RENTON – In just about every way, 2024 went about as well as Jackson Ragen could have imagined. After a slow start, he played well enough during the last two-thirds of the season to be named a MLS Defender of the Year finalist. Along the way, he also earned a big raise when he signed a new three-year contract with the Sounders.
The one thing he didn’t get to do was earn his first United States national team cap, something he missed out on after being sent home early from last year’s January camp with an injury. Getting back into camp was a specific goal Ragen set for himself.
When Ragen found out that he was again getting called into the USMNT for this year’s January camp, “it felt like a culmination of my whole career.”
Before he could realize that dream, though, he was informed that he wouldn’t get the opportunity after all. A dispute over the length of Ragen’s release led to U.S. Soccer revoking the invitation.
“It’s an exciting time with a new coach and the World Cup coming up,” Ragen told reporters following Wednesday’s training session. “I got a call that I was getting called in and was super excited about it. But then I was called by the club and they let me know that I was not going to be going. That left me feeling pretty discouraged and maybe disappointed that I was getting that opportunity taken from me.”
With the situation still “a little raw”, Ragen declined to elaborate further.
Jeremiah Oshan
The feelings are certainly understandable, but the situation is also not as simple as it seems like it should be.
Unlike most USMNT training camps, this one falls outside of a mandated FIFA window. As such, clubs are under no obligation to release players and based on the extreme inexperience of this camp’s roster, it appears the Sounders were far from alone in declining Ragen’s call-up.
Still, the Sounders were apparently willing to release Ragen, just not for the full camp. A team source indicated they told U.S. Soccer that Ragen could miss the first week of preseason, but wanted him back after the USMNT friendly on Jan. 18. Unlike last year when they released both Ragen and Josh Atencio for the January camp, the Sounders have a Concacaf Champions Cup match on Feb. 19. Not only do the Sounders want their players for as much of preseason as possible, there’s also a concern about rushing them into game action so early. U.S. Soccer, which has a second match scheduled on Feb. 22, decided they either needed Ragen for the entire camp or not at all.
The dispute is broadly similar to the one that cost Jordan Morris a spot on the United States Olympic team last summer.
Somewhat coincidentally, U.S. Soccer also announced on Wednesday that new Sounders signing Jesús Ferreira has been dismissed from the training camp along with Jalen Neal.
“After an initial medical and physical evaluation, Ferreira was provided an individual training program and will now join Seattle Sounders FC so he can focus on returning to full fitness,” U.S. Soccer said in a statement.
