The U.S. men’s national team didn’t have everybody on the pitch for one of their final training sessions at the new Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center in Atlanta, before departing for the first of two pre-World Cup friendlies against Senegal in Charlotte.
On Friday, only 24 of the 26 rostered players hit the pitch. Chris Richards, who celebrated a Europa Conference League title with Crystal Palace earlier in the week, arrived at the ground, but it was Brenden Aaronson’s absence that was more notable—he was getting married.
The Leeds United midfielder was seen as a fringe option for the World Cup squad for most of the season, meaning the World Cup dates didn’t factor heavily in the planning of nuptials. Instead, he needed to gain manager Mauricio Pochettino’s permission to leave camp to make his vows.
He left on Thursday, got married on Friday and will make his way back on Saturday. None of the other players attended, but the plan was for Gio Reyna’s wife, Chloe, to FaceTime the rest of the national team as he tied the knot with his fiancée, Milana D’Ambra, his partner since their teenage years.
“We don’t know if it’s a no-phone wedding,“ midfielder Cristian Roldan told reporters. “We’re trying to get clarity on that. Gio’s wife will be FaceTiming in, and we’ll all be able to watch a livestream if it is a phone wedding. We’ll see. We’re still trying to get confirmation on that. One of the guys will put it on their laptop, and it’s right around dinnertime, so we’ll all enjoy that together.“
While leaving camp for a wedding is rare, leaving the USMNT for a major life event isn’t a first. Ten years ago, in the lead-up to the 2016 Copa América, hosted in the U.S., a young Christian Pulisic skipped a training session to attend his high school prom. Two years ago, center back Mark McKenzie tied the knot in the lead-up to the 2024 Copa América.
USMNT Growing Up Together
The stark difference between the prom and a wedding is what sums up this version of the USMNT. For many of them, the national team programs have been a journey made over a decade, from rising prospects to World Cup mainstays.
“It’s not the easiest thing, but you make it happen,“ McKenzie told FOX Sports of Aaronson. “I’m really happy for him. I’ve known B since we were 10, 11 years old, so to see him get married now ... he still hasn’t grown any facial hair.“
With more experience under their belts, weathered from years with the national team and as professionals, there’s hope that the USMNT can do something special on home soil this summer, starting June 12 against Paraguay in Los Angeles.
Before then, though, it’s time for rings, even if FIFA regulations will demand Aaronson remove his new wedding band before hitting the pitch at the World Cup and lead-up friendlies, starting with Sunday’s clash with Senegal.
