Family Time, BBQ, And The Knicks: USA’s Players Relished Rare Days Off

U.S. World Cup Team Training Base (IRVINE, Calif.) — Tyler Adams watched the New York Knicks clinch the NBA title alongside his brothers and stood nearby as one of them broke down in tears of joy. Christian Pulisic, Christian Roldan and Chris Richards spent time around a fire pit overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Los Angeles native Haji Wright reconnected with family, while the U.S. men’s national team gathered for a barbecue at its team hotel.

Those moments were possible because, following the Americans’ 4-1 World Cup-opening victory over Paraguay, manager Mauricio Pochettino granted his players a day off – an unusual luxury during a tournament.

But due to the expanded 48-team field and the tournament’s 104-match schedule, teams have more time between group stage games. The United States began its quest last Friday and won’t play again until it faces Australia in Seattle this Friday, June 19 – a full week between matches. By comparison, at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, teams only had four days between each group stage match. 

While there may be differing opinions on how many days players need before returning to the pitch, the U.S. team has appreciated additional recovery time.

“I absolutely love it after playing a long club season, you know what I mean?” said Adams, who logged 26 appearances in all competitions for Premier League club AFC Bournemouth this season. “I think the last World Cup, it’s not even comparable when you’re in the middle of your season and you’ve only played 15, 17 games before a World Cup and you’re fully fresh and ready to go.

“Now, I think your body feels it a little bit more coming at the end of a season and into a World Cup where there’s so much emotion, so much adrenaline, all these things.”

Unlike the 2022 World Cup, which was staged in November and December to avoid Qatar’s summer heat and fell in the middle of the European club season, this year’s tournament comes at the end of the campaign. As a result, Europe-based players transitioned directly from their clubs into World Cup preparation with little to no downtime.

“There are pros and cons,” said Wright, who scored 18 goals for the recently promoted Coventry City this season. “I think the time between matches, it allows players to recover. It’s difficult to play a game every three, four days, but with the break in between, we’ll see the best version of every player for each game. I prefer it this way, actually.”

Players were back training on Monday and seemed fresh and energized. Even during warm-up drills, the guys were aggressive and intense. At one point, goalkeeper Matt Freese and midfielder Sebastian Berhalter went up for the same ball and Berhalter fell down on the ground for a few moments after needing to catch his breath. 

Pulisic, who suffered what appears to be a minor calf injury vs. Paraguay, was the only player not practicing with the full squad at the beginning of the session. He instead was working in the gym with team trainers before getting on the field for some individual work. The USA’s star forward contributed to the first two goals on Friday before sitting out the second half, and was probably grateful for an extra day to recharge. 

Not every team is necessarily guaranteed days off during the tournament. The break the U.S. enjoyed on Sunday — and will continue to receive after each group-stage match — was mandated by Pochettino. While the former Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea boss may not have experienced a similar reprieve during his playing days with Argentina, he understands the importance.

“Spent time with my family and was able to disconnect a little bit,” said Adams, who played the full 90 minutes vs. Paraguay. “I don’t get to see my brothers, my mom, my dad often, so that was super important to just be able to hang out with them and put the games aside for a day.

“To have a day completely off in a tournament is rare, so I think the fact that they gave us that day off shows the work that we put in throughout the past few weeks in order to earn that. And we don’t take it lightly.”

Attention now turns to the squad’s next test against Australia. The Socceroos are tied with the Americans atop Group D on three points after beating Türkiye 2-0 on Saturday. The teams last met in October in a chippy, physical friendly that the U.S. won 2-1 behind a brace from Wright.

Former MLS player and current commentator Mike Grella called the upcoming matchup a “layup” for the Americans, though that’s now how the squad sees it.

“No, it’s not a layup,” Adams said emphatically when asked about Grella’s recent comments. “If anything, it’s going to be one of the most difficult games that we play. We saw a team that went out against Türkiye and competed at a very, very high level. They’re combative, they’re smart, tactically, they were unbelievably sound. So I think it’s going to be extremely difficult.”