The USMNT is returning for the crucial pre-World Cup June training camp, where the squad will train together, play four matches, and get ready for the rigors of Qatar, after TQL Stadium and Greater Cincinnati hosted the USMNT’s quadrennial home World Cup qualifier against archrival Mexico in November.
Overall, the competition and related training sessions are one of the last steps of preparation for a qualified American team, which will be looking for a mix of excellent individual and team results to demonstrate their readiness for the competition.
The USMNT will play four exhibition games leading up to the World Cup in June: a friendly against Uruguay, two games at Concacaf Nations, and the encounter against Morocco.
The USMNT’s June schedule.
at TQL Stadium on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., Morocco.
- Uruguay at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Missouri, on Sunday at 5 p.m.
- Grenada in Austin’s Q2 Stadium on June 10 at 10 p.m. (Concacaf National League).
- El Salvador will play on June 14 at 10 p.m. at Cuscatlán Stadium in San Salvador, El Salvador (Concacaf Nations League)
The USMNT will take on Morocco on Wednesday. Morocco was assigned to the competitive Group F along with Belgium, Canada, and Croatia. The USMNT was put in Group B for the World Cup.
With a quality team, Morocco won a two-game African qualification series against the Democratic Republic of the Congo to win the series 5-2 overall and book their World Cup ticket.
Ashraf Hakimi of top French team Paris Saint-Germain, Romain Saiz of Premier League team Wolves, Sofiane Amrabat of Serie A team Fiorentina (Italy), and goalkeeper Yassine Bounou or “Bono” of La Liga soccer club Sevilla (Spain) were all starters for Morocco in the last qualification match.
USMNT Narrative
Think of the game against Morocco (and the other games to be played in the upcoming weeks) as a straight World Cup tryout for the players Berhalter called.
Although certain USMNT players are seen as near locks for the final squad in Qatar, others are battling it out for a spot. This involves conflicts for important positions, especially goalie and center forward.
Players will probably step up in these positional contests during the upcoming weeks. If not, there will only be a two-game international window left in September before the World Cup kicks out on November 21.
The availability of FC Montreal midfielder Joremihajlovi and Manchester City FC goalie Zach Steffen were two more issues on the roster that came up early in camp.
Shawn Johnson, the goalkeeper for New York City FC, took Stepan’s spot after he withdrew for personal reasons.
In a Sunday interview with The Enquirer, Berhalter stated that he did not think that this development would influence his ability to make decisions as a goalie.
