Turkeys have been shipped to Qatar for USMNT to celebrate Thanksgiving, but the team will have to wait until weekend for their meal
Gregg Berhalter's UMSNT play England in the second of its World Cup group games in Al Khor on Friday night.
Getty/Simon Bruty
- Turkeys have been shipped to Qatar so that the USMNT can celebrate Thanksgiving.
- But the team will have to wait until the weekend to have their meal.
- The USMNT play England in a crucial World Cup group game on Friday.
Turkeys have been shipped to Qatar from the United States so that the USMNT can celebrate Thanksgiving at the World Cup.
However, according to The Athletic, the team will have to wait until the weekend for their meal, as the holiday comes the day before the crucial group stage match against England.
Instead, the Thanksgiving feast will take place on Saturday evening, after Gregg Berhalter's players finish their regeneration and treatments, or, if they weren't involved against England, their afternoon training session.
Around 205 family members and friends will be joining the team for the celebrations, according to The Athletic.
While the team will have to wait for their meal, staff members will be able to tuck in to some turkey on Thursday.
The American Chamber of Commerce is hosting a huge Thanksgiving event for US soccer staff and partners, VIPs, and other US soccer-related Americans in Qatar. Around 500 people are expected to attend.
On Wednesday, USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner spoke about how this year's celebrations would 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 gonna miss out on that. Mom and Dad are here, so it will be a little bit different for the people back home this time around."
Getty/John Todd/ISI Photos
Thanksgiving aside, the USMNT are being well catered for when it comes to food in Qatar, with the team's personal chef having travelled to the Middle East to take care of the squad.
Borussia Dortmund Gio Reyna described the chef to Insider as "incredible."
"Last camp was our first time having a full time chef with us," said Reyna. "We all had an absolutely great experience with him. The food he was serving, the care he put in, the variety, it was great.
"He'll be with us in Qatar. Without him, we won't be able to compete at the highest level."