The England national team is preparing for its World Cup opening match against Croatia on June 17 in Dallas. While the team is based at Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, Missouri, the move from their Florida pre-training base resulted in a theft of equipment from their vehicles on Friday night. The English Football Association confirmed the theft on Saturday, and Kansas City police have since detained two individuals in connection with the incident. Ahead of the tournament, BBC Sport pundits have shared their projected starting XIs for England. The pundits discussed various configurations for the defense, debating whether to start Manchester City’s Marc Guehi and John Stones or pair one of them with Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa. While some pundits favored Stones for his ability to dictate play, others suggested Konsa and Guehi as a more reliable pairing. For the midfield, the pundits highlighted Jude Bellingham as a “big game player” and “genuine superstar” who may start ahead of Morgan Rogers in the number 10 shirt. Other notable inclusions in the pundits’ selections included Jordan Pickford as goalkeeper, Reece James (if fit), Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson, Bukayo Saka, and Harry Kane. In a separate soccer event, the Grannies International Football Tournament (GIFT) took place in Tzaneen, South Africa. The tournament featured teams from seven countries, including the United States, France, Togo, Kenya, and Mozambique. The event was organized by local philanthropist Beka Ntsanwisi to improve health for older women. During the competition, the U.S. Team defeated Togo, with 78-year-old Sue “Clip” Clippinger scoring a goal. Meanwhile, the United States men’s team secured a 4-1 victory over Paraguay in their World Cup opener. Folarin Balogun, who chose to represent the U.S. Over England, scored two goals during the match, becoming the first American to score multiple goals in a World Cup match since 1930. Christian Pulisic and Gio Reyna also contributed to the win. The U.S. Will next travel to Seattle to face Australia.