{"id":2360,"date":"2026-06-04T06:35:28","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T06:35:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=2360"},"modified":"2026-06-04T06:35:28","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T06:35:28","slug":"argentinas-world-cup-title-defense-draws-a-frenzy-in-kansas-city-as-messi-nurses-a-hamstring-strain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=2360","title":{"rendered":"Argentina\u2019s World Cup title defense draws a frenzy in Kansas City as Messi nurses a hamstring strain"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) \u2014 Turns out that reigning World Cup champion Argentina draws quite a crowd no matter where it goes.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=2358\">Amid talk of Trump attending NBA Finals game in New York, Silver says sports can be unifying<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Whether it be fans surrounding the team\u2019s upscale hotel near downtown Kansas City, or their first training session opened to media Wednesday that drew hundreds of reporters to the facilities of Major League Soccer club Sporting Kansas City, there are few places that Lionel Messi and the rest of La Albiceleste are not the center of attention as the tournament draws near.<\/p>\n<p>They begin their title defense against Algeria at Arrowhead Stadium on June 16.<\/p>\n<p>Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni revealed his 26-man World Cup roster last week. It is headlined by Messi, who turns 39 in less than a month, and features 17 players that were on the team that triumphed four years ago against France in the final in Qatar.<\/p>\n<p>Messi has been dealing with muscle fatigue and a mild strain in his left hamstring. The team has said his recovery time will depend on \u201chis clinical and functional progress,\u201d though it seems unlikely that he will participate in its upcoming friendlies.<\/p>\n<p>He came to the practice field after the rest of the team on Wednesday and did some conditioning work off to the side.<\/p>\n<p>Argentina did not make any players or coaches available to speak to reporters. The team will continue training in Kansas City until it departs for the first of two World Cup tune-up matches against Honduras on Saturday in College Station, Texas.<\/p>\n<p>The team plays Iceland in Auburn, Alabama, three days later before resuming its training in Kansas City.<\/p>\n<p>Most of the players arrived at the team\u2019s home base Sunday aboard a charter from Buenos Aires designed to pay homage to the nation\u2019s rich World Cup history. The flight number 1978 was a nod to the year it beat the Netherlands to win the title, and the A330 was trimmed with special livery that included the national team colors and Messi\u2019s No. 10 on the tail.<\/p>\n<p>Messi joined the team on a separate charter from Florida a few hours later.<\/p>\n<p>The entire roster got a dose of Midwestern hospitality from hundreds of fans who waited outside the Origin Hotel to greet them, then they got a big taste of summer life in tornado alley when sirens sounded after midnight and a heavy storm rolled through.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=2356\">MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred worries cap proposal could lead to repeat of 1994-95 strike<\/a><\/p>\n<p>High winds and lashing rain knocked over several tents and fences that had been put up for security.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen they pick you as their training site for defending the World Cup, and this is where they are for the next \u2014 you know, hopefully through the end of the tournament \u2014 it\u2019s surreal,\u201d said Jake Reid, the president and CEO of Sporting Kansas City, who watched the open training session with a series of dignitaries that included Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen they landed on Sunday,\u201d Reid said, \u201cit started to get real for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Weather notwithstanding, the central location of Kansas City has made it a favorable destination for World Cup base camps.<\/p>\n<p>England had hoped to use the home of Sporting KC for training, but Argentina was given preference as defending champion and scooped it up. The Three Lions stuck with their plans to make Kansas City their base, but when they arrive next week, they will be practicing at Sporting KC\u2019s old primary facility at the Swope Soccer Village.<\/p>\n<p>The Netherlands, which also will arrive next week, will be training at the home of the Kansas City Current, one of the top teams in the National Women\u2019s Soccer League. Algeria is making its base at the University of Kansas, about 30 minutes west of the Kansas City metro area, where one of Africa\u2019s top teams will have the use of its new soccer facilities.<\/p>\n<p>As for Argentina, the team has been practicing in the evening to avoid the heat and humidity of Midwestern summers. The weather has been mild so far, with temperatures in the low 80s, but the heat index typically pushes triple digits this time of year.<\/p>\n<p>The six matches at Arrowhead Stadium \u2014 four in the group stage, two in the knockout \u2014 will be played at night for the same reason.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI mean, we\u2019ve had a helicopter flying ever since (Argentina) got here. That should tell you this is a big deal, right? \u201d Reid said. \u201cI think for Kansas City to have Argentina here \u2014 and we\u2019re not even talking about the other teams that are going to be here in the next couple of weeks \u2014 it\u2019s a massive deal.\u201d ___<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=2354\">Phillies ace S\u00e1nchez\u2019s scoreless streak ends at 50 2\/3 innings, 3rd-longest in more than a century<\/a><\/p>\n<p>AP World Cup coverage: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/fifa-world-cup<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) \u2014 Turns out that reigning World Cup champion Argentina draws quite&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2359,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Argentina\u2019s World Cup title defense draws a frenzy in Kansas City as Messi nurses a hamstring strain - Raleigh Moving News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=2360\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Argentina\u2019s World Cup title defense draws a frenzy in Kansas City as Messi nurses a hamstring strain - Raleigh Moving News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"KANSAS CITY, Kan. 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