U.S. Women's National Team Touches Down in Tokyo After L.A. Staging Camp

TOKYO — And finally, the U.S. Women’s National Team has arrived in Japan for the World Lacrosse Women’s Championship.

The 22-player roster, its coaching staff and USA Lacrosse support staff touched down at Haneda Airport around 2 p.m. local time on Tuesday, July 21, after a staging camp on the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles that was met with a few roadblocks.

Still, the team persisted in its final domestic practices before the main event kicks off this weekend.

“It’s been a long time coming,” head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein said. “It’s been years of training with this group, plus their lifetime of preparation. They’re ready.”

The team will hold its first practice session in Tokyo on Wednesday morning and will continue to practice once a day through Friday.

A sprinkling of player meetings, film sessions and standard medical treatment will follow before players are given ample time to immerse themselves in Japanese culture.

Walker-Weinstein hopes her players “absorb the environment.” Many of the Women’s Lacrosse League veterans have made one or more trips to Japan, but the first-time visitors were wide-eyed staring out the window as the team bus plodded through Shinagawa City traffic on its way to the hotel.

“Yep, we’re driving on the other side of the road,” could be heard from the back of the bus where the players sat.

MADISON’S MOMENT

One of the top performers of the final Los Angeles session was 2026 Tewaaraton Award winner and NCAA champion Madison Taylor, who entered flow state during a woman-up offensive drill.

She either scored or assisted on six straight reps, scoring from tough angles and threading cross-crease passes to some of the best finishers the women’s game has ever seen.

“I feel great,” Taylor said. “I’m excited to be here.”

For more than one reason. Taylor was part of a large contingent of players who encountered significant travel disruptions on their way to staging camp. Thirteen players experienced a severe delay out of John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, the origin flight for anyone who played in Friday night’s WLL game between the New York Charging and Boston Guard.

Players on that flight arrived around 7 p.m. local time Saturday, forcing the coaching staff to get creative with the first team session that was planned.

Ultimately, just seven players took the field for a light stretch and catch.

Assistant coach Melissa Lehman struggled to get out of Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, getting on a flight Sunday morning just in time to catch the World Cup final. Nobody had it worse than Emma Muchnick, who had to reroute herself to Philadelphia to arrive by 7 p.m. — just in time for a team Hibachi dinner at the home of a generous local youth lacrosse parent.

“Flights get delayed. It’s never seamless when you’re putting together something so massive, an operation like this," Walker-Weinstein said. "I thought they pushed through a lot of fatigue and practiced with a lot of discipline and focus. That's all I could ask for.”

Players had plenty of time to catch up on sleep on the flight to Tokyo, a trip that lasted a little less than 11 hours. Players watched movies, shared their thoughts on new Netflix shows and kicked back to relax in the Delta Premium Select section of the A350-900 airbus.

SCALES’ STAGE

You’ll be seeing a lot of Sydney Scales during the world championship. Walker-Weinstein doesn’t intend to take her star defender off the field.

But labeling her strictly as a defender would be a disservice to the many roles Scales is expected to fill on the field. She has the green light in transition, worked some with the woman-up offense and figures to hold a pivotal role on getting the ball back as a double-teaming pest should the U.S. lose a draw.

An entire portion of the final Los Angeles practice was geared toward getting her used to those responsibilities.

“She’s capable of doing anything,” Walker-Weinstein said. “We just put her on our man-up. She’s steady and reliable, and that’s the biggest gift when you’ve got Sydney on your team.”

INJURY UPDATES

Charlotte North traveled with the team to Tokyo but will be inactive as she recovers from an Achilles’ injury suffered earlier this summer in the WLL. But all things considered, the team enters Tokyo practices healthier than it’s been the last few training camps.

Eliza Osburn, who did not practice with the team in June after injuring her back in the NCAA championship game, is good to go. Cassidy Weeks, who has practiced in spurts over the last few camps, looks great in the midfield. Sam Forrest has been managing a foot injury quite well, and Ally Kennedy’s ankle sprain won’t be a factor.

Many players are likely battling some nagging things at this stage of the summer given the heat and other playing obligations, but there are far fewer players sidelined at practice now compared to the last time this team got together.

ODDS AND ENDS

Taylor and Chloe Humphrey were guests at The ESPY Awards last week in New York City. Humphrey said Las Vegas Raiders quarterback and No. 1-overall pick Fernando Mendoza came over to her unprompted and recognized her for her wall ball videos. Maybe there’s a new collab in the works? … Temperatures in Tokyo should reach or exceed 90 degrees with considerable humidity, but don’t expect Shea Dolce to ditch her signature goalie sweats. … The 16 teams in the tournament will likely have to contend with rain of varying intensities during the event. Rain is forecasted for six straight days starting Friday. … Teammates took every opportunity to congratulate Sam Apuzzo for her new gig as the USC head coach — and all of them also made sure to praise the coaching staff she’s built, which includes Scales. … “Marty Supreme” was a popular movie choice on the flight to Tokyo. Everyone shared what they watched on the flight while waiting for the bus at Haneda Airport. Walker-Weinstein watched 1962’s “To Kill a Mockingbird.”