Thomas Tuchel stood on the training pitch at Swope Soccer Village near Kansas City, a silver hood pulled over his head, looking for all the world like a medieval knight in chain mail. The England manager’s cutting-edge Nike Dri-FIT hoodie, retailing at £45, is designed to filter harsh UV rays and keep skin cool and dry as the team battles 28-degree heat. It is the latest whizzy tech deployed by the Three Lions in the United States: players have been using palm-cooling devices, cooling jackets, and an inflatable misting tent that sprays refreshing mist as they walk through. WHOOP devices on wrists and biceps track heart-rate variability, resting heart rate and sleep performance 24/7, giving performance staff precise data to aid conditioning.
England opened their World Cup 2026 campaign with a 4-2 win over Croatia in Dallas on Wednesday, but Tuchel is already demanding higher standards ahead of Tuesday’s match against Ghana in Boston. During Saturday’s session, he was heard loudly instructing players on which foot to use to control passes, telling Tottenham full-back Djed Spence to “open up” and “wake up”. Defender Dan Burn later revealed just how demanding the former Chelsea boss can be.
“England boss Thomas Tuchel wears a hi-tech Nike hoodie to beat 28°C heat while all three of his World Cup keepers emerged from Carlisle United.”
Yet for all the hi-tech gadgetry, England’s goalkeeping department draws on a deeper, more homespun tradition. All three of Tuchel’s World Cup keepers – Jordan Pickford, Dean Henderson and James Trafford – have featured for Carlisle United, the League One club from west Cumbria. Henderson and Trafford came through the club’s academy, while Pickford, now England’s number one with 85 caps at 32, made 18 senior appearances on loan from Sunderland in 2014.
Ben Benson, part of Carlisle’s goalkeeping set-up at the time, recalled a moment that defined Pickford’s resilience. “I remember one game in particular, we were playing at Deepdale against Preston,” Benson said. “He made a mistake, one that goalkeepers up and down the country make every week.” With Carlisle fighting relegation, Pickford, then 19, dropped a cross and allowed Preston to score their third goal in a 6-1 defeat. “Once it happened, I could remember him going back to his goal. He got his towel and put it over his head for maybe five seconds. He took it off, put it back on, and it was almost like he’d pressed the reset button. From that moment on, I remember him being outstanding.”
Pickford could not save Carlisle from relegation, but he returned to Sunderland, established himself, and moved to Everton in 2017 for a reported £30m. “In Jordan you see reliability and robustness first and foremost,” Benson added. For a club that produces Cumberland sausages and is better known for the Lake District and Beatrix Potter, Carlisle’s role as England’s goalkeeper factory is a source of huge pride for those present and former associated with the club.