The USMNT opens the 2019 schedule with a Sunday friendly against Panama in Glendale, Arizona (8pm ET – ESPN2). Under new coach Gregg Berhalter, the MLS-based squad has spent most of January in training camp. The expectation is a tactical setup similar to what Berhalter used with the Columbus Crew while waiting on the full roster in March. With that in mind, here’s what we’re looking for on Sunday. The January Camp Problem Nothing has fundamentally changed with January camp, an out of window annual event that doesn’t benefit from having the full roster available. Instead, players are in a situation where the lineups and the tactics may not reflect what happens with full availability. This time, that wasn’t just the European players unable to attend. Atlanta United pulled back its players due to the Concacaf Champions League. The not first choice problem across the lineup creates issues for the players and the coach. Intriguing passing moves and complexities aren’t necessarily plug and play. The January camp gives individual players an opportunity, but it comes by thinking of how their game might work in a first choice squad. Panama in an NFL Stadium There’s no discounting Panama since they went to the World Cup, but this is still a team ranked 71st by FIFA. They haven’t played since the World Cup, losing all three of their Group G games. Panama is also hampered by limited call-ups in January. Playing in a massive NFL stadium probably isn’t the best place to showcase a USMNT January roster vs an equally limited Panama. The USMNT Attack and Defense Berhalter has familiarity with Wil Trapp in midfield and Gyasi Zardes as the target forward. Should he go that route, he has the pieces to augment the kind of play that revitalized Zardes’s career when he moved to the Crew. Get him the ball in shooting positions and the USMNT has the advantage. Defensively, Berhalter can rely on Michael Bradley in front of the defenders and another familiar face in goal. Crew goalkeeper Zack Steffen has shown he can win 1v1 battles and make the difference. The Gold Cup and the Nations League Both teams are looking to the games that count, this summer’s Gold Cup and the Concacaf Nations League in the fall. This is a year with a lot of games in Concacaf, and warmups against other Concacaf teams could be a benefit even with the roster limitations. Taking advantage of opportunities regardless of circumstance is part of January camp for players as well as the coach. Moving to the soccer news, USMNT and Chelsea defender Matt Miazga joins Reading on loan after leaving Ligue 1 club Nantes. Reading is in 22nd-place in the Championship. I’m very excited to be here,” Miazga said. “It’s a very well-known club in the UK. I had a chat with my friend Danny Williams, who played here before, and he told me a bit about the club and their past. I have always kept track of the Championship because I have a lot of friends and former teammates who play in it. Obviously, I have seen the position that we are in, but this is football and we’ve got to keep fighting and keep working.” Bobby Warshaw previews the USMNT vs Panama friendly for MLSsoccer. The Guardian’s Tom Dart puts the focus on Berhalter’s first game in charge of the USMNT. The Columbus Dispatch’s Michael Arace with the Crew under new coach Caleb Porter. Yahoo Sports’ Leander Schaerlaeckens with Landon Donovan joining the San Diego Sockers in the MASL. South Florida Business Journal’s Brian Bandell reports on a legal challenge to Inter Miami’s stadium plan. Joe’s Marc Mayo explains what led to Thierry Henry’s exit as Monaco coach. All links are provided as a courtesy. US Soccer Players nor its authors are responsible for the content of third-party links or sites. For comments, questions, and concerns please contact us at editor@usnstpa.com Photo by John Dorton – ISIPhotos.com<doc-sep>The Gregg Berhalter era of the US Men’s National team will officially take the field this weekend. After a dark and dreary year and a half of Men’s soccer in the US we are looking to the future with a Gold Cup and World Cup qualifying on the horizon. We are breaking down what you need to know for this weekends friendly against a familiar foe in Panama. When: Sunday, January 27th at 6:00 pm MT Where: State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona How to watch: ESPN 2, UniMás and UDN Why this game matters: For purely selfish reasons this game is worth watching for RSL fans. It has been an extended dry spell since any player from our club has donned the US crest to represent both club and country. With Corey Baird surviving the final roster cuts that saw fellow RSL man Justen Glad sent home, we have hope that the dry spell will come to an end this Sunday. Corey is listed as a midfielder on a roster that is not short of talent at that position. So there are no guarantees that he will see the field, but if we have learned one thing from Corey it is that he continues to surprise us and surpass our expectations. Our prediction: Expect Berhalter to give us the first real look at the formation and positional responsibilities that he will be seeking to establish as we prep for the Gold Cup this summer. Even though this lineup is likely not the one you will see in the summer he needs to start establishing that identity now. Panama is a good but not great opponent and due to this friendly falling outside of the FIFA international window their roster, like ours, is made up of players from their domestic league only. The US should control this game and win it handily. We predict a 2-0 result for the red, white and blue.