LEWISBURG -- Dr. Glen Feltham has some time off next week, but he'll still be putting in the hours. Luckily for Feltham, his work away from work just happens to be one of his passions.

Feltham, a Geisinger Health Center surgeon who lives in Lewisburg, will be the team doctor for the U.S. women's U-20 national soccer team. They're playing in an eight-team regional qualifier next week in Mexico. The top three teams advance to the U-20 World Cup in Chili later this year.

Feltham left for Park City, Utah -- where the team was training -- on Thursday, and the team is flying to Mexico today.

"This being a World Cup qualifier, it's a pretty big deal," says Feltham, who's originally from Alfred, N.Y. "It's always been a dream of mine to do something like this."

Having played college soccer at the University of Dayton, Feltham is familiar with the sport. He's an orthopedic surgeon with a speciality in sports medicine, so he's been able to combine two of his passions.

Feltham has been working with various U.S. teams for three years now, traveling to Portugal, Chili and Brazil along the way.

"The fans internationally are so vibrant and so passionate about the sport," he says. "It's really incredible to see. ... It's really an exciting atmosphere to be around, and it's a lot of fun, which is why I like doing it."

While on a trip to Brazil with the U.S. women, Feltham saw up close the reverence with which Brazilians treat their soccer icons.

"There were busloads of people coming all day long (to the national training center)," he says. "They'd get out of the bus and kiss the ground where Pele used to walk, as well as other players who passed through this hallowed ground."

In next week's tournament, the U.S. (which features Penn State keeper Alyssa Naeher) plays Cuba, Trinidad & Tobago, and Mexico in pool play. The top two teams in each pool advance to the semis; the two semifinal losers meet in the consolation game to see who gets the region's last spot in the World Cup.

Feltham, who is a volunteer, will only be there for the first part of the tournament. Another doctor will then take over. Assuming that the U.S. qualifies for the World Cup, the two will switch roles in November.

The qualifier is being held in Puebla, Mexico, which is 7,500 feet above sea level. According to Feltham, playing at that altitude can create some problems.

"We'll have four days to get acclimated to the high elevation," he says. "Hydration is important, and iron intake is important. Girls that have any kind of issues like asthma, we have to be very careful of that."

Feltham says that -- if the opportunity ever presented itself -- he'd consider being a full-time doctor for the U.S. Soccer Federation. But he says that he's happy where he is now, and enjoys doing work as needed for the U.S. team. In February, he worked with U-20 women's coach Tony DiCicco. DiCicco, who coached the women's senior national team to Olympic gold in 1996 and the FIFA World Cup title in '99, asked him to be the team's doctor.

"I consider this a tremendous honor for him to select me," Feltham says.