Inter Miami’s Callender, Cremaschi named to U.S. roster for upcoming friendlies

The spotlight continues to shine on Inter Miami since the arrival of Lionel Messi as goalkeeper Drake Callender and midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi on Wednesday were named to the U.S. national team training camp roster for a pair of September friendlies.

It is the second call-up for Callender and the first for Cremaschi, the 18-year-old Key Biscayne native who has dual citizenship with the United States and Argentina.

Cremaschi, a starter who has been a key contributor in Miami’s nine-game win streak, is the youngest player on the roster. He has represented the U.S. and Argentine teams in youth tournaments and will some day have to decide which senior national team to play for.

Players will begin reporting to St. Louis on Sept. 3 for training camp.

The U.S. first faces Uzbekistan on Sept. 9 in St. Louis, with kickoff at CITYPARK set for 5:30 p.m. ET (TNT, Telemundo, Universo and Peacock). Three days later, the team plays Oman at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota, at 8:30 p.m. ET (TNT, Universo and Peacock). Callender and Cremaschi will miss the Inter Miami game Sept. 9 against Kansas City.

The roster includes 12 players who helped the United States reach the Round of 16 at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Coach Gregg Berhalter said Cremaschi caught his attention long before Messi joined Inter Miami.

“We had Benja in camp in October [2022] prior to the World Cup; he was with our U20 group and he immediately caught my eye for his tenacity and relentlessness,” Berhalter said. “He’s a kid that was playing out of position, sometimes at winger and forward, but he never quit. He never gave up. He kept running, was running himself silly, and it really showed me what his mind-set was like, and I was really impressed with that.”

Cremaschi’s performance with Inter Miami this season solidified Berhalter’s first impressions.

“Now, watching his progress with Inter Miami, he’s done a great job and this is not just post-Messi, it was pre-Messi,” the coach said. “He had a great assist against D.C. United early in the year , he’s just a really dynamic player and a guy who gives everything on the pitch. I’m really excited to see him be working with him and bring him into camp and see what he can do with our team. We have high expectations for him at such a young age.”

As for Callender, Berhalter called his progress “a steady ascent.”

“This is the second year he is playing (with Inter Miami), getting games under his belt, and you can see he’s growing in confidence,” Berhalter said. “He’s really athletic, really good timing coming out and catching crosses, very good shot stopper. Fortunately for him he had a lot of action to do early in the year at Inter Miami, he’s done a great job and played his way onto the team.”

The roster:

▪ Goalkeepers (3): Drake Callender (Inter Miami), Ethan Horvath (Nottingham Forest/ENG), Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest/ENG).

▪ Defenders (9): Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven/NED), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo/ITA), Mark McKenzie (Genk/BEL), Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg/GER), Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER).

▪ Midfielders (6): Johnny Cardoso (Internacional/BRA), Benjamin Cremaschi (Inter Miami), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo/ESP), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA), Yunus Musah (AC Milan/ITA), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven).

▪ Forwards (6): Brenden Aaronson (Union Berlin/GER), Folarin Balogun (Arsenal/ENG), Cade Cowell (San Jose Earthquakes), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven/NED), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA), Tim Weah (Juventus/ITA).