SAN JOSE, Calif. — Through the toil and turmoil of a challenging season, San Jose Earthquakes defender Nick Lima persevered, leading the team in minutes played and continuing to show development in his second Major League Soccer campaign. His hard work did not go unnoticed. The Quakes right back was selected to the 27-man roster for next month’s United States men’s national team camp in Southern California.
Lima, 24, will be one of 10 defenders, all from MLS, invited by new national team head coach Gregg Berhalter to begin the next phase for a team looking to put the past behind it. The defender will be making his second straight appearance in the annual January camp, one that Berhalter hopes will be the beginning of a successful tenure.
“We can use this opportunity, this training camp, to start the process and set the tone for what this group is going to be like,” Berhalter said on a conference call with reporters. “We’re excited and ready to move forward.”
The camp opens up Jan. 6 at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center in California and is slated to run through the end of the month. The U.S. will conclude the camp with two games, against Panama on Jan. 27 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., and versus Costa Rica Feb. 2 at Avaya Stadium, the home of the Earthquakes. Lima is still searching for his first cap at any level for the U.S. With a strong showing for Berhalter in camp, he may get that opportunity in front of his home fans.
Berhalter, who earned 44 caps for the U.S., was on two World Cup rosters and knows a thing or two about what it takes to compete at the highest levels. After retiring as a player, he entered the coaching ranks, most recently guiding the Columbus Crew, where he found success implementing a core defensive strategy that he hopes to bring to the national team.
“Defenders in our system are required to do a lot,” Berhalter said. “First and foremost, we want them competing, we want them to be difficult to play against, we want them to be able to win their duels. With the ball, they need to start the attack, they need to be brave, they need to open up. They need to make the field big and dare to make passes. Breaking lines, whether that’s dribbling through the first line or passing through the first line, we need them being aggressive with their passing and we need them to do it at a high speed.”
Lima, who started all 34 games for the Earthquakes in 2018, excelled at outside back and was named the team’s Defender of the Year. He scored two goals and added two assists, showing his value at both ends of the field.
“Nick, I’ve admired him since he came into the league,” Berhalter said. “He has a very good profile for outside back. He’s aggressive defensively, but also he has the capacity to get up and down the field and make plays in the offensive end. He’s a good crosser of the ball, good in tight spaces. I’m looking forward to having him in camp and working with him.”
Under the leadership of former head coach Dave Sarachan, Lima did not have much communication with the national team, but that didn’t stop him from pressing on in his professional career, knowing a call-up would only come if deserved. As the season was winding down, with the Earthquakes on pace for the club’s worst year on record, Lima doubled down on those efforts.
“You go back to the basics,” Lima said. “You take notes from the guys who’ve done it. You know your own body. I’ve always got to go out there and prove myself.”
Lima spent most of the month of November training with Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin, potentially with an eye toward moving to Europe, but always with plans to keep himself in top shape during the MLS offseason. Berhalter, familiar with Lima’s pursuits, likes what he sees in the left back and will give Lima every opportunity to prove himself in the upcoming January camp.
“We have a clear profile of what we are looking for in each position, and we just filled in players based on our profiles,” Berhalter said. “This isn’t a random group of guys we’ve assembled. We looked at what we will need to be successful and picked those guys.”
Prior to the announcement, Lima never took it for granted that he’d make the January camp roster. With that accomplished, the next task is to impress Berhalter and his coaching staff in training, and, perhaps at the end, earn his first ever international cap.
“I’ve got to be ready,” Lima said, “and when the time comes, show them what I can do.”