Well...those of you who are Steffie Jones fans will not like the following; News from the Frankfurter Allgemeine Newspaper (translation in parentheses) http://www.faz.net/s/RubAEA2EF59953...9D92AB13128CB72077~ATpl~Ecommon~Scontent.html Interview "Die Amis sind überheblich und arrogant" Steffi Jones über die Frauen-WM in Amerika, die Chancen der Deutschen und das Tabu-Thema Homosexualität ("The Americans are big-headed and arrogant" Steffi Jones on the Women's World Cup in America) FRAGE: Sie haben fast alle großen Titel im Frauenfußball gewonnen. Was ist nötig, damit Deutschland endlich zum ersten Mal Weltmeister wird? (Question: You have come close to winning all the big women's football titles. What do you think is nessary for your team to finally become world champions?) ANTWORT: Bei der letzten WM 1999 in den USA war ich selbst mit 26 Jahren noch nicht reif genug. Ich hatte zwar schon genug Länderspiele und war selbstbewußt. Aber vor so vielen Menschen zu spielen - das war mein erstes großes Turnier vor 60000 oder 70000 Zuschauern. Da bin auch ich nervös geworden. Die Amis haben uns damals im Viertelfinale überrannt. In den vergangenen vier Jahren konnte wir Deutschen aber aufholen. Wir sind viel athletischer geworden, unsere Physis ist stärker. Deutsche Spielerinnen waren in der US-Liga Leistungsträger. Diese WM wird ganz anders aussehen. (Answer: In 1999 I was not developed enough at 26. I also did not have enough expeirience playing infront of so many spectators. The Americans in 1999 ran us over in the quarterfinals of the last WWC. But we have become stronger in the intervening time. We are much more athletic now. Also our German players who played in the US League (WUSA) have benefited. This WWC will be much different.) FRAGE: Und wie? (Question: How is that?) ANTWORT: Damals war das eine Kopfsache. Wir waren dem Druck nicht gewachsen. Jetzt sind wir deutschen Spielerinnen viel selbstbewußter, auch die jüngeren. Wir sind eine sehr ausgeglichene Mannschaft und haben sehr gute Chancen, den Titel zu holen. Ich habe keinen Respekt mehr vor den Amis. (Answer: Then it was all in our heads. We were not as developed. Our German players are more confident now. We are now a more balanced and developed team and have a good chance at winning the title. I don't have anymore respect for the Americans.) FRAGE: Aber es gibt noch die starken Chinesinnen, den Olympiasieger Norwegen oder auch den EM-Zweiten Schweden. (Question: There are still the Chinese, Norwegians (defending Olympic Champs) and the Swedish.) ANTWORT: Richtig. Aber die USA sind der Gegner schlechthin, den man schlagen will. Die Amis sind überheblich und arrogant, selbstbewußt ohne Ende. Aber spielerisch sind wir stärker. Wir haben die technisch besseren Spieler, davon bin ich überzeugt. Es gibt von denen nur noch ganz wenige, die hungrig sind. Die spielen nur wegen des Geldes, und weil sie Werbung machen können. Ich habe fünf Länderspiele gesehen. Da ist nichts mehr, da ist nur noch Larifari. (Answer: Right. But the USA is not what it used to be and is beatable. The Americans are bigheaded and arrogant and confident to no end. There are only a few left on that team that are still hungry to win. They are only in it for the money and for the marketing opportunities.)
Wow. I don't remember any of our players trashing their opponents like that. That's just plain low class. But I guess maybe we can expect to see more of it. Maybe what we see as pride in our team looks like arrogance to others. I'm sure some people can't wait to kick us while we're down.
yup. she stated it like it is... this u.s. team thought they could win on the past alone. i guess she was right in her statements afterall... i see no problems with it.
The injury knocked out Steffi, but not her team, and her assessment is pretty much spot on. Two sentences in the middle of the final paragraph were not translated. She says: "But we have stronger players. We have technically better players, of that I am convinced." I know I'm convinced.
