The USMNT return to action on Tuesday, March 27, taking on Paraguay in an international friendly at 7 PM ET in Cary, North Carolina. After failing to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1986, the United States recently appointed David Sarachan as interim manager, and Sarachan has turned an eye toward the future of U.S. Soccer with an emphasis on tapping into the nation's pipeline of top young prospects. That focus on the future will continue against Paraguay on Tuesday, as numerous players look to make strong first impressions with the USMNT.
Sarachan's current roster features eight uncapped players and ten others with five caps or fewer. Among the 23-man roster, 12 players have made appearances for the U-20 National Team, and the average age is just 23 years old.
While Tuesday's lineup will likely feature a variety of new faces in comparison to past USMNT lineups, the squad is still composed of some of the top young American talents who have been turning heads around the world. Weston McKinnie (Schalke), Tim Weah (Paris Saint-Germaine), Shaq Moore (Levante), Matt Mizaga (Vitesse) and DeAndre Yedlin (Newcastle United) have all made appearances overseas for top-flight teams.
No D.C. United players are on the USMNT's roster for Tuesday's friendly, but the Black-and-Red boast a number of prospects in the U.S. Soccer youth pipeline. Goal USA recently named the top-50 Americans to keep an eye on for the 2022 World Cup, and included on the list were United's Paul Arriola, Chris Durkin, and Russell Canouse, coming in at #13, #20, and #41, respectively.
Arriola made his senior team debut on May 22, 2016, against Puerto Rico and notched his first goal the very same night. The midfielder has since become a familiar face in the American lineup, earning 16 caps so far. Durkin was a standout on the U-17 National Team, helping lead the Baby Nats in the U-17 World Cup as a defensive midfielder/center back. Canouse is an alum of the U.S. Youth National Team system and earned his first senior team call-up during U.S. Soccer's annual January Camp. Ian Harkes also earned his first senior team call-up during this year's January Camp.
USMNT Outlook
The Americans are still moving forward from a disappointing qualification run, where they failed the make the World Cup for the first time since 1986. The process of rebuilding for the future began last November, when a fresh-faced American squad returned to the pitch for a friendly against the UEFA Euro 2016 champions, Portugal. Weston McKinnie notched a goal in his senior team debut in the 21st minute of the fixture, and the Americans earned a 1-1 draw.
Most recently, the USMNT fought to a draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina in January, and United's Paul Arriola came on as a sub for Gyasi Zardes at the half.
Paraguay Outlook
Similar to the United States, Paraguay have appointed an interim manager of their own, Gustavo Morinigo, after missing out on qualifying for the 2018 World Cup.
Paraguay took on Venezuela in their final match of the CONMEBOL qualification campaign, and to their disappointment conceded in the 84th minute of the fixture allowing Venezuela to win 1-0, effectively crushing their hopes of heading to Russia this summer.
Four players will be looking to earn their first caps for the Paraguayan side: Alfero Aguliar and Richard Sanchez of Club Deportivo Olimpia, Roberto Ovelar of Millionarios, and Luis de la Cruz of Guarani.
History
The United States and Paraguay go way back. The countries first met in the 1930 World Cup, when the U.S. won 3-0. Most recently, the sides battled in the Copa America competition in 2016—Clint Dempsey scored the lone goal of the fixture to secure a 1-0 victory for the Yanks.
In total, the USMNT and Paraguay have met seven times on the international stage, with the United States holding a slight 3-2-2 advantage over the Paraguayans all-time.
