England fuelled their stunning start to the World Cup on Kansas City’s famous barbecue.
The Three Lions smoked Croatia 4-2 in an exhilarating opener on Wednesday, and two-goal hero Harry Kane has revealed that the camp was first treated to burnt ends and brisket at their team hotel in a town famous for its cooked meats.
England are staying in the midwest city thanks to its location close to the centre of the US. But Kansas City is known as the world capital of ‘barbecue’ and has more than 100 restaurants that specialise in the area’s signature dishes.
Kane, who sampled more of the local culture when he headed to the baseball with team-mates and head coach Thomas Tuchel on Thursday night, revealed that the FA had even brought in some of the area’s leading chefs to lay on a feast when they arrived from Florida on Saturday night.
‘We had some barbecue at the hotel the first night we got here,’ the Bayern Munich man said. ‘Mitch, one of our chefs, and some local chefs (provided it). That was some good food!’
England’s diet is tailored by the group’s chefs to ensure they are in peak condition. However, in an attempt to make things interesting, they often hold theme nights featuring food from around the world and eat outside in a bid to promote team bonding.
Harry Kane and Thomas Tuchel have been adjusting well to life in Kansas City, where England have made their base
And Kane joked that he had to watch what he ate, in a chat with local media and a reporter from Gary Lineker’s podcast. ‘I’m all for it,’ he said. ‘I’m not sure how much I’m allowed to eat at a tournament. We are here to enjoy it.’
Kansas City’s barbecue roots stretch back to the 1920s, when local Henry Perry started cooking meat in an outdoor pit next to his streetcar barn, serving his products wrapped in newspaper. The area was once a major stockyard and meat packing city.
Restaurants now offer a variety of smoked meats from ribs, pork shoulder and ham to burnt ends and brisket, each offered with a variety of sauces.
Kane also praised Tuchel, who threw the ceremonial first pitch at the game in front of himself, Djed Spence and Dan Burn.
‘He got a strike so fair play to him,’ he said. ‘It’s not easy. That’s the first time I’ve been at a mound in 12 years and you forget how far away it is. The boss has done pretty well, I’ll give him that. He was a bit nervous before, but he handled it well.’
Kane and the group were given a warm welcome by fans at the Kansas City Royals and he was quick to thank them for the support England have enjoyed since arriving from their pre-tournament camp in Florida.
‘The hotel is great,’ the 32-year-old said. ‘It’s in a nice little family village. Obviously we have our privacy but it feels like everyone there is supporting us. The training facilities are great. The pitches are really good. It’s nice to come out to places like this although I don’t think I’d be here if we’d lost! (against Croatia).’
Kane’s brace saw him tie Lineker as England’s leading goalscorer at World Cups, on 10. ‘It’s nice to get to double digits like him (Lineker),’ he added, ‘so let’s hope it’s not the last goal I score in the World Cup’.
On the back of their opening night success in Dallas, England head to Boston to take on Ghana before completing the group with a trip to New York to face Panama.
‘You always want to start the tournament well, especially when you’re playing against a team like Croatia, a top team, so we know how much it meant to get off on the right foot,’ Kane said. ‘It sets us up nicely for the last two games. The manner we played, the second half performance was a really high level. It builds excitement and hopefully we can finish the group with a couple more wins.’
