Swedish coach sings U.S. women's soccer back into contention

By Clay Latimer, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published August 4, 2008 at 6:29 p.m.

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Armando Franca © AP

Pia Sundhage, center, head coach of the U.S. women's soccer team, says of her team: "(Sometimes) I have to wake 'em up, I have to shake 'em up a little bit. . . . I wake 'em up with a song."

Pia Sundhage was stuck.

In her first speech to the demoralized U.S. women's soccer team last fall, the 48-year-old Swede hoped to set a fresh tone for the 2008 Olympics, but healing words escaped her.

Should she mention the loss to Brazil in the semifinals of the 2007 World Cup and the ouster of coach Greg Ryan? The Hope Solo controversy? Or just wing it?

"I wanted to say something that would remind them of this moment, but I couldn't find the English words. It was just impossible," Sundhage said.

"In the back of my head, I was hearing the song by Bob Dylan. So I sang, 'The times they are a-changin'.' The players looked at me like, 'What's going on?' And then they started to laugh and cheer."

In the eight months since she channeled the brooding bard, Sundhage has changed hearts and minds, revamping the midfield, unveiling a new zone defense, diversifying the attack and introducing a possession-oriented offense that took some of the pressure off Abby Wambach to produce goals.

She added seven newcomers to the final roster and repeatedly emphasized passion and teamwork during a grueling Olympic tuneup that covered more than 40,000 miles and seven countries.

Although Wambach broke her leg in the team's last pre-Olympic exhibition, many believe Sundhage's sweeping changes will produce another gold medal for the Americans, who open against Norway on Wednesday (5:30 a.m. MDT, MSNBC).

"We needed to change our game, we needed new ideas," defender Kate Markgraf said. "And Pia was perfect for us."

Familiar with U.S. game

Sundhage hardly was a stranger to the American game, having coached the Boston Breakers in the WUSA and scouted for the U.S. during the 2004 Athens Games.

As the face of women's soccer in Sweden for more than two decades - she was so popular, she appeared on a national postage stamp - she was well versed in the American tradition.

But American dominance no longer is a given, especially with Germany, Brazil and China in the mix.

"It's getting harder and harder to get that medal. Back in 1991, we had four countries that could win the World Cup - the U.S., Norway, Sweden and Germany," Sundhage said. "Today, we have 12 countries going to the Olympics, and 10 could win. It's much together at the top."

Yet nostalgia for the old days - when Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain and their celebrated teammates dominated the world and revolutionized American sports - hangs over the current team, creating lofty expectations.

Winners of the inaugural Women's World Cup in China in 1991 and the 1996 Atlanta Games, Hamm and her teammates reached a rare plateau in 1999, galvanizing the nation during a wild World Cup on home soil.

In Chicago, a teenage girl chased the team's motorcade on foot; in East Rutherford, N.J., Kristine Lilly fans filled an entire section of Giants Stadium; in Pasadena, Calif., more than 90,000 fans saw the Americans' shootout victory against China in the title game, while another 40 million Americans watched on TV.

A generation of girls grew up with Hamm jerseys and Chastain posters.

Although the U.S. lost the gold-medal game to Norway at the 2000 Olympics and fell to Germany in the semifinals of the 2003 World Cup, Hamm and Co. rebounded for Olympic gold in 2004 in the last hurrah.

Success slowed change

But amid all the success, it was difficult to introduce overdue changes, a dilemma that led to the messy meltdown at the 2007 World Cup.

Before a 4-0 semifinal loss to Brazil, Ryan benched goalkeeper Solo in favor of veteran Brianna Scurry, even though Solo had recorded three consecutive shutouts and Scurry was on the downside of a long career.

"It was the wrong decision," a bitter Solo said afterward. "The fact of the matter is, it's not 2004 anymore. It's 2007, and you have to live in the present. You can't live by the big names. Now is what matters."

Infuriated that Solo had gone public with her feelings, teammates voted to send her home before the third-place match.

But the problems against Brazil hardly ended there. A bland, predictable attack and defensive breakdowns contributed to a sense of malaise.

Sundhage, with a gift for communication and inspiring passion, was summoned to heal the wounds.

"For me, personally, I learned the fact that's what allowed this team to be successful in the past is not necessarily talent but teamwork," Wambach said. "It's not only the talented team, but the team that's willing to fight for each other and with each other."

Unbeaten in 2008

The tactical changes also have produced impressive results, including a 21-0-1 record (the tie was won in a shootout).

The Americans beat China in January to win the Four Nations Tournament, beat Denmark for the Algarve Cup in March and outlasted Canada on penalty kicks in the final of the CONCACAF women's Olympic qualifying tournament in April.

In the Algarve Cup, the Americans scored a tournament record 12 goals in four games, beating China 4-0, Italy 2-0, Norway 4-0 and Denmark 2-1 in the final.

"This is a beautiful team with so much talent . . . (but) I need their hearts. I need their passion in order to make this happen," Sundhage said.

She already has their ears.

After earning an Olympic berth in the qualifying tournament in Juarez, Mexico, the team went for dinner at a local steakhouse, where Sundhage brought down the house with a lively rendition of Chuck Berry's Johnny B. Goode.

"I have to wake 'em up, I have to shake 'em up a little bit," Sundhage said. "It's always soccer, soccer, soccer. Sometimes, you need to sit down and remember where you are. I wake 'em up with a song."

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