Brenden Aaronson's Wedding During U.S. World Cup Camp

FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. — The U.S. World Cup camp went through its paces on Friday without one of its most industrious midfielders. This time, nobody complained.

Brenden Aaronson had a better engagement.

The Leeds United man was excused from training to marry longtime girlfriend Milana D’Ambra, daughter of Saint Joseph’s men’s soccer coach Don D’Ambra. He left camp after Thursday’s session, traded boots for a suit, and was scheduled to be back in time for training on Saturday.

It is a rare interruption, but one that fits neatly into the story of a player whose life has always revolved around the game and the people closest to it.

Aaronson, 25, arrives in camp as a Premier League midfielder and a veteran of the 2022 U.S. World Cup squad, yet his roots remain firmly planted in Medford, New Jersey. The Aaronsons are one of American soccer’s most familiar families. His younger brother, Paxten, is carving out his own path with the Colorado Rapids in Major League Soccer. Sister Jaden took the college route, featuring for Villanova as a freshman last fall. Their father, Rusty, oversees development at Real Futbol Academy in Medford as sporting director.

This is a clan built on training grounds, long car rides to tournaments, and muddy jerseys. A wedding during camp almost feels like another family event on the football calendar.

The national team has seen this kind of exception before. Back in 2016, a teenage Christian Pulisic skipped a U.S. training session to attend his Hershey High School prom at the Hershey Hotel in Pennsylvania. He rejoined the squad the next day and played in a Copa America match against Bolivia in Kansas City, Kansas.

Different stages of life, same principle: the program makes room for landmark moments, as long as the work continues.

For Aaronson, that balance now extends from the training pitch to married life, with his return to camp marking the start of a new chapter on and off the ball.