<img src="http://i60.tinypic.com/k03sdl.jpg" width="364" height="323" alt="Computer Hope">
vs.
This Group D match is set for Friday, June 12, at Winnipeg Stadium. It begins at 8 p.m. Eastern and will be aired by FOX
Sweden is #5 in the latest FIFA rankings, USA No. #2 behind Germany.
This Swedish team is led by former U.S. coach Pia Sundhage.
The 55-year-old spent a
hugely successful four years in charge of this U.S Women's team, winning back-to-back Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012, coming within a penalty shootout of lifting the 2011 World Cup and losing just six of 107 games. Her farewell in 2012 before returning to coach her home nation was a very emotional one, and the U.S. has struggled to fill the void she left behind.
In the opening game with Australia the US Ladies were outplayed in midfield for long spells by a country which it had historically dominated which might rightly be considered a valid concern.
Leading the attack against Australia was again Abby Wambach, one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, but now 35 years old.
Whatever "heat" existed around this matchup and there was plenty was brought to a
MUCH higher level this week when Swedish Coach Sundhage stated in an interview with the New York Times published this week that Wambach would not be in the starting lineup if she was still in charge.
“
I said that to Abby,” she said. “
I told her: ‘If I stayed, you would be a sub. The best sub ever. But a sub.’ There was no question about that in my mind.”
Sundhage also didn’t hold back in her comments about midfielder Carli Lloyd, calling her “a challenge to coach,” or Hope Solo, describing the controversial goalkeeper as one of the most difficult players she’s ever had to coach, “especially when it comes to trouble.”
These comments raise the intensity of this matchup and will add motivation to a U.S. team that is fired up by the challenge of winning the country’s first World Cup since 1999.
When asked about Coach's comments the USA Women just laughed it off, said it didn't matter but they did so with that slight Giggle we all know. While twirling their hair in their finger and with that look that we are all familiar with. That look that comes moments before she hurls a bottle of dishwashing liquid from 20 feet away managing to smack you right in the upper head with it and manages to nail you at just the exact perfect angle to cause the little cap on top of the bottle to flip open from the impact of the bottle against your head and DISHWASHING FRIGGIN LIQUID to get right in your eyes.
causing you to wonder of the reat of your Life how the hell she made that shit, causing you to ponder upon the odds of such...degree of difficulty, causing you to dwell thereafter with stunned amazement and bewilderment.
While there were reservations about the performance, getting owned in Midfield as mentioned, troubling "
Red Flag" if you will, the 3-1 victory over Australia has put this USA Women's team in a strong position in what was immediately dubbed “the Group of Death.”
Sweden has already had the challenging nature of Group D smack them square in thier choppers. Despite leading 2-0 at halftime, Sundhage’s team was
STUNNED by a thrilling attacking performance from the group’s lowest-ranked team, Nigeria, to eventually emerge with a wholly shocking 3-3 Draw.
And now their Coach has gone a totally pissed off the #2 ranked team in the world.
There was
always gonna be
some real intrigue around the United States Women facing former manager Sundhage and her Swedish Women's team, if for no other reason than Sweden defeated the U.S. 2-1 in the 2011 World Cup but whatever "fire" existed around this matchup was TOTALLY stoked up by former Coach Sundhage's comments.
You are may feel such is unimportant, you may even be annoyed at hearing about this all to common nowadays type of thing, Coaches dissing the other team they are fixin' to square off against, but it must be addressed because it is a thing that potentially contributes to the outcome of a match.
I don't enjoy having to address such myself, prefer to develop a lean on a match based on past performances & health of squads and other less stupid factors but to not address it fully would be to ignore a potentially contributing factor to this matchup. Thats just reality....like it or not.
The crew of Fox Sports World Cup Wrap-up Show, about 5 or so premeir former Women Soccer players from various powerhouse sqauds (even a girl from Germany) and Alexi Lalas as the only Male member of the panel theorize that Sunhage has possibly motivated her own Swedish team with this controversy, saying that maybe this will motivate her own team to rise, put out a better effort than that which saw them Draw 3-3 vs. Nigeria by "collapsing" in they eyes of some and allowing Nigeria to comeback on them and gain the DRAW.
Well, to be totally accurate Alexi Lalas' input on the situation was less as fired up as the females on the panel and more like: "
Whatever. When you get on the field all you're thinking of is playing good and winning, none of these types of things are in your mind. I'll agree with whatever you girls say about it though as long as we don't have to do any more of those Shot On Goal re-creations that sees one of you drilling a Soccer ball at 80 miles an hour into my nuts."
Coach Sundhage claims some of the comments she was initially called out on were from "months ago" so Coach may not have provoked this here in this time. Which is to clarify that she didn't just come out of nowhwere and start running her mouth to start shit rather it would appear that either New york Times published an old interview they had with her or they called her in to be interviewed now to respond to the comments thus making for this story being released right now to start shit.
