SouthernWorldwide.com – Ahead of their highly anticipated World Cup opener, the English national team has experienced an unexpected disruption as several pieces of their equipment were stolen en route to their training base in Kansas City.
The Three Lions are scheduled to commence their World Cup campaign on Wednesday in Arlington, Texas, facing off against Croatia. However, their operational hub for the tournament will be Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City.
According to reports from the BBC, the plan was to have the equipment in place prior to the team’s arrival on Saturday. Unfortunately, some of the vehicles transporting this equipment were targeted and broken into. The theft is believed to have occurred during the journey from Florida to Kansas City.
Authorities were alerted to the incident on Friday night. While footwear was among the items reported missing, none of the stolen equipment was deemed critical for the team’s immediate playing needs.
A spokesperson for the Kansas City Police Department stated, “We are investigating a possible theft of equipment from a team vehicle that arrived in Kansas City with items missing this evening. The investigation is ongoing.”
Fortunately, the subsequent investigation yielded positive results. The stolen equipment has since been recovered, and two arrests have been made in connection with the incident.
Following their opening match against Croatia in Arlington, England is set to play Ghana in Boston on June 23. Their group stage fixtures will conclude with a match against Panama in New Jersey.
Expectations are high for the English team to advance from the group stage, with many predicting they could even win their group.
