Hacker's work has complemented DiCicco's. As the U.S. team struggled recently to accept and comprehend a new formation with four defenders instead of three, which DiCicco installed for this summer's World Cup, Hacker tailored team-building exercises to help the players adapt. In one exercise, the players were given a seemingly impossible task that involved moving in unison on two long planks as if they were skis, with one player holding the planks by two strings. The activity, as bizarre as it may seem, taught about dealing with frustration and uncertainty. Like many Olympic teams, the U.S. team is a highly educated group.
Every player has a college degree or is working toward one.
Players represent universities across the nation from Stanford to Notre Dame to Massachusetts to North Carolina, the women's college soccer power that eight current players attend or have attended. On the other hand, they are world champions. They know if you are blowing smoke. She understands that everyone has their own way. Hacker hardly is unique.