Texas Tech University Athletics
Just for Kicks: U.S. National Team Blog
January 21, 2010 | Women's Soccer
Jan. 21, 2010
LUBBOCK, Texas - In the second update from the happenings of the U.S. team camps in Carson, Calif., Taylor Lytle chimes in on her experience with the Under-23 squad.
Lytle finished her stint with the national team on Wednesday. She was joined in California by Tiffini Smith, who was a member of the U-18 team that also trained at the Home Depot Center, USA Soccer's team headquarters.
Here is a recap of how Lytle viewed the experience:
How was your overall experience in California?
"My experience in California was great! I really enjoyed playing at a high and intense level, and the girls that were there were wonderful."
Is training a lot different with the national team than it is at Tech?
"Actually a lot of the drills we did during camp are ones that we have done with Tech. The play was a bit faster because the girls are older and they've all been playing at a high level. The drills were more competitive because everyone wanted to show themselves off."
Tiffini said in her latest blog post that she played you in a scrimmage, how was that?
"It was so weird playing Tiff in a scrimmage. I am used to playing with her but to play against her was fun. It was also exciting to be able to tell the girls on my team that someone from my school was on the U-18 team."
Any "cool" experiences either on or off the field while you were in California?
"Well, we got to play the full women's South Korean team on Saturday and Monday. The cool thing was that we got real uniforms, and it finally hit me that I was representing the U.S. I was No. 13."
How do you think your experiences with the national team will translate in your final two seasons at Tech?
"Hopefully, the experience I gained at camp will translate in my two seasons left at Tech by just giving me experience. Knowing the level of play that is out there, and being able to push my team and myself to a high and intense level at practice, it will not only make me a better player but will make Tech a better program as well."
What was your favorite experience from the camp?
"My favorite thing from camp was of course playing with the best girls in the nation. To play at the Home Depot Center and see the women's full team practicing next to us, it only made me want to work harder to get there. Also the women's pro league draft happened on Friday while I was there, and 11 of the girls got drafted to teams, so it was exciting to see that happen and be there with them when they got the call on what team they were going to."
Tech's final U.S. National Team participant, head coach Tom Stone, will be the next update to the Just for Kicks blog. He is currently serving as an assistant coach on the U-20 squad that recently departed for Guatemala for World Cup qualifying.
