Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center
Project facts
- Client
- U.S. Soccer Federation
- Architect
- Gensler
- General contractor
- Brasfield & Gorrie
- Base-building structural engineer
- Uzun+Case
- Timber canopy area
- Approximately 26,000 sq. ft.
- Location
- Fayetteville, GA, USA
- Status
- Completed 2026
- Our involvement
- Timber Engineer of Record, detailing, fabrication and installation of the observation canopy.
Photography & imagery
- Completed photography
- U.S. Soccer/Wendell Weithers
Overview
At the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center, a 400-foot-long timber canopy gives the practice fields a clear architectural edge. The structure creates a sheltered place to watch training, gather and move through the campus while keeping views to the pitches open. Its exposed Douglas-fir structure turns a practical requirement for shade into a warm, repeating frame for the daily life of the national teams.
A field-edge room
The canopy covers approximately 26,000 square feet along the training fields. Two lines of glulam columns support glulam girders set at roughly 20-foot centres; many of the timber columns rise from cantilevered concrete pedestals designed by others. Long roof overhangs extend toward the fields and arrival side, providing broad cover without a line of perimeter columns interrupting sightlines. The result reads less like a conventional roof and more like a long, open room between the building and the landscape.
Structure in rhythm
Prefabricated roof panels combine Douglas-fir purlins with a plywood deck, producing a consistent exposed soffit across the full length of the canopy. The regular bay spacing makes the scale legible, while slender cable braces supplement the lateral system and preserve the openness of the elevations. The timber structure works with the concrete cores and supporting concrete work designed by Uzun+Case, coordinating two structural systems into one continuous field-edge element.
One coordinated timber package
StructureCraft served as timber Engineer of Record and design-builder, carrying the canopy from engineering and BIM coordination through connection design, shop and erection drawings, supply and installation. Working with Gensler, Uzun+Case and Brasfield & Gorrie kept the exposed structure, interfaces and erection sequence aligned. The completed canopy forms part of U.S. Soccer's new 200-acre home, opened in May 2026 for all 27 national teams.
