EAST HARTFORD, Conn.– When United States men’s national team interim manager Dave Sarachan was asked about his future Tuesday night, he smiled and let out a sly response.
“I’m in until they tell me I’m not,” Sarachan said. “I’m full bore man, this is too much fun.”
The 64-year-old has been in charge for a year, and in that time, he’s helped bring along some of the best young talent the USMNT has ever seen.
The latest display of the promising prospects came in Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Peru. Josh Sargent, 18, found the back of the net, while Timothy Weah, 18, once again showed some positive signs in the final third, especially in his combination play with Sargent.
Nineteen-year-old debutante Jonathan Amon, who is one of the top in-form players abroad at Nordsjaelland in Norway, flashed moments of brilliance, too, while two other players, Ben Sweat and Reggie Cannon, earned their first international appearances.
Tuesday’s friendly once again emphasized this young group is going to contribute in some fashion during this summer’s 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup.
The transition process has been far from perfect. The USMNT has taken its lumps with a 3-3-3 record in 2018, and the players pegged for the future at certain positions have made their share of mistakes.
Now that the USMNT is leaving home soil for a pair of November friendlies in Europe, the focus has to be on cultivating the best 23-man squad for the summer, especially if a new manager comes into the program.
We’ll leave the new manager speculation for others at the moment, but the U.S. will likely wait until the end of the Major League Soccer season — or at least until a certain team is eliminated from the postseason — to dig deep into the hypothetical formations and lineups we’ll see moving forward.
Meshing the young players with veterans expected to return for the Gold Cup will take some time. Now that the U.S. has had a year to see what the new generation can do, it’s time for some integration against a pair of tough European foes in England and Italy.
Brad Guzan will be the No. 2 goalkeeper at least, competing with Zack Steffen, which makes him a permanent member of the squad going forward.
Defensively, as many as six defenders from the 23-man October squad should be part of the Gold Cup squad, but there’s a massive hole still remaining at left back.
Left back will be the position to watch in the next eight months. Antonee Robinson is the young rising star to watch and Jorge Villafana the veteran waiting in the wings to take over.
In midfield, Michael Bradley appears like he’s here to stay, but his role must be perfect for the young squad to develop when Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie and Christian Pulisic are healthy and in the squad.
Up top, Sargent and Weah are easy selections to the roster, but the possible return of Jozy Altidore might make it difficult for either player to play 90 minutes in every match.
As a continental competition looms around the corner, it’s time for a full-strength first team to take the field with a full set of objectives in front of them under the direction of a new head coach.