Image credit: San Jose Earthquakes
Editor’s note: For posterity, this article has been maintained in its original state as most of the 2020 information remains applicable in 2021, and also for the historical record. The roster and schedule for 2021 has been added at the end, while maintaining the original 2020 roster and schedule.
Following a miserable 2-5 loss to Minnesota United on Saturday night, there is only one story for Earthquakes fans to feel good about: 16-year-old Cade Cowell’s debut. After greeting the fans warmly at a time other players may be concerned about COVID-19 exposure, there was one player not in the gameday 18 waiting outside the locker area for Cowell to give him a massive hug: James Thomas “JT” Marcinkowski.
The young San Jose homegrowns are a close-knit group. Add a few of the MLS SuperDraft picks like Jackson Yueill into that mix, as well. “Jackson and I are really close friends. We’re roommates.” Marcinkowski says of a bond that has been getting stronger over the past couple of seasons.
The Unkind History of Modern US Men’s Olympic Qualifying
After getting action in several MLS league games in 2018, JT has been patiently waiting his opportunity again for the Earthquakes. Time is on Marcinkowski’s side, and the organization seems ready for him to take the reins in 2021 if we’re reading the tea leaves correctly. But first there is something he must do: help the US men’s U-23s (plus three non-U-23s are allowed) get the monkey off their back in Olympic qualifying and make the Olympics this summer for the first time since 2008. In the current format since 1992, the men’s team hasn’t medaled in the Olympics, finishing fourth in 2000. The only time the team has won the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament was in 1992 with second place finishes in 2000 and 2008. Only the two teams in the finals are guaranteed to go to the Olympics. The 2016 team had a shot to be a third team in a CONCACAF/CONMEBOL play-in game but lost to Columbia 2-3.
Marcinkowski knows the history, “You may have the best team on paper, but there are things you can’t control. I wasn’t a part of those teams, so we only see the end result. However, if we compete, if we outwork our opponent, we can do well and qualify. We can only control certain factors like teamwork and unity. If we do those things that we can control, and that [US U-23 Men’s Head Coach] Jason [Kreis] and [USMNT Men’s Head Coach] Gregg [Berhalter] tell us matter, hopefully the good result follows. They tell us not to worry about the things we can’t control.” And that includes COVID-19 and whether the Olympics stay on track for Japan this summer. To date only a couple cases have been identified in Jalisco as of March 7th, the Mexican state where Guadalajara and Zapopan, sites of the Olympic qualifiers between March 20th and April 1st, are. It’s likely to be a distraction, but it’s out of their control.
Is the Olympic qualifying history a burden on the team? Yueill doesn’t think so. “Burden? I don’t know if I’d use the word ‘burden’. Pressure? Pressure is relative. I think we take it in high esteem that we are the US, and we should qualify for this tournament every year – this tournament and the World Cup. I don’t think not making it in the past puts more pressure on us. We want to show the quality we have.”
Making Their Mark in US National Teams
Much has been made about how much better the US US-23s have been getting each qualifying cycle, due to the US Soccer Development Academy (USSDA) structure that’s now in place to identify the best players in the US, in addition to those who are with foreign clubs. “We have a really, really talented team [with] players who have played with the US National Team as well.” says Yueill, “So I think it’s a really good opportunity to show the progress and how the youth has come up in US Soccer. It’s a great challenge for us. We have a really tough group (including Mexico and Costa Rica), and we’ve got to go out there and showcase the skills. I’m super excited for the opportunity, and I want to make the most of it.”
Many of the players on this roster have been getting time in the USMNT as well, especially Yueill and now including Marcinkowski during the January camp. Marcinkowski relished the experience, “For a lot of MLS pros, making a January camp is a pretty big deal. Growing up [I wanted to be in this team], so it was a dream come true. Gregg has a really, really good staff. Their ideas are really clear.”
Kreis, like everyone at this point, is very high on Yueill’s growth and future, “I feel like Jackson’s career has really, really taken a mega, mega step forward here in the past 12 months to the point where now I think he arguably could be considered a little bit more of a mainstay in the full team. I see his potential as top notch. He certainly has a lot to learn and take on from a mental and tactical and physical standpoint, but he’s a player that I could see have an extremely good MLS career and potentially a move to Europe at some point.”
