'It's crazy': How a three-year search delivered th...
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- Mauricio Pochettino and the USMNT drew over 5,500 fans to a FIFA-mandated open training session at Championship Soccer Stadium in the Great Park Sports Complex, where Pochettino called the facilities 'amazing' and 'crazy' and 'more than we expect.'
- Sam Zapatka, the USMNT's manager of operations, led a three-year search for the right hotel-training site combo, starting back when Gregg Berhalter was still coach and eventually pairing a Southern California coastal hotel with Great Park's 24-field practice complex.
- The U.S. initially planned to train at UC Irvine, but pivoted to Great Park within a day after UC Irvine backed out over contractual disagreements with FIFA over majority rights at the venue.
- The base camp features four locker rooms, an outdoor medical treatment room built by Orange County, a coffee service the 'boys enjoy,' and a photo wall of the full squad emblazoned with the phrase 'The Best of U.S.'
- Under FIFA rules, teams lose their base camp when the knockout rounds begin; the USMNT could depart as early as June 29 or as late as July 1, forcing Zapatka to personally scout every possible hotel and training site for a venue-hopping scenario.
- The USMNT will briefly leave Irvine for their opening match against Australia in Seattle (practicing at the University of Washington) and their final group match against Türkiye, then return to base camp before any potential knockout-round departure.
Why it matters: The USMNT's Great Park setup — 24 practice fields, dedicated recovery rooms, a coastal hotel, and a flow designed so players 'think the least' — was secured only after UC Irvine dropped out over FIFA contract disputes, meaning the team's tournament runway depends on facilities that nearly didn't exist. FIFA rules force the Americans to abandon this carefully built environment the moment the knockout rounds begin, potentially as early as June 29.
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