Union’s Nathan Harriel is enjoying the spoils of being a utility man for club and now for country with the USMNT

Harriel's ability to be a man of many positions earned him his senior debut for the national team. Next up? Win the Gold Cup.

Nathan Harriel practices with the U.S. men's soccer team on June 2 in Chicago. He earned his first senior-level call-up and made the U.S. squad for the Concacaf Gold Cup.Read moreJonathan Tannenwald / Staff

by Kerith Gabriel

Published June 10, 2025, 8:00 a.m. ET

From the outside looking in, Nathan Harriel is continually in the right place at the right time, despite his unassuming presence.

Harriel rebounded from an early-season injury and returned to the pitch in late March. He rewarded the Union with the game-tying goal in a comeback road win over Toronto FC on May 28.

From the inside looking out, everyone who works with Harriel, from coaches to teammates, attests to a work ethic that made it little surprise when his name ended up on the U.S. men’s national team roster for summer training camp.

It was a bit surprising, however, to see that the native Floridian made the 26-man roster for the United States’ upcoming run in the Concacaf Gold Cup, which begins Sunday.

For Harriel, the opinions from both sides are appreciated, but they don’t define the 24-year-old and what he has accomplished for his club — and now for his country.

“It’s always an honor to be on that list for the U.S. national team,” Harriel said shortly before leaving to join the team’s camp last week in Chicago. “It doesn’t matter if it’s for the [Concacaf] Nations League or the Gold Cup, anything to do with the U.S., it’s always an honor to be a part of.”

Harriel’s intangibles are not quite what you’d expect from the typical defensive-minded player. For starters, he’s unafraid to break out of the Union’s third and attack opposing defenders, using his speed to zoom past.

He won’t necessarily outsmart foes with impressive moves; he instead relies on every inch of a 5-foot-10, 150-pound frame to keep defenders at bay and pose a consistent threat in the final third.

Early this season, Harriel missed multiple weeks with a nagging thigh injury. Still, with two goals this year, he’s already matched his total from last season. His first goal came May 14 vs. the L.A. Galaxy, and the second was a well-timed header off a Union restart that Toronto goalkeeper Sean Johnson had no chance of snagging.

It showcased another one of his skills.

“He’s excellent in the air,” said Union manager Bradley Carnell. “But really, he can do it all: He can supply, he can get crosses off, he can shoot, he can dribble. So, really, he has a good range and awareness of when to do what [he has to do to create opportunities], and that’s what brought him into this window of selection for the Gold Cup.”

Harriel’s versatility for the Union undoubtedly is what got him noticed by U.S. boss Mauricio Pochettino. The call-up is Harriel’s first at the senior level, but he had cracked the roster of U.S. youth national teams.

Harriel admitted that his game is always a work in progress, but it’s gotten him looks from Pochettino just one year out from the World Cup, a tournament with a great deal of uncertainty for American fans — and even for some players.

Harriel’s thigh injury “was really unfortunate timing,” Carnell said. “We know what type of player he is and the qualities he has. He’s a right back, but sometimes he’s a left back, sometimes he’s a little higher. We’ve had him in multiple positions, but that’s because of the qualities he possesses as a player.”

In the first of two friendlies for the U.S. team ahead of the Gold Cup, Harriel entered the match in the 65th minute as an attacking midfielder with the U.S. looking to snatch a goal back in an eventual 2-1 loss to Turkey.

“I’ll play wherever I’m asked to go in and make a difference,” Harriel said. “Like I said before, playing for your country is an honor that not many players will get to do. My job is to go in and try to impact the game, try to do the things that put the team in the best position to win.”

The U.S. might need to rely on those qualities in a friendly against Switzerland on Tuesday (8 p.m., TNT) before the start of group play in the Gold Cup against Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday (6 p.m., Fox29).

“This is very physically demanding, but I think that’s what suits the U.S. the best: the physical abilities we have as a country,” Harriel said. “I’d like to think I possess a lot of those attributes, and I’m looking to be on the front foot and see where it takes me ... it’s pressure I’m ready for.”