Kreis also sees him taking on a leadership role in this particular team. Answering a question specifically about FC Dallas’ Reggie Cannon, Kreis added other players in his response, “We’re very happy to have Reggie in our group. He will be one of the players that we’ll lean on for leadership. We’ll look to other players like Jackson [Yueill]. [Also] you’ll see Djordje Mihailovic, Justen Glad. These are guys that are a little bit more on the older side of the group and all of them have some terrific leadership capabilities.”
Creating a US National Team Family
Marcinkowski says there are commonalities between the US National Teams and Matías Almeyda’s core philosophies, “It’s similar to how Matias speaks about families and diversity. Family is a big aspect of the national team.” Given the length of time he’s spent with the US Youth National Teams, it didn’t take long for JT to acclimate to the USMNT environment in January. “More often than not, there’s a mutual respect for other pros. You respect your opponent, their grind to get where they are. You might have been foes a few months ago, but now it’s an instant relationship.”
One of the big differences this tournament compared to the last couple tournaments: a significant part of the roster was a part of the US Men’s U-20s CONCACAF Championships team that won the tournament in 2017 ahead of the FIFA U-20 World Cup. Marcinkowski views this successful tournament experience as crucial now. “Being down in Costa Rica, we bonded for a month and a half. We prepared for over two years. To culminate (with a championship) and qualify for the World Cup was surreal. A few of the guys from that tournament are with the U-23s. Having that as a base, the hardships we are going to go through make us stronger. Trials and tribulations are a part of it. That experience is always beneficial.”
Marcinkowski has built strong relationships in this group, just like he has with Yueill and the Quakes homegrowns. “There’s so many guys on this team that I’ve grown up with,” Marcinkowski says, “Glad, Herrera, Brooks, Carter-Vickers…we played 14s, 16s, 20s together. Now that we’re all playing pro together, it’s really cool, and it’s really special.”
The Family within the Family: Goalkeeper is a Position of Strength
Kreis sees goalkeeper as the most interesting position battle, “One of our most difficult decisions is going to be to decide who’s going to be the starting goalkeeper for this qualification tournament. I really think all three of the goalkeepers have some sets of skills that are quite nice. All three of them have some deficiencies. I think it’s very typical though. I mean we’re talking about young goalkeepers and everybody knows that young goalkeepers can oftentimes struggle with making some mistakes and can struggle with some leadership and communication…There are varying levels of experience to those players. I think if you just looked at the number of matches played, whether it’s USL and MLS, there’s probably one that’s played a few more than the others, and he happens to be the youngest one. So, it’s a difficult decision, and I would tell you that we haven’t made it yet.”
Marcinkowski may be a favorite going in to be the starting goalkeeper given his continuous presence in this team the past few years, but nothing is being handed to him. “Over the past year, Matt Freese (Philadelphia Union), David Ochoa (Real Salt Lake), Drake Callender (Quakes homegrown traded to Inter Miami), Brady Scott (1. FC Köln in Germany) and Jonathan Klinsmann (FC St. Gallen in Switzerland), have all gotten important time with this team. All of us have really good relationships with each other. It’s hard not to get along with them. You know how much sacrifice they put into it. It’s a really good group. It’s competitive, and we’re fighting for that #1 spot. No hard feelings.”
Playing behind Klinsmann at the time, Marcinkowski got one game in that 2017 tournament and had an error leading to an opposition goal, so he knows he has to earn that trust with Kreis and likely goalkeeper coach Rob Vartughian, who is also NYCFC’s goalkeeper coach.
Marcinkowski is very comfortable with the various goalkeeper coaches he’s had at the US U-20 and U-23 Men’s National Team level, “Rob is fantastic to work with — very professional. He puts together great sessions. [The coaches] don’t want to tweak you too much, just get you ready for the tournament. They want you to play the way that you know how to play, be very confident in and around your box, and have sharp and short communication. We like to play out of the back. We think we can do that with our talent. [The keepers need to be] be calm and cool on the ball and assess the risks we see. We’ve known each other for a long time.”
