On Monday morning, the U.S. Men’s National Team was greeted by thousands of ardent supporters as they arrived at a sunny Great Park Sports Complex in Irvine, Calif. The sprawling, billion-dollar urban park will serve as the USMNT’s Team Base Camp (TBC) Training Site for the duration of the FIFA World Cup 2026™.
Fresh off two crucial tests—a victory against Senegal in the Allstate Continental Clásico and a narrow loss against 10th-ranked Germany in the Coca Cola Send-Off Match—the USMNT officially kicked off its FIFA World Cup preparations on location with an open training session at Championship Soccer Stadium. The event garnered 33,000 ticket requests, and the stadium was packed to capacity with 5,500 supporters by the time USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino greeted those in attendance with applause as he exited the tunnel at midfield.
“I think it's amazing,” Pochettino lauded. “I need to say thank you to the organization because I find that the environment and facilities are amazing. It's more than we expected, and not only the facility but also the people that are here working.
“Great facilities and great people are amazing combinations. We are so grateful, and I want to say a big thank to all the people that are involved in this facility, because the way that they prepare everything with love, that is the most important thing.”
“The support that we just pulled up to with all the kids out there is amazing,” USMNT defender and captain Tim Ream added before training. “Listen, you want to feel like you have a good home base, a place that you don’t have to worry about all the little details off the field. Everything's been taken care of for us, and that allows us to focus on everything that we need to, whether it be in the gym or on the field.”
Not long after the United States, Canada and Mexico were officially named co-hosts of the FIFA World Cup 2026 back in 2018, efforts to bring the USMNT to Irvine started in earnest. Once it was determined that the U.S. would be based on the West Coast, 27 different venues up and down the Pacific were vetted. Irvine was the clear winner.
“This reminds me of the terrific things we can do when we come together at sports or any other major activity,” City of Irvine Mayor Larry Agran said. “It can produce a coming together of folks, and kind of honoring and recognizing the value of teamwork and the values that I spoke about. So, it's very uplifting for the entire community. It really is.”
For the players, hitting the pitch in Irvine is the culmination of a cross-country, two-week whirlwind which kicked off when Pochettino officially unveiled the 26 players who would represent the Stars and Stripes at the FIFA World Cup.
“The mentality is always the same. I think the group is in a really good place at the minute,” Ream said. “I think we've all been pleasantly surprised by the excitement and the buzz around the team in the stadiums. Pulling up here with 5,500 fans ready to watch a training session is incredible. We’re in a good place, mentally, right now. It’s been a long two weeks, a hard two weeks, but guys are in a great position, mentally, physically, emotionally, and ready to go.
Next, the focus shifts to preparations for Paraguay ahead of Friday’s contest—the USMNT’s first World Cup match on home soil since a narrow 1-0 loss in the Round of 16 against eventual 1994 FIFA World Cup champions Brazil at Stanford Stadium on July 4, 1994. Nearly 32 years later, Ream reflects on the weight that a World Cup on home soil carries.
“I'm old enough that I remember bits and pieces of 1994 [FIFA World Cup]. So, I try to tell guys and try to convey the message to media that this is a once-in-a-career opportunity, and with that comes more expectation and more pressure, but at the same time we have to enjoy it,” Ream said. “There's nobody putting more expectation and more pressure on us than ourselves, and that's the way that it should be.
“For me it's about just opening your eyes and taking everything in, because this is this is unique, this is completely different from anything that any of us as players have experienced. So, take it in, enjoy it, embrace everything that it is, because it's so unique, it's so special, and it's not something that we'll ever experience again.”
The wisdom imparted by the veteran captain is apparent throughout the squad. Goalkeeper Matt Freese shared a similar perspective on the value he places on inspiring future generations, both those lucky enough to be in attendance at training on Monday morning and those who support the team from afar in every other corner of the country.
“It means so much to be able to be in a position to inspire the next generation, and there's a compounding effect to it,” Freese shared. “We were inspired by the previous generation, hopefully we inspire the next generation. The more we inspire them, the better the following generation will be.
“So to be in a position to train in front of these people today and hopefully play on Friday in front of all the fans and inspire them is such a unique opportunity, and one that none of us take for granted. We’re working as hard as we can, we’re as focused as we can be to continue to leave the next generation inspired.”