So this stuff is not necessarily a thing Coach did to stir stuff up, making the INITIAL comments at least, but she did use the chance at her press conference yesterday, when asked to address the comments, to respond by insulting the US Women further (
then painting the insults with praise such as "Hope Solo is the greatest Goalie in the World") so she has inarguably stoked the flames surrounding this already heated matchup and by no means did she step back from her previous comments.
This is a tough woman, and a very shrewd and very very good Coach. Whatever you think of her comments aside, it must be recognized that she is an excellent Coach, a woman who isn't afraid of The Media or to state what she believes plainly or, like so many others, fumble about making lame excuses about what she said. She owns it and if the panel of Fox's WC show are right and she is employing this controversy to motivate her team? And this strategy works? She might just be called a "brilliant Coach". If she's not already...called that.
Enough with that though. Down to more "brass tacks" Sweden have gotten the better of the United States in recent meetings. The expectation might be on the USA to win this game but they were beaten in the Group by Sweden at the last World Cup and also failed to win the two friendlies against them that followed, DRAWING and Sweden beating them in those matches.
The Nigerian Women's Team surprised Sweden to open this tournament DRAWING with the Swedish Women 3-3. Nigeria played a good and aggressive game, surprising many. Some say the outcome was largely due to Swedish Incompetence, I feel the 3-3 outcome was less a result of Swedish lacklusterness than it was good aggressive play, hunger, belief in themselves, good teamwork and good execution by the Nigerian squad.
Sweden lost a 2-0 lead and then a 3-2 lead against Nigeria in that first game and had to settle for the disappointing 3-3 draw in the 'Group of Death' where thats not good at all....if a squad wants to advance and not get sent home.
USA got a vital 3-1 win over Australia in the first game of the Group which gives them a strong chance to progress to the Last 16.
You would have to think a team will need
at least four points to progress to the Second Round which means the failure to beat Nigeria could be a result that haunts Sweden.
The argument will be that they have yet to play the 'easiest' team in the Group but if they play the first part of this match in a way that shows they are thinking that way and
NOT looking for the three points in this game (which would virtually assure them a place in the Second Round) look for Coach Sundhage to completely lose her mind, enter onto the pitch in a frenzied manner and attempt to beat her team mercilesly with a stick. Or whatever object she can find.
a few Key points:
Sweden have only won 1 of their last 5 games in all competitions and the goals conceded to Nigeria are a concern when facing an impressive American attack possibly motivated by Coach running her mouth.
The United States are in good form have winning 8 of their last 10 games thus are they a big favourite to win the game, but the head to head results between these 2 squads since Coach Sundhage moved to manage Sweden suggests the most probable outcome to be a close hard fought game.
If you factor "the revenge angle" into your capping as some of us pay attention to in NFL (
to varying degrees of success lol) Sweden defeated the U.S. 2-1 in the 2011 World Cup. This will motivate the US Ladies to do everything within their power to get the W here which would and lock up advancement into the next round MUCH much more than some insults from their former Coach.
Based on World rankings of teams In the 'Group of Death', past matchups of squads and Health of key players every game looks like it has potential to be very close (thus is it called "Group Of Death"...evidence suggesting this to be the hardest and most competetive of all the Groups) and this game has the makings of one that will be a very tough battle all the way.
Sweden have had the better of the games against the United States recently with 2 wins and a draw from the last three games and that includes a win at the last World Cup in the Group Stage. They can NOT afford to lose this game. Period. DRAW might suit them, even if the United States are a lot more comfortable with that result, being atop the Group at present compared to Sweden's position but DRAW would see the Swedish Women likely placing their fate in the hands of other squads you know......so and so has to tie or lose, so and so has to lose....for us to get through....that sort of aggravating crap we have to here Week 17 of NFL every year.
This Swedish Team has no other option than to play as hard and as well as they can to get the WIN here or Coach Sundhage will completely lose her mind making life very very difficult for these beautiful Swedish Girls.
When the rubber hits the road we find ourselves in a spot where recent results between these squads, urgency of Swedish Women's need to not lose here and Player Matchups leave just one conclusion.
This has all the hallmarks of a game that could be decided by the narrowest of margins if there is indeed a winner, so backing Sweden at +2 is, in my humble opinion, the best value play if you can get it 1.5 if you must or if you prefer to be more aggressive.
Yes....this may very well not work out as result of Coach Sundhage verbal assault on our own gorgeous girls. Could, conceivably at least, cause them to produce a game that tempts to go down in history as a great performance and a Legendary
RESPONSE and unfortunately this X-factor of Sunghage's comments forces me to advise caution and not make this a LARGE play....because of this "X-Factor" but based solely upon talent level, recent matchups and all else mentioned. Sweden +2 or 1.5 if you prefer is the play.
Forecasted result:
United States Women 2
Swedish Women 1
See ya Pia.
