Sarachan tags center backs as most stable ahead of friendlies

U.S. National Team coach Dave Sarachan spoke at a press conference ahead of Monday’s friendly against Bolivia and called out the team’s center back position as the group most advanced at this stage of the team’s development. “I think with our center back position, I think there is a comfort level in that position,” he said.

Matt Miazga, Walker Zimmerman, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Eric Palmer-Brown represent the position in the current camp and it will be interesting to see who Sarachan tags as the lead pairing against Bolivia.

“There’s a number of young guys in that position that I feel have great futures ahead of them, whether it’s Miazga, Erik Palmer-Brown, Cameron Cartier-Vickers, I could name a number of those guys. I think again all of those players have come up from teams where they banked a lot of minutes against good competition, and I think each one sort of offers something a little bit different.”

Sarachan noted that he recently went to see Erik Palmer-Brown play in Belgium for his club K.V. Kortrijk where he is on loan from Manchester City. “He has good strength and power and is good in the air. It’s just continually banking those minutes and experiences that will hopefully translate to the national team.”

Going into the next cycle Sarachan likes what the U.S. is banking in the center of their defense. “At the end of the day those partnerships have begun forming and that position, at least on paper, is showing a lot more depth than it has in the past,” he said.

What lead pairing would you like to see against Bolivia?