The United States, as you well know, doesn’t have a World Cup to prepare for in the near future, but building a team for the next cycle is of critical importance. Qatar 2022 may feel far off, but kicking the can down the road is a major factor in the USMNT’s qualifying debacle last year. For tonight’s game against Paraguay, interim head coach Dave Sarachan has wisely called up a squad of players who mostly have fewer than 10 caps (including eight players who have never appeared for the senior team).
With nothing to play for, it’s the right time to get experimental and see which promising youngsters are ready for more serious consideration once the games get more serious. Players who do well now should be in consideration for a far more busy 2019, which features a Gold Cup, the pointless CONCACAF Nations League, and the more notable Copa America.
Location: Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park (Cary, NC)
Kickoff time: 7:30pm Eastern
Projected USMNT starting 11: (433) - Bill Hamid; DeAndre Yedlin, Matt Miazga, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Antonee Robinson; Tyler Adams, Wil Trapp, Weston McKinnie; Kekuta Manneh, Bobby Wood, Kenny Saief
Bench: Zack Steffen, Alex Bono, Shaq Moore, Eric Lichaj, Eric Palmer-Brown, Jorge Villafaña, Marky Delgado, Cristian Roldan, Darlington Nagbe, Tim Weah, Rubio Rubin, Andrija Novakovich
Starts today would give Robinson and Manneh their first caps. Moore, Delgado, Weah, and Novakovich seem like solid bets to do the same as subs today, while Bono and Palmer-Brown could do the same if Dave Sarachan opts to send them in.
Available TV: Fox Sports 1, UniMas
Available streaming: Fox Sports Go, Fox Soccer Match Pass, Univision Now, Univision Deportes app
For listings in other countries, check out LiveSoccerTV.com.
What do we our friends have to say about it?: Stars and Stripes has both a preview of this game and a broad view of where the U.S. program is these days.
What are you drinking?: I will actually be at the movies when this game goes down, so unless this is a theater where you can order a beer, probably just water.
This is the place for all your pre-game, in-game, and post-game discussion.