FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (January 5, 2024) – New England Revolution defender DeJuan Jones and midfielder Esmir Bajraktarevic have been called up for international duty with the United States Men’s National Team for its annual January camp. The Stars and Stripes will train from Jan. 8-16 in Orlando, Fla. before traveling to San Antonio, Texas for a friendly match against Slovenia on Jan. 20 (3 p.m. ET – TNT, Telemundo).
Bajraktarevic, 18, is the youngest player and one of two teenagers on Head Coach Gregg Berhalter’s 25-player January Camp roster as the Revolution Homegrown Player earns his first senior call-up to the U.S. Men’s National Team. The Wisconsin native was recently the youngest player named to the U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team roster in November, where he scored one goal in two appearances as the team prepares for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. Bajraktarevic’s international career features two goals scored over seven total appearances between the U.S. Under-19s and U.S. Under-23s.
After a spell in the Revolution Academy and with Revolution II, Bajraktarevic signed to New England’s MLS roster as a Homegrown Player in May 2022. He has totaled 16 MLS appearances, with six starts, since making his MLS debut in 2022. In 2023, Bajraktarevic registered 13 appearances, including five games started. He also scored his first senior team goal with a strike from the top of the penalty area in Leagues Cup 2023 action (WATCH).
Jones earns his fifth selection to the U.S. Men’s National Team as the 26-year-old looks to add to his seven senior caps, in which he has recorded three assists. The outside back most recently appeared for the USMNT in a friendly against Oman on Sept. 12 when he tallied an assist in the 4-0 win. The Lansing, Mich. native and Michigan State alum was also selected to the United States’ roster for the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup, where he registered two assists over four starts. Jones logged his international debut on Jan. 25 in a friendly against Serbia.
Jones, selected by New England with 11th overall pick in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft, has tallied six goals and 20 assists over 125 regular season appearances, including 111 games started. The Michigan State product, who finished fifth in 2021 MLS Defender of the Year voting, owns an additional eight appearances, all starts, with one assist in the MLS Cup Playoffs. Jones has helped guide New England to the postseason in four of his five seasons with the Revolution, including the 2023 campaign, where he logged seven assists over 25 games played.
After January Camp, Bajraktarevic and Jones will rejoin the New England Revolution’s preseason training, which is set to begin in Foxborough the week of January 15. The Revolution will then travel to Florida for a four-week preseason training camp before opening the 2024 slate in La Chorrera, Panama on Wednesday, Feb. 21 at CA Independiente (8:00 p.m.) in Concacaf Champions Cup action. New England will begin the 2024 MLS regular season begins on Saturday, Feb. 24 at D.C. United (7:30 p.m.).
