Like any great recruiter, the U.S. men’s national team is always on the job.
Noel Buck, the 18-year-old New England Revolution midfielder, was not called up for the USMNT squad set to face Uzbekistan and Oman in September, but the dual national is still very much on head coach Gregg Berhalter’s radar.
Shortly after revealing his first roster since returning to the USMNT job, Berhalter told reporters that he’s been in touch with Buck, who is eligible for the U.S., England, and Wales.
“He’s been great. He’s been really strong,” said Berhalter of the young midfielder. “I have spoken to him. There has been interest from England, which I think is great. Great achievement, when you have a country like England looking at you.
“I’ve communicated with him, told him that we see him as a player that can compete to make the World Cup team in 2026, based on what he’s doing now. We see — if he continues to develop at that rate — I’m sure he can be competitive and compete to be on the roster.”
Buck has previously played for the United States at the Under-19 level, while he has not been called in for any England or Wales youth national team at this point.
U.S. Soccer, based on a recent run of successful recruiting, may feel confident about persuading Buck to stick with the program. Folarin Balogun, Yunus Musah, and Ricardo Pepi are just some of the USMNT regulars who could have chosen another national team, and all have seemed to benefit from going with the U.S. over other options.
Buck having a breakout 2023
Buck has 22 appearances across all competitions for New England, who trail only FC Cincinnati and St. Louis City SC in the race for the Supporters’ Shield.
That number would likely be higher had Buck not missed much of June with an injury. Buck returned to the field for the Revolution in the Leagues Cup, starting all four of New England’s matches in that tournament before going 62 minutes in a 1-0 loss to CF Montréal on Sunday.
Buck has largely played centrally for New England, but with Bruce Arena (who has been on administrative leave for a month) and interim coach Richie Williams toggling between several formations, the youngster has shown some versatility. Buck has been used as a shuttler on the right side of a diamond midfield, as a No. 6, and as a box-to-box option in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Buck has scored two goals and tacked on an assist in 2023, marking himself out as an essential part of the mix at Gillette Stadium regardless of the formation on the day.
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