With her side competing in the SheBelieves Cup, Sundhage returns to familiar territory nearly one decade after a successful stint with U. Soccer from to Now, she is at the helm of a familiar foe. In , Brazil tasked Sundhage with remaking the Canarinhas into a serious world title contender. The team finished second in the Olympics, but since that silver medal, Brazil has not finished in the top three of a World Cup or Olympics.
Brazil has been stagnant for several years in major world tournaments. One of its biggest problems has been finding a new generation of soccer players. How do we identify them? Very difficult — and fun! The USA team has a lot of talented players and a good mix of young and experienced women.
The training camps give the coaching staff a chance to see who plays well with who. Football is much about relationships, bringing out the best performances in each other and make your team mate look good. We are doing what everybody tries to do; selecting the best TEAM, not the best 18 players. What are your thoughts on the group and your opening fixture against France? It is fantastic to play against three very different playing styles.
That means three different preparations and that is challenging and fun. France is a strong team and we have time to prepare for that game with training and by doing scouting. A technical Columbia will demand compact defending and our speed of play could be very successful. Now we will have a chance to see them twice before we play them.
How do we identify them? The other thing when it comes to the national team, I really like that they play with so much emotion. But when the emotion is not that strong, you need a team to lean on. Football is emotion. I bump into warm people. Everybody loves football, which is nice for me. Sundhage insisted the USA's all-time leading scorer would be relegated to the bench if she was still coaching the team and said she had even told Wambach so. Beating Australia was a huge boost for the Americans, but with two games remaining in Group D, the top spot is by no means assured.
Four years ago, the USA lost to Sweden in its third group match and was pushed into a tough part of the knockout bracket, where it had to overcome Brazil before reaching the final. This time a second-place spot in the group likely would mean Brazil again, this time in the eastern outpost of Moncton, a six-hour flight and two time zones away from Winnipeg. The USA will be a favorite Friday, but Sweden, which also collected a win when the sides met in last year's Algarve Cup, a prestigious women's tournament held annually in Portugal, is highly confident.
According to midfielder Emma Berglund, Sweden's players have no sense of a "fear factor" when facing the Americans.
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