USA goalkeeper Hope Solo has admitted that losing FIFA Women's Coach of the Year, Pia Sundhage, to Sweden, was a big blow to the team.
In a new interview with FIFA, the 31-year-old who picked up the Olympic gold medal with the USA women's team, said that it was initially difficult to work in a team of "individuals" but Sundhage successfully ironed out the differences and inspired the USA Women's teams to new heights.
Sweden's national coach and the 2012 FIFA World Coach Of The Year for Women's Football, Pia Sundhage, is back in her native country gearing up for this summer's Euro 2013. Sundhage praised the USA women's football culture, but did not shy away from asserting her aim to see the Swedish girls working harder at this year's tournament.
2012 was certainly an incredible year for former USA women's coach, Pia Sundhage. She won her second (consecutive) Olympic gold medal, which culminated in their win over Japan in the final (a perfect 'World Cup final revenge') and upon announcing her retirement, was granted a send-off fit for a queen.
Alex Morgan broke out of her "slump" (come on... she took a knock and other, younger starlets were getting a roll out) banging home a pair of goals to lead the United States women's national team 2-0 over Germany and the Algarve Cup title.
It was the USWNT's ninth Algarve Cup win and the first trophy under new head coach Tom Sermanni.
The Tom Sermanni era is officially in full swing, and we may have also gotten a glimpse of what could one day be the Christen Press era.
Press became just the third play to score two goals in their U.S. Women's National Team debut (joining Cindy Parlow and Sherrill Kester) to help the U.S. post a 4-1 rout against Scotland in Jacksonville on Saturday.
The U.S. Women's National Team has been placed in Group B at the annual Algarve Cup in Portugal, where it will face Iceland, China and Sweden during the tournament that will run from March 6-13.
Read more from ussoccer.com:The U.S. Women's National Team has been placed in Group B at the annual Algarve Cup in Portugal, where it will face Iceland, China and Sweden during the tournament that will run from March 6-13.
MLS has announced that the 2013 schedule will be announced on Wednesday at noon. 1,500 attend Soccer Night in Newtown. More Valdes rumors. Appearance of Ronaldo Face equals 4 years of Messi, more
U.S. WNT FORWARD ABBY WAMBACH NAMED FIFA WOMEN'S WORLD PLAYER OF THE YEAR; PIA SUNDHAGE NAMED WORLD COACH OF THE YEAR FOR WOMEN'S SOCCER Alex Morgan Voted Third in Women's World Player of the Year Voting; Wambach's Honor Marks Third Time American Woman Named World Player of the Year Following Mia Hamm's 2001 and 2002 Selections CHICAGO (Jan.
Abby Wambach moved within ten goals of tying Mia Hamm's all-time U.S. (and global) goal scoring record with her 148th goal (a hustle diving header) late in the first half. Tobin Heath added a second in the 67th minute after Alex Morgan made an incredible endline run and cut-back cross to get the ball in front of goal.
Hackworth expects a tough, physical game against DC, says to expect more support for McInerney. Mwanga scores brace. Sundhage says farewell. More news.
The US legend and ESPN analyst talks USMNT and also discusses the recent comments he made about Freddy Adu. Plus, the Union in Toronto and the future of the USWNT without Pia Sundhage.
Hackworth says he will have "very honest conversations" with some players about their options.
Carroll named to Team of the Week. Comcast to have beIN Sport available in Spanish to area
customers on Thursday, but the channel won't have Friday's USMNT WCQ live. Ronaldo still sad. More
news.
"Frustration" is the watchword in the Union locker room after Saturday's drab draw. Reaction to
announcement that USWNT coach Pia Sundhage will step down. Jurgen Klinsmann announces roster for
upcoming WC qualifiers against Jamaica. Ronaldo "feeling sadness." More news.
Neil W. Blackmon Oh, Canada! We don't need to remind you that Monday's semifinal was an absolute
classic, an all-timer of a match that transcended women's sport and cemented a spot in U.S. Soccer
and Olympic lore. We don't need to remind you of how overwhelmingly familiar the narrative was
either, this team trailing and [.
Neil W. Blackmon Oh, Canada! We don't need to remind you that Monday's semifinal was an absolute classic, an all-timer of a match that transcended women's sport and cemented a spot in U.S. Soccer and Olympic lore. We don't need to remind you of how overwhelmingly familiar the narrative was either, this team trailing and [.
Neil W. Blackmon For the first fifteen minutes of the group stages, the few questions that surrounded the USWNT's quest to defend its gold medal at the London Olympics seemed legitimate ones. Before most of the sizeable (and global) press contingent that follows the USWNT had settled into their seats at Hampden Park, the Americans [.
Neil W. Blackmon For the first fifteen minutes of the group stages, the few questions that
surrounded the USWNT's quest to defend its gold medal at the London Olympics seemed legitimate
ones. Before most of the sizeable (and global) press contingent that follows the USWNT had settled
into their seats at Hampden Park, the Americans [.
Since the first women's soccer tournament at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, the USWNT has won three
gold medals and one silver. A look back at how they got it done.
Fresh from her well-deserved Ballon d'Or win for FIFA Women's Player of the Year (umm, duh?!), USA captain Abby Wambach has spoken up about her former epic coach Pia Sundhage, who sang a Bob Dylan song after accepting her award for FIFA Best Coach on Monday.
Abby Wambach, Alex Morgan (seen above) and Hope Solo were the Futbolitas representin' at the FIFA Ballon d'Or last night. USA women's team captain Wambach also admitted that she was surprised to receive the award from her own teammate, Hope Solo, as she had expected Morgan to pick it up instead.
