Gregg Berhalter credits MLS for development of players after Nations League triumph

US men's national team head coach Gregg Berhalter praised Major League Soccer for their development of several prominent figures in the Stars and Stripes' current setup.

The USMNT lifted their third Nations League title with their favorite score of 2-0 over bitter rivals Mexico, extending their unbeaten run over their southern neighbors to seven games. Even though Berhalter's starting lineup at AT&T Stadium was full of players currently plying their trade in Europe, many of them started out in MLS academies before making the jump across the pond.

Matt Turner was a mainstay in the New England Revolution XI from 2018 to 2021 before departing for Arsenal in 2022. Veteran Tim Ream started out with New York Red Bulls in 2010 while Tyler Adams rose through the ranks at the same club from 2016 to 2018.

The same can be said for Weston McKennie, who was part of DC Dallas' academy before joining German giants FC Schalke 04 in 2016. While MLS has received plenty of criticism for the current referee lockout, not fully participating in this year's US Open Cup and their roster building rules, the league definitely know how to develop young stars destined to play in Europe.

"What I'd say is, MLS developed probably three-quarters of our team. All you tell players is [to] play at the highest level you can play at, where you're consistently getting game time, and when you start to dominate wherever you are, you move on," Berhalter said after the game.

"And that's wherever you are - whether it's MLS or the second division in Holland or first Bundesliga, you want to keep progressing, you want to keep being challenged. And we ask all our players that."

Berhalter went on to explain that in his mind, it doesn't really matter if a player is shining in Europe or MLS for them to receive call-up to the national team.

"Major League Soccer has a huge impact on our player pool and always has, since its inception," said Berhalter. "So we're grateful for the role of Major League Soccer, we work closely with all their teams, with the first teams of a lot of teams, and if a guy's good enough to break into the lineup, it doesn't matter where he plays."

Looking at the result over El Tri, Berhalter was pleased with how his squad were prepared and focused on the task at hand: Winning their third straight Nations League trophy over their rivals.

"For me it's really focusing on that type of performance every game and that's what it's going to take to be successful at an event like the World Cup. But I know the guys in the last World Cup, as soon as they got to camp, it was like focus, focus, focus. They were on it. And same thing in this camp as the camp went on...for me it's about really taking advantage of every single opportunity we have because before we know it, 2026 is going to be here."

The USMNT will take part in a pair of tuneup friendlies with Colombia and Brazil in early June prior to kicking off their Copa America campaign against Bolivia on June 23 at AT&T Stadium.

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