One month since its World Cup qualifying fiasco, the U.S. men’s national soccer team Tuesday began turning toward the long-term future with the announcement of a young roster for a friendly at European champion Portugal next week.
The 21-man squad includes 12 players age 24 or younger and a dozen with three or fewer senior appearances. The group, however, will not have star attacker Christian Pulisic, 19, who was given time off after a demanding period since last winter juggling assignments with German club Borussia Dortmund and the U.S. team.
“Christian has had a very long year,” said Dave Sarachan, the U.