Irvine (United States) (AFP) – Midway through US goalkeeper Matt Freese’s World Cup media duties on Tuesday, the familiar face of Weston McKennie appeared among the scrum of reporters and cameras. “It’s hard to focus on you guys!” said Freese, as the star midfielder tried his best to distract his teammate. “He was also our chauffeur — he drove us here on a golf cart,” Freese explained, joking that McKennie is only an “alright driver.”
In between their on-field heroics in wins against Paraguay and Australia that have helped captivate a sometimes soccer-skeptical nation, the US players have plenty of time for hi-jinks at their southern California training base. It is a few miles from the luxury beachfront hotel that has been fully taken over by the squad, affording players calm and privacy amid the pressure of representing one of the tournament’s host nations. Fellow ‘keeper Matt Turner has called the resort “our little oasis,” while midfielder Gio Reyna admitted to feeling “a little bit spoiled, to say the least.”
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“We wake up in the morning, and some of the boys want to go surfing, some boys will want to go fishing, some boys will want to go shopping,” said Folarin Balogun. “There’s just so much you can do here, and I’ve only just experienced a small fraction,” marveled the striker, who was born in the US but grew up in England, and has rarely spent more than a few consecutive weeks across the pond.
– ‘Tense moments’ –
The US base camp was chosen after years of preparation by officials, aware of the intense scrutiny players would come under, and keen to forge bonds between the teammates. The apparent calm and joviality is at odds with Qatar four years ago, when Reyna was almost sent home after a bust-up with then-coach Gregg Berhalter over his attitude in training. That row famously spiraled to include Reyna’s family and a historic assault allegation that saw the manager investigated by US soccer authorities, and subsequently cleared.
Not everything has been plain sailing this time either. Star forward Christian Pulisic suffered a knock in training that was aggravated in the 4-1 opening win against Paraguay, and has not played since. Captain Tim Ream told AFP that there have been “some tense moments, amongst ourselves,” during coach Mauricio Pochettino’s intense training sessions. But with another 2-0 win against Australia in the books, and the team’s dynamic and attacking football winning over fans and pundits, it seems to be working.
Having topped Group D, the US already know all three of their potential next three knockout games would be on the West Coast — in San Francisco, Seattle and then Los Angeles for a quarter-final, if they make it that far.
– ‘Smores’ –
Balogun refused to reveal which players had taken up surfing, a sometimes treacherous activity in the giant swells of California’s Pacific coast, presumably worried he might get them in trouble. But there are plenty of calmer, typically American activities available to players as they pass the substantial time between games at this expanded, 48-team, 39-day World Cup. Pulisic said he has taken to making ‘smores over a “little fire pit” at the hotel — a campfire treat made from marshmallows and chocolates that is the epitome of cozy nostalgia for Americans.
Reyna discussed going for “a dip, for a little recovery and a little sun” on the beach after training. For Freese, it all brings the players closer together, as they try to create something special at the World Cup, having not reached the quarter-finals since 2002. “Before I got here, I heard from some people, some mentors, that it’s such a special experience,” said the goalkeeper. “What they were talking about was how a group bonds and how a group becomes a family within a World Cup setting. I didn’t really know what they meant, but now I know what they meant. It’s such a special feeling.”
“We go back to our hotel and it’s very isolated and very secluded, and just us there, and we really just get to be ourselves and bond and become cohesive off the field.”
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