Harry Kane; The Three Lions Come to Town

 

TAMPA, FL - With the World Cup beginning next week throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the England National Team, one of the Cup favorites, will have its first tuneup Saturday afternoon at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium with a friendly against New Zealand at 4 p.m.

 

England captain Harry Kane, formerly of Tottenham Hotspur and now the star striker for Bayern Munich, offered a few predictions ahead of his team’s Tampa appearance during Tuesday's media interviews.

 

“It’s going to be great,’’ Kane said. “It’s also going to be hot. We know that.’’

 

Heat is nothing new for British soccer. Regardless of the weather during a World Cup year, the atmosphere is usually scorching for England with sky-high expectations and never-ending scrutiny. The World Cup is a huge deal for any nation. But for England, which won its only World Cup six decades ago (1966), the pressure can be withering.

 

Kane said England players got a sampling of the Florida heat during training sessions in Palm Beach. He described the humidity as “brutal,’’ but said his team will be better for it.

 

He said he’s looking forward to playing in Tampa.

 

“I feel like this is going to be a really, really special occasion,’’ Kane said. “I’m expecting a good game in Tampa. It’s a time to get that feeling back together. Hopefully, the fans will come out to watch us play and enjoy the occasion. You’re watching some of the best players in the world. Come on out and bring your kids. It’s an experience, I think, to remember forever.’’

 

This will be Kane’s third World Cup experience. He said the feeling of excitement never gets old.

 

“For professional players across the whole of Europe and a lot of the world, this is the biggest competition we’ll play’’ said Kane, whose team has friendlies in Tampa and Orlando before its first World Cup match against Croatia on June 17 in Dallas. “It’s the peak of our sport to represent your country, where all eyes are on you from around the world, and you’re playing against the best teams at the best stadiums.

 

“The pressure is part and parcel of it, whether you like it or not. You try to create almost like a bubble around the team because you know there’s going to be outside noise, maybe some criticism along the way. I don’t really read too much or watch too much. I kind of focus on what I can, you know, concentrating on my teammates and the staff around me.’’

 

England’s 26-man roster was recently named in a live show broadcast from Wembley Stadium, set to a soundtrack of the Beatles’ “Come Together’’ song from the iconic Abbey Road album. England features the likes of Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City), Ivan Toney (Al Ahli), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona), Declan Rice (Arsenal), and goalkeeper Jordan Pickford (Everton).

 

And, of course, there’s ultra-experienced Kane, 33, with his 112 caps. He had 36 goals in 31 games with Bayern in the German Bundesliga this past season.

 

“When you’re at the World Cup, there’s a different feeling in the stadium,’’ Kane said. “There are millions of eyes watching you around the world. For sure, I get excited. I almost get more excited as they come along because they won't be there forever.

 

“There are expectations on us, of course, but we don’t mind that. We’ve kind of created that for ourselves because of how we’ve performed in recent major tournaments. That wasn’t always the case for our national team, especially in recent history. We’re seen as one of the favorites, and that’s a different kind of pressure you have to handle. There’s no escaping that. We can talk about it now, and there will be some buildup, but ultimately it’s going to come down to how we perform on the pitch.’’

 

It begins Saturday in Tampa, where it will be hot, hot, hot.

 

But Kane and his British teammates are accustomed to the heat that comes with high expectations.

 

“We need to be ready to play — and play well,’’ Kane said. “I think the beauty of the team speaks for itself when you see our players playing, week in and week out. We have some of the best players in the world who have had fantastic seasons, whether it’s by Munich or Arsenal, Aston Villa or Crystal Palace, or Man City. That brings a lot of confidence heading into this World Cup.’’