BRADENTON, Fla. (WFLA) – The road to the World Cup has made a sudden pit stop in the Tampa Bay area.

The US Men’s Soccer team had planned to be in the Middle East this week.

But rising tensions forced them to relocate to Bradenton.

The pitch is the same, the equipment is the same, but the locale is quite different. The US Men’s National Soccer Team meant to be in Qatar today. Instead, they’re 7,600 miles away, in Bradenton, Florida.

“Some things happened beyond our control,” said USMNT Coach Gregg Berhalter.

In the wake of the US airstrike in Iran, tensions in the Middle East are building, and the team decided the area was too dangerous.

There are very few venues available to accommodate this team on such short notice, but IMG Academy fits the bill.

“It certainly has everything from a training perspective and a recovery standpoint and so we’re excited to get back here,” said defender Walker Zimmerman.

“We don’t let anything get to us and one of the big idea with the team is adversity and how to deal with that,” said Forward Jordan Morris.

The players will be training to make the roster and they’ll build camaraderie as they enjoy the benefits Tampa Bay has to offer.

But make no mistake, this is a serious business trip.

“Everyone has something at stake, especially when you’re trying to represent the US,” said Defender Walker Zimmerman.

“I’d call it responsibility, the players, the coaching staff, the whole organization feels a responsibility to the nation, to our fans, to get back to the World Cup,” said Berhalter.

They do hope to visit Qatar before the 2022 World Cup and thanks to IMG Academy, they’ll be ready.

The team will be at IMG through Jan. 25. and then they’ll head to LA to face Costa Rica on Feb. 1st.