***FROM BABELFISH*** "The Amis is practice substantial and arrogant" 20. September 2003 -- The 30 years old native Frankfurterin ranks among the soccer game gutters most renowned internationally and after its excursion as Berufsspielerin in the United States for on this Saturday the WM tournament beginning was re-activated. When at all has itself Steffi Jones the dream of a professional career also in the homeland fulfilled first German Spielerin, with the master and Cup winner 1. FFC Frankfurt. Q: Money plays a large role now in your sportsman career. That is already important. I lived for many years for the football and but also material victims gave. Last there were reductions in salary then also in the USA. We should shortening of 25 per cent actually 50,000 dollar get, had however accept. But fuer'n Appel and an egg does not play I no more. One needs also times the Return, and I hope that I can sell myself here with the WM well. Q: They are the first Fussballspielerin, which calls itself in Germany as a professional. How does that function? That runs not only over means association, but a sponsor. From a real estate company I get a certain sum, which is not immensely high, but permits me not to have to work. Of the 1. FFC Frankfurt I get then still another representational allowance. That is not everything the world, but I earn approximately what I was gotten in the office as a foreign trade purchase woman. Q: What changed? It is beautiful that I do not have not to go working any more eight hours and afterwards still another training have. Now I can worry during the day about my Fitness, go in the evening into training and make otherwise still much into schools for Kids. That is very important to me to bring young girls into the football. I want to still make my coach licenses. Q: Professional already are you for the two years in America. How did you profit sportily from it? Me it has very helped in my achievement. In the last years I could take personally some out. I would wish myself that we all could become in Germany professional. Then one can expect also more from each Spielerin. Q: They won nearly all large titles in the woman football. What is necessary, so that Germany becomes finally for the first time world champion? At the last WM 1999 in the USA I was with 26 years not yet ripe enough. I had of course enough international matches and was self-confident. To play but before so many humans - that was my first large tournament before 60.000 or 70.000 spectators. There also I became nervous. The Amis ran over us at that time in the quarter final. In the past four years we could up-get Germans however. We became many more athletically, our Physis are stronger. Germans player inside were in the US league service providers. This WM will completely differently look. Q: And how? At that time was a head thing. We had not been up to to the pressure. Now we are Germans player inside many more self-confidently, also the younger. We are a very balanced crew and have very good chances to get the title. I have no more respect before the Amis. Q: But there are still the strong Chineses, the olympia winner Norway or also EM second Sweden. Correctly. But the USA are the opponent absolutely, whom one wants to strike. The Amis is practice-substantially and arrogantly, self-confidently without end. But spielerisch we are stronger. We have the technically better players, of it are convinced I. There are only completely few, which are hungry from those. Play only because of the money and because they advertisement make can. I saw five international matches. There is nothing more, there is only Larifari. Q: After the surprising reactivation of you and Maren Meinert plays nearly the entire crew of the successful EM before two years again. What is that called? Q: Our crew became still stronger. By the American professional league (note: the league was dissolved in this week), a stronger federal league, the new UEFA Cup. There was not ever so a good woman national team in Germany. Our crew and the two coach inside earned the title. Q: And which you say, if that does not fold? We did not fail so correctly ever. Our experienced player inside will not permit that. We will give us everything, will be able there no a reproach to make. Q: They together-played in Washington with the superstar of the woman football absolutely. What could you learn from Mia Hamm? It is really a Ausnahmespielerin. It is in training always in front. It fires on, walks around, so that the Leutchen wakes up. Learned I of it a still more intensive attitude to the football. Mia perfects everything. In former times there it is before training, remains longer, in order to train freistoesse. It lives only for the football. It is a type of insanity. Q: D it much earns. When can we expect the first football Millionaerin in Germany? Millionaerin becomes heavy. But player inside like Birgit more could earn prince, which have still a few years. But but they would have to become looser for the media. Birgit has a name and the sporty achievements. It could have everything, if it were open. It is so moody, that is unfortunate. Many player inside do not have a support, to make which for the public or the media. Q: They are one of the few player inside, which are publicly noticed. I legend always to everything. I am not anybody, which says