Friday, the 7th started with some speed agility training on a hot and humid day; a great way to loosen the legs as we move from the fitness and test portion of this experience on to pure game preparation.
Following lunch, the big moment, the first round of assignments were announced for matches 1-8. The opening match will be officiated by a team from the Asian Football Federation, the Australian team. The 2nd match of the tournament, Japan vs. England will be officiated by the CONCACAF crew of Kari Seitz, Isabel Tovar (Mex), Rita Munoz (Mex) and Jen Bennett in Shanghai on Tuesday the 11th. We are looking forward to a fantastic match on Tuesday. For those interested in watching the match, refer to the link below for the broadcast schedule.
Following the much anticipated assignments, the referees headed off to Shanghai Hongkou Football Stadium to receive our credentials.
We were fortunate to have the opportunity to grab a peak of the final preparations for the WWC opening ceremony. What a great treat! We were able to spend time with some very enthusiastic little girls ready to play “Mulan”, the WWC mascot. The girls soaked up the attention and gladly posed for numerous photos.
Following this inspiring and motivating visit we headed over to a dinner at the Convention Center hosted by the WWC Local Organizing committee, where we were treated to Chinese food and special Chinese entertainment.
All of the preparations are in place and China is ready to kick-off the WWC 2007.
