United States Medical Soccer Team

At our team practice in Los Angeles during the weekend of January 10-12, 2014, we had the pleasure of welcoming back many old friends and beginning some new friendships. Our weekend practices are becoming destinations in and of themselves. Our time on the pitch is what draws everyone at first glance, but if you look beyond the soccer, we’re all finding ourselves immersed in the joy of reaching out to underserved youth through our outreach events, enjoying the professional camaraderie of our now-tradition Saturday evening dinner, and then reflecting on the personal aspects of how incredible it is to hang out with like-minded physicians at this stage of our lives! It’s really a fantasy world made real by the incredible efforts of all of the guys on the team. When we talk during our breaks between drills, we’re able to discuss things that never come up during the daily grind of our real lives. We all know it’s beyond therapeutic — it’s who we are. We’ve come together at a time in our lives when we finally can and while some guys come and go from USMST, we’ve all in some way weaved ourselves into the fabric of an organization that will hopefully represent more than just an annual international soccer tournament.

Garrett Hyman from Seattle joined us briefly on the pitch initially in Indianapolis in 2013 when he heard about us at the ACSM meeting. He kept in touch and formally came out to be a member of USMST in Los Angeles in January, 2014. Shortly after this trial weekend, he posted this incredibly eloquent and insightful blog on his practice website, which is the inspiration for this post. Please read it often — it’s why we’re all so passionate about USMST and why our organization is continuing to grow! Thanks to Garrett and all of you for all that’s been done and what we’re sure to accomplish in the future.