The U.S. men’s national team finally has its marching orders for the first of two World Cup preparation camps between now and the first kick against a to-be-determined opponent in Qatar on Nov. 21. Now, it’s all about sifting through who will be given the chance to state their case for the unclaimed tickets to the World Cup.
With qualification sealed following a non-historic defeat in Costa Rica on March 30, the U.S. player pool can be sorted into some distinct categories. Whittling it down to 23 (or 26, should reports of potential roster expansion come to fruition) will be difficult for coach Gregg Berhalter after utilizing so many players (38) throughout qualifying.
For whoever is called in for friendlies against Morocco (June 1) and Uruguay (June 5) along with Concacaf Nations League group games against Grenada (June 10) and El Salvador (June 14), the categories can be boiled down to just two: those who need to prove it, and those who are there to fine-tune it.
