New York City FC will once again be represented on the United States men’s national team. James Sands has been called up to the USMNT’s April 19th “Continental Clásico” friendly against regional rivals Mexico in Glendale, Arizona. It’s a long-awaited return to the national team for the NYCFC Homegrown player, as Sands now gets a chance to earn an eighth cap for the US, and a first since September 2021.
This invite to join interim manager Anthony Hudson’s USMNT squad represents Sands’s first national team call-up since he was included in Gregg Berhalter’s squad ahead of their final three World Cup qualifiers. Sands didn’t play in any of those final pre-Qatar qualifiers, and made his last appearance for his country on September 8, 2021, when he helped the USMNT beat Honduras 4-1. The States qualified for the big tournament in Qatar, but Sands’s struggles while on loan to Rangers FC in Scotland saw him fall out of favor with Berhalter and ultimately miss making the USMNT World Cup squad.
