Table of Contents
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The city is warning residents to expect heavier-than-usual traffic near Episcopal High School on Wednesday afternoon and evening.
The advisory covers the 3900 block of W. Braddock Road from about 3:30 to 8:30 p.m. June 10, citing a ticketed event at the school. The city is urging residents who live in or travel through the area to allow extra time, and said officers from the Alexandria, Arlington and Fairfax County police departments will help manage traffic.
The city did not name the event. But Episcopal is serving as Croatia's World Cup training base, and the date aligns with a community session the national team is holding there this week. The team is using Alexandria as its home for the FIFA World Cup this summer and staying at the AKA Hotel in Old Town.
The session is the one Visit Alexandria President and CEO Todd O'Leary described to City Council this spring. It is not open to the general public; attendance is by invitation.
O'Leary tied the session to local youth soccer. "A lot of local youth sports, children, school-aged children, especially those that are involved in soccer programs, after-school soccer programs, will be invited to watch the team train here in Alexandria," he told council.
The session has been described as the team's one public-facing moment in Alexandria. The session is closed and invitation-only. The rest of the team's time at Episcopal — training and news conferences — is open only to credentialed media.
Croatia, which finished third at the 2022 World Cup, opens group play June 17 against England in Dallas. The team then faces Panama on June 23 in Toronto and Ghana on June 27 in Philadelphia, returning to its Alexandria base between matches.
The city said officers working the event will wear uniforms and carry identification and badges, and that residents may ask any officer for a name and badge number. Free interpretation and translation services are available for residents who prefer another language.
