Pre-Olympics mini-tournament warm-up offers fun and apparently plenty of chances to abuse hyphens. For starters, there's the official group picture for Team Sweden. When I first saw this I though they had mistakenly used a picture from the archives, from the mid-80s or so. The colors are washed out and so it's hard to recognize anyone, and I don't like these jerseys. Then of course there's the blog for the USWNT, which promises to be a further source of amusement. Read here about what they did on their day off in Göteborg ('some of these bridges are 100 years old!'); read here about how popular Sundhage is in those parts, and about the Jitex-Vittsjö game, which the author implies was made much more interesting to Team USA because of the Americans playing in it. Hope Solo is revisiting her old stomping grounds, of course, and gives this kind of odd interview about it. I'm not convinced that her oft-repeated 'personal growth' was really influenced so much by being in Sweden, as much as it was be her being out on her own for the first time. A Swedish blog notes that the USWNT has been playing blondes versus brunettes; there's also a post with pictures of the USWNT at the Algarve (and explanation in English). Play starts tomorrow 16 June with Sweden-US at 16.00, broadcast by TV4-Sport, then US-Japan on Monday 18 June, then Sweden-Japan on 20 June.
Why is Sweden hosting this round of glorified Olympic warm up games, if they can't even be bothered to turn up and play . The U.S. girls seem to have spent more time in Sweden preparing for these massively important games , than their Scandinavian hosts who actually live and play there . I mean sh*t, Sweden even allowed Tobin Heath to score, and from a header too . Defend like that at the Olympics, and they may just...... oh wait, you have to be pretty sh*t not to escape the Olympic's sporting version of eternal life , so what is this tournament being used for again? Entertaining the fans with another pre Olympic showcase of world cla....hmmmm, well the fans saw Schelin score, and Wambach didn't take herself, or anybody else, out of tournament contention , so....
Having now managed to see the game, I have to wonder that myself. Team Sweden looked like they were going at about 75% or so. The usual excuses come to mind — no one wants to get hurt now (as if they ever do), and most players are after all right in the midst of their domestic season, so they are probably not as sprightly as they might be with more rest (I hope). I can't say that Team USA looked like they were going all out, either. Here's the official match report at svenskfotboll.se, a report from damfotboll.com ('Always look out for Wambach!' is the title), and here's more pics taken during the game (in which Wambach's new 'do may be scrutinized. what do we call that look, the 'frat boy'? and speaking of that, has today's Lepelibet has simply acquired last-year Rapinoe's hair?).
To be changed, according to the timing, to - ... have after all just finished their domestic season, so they are probably a little tired - ... have after all just come back from a long break, so they are probably not yet at the height of their form Whereas the opponents - ... are after all right in the midst of their domestic season, so they are at the height of their form - ... have after all just finished their domestic season, so they are still in competition mode - ... have after all just come back from a long break, so they are all fresh and motivated (This is, of course, not just the case for Sweden.)
Hahaha! Yes indeed. Oh, but you forgot one important excuse for the superiority of the opponents, the 'They play together all the time' excuse. I'm a little sensitive to that one right at the moment, having spent some time yesterday listening to a Dutch fellow explain his men's team's performance in the Euros this way: "But the German team is basically all from Bayern, so what do you expect?" And of course the Americans don't exactly have a domestic season, although surely being in eternal national team camp counts for something... Should Team USA do badly in the Olympics, maybe someone will say that clearly they were all sick to death of each other, and they lost on purpose just so they could go home and get away from Those People...
Well it seems the U.S. finally remembered the missing ingredient to beating Japan. Now they just have to hope all their major opponents can turn up hours/days before the Olympic games, and sit back and wait for the errors/goals to flow . I didn't even bother to watch this game, and from the little info I have read, it already sounds like Japan were worse than Sweden . When will good national teams ever learn....., if you continue to run a decent domestic league, your never going to find the time to prepare correctly for the important international dates. Do the U.S. girls win a Volvo now, or get to take something home related to Sweden besides Sundhage?
My vote goes to surströmming! And while I'm here: 1pm on an ordinary Monday? Really? For an international? They definitely weren't aiming for much of a crowd. Maybe that's the closest best thing to caving into US demands for closed-door events?
Ha, they didn't know about all those fans from the Nadeshiko thread clandestinely following their illegal live stream. (Not that it worked for me. )
When did we acquire emoticons to indicate 'scuba diver'? Is this some kind of homage to Nadine Angerer?
Funny that your mind took you down the road of seeing a little face wearing a scuba diving mask, as my mind went to a slightly darker path of balaclava...... Maybe it's an unconscious thing.....all those woolly hats Angerer wears......
Team Sweden apparently took the time to do some kayaking after the game against the US (or at least two unused defensive subs did). They're disappointed to have lost to the US on such a simple goal. Which, those of us who are both prone to over-analysis and inclined to distrust her anyway, might take as a hint very back-handed fling against goalkeeper Lindahl. "[The first goal was a] classic Lindahl mistake," as someone wrote in the comments section at damfotboll. Just now, when one goes to svenskfotboll.se, one gets a pop-up ad for tomorrow's friendly match against Japan, instead of for tonight's match in the men's Euro, of Sweden versus France.
Not sure why your coach likes Lindahl so much... Also, I think the entire team kayaked. I know I've seen pictures of and Seger and Fischer kaking and there's Lotta too.
Lotta? Lotta? And what about the other? Who is she, the cat's mother?? (I have no idea why my parents thought that was such a useful phrase.)
I dunno if Thunis has kittens often. It would seem to be troublesome to have so on the field... Returning to Lotta, she also had time to go out:
I just realised tomorrow's match is at 9am. I really have to check attendance figures for these games.
Attendance figures? With the kick off time being 9am, I think both teams are making a clear signal that this game is a definite behind closed doors friendly, and everybody expecting a decent contest have now been saved from viewing the mediocrity which will be on show instead . Did any type of Volvo related prize get handed out in the end?
I was apparently havering yesterday. I SWEAR I saw a 9am broadcast... but the TV schedule now says 19.15. There's still time to catch another action-packed, top-flight match, in other words.
I'm sure it'll be 9am in someone's time zone. You knew it was tonight in ours though. You were joking about me not being able to watch a Japan match at that particular time. (But thanks for the reminder. I may yet get to catch the last half hour or so. If I can get the stream to work this time...)
Sundhage was seen accepting a large sorta crystalline-looking trophy, about a meter long? Maybe less. I suspect it was made of plastic, the way she carelessly toting with one hand. It's a normal cup-looking thing with a football on top. The old-fashioned kind of football, with the panel design that one rarely sees on the field these days. Anyway I thought Volvo was out of business. Hey, whose letter jacket it is that??
Volvo Cars is in bussiness, but fully owned by the Chinese Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (this Volvo was earlier owned by Ford) AB Volvo is a Swedish company in the bussiness of making trucks, busses, boats etc (but mainly trucks).
Did Jessica Landström start the 2nd match? Or if she didn't how many mintues did she get? Is Josefine Öqvist no longer apart of the National team?
Haha, no, she came in with 5 minutes left. At the bottom of this match report is a bare-bones list of events in the game, where you can at least check the subs and timing of events. As for Öqvist, last I knew, she is now in the final stages of an acute parasitic infection, which if nature takes its usual course, ought to be resolved in a month or so.