Wedding and World Cup: Brenden Aaronson’s Unique Journey
FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. — Brenden Aaronson stepped into Mauricio Pochettino’s office in March, feeling the weight of what he considered the most critical day of his life.
The USMNT midfielder shared that his wedding to high school sweetheart Milana D’Ambra had been set for May 30 for about two and a half years. Initially, he thought the World Cup schedule, which Pochettino would later alter in September 2024, would allow teams to report for camp on June 1. That seemed doable.
However, just a few months away from the big day, changes occurred. The USMNT was set to play its first send-off friendly on May 31 and would return to camp by May 26.
“I think it was around December, probably Christmas time. When she learned about the friendly schedule and noticed the reporting times, her face turned bright red,” Aaronson recounted, adding that he too felt a bit surprised. “You invest so much time and effort into this. Honestly, I was quite anxious about the wedding.”
Changing a wedding with such little notice isn’t simple, but if that’s what Pochettino wanted, Aaronson was determined to face it. He finally talked to his manager during the March window and laid out the situation. Luckily, Pochettino agreed to give him leave for training so he could travel to Manahawkin, New Jersey, for the wedding.
On the Friday before his wedding, Aaronson trained with the team and then rushed to the airport. He managed to arrive at his rehearsal dinner at 7:30 p.m., quite late after a direct flight. The wedding was the next day, and early Sunday morning, he had a 2:30 a.m. alarm set to catch another flight back to Atlanta for training.
All this amid an already hectic travel schedule, which included trips from London to Leeds, Manchester, and then to New York City, followed by a trip to North Carolina with the USMNT for a game against Senegal after Saturday’s practice.
While discussing changes to the wedding, Aaronson expressed openness to adjustments, as getting on the roster was crucial. He noted, “Milana deserves a lot of recognition. It’s not easy to have to alter plans on our wedding night. She’s been there since the beginning, especially through all our days spent focused on soccer. I feel lucky she’s so understanding.”
D’Ambra, who met Aaronson at a mutual friend’s Sweet 16th birthday party, has her own soccer background, having played at Temple. Interestingly, her father, Don D’Ambra, coached the boys’ team at St. Joe’s for 14 years, while Aaronson hails from a soccer family, with his brother Paxten a player for the Colorado Rapids, and his sister Jaden playing for Villanova. Their father, Rusty, serves as the athletic director at Real Football Academy in Medford, New Jersey.
Everybody recognized this was a unique moment, especially as Aaronson learned about his spot on the World Cup squad during the same week as his wedding.
“It was probably the most nerve-racking wait I’ve ever experienced,” Aaronson said regarding the anxious moments leading up to receiving a WhatsApp message about his selection for the World Cup. “Once that text came through, my first thought was, okay, I need to get on a plane now. I was overwhelmed with thoughts about the logistics and what the next steps would be.”
But, with time, he found pride in being on the roster and gradually shifted his focus toward the wedding, imagining how special that day would be.
Despite the pressure, the wedding day turned out just as Aaronson had envisioned.
“I’m thankful for this experience and the chance to make it happen,” he reflected. “It’s certainly not typical, but I’m really glad it came together, and now it’s about preparing for the World Cup. Exciting times ahead!”
