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Daily Mirror
11 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Mauricio Pochettino handed huge boost ahead of USA's 2026 World Cup
The USA are set to host the 2026 World Cup and boss Mauricio Pochettino will be boosted by a state-of-the-art new training centre, which will open just before the tournament starts Mauricio Pochettino will lead the 'US Way' from one of the best training centres in the world from next April. The Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Centre will open just ahead of next year's World Cup and the United States hope it will give them a major advantage ahead of the tournament. It will cost between £225m and £250m, is just outside of Atlanta and will house 17 pitches, a full side indoor pitch and even two beach football courts. United States technical director Matt Crocker, the Welshman who has previously worked for England and Southampton, wants the training ground to give the nation a new and strong footballing identity. Furthermore, US Soccer will finally have a home and the 400 employees - including United States coach Pochettino and women's boss Emma Hayes - will be housed in the 'gold standard' facility. US Soccer chiefs visited the English Football Association's base at St George's Park as they drew up plans as well as tapping into various different technical directors. Rather like St George's Park, it is in the middle of the countryside but US Soccer chiefs say they chose the 200 acre site as it is just 20 minutes from Atlanta airport, which is the busiest in the world. While they have had offices in Colorado and Chicago, they are currently effectively homeless and shift training bases, equipment and teams across the United States and even Pochettino has admitted he has not had somewhere to call home. It underlines just how committed the nation is to growing the game as they prepare to jointly host the World Cup with Canada and Mexico next summer. This month is the busiest ever for football in the US because the Club World Cup has been going on, the Gold Cup is also being staged with America playing fixtures throughout June and the Major League Soccer season is being played as normal. Billionaire businessman Blank - who has donated around £50m to the project - is a huge sports fan and he owns three different sports clubs in Atlanta. US Soccer chief commercial officer David Wright said: "I think it will be the gold standard and from where we sit that's how we've approached it. St. George's Park is obviously a big influence. That's obviously purely a sporting facility where this is going to have the whole Federation here. "Matt Crocker has had a huge influence and input and he has put forward something called the 'US Way' which is an overarching vision across all the different teams which I'm sure you'll be hearing a lot more about that. The timing is perfect but this has been a dream for a long time and this has been one of many indicators of the growth of the game for a long time to come." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
The Guardian
11 hours ago
- Business
- The Guardian
‘Gold standard': training centre could be gamechanger for football in US
Thirty minutes away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Atlanta, the land becomes greener, the trees are taller and builders are working in the intense Georgia sun to ensure US Soccer's new National Training Center is ready for action in time for the men's World Cup next year. It is an enormous site, spanning more than 200 acres in Trilith, Fayette County, and the hope is it will be the best training facility in the world when it opens. Funding has partly come from Arthur M Blank, who owns three sports teams in Atlanta, and executives are confident everything is on schedule for the doors to open in April. Those driving the project, which is expected to cost up to $250m, see it as a gamechanger for football in the US. They have travelled to Europe to observe other training centres and find out what works best. It helps that Matt Crocker, the technical director, previously worked at the Football Association. St George's Park, home to England's various national teams, is an obvious inspiration. Other sites visited by executives include Tottenham and Manchester City's training grounds, Clairefontaine in France, the US Tennis Association and Olympics and Paralympics training venues. 'I think it will be the gold standard,' says David Wright, US Soccer's chief commercial officer. 'It will combine sporting and non-sporting all in one facility. A lot of times it's either one or the other, but to have everything consolidated to one location is also a unique point of difference for us.' Cindy Parlow Cone, the federation's president, has made building the NTC one of the defining features of her tenure. Much is made of having a single central hub for the country's 27 national teams. It is less than ideal that the federation currently has to arrange a different location during every international break. 'Right now we have 27 national teams,' Chelle Alexander, US soccer's chief financial officer, says. 'Every time we have a camp for any of our national teams we have to go out, we have to source fields, hotels, transportation. We ship our equipment all over the United States – and internationally. Now we're all underneath one location. It'll provide consistency, so our teams know they're coming here. We'll be able to host multiple teams at one time as well.' The facility is a building site at the moment – health and safety regulations means proper tours are currently out of the question – but in the end there will be two beach courts, one futsal pitch, 13 grass pitches and three artificial pitches. Indoor facilities and plenty of locker rooms are other features. A lot of time and effort is going into making sure the grass is of the highest standard. The one surprise is there is no plan for accommodation facilities. There is also talk of developing players, coaches and referees. The project has an aspirational aspect. There is excitement at youth players being able to mingle with members of the senior squad in the canteen. It is about building connections; about ensuring pathways remain open for development squads. 'You've got youth fields set below the senior national team field,' Wright said. 'You could be a youth player who has aspirations to play for the senior national team and you're looking up saying: 'I want to get there one day.' That's a great example of the attention to detail we serve as an inspiration. 'I also think it's going to be a heartbeat for the sport. We've got our national teams, but we also make them think about coaching education, referee certification. You'll start to see this really become the hub and go to for all things soccer.' Atlanta is the self-styled epicentre of football in the States. Atlanta United, who play in the striking Mercedes-Benz Stadium, averaged crowds close to 45,000 for their Major League Soccer fixtures last season. Having the NTC nearby makes sense. 'We did a very comprehensive study that looked at over a thousand markets throughout the country,' Wright says. 'But when you factor in the climate, proximity to Europe for ease of player transportation, corporate support and a host of other factors it became pretty clear that Atlanta made sense.' Alexander points out that the NTC will help the local economy. Hundreds of staff are relocating from the federation's offices in Chicago and no one is complaining that the grand opening will come just before the World Cup. 'I think it should come as no surprise,' Wright says. 'The timing is perfect. There's this crescendo behind this work. 'Clearly there's some connectivity there. But I think it's more from a macro perspective. We think about where the sport's going and this is just one of many indicators of the growth of the game.'
