New US coach Berhalter sets foundation in first training

CHULA VISTA: New coach Gregg Berhalter is taking the United States national team back to all sorts of basics during his first training camp.

Along with elementary strategic sessions and conditioning work, Berhalter’s plan extends to rather basic accommodations.

The 28 Major League Soccer (MLS)-based players who participated in Berhalter’s first practice on Monday are living in dormitory-style group apartments at a training centre south of San Diego for more than two weeks.

“I think it’s a great environment to foster one of the main objectives of our camp and that’s team-building,” Berhalter said after the workout in postcard-perfect Southern California sun.

“We’re here. We’re going to be together here. It’s an intensive period but I think it’s a focused period.

“We’re going to get quality time together as a team.”

The US team had conducted their annual January camp in Carson, California, since 2004, with the players staying in hotels and commuting to their training complex just south of downtown Los Angeles.

Berhalter elected to move the event 2½ hours south to another well-maintained training complex in this tidy suburb within sight of the US-Mexico border.

The players don’t seem fazed by their accommodations and they’re intrigued to learn about the new boss’ plans for World Cup qualification and everything in between.

“You’ve got to learn as much as you can as quick as you can,” said Paul Arriola, the attacking midfielder and Chula Vista native.

“As much as Gregg is learning about us and trying to fit us all together, we’re trying to do the same with him and his style of play. I think we have a great group here that believes in why we’re here and what we’re going to do.”

Berhalter was formally hired last month after 14 months of team limbo since Bruce Arena’s departure.

The New Jersey native is the first American to coach the national team after playing for it at a World Cup but the 45-year-old European coaching veteran and analytics maven also represents a break from the team’s recent leadership.

Berhalter got his players’ attention with a strong introductory speech on Sunday, delivering his priorities and goals for the months and years ahead.

The longtime Columbus Crew coach said he “very clearly laid out the objectives of this training camp, which are team building, team culture, a style of play and competing”.

“We had a competition in training (today),” he added.

“We’re going to continue to chart the competition in training and take results of who’s winning these games.

“Competing is a very big part of our business. But so is building the style of play and then team cohesion.

“So we laid out the objectives but we also talked bigger picture about what we want to be and who we want to be as a group, and what our mission is.”