Harry Kane put it plainly: "This is where the business starts." England arrived in Kansas City on Saturday, unpacked at the Inn at Meadowbrook in Prairie Village, and were on the training pitch at Swope Soccer Village within hours. No settling-in period. No days off. Three days until Croatia.
The most interesting thing about the session wasn't what was said — it was who trained with whom. The 10 outfield players who started against Costa Rica were grouped together for part of the session: Bellingham, Konsa, Stones, O'Reilly, Elliot Anderson, Kane, Gordon, Rice, Madueke, and Reece James. Could be coincidence. Probably isn't.
Saka's fitness is the real question
Bukayo Saka trained away from that group. More telling, he still didn't look like he was moving freely. Tuchel has already flagged that Saka needs managing through the tournament, which raises a real question about whether England's most creative wide player starts Tuesday — or starts at all in the group stage.
Madueke keeping his place against Croatia would be a statement of intent from Tuchel. It also means Croatia will line up against a right winger who's less of a known quantity. That's not necessarily a problem — but if England need to unlock a low block in the second half, Saka's absence from the starting lineup will be felt. Anyone pricing up England's attacking output this tournament should factor that in carefully.
The theft: already forgotten, apparently
Friday's equipment theft — four pairs of boots, a ball, goalkeeper gloves, training kit, $18,000 worth of gear sold before Kansas City police charged two men — barely registered in the camp, according to Dan Burn. "It's not really been spoken about," he said. "That just shows they aren't too worried about it."
The FA confirmed no elite performance equipment was taken and most items have been recovered. The players are clearly following instructions to treat it as a non-story. Whether it genuinely didn't disrupt anything or whether they're just managing the narrative ahead of a tournament opener, the message is consistent: move on.
Tuchel was equally straightforward about where the squad stands: "We have acclimatised, they have worked hard enough — we are in a good place. From tomorrow it's about three days preparation for Croatia." Croatia, who reached the World Cup final in 2018 and the semi-finals in 2022. Tuchel's players know the weight of that opener.
