USMNT Starts Historically Youthful Lineup in Nations League Final

The Stars and Stripes are set to meet their northern neighbors for the title.
USMNT Starts Historically Youthful Lineup in Nations League Final
USMNT Starts Historically Youthful Lineup in Nations League Final /

As it stands on the threshold of a second consecutive CONCACAF Nations League title, the United States men’s national team will rely on a lineup of unprecedented youth.

The American starting XI for Sunday evening’s final in Las Vegas against Canada is the youngest the United States has ever started in a final, with an average age of 23 years, 314 days. According to a tweet from the team, midfielder Yunus Musah, midfielder Giovanni Reyna, and defender Joe Scally are the first trio of 20-year-olds ever to represent the United States in such a setting.

Reyna, then 18, also appeared and scored in the 2021 Nations League final against Mexico in Denver. He is the only American national ever to appear in two finals before turning 21, per the team.

The United States’s lineup against the Canadians includes goalkeeper Matt Turner (Arsenal), defender Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC), defender Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), defender Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Musah (Valencia), Reyna (Borussia Dortmund), forward Christian Pulisic (Chelsea), forward Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach), forward Folarin Balogun (Reims), and forward Tim Weah (Lille).


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Patrick Andres
PATRICK ANDRES

Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .