Paxten Aaronson excited to be at USMNT camp ahead of Serbia, Colombia games

By The Philadelphia Inquirer (TNS)January 24, 2023

Jan. 24—CARSON, Calif — It might seem to be an inauspicious time to debut with the senior squad of the United States men's national team, given the recent Reyna/Berhalter scandal, no general manager, and an interim coach in charge, but all that hasn't dampened the enthusiasm of midfielder Paxten Aaronson.

The former Union player, now with Eintracht Frankfurt, recalled the moment he received the news that he was chosen to be part of the January camp in Los Angeles.

"When coach [Anthony Hudson] called me, I was actually in Dubai [at Eintracht Frankfurt's preseason training], but I was just super excited, super stoked," Aaronson told The Inquirer at a U.S. practice on Sunday.

The 19-year-old Medford native may earn his first official international cap in Wednesday's game against Serbia (10 p.m., Universo, HBO Max, Peacock) — coincidentally on the same field where he received his final minutes of playing time with the Union in the MLS Cup Final against LAFC. The venue has been renamed BMO Stadium in a new sponsorship deal.

"It's always been a dream of mine to represent my country," Aaronson said. "Obviously it's an honor, the place I grew up in."

While it was a different sort of thrill, he was also enthused about his new club in Germany. "Of course, getting to sign with a huge club in Europe with fantastic fans is also a super big accomplishment," Aaronson said. "It's going well so far and it's a big step in my young career."

A veteran of several youth national team squads, including the U-20 team that qualified for the Olympics, Aaronson may be new at the senior USMNT level. But this week's adjustment has been easier than the language and cultural transition he's still working through in Germany.

"Here, everyone speaks the same language and I've known a lot of these guys," Aaronson said. He noted that was partly due to his brother making introductions, but also that the January camp featured a number of players from his generation.

Aaronson is training alongside three other players who were on the squad that qualified the United States for the Olympics and has also played against a number of his current teammates in MLS action.

"I know Cade [Cowell] and a lot of the guys, from youth national teams, and plus playing in MLS, I know a lot of these guys, like Paul Arriola."

This is Aaronson's first experience, however, with Hudson, who's the interim U.S. manager for this camp.

"They all do a good job of incorporating us," Aaronson said. "It's kind of the one nation, one team vibe. There's a lot of young guys here, but at the end of the day it's all a collective agreement to play the style we want to play on the field."

There was a familiar face taking in Hudson's scrimmage and training that Sunday morning, as USMNT sporting director Earnie Stewart roamed the sideline.

"I've known Earnie since I was really young because he was the director at Philly [with the Union]," Aaronson said.

To a certain extent, there is extra pressure at the camp because of the spotlight that is on the USMNT. The fallout from the recent investigations appears to thus far be the non-renewal of general manager Brian McBride's contract.

"It's a short camp," Aaronson noted. "[Hudson] has a pretty hard job. He's got to get a lot of guys on the same page to be ready for game against Serbia."

Another factor at the January camp is the integration of dual-national team players to the U.S. Soccer system, especially those who have played for the youth national teams of other countries. The international friendly games do not bind players to only one federation, so those permanent decisions may be delayed for a while longer until players decide to ultimately commit. A number of players, including Alejandro Zendejas, Cowell, Brandon Vásquez, Alan Soñora, and Jonathan Gómez, are eligible to play for multiple countries.

"I can't even imagine the stress and kind of thought that has to go behind it with what nation you're going to represent," Aaronson said, vowing that even with Gómez, whom Aaronson considers a "close" teammate, he wouldn't try to sway the final choice.

"If you're a dual national, you have ties to both nations," he said. "So it's going to be a tough decision, but I think it's important to give them their personal space. At the end of the day, whatever they choose, I know they've thought long and hard about it and that's their decision."

Although other brothers have played for the USMNT on the senior level, none have done yet what Brenden and Paxten could possibly accomplish in 2026, which is to make a World Cup roster together.

"When we were younger, we talked about it," Aaronson said of that ultimate dream. "We don't talk about it now."

The focus at present for the pair is more on the actions needed to make such a dream possible. It's a uniting force, even as one plays in England for Leeds and the other in Germany for Eintracht Frankfurt.

"That would be awesome for the both of us; it would be a huge honor," said Aaronson. "We've just got to keep working every day, taking it all step by step. And hopefully by the time [2026] comes, we are sharing the field together."

In the meantime, Aaronson is also focused on language lessons to improve his German, moving out of the hotel he's been staying at in Frankfurt into an apartment, and completing the cultural adjustment to the Bundesliga. He already has located a nearby Chipotle restaurant, though he eats most of his meals in the team cafeteria at the Frankfurt training grounds.

For the January camp, his main objective is also clear.

"The number one goal is to make my debut for the men's national team," Aaronson said. "My first cap, it would be a true honor for me, just getting to step on the field with the men's national team jersey."

Whether for Frankfurt or the USMNT, Aaronson brings a versatile and evolving skill set to the field that Union fans have had glimpses of through the years.

"I'm a really creative player," Aaronson said, explaining his style. "I like to receive the ball between the lines, always looking to play on the front foot, always looking to play forward and making that killer pass. And then once the ball gets into the box, I like being in the right positions to be the final goal scorer, like arriving late in the box and just always being a presence in the box where I can either assist or score. A quick player, a fast player — dynamic is how I'd like to describe myself."

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