Stadium Training

The U.S. team held its pre-game practice today at Hangzhou Dragon Stadium and it was sharp. The team is ready, the pitch is in good shape and the stadium towers over the field, creating a pretty intimate atmosphere for such a large stadium that features a track around the field. The media and photographers were out in force as well. It definitely felt like a practice before a Women’s World Cup semifinal.

Training at Dragon Stadium

The U.S. team will train tomorrow afternoon at the game venue…Dragon Stadium. The 52,000+ seat stadium is gorgeous. The U.S. Women’s National Team actually played the first-ever match at Dragon Stadium in 2001, tying China 1-1. The organizers offered 10,000 Yuan (about $1,300) to the first player to score a goal in the stadium, pretty confident that it would be a Chinese player. It was actually the USA’s Jen Lalor, a member of the 1995 Women’s World Cup Team who earned 21 caps from 1992-1995 and then another two caps on that China trip 2001, one of which saw her score the 10,000-Yuan goal. As a side note, she had a lot of trouble finding a bank that would exchange 10,000 Yuan once she got home to the States.

Harvest Moon Festival

The U.S. team arrived in Hangzhou to see massive amounts of people on the streets. Yes, more than usual in China which meant a MASSIVE amount of people. The team later found out that today is actually a holiday, and most people took off work early. It’s the Harvest Moon Festival in China (also called the Mooncake or Mid-Autumn harvest) and apparently it’s the biggest holiday in China outside of the New Year. It’s the day when the moon is the biggest and brightest in the sky. It happens every year on the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar. Children are told the story of the moon fairy living in a crystal palace who comes out to dance on the moon's shadowed surface. The legend surrounding the "lady living in the moon" dates back to ancient times, to a day when ten suns appeared at once in the sky. The Emperor ordered a famous archer to shoot down the nine extra suns. There’s much more to the story, but it was kind of long for the Blog, so if you are interested, you can Google it like we did.

Hello Hangzhou

We’ve only been here a few hours, but so far, these seem to be the differences between Hangzhou and Shanghai.

Shanghai: 14 million people. Hangzhou: 6.5 million.
Hangzhou: Much greener and much more scenic. We saw a bunch of pine trees. There is also a famous lake here.
Shanghai: Hundreds of skyscrapers. Hangzhou: Dozens of skyscrapers.
Shanghai: Thousands of apartment builders. Hangzhou: Seems to be more condo-looking dwellings.
Hangzhou: More bikes than Shanghai (it doesn’t seem possible, but that’s the way it seemed).

Location, Location, Location

The U.S. team has stayed at some nice hotels during its stay in China for the Women’s World Cup, but unlike the hotel in Hangzhou, none have had a Starbucks, Haagen-Dazs and McDonalds just steps from the front of the hotel. The U.S. team was not going to be doing too much sight-seeing or shopping anyway with the semifinal looming, but those establishments, and it looks like a mall across the street, meaning all of the players basic needs will be met within a 200-yard radius of the hotel.

Bus, No Plane

The U.S. team trained in the morning in Shanghai (surprise: it was hot), went back to the hotel, finished packing, did some media interviews and board a bus to Hangzhou. Needless to say, the U.S. players were very happy to travel by bus instead of plane, as they had already taken five flights including the one over to China. The bus ride took about two and half hours, but it was smooth and easy. Most of the players slept the whole way. A few watched some videos on their computers, but for the most part, the players passed through Naptown, blew through Snoozeville and didn’t even see Sleepburg go by before waking up in Hangzhou.

Mellow Monday

Now this was what you call a day off. No training, no meetings, no mandatory meals, no nuthin’ except a bit of R&R for the players. Most spent at least a part of the day with friends and family, and a few players, their families, and most of the staff went out to a nice dinner at an upscale western eatery in an upscale area of Shanghai. The burgers and steaks were certainly tasty. The team returns to training tomorrow morning and then will board a bus in the afternoon for the two-hour drive to Hangzhou to make final preparations for the semifinal match against Brazil on Thursday, Sept. 27.