USA against swedish team Hammarby

[bajare]

Hello all,

Just like last year the US is going to meet the swedish team Hammarby at the traning camp at Home Depot Center.

Does anyone here know anything of what kind of XI you'll be starting with? Will it be the likes of Donovan, Twellman, Jones and the others first team picks in the current squad?

The game is going to be played on 23 January at 16.00 and probably not at the big stadium according to Hammarby's website.

By the way, the game is going to be broadcasted on the internet at a swedish website with 10-15 mins delay. Not telling which site though because I'm sure just us Hammarby fans alone will be totally crushing the bandwidth :)

By the way, that is going to be Hammarby's first game of the season after more than a months time since the last game. So even thought Hammarby is the best friggin team ever =) i can't find it anything but strange that Usa will be playing a exhibition game against us.

Peace
Joakim

[DCUSA]

Thanks for the news, first I'd heard of it. If this does happen, I imagine it will be squad players playing, not first teamers, as the US plays Canada on the 22nd. Keep us informed about this game. Thanks again!

[bajare]

That's good - for us. The team just met up after a month off this Monday and are flying out to LA today with just three practices in sweden - all without ball. So the game on Monday will definitively be a big test...

There's also a game against Galaxy scheduled on 2 February at 11.00.

[Elninho]

Since we have at least 28 players in camp right now, I'm guessing whoever doesn't play against Canada will start against Hammarby.

The US played a scrimmage against Hammarby in January of last year as well, as a warm-up for our qualifer against Trinidad & Tobago. IIRC, the US won that game 1-0. We substituted the entire team at halftime, so 22 players each played 45 minutes.

[Bajoro]

That's good - for us.

bajare:

Nice screen name!

Sincerely,
Bajoro

[bajare]

bajare:

Nice screen name!

Sincerely,
Bajoro

Thanks! But it's not pronounced anywhere near a spanish name =)

Bajare is what a Hammarby-fan is commonly called. It comes from when Hammarby went to England for a training camp waaaay back and the players when asked how Hammarby was pronounced they said it in an english way for some reason, like Hammer-By. Add 'are' and you've got Bajare.

Thanks for the info the rest of you! Hammarby will most probably not have their 4-5 of the players that usually would start a game due to injuries on a couple of them and two of them are away in the middle east playing with Sweden.

So if you dont win the game you shouldn't expect to get a single point in the world cup this summer!

[Shackleton]

That's good - for us. The team just met up after a month off this Monday and are flying out to LA today with just three practices in sweden - all without ball. So the game on Monday will definitively be a big test...

There's also a game against Galaxy scheduled on 2 February at 11.00.

Thanks for posting. When does the Swedish season start back up and how is Hammarby doing?

It seems very odd to me that your team is traveling all of the way to California to play a scrimmage? Does the coach have a girlfriend out there or something? :) Just curious what the story is.

[scaryice]

What was the score last year?

[bajare]

Thanks for posting. When does the Swedish season start back up and how is Hammarby doing?

It seems very odd to me that your team is traveling all of the way to California to play a scrimmage? Does the coach have a girlfriend out there or something? :) Just curious what the story is.

The pre-season just started this Monday, the team had three practices - without ball - before leaving for LA today.

The reason is that Anschutz Entertainment Group, AEG, owns 40% Hammarby. They bought 25% (i think) in 2001 when Hammarby was on the verge of bankruptcy. Because of that they didnt have to pay more than a couple of million dollars which is insanely cheap for Stockholm's and probably Sweden's most popular club. Every third person in Stockholm calls themselves a Hammarby-fan while only every fourt or fifth is insane enough to say he's a Djurgården-fan.

Anyway, as AEG also owns like half the MLS and the Home Depot Center, training camps in LA every year was part of the deal. The team loved every second of it last year so it's probably gonna be a bit of a tradition that lovely green and white Hammarby flies over the pond to show you guys how football is played ;)

And as Sweden is a very cold country this time of the year all the top flight teams goes abroad to South Africa, Spain, Cyprus, Malta etc in search of better weather. And Hammarby goes to the other side of the world to spread our green and white message :)

[bajare]

What was the score last year?

1-0 to USA, Jimmy Conrad scored with a header in the fourth minute. According to Hammarby's website it wouldn't have been unfair with a draw, even though it was only USA in the first half until Hammarby came back in the second part of the last half.

[MarioKempes]

Sverige! This is just a friendly in every sense of the world. Just a nice kickabout to get the players thinking football and away from thinking fitness. It should be fun for everyone.

[CbR]

your team and your servers are going downnnnnnnn!!!

[bajare]

Not for us.. As the swedish league is just 26 games and played from April to October even the friendlies are nowadays seen as and talked about almost as much as the 'real' games. At least for us fans that is, even though I think the players takes it very seriously too.

[bajare]

your team and your servers are going downnnnnnnn!!!

I'll never say which website. Never i tell ya! =)

It'll be going down without the help from you yank's anyway.. If it even works that is.

[appoo]

So if you dont win the game you shouldn't expect to get a single point in the world cup this summer!

:eek:

too much pressure :(

[CG]

I'll never say which website. Never i tell ya! =)

It'll be going down without the help from you yank's anyway.. If it even works that is.
maybe we can find out without you telling us. BS has some pretty resourceful people.

[mtr8967]

Since there's a game the day before and no European based players in camp to start with, I would expect a very weak US lineup.

But going from Sweden to southern California in January.... do the Hammerby players even care who they play?

[Ringo]

Does anyone here know anything of what kind of XI you'll be starting with? Will it be the likes of Donovan, Twellman, Jones and the others first team picks in the current squad?


twellman isn't first choice and jones isn't in camp, I believe. but it's tough to say what bruce will roll out being just a scrimmage and all. i would assume he's not going balls-out to win. hopefully it will be fun with no injuries.

and, dude -- we'll find our servers. :D

[Bajoro]

Since there's a game the day before and no European based players in camp to start with, I would expect a very weak US lineup. ...

Haven't you heard? There's no such thing as a weak US lineup!
:D

[appoo]

maybe we can find out without you telling us. BS has some pretty resourceful people.

yes, such as people with 20K posts like me. Feel free to make fun of me for having no life :p