Team USA to train at U.

The team, which has spent this corresponding time in Cary, N.C., before the last two World Cups, will come to the alma mater of head coach Bob Bradley ’80 for its customary weeklong training camp.

Bradley played soccer at the University and later coached his former team from 1984 to 1995, leading it to two Ivy League titles and the 1993 NCAA Final Four.

Former Tiger and Major League Soccer star Jesse Marsch ’96 is an assistant coach for the team.

USSF spokesman Neil Buethe said that Bradley’s connection to the school might have played an initial role in Princeton’s selection.

“Obviously I think Princeton comes into the conversation because of the relationship Bob has with the school, but it’s not as though we chose this location [solely because] of this relationship,” he explained, adding that the training and lodging amenities made Princeton an attractive choice as well.

Buethe also noted that since Princeton’s men’s soccer head coach Jim Barlow ’91 is also the head coach of the national under-15 boys’ team, the connection between the program and school was particularly strong.

The team will be in Princeton beginning on May 15, with training taking place at Roberts Stadium May 17–23. The sessions will be closed to the public, according to a USSF statement.

Buethe explained that the federation began searching for a location between six months and one year ago, once the locations of the team’s final warmup matches were set.

“In general, [Princeton] is a good location,” he said. “We knew we were going to be on the East Coast because our two send-off games are in Hartford and Philadelphia. We didn’t want to be traveling too far from Princeton.”

The team, which is currently ranked No. 16 by FIFA, will be preparing for two matches before the World Cup begins in June: one against the Czech Republic on May 25 in East Hartford, Conn., and one against Turkey on May 29 in Philadelphia.

Director of Athletics Gary Walters ’67 and Barlow could not be reached for comment.