U.S. midfielder takes leave from World Cup training for his wedding

FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. — American midfielder Brenden Aaronson had a good excuse to miss the U.S. World Cup team’s training session Friday — he was getting married.

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The Leeds midfielder is marrying longtime girlfriend Milana D’Ambra, a daughter of Saint Joseph’s men’s soccer coach Don D’Ambra.

Aaronson, also a member of the 2022 U.S. World Cup squad, left camp after Thursday’s session and was due back in time for training Saturday.

A 25-year-old with Leeds in the Premier League, Aaronson is part of a well-known U.S. soccer family from Medford, New Jersey. His brother Paxten is with Major League Soccer’s Colorado Rapids and sister Jaden played for Villanova as a freshman last fall. Their father, Rusty, is the sporting director of Real Futbol Academy in Medford.

The U.S. team allowed star Christian Pulisic to skip training to attend his Hershey High School prom on May 27, 2016, at the Hershey Hotel in Pennsylvania, then return for the following day’s Copa America match against Bolivia in Kansas City, Kansas.