The Great Park Sports Complex sits in the shadow of the Santa Ana Mountains and it would require expensive binoculars and a small climb up Santiago Peak just to catch a glimpse of USMNT training at this World Cup.
At their base in Irvine, California, nothing is being left to chance when it comes to security and secrecy. It makes for an odd scene.
In one corner of this 194-acre facility, Mauricio Pochettino’s players are training near a carousel, an art gallery, an ice rink and a hangar that contains aircraft from World War 2.
But their soccer pitches are encased in a ring of blacked-out steel fences. Roadblocks and yellow police tape add an extra buffer. So do the armed cops who patrol the area and – occasionally – stand on the sideline to watch Pochettino’s players warm up. Everyone is on high alert.
Visitors must pass through airport-style security and even the USMNT’s training gizmos can cause concern. Before one session, it was possible to make out the chatter on security walkie-talkies. A drone had appeared above the pitches and it was someone’s job to find out why and where it had come from. Turns out the drone belonged to US Soccer. Panic over.
You can forgive the caution, though – given all that’s at stake and all the warnings of what could go wrong. On and off the pitch.
Tyler Adams, Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie hang out at the US team hotel
Mauricio Pochettino and his team are training at the Great Sports Park in Irvine, California
Midfielder Adams watched the New York Knicks win the NBA Finals alongside his family
US authorities have already seized more than 50 drones near World Cup sites since the start of the tournament and the USMNT had its own scare during last year’s Gold Cup, when someone noticed something soaring above the training base. That sparked a scramble to find the culprit. No team can afford to have rivals watching its sessions. Thankfully, that turned out to be another false alarm but Pochettino joked this week that he has been on the lookout for spies.
There were extra eyes on USMNT training earlier this week: a gaggle of WAGs, parents and friends of Pochettino’s stars. They mingled and filmed and took it all in – the dad of one senior player revealed it was the first time he had ever watched his son train as a professional. But not everyone seemed to realise how rare an opportunity it was: some of the kids preferred to play Duck, Duck, Goose.
Pochettino’s players are staying half an hour from Irvine at a luxurious resort near Laguna Beach. Not far away, their loved ones are in a hotel that comes with full concierge service – transport, tickets and meals are all taken care of. That way players don’t have to worry about anything but the World Cup.
They all had the chance to hang out over the weekend. The team held a barbeque and midfielder Tyler Adams watched the Knicks seal the NBA championship win alongside his brothers.
Families and friends are also offered the option of heading out on organized excursions. Among them? A trip to Disney. That is what Antonee Robinson’s loved ones did. The defender’s kids had a blast.
Some excursions were planned on the same morning that training was open to family and friends. So some opted for a day out rather than stand on the sidelines. What could be more fun than watching players warm up before enjoying a game of Duck, Duck, Goose?
Paris Hilton struck up an unlikely friendship with USWNT head coach Emma Hayes (L)
It is only a short drive south from Beverly Hills to SoFi Stadium, so it was no surprise to see Hollywood royalty fill the posh seats as the US tore Paraguay to shreds in last week’s curtain raiser.
Alongside the likes of Tom Cruise and George Lucas was Paris Hilton, who hosted a post-game party and made an unlikely friend: USWNT boss Emma Hayes. At first glance, they are not an obvious fit – two very different characters who have taken wildly different paths. But Hayes and Hilton are said to have bonded after the game.
The English coach, 49, is working as a World Cup analyst for British network ITV. She is already one of soccer’s most accomplished and respected voices. After the men’s team beat Paraguay, however, Hayes might have unlocked the door to even glitzier circles.
The build-up to Iran’s opening game against New Zealand was dominated by uncertainty and unrest. There were protests and warnings that ‘hell’ would greet Amir Ghalenoei and his players in Los Angeles.
On the eve of the game, journalists packed into a room inside SoFi Stadium where Ghalenoei and striker Mehdi Taremi spoke for the first time since landing on US soil. Tension simmered.
But no one told the bloke on the stadium’s big screen. He appeared to be overseeing last-minute sound checks ahead of the game. And as music blasted around SoFi, he stood on a small stage and cut loose – jiving and boogieing for the cameras. It was a dash of light relief amid all the chaos. A reminder that soccer should be fun.
Ex-England star Peter Crouch had to wait in line for hours to collect his World Cup credentials
So it turns out that not even scoring in a World Cup can save you from FIFA’s bureaucratic mess.
At one of the credential collection points in LA, World Cup organizers had installed a facial recognition system that had only one tiny flaw: it didn’t appear to recognize anyone’s faces.
That forced everyone into a line for the help desk. The wait was around a couple of hours. Just ahead of me? Former Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel and ex-England striker Peter Crouch.
Between them, they played at four World Cups, with Crouch scoring for England against Trinidad and Tobago in 2006. But that counted for nothing. They were forced to get in line alongside all the volunteers and contractors and journalists.
