England’s World Cup preparations might face another bump after they arrive in Kansas City.
England’s World Cup preparations in Kansas City have faced their third challenge as the team gets ready for their first match against Croatia on Wednesday.
Thomas Tuchel’s England will play their opening Group L game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, but they are based in Kansas City for the tournament. They arrived in Missouri on Saturday afternoon, but the problems started earlier.
England won their warm-up games against New Zealand and Costa Rica in Florida, but before arriving in Kansas City, some of their footballs and boots were stolen while being moved from West Palm Beach, Florida, to their Swope Soccer Village base.
Missouri police are investigating the theft, and some of the stolen gear has already been found. The team stayed focused after arriving in Kansas City, holding an open training session on Saturday. However, there was another hiccup when their chef was stopped from boarding a train in Florida because his knives set off a metal detector.
With three setbacks already, Tuchel will also be watching the weather closely. Tornado and storm warnings in Kansas City could disrupt training plans. “The sun was strong when the squad first trained, with temperatures around 30°C, but a tornado warning was later issued, and storms were expected in the evening,” ITV reported.
England’s time in Florida also had weather challenges, including a thunderstorm delaying their friendly against Costa Rica by an hour. Because of the storm warning, Kansas City’s fan festival — a free event where supporters watch the games — was closed early to keep everyone safe.