Big-time soccer has come to the Naval Academy this week, and it's pretty darn cool.
Head coach Gregg Berhalter has brought the United States Men's National Team to the Naval Academy for a week of training. An initial wave of American players arrived Monday to begin eight days of training at Navy in advance of next Wednesday's "friendly" against Jamaica at Audi Field in D.C.
I had just sat down on the bleachers at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility when I looked down on the field and spotted none other than Landon Donovan, arguably the greatest soccer player in United States history.
Donovan, who made 157 appearances for the U.S. National team and played in three World Cups, is attending this week's training sessions as an "observer" while naturally using his vast experience to help mentor the many young players now in the program.
After failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the United States Men's National Team has conducted a major overhaul and reboot. Berhalter, who represented the U.S. at the 2002 World Cup and was previously head coach of the Columbus Crew, was hired as program manager last December.
Berhalter has revamped the roster and brought in a ton of young talent, some of which was on display during Wednesday's training session at Navy. Jonathan Amon, a 20-year-old forward from Summerville, South Carolina who plays in the Danish Superliga, was one of the most impressive performers with his explosive speed and quickness.
Of course, the American's 40-man preparation camp roster also includes several proven veterans, many of whom were not in attendance on Wednesday. None of the U.S. players currently playing Major League Soccer are available yet while those that play professionally in the English Premier League or German Bundesliga have been given additional time off by Berhalter since they only just completed their seasons.
Perhaps the most recognizable player on the field on Wednesday was defender Omar Gonzalez, a former University of Maryland standout now playing for Atlas of the Liga MX, the top-level league in Mexico.
Other players with significant international experience already here in Annapolis this week include defenders Matt Miazga (Chelsea, English Premier League) and Tim Ream (Fulham, EPL) along with forward Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen, German Bundesliga).
Simply put, it was quite a coup for the Naval Academy to be chosen to host the U.S. National team for a week of training. Navy men's head coach Tim O'Donohue is good friends with BJ Callaghan, a member of the USMNT technical staff.
Naturally, the American squad needed to train somewhere in this area in advance of next Wednesday night's match with Jamaica and Callaghan asked O'Donohue if the Naval Academy could serve as host.
"I went back-and-forth with administration about whether we could do it. Fortunately, everyone was very supportive of bringing the national team here," O'Donohue said.
Of course, the timing was ideal as the U.S. National team wanted to begin training on Memorial Day. That was three days after Naval Academy graduation and plebe summer has yet to start.
"Had the timing been any different, it might have been difficult," O'Donohue admitted.
One of the prerequisites for hosting a United States National Team training camp is a top-notch facility and Glenn Warner is certainly that. However, the playing surface had to be upgraded to national team specifications and Eric David of Navy's facilities and operations department was responsible for making that happen.
USA Soccer sent in a specialist named Jerad Minnick to work with David on how to get the grass just right, which was a painstaking process.
"Eric David was the man behind the scenes working to make this happen. He and the grounds crew worked day and night to get this field to the point where the national team could train here," O'Donohue said.
Naturally, David picked up some expertise with regard to creating a top-flight soccer surface that will benefit Navy moving forward. "This has definitely been an eye-opening experience for how to maintain the field," O'Donohue acknowledged.
There are many other positives for the Naval Academy, not the least of which was the invaluable exposure that comes from having the United States Men's National Team on campus. On Monday, all the players and coaches posed for a group photo on the steps of Bancroft Hall and posted it to the USMNT official site.
"I just thought it would be a great thing for our program as a whole. We're showcasing our facility and it's a great opportunity for many of our players to come out and watch training sessions at the highest level of our sport," O'Donohue said. "It's an exciting thing for our program and I don't think there is any question it helps with recruiting that we're involved with high-level soccer."
Two Navy soccer players were given the chance of a lifetime on Wednesday morning. Because so many players have not arrived for camp yet, Berhalter needed a couple bodies for practice and agreed to give a couple midshipmen a shot.
Forward Jacob Williams (Millersville) and defender Tyler Collins (Crofton), a pair of rising sophomores who are both Anne Arundel County residents, were able to put on the United States practice uniform and participate in the nearly two-hour training session.
"Honestly, it was the most amazing experience. This is just a whole different level of soccer," said Williams, who played at Old Mill High. "The quality of players here is incredible. Everyone plays at such a high tempo and is able to move the ball with such pace. The speed and quickness is unreal."
Williams, who was the 2018 Patriot League Rookie of the Year, said he learned all sorts of things that will help him improve as a player.
"This has been the best moment of my life by far. This one session may have been it, but boy was it worth it," he said. "It showed me how much more I have to do to get better. We all want to be at this level and I realize how much work is required to make that happen."
Donohue and his assistants are learning as well. They have been the ultimate flies on the wall, hanging around the U.S. coaching staff and picking up all sorts of tricks of the trade. Just watching a national team practice is a lesson as a drone is utilized to capture overhead footage for review while GPS devices were placed all over the field to accumulate various performance metrics of the players.
"For me and my assistants, from a coaching education point of view, to have Coach Berhalter and his staff here for a full week and to be able to come out and watch how they approach a practice situation is invaluable," O'Donohue said. "There are a lot of little things we can pick up and possibly implement into our program."
O'Donohue noted how Berhalter conducts on-field meetings prior to each training session to discuss the objectives for the day and what various drills were going to be conducted. Carin Gabarra, Navy's wildly successful women's soccer coach, was also spotted in the stands taking copious notes.
Eric Ruden, Navy's Deputy Director of Athletics, was instrumental in setting up the week-long training session and handled many of the key logistics. Ruden noted the Naval Academy Office of Special Events had to approve the proposal. So it certainly didn't hurt that Captain Donald Kennedy, Director of Special Events, is a huge soccer fan and was eager to make this happen.
"As it routed through the various departments on the yard, we were fortunate that everyone thought it would work," Ruden said. "U.S. Soccer did not put a lot of demands on the Naval Academy. They just wanted a pure soccer setup that was self-contained. We were able to offer exactly what the coaching staff was looking for and it's our pleasure to have the United States Men's National Team here at the academy."
Navy has hosted numerous specialty athletic events in recent years, most notable The NHL Stadium Series ice hockey game between the Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs. Navy also hosted an exhibition baseball game between the Washington Nationals and Boston Red Sox.
"I think the Naval Academy Athletic Association has proven it can put on a special sporting event and that's a credit to the entire staff," Ruden said.
Speaking to the media following Wednesday morning's training session, Berhalter praised the Naval Academy for its overall hospitality and confirmed the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility was an ideal training site.
"It was an easy decision on a lot of levels to come here to the Naval Academy. You have a beautiful city in Annapolis and the backdrop of this field is incredible," Berhalter said. "This facility and the playing surface are both excellent."
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