USMNT: Dave Sarachan selects young squad vs. Bolivia

The USMNT is set to face off against Bolivia in a friendly on May 28th and manager Dave Sarachan has opted for a youthful squad.

It is fitting that this new era of the USMNT will kick off on Memorial Day as this may be remembered as the dawn of a new age in the US soccer history. In a time when they should have been preparing for a World Cup, they are instead looking to the future.

With an average age of just under 23-years-old, this may be the youngest USMNT squad to feature in a senior level match in a very long time.

The USMNT will be taking on a relative minnow in CONMEBOL side Bolivia who have not made a World Cup since 1994. However, they played a big role in keeping Chile out of the World Cup with a 1-0 victory over them in a qualifying match.

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La Verde, or Los Altiplanicos as they are known, have a wicked home-field advantage because of the high altitude of their stadium. That said, this should should be of no concern to the USMNT as this friendly will take place just outside Philadelphia.

The USMNT headliner for the match is none other than Pennsylvania native Christian Pulisic. He grew up in Hershey, PA before making the move to Germany to join Borussia Dortmund. Pulisic has made nearly 100 appearances for Dortmund since 2015, a remarkable feat for a player who won’t turn 20 until September of this year.

He is not only one of the most exciting young players in USMNT history but is a legitimate European prospect supposedly being courted by the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United. The dynamic youngster is the new face of US Soccer and he has already paid dividends with nine goals in just 20 appearances, a fantastic return for a player doing the majority of his work on the wing.

Other notable players in the roster include Chelsea’s Matt Miazga who was one of the best players on loan for Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem, Cameron Carter-Vickers of Tottenham who was on loan at Sheffield United and Ipswich Town this season, and Weston McKennie who made 22 league appearances for Bundesliga side Schalke and helped them finish second and earn a Champions League place.

Julian Green is also making his return to the squad from the wilderness of the German second division and at 22-years-old is the only player on the squad with World Cup experience. The other “senior” members of the squad are Eric Lichaj with 14 caps and Jorge Villafaña with 16 caps to their names.

Obviously, not all of these players will end up with 100+ caps like the likes of Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan but it was clear after the qualifying debacle that it is time for some new blood to be thrown in to the mix. These youngsters will get their chances in the next four years but for many this will be their first chance to impress in a USMNT shirt.

Without further do, here is the USMNT roster as provided by US Soccer:

Detailed Roster by Position (Club; Caps/Goals)

GOALKEEPERS (3): Alex Bono (Toronto FC/CAN; 0/0), Bill Hamid (Midtjylland/DEN; 5/0), Ethan Horvath (Club Brugge/BEL; 2/0)

DEFENDERS (8): Cameron Carter-Vickers (Tottenham Hotspur/ENG; 2/0), Eric Lichaj (Nottingham Forest/ENG; 14/1), Matt Miazga (Chelsea/ENG; 5/1), Matthew Olosunde (Manchester United/ENG; 0/0), Erik Palmer-Brown (Manchester City/ENG; 0/0), Antonee Robinson (Everton/ENG; 0/0), Jorge Villafaña (Santos Laguna/MEX; 16/0), Walker Zimmerman (LAFC; 2/0)

MIDFIELDERS (9): Joe Corona (Club Tijuana/MEX; 20/3), Lynden Gooch (Sunderland/ENG; 3/0), Julian Green (Stuttgart/GER; 8/3), Alejandro Guido (Club Tijuana/MEX; 0/0), Weston McKennie (Schalke/GER; 1/1), Keaton Parks (Benfica/POR; 0/0), Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund/GER; 20/9), Rubio Rubin (Club Tijuana/MEX; 5/0), Tim Weah (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA; 1/0)

FORWARDS (2): Andrija Novakovich (Reading/ENG; 1/0), Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen/GER; 0/0)

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Which three players stand out for you in this squad?