COMMERCE CITY — As the men’s national team continues adjusting to new management under Bruce Arena, who replaced ousted Jurgen Klinsmann after a disastrous start to World Cup qualifying last November, players are also acclimatizing physiologically for a high-altitude challenge in Mexico City.
The U.S. has won only once at historic Estadio Azteca, elevation 7,200 feet, where it will face Mexico on Sunday in a crucial World Cup qualifying match. Altitude acclimatization takes weeks, not days. And so, to prepare for Sunday’s game, U.S. Soccer scheduled a two-week training camp in Colorado, plus a friendly against Venezuela at Salt Lake City last Saturday and a qualifying game here Thursday against Trinidad and Tobago.