United States defender Chris Richards, front left, gives autographs to fans after the nationall team's first practice at its World Cup soccer tournament training base in Irvine, Calif., Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Greg Beacham)

IRVINE, Calif. (AP) — The U.S. national team already knew it was in for a once-in-a-lifetime experience this month as the home team in a World Cup.

But when the 26 players took the field at Orange County’s Great Park on Monday to the cheers of several thousand fans who had turned out just to watch a mere practice, they were given yet another reminder of just how special this opportunity will be if they seize it.

The Americans projected confidence and excitement as they settled into their training base for at least the next three weeks in Southern California. The team convened in Georgia last month before playing two friendlies in the past eight days.

All three of the Americans’ World Cup group stage matches are on the West Coast, starting with their opener Friday night against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium, the palatial NFL arena about 50 miles away in Inglewood, California.

“I think the group is in a really good place at the minute,” U.S. captain Tim Ream said. “We’ve all been, I wouldn’t say overwhelmed, but pleasantly surprised by the excitement and the buzz around the team and in the stadiums. Pulling up here with 5,500 fans ready to watch a training session is incredible. I just think we’re in a good place mentally right now. It’s been a long two weeks, a hard two weeks, but guys are in a great position mentally, physically and emotionally, and ready to get going.”

The team was greeted in Irvine by rows of enthusiastic fans who won a multi-stage lottery among 32,000 applicants for the chance to watch practice and to get autographs at FIFA’s Community Day event. U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino entertained the crowd and got a “U-S-A!” chant going while his team was doing a brief gym workout before it got on the grass.

“The facilities are amazing,” Pochettino said. “It’s more than we expect, and not only the facilities, but the people who are here working. Great facilities and great people are an amazing combination. We are grateful, and I want to say a big thanks.”

The fans stood in lengthy security lines at this sprawling athletic complex for an up-close morning look at a team that isn’t among the favorites, but has the backing of millions in a country where soccer has proliferated in popularity since the World Cup’s last visit in 1994. The Americans’ training stadium is the normal home of Orange County SC, a club in the second-tier USL Championship, which didn’t exist three decades ago.

“I’m old enough that I remember bits and pieces of 1994,” said the 38-year-old Ream, who grew up in St. Louis before his lengthy career as a defender in England and the U.S., where he now plays for Charlotte in Major League Soccer, which didn’t stage its inaugural season until 1996.

“So I’ve tried to tell guys and tried to convey the messaging that this is a once-in-a-career opportunity, and with that comes more expectation, more pressure,” Ream added. “But we have to enjoy it. There’s nobody putting more expectation and more pressure on us than ourselves, and that’s the way it should be. For me, it’s about just opening your eyes and taking everything in, because this is unique. This is completely different from anything any of us has experienced. So take it in and embrace everything that it is, because it’s so unique, it’s so special, and it’s not something we’ll ever be doing again.”

The most notable part of practice was the full participation of top defender Chris Richards, who injured his left ankle last month while playing for Crystal Palace. Richards didn’t play in the two friendlies, but his full return to practice is another hopeful sign in his plan to be on the roster that must be finalized Thursday night.