USMNT interim coach Dave Sarachan calls in young roster for March friendly

In the third camp since failing to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, US national team interim coach Dave Sarachan continued a trend by calling in a young roster for a March 27 friendly against Paraguay in Cary, N.C. (7:30 pm ET; FS1, UniMás).

The average age of the 22 players called in is just above 23-years-old and five players who ply their trade overseas got their first call-ups to the USMNT. Those include former Sporting Kansas City center back Erik Palmer-Brown and 2017 Under-17 World Cup standout Tim Weah.

“This match once again represents an opportunity for some new faces. The roster has an average age under 24, so for the most part this a group of younger players that we feel have a future with the national team along with some familiar names,” Sarachan said in a release. “The timing is right to give these guys international exposure, and they will certainly be tested against a strong and experienced Paraguayan team.”

New York Red Bulls midfielder Tyler Adams | John Dorton / ISIPhotos

Players from MLS sides that were called up include New York Red Bulls midfielder Tyler Adams and Columbus Crew SC goalkeeper Zack Steffen.

One notable absence is Borussia Dortmund midfielder Christian Pulisic. The 19-year-old has not played for the US since October.

“I’ve had conversations with the Sporting Director at Dortmund and several with Christian personally about the timing of this friendly and where he is professionally at the moment with his club," Sarachan said. "He’s now feeling confident in playing an important role for Dortmund at a crucial time in their season where they’re trying to lock in qualification for the Champions League. They also have a huge match against Bayern Munich on the back end of our match against Paraguay, so when I factored all of those things together, as much as we wanted him here I felt it best suits the player to continue in the rhythm and form he’s currently in with his club.”

EDIT: Pachuca winger Kekuta Manneh was added to the roster on Monday, March 19.

US Men's National Team Roster