Welcome to China!

It was about as easy as a 13-hour flight can be. The U.S. team touched down in China a few minutes after 5 p.m. local time and walked straight from the plane, through customs and onto the bus. No carrying bags at a World Cup! Unfortunately, the drive to the hotel was an arduous one, and despite the police escort, the bumper-to-bumper traffic crawled along, making the 405 Freeway in Los Angeles look tame in comparison. Some players slept a lot, some not at all, but they definitely will be crashing tonight after a quick meal. The hotel staff could not have been nicer, with legions of super attentive staff members at what can be best described as a “luxurious, modern hotel” helping the jet-lagged players find food and their rooms. On the bus ride to the hotel, the always friendly Abby Wambach (she’s a people person, you know) was chatting with the USA’s Chinese team liaison for the tournament, Adora, and asked how she got the gig working with the U.S. team. “Just lucky!,” she said. “Well,” said Wambach with a mischievous grin, “We’ll see how lucky you feel in a few weeks.” The USA will have its first training in China tomorrow.