<doc-sep>The Gregg Berhalter era kinda, sorta begins tonight. The United States men’s national team conclude their annual January training camp for out of season MLS players with two friendlies. The first of which takes place in Glendale, Arizona against Panama. This will be the first-ever match that the new manager have the reins for. While it would be irrational to expect to see the final product of what Berhalter’s overall style of play and philopshy with the USMNT will be, it would be nice to see a little bit of progress and hints of hope for the future. This camp has always been about identifying a few up and coming players that could help the national team going forward. The likes of DeAndre Yedlin, Gyasi Zardes, and Jordan Morris are just a few examples of players who’ve taken advantage of this opportunity and gained a better standing with the team. So, what will Berhalter’s USMNT look like? Which players will prove they’re worthy of looks with the strongest team possible? Hopefully these questions will be answered against Panama tonight. Lineups United States lineup: Ready for Panama. Introducing the first #USMNT starting XI of 2019! Lineup notes » https://t.co/D8G9T9e5Ka pic.twitter.com/JnVvHMat90 — U.S. Soccer MNT (@ussoccer_mnt) January 27, 2019 Panama lineup: TBA How to Watch Advertised Kickoff Time: 8:00 p.m. ET, 5:00 a.m. PT Venue: State Farm Stadium; Glendale, Ariz. Available TV: ESPN2, UniMas and Univision Deportes Available Streaming: fuboTV (Free Trial), WATCH ESPN This thread will be your match thread. We don’t have many rules here. We just ask that you don’t insult each other personally and treat each other with respect. Debates can get heated and that’s fine, but name-calling and petty insults will get you banned. If you see a comment that you feel is out of line, please report it and it will be dealt with.<doc-sep>
It’s finally time for the Gregg Berhalter era of U.S. Soccer to begin. It’s been well over a year since the infamous loss to Trinidad & Tobago that saw the U.S. miss out on the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Since then, it has only been friendlies under interim head coach Dave Sarachan for the Red, White and Blue fans to chew on. Sunday’s game against Panama is also only a friendly but it marks the start of something new. Berhalter was hired by U.S. Soccer from Columbus Crew SC as the country’s newest head coach in early December. While he was not a unanimous choice among fans, he is the man expected to lead the Yankees back to the levels of success they have come to be used to. The friendly marks the end of Berhalter’s first January training camp. The head coach named a 23-man roster on Tuesday that features three Black & Gold players in midfielder Wil Trapp, goalkeeper Zack Steffen and forward Gyasi Zardes. Other names of note that could see action against Panama are goalkeeper Sean Johnson, defender Aaron Long, midfielder Cristian Roldan and forward Christian Ramirez. There are plenty of interesting storylines in Berhalter’s first game in charge but perhaps the one most fans are interested in seeing is how the new head coach lines up and plays. While in charge of the Crew, Berhalter played a possession-based style and typically stuck with the 4-2-3-1 formation. Will that continue and is one camp enough time to teach his system? While it’s not a competitive match — those won’t start until this summer’s Gold Cup — it will be an interesting first glimpse at the new era of U.S. Soccer. Lineups United States lineup: Ready for Panama. Introducing the first #USMNT starting XI of 2019! Lineup notes » https://t.co/D8G9T9e5Ka pic.twitter.com/JnVvHMat90 — U.S. Soccer MNT (@ussoccer_mnt) January 27, 2019 Panama lineup: How to Watch Time: 8:00 p.m. ET Venue: State Farm Stadium; Glendale, Ariz. Available TV: ESPN2, UniMas and Univision Deportes Available Streaming: fuboTV (Free Trial), WatchESPN This will be your game thread as well to discuss the match with other Crew and U.S. Soccer fans in the comment section below. What do you expect from this first match under Berhalter? How would you line up the Red, White and Blue? All that discussion and plenty more once the game kicks off.