calls have dried up. In March 2024, just a few months before the Summer Games in Paris, he was called into just one of three U23 camps and then left off the Olympic roster.
He has yet to be called into the senior team’s camp despite being a defensive anchor that stabilized New York’s midfield to an MLS Eastern Conference title in November, which admittedly eats at him.
“I thought I should have been called up at the beginning of January, after the MLS Cup,” Edelman told amNewYork. “I really didn’t know what more I could have done, but it’s definitely giving me a chip on my shoulder to keep playing and perform well with the Red Bulls. So hopefully I’ll be able to get an opportunity with the national team someday.”
There is a bit of a logjam within Mauricio Pochettino’s side when it comes to holding midfielders. Tyler Adams, who plays for Bournemouth in England and captained the Americans at the 2022 World Cup, is the undisputed No. 1 at the position. Johnny Cardoso, now playing for Real Betis in Spain, is also establishing himself as a bona fide option.
But something is clearly missing from the Americans, who still managed to make the Gold Cup Final without headlining stars Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, Gio Reyna, Antonee Robinson, and Sergino Dest. That is where Edelman believes he can step in, at least in some capacity.
“The roster that was picked, that’s just how it is,” Edelman said. “But I would add such a good value to the team, because I know what it’s like to play for the national team. And I don’t think other guys really understand that, who are in that squad. And I think that I’m going to keep fighting to try to make my way into the team.”
This squad was not necessarily teeming with national-team experience, though the run was impressive considering this was the Americans’ “B” roster. Midfielder Sebastian Berhalter made Pochettino’s team despite never having played for the youth national team or the senior team prior to the Gold Cup. Neither did Damion Downs nor Patrick Agyemang — the latter owning four caps with the senior team before the Gold Cup.
“It definitely motivates me to want to be on the team, seeing that we lost to Mexico,” Edelman said. “I mean, I would kill to play in a game like that… It’s definitely something I dreamed of playing, making my debut, and everything. But, you know, the boys battled well always for the national team, and I support them, because I love the USA.”
