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The USMNT will skip having a traditional Thanksgiving dinner as the holiday comes the day before their crucial World Cup group stage match against England.
Gregg Berhalter’s side will instead have their turkey dinner on Saturday at their team hotel in Doha, with approximately 205 family members and friends joining up for the celebrations.
That meal will take place in the evening, after Berhalter’s starters from Friday’s game complete their regeneration and treatment, and the rest of the squad finish their afternoon training session.
There will, however, still be a big Thanksgiving meal in Qatar on Thursday — the American Chamber of Commerce is planning an event for families, friends, US Soccer staff and partners, VIPs and other, non-US Soccer related Americans in Qatar.
Around 500 people are expected for that dinner, for which the turkeys are being shipped in from the US.
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Thanksgiving is celebrated in America on the fourth Thursday of November each year. The holiday began as a day of giving thanks for the harvest and of the year just gone.
Arsenal and USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner spoke about how this year’s celebrations would be different on Wednesday.
“Every Thanksgiving, probably 30 to 40 of my family and friends all gather at my mom and dad’s house in Park Ridge, New Jersey,” he said.
“So yeah, we’re gonna miss out on that. Mom and Dad are here, so it will be a little bit different for the people back home this time around.”
The US began their World Cup campaign with a 1-1 draw against Wales on Monday, while England thrashed Iran 6-2 earlier that day.
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(Photo: Getty Images)
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