USMNT Roster Analysis: Tim Weah’s time to shine

The United States Men’s National Team roster for the upcoming Paraguay friendly was announced on Sunday. Here’s a brief analysis of the USMNT team.

USMNT manager Dave Sarachan went with another young lineup for the upcoming friendly against Paraguay, as a total of 22 players were called upon.

Here’s the complete roster of the group of players that will travel to North Carolina in preparation for the friendly match.

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Goalkeepers 

Alex Bono (Toronto FC)

Bill Hamid (FC Midtjylland)

Zack Steffen (Columbus Crew)

Defenders 

Camer Carter-Vickers (Ipswich Town)

Eric Lichaj (Nottingham Forest)

Matt Miazga (Vitesse)

Shaq Moore (Levante)

Erik Palmer-Brown (Kortjik)

Antonee Robinson (Bolton Wanders)

Jorge Villafana (Santos Laguna)

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DeAndre Yedlin (Newcastle United)

Midfielders 

Tyler Adams (New York Red Bulls)

Marky Delgado (Toronto FC)

Weston Mckennie (Schalke)

Darlington Nagbe (Atlanta United)

Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders)

Kenny Saief (Anderlecht)

Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew)

Tim Weah (Paris Saint-Germain)

Forwards 

Andrija Novakovich (Telestar)

Rubio Rubin (Club Tijuana)

Bobby Wood (Hamburg)

Analysis

• This an extremely young roster but there’s plenty of talent. Overall, it is a very decent team sheet. A mixture of Major League Soccer and international clubs will be represented which is also very good to see.
• Perhaps the most intriguing player on this roster is Tim Weah. The midfielder has recently made two appearances as a substitute for Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1. At just 18, he is perhaps the top prospect to become the next superstar to represent the Stars and Stripes.
• The entire backline is all made of players who play for clubs outside the United States. If you keep up with our Americans Abroad update then you will recognize most of those names. One surprise here is that Tim Ream was left off of the roster. The Fulham defender has been having a terrific season and is one of the best American defenders in the game, but at the age of 30, the USMNT staff solidifies their stance on wanting to stay as young as possible.
• Kenny Saief will be a key player to watch. The Anderlecht midfielder has proven to be a regular starter in the Jupiler Pro League. Saief has one goal and three assists in 12 appearances in the Belgian top flight.
• Weston Mckennie has recently returned for Schalke in the Bundesliga and, much like Weah, he has a very bright future playing for the USMNT.
• Andrija Novakovich is one player that absolutely deserved to be named to this roster. In the Dutch second division, he has 17 goals in 28 appearances for Telestar. This is his first time being selected for the national team and if he gets playing time in the friendly then be on the lookout for the striker.
• The goalkeeper situation is an interesting one. Bill Hamid has not been the regular starter for his new club Midtjylland in Denmark but Zach Steffen and Alex Bono have both been active in MLS. Steffen is having the better season, although early, out of these three, and one has to think he comes in as the projected starter.

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The friendly against Paraguay will take place on Tuesday, March 23rd at 7:30 p.m.