U.S. SOCCER NATIONAL TRAINING CENTER (Fayetteville, Ga.) — When the U.S. men’s national team took the pitch Friday afternoon for training, a player was missing.
That’s because Leeds United midfielder Brenden Aaronson briefly left camp. But for good reason — to attend his own wedding.
Aaronson, 25, received permission from the U.S. coaching staff to fly down to Florida to marry fiancé, Milana D’Ambra, whom he’s been with since they were teenagers. He’s expected back on Saturday when the USA has one more practice at the National Training Center outside of Atlanta before flying to Charlotte for a pre-World Cup tuneup match vs. Senegal on Sunday afternoon at Bank of America Stadium.
Brenden Aaronson had to skip training on Friday due to his wedding. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP via Getty Images)
While Aaronson’s teammates are bummed to miss the nuptials in person, they’re hoping to watch a livestream. U.S. midfielder Gio Reyna’s wife, Chloe, is a guest and the plan is for her to FaceTime him, so the guys can pull it up on a laptop during dinner for all to witness. As long as it’s not a “no-phones” wedding, that is.
“We’re trying to get clarity on that,” midfielder Cristian Roldan told a small group of reporters during a roundtable on Friday.
It’s easy to see how a player leaving camp at such a pivotal time before a World Cup might be disruptive. But that’s not the case here.
“We’re a family,” Roldan said of his teammates. “We want to make sure that everybody gets their moment. It’s not a distraction at all and in fact, Brenden asked way ahead of time. He was a responsible young adult, so credit to him. And the coaching staff was on board with it and so you know, if the coaching staff is on board, we’re all trying to be involved and have a good time with it.”
Brenden Aaronson on the field for the USA. (Photo by Andrew J. Clark/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)
Mark McKenzie has been friends with Aaronson since they were 10 and both came up through the Philadelphia Union academy system. He was in similar shoes when he left camp ahead of the 2024 Copa América to get married. He said the most stressful part was for his wife, worrying about potential flight cancellations or any other last-minute changes.
“It’s not the easiest thing, but you make it happen,” McKenzie said. “I’m really happy for him. I’ve known B since we were 10, 11 years old, so to see him get married now — he still hasn’t grown any facial hair.
“But yeah,” a smiling McKenzie continued, “it’s a special moment and I think everyone is understanding of that and excited for him. And when he gets back, we’ll be sure to break him in a little bit and welcome him back with open arms.”
Aaronson is one of 13 holdovers from the 2022 World Cup roster to make this squad. He’s been part of the senior national team for the better part of the past six years and has 57 caps, nine goals and seven assists. He had the 2026 World Cup marked on his calendar, but timing can be tricky when planning life events after factoring in the calendar for both club and country. Players on both the men’s and women’s national teams have been candid in the past about that, including when to start families.
Aaronson plays in the Premier League and players competing at the World Cup are granted a mandatory break before returning to their clubs. But Aaronson can’t predict how far the Americans will go – the team could be eliminated June 25 following the group stage, make it to the final on July 19, or more likely, finish somewhere in between.
“These are the big life moments that you have to sprinkle in whenever you can,” goalkeeper Matt Turner said. “And it’s great for him to be able to go and do that and I’m jealous that we’re not all there.”
Brenden Aaronson will play in his second World Cup. (Photo by Stephen Nadler/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)
Four years ago, the outlook may have been different. The U.S. had the youngest team at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and only a couple of players were married with children. Now, Reyna is married and has a dog. Roldan is married and has a daughter. Tyler Adams joked Thursday that the biggest difference between this World Cup and the last one is he now has two kids.
The priority of competing and winning, especially at a World Cup on home soil, remains the same. But everyone has gone through different life stages since the last major tournament and that fundamentally changes the dynamics of the team. Roldan said he loves watching his daughter play with Christian Pulisic and interacting with Turner’s kids, and that it just makes the group “a whole lot closer.”
“It’s a beautiful thing,” Roldan said. “And I hope we can accomplish something great together because that’ll make it feel really, really special.”
Cristian Roldan with his family. (Photo by John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)
Added Turner: “Sometimes you can lose touch with the fact that there’s a human side to players. … It’s really nice to see how everyone grows off the field as well as on the field and how they’re using new motivations every time they step out there.”
Players said they didn’t have a big send-off for Aaronson. But 22-year-old backup goalkeeper Chris Brady joked they did give him one piece of advice before he took off.
“Just, good luck,” Brady said. “Don’t f*** it up. Say, ‘I do.’”
