LAST MONTH DURING the September window, United States national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino said it was the last opportunity for him to look at new players before the World Cup. After all, there were only games in October, November, and March before final cuts would have to be made. But when the roster for the October window was announced, there was room for one new player who had yet to play under Pochettino. That was St. Pauli’s James Sands.

Sands, 25, is not a stranger to the U.S. national team but he hasn’t been called up since the summer of 2023. Even despite the U.S. manager’s comments about September being the last chance for new players, Sands always believed he had a chance.

“I definitely heard Poch saying that, but I would say I always felt if I was playing in a league as strong as the Bundesliga, the door would always be a little bit open,” Sands told American Soccer Now last week. “I never had the feeling that I was completely out of it and thankfully I've started the season here well and played against good opposition. I think any coach would value a player who's playing at a high level.”

Sands forced his way back into the mix with a remarkable 2025 that began in January when he was scheduled to be part of the U.S. national team’s January camp. But those plans changed when he secured a six-month loan from New York City FC to St. Pauli in the Bundesliga. In his first five games for St. Pauli, Sands earned very positive reviews for his performances but that all changed in February when he suffered a gruesome injury at the end of a 1-0 loss to Freiburg. He was immediately taken to the hospital for surgery to repair a broken ankle that also involved a fractured fibula and torn medial collateral ligament.

In addition to the pain of the injury, Sands now faced uncertainty in his career over his loan to St. Pauli, the United States national team, and whether he would completely recover.

“It was really tough for me - for a couple of reasons,” Sands explained. “The nature of the injury was quite significant, and it was the first really serious injury I've suffered in my career. On top of how I had started – in making a good impact – it was tough. Also, I was only there on a six-month loan at that point, I didn't know if I had done enough yet for them to bring me back. Dealing with all the uncertainty was difficult.”

“They gave me the option to keep doing the rehab there or back in New York,” he continued. “I thought about it, but I decided I wanted to be with St. Pauli next season, so it was important I do the whole rehab there. They had a very good team of people around me. The rehab process was tough - not a lot of off-days, very efficient. But they said from day one, if you follow all the steps, you'll be back by preseason and ready to go. That motivated me.”

The medical team in Germany proved to be correct. Despite the serious nature of his injury, Sands was back on the field by the summer. St. Pauli also extended his loan from NYCFC through the 2025/26 season, which gave Sands stability.

Sands immediately reclaimed his starting job as St. Pauli’s defensive midfielder and the club currently sits 10^th in the Bundesliga. His best game of the year came on August 29 when he went the full 90 minutes in a 2-0 away win over Hamburg in the intense Hamburg Derby, which added to the list of impressive derby matches Sands has participated – the Old Firm, USMNT vs. Mexico, Hudson River Derby.

“It's even hard for me to like truly grasp what it means to the people here,” Sands said. “The one we played last month was the first meeting between the two teams in the first division for a while. It was especially important. Germany has such an intense fan culture that that game was just incredible. I've played in the Old Firm as well, so I felt well prepared to deal with this one.”

Now his big 2025 year will hit another important moment in his return to the U.S. team. He has 13 caps but most of his appearances have come in the 2021 and 2023 Gold Cups. In 2021, he enjoyed his most successful year as a professional when he won the Gold Cup with the United States after a thrilling 1-0 victory over Mexico in the final and MLS Cup with NYCFC.

Prior to arriving in camp, Sands admitted he didn’t really “know what to expect” but was ready to do whatever was asked of him. But the good news for him is that there is a clear need for a defensive midfielder.

Veteran Tyler Adams is not involved with the team this month as his wife is expecting, and one of the team’s biggest concerns for years has been finding a backup to Adams in defensive midfield. That has created an opening for Sands.

“People know what a good player Tyler is, the way he covers ground and is able to disrupt - that's his strongest quality as a midfielder - and also his leadership, obviously,” Sands said. “For myself, I also try and bring that defensive ability and being able to cover ground. I think one of my big strengths is how I understand the game. I played a lot in the back three. I've played as a lone No. 6, I've played with two No. 6's. That versatility helps me see the game from multiple points of view. That's kind of a unique thing that I bring and that's something that could help the team.”

Throughout most of his career, Sands has been known as a versatile player and spent most of his career platooning between central defense and defensive midfield. But after his loan to Rangers was cut short in March 2023, he returned to NYCFC and had discussions with the club about focusing entirely on being a defensive midfielder.

The move was successful, and Sands became one of the top defensive midfielders in MLS for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. That opened doors for the move to St. Pauli, where he made a quick and smooth transition into the Bundesliga.

Sands is a different player now than his earlier times with the U.S. national team, but he is also prepared to step into central defense again if needed – especially with Pochettino utilizing a three-man backline like the formation Sands played at NYCFC under then manager Domènec Torrent.

“That was a big discussion I had with NYCFC in 2023,” Sands said of shifting to exclusively to defensive midfield. “I played as a holding midfielder every game for the two years I was there and then I've played pretty much every game here with St. Pauli as a holding mid. Having game after game at one position has really helped me develop. That's not to say I won't ever play center back again. It's just that I really wanted to play in a top five league. I felt playing as a midfielder gave me the best chance to do that.”

“But I would add the national team is a completely different thing,” he added. “Sometimes it's just about filling in where the team needs you. Rosters are so hard to make in general that if the coach comes to me and says, we want you to play center back. Obviously, I would jump at the opportunity.”

Heading into this camp, Sands is happy with where he is as a player. He’s performing well in the Bundesliga and has overcome a serious injury. Now he is riding a wave of confidence and positive momentum into this camp.

“Any player you ask would say playing in a home World Cup would be the highlight of their career,” Sands said. “I just don't think it's very helpful to be thinking about it all the time. I feel confident if I do my thing at a club level and focus all my energy on that then things will turn out however they will turn out. But at least I will have given it my all.”

“I'm just super excited,” he continued. “It's kind of been a long road back for me into the national team. I haven't been called in in a while, so it was always my goal to get back into the picture and to do that, especially after having such a serious injury at the beginning of this year makes it that much more important.”