The U.S. Men’s National Team’s January training camp has become a tradition, having taken place for almost two decades, but the event know by USMNT fans as ‘Camp Cupcake’ appears headed for a new destination.
The 2020 edition of the USMNT January camp is likely to be held in Qatar, according to a report by Yahoo.
According to the reporter, U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter traveled to Qatar after the USMNT’s recent September friendlies against Mexico and Uruguay to
Traditionally held in California, the January USMNT camp would move to Qatar this winter in order to allow the team to become acclimated to the conditions in the country that will host the 2022 World Cup.
Having the training camp in Qatar would also allow the USMNT to play friendlies against other nations training in the Arab nation, as well as top European club teams. Qatar and nearby United Arab Emirates are popular destinations for German club teams to visit during winter break training camps.
It wouldn’t be the first time a USMNT squad has spent part of the winter in a foreign country. The United States spent part of its 2014 camp in Brazil ahead of the 2014 World Cup, and also played a friendly in Chile in 2015.
The January USMNT traditionally consists of MLS-based players due to the fact European-based players and players in Mexico aren’t available because of club commitments. The 2020 camp could also be geared toward a younger group as part of preparation for the Concacaf Olympic qualifying tournament in March.
While European-based stars like Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Zack Steffen wouldn’t be available for the January camp (unless their club teams were also training in Qatar in January), Berhalter could use the camp to look at some top young MLS prospects, including Paxton Pomykal, Miles Robinson, Jeremy Ebobisse, Keaton Parks, Mason Toye, Mark McKenzie and Kyle Duncan, to name a few. All of the aforementioned players are age-eligible for the U.S. Olympic qualifying team.
The USMNT returns to action in October when it begins Nations League play with a match against Cuba in Washington D.C. on October 11th, followed by a road game against Canada in Toronto on October 15th.
I’m surprised at the amount of reaction to this. Here’s my take which hasn’t get a mention. When the US did that sort of thing before, it was a year or less before the WC, not two and a half years. Also, as pointed out, it’s not even our first team, but MLS based players. So, as far as I’m concerned, it sounds like a junket that will neither help nor hurt the US team.
i do think we need more road games — our last was november last year and our first two this year are coming up and are required by LoN. i have also thought this type of trip abroad would be good for the first team to acclimate. but this feels more like a junket if we send the second team. and one thing which i will point out, tangential to arrogance, is this feels like the actions of a comfortable fed that expects to make no coaching changes and is not concerned about qualifying. you don’t make this trip — or send the coach to negotiate it — if you’re concerned about coaching. and if you’re content to run it as a second team simulation for the benefit of the brain trust more than them, the brain trust is locked in. if you’re concerned about the first team even qualifying, or the coach being fired, you see how you’d handle it different. we’d go later in the cycle and there would be more focus on first team prep and results and less on abstract, perhaps premature prep for a tournament you haven’t even started to qualify for.
it points to a dynamic where the staff matters more than the players. you send the a team it’s a soccer trip for the players that side benefits staff. you send the b team it’s a staff experiment. i don’t know if i like acting like this staff has earned that much control and tenure. that the trip is really about preparing THEM and the players are just swappable cogs. wanders back to “system” etc. if the coach can’t get a properly chosen selection on the field and the team looks poor how long do you invest in holding out for “system.”
First team players aren’t available in January why are you rambling on for two comments about the hidden meanings of using the second team when that’s the only team available.
you’re apparently confused again. my whole point is don’t waste this trip on camp cupcake. go with the A team which by its nature is an international date elsewhere in the year. or go twice. but it’s a waste of time to go with a b team that won’t ever come back. you don’t acclimate the players least likely to be on the world cup roster. you’d almost have better odds on acclimating future senior players if you took the U20s or U23s.
If all things were equal that would make sense until you look at the calendar and consider conditions in Qatar. Too hot to go in the Summer and then you are into the Hex. This March would be your only option but at that time I believe every other Federation is in qualifying so you’d have to get a Concacaf team to fly there too which would be tricky. If as the original article is correct and scrimmages with club teams will happen that’s a chance for those young MLS guys to get exposure.
If nothing else, maybe this will mean getting more of a look at those Scandinavian based guys like sabbi, cappis and amon. Cant hurt with our lack of MLS based width.
Even though the Scandinavian leagues are on break they are usually in warm locales holding friendlies so they probably won’t be available.
Anybody else feel like this can’t possibly be the whole story?
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Subtracting out how anybody feels about Berhalter, or the state of the USMNT, or the USSF, or anything like that…. this would be the greatest validation Qatar 2022 could dream of
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If this happens, it would mean the United States of America sends its head coach and [prospect] team to Qatar explicitly in preparation for the World Cup 2022.
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Whose idea this?
Why in the fcuk will Qatar need validation for the United States?
“Having the training camp in Qatar would also allow the USMNT to play friendlies against other nations training in the Arab nation, as well as top European club teams”
huh. “top European club team” has my interest.
i’d really like to see something like that.
In the Yahoo article it says the Euro clubs would be available for closed door scrimmages. Oddly the US played in Germany prior to 2006, South Africa in 2010, and Brazil in 2014, we didn’t schedule any early trip to Russia and didn’t qualify (I don’t think timing worked with earlier qualifying and GC that Summer).
Its seems he’s already figured they have qualified. Just like Arena thought we would against T&T. Get rid of this worthless camp and scout your players in training and some meaningful games across Europe.
i have been pro more road games and even this trip but there is a hint of arrogance about a trip this early, indeed
2014 – “Klinsmann is a genius for using the January Camp Struedel to scout out Brazil before the World Cup, build some connections, and get the guys used to the country!”
2018 – “Berhalter is an idiot. Why is he wasting all this money on MLSers!”
*2019*
I would also point out that Qatar is a fairly easy trip for the euro boys, so we will likely see more than just Mix Diskerud in the camp.
*2019*
I would also like to point out that Qatar is an easy flight down for the euro boys so we will likely see more than just Mix Diskerud in the camp.
This would be a good plan if we had another coach. We might not even make the world cup I’m sure concacaf qualifying is going to be tough. Concacaf teams play much harder and very defensive against the usa and the players of today are way too soft and have no grit and heart to get us through the hex. At least from what I’ve seen.
That’s a bit presumptuous… lol!
Not excited for USMNT CAMP these days. We keep on making the same mistakes by calling in the same talentless players and expect different results.
Are we ever excited about January camps?
Here’s an idea….Use that huge expense of travel and accommodations in Qatar for equal pay to the USWNT 🙂
I agree lol
here is another idea, keep that money , hire and pay a real coach.
#berhalterOUT
DCU FAN IN SOCIAL I agree with that too. Beerholder?blows
The USWNT are paid equally, and paid per their agreed to Collectively Bargained Agreement. Why are you repeating false information?
This seems pointless considering most of the starters will not be able to attend. So the coaching staff may gain some insight about the lay of the land, the facilities (if any of them are completed by then), and maybe how the players might react to the environment, that probably could be accomplished without dragging 25 MLSers to the other side of the world.
i would think the staff could location-scout more cheaply, on their own. without the A team on the plane it’s wasted in terms of soccer. the players mostly will not return, assuming. you need a second soccer trip later with the A team or send a staff junket and then have an A team game.