The United States men's national soccer team is preparing for the World Cup at a state-of-the-art facility that represents a monumental leap forward for the sport in the country. The newly opened U.S. Soccer National Training Center, a $250 million, 200-acre, 19-field complex situated south of Atlanta, offers amenities that were unimaginable just a decade ago.
A Far Cry from the Past
Jozy Altidore, a retired striker who played in the 2014 World Cup, recalled the stark contrast between the new center and the conditions he experienced. "This is the culmination, right?" Altidore said on Thursday. "This is what I'm sure past players strived to want to be a part of." He remembered recovering from practice in a plastic cold tub on a paved path outside Stanford's Cagan Stadium in California.
The evolution of U.S. Soccer's facilities has been gradual. Sunil Gulati, who later became U.S. Soccer Federation president, recalled buying balls from a Kmart on the morning of an intrasquad game at Colorado Springs in 1985, where sprinklers interrupted the match. For the 1994 World Cup, the team trained at a $3.5 million, seven-acre facility in Mission Viejo, California. Subsequent training sites included Chula Vista, California (1998), Cary, North Carolina (2002 and 2006), Princeton (2010), and Stanford (2014).
In recent years, the national team practiced at Major League Soccer training facilities. The new center, opened on May 7, was funded with a $50 million lead gift from Arthur Blank, owner of the Atlanta Falcons and an MLS team. Built on a former cow pasture about 25 miles from Atlanta, it now serves as the home for all 27 U.S. national teams.
World-Class Amenities
Midfielder Tyler Adams, captain of the 2022 World Cup team, highlighted the benefits of having a dedicated facility. "It's nice to have the first rights of everything that you want to do here," Adams said. "Whenever you train at an MLS facility or something like that, it's their facility. You're a guest."
The complex features 13 full-size grass fields on three levels, two artificial turf fields, two sand fields for beach soccer, and two indoor fields. The U.S. Soccer Federation has moved its headquarters from Chicago to the center, which includes 20 locker rooms, 19 meeting rooms, a 10,000-square-foot gym, and a kitchen with an adjacent dining area. Offices on the second floor overlook the most prominent fields, including the one where the World Cup team trained.
"From my office, you can see the grass. It's the first time I've ever been excited to see grass grow," said USSF CEO JT Batson.
Inspired by Global Examples
The USSF studied training centers around the world, such as England's St. George's Park and France's Clairefontaine, to design the facility. Players are staying at a hotel in nearby Trilith, an area that has grown rapidly due to the opening of Trilith Studios, a movie and television production complex where Marvel Studios films are made.
Defender Chris Richards will be the last to arrive, on Friday, after remaining with Crystal Palace for the UEFA Conference League final in Germany on Wednesday. World Cup-bound players watched the women's under-16 team train on Wednesday, fostering inspiration across generations.
"They can see the first team and how they move and how they operate, and that's the goal of where they want to end up," Adams said. "As a youth national team player, if I could have ever had the opportunity to be even close to the senior team, that would have been really special because that's your dream."
