Brenden Aaronson Marries Before U.S. Training

FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. — While his U.S. teammates went through their paces on the training pitch Friday, Brenden Aaronson was absent for the one reason no coach can argue with.

He was getting married.

The Leeds United midfielder, a key part of the current U.S. World Cup squad and a veteran of the 2022 tournament, left camp after Thursday’s session to marry longtime girlfriend Milana D’Ambra. She is the daughter of Saint Joseph’s men’s soccer coach Don D’Ambra, tying together two deeply rooted American soccer families in one ceremony.

Aaronson is due back in time for training on Saturday, a brief detour from national-team duty that underlines both his status in the squad and the trust he enjoys from the U.S. setup.

At 25, the Medford, New Jersey native has already carved out a prominent place in the modern era of American players abroad, building his career in the Premier League with Leeds and carrying the surname of a family steeped in the game. His younger brother Paxten is with Major League Soccer’s Colorado Rapids, while sister Jaden appeared for Villanova as a freshman last fall. Their father, Rusty, serves as sporting director of Real Futbol Academy in Medford, where the Aaronson footballing story first took shape.

For the U.S. camp, this is not uncharted territory. The program has shown a willingness to bend the schedule for life’s big moments. Christian Pulisic once received similar leeway, skipping a training session to attend his Hershey High School prom on May 27, 2016, at the Hershey Hotel in Pennsylvania, then rejoining the squad in time for the next day’s Copa America match against Bolivia in Kansas City, Kansas.

This time, the occasion is even bigger. Aaronson will return to the national team setup as a married man, stepping back into camp with a ring on his finger and a familiar expectation on his shoulders: to help drive the U.S. forward on the world stage.