How the FA helped US Soccer build its new home

Figure caption, 'The US is now a soccer nation' Sports editorPublished52 minutes agoBritain's so-called 'special relationship' with the United States may be under renewed scrutiny, but when it comes to football, it appears to be in good health. The chief executive of US Soccer has hailed the FA's role in the establishment of a "transformative" new 200-acre national training centre outside Atlanta. JT Batson said officials from the governing body had been "incredible partners in helping us learn from what works well in England". "That certainly factored into our thinking around the building of a national centre, as well as the designing of what we've called the 'US Way', which is our strategy for sporting success," he said. Speaking to BBC Sport from the $228 million Arthur M Blank training complex, which opens this week, Batson said "think of it as St George's Park, but slightly bigger and obviously newer". The FA's Staffordshire base opened in 2012 and has been credited with playing a key role in the subsequent revival of England men's and women's teams. US Soccer officials visited the site as part of a fact-finding mission when designing their own version, which will host the national team's pre World Cup camp. FA officials are said to have been happy to share knowledge with their US counterparts, who also visited the training grounds of Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City. "There's lots to learn from around the world, but the US is different," added Batson. "We're really big, both geographically and in numbers of people. We think that really having a home for the first time for soccer in America is going to be transformative for us." Batson also paid tribute to US Soccer's former sporting director Matt Crocker, who was previously the FA's former head of teams, based at St George's Park. Welshman Crocker was responsible for appointing Mauricio Pochettino and Emma Hayes as head coaches of the US men's and women's senior national teams respectively, but left last month to take up a similar role at the Saudi Arabia football federation. "Matt and team have done an incredible job of taking us from where we were to where we are now from a strategy standpoint… and that gives us the foundation to be able to carry forward... around how do we support the entire soccer ecosystem in the United States to be successful," said Batson. The World Cup line-up is complete - here's what you need to know Published1 AprilOur World Cup host 'is Fifa, not Trump or America' - Iran Published3 hours agoWorld Cup an 'incredible opportunity' despite costUS Soccer hopes the consistency provided by a central training hub and development strategy helps it to capitalise on co-hosting of this summer's expanded World Cup, alongside Mexico and Canada, even if much of the build-up has been overshadowed by concerns over the unprecedented costs to fans, and various security issues. Describing it as "an incredible opportunity for us to transform what soccer looks like in America", Batson claims it will show that the US "is now a soccer nation. What makes soccer in America unique is that we are the challenger sport in our country and we are the challenger country in our sport." The Football Supporters' Association has said that fans are being "fleeced" as a result of Fifa's ticketing strategy. BBC Sport has plotted a route through the group stage and found that England supporters would need about £6,500 each or £13,000 for two. There has also been controversy over the cost of transport, with Fifa being criticised by some US politicians for not doing more to help host cities. Fifa has adopted a new organisational model for the 2026 World Cup that means it is responsible for ticket sales. BBC Sport asked Batson if he feared the cost of attending the event will make it a harder task to grow the game, and whether the tournament risks becoming an event largely for the wealthy. "We're focused on making sure that everyone who wants to be a part of this World Cup can be a part of it, no matter where you live, whether you're going to be able to watch on television at home, [or] watching at a bar…" said Batson. "In our [warm-up] game in Charlotte against Senegal, we have $26 tickets… you're also going to see US soccer gear and merchandise at all different price points. We want everyone who cares about our sport to feel connected… and I think this summer is an important opportunity for us to be able to do that." Asked how confident he was that all World Cup matches would be sold out, Batson said: "My expectation is that we want a very vibrant stadium for every game. And given the passion for our game in America, and the passion from the fans who are coming in from around the world, I would expect that Fifa is focused on ensuring that's the case too." Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Argentina star Lionel Messi has been named Most Valuable Player in the past two MLS seasons Last month Pochettino said that American youngste

How the FA helped US Soccer build its new home

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