Citing “unique challenges” due to COVID-19, the US men’s national team will not hold a camp or play international friendlies during the FIFA window next month, U.S. Soccer announced Tuesday.
“Both players and staff are disappointed not to be able to get back on the field for the national team and continue the progress we have made as a group,” US men’s national team coach Gregg Berhalter said in a statement. “While COVID-19 continues to create challenges for us, we are confident we can find a way forward in the near future that will provide an opportunity to play matches in preparation for the important competitions next year.”
Weighing heavily in the decision was that players attending a camp would face a quarantine period when returning to their club, which could disrupt MLS regular season games, and securing an International opponent proved difficult, according to a source.
The USMNT last played in February, beating Costa Rica 1-0 at Dignity Health Sports Park. Subsequent international friendlies in Europe against the Netherlands and Wales, as well as the Concacaf Nations League Final Four and the start of 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying were postponed because of the global pandemic.
It is likely the USMNT will play in Europe during the November window, possibly using European-based players only, according to a source. There is the possibility of a December camp, as well as a January camp.
“After extensive conversations about holding a men’s national team camp in October, we ultimately determined the unique challenges created by COVID-19 as it relates to hosting international opponents and getting our players together wouldn’t allow us to move forward,” U.S. men’s national team general manager Brian McBride said. “We appreciate the incredible amount of work our staff did and the discussions we had with Major League Soccer to try and address concerns and find solutions. While we won’t have the team together in this upcoming window, we are making considerable progress for November.”
