COLOGNE, Germany — On the southwest edge of this striking city, in a training center tucked behind a thick veil of trees and linked by trails to Beethoven Park, a symphony of activity and emotion involving the U.S. men’s national soccer team has played out all week.
With the curtain rising on the World Cup in two months, Gregg Berhalter is overseeing final live auditions. He conducted workouts for four days and will orchestrate rehearsals Friday in nearby Düsseldorf against Japan and Tuesday in Murcia, Spain, against Saudi Arabia.
The crescendo comes in six weeks, when after almost four years of high and low notes, Berhalter will invite 26 players onstage in Qatar.