FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. — Jozy Altidore took a moment to survey his surroundings after arriving at the new U.S. Soccer National Training Center, a $250 million, 200-acre, 19-field complex south of Atlanta.
It was a setup far different from the one Altidore experienced as part of the Americans’ preparation for the 2014 World Cup, with players from that team recovering after practices in a plastic cold tub on a paved path outside Stanford’s Cagan Stadium in California.
“This is the culmination, right?” the retired striker said Thursday. “This is what I’m sure past players strived to want to be a part of.”
As the United States prepares to co-host the 2026 World Cup with Canada and Mexico next month, those who have been around long enough can see the national team programs for the Americans have progressed light years over the decades.
Sunil Gulati, who would later become president of the U.S. Soccer Federation, recalled buying balls from a Kmart on the morning of an intrasquad game in Colorado Springs, a matchup filled with boys trying to earn spots on the U.S. roster the 1985 FIFA under-16 world championship tournament. And then sprinklers went off during the match.