Damallsvenskan Newsblog

The news that the second coming of the professional women's league in the USA might be next year (see Women's Soccer Initiative's press release at http://wsii.typepad.com/wsii/2007/02/wusa_relaunch_s.html), has been met by both hopefull and worried comments. A poll made by the major newspaper Svenska Dagbladet during the Algarve Cup suggested that half the national team squad could be tempted to go west.
Göteborg's star player Lotta Schelin doesn't complain over her present situation, but is tempted by the prospect of living in another country and playing in a professional team, where all players can show up for a training session in the middle of the day. "The money isn't that important".
Sweden goalkeeper Caroline Jönsson is a bit more uncertain and doesn't think USA will offer the ideal preparations for the Olympic games next year: "The season will be too short. And we don't know anything about coaches, other players or stadiums yet." She also hopes that the Swedish FA follows this closely. "Right now, Damallsvenskan is the best league in the world and this is where you've got the best conditions for development. The FA might have to make a different committment to be able to compete with an American league."
Pia Sundhage, who was active as a coach in WUSA 2001-2003, welcomes a return but doesn't want to make a clear-cut recommendation for Swedish players to join the league. "There is a lot to consider. I'm sure they will develop the months the league is in play, but what about the rest of the year?" Still, she just like Caroline Jönsson, urges the Swedish clubs and Football Association to prepare themselves. More clubs must reach the same level as Umeå.
Djurgården's newly signed German Ariane Hingst is not interested: "I'll rather play in Sweden. I'm not sure that many players will go over there. If they pay really good wages, the top players might go."
Susanne Erlandsson, vice chairman of the Swedish FA, isn't that worried: "I don't see any mass exodus coming, since they hardly can pay the same wages as they did the last time". The FA's chairman, Lars-Åke Lagrell, thinks a new professional USA league will be positive both for the women's game and for individual players even if it could effect the Swedish league. "We've had some really good players from there playing here, now it might happen that some of our players chose to play in USA."
Svenska Dagbladet: Halva fotbollslandslaget lockas av proffslivet i USA, Pia Sundhage bekymrad
Upsala Nya Tidning: USA-liga utmanar allsvenskan
SVT: USA får damliga i fotboll - igen

The club with the SEK 24 million name, LDB FC Malmö, has decided to keep their provisional white kits as their permanent match jerseys. And the away kit will be a pink/black combo, that the players themselves had as first choice.
Sydsvenskan: LDB FC Malmö fortsätter i helvitt

Djurgården's Victoria Svensson will take up a position as football instructor at the academy her club runs in cooperation with a inner city Stockholm school. And the same school employs recently retired Djurgården player Linda Fagerström as a teacher.
Djurgården: Vickan och Fager radarpar igen

Kif Örebro are still looking for a new head coach and sport director Annika Grälls says they are studying 10 different names. She confirmes that one of them is former Umeå head coach Richard Holmlund, who took Umeå to three Swedish championships, won the Swedish Cup and the UEFA Women's Cup. But Grälls reiterates the club's position: they are in no hurry and will do a thorough investigation before making a decision. Holmlund on the other hand doesn't sound like he would be impossible to persuade.
Damfotboll.com: Mästartränare en av tio efter Pia
Nerikes Allehanda: Guldtränaren: "KIF har sonderat terrängen" (video)

