Three years ago, Steve Sampson squirmed on the U.S. team bench in Brussels. As interim head coach of the U.S. national team, Sampson seemed to be simply keeping the seat warm as U.S. Soccer found a bigger, probably foreign, name. Although U.S. Soccer, backed into a corner when no suitable replacement emerged, eventually appointed him, Sampson has had running battles with several players the past three years. His lack of a pro playing career and inheritance of the national team job didn’t carry a lot of weight with a lot of players. But Sampson is still around, and took firmer control of the team April 14 by dropping midfielder, captain and malcontent John Harkes. It’s a risky move. Harkes, who chafes at the adoration lavished upon his D.C. United teammate Marco Etcheverry, refused to play outside back for the U.S. and struggled to meet Sampson’s demands at defensive midfielder. Nice attitude for a captain. He was one of several players unable, or unwilling, to carry water for Claudio Reyna, whom Sampson has anointed as the team’s playmaker. Even if Tab Ramos recovers from his second serious knee injury, he won’t be 100 percent in France. One of Sampson’s diversions is gambling, and he’s throwing a lot of chips into the pot with this move. Harkes has been disruptive off the field and inconsistent on it, but he’s played in two World Cups. Reyna, brilliant at times yet lackadaisical as well, is certainly capable of pulling the strings in midfield. An injury sidelined him in 1994: Is he up to the task in 1998? Ironically, Reyna is struggling with his club team VfL Wolfsburg, which has adopted a bang-and-run policy under new head coach Wolfgang Wulf. But all the players on the U.S. team now clearly realize what their coach wants, and what he’ll do to get it.