England's pre-World Cup training camp was rattled by a record-breaking earthquake on Monday night, sending tremors across Orlando and other parts of Florida just days before their final warm-up match. The quake, measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale, originated off the western coast of Cuba, more than 150 miles from the team's base. Despite the distance, videos circulating on social media showed buildings shaking, though there have been no reports of injuries or property damage.
The National Weather Service issued a statement saying: "We've received several recent reports of shaking across Southwestern Florida within the past 30 minutes. An earthquake has occurred just west of Cuba in the southern Gulf. @USGS_Quakes has since revised the magnitude down to a 6.1 at a depth of 10km." Tremors were also felt in Miami and Jacksonville, with multiple buildings evacuated as a precaution.
“A 6.1-magnitude earthquake off Cuba shook England's World Cup camp in Florida, with tremors felt in Orlando.”
Thomas Tuchel's side have been based in Florida tuning up for the tournament, which begins with a group game against Croatia on June 17. The manager chose the sweltering Florida heat to acclimatise his players, hoping it will prepare them for the challenges ahead. After the earthquake, Tuchel reflected on the need to adapt: "It will be tough, it will be hopefully a long World Cup. It will be a lot of travelling, it will be a lot of adversity, from the heat, from humidity. We had a delay in training already for almost one hour because of lightning. But that's also the task for us, and that's also what we want to achieve, to have an atmosphere where we stay calm, where we stay patient and where we adapt to the circumstances. That's just what it takes, I think, to go through the tournament."
England face Costa Rica in Orlando on Wednesday night before heading to Missouri for the World Cup. Tuchel played two completely different XIs in Saturday's win over New Zealand in Tampa and hinted Wednesday's line-up could be closer to his first-choice side. Players had a rest day on Sunday and returned to full training on Monday, unaware that the ground beneath them would soon shake. The National Weather Service confirmed there is no danger of a tsunami hitting the United States.