Chicago (AFP) – Teen midfielders Tim Weah and Christian Pulisic lead a young United States squad with an average age of 22 into a May 28 friendly against Bolivia, US Soccer announced Sunday.
Young European-based talent called up by US national team coach Dave Sarachan includes Paris Saint-Germain’s Weah, the 18-year-old son of Liberian president and former star striker George Weah, and 19-year-old Pulisic of Borussia Dortmund.
“The theme is to offer opportunity to this younger generation of talented players that have potential down the road,” Sarachan said.
England-based defenders Cameron Carter-Vickers of Tottenham Hotspur, Matt Miazga of Chelsea, Matthew Olosunde of Manchester United and Erik Palmer-Brown of Manchester City will appear, as will Stuttgart midfielder Julian Green.
“We’ve been really happy to see the progress of a number of our players abroad this season,” Sarachan said.
US 2017 Player of the Year Pulisic was a mainstay in his second year with Bundesliga side Dortmund, making 41 appearances as the team qualified for next season’s UEFA Champions League.
Pulisic had six goals last year and his 20 caps match the most of any player on the US roster for the Bolivia match.
“It’s very good to have Christian back in the mix,” Sarachan said. “When you can add the quality he provides to any team, that’s a big bonus.”
The team’s camp ahead of the US Memorial Day holiday matchup at Philadelphia kicks off training for three games, including June 2 against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin and June 9 against France at Lyon.
“We took into account travel considerations for some of our players that have just finished long seasons in Europe,” Sarachan said.
“While not everyone in Philadelphia will travel to Ireland and France, the players joining us this week will be getting an important opportunity as we move our program forward.”