When Linköping hosts Umeå later tonight, it's two coaches under pressure that meet. Linköping's Daniel Pettersson needs to change his team's path and Umeå's André Jeglertz will have a hard time keeping his mind off Sunday's match against Arsenal.
Linköping FC is young Daniel Pettersson's first big assignment as a coach and it couldn't have started worse. Two key players suffered long-time injuries before the season even got on track and his team started with defeats against Göteborg and Falköping. One more defeat and all possible championship aspirations will be gone. "I'm not sleeping well at nights", he admits and adds that he is more worried abiout how bad the team has been playing than that they've lost their first two matches. "We might have been looking as championship candidates, but that was before we were hit by [Hedvig Lindahl's and Anna-Kaisa Rantanen's] injuries. We still want to be among the top teams, but our start has made it harder."
Umeå's André Jeglertz is, with a few days between him and last weekend's Arsenal match, rather satisfied with the team's performance. "We dominated for 65 minutes and the players did everything we could expect from them, except scoring goals" he writes at Umeå's website. "If we can repeat our performance, I think the result will go our way".
At the same time he says that the match against Linköping will be hard - they've lost two games and will not give away a third one lightly. Umeå has had problems against Linköping lately - "They play a bit like Arsenal and are just as good!" - but he is convinced that Umeå will win if they give their all.
Corren: Tränaren lider och förändrar i laget
Umeå IK: Tankar efter Arsenal samt inför Linköping

When Umeå IK in a few hours enters the field for the first leg of the UEFA Women's Cup final, it is a much different team from the one that qualified. With five starters (all of them national team players) from the extremely successful 2006 squad missing, the team is not unaffected.

As usual, Umeå looked far and wide in their search for new players. But in spite of losing a lot of playing power in the defense and midfield, the club only managed to find new attackers. They signed Asia's best young player Ma Xiaoxu (here greeted by a large part of Umeå's Chinese community ) and Swiss sought-after prodigy Ramona Bachman, but so far 21 year old Damallsvenskan veteran Madeleine Edlund from neighbouring Sunnanå looks like the best contribution, scoring 8 goals in 9 matches, including the preseason friendlies.

Umeå's failure to find replacements for midfielders Moström and Mäkinen has left them with a very top-heavy player roster; only 5 defenders but 8 forwards, This has forced the club to change their traditional tactics. The old 4-3-3 has been replaced by 4-4-2 to reinforce the midfield, with Lise Klaveness and Marta (both tagged as forwards in Umeå's squad list) taking the creative responsibility in the midfield, while Karolina Westberg, who looks like she's back in her 2003 form after a rough start in Umeå, will run the defense and is also the new team captain.

The preseason has also showed that the team hasn't managed yet to reach last year's level. One defeat, two draws and three wins isn't a record Umeå is used to or satisfied with. The week-long training camp in Turkey, that should get the team ready for the domestic season, gave a 2-1 loss to Russia's national team and a hard-fought 3-3 draw against Russian club champions Rossiyanka. Coach Jeglertz has not been satisfied. The team has often opened their matches slow and struggling and several players hasn't done what could be expected from them. Jeglertz has repeatedly critisised the Chinese star Ma Xiaoxu: She's a big star in China and stars are pampered there, he comments. As a star she is used to just wait for the ball, but here everyone has to work, take a run and create the space for another player.

The abundance of foreign players in Umeå has created an additional problem. When Umeå decided to sign Ramona Bachman from Switzerland, they assumed she would be considered a EU player, since Swiss citizens are treated as EU equals in almost all other aspect of life. But the Swedish FA was very definite in their resolution; Umeå has 4 foreign players on their roster (Marta, Elaine, Ma, Bachman) and only three of these can be on the match squad for a Damallsvenskan game. But today it is UEFA rules that apply, and all four can show up on the squad that will be announced within short.

Hanna Ljungberg will in a few weeks go into the health care business. Together with Umeå IK's physician Anders Eriksson and physiotherapist Gunilla Stenmark she opens a health clinic, aiming to be a complement to the public health service with e.g. rehabilitation programmes. Hanna, who still aims to finish her physiotherapist studies some time, will obviously not take any big part in the activity in new company for quite some time yet, but she has, as she puts it, got quite a bit of experience in rehabilitation the last years.
Expressen: Hannas nya liv

KIF Örebro is working hard on findning a new head coach to replace the escaped Pia Sundhage and have compiled a short-list of candidates. Club chairman Gerd Engman says they need to find a solution within short, but that they want to do a thorough review before making any decisions. She does however reveal that it probably will be a short time solution.
Nerikes Allehanda: Svårt för KIF Örebro att hitta tränare

