Emmanuel Sabbi should be the next young attacker to get a USMNT chance

It’s no secret that the United States men’s national team lacks quality options at the striker position. Despite poor runs of form at the international and club levels, Jozy Altidore and Bobby Wood remain the best options up front the U.S. and it’s been that way for several years.

Early in the European season, a former U.S. youth international is beginning to make a name for himself in Denmark. 20-year-old Emmanuel Sabbi, who appeared at the 2017 U-20 World Cup for the U.S., is off to an extremely hot start to the new campaign.

Through the first five matches of the Danish Superliga season, Sabbi has recorded four goals and an assist, including a first half brace on Saturday in a 3-2 win for Hobro IK.

Sabbi had a sporadic youth national team career, usually used as a substitute in important matches, but always showed glimpses of his quality with a nice first touch and a nose for goal. Lack of stability at the club level was a big reason for his inability to make an impact with the U.S., but he now appears to have settled that issue.

The athletic forward is also eligible to play for both the Ghana and Italy national teams. While it’s always dangerous to put too much stock in a spurt of good form, the U.S. can ill afford to risk losing an attacking player at this point. With more friendlies on the horizon, Earnie Stewart and Dave Sarachan should probably be considering giving the youngster a look to show that they are aware of his situation.

With the likes of Tim Weah and Josh Sargent already getting opportunities for the new look USMNT, Sabbi is another young and talented player who can give the team fresh options in the attack. Hopefully we see his name called when the roster is announced for the matches against Brazil and Mexico in a month’s time.