- The turkey has been shipped to Qatar so the USMNT can celebrate Thanksgiving.
- But the team will have to wait till the weekend to have their meal.
- The USMNT will play England in a crucial World Cup group match on Friday.
Turkey is shipped from the United States to Qatar so the USMNT can celebrate Thanksgiving at the World Cup.
Although, According to The Athletic, The team will have to wait until the weekend for their meal, as the holiday comes a day before the crucial group stage match against England.
Instead, the Thanksgiving feast will take place on Saturday evening, after Greg Berhalter’s players have finished their regeneration and treatment, or, if they were not involved against England, they will have an afternoon training session.
According to The Athletic, approximately 205 family members and friends will join the team for the festivities.
While the team will have to wait for their meals, staff members will be able to eat some turkey on Thursday.
The American Chamber of Commerce is hosting a massive Thanksgiving event in Qatar for American Football employees and partners, VIPs and other American Football related Americans. Around 500 people are expected to attend.
On Wednesday, USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner explained how this year’s celebration will be different.
“Every Thanksgiving, probably 30 to 40 of my family and friends all gather at my mom and dad’s house in Park Ridge, New Jersey,” he told reporters.
“So yeah, we’re going to miss her. Mom and Dad are here, so it’s going to be a little different this time around for the guys back home.”
Long live Reyna.
Getty/John Todd/ISI Photos
Thanksgiving aside, the USMNT are well catered for when it comes to food in Qatar, with the team’s private chef traveling to the Middle East to look after the team.
Borussia Dortmund’s Gio Reyna described the chef as “incredible”.
“The last camp was the first time a full-time chef was with us,” Reyna said. “We all had a great experience with him. The food he was serving, the kind of care he was taking, the variety, it was great.
“He will be with us in Qatar. Without him, we will not be able to compete at the highest level.”