DAVIS, Calif. — Former UC Davis men's soccer player Max Arfsten has been named to the 24-man roster for the United States Men's National Team's January camp under newly hired head coach Mauricio Pochettino.
 
The camp kicks off Jan. 7 in Ft. Lauderdale, with the USA opening its 2025 schedule against 2024 Copa America quarterfinalists Venezuela on Jan. 18 at Chase Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. ET. The team will then travel to Orlando for a friendly against Costa Rica on Jan. 22 at Inter&Co Stadium.
 
"We are extremely excited to work with a new group of players and continue to implement our ideas," Pochettino said. "As I have said, MLS is very important to the National Team project, and these players have earned this opportunity."
 
Arfsten is one of seven players earning their first call-ups to a USMNT camp. He earns his first senior call-up following a successful second season with the Columbus Crew, where the 2023 MLS Cup champion and MLS SuperDraft pick appeared in 30 regular season games (22 starts), recording four goals and eight assists. Arfsten recently signed a multi-year contract extension through the 2027 season, with a club option for 2028.
 
In addition to his MLS achievements, Arfsten started all five of the Crew's Leagues Cup 2024 matches, contributing two assists as the Crew lifted their second trophy in nine months. The 23-year-old also made two appearances in the Concacaf Champions Cup, highlighted by converting the decisive penalty kick in a 4-3 shootout win against Tigres on April 9, helping the Crew advance to the semifinal round.
 
"All of us at UC Davis are really proud and excited for Max. To be recognized for the full U.S. Men's National Team is quite the accomplishment. You have to prove yourself at the professional club level to even be considered. Max proved himself to be a great college soccer player at UC Davis and now has proven himself to be an excellent pro. All of us wish him the best as he moves forward," said UC Davis head men's soccer coach Dwayne Shaffer.
 
During his career as an Aggie, Arfsten made 39 appearances between 2019 and 2021, scoring nine goals and tallying eight assists. He earned Big West Conference All-Freshman Team honors in 2019 and was named Big West Offensive Player of the Year and All-Big West First Team in 2021.