Thomas Tuchel spent some of his jaunt to the Club World Cup last summer checking in on Manchester City in Boca Raton, Florida. Looking at the facilities, sizing up the area, as England planned the best route around North America for the World Cup.
City were just north of Miami and Tuchel liked what he saw, hoping that this would be home to a pre-tournament camp. Inter Miami’s facilities in Fort Lauderdale, just behind the club’s temporary stadium, appeal. If they’re good enough for David Beckham and Lionel Messi, then a week for the FA is more than manageable.
Stifling with high humidity, it is the perfect spot to quickly acclimatise to the worst of their new surroundings – the real energy-sapping, salmon-skinned Brit abroad sort of weather.
Time spent in Miami, which is pencilled in as an early base, will actually help more for potential knockout games – in Mexico City, as well as Miami – rather than the heat England may face over the course of Group L.
The beginning of the tournament doesn’t look too scary from a climate perspective. Or footballing, it must be said.
The stadium for their opener against Croatia in Dallas, the home of NFL giants the Cowboys, is air-conditioned so a mid-afternoon kick off presents no problems. Tuchel is openly discussing the idea of keeping substitutes inside until required but thankfully that will not be necessary in this part of Texas. Houston, south of the state, is a different proposition altogether.
‘In 1994 we played in Dallas,’ said Manchester City boss and ex-Spain midfielder Pep Guardiola, an unused substitute that day for a 2-2 draw with South Korea. ‘We were outside. And maybe it would have been better to be inside. It’s hot! You need a lot of drinks.’
So the air conditioning certainly saves teams there. The second match, when meeting Ghana in Boston, could present humidity issues, although not as severe as elsewhere.
The third, against Panama, is being held at the MetLife in New Jersey – the venue for the final – which is undoubtedly more challenging. But still not quite as daunting as it might have been had the other option for that day arisen.
Philadelphia was excruciatingly hot for Chelsea at the Club World Cup, the authorities placing the city on ‘Code Red’ – a ruling to protect the homeless while Enzo Maresca’s team were in town. Fans there saw dogs wearing Crocs. It’s fairly warm.
Perhaps it is good to familiarise ourselves with what Maresca thought about the Club World Cup, claiming that the US wasn’t fit to host this event. ‘Seven, eight, nine games they have suspended,’ he said after lengthy delays to a last-16 win over Benfica. ‘I think it’s a joke to be honest, it’s not football.’
For two decades, Premier League clubs have had to endure severe weather warnings during naked money grabbing pre-season tours. Delays to games, sometimes taking hours. One of City’s friendlies in Wisconsin once looked as if it was possessed by an antagonist out of Stranger Things, a thick black cloud engulfing Lambeau Field.
Not in the perfect surrounds of Atlanta though, where a possible date awaits in the last 32. It’s another climate-regulated arena that is the best of what America has to offer and would seemingly be a more sensible choice for the final from that sense and the logistics.
While only seven miles from Manhattan, New Jersey’s ground has long been a nightmare for supporters – in the middle of nowhere with awful transport links, and still like that for FIFA’s tournament earlier in the year.
Then again, if it is already palatable enough for fans of Beyonce, Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift to sell the place out then maybe a bit of extra care and attention before the biggest day in the sporting calendar should see things go smoothly enough.
Yet the place is uncovered and open to the elements. Not many will copy the attire of the late, great Jack Charlton from ’94 – the shirt and tie combination, finished nicely with a white cap.
A mid-afternoon kick off for the final is not ideal for anybody actually willing to pay well in excess of $150 for an Uber from Manhattan.
Atlanta, scene of a possible England semi-final (but let’s not overdo the optimism given the route) is a dream. So too the SoFi in California. But the proximity to America’s greatest metropolis won.
The kick-off time for the final is perfect for European audiences. It’s 8pm UK time and the three group games (9pm, 9pm, 10pm) are decent for audiences on the sofa and at the bar.
A last-16 meeting with co-hosts Mexico in their capital – dependent on England topping the group and progressing through the first knockout round – is scheduled for 1am.
That is then in the territory of short-term licensing agreements coming into force across the country, which is something they will be negotiating north of the border too, given Scotland’s opening group fixture against Haiti begins at 2am before a couple of 11pm starts.
Steve Clarke does have both of his first two in Boston though. Proof that there are both pros and cons to each route handed to those embarking on America.
