{"id":2823,"date":"2026-02-11T20:55:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T20:55:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/?p=2823"},"modified":"2026-02-11T20:55:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T20:55:13","slug":"world-cup-watch-usas-mls-based-players-know-theres-no-time-to-sit-around","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/?p=2823","title":{"rendered":"World Cup Watch: USA&#039;s MLS-Based Players Know There&#039;s &#039;No Time To Sit Around&#039;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"subnav-title ff-ffc bold fs-23 lh-25 uc pd-b-10\">\n            POPULAR SEARCHES\n          <\/p>\n<p class=\"subnav-title ff-ffc bold fs-23 lh-25 uc pd-b-10\">\n            BROWSE BY\n          <\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d04fc069>There are three things Sebastian Berhalter does in order to perform at his best. Getting a good night\u2019s sleep, of course. Reading \u2013 he\u2019s currently digging his way through \u2018The Light We Give.\u2019 And thirdly, being diligent in his routine.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d04fc069>This part Berthalter maps out carefully. The Vancouver Whitecaps and U.S. men&#8217;s national team midfielder keeps a data diary of his training and stays on top of his recovery. At home he uses a hyperbaric chamber, Normatec boots and a red light mat to make sure his body is right where he wants it to be.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d04fc069>&#8220;I\u2019m not saying those things make a difference, but for me, if there\u2019s anything I can be doing to keep my mind and my body feeling as good as it possibly can, then I\u2019m going to do it,&#8221; Berhalter told me ahead of the Whitecap&#8217;s preseason training. &#8220;Even just spending time with friends, going for walks and just being myself.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d04fc069>Berhalter, 24, is among the pool of MLS players hoping to make the 2026 World Cup roster. USA coach Mauricio Pochettino can only take 26 players to the tournament, which begins June 11. Somewhere around 17-20 of those guys play overseas, including the likes of forward Christian Pulisic and midfielders Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams. That doesn\u2019t leave many spots for MLS-based players.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span>Sebastian Berhalter is a handful of MLS-based players with a shot of making the USA&#8217;s World Cup squad. (Photo by Tim Warner\/USSF\/Getty Images)<\/span> <\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d04fc069>But Berhalter, along with his MLS comrades, is doing everything possible to stay sharp and ready to get called up. The next international window in March \u2013 which also happens to be the last camp before Pochettino makes his final World Cup roster decisions \u2013 is crucial. It will include matches against European powers Belgium (March 28) and Portugal (March 31) in Atlanta. And for all intents and purposes, if you\u2019re going to make the final World Cup roster, it\u2019s best you get called up in March.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d04fc069>Pochettino said as much in a January conference call with reporters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d04fc069>&#8220;The idea is that the World Cup will start in March,&#8221; Pochettino said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d04fc069>The manager also delivered a message to his players in November after the squad\u2019s last training camp when he said they &#8220;need to do everything to be in the best form to be selected for March.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d04fc069>Easier said for European players, who are in the thick of their respective club seasons. But as it pertains to MLS hopefuls like Berhalter, it\u2019s a little more challenging being that most of them have been in the offseason since early November and preseason recently started. The MLS season begins Feb. 21, meaning they will only have a handful of mathes under their belts before the March window.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d04fc069>So what can guys do to stay in Pochettino\u2019s World Cup plans? The USA&#8217;s staff doesn\u2019t give players specific direction or instruction, though they\u2019re always around as a resource.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d04fc069>&#8220;They trust us and know we got to the national team for a reason,&#8221; Berhalter told me. &#8220;There\u2019s nothing regimented. People have different ways of doing things. Some people like more recovery, some people do less, and they feel just as good. Everyone has their own things and different things they like.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d04fc069>Berhalter took a week and a half off after starting for the Whitecaps in their MLS Cup final loss to Inter Miami on Dec. 6. He focused on eating clean and not pushing his body much physically aside from yoga just to stay active. After his self-allotted downtime, he was back to individual training sessions and getting touches on the ball. He ramped up the intensity over the next few weeks, writing down a list of what he wanted to accomplish each day in a notebook. He created a plan that included gym sessions, meetings, and meditation, and every time he\u2019d complete something on the schedule, he\u2019d check off the box he drew beside it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d04fc069>&#8220;It\u2019s a system I\u2019ve been using for awhile now and I feel like it\u2019s something that keeps me accountable because I want to go back to the box and I want to check them off,&#8221; Berhalter said. &#8220;It\u2019s satisfying to see at the end of the week that they\u2019re all checked off. It\u2019s about prioritizing things that I want to improve on or off the field and that keeps me organized.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><span>Max Arfsten will want to strong start to the MLS season to solidify a potential World Cup spot. (Photo by Stephen Nadler\/ISI Photos\/ISI Photos via Getty Images)<\/span> <!