Reuters
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Christian Pulisic (rest) left off USMNT Gold Cup roster
May 22 - U.S. Men's National Team attacker Christian Pulisic will not compete in this summer's Gold Cup as he recovers from a grueling season in Europe. Pulisic, 26, was left off the roster that was announced Thursday, with U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker issuing an explanation. "Christian and his team approached the Federation and the coaching staff about the possibility of stepping back this summer, given the amount of matches he has played in the past two years at both the club and international level with very little break," Crocker said. "After thoughtful discussions and careful consideration, we made the collective decision that this is the right moment for him to get the rest he needs. The objective is to ensure he's fully prepared to perform at the highest level next season." Pulisic has appeared in 49 matches this season across all competitions for Italy's AC Milan, with No. 50 on tap in Saturday's season finale against Monza. Pulisic also dealt with a chronic hip flexor issue this spring, according to a report by ESPN. The USMNT won the biennial Concacaf Gold Cup in 2021 and reached the semifinals in 2023. The Americans open the Gold Cup group stage on June 15 against Trinidad and Tobago, followed by matches with Saudi Arabia (June 19) and Haiti (June 22). The U.S. is coming off a disappointing performance in the Concacaf Nations League in March, with losses against Canada and Panama. In addition to Pulisic, the USMNT won't have Juventus teammates Weston McKennie and Timothy Weah or Gio Reyna of Borussia Dortmund as they will be participating in the FIFA Club World Cup. The U.S. will tune up for the Gold Cup with friendlies against Turkey on June 7 in East Hartford, Conn., and against Switzerland on June 10 in Nashville, Tenn. --Field Level Media
The Guardian
22-05-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
USMNT names Gold Cup training squad without Christian Pulisic and other stars
The US men's national team's pre-Gold Cup training camp roster does not include many of the team's biggest stars, including Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, Weston McKennie, Gio Reyna and Antonee Robinson. Some of the above absences were expected, as McKennie and Reyna will each be with their clubs as they compete in the Club World Cup, which takes place at the same time as the Gold Cup and for which Fifa has given clubs priority over national teams. The absences of Pulisic, Musah, and Robinson are relative surprises, however. Pulisic, the US's best player and often the team's captain, is coming off the best club season of his career with Milan. However, that season has involved him playing 49 games in all competitions so far, with that total likely to reach 50 for the second consecutive year with an appearance in Milan's Serie A finale v Monza. An extended break over this summer would be Pulisic's first since 2023. 'Christian and his team approached the Federation and the coaching staff about the possibility of stepping back this summer, given the amount of matches he has played in the past two years at both the club and international level with very little break,' US Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker said in a statement provided to media. 'After thoughtful discussions and careful consideration, we made the collective decision that this is the right moment for him to get the rest he needs. The objective is to ensure he's fully prepared to perform at the highest level next season.' Robinson, meanwhile, is also coming off a heavy workload, playing full 90s in the vast majority of Fulham's games this season, in which he provided 10 assists from left back. He announced on Instagram in March that he has been dealing with tendinopathy, an overuse injury, for most of the last part of the season. In place of the above are a collection of newcomers and less-experienced players that will seek to make an impression on head coach Muaricio Pochettino in the United States' final tournament competition before next year's World Cup on home soil. In terms of name recognition, the biggest among the inclusions is Sebastian Berhalter, the son of former US head coach Gregg Berhalter. The younger Berhalter has enjoyed a fine start to the MLS season, helping the Vancouver Whitecaps to an MLS-best start along with a run to the Concacaf Champions Cup final. Also included are Orlando City's standout right back Alex Freeman (son of former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Antonio Freeman), FC Köln striker Damion Downs, and Philadelphia Union midfielder Quinn Sullivan. All of the above will be joining a US camp for the first time in their careers. The roster is also notable for the inclusion of Sergiño Dest for the first time under Pochettino. Dest has only recently made his return to game action for PSV after time away due to an ACL tear. He will be the most experienced defender in the US camp aside from 37-year-old Tim Ream. Also included after some time away are striker Folarin Balogun and midfielder Luca de la Torre, neither of whom had gotten the call to a US camp since September 2024. Fans will also be interested to see how midfielder Diego Luna fits in after some head-turning performances under Pochettino, starting in the Argentine's first camps as US head coach. The training camp roster consists of 27 players, with Gold Cup regulations requiring a final roster size of between 23 and 26 players with at least three goalkeepers. In sum, that means at least one and up to four players will be trimmed from this list ahead of the June 4 deadline. Sign up to Soccer with Jonathan Wilson Jonathan Wilson brings expert analysis on the biggest stories from European soccer after newsletter promotion The full squad is below: Goalkeepers: Matt Freese (New York City FC), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew), Zack Steffen (Colorado Rapids), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace) Defenders: Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew), Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven), Alex Freeman (Orlando City), DeJuan Jones (San Jose Earthquakes), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati) Midfielders: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United); Tyler Adams (Bournemouth), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis), Luca de la Torre (San Diego FC), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake), Jack McGlynn (Houston Dynamo), Quinn Sullivan (Philadelphia Union); Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven), Sean Zawadzki (Columbus Crew) Forwards: Patrick Agyemang (Charlotte FC), Folarin Balogun (Monaco); Damion Downs (FC Köln), Brian White (Vancouver Whitecaps), Haji Wright (Coventry City)