2021 Roster and Tournament Details
Here is the US schedule in Group A:
- March 18, 2:30 PM Pacific Time on FS1: United States vs. Costa Rica, Jalisco Stadium (Estadio Jalisco), Guadalajara
- March 21, 4:00 PM Pacific Time on FS1: Dominican Republic vs. United States, Akron Stadium (Estadio Akron), Zapopan
- March 24, 6:30 PM Pacific Time on FS1: Mexico vs. United States, Jalisco Stadium (Estadio Jalisco), Guadalajara
The top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout stage to be held on March 28, with the final to be held on March 30. Both teams advancing to the final will also advance to the Olympics. FOX Sports owns the US rights to the television broadcasting for the event.
US Men’s Olympic Qualifying Roster:
GOALKEEPERS (3): Matt Freese (Philadelphia Union; Wayne, Pa.), JT Marcinkowski (San Jose Earthquakes, Alamo, Calif.), David Ochoa (Real Salt Lake; Oxnard, Calif.)
DEFENDERS (6): Julian Araujo (LA Galaxy; Lompoc, Calif.), Justen Glad (Real Salt Lake; Tucson, Ariz.), Aaron Herrera (Real Salt Lake; Las Cruces, N.M.), Henry Kessler (New England Revolution; New York, N.Y.), Mauricio Pineda (Chicago Fire FC; Bolingbrook, Ill.), Sam Vines (Colorado Rapids; Colorado Springs, Colo.)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Johnny Cardoso (Internacional/BRA; Denville, N.J.), Hassani Dotson (Minnesota United FC; Federal Way, Wash.), Ulysses Llanez (Heerenveen/NED; Lynwood, Calif.), Djordje Mihailovic (CF Montreal/CAN; Jacksonville, Fla.), Andrés Perea (Orlando City SC; Medellin, Colombia), Sebastian Saucedo (UNAM Pumas/MEX; Park City, Utah), Jackson Yueill (San Jose Earthquakes; Bloomington, Minn.)
FORWARDS (4): Jesús Ferreira (FC Dallas; McKinney, Texas), Jonathan Lewis (Colorado Rapids; Plantation, Fla.), Benji Michel (Orlando City SC; Orlando, Fla.), Sebastian Soto (Norwich City/ENG; San Diego, Calif.)
Original 2020 Roster and Tournament Details
Here is the US schedule in Group A:
- March 20: United States vs. Costa Rica, Estadio Jalisco, Guadalajara
- March 23: Dominican Republic vs. United States, Estadio Akron, Zapopan
- March 26: Mexico vs. United States, Estadio Jalisco, Guadalajara
The top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout stage to be held on March 30, with the final to be held on April 1. Both teams advancing to the final will also advance to the Olympics. FOX Sports owns the US rights to the television broadcasting for the event.
US Men’s Olympic Qualifying Roster:
GOALKEEPERS (3): Matt Freese (Philadelphia Union; Wayne, Pa.), JT Marcinkowski (San Jose Earthquakes; Alamo, Calif.), David Ochoa (Real Salt Lake; Oxnard, Calif.)
DEFENDERS (6): Reggie Cannon (FC Dallas; Grapevine, Texas), Justen Glad (Real Salt Lake; Tucson, Ariz.), Chris Gloster (PSV Eindhoven/NED; Montclair, N.J.), Aaron Herrera (Real Salt Lake; Las Cruces, N.M.), Mark McKenzie (Philadelphia Union; Bear, Del.), Erik Palmer-Brown (Austria Wien/AUT; Lee’s Summit, Mo.)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Brenden Aaronson (Philadelphia Union; Medford, N.J.), Hassani Dotson (Minnesota United; Federal Way, Wash.), Richard Ledezma (PSV Eindhoven/NED; Phoenix, Ariz.), Djordje Mihailovic (Chicago Fire; Lemont, Ill.), Paxton Pomykal (FC Dallas; Highland Village, Texas), Jackson Yueill (San Jose Earthquakes; Bloomington, Minn.)
FORWARDS (5): Jeremy Ebobisse (Portland Timbers; Bethesda, Md.), Jesús Ferreira (FC Dallas; McKinney, Texas), Jonathan Lewis (Colorado Rapids; Plantation, Fla.), Ulysses Llanez (Wolfsburg/GER; Lynwood, Calif.), Sebastian Saucedo (UNAM Pumas/MEX; Park City, Utah)