no. If one calls and asks me in Stuttgart whether I come fast times into the transmission, I go. It concerns not me, but the woman football. That want to help we all nevertheless. Sometimes there I do not understand this attitude to have no desire on it. Q: Would you be gladly still more popular? I am content with that. I reached already much, although I am a typical Mannschaftsspielerin and shoot no gates. I work and contribute to success. I am actually only by my openness and my Autogrammgeberei admit become. After the international matches I am the latter, which goes showering. I want to einschleimen myself not with the fans, but believe that is right oneself. I find it sad, if a small girl does not get an autograph. Q: How would the perfect look Spielerin for a successful marketing strategy? A Spielerin must show up raus and. In the USA everyone of us had once in the week raus - into a school and to the autograph hour. The employment is recompenced, returns everything positively. Here there is only the envy over the few player inside, which emerge repeatedly once in the public. Q: Which role plays the appearance of a Spielerin with the marketing? Look good is important. Radiant emittance, well to express can smile, more, be not always grimmig and negative, bring achievement. Q: Take off and also times? If one can show up naked, it would be stretching to make once. I would not be, which would never make it. That must rueberkommen naturally sportily nicely. But I do not get the woman football going thereby. Q: There is another topic, which always accompanies the woman football. Which? That some look so male? Q: The topic Homosexualitaet. That became already much better. When I began in the national team, everyone asked: Do you stand on women? Do you stand on men? Today that is no more topic. In addition: One will not find Spielerin, which outet itself. Q: Outside of the sport there is there less restraint, how one sees at the Outing in the policy or in the Showbusiness. Why is with sportsmen or sportlerinnen different? With player inside - and that will not different be with players - the fear that they are not then any longer nominated, exists to find no more sponsors or late coach licenses not received. That is also today still another taboo topic. And I find it beautiful that I do not have to express myself how many are lesbian in my crew. That does not concern anybody somewhat, it goes here around our private life. Q: But it has also influence on the play enterprise. Martina Voss was thrown before Olympia in Sydney from the soccer national team, because their life companion at that time had an affair in the crew and she came thereby not by right. Now it geoutet itself. Okay, Martina geoutet itself. It stopped also as Spielerin, its coach post and everything vocationally reached, what wanted to reach it. Now it can make everything. There one must be charakterlich strong. Q: Does it actually disturb you that only to few sporty high points the woman football is in the media a topic? We can be nevertheless glad that we are in demand with the highlights at least. Other kinds of sport are there more badly. Each Spielerin white, if success comes with a WM, a EM or an Olympia, then gives it again a boom. Then the media run over us. That is time, at which we can demand again something. That makes it easier for us to continue working. Then things are possible, which were not entitled to us before. Q: Also on the part of the federation? The DFB accepts already, which we carry out women. I know that ours were coach inside very content with the conveyances for the WM training courses. All international matches in the preparation were transferred live, against whatever opponent always. ___________________________________ Steffi, we hardly knew ye!
Well, aside from the fact that that's not the best of translations, her comments are actually pretty accurate with regards to our dear women's national team. I don't question their work ethic but they are more confident than they ought to be given the progress made by other countries. Do they have the same hunger to win they did before? I don't know, but it is perfectly reasonable to say that it is unlikely given their previous successes and the (relative) lack of renovation in the team. Finally, on the respect point, it is clearly not meant as a disparaging remark but as a way of demonstrating the consequences of the improvement of the German team. They are clearly not as intimidated by the US as they once were. Imagine Landon (I can't say or do anything wrong) Donovan saying: 1. Team X is overconfident and due to lack of renovation not as hungry to beat us as before. 2. We have improved and, unlike before, we no longer respect Team X as much as we did, and we therefore stand a good chance to win. 3. The rest of the teams are getting better while Team X sits on its laurels and is more worried by cash and marketing than winning. Ok, so maybe the statements generalize a bit but, hey, they're not classless. "She had the injury coming to her" is classless. There's nothing wrong with having opponents that are as passionate about winning as you are, or to have a media and players who don't strive for sanitized interviews so soccer mom and soccer kids can pretend Mia Hamm is Pokemon #345. Having said that, maybe we'll win the next world cup. I hope so.
