Advance Team

U.S. athletic trainer Gigi Garcia leaves for China tomorrow, three days ahead of the team, and will arrive in Shanghai early to make sure everything is set up and ready when the players and staff arrive. Garcia, a long-time trainer for the WNT, runs a tight ship in the training room and will no doubt have everything is unpacked, set up and ready to go, so the USA can jump straight into it Women’s World Cup preparations after touching down in China. It will also be good to have at least one staff member not woozy from jet lag. Already in China as the Advance Team for the Advance Team (or Advance Person for the Advance Trainer) is Amy Hopfinger, U.S. Soccer’s Event Coordinator, a.k.a “Go-To Girl” and “Queen of Logistics.” She is working with the attentive staff at the team hotel on the myriad of details that go into hosting a World Cup squad. We hear that Hopfinger has actually picked up some Mandarin Chinese and we expect her to be fluent by the time the team arrives in Shanghai. Or, at least be able to order some very strong coffee, which she will need after going 90-miles an hour 12 time zones away to make things smoother for the USA upon arrival.