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Berhalter From the MLS Bubble: On Pulisic, Steffen, Akinola, World Cup Qualifying and More

Gregg Berhalter said Tuesday afternoon that he’s happy to be ensconced in MLS’s Orlando bubble watching live soccer for the first time in months, even though the long layoff, the weather, fitness levels and his field-side vantage point don’t exactly lend themselves to the most precise player evaluations. The big picture is a positive one. The return of MLS, and of most major European leagues before it, mean international matches may be just around the corner.

The U.S. men haven’t taken the field since Feb. 1. Since then, the coronavirus pandemic wiped away games in March and June and the scheduled start of World Cup qualifying in September, resulting in the program’s longest fallow period in the modern era.