The USMNT is back in action, sort of. The annual January camp is underway in Los Angeles as Bruce Arena has called in his first roster since taking over for Jurgen Klinsmann as manager of the national team.
U.S. Soccer put a mic on Arena as he welcomed the players to his first camp in his second tenure as USMNT boss. This interesting look behind the scenes shows you what it’s like for the players and staff on a normal day of training.
One interesting thing I saw in the video is Arena’s instant admiration for Jermaine Jones’ work ethic. Klinsmann got a lot of flack for being too attached to Jones over the years, but it’s stuff like this as to why he continues to get call-ups and important minutes.
The moments in training that we don’t normally get to see is why he’s a professional and wins over the decision makers. Don’t be surprised if he keeps his spot under the new regime just because he’s such a hard worker for the team.
I’m glad U.S. Soccer is doing more stuff like this. The inside peeks at training camp are always fun and cool. I realize it’s not realistic for them to do it all the time, but I hope they keep it up. It really helps the supporters stay connected to the team in time periods like this where there isn’t much going on other than training.