England advanced to the World Cup semifinal on Saturday with a gutty 2-1 victory over Norway in extra time.
It means the lads will be back in Prairie Village for at least a few more days.
The Three Lions will play the winner of Argentina and Switzerland on Wednesday in Atlanta.
It took two Jude Bellingham goals and an extra 30 minutes of play (and yes, maybe some help from an overhead camera cable) for England to survive a stiff challenge from Norway.
England’s march continues. For those Johnson Countians who have adopted the team as their World Cup squad to root for, they’ve already given us plenty of memorable moments around Meadowbrook Park over the past month.
Here are six that we’re thinking about on this victorious day:
The arrival
England were the last of four World Cup squads that picked Kansas City as their home base to arrive in the metro, when they flew in on June 13.
Local TV stations tracked the progress of the team’s plane and bus, and a crowd of media, fans and autograph seekers gathered on a grassy median across from The Inn at Meadowbrook and broke out into cheers when the team charter pulled up.
The England team’s official social media account posted a video of the arrival, highlighted by a drum line and Chiefs mascot KC Wolf.
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Already before the team’s arrival, many locals had put out yard signs reading “Good Luck England” or hung England flags off their front porch.
“Recovery” day in Meadowbrook Park
Mid-way through the group stage, some England players were spotted in Meadowbrook Park, riding on bikes and doing yoga.
On Instagram, the team called it a “recovery” day, after the squad’s hard-fought 0-0 draw versus Ghana.
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Among the players spotted in the team-released images were Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Ivan Toney.
Local food influencer Crystal Favela posted a video of the lads coasting by the playground at the northeastern corner of the park, near Roe Avenue, as families and children looked on.
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World Cup stars: they’re just like us!
Let us take a selfie
Over the last month, Meadowbrook Park denizens have had their eyes up and heads on a swivel, waiting for an opportunity to spot an England player and maybe, just maybe, get a selfie.
These fan moments have been captured on social media:
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The surgery
England player Jordan Henderson broke his arm during an awkward fall trying to hop over an advertising board following the team’s stirring victory over Mexico in the Round of 16.
A day later, after the team returned from Mexico City, Henderson underwent surgery at Kansas City Orthopedic Institute in Leawood.
In an Instagram post, the England midfielder thanked the institute and shouted out three surgeons, in particular: Kenneth Unruh, Mark Winston and Kirk McCullough.
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“Surgery done! Now let’s get ready for the big one Saturday,” Henderson wrote on Instagram, a reference to England’s quarterfinal matchup with Norway.
The surgery could pay off. ESPN reported late in the week there’s a chance Henderson, who has played sparingly so far this World Cup but is a Premier League star for his club team Brentford, may be able to play by tournament’s end if England keep advancing.
Root for the home team
If many Johnson Countians have adopted England as their second-favorite World Cup team (now favorite after the U.S.’s exit in the Round of 16), then England players have returned the courtesy.
They’ve done the most Kansas City of things: rep KC pride.
To wit, player Declan Rice was spotted wearing a Kansas City Royals hat as he talked to reporters after the team’s win over Mexico earlier this week.
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Soon after arriving in Kansas City, star Harry Kane and some other players took in a Royals baseball game, too, and cheered on coach Thomas Tuchel as he threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
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At least one England player also learned the sports pride thing can run the opposite way.
Ollie Watkins related a story early in the team’s stay in Kansas City, when someone pointed out he shouldn’t go around town wearing his Dallas Cowboys jersey.
“I wore a Dallas Cowboys jersey into Kansas the other day, and I was with my family, and the guy said to me, ‘You can’t wear that around here,'” Watkins told reporters during a training day in June.
Yeah, stick to the KC gear.
A Sheeran serenade
The KC area is used to being a pop star hotspot, thanks to Trav and Tay Tay, but it’s still news when a global music headliner pops in for a visit.
That’s what happened earlier this week when Ed Sheeran quietly ducked into the metro to perform a private concert for the England players before their match with Norway.
It’s apparently something of a tradition. In a video posted to Instagram, Sheeran said it’s something he’s done for the team since 2021, at the urging of team captain Harry Kane.
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Though not clear from the videos, the private concert appears to have taken place at Loch Lloyd Country Club in Loch Lloyd, Missouri, across the state line from Leawood, not at the team’s hotel in Prairie Village.
