Is it A Blackout? Or Does No-One Care?

August 1st, 2008 | by: Melissa | Comments(4)

“I’m Hope Solo and I approve this message”

I searched the internets far and wide for articles from qualified sources that preview all the women’s teams participating in the Olympics. Instead, I found plenty of articles spitting out the same ol’ same ol’ we already know – no Abby, young team, Solo’s the #1 goalkeeper, all the stars retired and had babies, Mia was a “cutie pie with thunderous thighs” (hey, I love rhyme and alliteration as much as the next person, but was that absolutely necessary?)… Anyways, I’m empty. I’ve got nothing. And I’m no good at predictions so I’ve banned myself from even trying. Also, my knowledge of the women’s Nat teams ends at the border. Luckily, the blogosphere stepped up to fill the gap and the fine folks over at Kickster (bookmark their site or add it to your rss feed) have been slowly writing up short previews of each team participating in the Olympics. They’ve done five so far and hopefully will roll out the remaining seven before Wednesday. Here are their first five:

China:

Historically, the Steel Roses have been the undisputed leader on the Asian football scene, but they’ve endured some disappointing results recently – most notably a 3-0 loss to Japan in February’s East Asian Federation championship.

China have never won a major tournament, and have not reached a final since 1999; a win at home would mean a lot, especially after they crashed out of the quarter-finals of last year’s World Cup, and results since then have been even more disappointing. It remains to be seen whether they’ve found the stability they need under the direction of Shang Ruiha, their third new manager within a year.

Players to watch: captain and veteran defender Li Jie can always be relied upon to rise to occasions, and unexpectedly became her country’s top scorer at China 2007. 20 year old striker Ma Xiaoxu won both the Golden Shoe and Golden Ball in 2006’s U20 World Cup; she is a classy player who is going to keep getting better.

North Korea:

North Korea are making their first Olympic appearance in women’s football, but this young squad includes several members of the side that won the U20 Women’s World Cup in 2005. In their six qualifying matches, they scored 51 goals and conceded none.

In China last year, they made it to the knockout stages of the World Cup for the first time in their history, before losing their quarter-final to eventual champions Germany.

So far this team has flown under the radar, and that is the way coach Kim Kwang Min likes it. They are scrappy and energetic, and have a reputation for being quick to pick a fight on the pitch.

Player to watch: Ri Un Suk, a midfielder of great determination and one of the leaders of that 2005 U20 World Cup winning side – not to be confused with captain and star striker Ri Kum Suk.

Norway:

One of the traditional powerhouses of women’s football, Norway are no strangers to the medal podium, having won gold in Sydney 2000 and bronze in Atlanta 96. Lately, though, they’ve faltered.

They like to play a quick, passing game, and the side is packed with talented players, but they lack the muscle power of teams like Germany or the United States. They also lack a bit of experience; several key players retired last year, following their semi-final exit to Germany in the World Cup.

Norway were trounced in their Olympic warm-up matches – losing 4-0 to the US and 2-0 to Sweden – but they could prove to be one of the surprises of the tournament and I wouldn’t write them off just yet.

Player to watch: Coach Bjarne Berntsen may be building his squad around midfield playmaker Solveig Gulbrandsen, but look to Isabell Herlovsen to provide a few fireworks. The 20-year-old forward has speed, skill, and killer instinct. She scored two goals in the World Cup – where she was not expected to get a start – and looks sure to nab a few more in Beijing.

Incidentally, both Gulbrandsen and Herlovsen’s fathers also former professional footballers and Norway internationals.

Sweden:

Like Norway, Sweden was one of the first countries to actively develop women’s football as an organized sport, but surprisingly, they’ve never won an Olympic medal. In recent years, the Swedish Olympic Committee has made significant financial investments in the team, and specifically in increasing players’ physical fitness levels.

They are at the tail end of a “golden generation” – strike partnership Hanna Ljungberg and Victoria Svensson are part of the Olympic squad, but it remains to be seen if they will play more than a peripheral role – but there is also plenty of young talent coming up through the ranks, so they may find the right blend of youth and experience

Player to watch: Lotta Schelin would be the obvious choice, but Jessica Landström might be the next big thing. She received her call up to the national team in November, 2007, and almost immediately made an impression with her tenacity and tidy finishing skills.

Nigeria:

The Super Falcons are leading force in Africa, but haven’t seen much success on the world stage. They’ve qualified for every World Cup and the previous two Olympic Games, but they’ve progressed beyond the group stages only twice, in 1999 and 2004.

As a team, they are strong, fast and hugely energetic, and tend to rush headlong into games. As a result, they can be both exciting and frustrating to watch. For a while now, they’ve appeared to be on the verge of a breakthrough, but they will need to take their game up a level if they want to compete with the likes of the US, Germany and Brazil.

Incidentally, all members of the squad were required to take a pregnancy test before departing for Beijing. Former goalkeeper Ann Agumanu Chiejine competed at Sydney 2000 while pregnant, and team officials are taking no chances of such a thing happening again.

Player to watch: Cynthia Uwak is by far the most hyped player, but there’s a good reason for that. She’s a powerful, technical, and naturally gifted player who loves having the ball at her feet. Officially, she plays as a forward, but in practice she’s everywhere, attacking, defending and creating play.

A GIANT thank you to Kickster for doing this btw. Also, US Soccer rolled out a one-stop shopping site for our National team. This looks to be the spot to check and check often for scores and standings, game times, player bios, and probably other stuff I didn’t notice. And US Soccer is maintaining a chart of both the men’s and women’s games and which channel they’ll be on. Take that, Comcast.

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