USMNT vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina: Preview and How to Watch
By Daniel Garza
After a disastrous end to 2017, the USMNT kicks off 2018 against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Sunday, with a squad full of youth and new faces.
The bad taste of 2017 is now behind us as the USMNT look to recover from a shock result in Wolrd Cup qualifying. With no World Cup participation this year, Sunday’s match will provide a young crop of talent the opportunity to showcase their chemistry and potential future as teammates.
This will be a very young U.S. roster going up against Bosnia and Herzegovina. There were a total of 15 players selected for the training camp that have yet to make a single appearance for the USMNT. Gyasi Zardes has the most caps on the roster with 37.
All but two players for the USMNT are members of Major League Soccer clubs as this match is taking place outside of the FIFA international calendar. As a result, the big European stars of each team will not be on hand.
The USMNT Squad
Some of the young USMNT players to watch for on Sunday include Jordan Morris, Paul Arriola, Wil Trapp, and Brandon Vincent. Morris was a key part of the U.S. squad during 2017 as he netted four goals in 13 appearances. He will be seen as a leader during this camp and is looking to bounce back after a difficult 2017.
A few players from the U-20 World Cup squad are available as well, including Brooks Lennon, Tyler Adams, Justen Glad, and Danny Acosta.
Christian Ramirez, who had a solid debut season for Minnesota United with 14 goals in 30 appearances, is making his first camp appearance. Other potent goalscorers on the roster include Juan Agudelo and CJ Sapong.
In net, Bill Hamid of FC Midtjylland (Denmark) is the most experience and is joined by a trio of MLS young talents – Alex Bono, Zach Steffan, and Cody Cropper.
Ike Opara, who was the MLS Defender of the Year, and All-MLS team selection Justin Morrow highlight the backline which also includes Brandon Vincent and Walker Zimmerman.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Much like the Americans, Bosnia and Herzegovina bring a large group of domestic league players with them. One name MLS fans will recognize on the roster for the visitors is Haris Medunjian of the Philadelphia Union. Medunjan played in 34 matches for the Union in 2017 which was his first season in MLS.
An interesting story on the Bosnia and Herzegovina roster is Elvir Ibisevic, who is a member of the University Nebraska-Ohama team and a former member of the Sporting Kansas City U-18 squad.
Bosnia and Herzegovina are in a similar position to the U.S. having failed to qualify for the World Cup this cycle. They have a new manager on the sidelines as well as Robert Prosinecki makes his coaching debut for the European nation.
Next: Transfer News: USMNT midfielder signs with Man City?
How to Watch
When: Sunday, Jan 28-9:30 p.m. ET
Where: StubHub Center-Carson City, California
How to Watch: FS1, UniMas, UDN
Live Stream: Fox Sports Go