For USMNT Talent, Camp Can Be a Respite After Club Setbacks

Amid a grueling club season, in which recent results or playing time may not match hopes and expectations, the familiar setting provided by national team camp can offer a welcome reset.

Imagine the excitement, or maybe even euphoria, that flooded through Christian Pulisic as he raced the length of the Stamford Bridge field at the conclusion of this week’s UEFA Champions League last-16 decider against Atlético Madrid. The American attacker had been confined to Chelsea’s bench for weeks through no apparent fault of his own—a high-profile, talented and ambitious athlete relegated to the sidelines by a coach he’d previously played for and trusted.

It had to be agonizing. Pulisic had started just two of 13 games since his old Borussia Dortmund manager, Thomas Tuchel, took over at Chelsea in late January. And his late-game entries as a substitute hadn’t amounted to much until Wednesday, when he came on in the 77th minute and, in stoppage time, picked up a loose ball outside Chelsea’s penalty area.

Pulisic had room to run and for a few seconds, he finally was back in his element with the ball at his feet and the opposition at his mercy. He maintained his balance and composure as he dribbled toward the Atlético goal and then rolled a perfect pass to a wide-open Emerson Palmieri on the left. It was Pulisic’s first Champions League assist this season.

GOAL CHELSEA! #USMNT's Christian Pulisic leads the counterattack, Emerson Palmieri finishes it off, and the Blues are headed to the #UCL quarterfinals

(via @TUDNUSA) pic.twitter.com/9axGpSebHQ

— SI Soccer (@si_soccer) March 17, 2021

Tuchel embraced Pulisic after the whistle. The smile on Pulisic’s face revealed plenty of relief, and probably a little bit of "I told you so." It’s been a tough stretch. And that makes it a perfect time for a change of pace.

U.S. men's national team coach Gregg Berhalter would certainly prefer it if his young European-based players, who are such key members of his squad, held the same level of regular responsibility at their storied clubs. But that’s not realistic.

At the highest level, European football is relentless and cutthroat. Big clubs employ multiple world-class players vying for minutes and, during this season especially, the schedule and demands have been onerous. It can be wearisome both physically and emotionally, and it’s not always going to go well. Progress isn’t linear. Some, like Pulisic, Borussia Dortmund’s Gio Reyna and Fulham’s Antonee Robinson, have seen playing time decline. Others, like RB Leipzig’s Tyler Adams, Juventus’ Weston McKennie and Barcelona’s Sergiño Dest, just suffered Champions League elimination.

“There is a little bit of a downward momentum,” Berhalter told Sports Illustrated last week. “That’s the ebb and flow of a career and seasons and everything, and what I’d say is that I’ve never seen this much soccer be played in this short of time. I mean, no one has. It’s insane what these guys are going through.

“So, it’s completely normal,” he said of those facing recent adversity. “Especially when you talk about younger players and having that load and having to go through that, I think it’s completely normal.”

Stu Forster/Getty Images

Because it’s normal, it’s something for which Berhalter accounts when he and his staff plan camps and training, and when they devise ways to stoke a team culture. The USA will be gathering this weekend and early next week in Austria, where it’ll face Jamaica in a March 25 friendly before traveling to Belfast for a game against Northern Ireland three days later. Berhalter wants national team camp to be a place that players want to be. He wants them excited about taking part and eager to play to their potential. For that to occur, camp has to be a setting where they can leave their club stress behind and immerse themselves in a different sort of environment. For several players, including Pulisic, that’s what the next week should be all about.

“Getting these guys in camp should be like a treat for them—to be together, and just to enjoy it and get to play our games,” Berhalter said. "And we’re looking forward to creating that environment for sure.”

Berhalter has practical experience in the matter. He left home as a young player as well, moving to the Netherlands after his junior year at North Carolina. His first club, PEC Zwolle, wasn’t exactly a Champions League contender. But this was also an era when American players had a much lower reputation than they do now, and there was far less institutional support. He spent 15 seasons in the Dutch, English and German leagues, and said he valued the opportunities he had to get a taste of home when joining up with the USA.

“I remember when I played for the national team and coming back and joining up with the team and seeing all your buddies again, and then getting out on the field and begin able to compete with them, that was the best part of it,” he said during a conference call this week.

