England's Harry Kane greets young fans in Kansas City, where the team received a warm welcome for their World Cup adventure. The squad arrived at Swope Soccer Village, their World Cup base, to find locals and local police out in force.
Settling In at Swope Soccer Village
Before Thomas Tuchel and his England players departed for the United States, there were concerns about their World Cup training ground in Kansas City being too open, partly due to the Southampton spygate scandal. Would England's rivals be able to steal a glance at them? Tuchel even said the Football Association would seek to erect protective fences.
The nine-pitch facility at Swope Soccer Village is certainly sprawling, but nobody is getting on site without going past armed police officers at the entrance. A steward remarked on Saturday as England trained on the complex's best pitch after flying in from Florida: 'You guys see spying. We see personal security.' The latter overrides the former. It was safe to say they have it covered.
Kit Theft Incident Resolved
The buildup to England's arrival was further colored by the theft of some of their kit in transit from Florida, including boots and footballs. However, everything was recovered, and two arrests have been made. Goalkeeper Dean Henderson said, 'My boots? I've got them on my feet so it's all good. We got them all back so it's nice.'
There did not seem to be much to fret about as the players went through a light session lasting about an hour, under blue skies and a blazing sun pushing the mercury to 29°C. The second chapter of England's summer adventure has started, and if the focus is about to narrow and intensity pick up, then the excitement has gone up a few notches too.
Base Camp Benefits
The opening game against Croatia in Dallas on Wednesday is edging closer. England seem to have what they need at Swope and their hotel, the four-star, 54-room Inn at Meadowbrook, a 20-minute drive away. England always wanted to stay in Kansas City because of its central location in the US, mitigating travel distances to matches. The plan is to fly in and out for each assignment, with the FA clear about the benefits of a fixed base.
Training Facilities Comparison
England were denied the first two picks of Kansas City's training bases because they were not drawn to play any group games here. Argentina and the Netherlands were, with the former bagging the best facility – Sporting Kansas City's performance centre – and the latter choosing the training ground of the women's team, the KC Current, which is newer than Swope. Algeria, who have matches in Kansas City, ended up at the University of Kansas facility.
But Swope, home to Sporting KC's second team and academy sides, ticked the boxes for Tuchel and the FA. The quality of the pitch they used on Saturday was reassuring, considering scare stories about that aspect. England will rely on a different grass surface around the back of the main building, but it is of the same high standard. Local media described all three grass pitches at Swope – the other six are artificial – as among the best in the state, comparable to those used by Argentina and the Netherlands.
Player Comfort and Community Engagement
The FA has put a new gym at Swope and created a lounge for the players. They are also happy with the intimate Inn at Meadowbrook, which they have taken over exclusively. There are permanent residents in condominiums close to the site, and their access to areas like the principal restaurant will be restricted while England stay. To say thank you, Tuchel's players will have a meet-and-greet with them.
The training session at Swope was open to a number of local children, who were specially invited and thrilled to be there. Harry Kane felt a lot of love. 'Harry, you're better than Bellingham,' screamed one overexcited youngster. Banks of media were at one end of the pitch.
Warm Welcome from Kansas City
What stood out for England was the warmth of the welcome. Local people were out in force with flags and signs as they drove up to the hotel, with a massive police escort helping them from the airport. As the players walked in, they heard music from the Kansas City Chiefs' band and saw the NFL team's cheerleaders. Even the mascot, KC Wolf, was there.
Kansas City was not supposed to be a host venue for matches but got the invitation from FIFA after Chicago said no. The people here are overwhelmingly delighted to have been asked. It is a city with a jazz heritage, the birthplace of Charlie Parker; a city of fountains, with more than 200, some spectacular; 220 parks and 29 lakes; a city of barbecued meats, smoked ribs, and burnt ends; a city of charm and friendliness, with a love affair with the heart symbol, partly because it is in the heart of the US. 'We like to say that we greet people with a smile and a wink,' said one local.
More importantly, it is a city of sporting passion, headlined by the Chiefs, who have won three of the past seven Super Bowls, and the baseball team, the Kansas City Royals. Football is big too, thanks to Sporting KC and the Current, whose CPKC Stadium was the first in the world purpose-built exclusively for a professional women's sports team. The World Cup fan fest, designed by global architects Populous and holding 25,000, was rocking on Friday night as the US thrashed Paraguay in their opening World Cup game. Fans enter through a 65ft-high heart. England intend to thrive off the positive vibes.
