With the World Cup opener just around the corner, the U.S. soccer team settled into its temporary Irvine home on Monday. Thousands of Southern California residents eagerly awaited a chance to see them practice.
The Orange County Great Park will serve as the U.S. base throughout the group stage. Irvine organized a raffle for passes to the team’s sole public workout. An astounding 32,000 applied and 5,500 managed to attend the team’s light 45-minute session.
Significantly, this practice marked the extensive involvement of Chris Richards. Richards had been sidelined since tearing two ligaments in his left ankle with Crystal Palace on May 17. The team is working to have him ready for the three-game group stage.
Held at Championship Soccer Stadium, about 50 miles from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, this practice was also eye-catching for being the first at this venue. The U.S. will face Paraguay there on Friday.
“The environment and facilities are more than we expect,” said U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino. “We are so grateful.”
The stadium is under municipal ownership, leased to the Orange County Soccer Club of USL Championship. In April, this club was temporarily relocated to make room for the national team. Dan Rutstein, president of business operations for the Orange County club, expressed enthusiasm.
“How can you not be excited about the host nation training in your facility? We’re proud to be associated with the U.S. national team. We wouldn’t want to block anything, even if we could.”
Great Park covers 500 acres, originally a Marine Corps air station closed in 1999. Voters approved turning it into a public park in 2001. Today, it boasts volleyball courts, tennis courts, softball fields, and soccer fields. Notably, a FIFA-approved field is housed in the 5,500-seat stadium.
Irvine’s mayor, Larry Agran, noted:
“The idea was that this would be a quality facility, a great park rivaling San Diego’s Balboa Park and other great parks across the country.”
Bringing the World Cup team to Irvine was a long process. The city began discussions five years ago and was included on a shortlist in 2024. Teams visited to explore facilities, with Sam Zapatka from USMNT scouting across the West Coast. Eventually, Irvine was chosen as the training site.
On Monday, as players emerged from the locker room, upgraded by FIFA, they were met with chants of “USA! USA!”
A captain, Tim Ream, shared the enthusiasm:
“We’ve all been surprised by the excitement. Pulling up here with 5,500 fans for a training session is incredible. We train in a stadium with a good pitch. The support from kids is amazing. You want a solid home base. We’re looking forward to being here.”
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