By Rory Carroll
IRVINE, California, June 24 (Reuters) - Long before visitors reach the United States' World Cup base camp in Orange County, they can see the marker rising above Irvine's Great Park - a bright orange balloon stamped with the U.S. Soccer crest.
The tethered helium balloon, which climbs 400 feet (122 metres) into the air and is normally one of the park's signature attractions, has become an unlikely symbol of the Americans' stay in Southern California during the tournament.
With the home
team based at Great Park, local officials worked with U.S. Soccer to transform the balloon into a visible welcome sign and a beacon that can be seen from miles away.
"When the team came here the question was how do we make them feel at home?" Steven Stewart, a park manager, told Reuters on the sidelines of the team's sun-soaked practice on Wednesday.
"In collaboration with the team, we got the logos for the crest and we said this is a no-brainer and put them on the balloon."
Stewart said the gesture was intended not only to greet the team but also to connect the surrounding community to the Americans' World Cup run.
"We really want to make the team feel at home, make the community feel like they're supporting the team," he said. "It's been getting nothing but high praise."
The balloon, which takes passengers in its gondola from Thursday to Sunday for $10 per ride, has long been the park's most recognizable feature. But during the World Cup it has taken on a new role as a backdrop for broadcasters, fans and visiting television crews.
"People are coming out just to take pictures underneath it," Stewart said.
"All the broadcasters are using the backdrop. I'm pretty sure I saw Elmo and Sesame Street out on the field the other day doing a shoot with it in the background. So it's really putting a lot of eyes on the park."
U.S. ON THE RISE
The sight has added to the buoyant mood around the U.S. squad, who have opened the tournament with two wins and already secured a place in the knockout stage.
Defender Chris Richards said the balloon made an immediate impression when the team arrived at camp.
"It kind of looks like the Georgia peach," said Richards, an Alabama native.
"It was cool when we first drove in on the first day, you could see it floating in the air."
Christian Pulisic also approved of the camp's most visible landmark, though he was less enthusiastic about taking a ride.
"I think it's pretty cool," Pulisic said, looking over his shoulder at the balloon. "I like when I see it in the sky more than on the ground."
Asked whether he had been up in it, Pulisic laughed. "I would never," he said.
For Stewart, the balloon's connection to sport has another international link. The company behind the Great Park balloon is Aerophile, the same firm involved in the popular Paris Olympic cauldron balloon.
At Great Park, though, the orange balloon has become distinctly American for now, a floating crest above the team's temporary home, and a bright landmark for a squad hoping their World Cup rise continues.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Irvine, California)
