USMNT: The search for a striker continues

The US Men’s National Team struggled to a 2-0 loss to Brazil. They now face Mexico in the second of two friendlies. In it, the USMNT will be continuing their search for a striker.

The US Men’s National Team are starting again. After the debacle of failing to qualify for last summer’s World Cup, the USMNT decided to rip everything up, start over and build from the bottom once again with an influx of exciting young talent right across the pitch.

Given the vast quality and potential that U.S. soccer currently boasts at the youth levels, it is a smart approach. There is a great collection of burgeoning players at several positions around which to build. And the U.S. set-up is embracing the new and the fresh.

Unfortunately, that new and fresh hasn’t quite extended to the striker position. Jozy Altidore was the man who stepped up and apologised on Twitter — others did also, of course. But the Toronto FC striker, who has struggled with injuries this season, has not been included in the international set-up since.

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That is because the U.S. want to move onwards and upwards, and younger also. The two strikers who featured in the latest match, a 2-0 friendly loss to Brazil, were Bobby Wood and Gyasi Zardes. Neither particularly impressed, although the lack of service thanks to Brazil’s domination of possession, and questions about both of them abound.

Zardes is enjoying the best year of his career, scoring 15 goals for the Columbus Crew, while Wood continues to ply his trade at Hannover, though he has only played 45 minutes of Bundesliga football and is now 25 years of age — he needs to be playing and he isn’t.

So if Altidore is not a part of this new cycle and if Wood and Zardes are largely unconvincing, then who can the USMNT turn to to lead the line? It is not a question with a clear and obvious answer.

https://twitter.com/UnivisionSports/status/1038221057432334337

One option is Tim Weah, who is named on the current roster for the two friendlies and could feature in the latter, which is against Mexico on Tuesday night. The Paris Saint-Germain youngster has excited fans with his rare blend of speed, dribbling ability and calmness in front of goal coming to the fore.

Another is Josh Sargent, another young striker who has ventured to Europe to try and ignite his career. Currently at Werder Bremen, Sargent has been playing well for the reserves, showcasing a ruthlessness in front of goal that highlights a natural goalscoring ability in and around the penalty area, but has found it difficult to earn senior minutes.

Again, though, neither Weah nor Sargent is a guaranteed success at the striker position. It would be extremely risky for the USMNT to entrust the position to such youth, inexperience and variance.

The search for a striker continues, then, for the USMNT. The Mexico match will provide more evidence with Wood and Zardes hoping to establish themselves at the forefront of the landscape. But, for now, the question remains and the answers are unconvincing.