Nigerian national team players Faith Ikidi and Maureen Mmadu has arrived in Linköping. They have trial contracts with Linköping FC for the rest of April. If it works out to the satisfaction of those involved, the contracts will be extended until the beginning of the Women's World Cup this fall.
Corren: Nigerianskor provspelar i Linköping

Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC will start their own weekly TV-show on the local network Kanal Lokal. "Getting our own TV show will make it possible for us to reach new audiences and increase the interest in the club", comments Göteborg's Roger Larsson.
Göteborgsposten: Se Schelin i tv - varje vecka

The extra general assembly meeting of Malmö FF Dam unanimously agreed on a deal with their new sponsor, the cosmetics and skin-care company Hardford. The 5 + 3 years deal gives the financially strained club SEK 3 millions a year in exchange for their club name and a logo on the players jerseys. The new name is LdB FC Malmö, LdB being Hardford's most well known brand name, used for skin-care products. Hardford's owner, Kent Widding Persson, was also elected in the board of the club. He has previously been a member of the board of Malmö's ice-hockey club Malmö Redhawks.

Malmö FF Dam was on the brink of bankrupcy only weeks ago and without the new sponsor money it would have been unlikely that they would survive this year's FA audit. Several of the players addressed the meeting in pre-recorded video statements. While maybe not enthusiastic for the name change, they stressed that they want the club to suirvive. Club colours and new kit remains to be decided, but LdB is yellow. Something that is a cause for concern with some: the light blue Malmö FF's mortal enemy has always been the yellow IFK Malmö...

The reaction in Malmö to the name change is so far disappointment - Malmö FF is big in Malmö - but Jessica Wiberg, former fan club chairman, said in a TV interview before the decision became public, that as long as the new name isn't outright ridiculous, she can live with it. There is also some relief in the Malmö board. Chairman Ingrid Gunnarsson says that the name change is long overdue, they have felt small and unwanted by the bigger club.
Sydsvenskan: MFF dam byter namn till LDB FC Malmö
Svt: MFF-damer får 24 miljoner för namnbyte (video)

Malmö FF plans to change the club's name. They have summoned an extra general assembly meeting for April 11 with just one item on the agenda: new club name. The chairman and the board are very secretive and don't want to comment on what the proposed new name is or whether this has any connection with a rumoured new big sponsor or not.

Malmö's players were taken by surprise by the news. "We know absolutely nothing. I don't know what to say", said veteran goalkeeper Caroline Jönsson. Most of the players had a hard time understanding that they might not be MFF players for much longer "That is what I am. Anything else would just feel weird." And longtimer and fan favourite Jenny Engwall, who dropped in to say good-bye to her friends before moving to Göteborg, realized the irony in leaving just before the club might niot be Malmö FF anymore: "This better be really good, both the new name and the sponsor. Otherwise I am convinced it will hurt the club."

Just a few days later the man who secured Asthildur Helgadottir to Malmö FF had a press conference. The man is Percy Nilsson, major estate developer and the man behind Malmö's ice-hockey team Malmö Redhawks. He is building a big multipurpose indoor arena in Malmö, mainly to accomodate his hockey team and has employed Asta, a building engineer by education, to work on the project. Asta is happy: "This is what I've studied and this is what I want to do". Percy confessed that he had some problems convincing his staff, "the guys" as he called them, of the sensible in hiring an engineer that would be spend a lot of time away playing football, but refused, just as the club's chairwoman Ingrid Gunnarsson, to answer any questions that wasn't about Asta.

Percy Nilsson is a local tycoon, known for putting huge sums of money into his hockey team. After the unveiling of him as Asta's sponsor, most people suspect he is also at least a substantial part in the new big sponsor. The parallell to Linköping, where Linköping FC cooperates closely with the hockey-club Linköping HC makes him even more likely as the man who will give the club huge lump of money and change their name.

