New York City FC has connections aplenty to Gregg Berhalter’s version of the United States men’s national team. Captain Sean Johnson is firmly entrenched as the USMNT’s No 3 keeper and feels like a lock for a 2022 FIFA World Cup roster spot, while former academy prodigies Gio Reyna and Joe Scally regularly feature for Berhalter and have good odds to make it to Qatar, pending injuries and Berhalter’s selection preferences.
For NYCFC’s first homegrown player, though, national team inclusion has remained fleeting. The now-Rangers FC defender James Sands has not featured for the Yanks since starting their away World Cup qualifying win in Honduras last September.