Similar to the Olympics, teams fortunate enough to qualify for the World Cup embark on a lengthy journey in completely unknown territory trying to acclimate to a dramatically different timezone. The USMNT arrived in Qatar on November 14 and won’t play its final group stage game until November 29, and head coach Gregg Berhalter is pulling out all the stops along the way.
The USMNT Qatar headquarters is the Marsa Malaz Kempinski resort, and while many details are rightfully being kept under wraps, we do have valuable intel about the hotel itself.
According to Martin Rogers of Fox Sports, Berhalter and staff have strategically planned light filters in certain areas of the hotel.
Former USMNT player Alexi Lalas shared the information and said it is “to help the players quickly regulate their sleep patterns and enhance their adjustment to the Qatar climate and conditions.”
A majority of USMNT players are used to adjusting to time zones given that many play for clubs in Europe, Qatar is eight hours ahead of Eastern Time in the United States.
TED LASSO CELEBRATES USMNT PLAYERS WITH BILLBOARDS AHEAD OF WORLD CUP
Maybe these special light filters will help the USMNT in Qatar or maybe we’ll look back at this and chalk it up to Berhalter being corny and over the top. Many USMNT supporters aren’t exactly on board with Berhalter, but those opinions will quickly change if the Americans can get out of the group stage.
The USMNT begins its World Cup journey against Wales on November 21 at 2:00 PM ET on FOX before a much-anticipated matchup against England on Black Friday.
Follow Mark Harris on Twitter @ItIsMarkHarris
