CHARLOTTE, NC — As the USMNT convenes for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup with one year to go until the all-important FIFA World Cup on home soil, the center-back situation remains uncertain.
Chris Richards appears a likely long-term option, but who will be his regular partner? Cameron Carter-Vickers started at the 2022 World Cup but was not called in to the Gold Cup roster, and neither was his Celtic teammate Auston Trusty — cuts Mauricio Pochettino called a “football decision”, indicating the coach may prefer other options.
Many of those preferred alternatives seem to come from within the domestic U.S. club setup, as Major League Soccer provides many of the individuals on the Gold Cup roster. Walker Zimmerman, Miles Robinson, and 37-year-old Tim Ream are still around, as Pochettino hopes to find the combination he trusts most at a World Cup.
MORE: The full 2025 schedule for the USMNT with highlights, recaps, and more
Yet there’s one domestic-based player who continues to wait patiently for his chance to impress — one casual USMNT fans will not yet have been exposed to, but who undoubtedly deserves an opportunity.
That man is Ream’s club teammate and defensive partner at Charlotte FC. The individual who, unbeknownst to many USMNT followers, has blossomed into one of the best defenders in all of MLS.
Andrew Privett still waiting for USMNT call-up
It feels incredible that Andrew Privett has only been a defender for at most three years now.
The 24-year-old spent his entire four-year collegiate career at Penn State as a midfielder. He began as a No. 10, scoring nine goals and assisting four more in his junior year before moving back to a more defensive role. Eventually drafted by Charlotte FC as a third-rounder in the 2023 MLS draft, Privett quickly established himself as an option for the club, first with the reserve side Crown Legacy before making his proper debut — still as a midfielder — in April of that year.
MORE: A full breakdown of the USMNT roster for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup
“It feels like I’m playing defensive midfield, but you don’t have anybody behind you, so it kind of simplifies it in a way,” Privett told The Sporting News at the Charlotte FC training facility. “The more complicated bit now is learning as a center-back: what should I be saying to the people in front of me? It also helps as a midfielder — I know what I would want to hear — but now the difficult part was learning the defensive principles the club wanted me to learn, and body shape, tracking runners, and defending the box.
“That was the biggest learning curve from that transition, but overall it felt very natural.”
It looked natural, too. In just two years, Privett has blossomed into a defensive stalwart for Charlotte FC, building a cohesive partnership with Adilson Malanda, which led to a monstrously successful 2024 season. Charlotte conceded just 37 goals that year, fewest of any club in the Eastern Conference and second-least in all of MLS behind only the Seattle Sounders. Aside from a four-game stretch through August and September, Privett played every single minute of the season.
Yet Privett flew under the radar. Despite the incredible success, he didn’t receive a call-up to the entirely domestic-based USMNT January camp this past winter. Instead, the likes of Ream, Miles Robinson, and Zimmerman were brought in.
Ream’s inclusion was especially baffling, as Charlotte FC coach Dean Smith had determined Privett’s position was so secure that even the former Fulham star captaining the USMNT was to move out wide to left-back to keep the Privett-Malanda partnership intact.
Yet the USMNT continued to overlook Privett. When it came time to select the 2025 Gold Cup roster, Privett and Charlotte FC had picked up right where they left off defensively, keeping four clean sheets in the first nine games. He scored his first goal for the club in his 50th appearance, a gorgeous header off a corner.
Clean sheet and his first MLS goal.
Andrew Privett can do it 𝐀𝐋𝐋 👑 pic.twitter.com/QO9GTHwj4v
— Charlotte FC (@CharlotteFC) April 20, 2025
Again, though, Privett wasn’t even included on the 60-man preliminary Gold Cup roster. While Pochettino continues to harp on finding players who show the heart and desire to protect the U.S. shirt, the same names popped up on the roster at the center-back position — Ream, Robinson, Zimmerman.
“The big one for me is getting my foot in the door with a men’s national-team camp,” Privett said when asked what his next step is on a personal level. “Last year I was hopeful for that with the work we put in and the defensive performances that we were churning out; I was hoping to get my name called and get that opportunity. Of course, disappointment, it’s always a dream, but you just go again and gotta keep pushing and maintain.”
Privett said he hasn’t heard from anyone on the national-team coaching staff and was only made aware from social media reports that Pochettino was in attendance for Charlotte’s playoff game in Orlando last fall.
MORE: Pochettino must come up with a proper plan or risk real embarrassment at home World Cup
“I think I could,” Privett said when asked if could help the USMNT performances right now. “I believe in my capabilities, but I also think there’s always room to grow. It’s a fine balance where I feel like I’ve had enough experience and games under my belt… with that experience, I feel like I could contribute.
“You never know until you’re in the environment and you get that test, but also here, not getting the call up yet, it’s, ‘okay, alright, how can I improve, how can I keep getting better to stay on the radar and push for a call-up?'”
It’s not difficult to look at Privett’s best skills and see exactly how he would be an asset for the USMNT. He and Malanda both excel as passers on the ball, which isn’t surprising considering Privett’s past as a midfielder. The Maryland native completes long passes at a sensational 71% clip, while he hits on 89% at the mid-range and 96% on short passes. Privett’s discipline is outstanding, with just six yellow cards and one red card in 45 MLS matches over the past year and a half, averaging significantly less than a single foul per game. He and Malanda both rack up a considerable amount of blocks, and while his tackling success rate could improve, it’s far from a weakness.
“Part of my mentality is keeping a level head regardless of what’s going on,” Privett said of being overlooked. “But also, being overlooked… I feel like it gives me a chip on my shoulder where you’re always pushing and trying to prove your worth, which fuels you and keeps you grinding a blue-collar mentality, which I love.
“I feel like when you get all the praises or all the accolades, sometimes you can maybe think you’re better than you really are, so I’d rather have it the way it is. And on the journey, when you’re able to hit milestones, or break through, being overlooked at times makes those achievements that much sweeter.”
Privett remembers his mistakes — even those from years ago — that have helped to make him better. He recalled a “welcome to the big leagues” moment from his first MLS start back in mid-2023, when Charlotte FC beat eventual Western Conference champions LAFC 2-1 at home. “There was a point late in the game where I got caught back to goal receiving the ball, turned it to a defender and they nearly scored from inside our penalty box. I kinda got a little wake-up call from that moment.”
In the 87th minute of the match, Privett receives the ball too casually and has his pocket picked by Cristian Olivera, who snatches it away and should score but puts his shot straight at the goalkeeper.
Thanks to a lightning-fast learning curve, he’s miles from that player now. Privett averages just one dispossession every 10 full 90-minute appearances, and one miscontrol every three. Both of those figures are solidly in the top half of all MLS center-backs on their own, and look even better considering he’s only in the 53rd percentile in total touches.
Now, he just hopes to keep his level up so he’ll get that call.
“It would be a dream come true to have an opportunity to get my foot in the door to be in that environment with guys who are playing overseas in top-five European leagues. [It is] Just a challenge and another hurdle in this journey, and another obstacle to face and overcome.
“We’ll keep working to get that opportunity, and when hopefully that comes, the real work starts.”
