AL-RAYYAN, Qatar – The preparation to get a team ready for the World Cup is always complicated. In some cases, they can make or break a tournament. GermanyTheir refuge in Brazil in 2014 was hailed by many as the key to their final title. Opposite, USA The men’s national team’s decision to confine themselves in a secluded chalet in 1998 is often cited as one of the factors that led to the team’s miserable time in France.
The reality is that every tournament has its own peculiarities, be it host country, location, training facility or opponents. US employees, headed by USSF chief executive Tom King, are well aware of this fact. However, the 2022 World Cup will be unlike any other, and not just because it will be the first to be held in the Middle East.
The tournament’s start in November means it will fall midway through the European club season. That has created all the obstacles and difficulties in terms of preparation, and that is especially true for the US
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Normally, the United States would have an extended training camp with about three friendlies to prepare and adjust things. Then, they have to come to the host country relatively early to acclimatize. Not this time. Players with European clubs played until this past weekend. Most MLS the players of the national team were faced with the fact that their season had passed by a month or more.
For USA coach Gregg Berhalter, it has created an uphill race in terms of the form and fitness of his players. Every week he looks at the players’ performances and prays that they will be all right. I also organize a camp exclusively for MLS players in an attempt to maintain their fitness, from which seven of the final 26 men emerged, though game sharpness – or lack thereof – would be an issue.
Now then named list and the team is in Qatar, the short distance is complicated. America play Wales on Monday, the second day of the tournament, Berhalter’s team had more than a week to settle down and prepare for the final steps. Compare that to the extended and 14-day domestic camp Berhalter had when he competed at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea. But the US manager liked the idea of this short runway.
Berhalter told ESPN in an exclusive interview: “People are going to want things to go well. “We’ve been waiting for this for a while and with a younger team we just want to get on with our business. In World Cup qualifiers we’re used to rapid changes. This will take a little more lead, and we’ll be ready to go.”
There is a question as to how the short run will affect the team’s tactical preparation. When the team called up for the international competition in September, Berhalter remarked that there was too much focus on the little details — such as the shape of the team when the opponent broke the pressure and moved the field — instead of focusing on the basics.
“What we missed was the men were gone for three and a half months,” Berhalter said. “They’ve just done a whole pre-season with their clubs where they learn different things and our basic pressure isn’t even right. The second part is that the boys come into camp too. with a different starting point from the game’s construction.”
Berhalter added that he doesn’t think six weeks between camps – at least for the European team – will be an issue in Qatar.
“They just stay with us [in September]so I think that’s a really good thing,” he said of the team’s tactical preparation. But I think we’re in a really good position to understand what we’re going to need to prepare this group for Wales. “
There has been some discussion as to why the United States did not arrange a friendly between sending the players into camp and playing the first game against Wales. Berhalter says there is basically not enough time for a friendly because some players won’t arrive until Sunday night. The coach said the most logical time to play a match would be on Thursday, but that would leave just three days of recovery until the game against Wales. There is also the risk of injury, something that has plagued the United States to varying degrees during the run.
“I’m just not sure about the teams playing on [second] the day of the World Cup, that makes sense,” he said.
One area supported by the short term is reconnaissance. In previous World Cups with so many pre-tournament friendlies, there was almost an adrenaline rush in scouting. Not this time.
“This gives you a bigger lead time,” says Berhalter. “The work is done basically with scouting. This is really, I think, beneficial.”
Much has been made of the weather in Qatar. The intense heat of the summer was the reason why the tournament was moved to the fall. With US games starting at 10 p.m. local time, the temperature will be at 70 degrees Celsius. Adjusting a player’s body to play at that time of day will be a complicated matter. than.
“We’re going to have to change these people’s schedules, and we have a plan for that,” Berhalter said. “We talked to experts in that field and how to do it. We’ll live another waking day during the tournament and that’s just part of it.”
The United States makes no excuses about its base camps and training facilities. The U.S. Soccer Federation visited Qatar nine times, searching every available location, before lining up the luxurious five-star Marsa Malaz Kempinski hotel at The Pearl-Qatar, a man-made island off the coast of Doha, to become their home. basis. Without risk, USSF submitted an application within seconds of the portal opening in October 2019. The hotel has its own private beach and 10 restaurants.
“The hotel, as soon as we walked in the door, all the staff were there waving flags, our room was great,” the midfielder Kellyn Acosta speak. “Our chefs did a great job. We have a player lounge, we have everything we need. It’s great. We have TV, ping pong table, PS5, hole zone. golf, all nine yards, pretty much.”
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USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter said he and his team will continue to push the team’s “Be the Change” message while in Qatar.
Privacy is also evident in the choice of the US team’s training facility, with the US ready to use the facility of Qatari club Al-Gharafa. The site features the usual amenities such as a changing room, a coach’s office and a cafeteria.
“We don’t want to share a training ground with others [team]”Berhalter said.” There will be a number of teams that have to practice on the same training ground. We thought the stadium location we had was good for separate practice sessions, for filming. “
Not all of the team’s preparations are focused on football. Running to the league has seen a focus on human rights and workers, with working conditions in the country at times harsh, as well as the LGBTQIA+ community participating in festivals. To that end, USSF has focused on educating players on issues while also participating in field programs. These include inviting workers to their own training session, where they will receive coaching from US players and staff at the training site. USSF plans to display rainbow flags and messages of inclusion at eve parties in Qatar.
USSF has worked extensively with the US embassy in Qatar, the Supreme Committee, FIFA, the US Chamber of Commerce, and various Qatari government agencies to ensure that everyone is committed to providing a safe and friendly environment for all US citizens planning to attend the World Cup. The USSF is also supporting the establishment of a compensation fund that Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the UEFA Working Group have proposed to provide migrant workers and their families, people who need such a safety net because of unpaid wages, injury or other harm.
“We are prepared [the players] “We had presentations from people who had lived there for a year and a half,” says Berhalter. We have a weekly newsletter that we will send out about that. So I think it’s very important for them to be informed about that, and so we’ve been prepared for them. “
For the US, it is hoped that all these preparations will pay off with a memorable tournament.
