ATLANTA – Of the 25 players called up to the U.S. Men’s National Team ahead of the 2026/27 Concacaf Nations League Quarterfinals against Haiti, just two are uncapped: Nashville SC defender Reed Baker-Whiting and SC Paderborn 07 midfielder Santiago Castañeda. The pair of 21-year-olds and U.S. Youth National Team products will have the chance to earn their first USMNT cap during a two-legged series against Haiti, beginning in Miami on Nov. 14 before concluding in Cincinnati on Nov. 17.
For both players, their paths to the USMNT have been quite different. Baker-Whiting grew up in Seattle and is a Seattle Sounders FC Academy product. He made his professional debut with the Sounders’ development team, Tacoma Defiance, in the USL Championship in 2020, before joining the Sounders’ first team on a four-year contract in 2021. He made his MLS debut in a 2-0 victory against LAFC on May 16, 2021, later scoring his first Sounders goal in a thrilling 5-4 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup victory over San Diego Loyal SC in 2023.
Baker-Whiting made 79 appearances for the Sounders—including two at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup against Botafogo and Atlético Madrid—and 55 appearances for Defiance between 2020 and 2025. During his time in Seattle, he helped the first team win the 2022 Concacaf Champions Cup and the 2025 Leagues Cup. He was traded to Nashville SC in February 2026 for $1.1 million. In all competitions with NSC this season, Baker-Whiting made 37 appearances, scored three goals, recorded two assists and helped Nashville win its first Supporters’ Shield while setting a league record with 77 points (23W-3L-8D).
For Castañeda, the Tampa native developed with MLS NEXT’s Tampa Bay United and ECNL side Florida Premier FC before joining the Tampa Bay Rowdies on a USL Academy contract in 2022. One day after signing with the Rowdies, Castañeda made his professional debut in the Second Round of the 2022 U.S. Open Cup, entering the match against USL League Two side The Villages SC as a substitute in the 73rd minute at Al Lang Stadium. The midfielder made just one additional appearance with Tampa Bay—a USL Championship contest against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC on June 25, 2022—later signing with German 3. Liga side MSV Duisburg in March 2023.
Castañeda made 33 appearances for Duisburg during the 2023-24 season, notching five goal contributions for the Zebras and earning a move to 2. Bundesliga side SC Paderborn in May 2024. Over his first two seasons in Paderborn, Castañeda made 68 appearances across all competitions, helping his side earn promotion to the Bundesliga for the first time since the 2019-20 season. In his first game of the 2026-27 season, Castañeda scored against 1. FC Phönix Lübeck in the DFB-Pokal on Aug. 23 before notching his first Bundesliga goal against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on Sept. 20. The 21-year-old has played every minute of SC Paderborn’s competitive schedule this season (990 minutes), in addition to logging 58 minutes of an international exhibition victory against MLS side D.C. United on Sept. 30.
With Baker-Whiting and Castañeda at the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center ahead of the Concacaf Nations League matches against Haiti, we sat down with the two newcomers to learn more about their journeys to the USMNT.
What's it like getting your first USMNT call-up and being here at the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center?
Santiago Castañeda: For me, it's a dream come true that I'm able to be here and be a part of this group and have this experience. Overall, just happy and excited to be here.
Reed Baker-Whiting: Another dream for me. Something we've both worked a lot toward, and it's been amazing so far. Being a part of this level, feeling that we're really here, playing at this level with this group of people, it's been awesome. Super happy.
What are your earliest and fondest memories of the USMNT?
SC: For me, it was the 2014 World Cup. We had that group with Portugal, Germany and Ghana. After watching that, it was really cool for me to see the USA, the country that I grew up in, competing in a World Cup like that and against big teams and big players. For me, it was the start of a dream that I wanted to be there one day, playing in a World Cup.
RBW: Definitely the 2014 World Cup for me as well. Watching Jermaine Jones score against Portugal, then later having him as a coach with the U.S. Youth National Teams. Now being here, it's been amazing to be a part of it after once watching it on TV. It's really been awesome.
You both made your professional debuts just a few years ago. Santi, yours was in the U.S. Open Cup for the Tampa Bay Rowdies in 2022, and Reed, yours was in the USL Championship for Tacoma Defiance in 2020. Walk me through your debuts. What do you remember about those games?
SC: For me, it was a crazy day. I was in school earlier in the morning, and I knew that at night there was a good chance I could probably play in the Open Cup. As the game went on—we won 6-0—each goal that we scored felt like more of a chance for me to get into the game.
I got into the game for the last 20 minutes, and honestly, it was great. The first time playing at Al Lang Stadium was very special for me. Growing up in the Tampa area, it meant a lot to me, and it was nice to have my family there as well. Overall, it was a great experience.
RBW: For me, it was a 3-3 draw against Sacramento Republic FC. That was an awesome game. [Sacramento] was a good team, and getting subbed into that game was really awesome. I remember how fast everything felt at the time. Playing against adults for the first time, the game felt super intense.
It was just an awesome experience, and I knew I wanted to keep playing and keep being in games like this. We've progressed since then, but the feeling of first getting subbed on was just amazing. How fast the game felt as a 15-year-old was a really awesome feeling.
