The USWNT made the long journey from New York to Helsinki today, arriving mid-morning to the team hotel in Espoo.  

ARRIVING IN FINLAND
The USWNT arrived to Finland this morning after a seven-hour flight from New York’s JFK airport direct to Helsinki. The team was greeted on-site by team host, Risto, who has been hosting U.S. teams at tournaments and events in Finland since 1985. Risto helped get the bags loaded onto the bus and escorted the team to its hotel.

GETTING SETTLED IN
After arriving to the hotel, the players took part in a brief work-out, a team lunch and then took the afternoon to explore the nearby shopping center and play games in the hotel lobby.

TIES TO FINLAND 
For many U.S. players, this is not their first visit to Finland. Team USA veterans like Lee Stecklein (Roseville, Minn.), Annie Pankowski (Laguna Hills, Calif.) and Dani Cameranesi (Plymouth, Minn.) have played Four Nations Cup tournaments, IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championships and even IIHF Women’s World Championships on Finnish soil in their careers.

Additionally, a number of Team USA players have ties to Finland, highlighted by U.S. forward Melissa Samoskevich (Sandy Hook, Conn.) who has been teammates with Finland's Anna Kilponen at Quinnipiac University, Megan Bozek (Buffalo Grove, Ill.) whose freshman-year roommates at the University of Minnesota were Mira Jalosuo and Noora Raty. Stecklein, and Hannah Brandt (Vadnais Heights, Minn.) also played with Jalosuo and Raty, while Amanda Kessel (Madison, Wis.) calls the two Finns two of her best friends with whom she runs a hockey school in the summer.

Kacey Bellamy (Westfield, Mass.), Brianna Decker (Dousman, Wis.) and Alex Rigsby (Delafield, Wis.) played professionally with Venla Hovi this season with the Calgary Inferno, while Kunlun Red Star player Alex Carpenter (North Reading, Mass.) also played with Raty in China. Peter Scamurra, former Washington Capitals player and father of Hayley (Williamsville, N.Y.) also spent time playing professionally in Finland.