Fearless Team Sweden laughs in death’s face

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This article was published 06/06/2015 (4096 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Group of Death? Bring it on, members of Team Sweden suggested Friday ahead of the start of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

In Winnipeg for games starting Monday at Investors Group Field are Sweden, the U.S. and Australia — three of the top-10 teams in the women’s world rankings — and African women’s champion Nigeria.

“It is tough,” veteran Swedish coach Pia Sundhage said Friday morning at the Waverley Soccer Complex as her team prepared for Monday’s 3 p.m. Group D match with Nigeria.

“I think we have the hardest opening game — Nigeria. All of us coaches, we know pretty much everything about everybody, but it’s hard to find video clips from Nigeria.

“At the same time, we have some people (scouts) around the world and we have done our very best, so I think we are well-prepared and we know that will be a tough game and we will do our best.

“Having played Nigeria, then we will play the U.S. team (next Friday) that won the Olympic gold medal and probably is one of the best teams in the world. I learned something in the States (while coaching there), that it’s a privilege to play under pressure and it is a privilege to coach under pressure.”

Experienced defender Linda Sembrant, readying for her second World Cup, was unfazed Friday when asked about the grouping.

“I think it’s a good feeling because it’s a big challenge,” Sembrant said. “When I looked at when they did the draw, it was, ‘Yeah, the U.S. is coming in our group,’ but for me, it’s a big challenge.

“It’s always a very fun game to play against them. So we have a very tough group, maybe the toughest, people say. But I think we just go into the tournament and have a tough game. I think we can perform very well against them.”

Sembrant said she plays and practises on field turf plenty at home and with her club team in France, so that it’s no big deal.

Sundhage said Friday she has adjusted the Swedes’ training routines to account for scheduling and not playing on real grass.

“Yes, first of all, we have not had as many days if you compare it to the U.S. Australia and Nigeria being together, because we have the league that stopped May 21,” she said.

“So that’s one thing. We’ve been resting some of the players, not having them play and train the 90 minutes, and making the training a little bit shorter to make sure we have healthy players, players that are ready to go for the next game.”

Sweden didn’t have the best of months in the run up to the World Cup, with early-year losses to Germany, Brazil and Switzerland and a draw with Denmark. Mixed in were five victories in this calendar year, including a tune-up win over the Netherlands last week in Toronto.

Sundhage didn’t sound worried.

“I’m a positive person,” she said. “There are signs… we tried to play a different system and then we got a bad injury (Hanna Folkesson). I love the way we have changed a little bit.

“We have the ability to be flexible. Some of the results have been an eye-opener.

“You have to go back to yourself — did I really do my very best, did the team play the very best it can? Right now I would say ‘yes.’ That’s because it’s been a little bit of a bumpy road but I love that, the fact that the World Cup is always more than a gold medal, it’s actually the road to the gold medal, to enjoy every single day of it, every practice, the one we’re going to have today.

“The Swedish way, so far, is very bumpy but still you can reach the gold.”

Sweden has been in every Wold Cup played, with three trips to the semi-finals and one trip to the final.

The internationally acclaimed coach, who was at the helm of the American side four years ago before returning to her native country, is thrilled with the expansion of the women’s game around the world, especially the increase to 24 teams from 16 in the World Cup.

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“Absolutely, that’s the best thing they could have done, extended it to 24 teams,” Sundhage said.

“You have 24 countries that talk about the game. I think it’s a beautiful game and I think it’s fair enough that you have women playing this beautiful game.

“Today we have sellouts. I was a coach for the U.S. team, and in the very beginning we had some games with 4,000-5,000 watching. Today, everybody wants to see Abby Wambach. I’m happy for that because the women’s game deserves that.”

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca