United States midfielder Brenden Aaronson was granted a one-day leave from the World Cup training camp on Friday to marry his longtime girlfriend, Milana D'Ambra. The Leeds United player, 25, left camp after Thursday's session and is expected to rejoin the team for training on Saturday.
Aaronson, part of the 2022 U.S. World Cup squad, hails from a prominent soccer family. His brother Paxten plays for the Colorado Rapids, sister Jaden played for Villanova, and his father Rusty is sporting director of Real Futbol Academy. The bride is the daughter of Saint Joseph's men's soccer coach Don D'Ambra.
This is not the first time a US player has been given time off for a personal milestone. In 2016, Christian Pulisic was permitted to miss training to attend his high school prom before returning for a Copa America match.
Mauricio Pochettino announced his World Cup squad earlier this week, with Aaronson expected to play a key role as co-hosts. The US begin their campaign on 12 June against Paraguay in Inglewood, California, followed by matches against Australia on 19 June and Turkey on 25 June.
The USA are making their 11th World Cup appearance but have not progressed beyond the round of 16 since 2002. They were eliminated in the first knockout round in 2010, 2014 and 2022, and failed to qualify in 2018. The team hopes home advantage will help them go further this summer.
