For the first time in eight years, the United States men’s national team will play in the FIFA World Cup, and it will be doing so with eight players who set the foundation for their careers in DI men’s soccer.
USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter named his 26-man squad for the World Cup on Wednesday and the Americans will kick off their campaign against Wales on Nov. 21. Here are the former DI men’s soccer players who will be making the trip to Qatar and what they achieved in college:
G Matt Turner (Fairfield, 2012-15)
Much like he currently does for Arsenal, Turner spent his freshman and sophomore seasons at Fairfield as an understudy before earning the starting spot in 2014 and locking it down for two years. He holds two single-season program records in goals against average (0.50) and clean sheets (13). His 20 career clean sheets in 39 appearances are also tied for program best. Turner was named a MAAC All-American in both his final two seasons.
G Sean Johnson (UCF, 2007-08)
Johnson grabbed the starting goalkeeper role as a freshman and kept it through his entire stint in Orlando. The Knights weren’t a very good team during those two years, never finishing close to .500, which meant Johnson was being tested a lot more often than the average keeper. His 108 saves in his sophomore season is tied for the third-highest single-season total in UCF history, helping the Knights lower their goals against average nearly in half from the year before.
D Aaron Long (UC Riverside, 2010-13)
Though he now plays in the center of defense, Long played in midfield for the Highlanders and even led the team in goals as a junior in 2012. He played a crucial role for UC Riverside all four years of his collegiate career and was named to the All-Big West First Team as a junior and to the Second Team as a senior.
D Walker Zimmerman (Furman, 2011-12)
Zimmerman starred in his two years at Furman, being named to the NSCAA All-America third team, the College Soccer News Freshman All-American team and earned SoCon Freshman of the Year and All-SoCon First Team honors. He contributed to the Paladins’ 14-4-4 record and helped the team earn an NCAA tournament berth in 2011. Zimmerman was also named to the All-America second team as a sophomore.
COLLEGE CUP: 2022-23 dates, time and schedule
