New Delhi: The United States of America’s national team have moved their January training camp to Florida after deadly wildfires have destroyed Los Angeles, where 50 players were supposed to arrive next week. The camps which featured senior squad members and one for under-23 named “Futures Camp” are still going to run simultaneously but will be relocated to Inter Miami CF’s Florida Blue Training Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida January 17th.
Earlier, the camps were supposed to start on Tuesday at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. US Soccer Sporting Director Matt Crocker, in his statement, said that the safety of players remains the “top priority”. Since the fires were still burning, many areas remained in a state of emergency and the air quality for the coming week unclear, Crocker noted that it was in the best interest to move the camp. Further, Crocker addressed the situation and showed empathy for those affected.
Update: The 2025 January training camp and Futures Camp relocated to Ft. Lauderdale, FL due to the wildfires in the Los Angeles area.
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— U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (@USWNT) January 10, 2025
The Sporting Director thanked the first responders and volunteers for the tragedy before showing gratitude to Inter Miami for accommodating the players to continue their training on such short notice. The US men’s national team are currently training at Inter Miami’s facility as they prepare for the game against Venezuela at Chase Stadium on January 18th.
The “lost generation” of USWNT
The Women’s team will begin their camp in Florida as the men’s camp concludes theirs. The men’s team will then travel to Orlando for a game against Costa Rica on January 22nd. USWNT head coach Emma Hayes has already named the rosters for both senior and Futures Camp earlier this week. Hayes is continuing with her strategy of getting to see as many of the pool players that are available in the USWNT after getting some respite in the busy schedule before the SheBelieves Cup in the coming month.
Hayes views the Futures Camp as a way to connect with a set of players who she coins as “lost generation” and will be dividing her time between the two sessions. None of the two camps have any public matches. The USWNT is the latest of the professional sports organizations that have adjusted their schedule due to the Los Angeles wildfires.
The Los Angeles Rams have already relocated their Wild Card game against the Minnesota Vikings from SoFi Stadium, which is nearer to them, to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Football stars Carlos Vela and Ali Riley have both lost their family home as Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick also happens to be one of the personalities from sports to be affected by the ongoing disaster.
The ongoing fires are one of the largest to have affected Los Angeles in its history as firefighters have continued to struggle to restrain the fire, with smaller ones constantly appearing across the whole area.
The USWNT senior team and the U-23 teams were supposed to begin their training in Los Angeles but have now decided to move their camp to Inter Miami CF’s Florida Blue Training Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
