USMNT: Sarachan goes with young lineup ahead of Bolivia friendly

In a week’s time, the USMNT will be back in action against Bolivia for a Memorial Day friendly. And their lineup is exciting.

Unsurprisingly, USMNT head coach Dave Sarachan went with a very young group of players for the friendly. With an average age of 22, this roster will display some of the top talents in the current U.S. player base.

European based players make up the majority of the spots on the roster with a few Major League Soccer players getting the call-up as well.

Here’s the complete 22-player roster.

Goalkeepers-Alex Bono (Toronto FC) Bill Hamid (FC Midtyjlland) Ethan Horvath (Club Brugge)

Defenders-Cameron Carter-Vickers (Tottenham Hotspur) Eric Lichaj (Nottingham Forrest) Matt Miazga (Chelsea) Matthew Olosounde (Manchester United) Erik Palmer-Brown (Manchester City) Antonee Robinson (Everton) Jorge Villafaña (Santos Laguna) Walker Zimmerman (LAFC)

Midfielders-Joe Corona (Club Tijuana) Lynden Gooch (Sunderland) Julian Green (Stuttgart) Alejandro Guido (Club Tijuana) Weston McKennie (Schalke) Keaton Parks (Benfica) Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund) Rubio Rubin (Club Tijuana) Timothy Weah (PSG)

Forwards-Andrija Novakovich (Reading) Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen)

Pulisic returns while Sargent looks to establish

Christian Pulisic is set to put on the U.S. kit for the first time since the heartbreaking loss to Trinidad & Tobago in World Cup qualifying. Following another stellar campaign with Borussia Dortmund, Pulisic returns as the USMNT’s outright star player. Although it is just a friendly, it will be interesting to see any type of noticeable chemistry in the midfield between Pulisic and his other young teammates.

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As promised, Josh Sargent got the call-up to the senior team. The striker is arguably one of the top U.S. players to watch in the coming 2018-19 season as he could see first-team minutes with Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga. If Sargent gets on the scoresheet in this match then the upcoming hype will only grow.

The Unknowns

The casual USMNT supporter may not be very familiar with names such as Keaton Parks and Matthew Olosounde. These two players have not been mainstays on their respective senior teams and as a result have slightly been under the radar to many. However, they are both extremely talented and have shown much upside in their future careers.

Alejandro Guido could also be added to this list as this marks the first time he has been called up to represent the U.S.

Julian Green is back

Green has not been featured for the USMNT in quite some time. Having been a part of the 2014 World Cup squad, he is the only player on the roster to have played in the event. This is overall a great move by Sarachan to bring in Green for the friendly. He has not had an easy time in Germany this season but he has the quality to make an impact in the next World Cup qualifying campaign.

Goalkeeping Situation

Toronto FC goalkeeper Alex Bono was named to yet another USMNT roster as he searches for his first appearances for the Stars and Stripes. Bill Hamid has to be the top goalkeeper coming into camp, he has been featured for Midtyjlland a few times in the recent months.

Next: 3 Things Learned: Toronto vs Orlando

Ethan Horvath is a bit of a surprise after struggling to find minutes with Brugge in Belgium. But considering he started three matches in the Jupiler Pro League playoffs this past month, the choice is understandable.

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