Chanting 'usa! Usa!,' Thousands Welcome U.s. Men's Soccer Team To Socal Ahead Of World Cup

With its World Cup opener conscionable 4 days away, nan U.S. squad moved into its impermanent location successful Irvine connected Monday, wherever nan players recovered thousands of caller Southern California neighbors waiting successful statement to watch them footwear a ball.

After nan U.S. announced that Orange County Great Park would beryllium its guidelines for astatine slightest nan group shape of nan tournament, nan City of Irvine held a raffle for passes to spot nan squad train successful its only nationalist workout.

Thirty-two 1000 group applied and 5,500 received entree connected a lukewarm Monday greeting to watch nan squad unreserved done a ray 45-minute believe that was notable chiefly because it was nan first successful which injured halfway backmost Chris Richards was afloat involved. Richards tore 2 ligaments successful his near ankle playing for Crystal Palace, his English nine team, connected May 17 and hadn’t played aliases afloat trained since. The squad is rushing to get him fresh successful nan hopes he tin play astatine immoderate constituent successful nan three-game group stage.

But nan believe was besides notable because it was nan first astatine Championship Soccer Stadium, astir 50 miles southeast of SoFi Stadium successful Inglewood, wherever nan U.S. will unfastened its World Cup connected Friday against Paraguay.

“[The] situation and accommodation are crazy. It’s much than we expect,” U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said of nan venue. “We are truthful grateful.”

Championship Soccer Stadium is owned and managed by nan city, which has leased it to nan Orange County Soccer Club of nan second-tier USL Championship. But nan nine was temporarily evicted successful precocious April to make abstraction for nan nationalist squad — which is conscionable good pinch them.

U.S. men’s shot subordinate Chris Richards autographs nan garment of a young instrumentality during a squad believe Monday.

(Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)

“How tin you not beryllium excited astir nan big federation training successful your facility?” said Dan Rutstein, president of business operations of nan Orange County club.

“We’re proud to beryllium associated pinch nan U.S. nationalist team. We wouldn’t want to ever artifact anything, moreover if we could.”

(And they couldn’t, nan metropolis said.)

The Great Park is simply a sprawling 500-acre analyzable built connected nan tract of nan erstwhile Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, which closed successful 1999 aft 56 years training pilots for conflicts from World War II done nan first Gulf War. In 2001, voters approved a connection to person nan abstraction into a nationalist parkland and quality preserve, 1 which now includes, among different things, 5 soil volleyball courts, 4 hoops courts, 25 tennis courts, 12 softball and shot fields, nan crystal arena wherever nan Ducks believe and 25 shot fields, including nan pristine 1 FIFA conscionable installed wrong nan 5,500-seat stadium.

“The thought was that this would beryllium a value facility, a awesome parkland that we dream will rival San Diego’s Balboa Park and different awesome parks crossed nan country,” Irvine politician Larry Agran said. “It took a batch of nurturing, a batch of time, a batch of work.”

Bringing nan World Cup — aliases astatine slightest a World Cup squad — to Irvine besides took a batch of clip and work. Agran said nan metropolis put retired feelers astir hosting a training guidelines 5 years agone and made nan first trim successful 2024 erstwhile nan Great Park was placed connected a database of options distributed to tourney qualifiers.

Over nan adjacent 2 years, Rutstein said, astir a twelve nationalist teams sent representatives to person a look while Sam Zapatka, nan operations head of nan USMNT, said he scouted 27 accommodation from Seattle to San Diego. After his first sojourn to nan Great Park, however, he said he stopped looking and successful March, nan squad announced it would train successful Irvine.

On Monday, erstwhile nan players revenge retired of nan stadium’s locker room, which FIFA expanded and upgraded, they were greeted by rhythmic clapping and chants of “USA! USA!”

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1. U.S. men’s shot subordinate Weston McKennie takes portion successful a training convention astatine Orange County Great Park. (Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times) 2. (Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times) 3. U.S. men’s nationalist shot squad coach Mauricio Pochettino waves to fans attending believe connected Monday. 4. Pochettino speaks to players aft drills astatine Orange County Great Park connected Monday. (Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)

“I deliberation we’ve each been, I wouldn’t opportunity overwhelmed, but perchance amazed by nan excitement and nan buzz,” said skipper Tim Ream, who led nan squad onto nan field. “Pulling up present pinch 5,500 fans fresh to watch a training convention is incredible.

“We get to train successful an existent stadium pinch a bully pitch. The support, really, from each nan kids retired location is amazing. You want to consciousness for illustration you person a bully location base, right? So really, we’re looking guardant to being here.”

Especially aft 5,000 of your neighbors show up for nan housewarming party.