All jokes aside, Kansas City’s professional sports scene has turned out to be of practical use, too. Following England’s victory over Croatia last week, more than a dozen of the those who saw little to no usage in the match had an opportunity to take the pitch for an abbreviated friendly against Sporting Kansas City last Thursday.
The match featured two 25-minute halves, so not quite the standard length of a true 90-minute game, but it provided Team England’s reserves with a valuable practice session ahead of England’s upcoming group stage matches.
“There are actions you [can only] repeat in a game – they just happen naturally,” said Watkins, who scored in the friendly. “It’s just good to get that flow of minutes into your legs from game-based scenarios rather than just running in straight lines. We’ve grinded it out, and it’s been really enjoyable.”
Watkins and the rest of Team England’s latest match – a showdown with Ghana on Tuesday – ended in a disappointing draw, but if the Three Lions are able to defeat Panama on Saturday and win Group L, some Kansas City barbecue may be on the menu.
“We had a bit at the hotel already – a mixture of our chefs and some local chefs,” Kane said. “I’m all for it. I don’t know how much of it I’m allowed to eat during the tournament, but we’re here to enjoy it, for sure.”
Watkins shared a similar – and well-informed – interest while acknowledging his experience in America’s Heartland so far.
“The hospitality has been amazing. Everyone is so friendly over here,” Watkins said. “I need to check out Joe’s barbecue.”