She's not the first German to say that they use to fear of the American team but now, thanks to the WUSA, they no longer fear them and feel equal or better than the team. For all the chicken littles out there talking about how the world has caught up and it is all over for the US, the top four teams were all capable of beating the US in 1999 and almost did. But for Lilly's head (and there were other close calls) the outcome would have been different. Acutally, maybe we should watch all the games again without the rose colored glasses. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big supporter but I don't think the sky is about to fall in on our heads. Hmmm, maybe I should post this paragraph on other threads.
She's not the first German to say that they use to fear of the American team but now, thanks to the WUSA, they no longer fear them and feel equal or better than the team. As for bigger/stronger players, isn't that what German soccer is about? And haven't we all noticed what a bunch of shorties most of the US players are. Take a look at the height charts for the various WWC teams. For all the chicken littles out there talking about how the world has caught up and it is all over for the US, the top four teams were all capable of beating the US in 1999 and almost did. But for Lilly's head (and there were other close calls) the outcome would have been different. Acutally, maybe we should watch all the games again without the rose colored glasses. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big supporter but I don't think the sky is about to fall in on our heads. Hmmm, maybe I should post this paragraph on other threads.
You got to digest her comments as the height of hypocrisy to accuse the UWNT of being arrogant when by her own admission it was the US league that will lead them to that trophy!!!!!!! Basically, thanks to WUSA, the Germans are going home with the trophy and our American women are left to sunk on their arrogance. There might be some truth to her comments and heinrich's decision to stay with the vets is a testament to that. But, I really doubt the Reddicks and Wagners think the same way. The US lost because they ran out of legs while the Germans had few technical opponents to face. Argentina and Russia were a walk in the park for them. The US had North Kore, Sweden, and Norway. My girlfriend is Half-German and she's out there looking for a Gerrie flag to set on fire...so, an insult is an insult and she's doing it through a line which most American's won't go far to access because she knows that Americans that speak some German will see her point while hardcorde WUSA fans that supported her in the Freedom will not.
How many German's competed in WUSA? 3? Meinert, Jones and Prinz? And Jo9nes was not in the match vs. the USA. On the other hand, all of the USWNT players were out of WUSA, except Cat Reddick. A case could be made that Germany benifitted by only having 2 players 'spoiled' by the US league. Of course, that's nonsense, just as giving the WUSA credit for 'making' the German, Swedish and Canadian teams is nonsense.
Agreed, agreed and agreed... But there is a difference between 1999 and the present. The potential to beat a team 1 out of 10 times and the potential to beat a team 5 (or more) times our of 10 are quite different. There's a pattern here worth noting. Will it be "over" for the USWNT. Well, no, it will just be more competitive. That's not doomsaying, it's reality (and, actually, not a bad reality - more competition, better games and maybe, eventually, more fans of the women's game in other countries). Perhaps some day the German players won't need desk jobs...
Hey Literary intellectuals on translations...my initial post which includes the translations in parentheses were made by my girlfriend who is half-German and educated there so...take my post including the translation as the WORD versus the babelfish translation featuring Yoda.
Another matter you have to consider is that last men's wc, the Germans had some nice things to say about the US lineup and how we've improved since our days under d*mb@ss sampson. Here...Jones is predicting the fall of the US women because American female athletes are arrogant..that's outside the pitch and it's a low blow or for the sake of gender attack...a pinch in the boobie. You guys have to see this. either way, I say we recolect our troops from Iraq and just invade Germany, and put them back in their place...this will just fuel their will for world domination.
hey TOTC, you realized that you just called yourself a "jelly donut." Berliners don't say it like you did...and if you were from Berlin, you would know that.