--&gt;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d04fc069>Columbus Crew wing back Max Arfsten, who last played a competitive match in the USMNT\u2019s 5-1 win over Uruguay on Nov. 18, spent part of his offseason in his hometown of Fresno, Calif. In the mornings, he\u2019d train with a group of friends who also happened to be local professional players \u2013 mostly from the United Soccer League. They\u2019d do technical work and play small-sided games. Then in the afternoons, Arfsten would go to the gym and lift before more conditioning.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d04fc069>He\u2019d also use the time as an opportunity to work on parts of his game that he can\u2019t always get to during the season. For example, he\u2019d take 30-40 shots in a row on goal or work on defending, crossing or building out of high-pressure situations that will help him as a left back in Pochettino\u2019s system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d04fc069>\"Having that North Star goal of trying to make the World Cup, there\u2019s no time to just sit around, you know?\" the 24-year-old Arfsten said. \"If you take too much time off, then it just takes longer to get back into it and I don\u2019t think anybody wants to be in that situation.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d04fc069>Tim Ream, who will be 38 at this summer\u2019s World Cup, agrees. When his season with Charlotte FC ended in early November, he took the necessary amount of time to rest and recover, and quickly jumped back into his program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d04fc069>\"I\u2019m one of those [guys] that I struggle with too much time off,\" Ream told reporters during the USA's November camp. \"I\u2019ll take 10 days off, completely shut the body down, and then get back on the bike and get back to running and get back to doing the things that I know work for me in the offseason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d04fc069>\"As you get older, you actually need \u2014 or should be taking \u2014 less time off. I've found for me personally that's really the approach. I'll treat this preseason and this offseason the same way I treat every single one that I have in my career and come back ready to go in January knowing that 2026 is a huge, huge year, and that I have goals that I want to reach. It's what you do when no one's looking that allows you to reach those goals. And that's what I'll be doing.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d04fc069>There are still a few weeks before the MLS season begins and soon after that, Pochettino will call in his March roster. Because of the layoff, are MLS players at a disadvantage in making the squad because they haven\u2019t been playing regular matches like their European counterparts?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d04fc069>Pochettino says no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d04fc069>\"They\u2019re going to [have] a very good level of energy,\" the manager said in January. \"Maybe [there\u2019s a] lack of games, but I think you compensate with energy because they came from a period of rest and recovery and now they are charging their batteries to be full, to start competing in the end of or the middle of February.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d04fc069>\"And that is very good because I think in March they are going to be with all the power and it\u2019s going to be good for them to show their quality. And of course for us, it\u2019s good because they are going to be with all the energy and motivation to be part of the roster.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d04fc069>MLS players shrug their shoulders at the notion that the different schedules might play a part in who\u2019s most deserving of a roster spot. There\u2019s nothing they can do about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d04fc069>\"It just is what it is,\" Berhalter said. \"I think guys in MLS are just going to get right back at it.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d04fc069>\"We can\u2019t control the schedule,\" added Arfsten. \"One way to look at it is like, we\u2019ll be more fresh. The European players by that time will be toward the end of the season. So they\u2019re going to be more fit and in shape and in form, but I mean, after a long season you\u2019re mentally drained so I think maybe we\u2019ll have that mental freshness.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d04fc069><strong>World Cup Watch: <\/strong><strong>Could This Teenage Defender Make USA's Squad?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d04fc069>Thinking about that, though, is not productive for these MLS players. They\u2019ve spent months trying not to get overwhelmed by how massive a year 2026 could be for them. Many are striving to play in their first World Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d04fc069>\"I\u2019m confident that everything I\u2019ve done to get here is for a reason, and it\u2019s worth it. It makes sense,\" Berhalter said. \"Anytime I step into the team \u2013 regardless if I am or not \u2013 I bet I\u2019m the most prepared, the most hardworking, and it gives me a little edge, like, \u2018I should be here. I deserve to be here. And now why not go ball out and do my thing?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d04fc069>\"If I get to the World Cup, that\u2019s amazing. But if not, it doesn\u2019t mean I'm not a good soccer player. I feel like you need to have perspective that even if it doesn't happen, I'm going to be OK. I\u2019ll be all right, and I'm gonna keep working. I don't like to look at it as this is something hanging over my head like, \u2018S-, I need to make the team.\u2019 I take it day by day, and it would be the biggest honor of my life if I'm there.\"<\/p>\n\n--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>POPULAR SEARCHES BROWSE BY There are three things Sebastian Berhalter does in order to perform at his best. Getting a good night\u2019s sleep, of course. Reading \u2013 he\u2019s currently digging his way through \u2018The Light We Give.\u2019 And thirdly, being diligent in his routine.\u00a0 This part Berthalter maps out carefully. The Vancouver Whitecaps and U.S. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":2822,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soccer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2823","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2823"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2823\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2822"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}