By The Numbers: Experience Gained for Transitional MNT Under Sarachan

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).

MNT Debuts By Year
Year	Debuts	Future World Cup Players That Debuted
1992	21	Mike Burns, Thomas Dooley, Brad Friedel, Cobi Jones, Mike Lapper, Joe-Max Moore, Mike Sorber, Roy Wegerle
2007	20	Jozy Altidore, Kyle Beckerman, Jonathan Bornstein, Jay DeMerit, Maurice Edu, Benny Feilhaber, Robbie Findley
2018	15	--
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).

• READ MORE: Young MNT's 1-1 Draw With France Puts Exclamation Point on 2018 Summer Camp

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. 

Olympic Eligible MNT Debuts (November 2017-present)
Player	Debut	Debut Age	2020 Age*
Tyler Adams	Nov. 14, 2017 at Portugal	18	21
Cameron Carter-Vickers		19	22
Weston McKennie		19	21
Tim Weah	March 28, 2018 vs. Paraguay	18	20
Erik Palmer-Brown	May 28, 2018 vs. Bolivia	21	23
Antonee Robinson		20	22
Keaton Parks		20	22
Matt Olosunde		20	22
Josh Sargent		18	20
Luca de la Torre	June 2, 2018 at Ireland	20	22
*2020 age reflects age at start of the Summer Olympics -- July 22, 2020

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:

MNT Player Pool Breakdown (November 2017-present)
Called to Camp	Appeared	First Camps	First Caps	First Starts
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.