NEW YORK — Gregg Berhalter’s internal clock counting down the weeks until he must name his World Cup squad ticks louder with each passing day. Soon, chimes that began sweetly with his appointment as head coach of a downtrodden U.S. men’s national soccer team almost four years ago will sound like jackhammers.
Never before has a U.S. coach been blessed with such a rich cast of candidates performing on Europe’s grand stages. He’s also got a seasoned MLS troupe.
Berhalter said he has narrowed the pool to 38-40 players. What goes unsaid is, barring injury (and it is almost certain there will be injuries), most of the World Cup slots have been filled.