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Julian Green Continues to Make Case to Start the Hex on USMNT Roster
- Updated: October 12, 2016
Few concrete conclusions can be made after the United States men’s national team’s pair of friendlies against Cuba and New Zealand, but the one we can make may turn out to be significant in a month’s time.
Julian Green reappeared from his national-team exile with two impressive showings over the last week for Jurgen Klinsmann’s side.
Despite a lack of playing time at club level with Bayern Munich and the growing depth at forward for the USMNT, Green appears to be on track to make the 23-man roster for the Hexagonal round opener against Mexico on November 11 in Columbus, Ohio.
The 21-year-old, who was famously added to the 2014 FIFA World Cup roster over USMNT legend Landon Donovan, was a surprise member of the American squad for the October friendlies given his low amount of action at the start of the club season.
Although his inclusion was greeted with skepticism at first, Green walked away from the October friendlies with high praise from Klinsmann, who said after Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with New Zealand that the player is back in the picture for the Mexico game, per Goal’s Thomas Floyd:
Specifically bringing up prep for the Mexico game, Klinsmann says that “Julian Green is back in the picture.” #USMNT
— Thomas Floyd (@thomasfloyd10) October 12, 2016
Green simply did what any talented player would in his situation; he took advantage of an opportunity presented to him by Klinsmann and boosted his stock immediately while others struggled to gain traction in the eyes of the USMNT boss.
Once the roster for the matches against Cuba and New Zealand was released, Klinsmann’s intention for the two friendlies was clear—the German wanted to give young players a chance to break into the first team. Older members of the squad, who are on the fringe of the 23-man roster for Mexico, were also handed one final opportunity to impress before November.
Many could have seen Green’s performance against Cuba, in which he provided a goal and an assist, as a fluke given the opponent. But he backed that up …