So he’s mindful of how that same opportunity might be a useful boost for players who could use one. While the grind has removed McKennie from national team consideration this time, Dest will arrive in Austria dealing with the gut-punch of Champions League defeat. Goalkeeper Zack Steffen will have the chance to feel like a No. 1, rather than like the backup he is at Manchester City. Defenders Reggie Cannon (Boavista), Tim Ream and Robinson (Fulham) will get a break from stressful relegation battles in Portugal and England, respectively. Bryan Reynolds (AS Roma), Brenden Aaronson (Red Bull Salzburg) and Daryl Dike (Barnsley) just made their moves from MLS to Europe in January and probably will welcome a few days surrounded by familiar faces.

Valencia midfielder Yunus Musah, who just committed his international future to the USA, will receive a warm welcome during a stretch when his minutes in Spain have been inconsistent. He’s spent just an hour on the field across Valencia’s past four La Liga contests. Midfielder Owen Otasowie rarely sees the field for Wolverhampton Wanderers. And then there’s Reyna and Pulisic, who for a variety of reasons simply haven’t been able to sustain some of the form they enjoyed last year.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: U.S. Soccer announced Friday evening that due to "quarantine requirements in their respective areas," Tyler Adams, Tim Weah and Nicholas Gioacchini have withdrawn from camp and have been replaced by Christian Cappis and Jordan Siebatcheu. Original references in this story to those three players' participation have been amended.]

Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

Berhalter addressed Pulisic’s return to the U.S. fold this week—he hasn't been capped since October 2019—but he could’ve been talking about any number of his players. There are going to be a bunch who are looking for a breath of fresh air.

“I think we can conceptualize what the players are going through, but to really understand it and really empathize with what the players have been going through during this [COVID-19] time in Europe is a different story,” the manager said. “I can’t tell you enough about the players having to go from the training ground to their apartment, and then they’re locked up in complete isolation. They’re playing Saturday, Wednesday, Saturday, Wednesday, for months on end without fans. I mean, it’s a lot for these guys and I think you can see it taking its toll on everyone.

“And so for Christian in particular, I think this will be a great opportunity for him to get together with his friends and get to see the group,” Berhalter continued. “I’m sure he’s excited about it. It will be great to have him in camp, great to have him on the field, really looking forward to using him in a couple different ways and see how he can be most effective—but really great to have him in camp.”

Berhalter referenced “the ebb and flow,” and it isn’t all ebb. Others who may have had tougher times in 2020 now are enjoying a bit of flow. Chief among them is Josh Sargent, who scored one Bundesliga goal in the first four months of Werder Bremen’s season and now has four since Jan. 23, including three in his past four league games. Centerback John Brooks has been an everyday force for Wolfsburg, which has climbed to third place in the Bundesliga. Chris Richards, on loan from Bayern Munich, is getting valuable top-tier experience at Hoffenheim.

For them, national team camp can be a springboard and a proving ground. It’s a chance to take that momentum and climb Berhalter’s depth chart—or cement their place. Berhalter said he wants his team to “play with intensity and high pressure,” and he’s likely to give opportunities to in-form players who can deliver.

Sargent, for example, will be challenged to replicate his current club form with the USA. He’ll almost certainly start against Jamaica, and he has an opportunity to make a powerful statement about his intention to be the go-to striker when World Cup qualifying commences in September.

ddp images/Sipa USA

"We want goals from him. It’s really simple,” Berhalter said. “We really want him having the mindset to put the ball in the back of the net. I challenged him in the Cayman Islands against Cuba [in November 2019] to score goals and have that mindset, and he scored a couple goals. I think that was the last time he was with the team, and hopefully against a difficult Jamaica opponent he’ll have the same mindset.”

Expectations and demands will be tailored to the individual player, their fitness and their form.

“Our sports science and medical staff do a great job of sharing data with the clubs so we know everything that the players have been doing for the last four weeks. We know their loads, so that’s going to allow us to dose their loads in a way that it will be safe and get them ready to perform,” Berhalter said.

What’s vital is that national team camp is a place that works for everyone who’s been called in, whether they’re playing 90 minutes three times a week, or training every day only to find themselves on the bench at the opening whistle. It has to be a place that motivates and pushes U.S. players to reach a higher level but also serves as a refuge or a home away from home during a taxing and trying season. That’s rarely been more evident than this month.

“There are a number of considerations and this is part and parcel of what international soccer is, right—balancing all these factors,” Berhalter said.