The U.S. Men’s National Team (USMNT) landed in Orange County earlier this month to start training at the Great Park’s Championship Soccer Stadium, ahead of the team’s first game in the 2026 FIFA World Cup on June 12.
Since the stadium will be closed to the public while the U.S. team trains, the city and FIFA planned a community event inviting locals and media to see the team in person. The June 8 open practice hosted a sold-out crowd of over 5,000 people.
Irvine Mayor Larry Agran said hosting the men’s team demonstrates the type of marquee events the $1.2 billion Great Park, which remains under development, can attract.
“This is now a place where Americans train to represent the United States of America,” Agran said.
The USMNT will train in Irvine while staying at The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel.
City officials said they began pursuing World Cup-related opportunities about five years ago, seeing the tournament as both a branding opportunity and an economic catalyst for local businesses.
Less than four miles away, the Marriott Irvine Spectrum is hosting viewing parties for every evening match at the hotel’s media lounge along with food and beverage game promotions.
Team Manager Sam Zapatka said during the event that the organization evaluated 27 facilities before choosing Irvine as its training base.
He added that California has produced the most men’s national team players in the World Cup than any other state.
“They won’t just find a world-class facility. They’ll find a community that is proud to stand behind them,” Great Park Chairman William Go said.
Men’s Team Looks to Inspire Local Youth
Before players stepped onto the field, team captain and defender Tim Ream, goalkeeper Matt Freese and forwards Ricardo Pepi and Folarin “Balo” Balogun spoke at a press conference about arriving in Irvine, game expectations and competing in the World Cup for the first time on their home turf. For Brooklyn-born Balogun, it will be his first time playing in a World Cup tournament.
Ream said the team is in “a good place mentally right now.”
“We’re super impressed. We get to train in an actual stadium with a good pitch,” Ream said. “The support that we just pulled up to, with all the kids out there, is amazing. But you want to feel like you have a good home base, you have a place where you don’t have to worry about all the little details off the field.”
Matt Freese said the current team hopes to inspire the next generation of players, just as they were inspired by players who came before them.
“The more we inspire them, the better the following generation will be,” Freese said. “Pressure makes diamonds. We’re a group of 26 guys that wants to show that we’re a bunch of diamonds.”
Chipotle Looks for World Cup to Spur Sales
Newport Beach-based Chipotle Mexican Grill is capitalizing on World Cup excitement by launching three key promotions to drive traffic.
The promotions included a June 11 buy-one-get-one entrée offer, a limited-edition Chipotle soccer jersey giveaway and digital badges tied to the company’s “Rewards on Repeat” loyalty program.
The soccer-themed marketing arrives as the U.S. Men’s National Team kicked off training in Irvine last week prior to its first match in Los Angeles on June 12.
The company’s stock rose slightly, up 2%, after JPMorgan analyst John Ivankoe said in a June 5 note that he increased his target price from $30 to $35 per share. At press time, Chipotle’s stock increased by 3% to $30 a share with a market cap of $39 billion (NYSE: CMG).
—Anastasia Efremova
