Local doctor heads to Olympics

September 2007.

The U.S. Women's National Soccer Team is in China, playing North Korea in the World Cup.

Striker Abby Wambach is hurt. A cut on her head has her bleeding profusely and threatens to take the top goal-scorer out of the game.

Wambach is pulled out of the match for just four and a half minutes so Dr. Chris Amann can perform the fastest suture job of his life.

"There was no anesthesia," Amann said. "Abby was yelling, the coach was yelling. That's pressure."

Wambach was sent back to the field with two stitches, and the game ended with a 2-2 tie. Back at the hotel, Amann closed Wambach's cut with 11 stitches.

The circumstances were extreme, but for Amann, it's all in a day's work.

The 39-year-old Lake Forest Hospital physician has been the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team doctor for six years.

Amann will head to Beijing this summer as the team takes part in the 2008 Olympics.

"I'm looking forward to the whole experience of the Olympics," Amann said. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Amann, of Chicago, was contacted by the U.S. Soccer Federation about seven years ago and asked if he wanted to travel with the women's youth team.

A former soccer player himself, Amann eagerly accepted and spent about a year as the team's physician before being asked to work with the women's national team.

"It's almost like a family," Amann said. "We're on the road a lot together and the team is certainly devoid of some of the egos that go along with other professional sports."

Amann will depart for Beijing on July 23. Team USA will open the Olympics on Aug. 6 against Norway in Qinhuangdao, China. They will face Japan on Aug. 9 and play New Zealand in Shenyang Aug. 12.

The women's team received a top seed in the tournament along with Germany and China, and Amann is confident they'll go home with a gold medal.

In fact, Amann has some first-hand knowledge of how tough the ladies really are.

"Sometimes I get to serve them balls and scrimmage a little bit with the team," he said. "It's intimidating. They are a lot more physical than I remember my teammates being."