Shreveport native tasked with feeding U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team

Lindsay Gosslee Langford had trouble containing her emotions – and the moment in question was more than a month away.

What will the Shreveport native feel like if the USA soccer team wins the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup?

Her voice began to crack. “It’s funny to get emotional about that question just in an interview. I can’t imagine. It would be pretty cool. I’m hopeful.”

Langford, who graduated from Captain Shreve High School in 2000, is one of just 65 delegation members traveling with the U.S. Women’s National Team. She spoke with “318 Forum” from Auckland, New Zealand, ahead of the 32-country competition, which began July 20.

“My role is team dietitian and sports scientist. I build the menu and oversee all food service. We have a chef we brought with us, who fully executes the menu. But it is something I design, based on the training loads and the actual training calendar. If it’s a practice day or a game day, the menu would vary pretty drastically, depending on the demands of training that day.”

Langford studied nutrition and dietetics at Louisiana Tech University and the University of Alabama.

“It’s a wild feeling to try and step back and fully realize the depth of what I have the privilege to do.

“The tasks I have to accomplish each day are my main focus, but I’ve definitely had some moments of sitting down in my hotel room with the USA crest taped on our room walls. It’s everywhere, even down to the coffee bar. You get your coffee served with the USA soccer crest on top.”

Even though Langford – who lives in Indiana with her husband and two sons – has been working with USA Soccer for a while, she wasn’t sure she would make the World Cup trip.

“There are a limited amount of people (in the delegation) who are approved. It did come down to the last few months to see if it was approved.

We learned a few months prior that it was approved.

The plan was always to come, but there never was any confirmation until the last six to eight weeks.”

Langford is responsible for what the 23 players eat during their (hopefully) seven-week stay.

When it comes time to dine, she and the rest of the traveling party don’t have to worry about waiting in line with other hotel guests. They are the only hotel guests in what Langford described as “a five-star hotel.”

“Even the lights are placed in a certain color, depending on the time of day.

If we want to promote recovery and sleep, the lights change to different colors. If we want to promote more energy and more daylight and activation, the lights in the room change to a different color. It’s down to a science.”

And so is making sure each player is in her best physical condition.

“A lot of emphasis is on the recovery side of things for each individual player, based on morning screenings they do. It’s in-depth. The high-performance team has done a really great job, and I kind of ride their coattails. Each morning, the players fill out a wellness questionnaire. They run through some morning tests, seeing how their body is feeling – anything from sleep to muscle aches and pains. That really determines what recovery modalities we are going to use for them during the day.”

Langford admits being in such a prestigious position is a satisfying reward for the hard work it took to build her professional career. But while being at the World Cup is special, winning the World Cup would be quite an accomplishment.

“This right now feels like a pinnacle for sure. I’m grateful for every opportunity I’ve had to lead me to this. All the long hours have definitely been worth it. I can probably say that with 95 percent confidence right now. If we’re lifting the World Cup trophy, that will absolutely be with 100 percent confidence. But the experience is not taken for granted.”

The World Cup Finals are on Aug. 20 in Sydney, Australia.

You may learn more about Team USA and the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup by visiting www.ussoccer.com/teams/uswnt.