Local newspaper columnist Anja Gatu writes that Percy Nilsson definitely knows how to work the media. He gets great positive publicity to himself and his arena project with the presentation of Asthildur Helgadottir. Whether going in sponsoring Malmö FF and changing their name will benefit him and the club is another story. Malmö FF is a huge brand name and I as well as columnist Gatu asks Malmö FF's men, unlike AIK, doesn't make a big mistake when they appearently are missing out on the opportunity to have top teams both for the men and the women.

Sydsvenskan: MFF Dam byter namn på extra årsmöte, Madsen köper inte tillbaka MFF Dam, Chockade MFF-damer visste ingenting, Percy hjälper MFF Dam - anställer Asta, Handingskraftig Percy stjäl sina egna rubriker

When former Sweden national team coach Marika Domanski Lyfors has signed her contract as head coach for Chinas national team (I'm sure you have followed this elsewhere, if not check out fifa.com), her first call was to Kif Örebro coach Pia Sundhage. Sundhage, who has had an exception in her contract with Kif Örebro, making it possible for her to leave without notice if she would get an international job offer, was "excited, elated and expectant" and didn't have to think twice before accepting the position as assistanmt coach for China's national team.

Both Domanski and Sundhage has signed 18 month contracts, going over the Olympic games in Beijing next year. Domanski's decision wasn't popular with her employer, the Swedish football association, where she was responsible for the U21/U23 teams and player development. She also should have had an important role to play in the Swedish national teams preparations for the World Cup this fall. But the Swedish FA president Lars-Åke Lagrell commented, just before Domanski made her decision, that "We don't want her to leave, but we will not put up any obstacles if she decides to go".

Sundhage will leave Kif Örebro without a head coach just weeks before the Damallsvenskan season starts, and also take one of her coaches with her, Helena Andersson who is responsible for the team's fitness training. "It's a big loss", the club comments. "Nobody can replace Pia. But we are happy that she has stayed with us as long as she did. We've always been prepared that she could leave for an international job. We just thought that she would go to USA". Kif Örebro's newly elected chairwoman Gerd Engman confessed that her first thought was "Damn! I could have got a better start". The clubs general manager Thomas Rasmusson says that they will look for a new head coach, but will not hurry things. For the while being the remnants of the coaching team will carry on.

Kif Örebro's team captain Stina Segerström says that this will not effect the team. "This team has high ambitions and we will work it out."

Expressen: Blandade känslor när Domanski Lyfors lämnar
Dagens Nyheter: Stolt Domanski Lyfors tar över Kina
Svt: Domanski Lyfors klar för Kina , Sundhage blir Domanskis assisterande
Aftonbladet: Sundhage assisterar i Kina
Nerikes Allehanda: Sundhage lämnar KIF - assisterar i Kina, Stina tänker inte lägga energi på Pias KIF-avhopp, KIF Örebro fortfarande utan tränare
Svt: Kif Örebro utan tränare två veckor före premiären (video)

AIK's Nazanin Vaseghpanah, the team's top scorer in the 1st division last year, has been ordered to rest by her doctors following an overstrained groin muscle. The verdict in 2-3 months rest and rehab before she can join the team.
Damfotboll.com: Norrettans skyttedrottning borta flera månader

Linköping's and Finland's 29 year old midfielder Anna-Kaisa Rantanen suffered knee ligament tear in a training match against Örebro. Operation and a possibly 6 month long rehab period will follow, which oputs her out of play for almost the entire season.
Corren: Rantanen borta hela säsongen
Linköping FC: Anna-Kaisa om skadan

