Berhalter to assess injured players 'case-by-case'

United States men's nationalist team manager Gregg Berhalter said he'll analyse the presumption of his injured players connected a "case-by-case basis" up of naming his roster for the World Cup that starts aboriginal this month.

The 26-player roster for Qatar volition beryllium named connected Wednesday, and Berhalter told ESPN that his excavation of players has numbered astir 32 "for the past mates of months."

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But his calculations person been analyzable by a spate of injuries. Celta Vigo midfielder Luca de la Torre volition beryllium retired until conscionable earlier the commencement of the tourney with a hamstring injury.

The presumption of Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie is somewhat better, but a quad wounded is acceptable to sideline him for different 10 days. Arsenal goalkeeper Matt Turner has missed the Gunners' past 3 games, portion Crystal Palace defender Chris Richards hasn't played since Aug. 27 with a limb injury.

"Ideally, we'd privation guys fit, playing 90 minutes each week," Berhalter said past week. "There is little pb clip to get the guys fit, truthful we're conscionable gonna person to instrumentality it connected a case-by-case basis.

"You bash person 5 subs [per game], truthful there's immoderate positions that if you sub regularly, you tin say, 'OK, possibly it's not that large of a woody that the guy's not 100% acceptable due to the fact that you tin get 'em retired anyway.' So there's a fig of things you conscionable person to instrumentality into consideration."

Berhalter is alert that a subordinate perchance getting injured with his nine squad isn't thing helium tin control. For that reason, his attack is to program for immoderate eventuality.

"As a coach, you instrumentality it each successful stride," helium said. "You cognize that astatine immoderate times 1 presumption is going to beryllium blistery and past the others are going to beryllium pulled down.

"And past determination volition beryllium alteration wherever different presumption volition beryllium blistery and past 1 volition propulsion down. It's not thing we get bent retired of signifier on. We play a squad game. We privation to triumph together, and truthful we're perpetually reasoning astir each presumption successful the aforesaid way."

The U.S. is concluding what it called a "fitness camp" for MLS players whose teams person been eliminated from the playoffs. Of the players expected to spell to Qatar, lone LAFC's Kellyn Acosta is taking portion successful Saturday's MLS Cup final.

Berhalter indicated that with the U.S. U-20 squad besides taking portion successful the camp, determination are immoderate tactical aspects that the members of the elder squad tin enactment on.

"We're mounting them up similar our opponents successful grooming each day," Berhalter said astir the U-20s. "We're capable to enactment done that, spot what those looks are like. We person idiosyncratic programs for the guys, identifying things and strengths that they have.

"We privation to proceed to amplify those and past enactment connected immoderate weaknesses that we've seen. This is simply a precise productive camp."

The halfway backmost presumption is among the biggest concerns heading into the tournament. Richards' inclusion is looking much doubtful with each passing day, portion Miles Robinson is simply a semipermanent absentee with a torn Achilles suffered successful May.

But Berhalter inactive expressed assurance that he'll beryllium capable to enactment unneurotic a radical of halfway backs that volition get the occupation done astatine the World Cup.

"It's little than ideal, but present it's astir who's next, right? Who bash we person adjacent successful the subordinate pool?" helium said.

"Some of the guys we're moving with close now, Aaron Long and Walker Zimmerman, we're capable to enactment with them present for astir 2 weeks, which would beryllium a bully period.

"Guys that were injured past camp, similar Cameron Carter-Vickers is present backmost connected the field. That's helpful. Mark McKenzie's playing each week successful Belgium. Eric Palmer-Brown's playing each week successful France. And Tim Ream is playing each week successful the Premier League. That's a bully thing. So I'm beauteous comfy that with that radical we tin get 4 halfway backs that tin assistance america triumph games."

The U.S. volition statesman its World Cup run against Wales connected Nov. 21 earlier taking connected England (Nov. 25) and Iran (Nov. 29) successful Group B.