You can't blame the Green Bay Gamblers for possibly having some extra motivation heading into Friday's exhibition opener against Team USA.

For starters, the team has been in training camp for several weeks waiting for its regular-season opener in two weeks. Players are battling not just for playing time but for spots on the team. Then there is the Team USA factor. Based in Plymouth, Mich., Team USA gets the first crack on the best American players for its U-17 and U-18 squads, meaning several members of the Gamblers were passed over for spots. Head coach Pat Mikesch says forward Cam VanSickle had an invitation to the Team USA camp that was canceled due to COVID-19 and believes he could have had a shot.

Mikesch says as for the other players, they all get developed the same way as Team USA as they try to make them comfortable in their own locker room. The two teams face off on Friday at 7:05 p.m. in a game that will air on 104.1 WRLU.