Brad Guzan appreciates the little things about World Cup training camp. For instance, the food.
Born in Illinois, he had been living in California and playing for Chivas USA until he transferred to Aston Villa two years ago. Living in Birmingham, England, as the backup to Brad Friedel, he longed for some American chow.
"Definitely a nice steak. That would be my No. 1," the goalkeeper said this week. "And then, obviously, I think some good Mexican food."
Just nine of the 30 players in training at Princeton University are based in the U.S. with Major League Soccer teams. Of the expatriate majority, eight finished their seasons with clubs in England, three in Germany, two each in Mexico and Scotland, and one apiece in Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Norway and Sweden.
Trips back to America are rare.
Marcus Hahnemann, a goalkeeper from Seattle, has lived in England since 1999. Steve Cherundolo, a defender who grew up in San Diego, has resided in Germany since signing with Hannover in 1998 and frequently serves as the club's captain. He's been there so long, the U.S. Soccer Federation says some of his teammates call him "The Mayor of Hannover."
"It's always fun to be back in the U.S.," said Cherundolo, preparing for his third World Cup. "The guys who are based in Europe really enjoy these two weeks in the U.S."
He had not been on American soil since the last World Cup qualifier, at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., last October. What does he look forward to?
"Chipotle. American TV - ESPN for example," he said. "And the English language everywhere I go."
Players arrived from Saturday to Tuesday, and they won't be around for too long. After a day off Friday, they have two more mornings of workouts at Princeton before the team buses to Connecticut for an exhibition against the Czech Republic on Tuesday in East Hartford.
There's another bus trip the following day to Philadelphia for a May 29 game versus Turkey. The following day they'll get on the long flight to South Africa.
For Maurice Edu, a 24-year-old Californian who spent the past two seasons with Glasgow Rangers, one thing sticks out about these two weeks that doesn't light up his life in Scotland: the sun.
"You don't see much of that," he said.
DaMarcus Beasley, his Rangers teammate, is missing the same thing in Princeton that he doesn't get in Glasgow. He spent his few days off last week after the Scottish season in Miami, where he maintains a home. What he longs for is only available in Fort Wayne, Ind.
"My mom's cooking," he said. "I miss that the most."
Jonathan Spector, a defender from Illinois who plays for West Ham, has lived in England since 2003. He enjoys the opportunity to catch up with family and friends.
"There's not much else I can't live without," he said. "I've been over there for seven years now. I've grown accustomed to the culture and the lifestyle, which isn't too much different."
Their practice gear has red, white and blue, and "The Star-Spangled Banner" is played before their games with the national team. That's a lot different for the Europe- and Mexico- based group.
Coach Bob Bradley keeps trying to reinforce that wearing the U.S. colors is different than playing for their clubs,
"As we go through this whole lead-in, we keep trying to find ways with our group to not only talk about soccer but talk about how special it is to play for your national team, how special it is to represent your country," he said.
