England Arrive in Kansas City as Kane Praises World Cup Preparations

England captain Harry Kane has hailed the team’s build-up to the World Cup, saying the squad is in a strong position after arriving in Kansas City for the tournament.

The Three Lions landed on Saturday after a Florida training camp that included victories over New Zealand and Costa Rica.

With the World Cup taking place across Canada, Mexico and the United States, England are regarded as one of the leading contenders after narrowly missing out on major honours in recent years.

Kane described the preparations for the opening match against Croatia in Arlington, Texas, as “top drawer”.

“The way we worked, the way we trained, the preparation for games, the way we played and also just the togetherness, the way we reconnected,” he said.

“The relaxation away from it as well, the recovery part of it. Everything was at the highest level so I feel like we can come into this part of the camp knowing that we’ve had great preparation.”

The 32-year-old said the move to Kansas City had increased the sense of anticipation around the tournament.

“Obviously we’ve still got a few more days until our first game but this is where the business starts,” he said.

“This is going to be our home for the next six weeks, hopefully, and looking forward to getting started.”

Reflecting on the recent friendly against Costa Rica, Kane said the 3-0 victory had been impressive from beginning to end.

He also acknowledged the challenge posed by Croatia, recalling their strong World Cup pedigree and England’s semi-final defeat to them in 2018.

“Croatia are a difficult team,” he said.

“They proved in the last two World Cups especially that they can be one of the best teams in the tournament and we have to be ready for that.”

Manager Thomas Tuchel, appointed with the aim of delivering England’s first World Cup title since 1966, said the squad was ready for the competition.

“We are acclimatized,” he said. “We have been quite a while in the country. They have worked hard enough. We have been exposed to enough heat. We’re in a good place.”

England’s remaining Group L fixtures will be against Ghana and Panama.

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