Spain settle in Chattanooga, a serene World Cup base of tennis courts, river sights and roadside lawyers | OneFootball

Spain have set up their World Cup base in Chattanooga, Tennessee, two hours from Atlanta. According to L'Équipe, the squad train and meet the media at the upscale Baylor School.

The Interstate 75 run is simple yet tense, lined with injury-lawyer billboards and fast, loose traffic. Baylor brings manicured lawns, 18 tennis courts and a golf course, the school costing €60,000 a year. Press briefings are near-daily, and on Monday Mikel Merino spoke for half an hour about the draw with Cape Verde.

A raised platform aids the analysts, and the short media window felt businesslike after that setback. Inside, their wing is dressed in La Roja colours, including a poignant photo with Maria Caamaño, a 13-year-old fan who died of cancer in April. A nearby slogan says there is no shortcut to greatness, it is built through sacrifice and kept with heart.

Security is tight at the hotel beside a cinema, which is sealed off. Players sometimes leave with escorts, though attention is limited. Last week Lamine Yamal wandered a mall almost unrecognised while others were in Mexico for a friendly.

Nearby are an aquarium, a creative arts museum and the Tennessee River, whose blue footbridge is closed for works.

At Finley Stadium, home of Chattanooga Football Club, the men play in MLS Nextgen, a sort of third tier. On Monday night the semi-pro women faced Nashville FC on a synthetic surface, underlining why Spain chose Baylor. Near Atlanta, a seven-vehicle crash on Interstate 75 showed why the billboards exist.

Source: L'Équipe