If you're still reeling from Lionel Messi's fashion faux pas at the Ballon d'Or last night, you're not alone! Whoever dressed the Argentinean for the awards show from leftover Christmas wrappers needs to be given his marching orders now.
It's a classic case of Brilliant footballer, but not so brilliant choice of bow-tie ("It isn't that bad, polka dots and bow-ties don't always scream "Pee Wee Herman in Da house!
Lionel Messi, seen here with the 2010 award, has won FIFA's Ballon d'Or for 2012
The 2012 FIFA Ballon d'Or ceremony has been held in Zurich with the undoubted star of the show once again being FC Barcelona and Argentina sensation Lionel Messi. He has picked up FIFA's top award for individual footballers for the third consecutive year since FIFA's World Player of the year and France Football's Ballon d'Or awards merged in 2010, and his fourth overall.
The celebration complete, here is the list of winners at the annual Ballon d'Or presentations:
FIFA Ballon d'Or: LIONEL MESSI FIFA Women's World Player of the Year Award 2012: ABBY WAMBACH FIFA Puskas Award: MIROSLAV STOCH FIFA Coach of the Year: VICENTE DEL BOSQUE FIFA Women's Coach of the Year: PIA SUNDHAGE FIFA / FIFPro World XI: Goalkeeper: Iker Casillas Defenders: Dani Alves, Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo Midfielders: Xabi Alonso, Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta Forwards: Lionel Messi, Radomel Falcao, Cristiano Ronaldo FIFA Presidential Award: FRANZ BECKENBAUER FIFA Fair Play Award: UZBEKISTAN FOOTBALL FEDERATION
The U.S. Women's National Team will end 2012 at #1 in the FIFA Women's World Rankings. As Jack Bell of the NY Times Soccer blog notes 2012 began with a string of five consecutive shutouts and could end the same way if the U.S. should blank China in the final game of the team's Fan Tribute Tour.
Sandwiched in there, if that is the correct term, was a second consecutive Olympic gold medal after the American women defeated Japan in the final at the London Games.
As part of the U.S. women's Olympic victory tour, they played a friendly against Australia in Colorado that also served as coach Pia Sundhage's last match before returning to Sweden. Though the U.S. eventually won 6-2, the score was still even at 2-2 in the 53rd minute when Alex Morgan took a shot from just outside the box that deflected off Abby Wambach's foot, floated towards the far post as the keeper dove towards the near post, took a big bounce and spun its way into the goal.
The summer games in London are right around the corner, but for the U.S. women's national team the
tournament is about more than a gold medal. It is a chance to put behind them the disappointing
loss in last year's ...
Visit http://www.majorleaguesoccertalk.com for the rest of the story.
Former US Women's coach Pia Sundhage is partial to the odd serenade, and so it was that the Swedish songbird pepped up her 'FIFA Womens' Coach of the Year Award' acceptance speech at the Ballon d'Or gala with a burst of Bob Dylan's 'If Not For You' which seemed to go down well with Sergio Ramos.
Former U.S. coach Pia Sundhage was the very deserving winner of her first FIFA Women's Coach of the Year award at the 2012 Ballon d'Or gala after leading her side to an Olympic gold medal at the London Olympics last summer. Wearing a sparkly shirt that read "Sweden in 2013" in support of her new gig as coach of her native country, Sundhage first thanked her staff and then concluded by saying, "I look at Alex [Morgan] and Abby [Wambach] and all your teammates I have only one thing to say.
We all love Pia Sundhage so when she announced that she was stepping down as the coach of the U.S. women's soccer team after the Olympics, it was tough to think who might replace her.
Now we know. Tom Sermanni, who led Australia's Matildas to the quarterfinals at the last two Women's World Cups, has been chosen as the new coach of the U.
Players happy Hackworth no longer interim manager, says he brings stability. Adu says "amazing"
Union fans are one of the best fan bases he's played in front of. US in U-20 Women's World Cup
final after defeating Nigeria in semis. USMNT news ahead of Friday's WCQ. More.
Valdes, Gomez, and Daniel receive national team call-ups. Soumare available for selection against
Montreal, will Hoppenot start? How much Perlaza and Soumare are paid. Anatomy of a goal. Reading
and Ocean City players up for season best awards. GolTV to broadcast US Open Cup final. More news.
Mucho he escrito ya de la selección sueca, siempre reafirmando que son el equipo con el mejor desempeño físico de todos. Sus jugadoras realizan un desgaste impresionante poco visto, y entre ellas, existe una jugadora todoterreno que pareciera tener más pulmones de los normales: Nilla Fischer.
Quienes ven con frecuencia al conjunto ahora liderado por Pia Sundhage, creerán que Lotta Schelin es el engranaje principal del equipo, sin embargo, Fischer es el equilibrio y contrapeso.
ZURICH, Switzerland – Virginia women's soccer head coach Steve Swanson, who led the United States to the U-20 Women's World Cup championship last month, was named to the shortlist for FIFA World Coach of the Year for Women's Football the organization announced Thursday. Swanson is one of ten coaches named to the list.
Pia Sundhage has been in charge of the U.S. WNT for nearly five years and her first camp with the Women's National Team was in Los Angeles. So it was fitting to stop in LA for Pia's last trip with the WNT. Needless to say, everywhere we went Pia was a rock star:
The team went to the Gymanstics Tour of Champions on Saturday night at the Staples Center.
