U.S. men’s soccer team opens D.C. area training camp with eyes on 2026 World Cup

The U.S. men’s soccer team is accustomed to pressure — it’s the D.C. region’s heat and humidity that will take some getting used to.

At least that’s what defender Chris Richards said Wednesday after the squad’s first practice in the area.

The team is staying in Virginia and practicing in Maryland ahead of a June 8 friendly against Columbia at Commanders Field.

“We only have 12 players here today, but … it’s good to be back with the boys,” said Richards, who plays his club soccer for Crystal Palace in England. “I’m not going to lie, training is kind of tough because it’s a bit hotter than what we’re used to. It’s a lot more sun.”

About half of the 27-player squad arrived and began training on Wednesday. The rest are expected to arrive before June 2, allowing for at least a week of dedicated training ahead of the match against Colombia.

“It’s an opportunity that we’re looking forward to, to finally get to spend periods training and having long periods where we can create competitive training sessions and, really again, try to solidify a lot of the principles that we want to play with,” assistant coach B.J. Callahan said.

Colombia and a June 12 game against Brazil will be the final tuneup for the Americans before they host the top national teams from South America in the Copa America.

It’ll be a busy summer for the American men, as some players from the Copa America squad could also be called in for Olympic duty in July.

“There are a number of players that we are considering for both the Olympics and Copa America,” U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter told reporters last week.

While the Olympics offer one of the grandest stages, the Games don’t always host the biggest soccer stars. The men’s Olympic tournament requires players to be 23 years old or younger, though each squad gets three “overage” exceptions.

Players likely to pull double duty — playing for the junior squad, U.S. Olympic team, while also holding down a roster spot on the men’s national team — could include defenders Miles Robinson and Joe Scally and forward Brandon Vasquez, Berhalter said. 

Those three players will be training in the D.C. area over the next 10 days.

“One of the guiding principles that we’ve always tried to do is that we want to use as many opportunities to expose as many players … to really high-level competition,” Callahan said. “It’s trying to find a balance … making sure that there’s opportunities for other players to face really good competition under real pressure in the Olympics.”

Deciding who will participate in a given competition is a balancing act, according to Callahan. But that process hopefully preps young stars for the ultimate competition — the 2026 World Cup.

“This is preparation for the World Cup,” Richards said of the Copa America and June friendlies. “Of course whatever tournament, whatever game we’re playing in we want to win. But we’re playing for something bigger. We’re trying to get ready for the World Cup.”

The U.S. has already qualified for the 2026 World Cup as one of three host nations. 

Between the friendlies and the Copa America, the U.S. senior team will play five matches from June 8 to July 1. The younger Americans will gain additional international experience at the Olympics, starting with an opener against host nation France on July 24.

“When I look at the last World Cup, a number of guys were really just surprised — surprised about each and every moment of the games and how big they were,” the coach told the Washington Post on Tuesday. “To give guys international experience is the most important thing. To go to the Olympics and feel what it’s like to play France in France is a big game.”