An unknown drone was observed flying over the U.S. men`s national team training session in St. Louis on Tuesday, as the team prepared for their Concacaf Gold Cup semifinal against Guatemala on Wednesday.
According to ESPN, U.S. Soccer staff are working to identify the drone. The USMNT already used three of their own drones to record the session, making the fourth drone`s appearance a surprise. It was later found to have landed outside the fenced-off training perimeter, near a broadcast compound.
The drone was not the only disturbance during Tuesday`s practice; a separate group was reportedly found filming the team and asked to cease. It remains uncertain whether these two incidents are connected.
The USMNT is scheduled to play Guatemala in the Gold Cup semifinal at St. Louis` Energizer Park on Wednesday. They are seeking their first appearance in the final since winning the tournament in 2021. Guatemala, on the other hand, is competing in their first Gold Cup semifinal since 1996 and is aiming to reach the final for the first time in the nation`s history.
Drones: A Recurring Concacaf Issue
Although teams are now more frequently using drones to record their own training sessions, there have also been accounts of teams in North America using drones for opponent surveillance.
The most prominent instance is the Canada drone scandal at the 2024 Olympics, which resulted in FIFA deducting six points from the women`s national team and the dismissal of then-head coach Bev Priestman. Reports indicate the team had utilized drones to observe opponents` training sessions for years, a practice reportedly initiated by John Herdman, who previously coached both Canada`s women`s and men`s national teams from 2011 to 2018. According to TSN, Herdman was reportedly overheard discussing this practice as far back as the 2016 Concacaf U-17 Women`s Championship.
Herdman received a written reprimand in May following a disciplinary hearing before an independent commission.
Adrian Whitmore