By Tommy Kane

Published: May 28th, 2018

Volume II: Issue XXIX

The United States Men’s National Team beat a rocky Bolivian team 3-0 in a Memorial Day friendly in Chester, Pennsylvania. The US team is a young team; the average age of the team is 22 years old. Two players scored in their first National game as well, both aging 18 years. Toronto FC Goalie, Alex Bono, also made his debut in a US jersey, recording a shut-out in his first cap. Overall, the United States showed some potential in their first of three friendlies.

Strong Start to the First-Half:

The United States came out of the gate firing against the Bolivian squad. The passes were clear, but the team seemed that they couldn’t finish to score. The US also forced multiple corner kicks earlier on into the match. Within the first ten minutes, the team had a one-on-one chance, but couldn’t capitalize on it. That all changed quickly. In the 37th minute, Walker Zimmerman of the United States scored a beautiful goal off a pivotal corner kick. The rest of the half went uneventful, but the US continued to take care of business. The 4-1-4-1 formation seemed to work so far so good. In the end, the US was looking forward to a better second-half, where they dominated and took the game.

Two Young Bucks Finish the Game:

The second-half started with Bolivia changing Goalies. Guillermo Viscarra went off and was replaced by Carlos Lampe. Lampe didn’t live up to the task that was at hand. Two young bucks scored their first goals in US uniforms, as well as their first cap. In the 52nd minute, Joshua Sargent scored his first goal. The striker intercepted the ball from Lampe and struck it through his legs. In the 59th minute, Tim Weah scored his first off a run started by superstar Christian Pulisic. With the two huge contributions, the United States took a commanding 3-0 lead. The game finished with the young bucks of the US proving they belong. Coach Dave Sarachan had to be impressed with the development of his young team, despite facing a weak Bolivian team.

A Huge Win to Boost Morale:

The win was a huge morale booster for a team that has the average age of 22. Goalie Alex Bono stopped all five shots, despite none being on goal. The United States shot 23 shots, but put only eight on goal. Bolivia had the advantage when it came to possession of the ball. They had the ball 51% of the time, while the US had it for only 49%. Close possession percentages mean little when it comes to soccer though. Bolivia’s game was very sloppy to say the least, but the United States took advantage of the chances and kept a solid defense to help Bono pick up the shut-out. The US also had a huge advantage when it came to corners. They earned 12 corners to Bolivia’s five, and was able to capitalize on one of them in the first-half.

The bottom line of today’s friendly was could the United States dominate with such a young squad. The answer is plain and simple: yes. The question is could the old US squad be able to dominate Bolivia better in such a fashion. The answer is plain and simple yet again: no. Experience did not seem to play a huge factor in this big win. That being said, down the road the US will experience rocky performances. They will face Ireland on June 2nd and France on June 9th. Both of those squads, especially France, are more experienced and better than the Bolivian squad that was seen today. A rocky performance could and should be expected. The young squad really seems to have a bit of menacing to them; they could make a run for the 2022 World Cup for sure. It is a bit early to tell, but the potential of the squad is what is most important for now. Building up the team and developing players is a huge task.

The United States are set to go to Ireland on Saturday, June 2nd for another friendly. The game will start at 3PM EST. As always, GO USA!!!

Stats: http://www.espn.com/soccer/match?gameId=509312

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