In the effort to retain two regional titles this summer, the U.S. men’s national soccer team has planned all along to use a similar strategy that succeeded two summers ago: a European-heavy squad for the first test and a largely MLS-based group for the second trial.
For the Concacaf Nations League finals, a four-team competition kicking off in two weeks in Las Vegas, interim coach B.J. Callaghan on Thursday followed through on those plans by selecting 20 players from leagues abroad for the 24-man training camp.
In a few weeks, after most of the Nations League squad begins summer vacation between club seasons abroad, Callaghan will summon many MLS players for the Concacaf Gold Cup, a 16-team competition beginning July 24 at several venues in the United States and Canada.