USMNT v Ireland
Date: 6.2.2018

Time: 3pm ET

Location: Aviva Stadium (Dublin, Ireland

TV: ESPN2, UniMas, UDN

Watch with your #AOFamily at one of 196 chapter bars!

After a promising 3-0 win over Bolivia on Sunday, the USMNT faces a much tougher test in Dublin on Saturday afternoon against Ireland. This was the type of performance and response that USMNT fans had been asking for since the World Cup debacle last October. Interim head coach Dave Sarachan seemed to get the tactics and roster selection right against the Bolivians in Chester with goals from Walker Zimmerman, Josh Sargent, and Tim Weah. Truth be told, Bolivia were very poor through the ninety minutes, but there was some great things happening on the field on Sunday.

Most US fans will not have forgotten the last time the USMNT faced the Irish in Dublin. A 4-1 drubbing in 2014 left a sour taste in the mouths of those fans abroad and home alike, and will be looking for a better performance this time out. Though Sarachan has stuck with a youthful roster for this match, so a (reasonable) loss here will be a different result on Saturday. Here are the full rosters:

GK: Bill Hamid (Midtjylland/DEN; 5/0), Zack Steffen (Columbus Crew SC; 2/0), William Yarbrough (Club León/MEX; 3/0)

DEF: Cameron Carter-Vickers (Tottenham Hotspur/ENG; 2/0), Eric Lichaj (Nottingham Forest/ENG; 15/1), Matt Miazga (Chelsea/ENG; 5/1), Shaq Moore (Levante/ESP; 0/0), Erik Palmer-Brown (Manchester City/ENG; 1/0), Tim Parker (New York Red Bulls; 0/0), Antonee Robinson (Everton/ENG; 1/0), Jorge Villafaña (Santos Laguna/MEX; 17/0), DeAndre Yedlin (Newcastle United/ENG; 50/0)

MID: Tyler Adams (New York Red Bulls; 3/0), Joe Corona (Club America/MEX; 21/3), Luca de la Torre (Fulham/ENG; 0/0) Julian Green (Stuttgart/GER; 9/3), Weston McKennie (Schalke/GER; 2/1), Keaton Parks (Benfica/POR; 1/0), Rubio Rubin (Club Tijuana/MEX; 6/0), Kenny Saief (Anderlecht/BEL; 2/0), Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew SC; 4/0), Tim Weah (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA; 2/1)

FOR: Andrija Novakovich (Reading/ENG; 2/0), Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen/GER; 1/1), Bobby Wood (Hamburg/GER; 37/11)

The backline will be a different one than we saw in Philly with Zimmerman departing back to LAFC, but the more experienced Miazga and CCV will surely slot in, possibly alongside EPB. Antoine Robinson was stellar against Bolivia and will likely retain his spot.

Tyler Adams, Luca de la Torre, Kenny Saief and Wil Trapp after all called in for these two matches, so it will be interesting see how they line up with McKennie and the others.

Sargent and Timmy Weah put in great performances last time out, so let’s see how they face up against a very experienced Ireland squad.

GK: Colin Doyle (Bradford City/ENG; 3/0), Conor O’Malley (Peterborough United/ENG; 0/0), Shane Supple (Bohemians; 0/0)

DEF: Seamus Coleman (Everton/ENG; 45/1), Matt Doherty (Wolverhampton Wanderers/ENG; 2/0), John Egan (Brentford/ENG; 2/0), Shane Duffy (Brighton & Hove Albion/ENG; 19/2), Kevin Long (Burnley/ENG; 6/0), Darragh Lenihan (Blackburn Rovers/ENG; 0/0), Declan Rice (West Ham United/ENG; 2/0), John O’Shea (Sunderland/ENG; 116/3), Enda Stevens (Sheffield United/ENG; 0/0), Derrick Williams (Blackburn Rovers/ENG; 1/0), Greg Cunningham (Preston North End/ENG; 4/0)

MID: Harry Arter (Bournemouth/ENG; 12/0), Alan Browne (Preston North End/ENG; 3/0), Jeff Hendrick (Burnley/ENG; 39/1), Daryl Horgan (Preston North End/ENG; 3/0), James McClean (West Bromwich Albion/ENG; 59/10), David Meyler (Hull City/ENG, 26/0) Callum O’Dowda (Bristol City/ENG, 9/0), Eunan O’Kane (Leeds United/ENG, 7/0)

FOR: Graham Burke (Shamrock Rovers; 1/0), Shane Long (Southampton/ENG; 81/17), Jonathan Walters (Burnley/ENG, 52/14)

So, a tough test for the young boys on Saturday. More caps and minutes in a tough atmosphere will be the goal, but a result would be fantastic. Get to your watch parties, we are here for the future (today).

COME ON BOYS!

XOXO,

AO