Bälinge's keeper Maja Åström suffered a severe foot injury during training a few days ago. Nothing broken, but ligaments, cartilage and sinews are all damaged. Six weeks in a cast will follow and it will probably take more than two montrhs before she can play again. Åström is a key player for Bälinge and when she was injured the last three matches last year, the team conceded 14 goals compared to the 27 in the 19 matches with Åström in goal.
The club is looking for a replacement, but they need to find a player that is not registred for a club, which points in direction to USA. USA's Jennifer Branam has played for Bälinge and could have been an alternative, but is presently undergoing treatment for cancer.
Upsala Nya Tidning: Bälinges chockbesked - Maja Åström skadad, Åströms tillstånd värre än befarat, video interview with coach Söderlund

Tabloid Expressen got hold of Umeå's Ma Xiaoxu just before her arrival in Sweden tomorrow, Monday. She tells the papaer that she got informed about Umeå's interest in late January and wasn't unfamiliar with the name. She knew Umeå is Sweden's leading women's football club and that Marta and Hanna Ljungberg plays there. It is a big step to move to Sweden, but she thinks her young age is an advantage: "When you'tre young you adapt more quickly. It is also easier to learn a new language." She will miss her friends in China, but makes the move to develop as a player. And so far she has not considered a possible extension of her stay in Sweden. "I will think about that in six months".
Expressen: Ma - den största sedan Marta

Göteborgsposten has, as far as I know, the only media representative in Algarve apart from the news agancy TT. And when you're there, you've got to do more stories than just match reports. Player interviews:

Kopparbergs/Göteborg fullback Marlene Sjöberg works as a trainee at Volvo and has spent the time from the end of the Damallsvenskan season last year until a couple of weeks ago interning at Volvo affiliates in North America and Australia. "I could run and work out, but I didn't play football at all during my stay abroad", she explains and she was surprised when Thomas dennerby called her just two days after her return to Sweden. So far she has been brought in for the last 20 minutes or so in the Algarve Cup matches, but Dennerby still seems impressed: "She has been looking very alert". In spite of club and national team assignments, Sjöberg still plans to work full-time the spring and summer. But she hopes to get the opportunity to request a leave of absence for the World Cup.
Göteborgsposten: Sjöberg siktar stenhårt på VM

Therese Sjögran, Malmö FF midfielder, is probably as close to a successor to Malin Moström as we will get. "Of course it is fun, and I feel some expectations", she comments the fact that Thomas Dennerby mentioned her name first when Moström announced her retirement. The 29 year old has played for the national team in 10 years and has over 100 caps, but she still hasn't really settled. "It's been up and down over the years, but it feels great now. I get more responsibility now and I like that." But she doesn't really replace Moström "My role is more of a playmaker, Malin was much more attacking". Thomas Dennerby has no problems pointing to Sjögran's strong sides, but also says "Sometimes it is a little bit too much short-passing and play on small areas. But a technician [like Sjögran] can make magic happen and as a coach you don't want to change that."
Göteborgsposten: Sjögran tar över huvudrollen

Malmö FF's Caroline Jönsson was the first choice for goalkeeper for several years, but 2005 she lost that spot to Linköping's Hedvig Lindahl. "We hadn't done that well in the Olympics the year before and it was a tough period for me. I wasn't completely focused either and sometimes it is important to reflect over if this is worth all the time you put in." Eventually she decided to keep on and regained her starting position last season and since Hedvig Lindahl's injury she is even more important. "My aim is always to be the starting keeper, otherwise I might as well quit."
Göteborgsposten: Jönsson tillbaka i startelvan

Finally the tired journalist does the old twenty-random-questions-picked-from-a-box-celebrity-interview with Victoria Svensson, Djurgården's 29 years old forward. You get to know that her favourite movie is The Shawshank Redemption, but doesn't like horror movies. She isn't much of a party-girl, but preferes to stay home and cook dinner (she is a trained cook). She likes all kinds of domestic work except window cleaning and wants to have two kids.
Göteborgsposten: Victoria Svensson: "Jag gillar inte skräckfilmer"

Finally, US Soccer has brought the former teammates Lotta Schelin and Hope Solo together in front of a video camera. Watch the talk at http://www.ussoccer.com/sights/index.jsp_videoGallery-288-1.html, because you really don't want me to try to summarize that.

