FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – DeJuan Jones knows what it’s like to train with the U.S. Men’s National Team, having spent two weeks in last year’s January Preparation Camp in Phoenix, Arizona. But the 25-year-old defender has yet to experience the rush of representing his country in an international match, something he’s hoping to do later this month having been called into a California camp for friendlies against Serbia and Colombia.
“It’s an incredible honor,” Jones said of getting that USMNT call for the second time. “Especially with two games in this window, I have an opportunity to make my first cap, so really looking forward to the opportunity. It’s a dream come true, and hopefully I can make my first cap.”
Jones recently reported to Foxborough, Mass., to begin his fifth season with the New England Revolution, and while he’s less than two weeks into preseason camp, he’s feeling strong physically. That’s due in part to head coach Bruce Arena including a heavy dose of game situations into each training session, something Jones hopes will give him a bit of a head start in U.S. camp.
“I’m feeling great,” Jones said following Wednesday morning’s hour-long session at the Socios.com Training Center, which featured several small-sided games. “With Bruce we do a lot of scrimmaging. We’ve got another scrimmage (on Thursday), so I’m getting minutes under my legs, and I’ll be ready when called upon these two games in California.”
Slated to depart for the Los Angeles area later this week, Jones will join 23 other players in the first USMNT camp following last month’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar. With the excitement of that recent tournament still palpable and a FIFA World Cup on home soil looming in the summer of 2026, Jones is aiming to grasp hold of an opportunity to impress at the start of a new cycle.
The staff he’ll be hoping to impress will be led by Anthony Hudson, who recently served as an assistant coach for the U.S. side that reached the Round of 16 in Qatar.
“I think the buzz is in the air,” Jones said. “Lots of excitement around U.S. Soccer right now, so to be in that first camp, be that first look after the World Cup heading into 2026, it’s a good opportunity.
“It’s a unique situation. There’s only a few days to prepare before the first game, so it’s going to be interesting to see if we keep the same tactics, how much (the coaches) will switch it up. I’m just excited to get there, start learning, and prepare for the first match.”
Jones acknowledged there will be an added comfort level heading into his second USMNT camp – “The first time it’s completely unknown,” he said – and he hopes the presence of familiar faces will serve to help him take advantage of the upcoming opportunity.
Should he impress enough to earn a first American cap, Jones could come up against his Revolution teammate and Serbia goalkeeper Djordje Petrović when the two countries square off at Banc of California Stadium on Wednesday, January 25.
That, Jones said, would make the experience all the more special.
“Not yet, not yet. I’ve been keeping the news under wraps,” Jones said when asked if he and Petrović had spoken about the possibility of meeting on the international stage. “But that would be really awesome. I think he’s played for his national team one time, it’d be my debut, so it’d be really cool to play against him out there.”
