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05/31 12:11 CDT Flight 1978 and Messi's No 10: Argentina's arrival in US
doubles as tribute to its World Cup success
Flight 1978 and Messi's No 10: Argentina's arrival in US doubles as tribute to
its World Cup success
By DAVE SKRETTA
AP Sports Writer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) --- Reigning World Cup champion Argentina arrived in
Kansas City on Sunday to begin p reparing for its title defense, which starts
with a match against Algeria on June 16 at Arrowhead Stadium, the home of the
NFL's Chiefs.
The 11-hour flight covering more than 5,500 miles from Ezeiza International
Airport touched down in Missouri just after 11 a.m. local time. The flight
number for the Aerolineas Argentinas charter was 1978, an homage to the 1978
World Cup that Argentina won as the host nation over the Netherlands before
more than 71,000 fans at River Plate Stadium in Buenos Aires.
The plane itself, an Airbus A330, also celebrated the Argentine squad with
special livery. The No. 10 of Lionel Messi was featured on the tail amid the
national team's iconic blue and white stripes, while three gold stars
represented its three World Cup titles.
Argentina is the first of four national teams making their World Cup home base
in the Kansas City metro to arrive.
The Netherlands, England and Algeria --- which will be at the University of
Kansas in nearby Lawrence --- are due to arrive this week.
Most of the Argentina squad arrived on its charter, though some players will
arrive from clubs elsewhere in the world. After stepping off the plane, players
and staff walked across the tarmac to waiting charter buses for the trip to the
team hotel.
Messi and Co. will be staying at the Origin Hotel near downtown Kansas City,
Missouri. Fences have been built around the property and extra security
provided for the team, while inside the relatively new hotel, signage, posters
and other nods to the team known as La Albiceleste are ever-present, including
huge images of some of the team's biggest stars on the outside of the building.
The team planned to spend Sunday doing light training in the hotel gym while
awaiting the arrival of the rest of its players. Its first full workout is set
for Monday at the Compass Minerals National Performance Center, the home of MLS
club Sporting Kansas City.
Argentina plays Honduras in a friendly on Saturday at Kyle Field in College
Station, Texas, the home of Texas A&M. Its final tuneup is three days later
against Iceland at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Alabama, the home of another SEC
football team, Auburn.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni revealed his 26-man World Cup roster on
Thursday. It is headlined by Messi, who turns 39 in less than a month, and
features 17 players that were part of the team that triumphed four years ago
against France in the final in Qatar.
Several players were in doubt because of injuries of varying severity ahead of
the June 1 deadline set by FIFA for finalizing all World Cup squads. Among them
was Messi, who is suffering from muscle fatigue and a mild strain in his left
hamstring.
The club has said that his recovery time will depend on "his clinical and
functional progress." Messi will be playing in his sixth World Cup, having
previously participated in Germany, South Africa, Brazil, Russia and Qatar.
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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup.
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