On the nation’s birthday the U19 National ODP team visited with the USA Women’s World Cup team at its practice ahead of the game against Sweden this Wednesday.

Assistant Coach Erica Walsh greeted the girls and gave them an overview of the practice session they were about to watch, and a few nuggets of information about how the US plan to beat the Swedes. Then followed a great training session, which showed the U19s how fast and intense a practice is at the highest level of the game. Although some of the same lack of concentration in crossing and finishing exercises, that our Team Chicago Academy players fall prey to, was on display, too.

After the practice Lauren Cheney, Amy Rodriquez, Kelly O’Hara, Rachel Buehler, and Stefanie Cox chatted with the girls. It was a real highlight of the trip thus far.

Following the National Team event, the U19s traveled to the former KZ camp at Bergen-Belsen for a very sobering and powerful look into the atrocities of the Second World War. This is the camp where Anne Frank and more than 100,000 other prisoners died from starvation, disease, beatings, and hypothermia.