LAS VEGAS, Nevada – United States DF James Sands may be just 21, but he has already made a very good impression with his play in the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup.
The New York City FC man has featured in all five of the U.S. matches, including starts in four, and could well find himself as the starting center back for the U.S. in the Final on Sunday against rivals Mexico.
The 2021 Gold Cup marks Sands’ first spell with the U.S. senior men, and it is evident that he has relished his time with the team.
“It’s been a really good experience for me. I think I’ve learned a lot. Playing all these competitive international games, it’s a different level than what I’m used to in MLS. I think just being here with the team we have, and the coaches, I think I’ve learned a lot and I have a lot of takeaways from it,” said Sands in an exclusive interview with Concacaf.com.
While the 2021 Gold Cup is Sands’ first foray into Concacaf competition at the senior national team level, he did play in the 2020 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League for NYCFC, including a quarterfinal first leg against eventual 2020 SCCL champions Tigres.
In that affair, Sands played a big role in keeping Tigres star striker Andre-Pierre Gignac off the scoreboard. Now almost 18 months later, Sands is expected to get another crack at another top striker from Liga MX, in the form of Monterrey and Mexico FW Rogelio Funes Mori.
The opportunity to measure himself against the region’s best is motivation enough for Sands.
“It’s going to be good. I like testing myself against top players. You never know what level you are at unless you play against the best, so I think I’m up for the challenge and I’m looking forward to it. I think it’s going to be about team defending. Guys like that, they’re hard to stop 1 v 1, so it’s about the group coming together and defending well. I think we’re definitely capable of that,” concluded Sands.