When Umeå IK this weekend takes the trip to Norwegian Trondheim Ørn, they are picking up the cooperation the two clubs had in the late 1990's, but maybe now in different roles. "We learned a lot from Ørn" says Umeå manager Roland Arnqvist, "especially in our football development".
When they first met in Trondheim 1999, Umeå lost 8-1 and 11-2. Things have changed since then. The two times UEFA Cup winner is gearing up for their fourth UEFA Cup final later this year and is recognized as one of the best clubs in the world. Their budget is about three times as big as Trondheim's and when Umeå plays the home leg of the UEFA Cup final against Arsenal, Trondheim wiill be visiting Umeå to see and learn.
Adresseavisen: Verdens beste får Ørn-hjelp
Kvinnefotball.no: Ørn møter Umeå

Hanna Ljungberg's thigh injury, that has kept her from training since November last year, is now described as a chronic tendon inflammation. It's a problem that is common in the achilles tendon but much harder to treat in the thigh. Hanna is now following a special rehab programme with the goal to be able to train fully in April. "But I'm not hurrying this. I want to be completely recovered before I start playing", Hanna says.
Between her two daily rehab sessions, Hanna spends her time practising her physiotherapy skills on her teammates' bruises and swellings. Hanna started her physiotherapist training several years ago and has said that her plans is to get her diploma in 2010.
Västerbottens Folkblad: Ljungberg skadad – kan missa premiären
UIKfans: Dahlqvist i veckan

US Soccer has called up players for a pre-Algarve Cup training camp. Among the players are KIF Örebro's Keeley Dowling and Kacey White, last year with Bälinge, still unattached this season, but high up on the wish-lists for Bälinge and Linköping. Should any of these impress enough to make the Algarve Cup team, chances are we will not see them in Sweden this season, but rather in the US residency camp.
Ussoccer: U.S. Women Report to Training Camp From Feb. 14-21 to Prepare for 2007 Algarve Cup 

Norway has picked their squad for the Algarve Cup. Djurgården/Älvsjö's Bente Nordby and Kopparbergs/Göteborg's Ingvild Stensland are both on the list, but not Umeå's Lise Klaveness. But there isn't any drama  behind that decision. "We want to see a lot of players in action", explains national team head coach Bjarne Berntsen, who has picked four U23 players he wants to take a closer look at.
Fotball.no: - Kan tilføre laget mye

Umeå Södra FF has decided to put an end to their year-long cooperation agreement with Umeå IK. The agreement made it, among other things, possible forUmeå players to be loaned out to the 1st division side on short notice. Umeå IK wanted to continue the cooperation, but Umeå Södra made the decision after Umeå IK announced a new youth programme, targeted at young local talents. "If we are going to be able to compete for talent with Umeå IK, we must be able to offer them the chance to play in the 1st team", Umeå Södra's Robert Jonsson says.
Västerbottenskuriren: Umeå Södra bryter samarbetet med UIK

Contrary to the situation in Umeå, Bälinge has signed an agreement with 1st division side Gideonsberg. Gideonsberg's starting keeper Veronika Svensson signed up as back-up keeper with Bälinge (behind Maja Åström), but is still assured some time as a starter with her old club as the agreement makes short time loans possible.
Upsala Nya Tidning: Svensson klar för Bälinge

Arsenal LFC has announced that the UEFA Women's Cup final second leg will be played at Arsenal's traditional home field in Borehamwood on April 29 and not at Emirates stadium, as earlier announced. Appearently the problem is Arsenal's men's match against Fulham April 28. Sky Sport has aquired the TV rights and the match can be moved from Saturday to Sunday depending on TV scheduling.
"It would have been great for players and fans if the match had been played at Emirates" says Roland Arnqvist, "but is hasn't any consequences for the game."
Västerbottens Folkblad: Umeå IK platsar inte i finrummet
Arsenal.com: UEFA Women's Cup Final: Arsenal v Umeå