Argentina’s World Cup title defense sparks chaos in Kansas City as Messi pulls a hamstring
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) – It turns out that reigning World Cup champion Argentina draws a crowd wherever he goes.
Whether it’s the fans surrounding the team’s luxury hotel near the city of Kansas City, or their first training session open to the media on Wednesday that drew hundreds of journalists to the facilities of the Major League Soccer club Sporting Kansas City, there are few places Lionel Messi and La Albiceleste are not the center of attention as the tournament approaches.
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They will begin their defense of Algeria’s title at Arrowhead Stadium on June 16.
The coach of Argentina, Lionel Scaloni, revealed his list of 26 players for the World Cup last week. The title is Messi, who turns 39 in less than a month, and we have 17 players who were in the team that won four years ago against France in the final in Qatar.
Messi has been dealing with muscle fatigue and stiffness in his left hamstring. The club said his recovery period will depend on his “clinical process and performance,” although it appears unlikely that he will take part in the upcoming friendlies.
He arrived at the training ground behind the rest of the team on Wednesday and did some maintenance work on the sidelines.
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Argentina did not make players or coaches available to speak to reporters. The team will continue training in Kansas City until they leave for the first of two World Cup qualifiers against Honduras on Saturday in College Station, Texas.
The team plays Iceland in Auburn, Alabama, three days later before resuming training in Kansas City.
Most of the players arrived at the team’s homes on Sunday on a ship from Buenos Aires designed to honor the nation’s rich World Cup history. The flight number 1978 was the year they beat the Netherlands to win the title, and the A330 was cut with a special song that included the colors of the national team and Messi’s number 10 on the tail.
Messi joined the team on a separate charter from Florida a few hours later.
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The entire team got a dose of Midwestern hospitality from the hundreds of fans who waited outside the Origin Hotel to greet them, then got a big taste of summer life in the tornado zone when sirens sounded at midnight and the storm raged.
Strong winds and heavy rain tore down tents and fences for protection.
“If they choose it as their place to train to defend the World Cup, and that’s where they will represent the next – you know, hopefully at the end of the tournament – it will be surreal,” said Jake Reid, president and CEO of Sporting Kansas City, who watched the open training session with a series of dignitaries including Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas.
“When they got there on Sunday,” Reid said, “it started to get really real.”
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Regardless, the climate, central location of Kansas City has made it an ideal location for World Cup base camps.
England had hoped to use Sporting KC’s home for practice, but Argentina were chosen as the defending champions and took it. The Three Lions are sticking with their plans to make Kansas City their base, but when they arrive next week, they will be training at Sporting KC’s elementary school in Swope Soccer Village.
The Netherlands, also arriving next week, will be training at the home of the Kansas City Current, one of the top teams in the National Women’s Soccer League. Algeria is based at the University of Kansas, about 30 minutes west of the city of Kansas City, where one of the top teams in Africa will use its new football facilities.
As for Argentina, the team practiced in the evening to avoid the heat and humidity of the Midwestern summer. The weather has been mild so far, with temperatures in the low 80s, but the heat index often pushes triple digits this time of year.
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Six games at Arrowhead Stadium – four in the group stage, two in the final – will be played at night for the same reason.
“I mean, we’ve had a helicopter flying since (Argentina) got here. That should tell you this is a big deal, right?” said Reid. “I think Kansas City having Argentina here — and we’re not even talking about the other teams that will be here in the next few weeks — is a big deal.” _____
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