INSTALLATION NOTES
USMNT vs. Serbia
International friendlies
January 25, 2023
BMO Stadium; Los Angeles, California
Kickoff: 10:07 p.m. ET on HBO Max, UNIVERSO, Peacock & Telemundo App
Social media: @USMNT at Twitter and Instagram; US Soccer on Facebook, the US soccer app
The USMNT starting XI against Serbia tonight: 24 – Gaga Slonina, 2 – Julian Gressel, 3 – Walker Zimmerman (Captain), 5 – Jonathan Gómez, 8 – Brandon Vazquez, 10 – Paxton Pomykal, 14 – Alan Sonora, 17 – Alex Zendejas, 20 – Cade Cowell, 21 – Aidan Morris, 22-Jalen Neal
Substitutes: 1-Sean Johnson, 4-DeJuan Jones 6-Paxten Aaronson, 7-Paul Arriola, 9-Jesus Ferreira, 11-Emmanuel Sabbi, 12-John Tolkin, 13-Matthew Hoppe, 15-Aaron Long, 16-Sam Rogers , 19-Eryk Williamson, 23-Kellyn Acosta
GAME NOTES | FIVE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT SERBIA
- USMNT Starting XI Cap Numbers (including this game): Walker Zimmerman (38), Cade Cowell (2), Jonathan Gómez (2), Paxton Pomykal (2), Julian Gressel (1), Aidan Morris (1), Jalen Neal ( 1), Gaga Slonina (1), Alan Sonora (1), Brandon Vazquez (1), Alex Zendejas (1)
- Today’s USMNT starting XI has an average age of 23 years, 18 days and a total of four caps.
- Nine of the eleven starters are 24 years or younger: Alan Soñora, Brandon Vazquez and Alex Zendejas (24); Paxton Pomykal (23); Aidan Morris (21), Cade Cowell, Jonathan Gomez and Jalen Neal (19); Gaga Slonina (18).
- Seven starters make their senior debuts – the most first caps in a USMNT starting XI since nine players made their senior debuts in a January 10, 1988 friendly against Guatemala.
- At 18 years and 255 days, Gaga Slonina will become the youngest goaltender in the USMNT and will beat Tony Meola, who made his debut at 19 years and 106 days on June 7, 1988 against Ecuador.
- Two of the three cap starters made their USMNT debuts at Dignity Health Sports Park. Both Cade Cowell and Jonathan Gómez came off the bench to help USA win 1-0 against Bosnia and Herzegovina on December 18, 2021.
- Seven starters are dual citizens: Cowell, Gómez, Vazquez and Zendejas (USA & Mexico); Gressel (USA & Germany), Soñora (USA & Argentina), Slonina (USA & Poland)
- The only World Cup veteran to start, centre-back Walker Zimmerman, captained the USMNT for the seventh time tonight.
- Three starters are based internationally: Gaga Slonina (Chelsea/ENG), Jonathan Gómez (Real Sociedad/ESP) and Alex Zendejas (Club América/MEX). Midfielder Alan Soñora last played for Argentinian club Independiente but is currently without a club.
- The seven remaining players are based in MLS: Cade Cowell (San Jose Earthquakes), Julian Gressel (Vancouver Whitecaps), Aidan Morris (Columbus Crew), Jalen Neal (LA Galaxy), Paxton Pomykal (FC Dallas), Brandon Vazquez (FC Cincinnati). ) and Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC).
- Ciudad Juarez-born Alex Zendejas is the third Mexican-born player, after Martin Vasquez and William Yarbrough, to represent the USMNT during the team’s modern era (since 1990). Zendejas now calls El Paso, Texas his hometown.
- Should Paxten Aaronson come off the bench tonight, he and older brother Brenden Aaronson would become the eighth group of brothers to play for the USMNT and the first pair since Pedro and John DeBrito, who made their debuts in 1983 and 1991. or.
- With the USMNT dressing 23 players tonight, goaltender Roman Celentano is a healthy scratch on the matchday roster. Six substitutions are allowed in six different moments. Half-time does not count as a moment of change.
- The USMNT is 0-2-1 all-time against Serbia. The teams last played on January 29, 2017 in San Diego in a 0–0 draw.
- Daneon Perchment from Jamaica is the referee for tonight’s game. Previously, he oversaw the 1-1 draw with Chile on March 26, 2019 in Houston, the 2-0 loss to Canada in the Concacaf Nations League game on October 15, 2019 in Toronto and the 2-1 win over Costa Rica at the World Championship Qualifying on October 13, 2021 in Columbus.
