The two titans square off in Winnipeg, and Pia Sundhage, the former USA chief who now coaches Sweden, has a few choice words to say about the Americans

Other than when she competed against them in the Algarve Cup, Swedish defender Emma Berglund hadn’t watched USA play before the Women’s World Cup. In Sweden, friendlies played by the American women aren’t normally on television, so she has relied on newspapers.

“As the papers write, you can see that they are maybe not as good as they used to be,” Berglund told the Guardian, “but you can’t count them out when it’s a World Cup.”

The Americans are favorites to win the Women’s World Cup in Canada, buoyed by a first round of group games that put the Americans on top of Group D. But Sweden are favorites too, even if they don’t want to admit it after drawing Nigeria.

That’s what makes the clash between the USA and Sweden so huge. Both sides could win the World Cup, and yet both are vulnerable enough to lose. Whoever wins on Friday has a good shot at winning the group, which would offer an easier path to the final. It’s the opposite path for whoever doesn’t win.

“People didn’t name our group the Group of Death for nothing,” forward Sydney Leroux quipped. “They’re going to be good games.”

Making it personal

While the talent boasted by both rosters and the potential consequences of losing make this perhaps the most crucial game of the entire tournament’s group stage, it seems the match-up has taken a personal turn.

The Sweden coach, Pia Sundhage, was manager of the Americans in the last World Cup cycle, taking them all the way to the final, where the USA lost to Japan. The American federation wanted her to stay but she declined and is now coaching her native country’s national team in Sweden. But it seems Sundhage has mixed thoughts about her time.

Sundhage painted an unflattering picture of the Americans in an interview conspicuously timed for release by the New York Times. Abby Wambach wouldn’t be a starter under her and Hope Solo was a challenge, “especially when it comes to trouble.” Carli Lloyd’s self-image, she added, was “so, so delicate.” Lloyd, who was called out directly by Sundhage in the story, told Sports Illustrated: “I plan to respond on the field.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Sweden coach Pia Sundhage. Photograph: Fifa/Getty Images

Sundhage expanded on those comments Thursday and her tone was more positive, but her bluntness is still likely to make a seemingly media-trained American side flinch. Sundhage called Solo “a piece of work” but said that it made her good in goal, adding: “She is the best goalkeeper in the world, so why wouldn’t you try to make her happy? At the same time, having team spirit, it’s a little bit of a bumpy road.” Sundhage also said Lloyd was “a player sometimes smarter than I am,” but that also meant Lloyd didn’t follow instructions at times.

When asked about the original remarks, USA coach Jill Ellis, Sundhage’s former assistant, said she hadn’t discussed them with the team. When asked if they provided added motivation, defender Lori Chalupny, who played under Sundhage, said, “When you’re in a World Cup, there’s no extra motivation needed.”

Sundhage was unapologetic about her honesty – “If I just give you the same answers, it will be boring,” she said – but even without the media hoopla, the coach figures heavily into what makes this USA-Sweden match so intriguing. Sundhage, who coached the US for five years, left the team with a .897 win percentage – a level of dominance that the Americans have been chasing since.

There is also plenty of familiarity. Much of the USA’s World Cup squad played for her. Ellis and her assistant coach, Tony Gustavsson, were both assistants under her. If “know thy enemy” is a key for battle, both sides in Friday’s match have it covered.

“She’s going be super familiar with us and, in that way, there’s not going to be many surprises, which is why we’re going to have to be so good,” said midfielder Tobin Heath. “I think we’re not going to be able to have a first half like that first game (against Australia). We’re going to have to come out playing really good soccer in order to be successful.”

To the death

In the so-called Group Of Death, Sweden seems to have been assigned the role of spoiler. While other seeded teams ended up with easy group competition such as World Cup debutants Ivory Coast (beat 10-0 by Germany in Group B) and Ecuador (beat 6-0 by Cameroon in Group C), the Americans are stuck with Sweden.



The Swedes are the top-ranked non-seeded team in the entire tournament at No 5 in the world. Sundhage complained that the draw was unfair, and her team should’ve been seeded. Regardless, the Swedes are certainly a strong enough team.



That presents a scary scenario for the Americans. If the USA don’t top their group and come in second, that would mean they would have to face the Group E winner, likely Brazil – and they would have to fly 3,500 miles, a six-hour flight and five time zones away, to do it. Coming second in Group D could kill their path to the final.



Because beating Australia and Nigeria seem like much simpler tasks – the Americans haven’t lost to either of those two sides ever – beating Sweden is one of the key things they need to focus on for their best chance at topping the group.



Although Sweden beat the US as recently as last year, they know why the US was seeded – the US remains one of the top teams in the world. For Swedish players, it’s more about moving beyond the notion that the Americans can’t be beat.



Berglund said she thinks the Americans can win the tournament, but playing against them, especially at the annual Algarve Cup invitational, has helped her “see them as humans.” Backup goalkeeper Carola Soberg put the USA into similar perspective: “We know that we can beat them. They’re human too, so if we do what we want to do and should do, we can beat them.”

Hired guns

Tactically, Sweden may not be that different from Australia, who showed a keen ability to move the up the field through tight spaces, and a preference to use speed to counter-attack. When the Australians executed those game plans, specifically in the first half of their Group D opener against the USA, the Aussies controlled the game.



“With all these teams we’re playing in our group, there’s a lot of similarities with pace and with forwards wanting to get in behind defenses,” Ellis said. “You get some good takeaways from the first game and they actually help you because I would say Lisa De Vanna is the fastest player in the world.”



Facebook Twitter Pinterest Sweden celebrate against Nigeria. Photograph: Bruce Fedyck/USA Today Sports

That’s not to say that Australia’s De Vanna is just like Lotta Schelin. Frequently compared to her fellow Swede Zlatan Ibrahimovic for style of play, Schelin is a player with a nose for goal whether the ball is at her feet or not. Her movement off the ball is particularly impressive and in France’s top league, she is scoring more than a goal per game.



“Lotta is world class,” said Heath, who played in France’s Division 1 Féminine against Schelin. “I’ve gotten to watch her and play against her a bunch of times and her runs off the ball are super sophisticated. She gets in runs and finds spaces for herself to create chances, so we’ll have to be aware of her.”



On the American side, forward Alex Morgan still won’t called upon to start, in all likelihood. Despite looking mostly invisible and unwilling to stick to the flank on Monday, Christen Press will likely be used as a midfield winger again.



That leaves Abby Wambach, Sydney Leroux and Amy Rodriguez as forward choices. Wambach, at age 35, needs her minutes managed in a seven-game tournament on artificial turf, but Ellis didn’t hesitate when asked if Wambach could start and go 90 minutes on Friday. “Oh, for sure,” she said.



Ellis, who is big on team chemistry, may try to let Leroux and Wambach pair up again. It was a rocky start for them early, but they eventually helped the American beat Australia, 3-1.



It’s early in the tournament still as it’s only the second game for the US, but Ellis needs to start her first squad. For bragging rights and for a path to the World Cup final, this is the most important match before the knockout rounds begin.



The USA faces Sweden in Winnipeg on Friday at 7pm central time.

