An unmanned aerial vehicle, controlled by an unknown party, was spotted flying over the U.S. Men`s National Team training session on Tuesday in St. Louis. The squad is currently preparing for their Concacaf Gold Cup semifinal match against Guatemala, scheduled for Wednesday.
According to reports, U.S. Soccer personnel are actively working to identify the origin and operator of the drone. The USMNT itself used three drones to record their practice, but this fourth drone`s appearance was unexpected. It was later observed landing outside the secured perimeter of the training grounds, near broadcast facilities.
The drone was not the only disturbance during Tuesday`s training. Separately, a group of individuals were reportedly discovered filming the team and subsequently asked to cease. It remains unclear whether the drone incident and the filming incident are in any way connected.
The USMNT is set to face Guatemala in the Gold Cup semifinals at St. Louis` Energizer Park on Wednesday. The team is aiming to reach the tournament final for the first time since winning the competition in 2021. Guatemala, meanwhile, is participating in its first Gold Cup semifinal since 1996 and hopes to make history by reaching the final for the first time.
Drones: A Controversial Element in Concacaf
While teams are increasingly using drones for legitimate training analysis, there have been documented instances of teams within the North American region allegedly employing drones for scouting opponents.
The most notable example is the `Canada drone scandal` associated with the 2024 Olympics. This incident led to FIFA imposing a six-point deduction on the women`s national team and the subsequent dismissal of then-head coach Bev Priestman. Reports indicated that the team had allegedly used drones to monitor opponents` training sessions for several years. This practice was reportedly introduced by John Herdman, who coached Canada`s women`s team from 2011-2015 and men`s team from 2018-2022. According to TSN, Herdman was reportedly overheard discussing this monitoring method as early as 2016.
Following a disciplinary hearing before an independent commission, Herdman received a written admonishment in May.
