By The Numbers: Experience Gained for Transitional MNT Under Sarachan
With an eye towards the future, the U.S. Men's National Team has made the most out of its transitional phase the past eight months
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The U.S. Men’s National Team’s next generation completed the first half of its 2018 schedule with a hard-earned 1-1 draw against No. 7-ranked France on Saturday in Lyon. Youth has been the theme for the MNT squad since last November, and as a result head coach Dave Sarachan continuously utilized the opportunity to give an impressive number of debuts to rising young players.
In six matches guiding the MNT, Sarachan awarded 18 players with their first senior appearances. During the five matches in 2018 alone, that number stands at an eye-opening 15 players, already the third most in a calendar year and not far off from the two leading years of 1992 (21) and 2007 (20).
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MNT Debuts By Year |
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Year |
Debuts |
Future World Cup Players That Debuted |
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1992 |
21 |
Mike Burns, Thomas Dooley, Brad Friedel, Cobi Jones, Mike Lapper, Joe-Max Moore, Mike Sorber, Roy Wegerle |
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2007 |
20 |
Jozy Altidore, Kyle Beckerman, Jonathan Bornstein, Jay DeMerit, Maurice Edu, Benny Feilhaber, Robbie Findley |
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2018 |
15 |
-- |
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1996 |
14 |
Frankie Hejduk, Eddie Lewis, Preki |
Showing a clear eye towards building the MNT for the future, Sarachan trotted out the two youngest lineups in the program’s Modern Era (1990-present) this past month against Bolivia (22 years, 160 days) and France (22 years, 183 days).
Seventeen of the 18 players getting debuts since November came in under 24 years old at the time of their first caps, while 10 of them will be age-eligible to represent the U-23 MNT in the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying tournament and 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo.
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Olympic Eligible MNT Debuts (November 2017-present) |
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Player |
Debut |
Debut Age |
2020 Age* |
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Tyler Adams |
Nov. 14, 2017 at Portugal |
18 |
21 |
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Cameron Carter-Vickers |
19 |
22 |
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Weston McKennie |
19 |
21 |
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Tim Weah |
March 28, 2018 vs. Paraguay |
18 |
20 |
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Erik Palmer-Brown |
May 28, 2018 vs. Bolivia |
21 |
23 |
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Antonee Robinson |
20 |
22 |
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Keaton Parks |
20 |
22 |
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Matt Olosunde |
20 |
22 |
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Josh Sargent |
18 |
20 |
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Luca de la Torre |
June 2, 2018 at Ireland |
20 |
22 |
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*2020 age reflects age at start of the Summer Olympics -- July 22, 2020 |
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While the last eight months have served as a transitional period for the MNT program, the numbers indicate a great foundation has been built for the team as it continues with what will be a challenging schedule this fall.
See the full figures below:
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MNT Player Pool Breakdown (November 2017-present) |
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Called to Camp |
Appeared |
First Camps |
First Caps |
First Starts |
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63 |
47 |
22 |
18 |
15 |
The six-game set – in which the MNT posted a 2-1-3 record - included draws on the road against two teams ranked in the top 10 in the world (Portugal and France), and home wins against a pair of South American opponents. Over the course of approximately 540 minutes, the MNT trailed for just three -- second-half stoppage time in the 2-1 defeat to Ireland on June 2.