CARY, N.C —The excitement inside Sahlen's Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park was palpable.
With 19-year-old Borussia-Dortmund star Christian Pulisic not named in the team for the United States' 1-0 win in friendly against Paraguay Tuessday as his club prepares for a massive game against Bundesliga rival Bayern-Munich this weekend, all most all of the attention shifted to Timothy Weah, who was set to earn his first international cap. Having just turned 18 in late February, he was becoming the first player born in the 2000s to suit up for the senior team weeks after he made his first-team debut for PSG. The son of Liberian President and former Ballon d'Or winner George Weah, the native New Yorker was met with a standing ovation from sellout crowd of nearly 10,000 as he bounced on his toes on the sideline before coming on to replace Marky Delgado in the 86th minute.
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It was the power of potential personified from a group of supporters much more concerend about the future than the present after the USMNT missed the World Cup for the first time since 1986. The crowd gasped in awe every time his foot touched the ball. In just eight minutes on the pitch, the 6-foot,145-pounder showed the grit, collecting a pair of tackles, pace, easily making a run past a defender to collect a pass, and skill, threading an absolute beauty of a ball through to Andrija Novakich for a near assist.
One of a handful of U.S. players, currently playing in one of Europe's top leagues, along with forward Bobby Wood (Hamburg) midfielder Weston McKennie (Schalke) and defenders DeAndre Yedlin (Newscastle) and Shaq Moore (Levante), Weah, young, fly and flashy on and off the pitch, has the type of star power to give a glimmer of hope during U.S.'s soccer's darkest times in recent history.
"My head is spinning right now," Weah said. 'I'm just so proud to be able to play for my country with the stars of our team, with the vets, with the younger guys that are coming up. As I told the world on Twitter, it's a new era and we're coming for them."
New Era!!!!!🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/pAF1RSpaq2
— TIM WEAH (@TimWeah) March 23, 2018
The game against Paraguay wasn't nearly as eventful for Moore.
The 21-year-old, the fourth American ever to play in La Liga, didn't see any time Tuesday, a casualty of manager Dave Sarachin's questionable decision to make only four of a possible six substitutions. But he, like many of his teammates that could one day form the core of the U.S. national team to qualify for the World Cup, a group that includes promising talents such midfielder Tyler Adams and defender Cameron Carter-Vickers, knows it's not about now. It's about next.
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Even from the sideline, Moore said, he was able to get a feel for the intensity required in international competition, especially after witnessing affair against Paraguay that was everything but friendly. Having gained an invaluable experience in nine days with the U.S., he'll return to his club, currently in 17th in the table, scathe off relegation with on getting better to once again represent his country.
"It's a good battle right there at the bottome of the table," said Moore, who's earned his stripes defending the likes of Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi. "But I think we can do it. Then, hopefully, for the summer, (I want) to get two or three more appearances with the first team and get some more national team caps. That'd be cool."