League leaders lose a lot
Last year's top two teams in Damallsvenskan, Linköpings FC and Umeå IK, have both been hard hit by players moving, mostly to WPS teams. LFC loses their top three offensive players (Kosovare Asllani to Chicago Red Stars, Jessica Landström to New Jersey Sky Blue, and Caroline Seger to Philadelphia Independence). Linköping is hoping that forward Josefine Öqvist, who was injured for most of last year, will stay healthy and regain her scoring form; the club has also acquired Finnish forward Linda Sällström who played last at Djurgården. On defense, LFC retains the services of national team player Charlotte Rohlin and Nigerian international Faith Ikidi, both of whom who had good seasons last year, and goalkeeper Sofia Lundgren, who is currently third keeper for the national team.
LFC is out of the Women's Champions League after tying at home and then losing to the Frauenbundesliga's Duisburg last year; LFC's first game of the year will be against Umeå IK in the Supercup (a single game between last year's top two teams) on March 21. LFC's domestic season starts April 3 against Kopparbergs/Göteborg, which will be a challenging start for them. Sky Blue fans interested in getting a peek at what Landström can do might be interested in the brief highlights from last year's K/G v. LFC game (a longer match report in English).
Umeå IK loses their top goal scorer and point leader Ramona Bachmann (Atlanta Beat) as well as their second (Madeline Edlund, to St. Louis Athletica) and third (Johanna Ramussen, also to the Beat) top point getters. Their fourth most effective offensive player, long-time Umeå stalwart Hanna Ljungberg, retired in some haste in the middle of last season due to persistent injuries; Umeå also loses Mami Yamaguchi (Atlanta Beat) and Lisa Dahlkvist (Kopparbergs/Göteborg). Frida Östberg, who played last year for Chicago, has returned to her old club UIK after what must have been the shortest retirement in the history of women's football.
UIK will get long headstart on the domestic season, hosting French side Montpellier in the Women's Champions League quarterfinal on March 10 with the return a week later. Last year UIK crashed out of the same tournament (then known as the UEFA Women's Cup) by losing to Russian side Zvezda on a frozen pitch; like last year, Umeå (and most of the rest of Sweden) is still covered in plenty of snow, which might help UIK against Montpellier more than it did against Zvezda. UIK then has the Supercup match against Linköping on the 21st, and their league opener on April 5 against newcomers Jitex, which ought to be an easy win for them.
Up next in part 2: preview for LdB FC Malmö and Kopparbergs/Göteborg
Showing posts with label Umeå IK. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Umeå IK. Show all posts
March 6, 2010
September 1, 2009
WPS Defeats Umeå IK 4-2 in All-Star Matchup
The WPS All-Stars defeated Umeå IK 4-2 in the first WPS All-Star match. For one half, Umeå gave the WPS All-Stars all they could handle, but they couldn't withstand constant pressure from the All-Stars as the game wore on. The game was played at Soccer Park in St. Louis before 4115 enthusiastic fans, who saw a very entertaining match.
Both teams were playing without several players. Several Umeå players are with their national side competing in the Euros which are being played in Finland. Additionally, talented young Ramona Bachman was missing for the Swedish club, reportedly because of illness. For the WPS team, Sonia Bompastor, Camille Abily, Eniola Aluko, Kelly Smith, and Alex Scott are also competing in Europe and missed the match. The match also saw WPS players Johanna Frisk and Frida Östberg switch their allegiance for one night to play for their former club, Umeå.
With all of the talent on the WPS side and many of their top players missing, one might have thought that Umeå would be outmatched. However, they came out playing very well and took it to the All-Stars in the opening minutes of the match. They quickly jumped on top with a beautiful pass from former Florida State star Mami Yamaguchi that found Madelaine Edlund behind the WPS defense and she finished for a 1-0 lead before the match was 3 minutes old.
A few minutes later Emmelie Konradson fired a shot that Karina LeBlanc saved, but Sofia Jakobsson fired home the rebound to make it 2-0. Just a minute before, LeBlanc had made a diving save on Mami Yamaguchi's shot from 20 yards.
However, as the match continued in the 1st half, the WPS team grew stronger. In the 24th minute, Marta made a long run up the left side. Her first crossing attempt to Cristiane was well defended by Umeå, but when the ball came back to Marta she placed a perfect ball to a charging Kristine Lilly. Lilly hit the inside of the post with the ball coming about a foot out across the goal mouth before spinning into the net on the other side.
Marta scored the next goal herself, with a dipping left-footed shot that managed to beat Umeå keeper Carola Soberg just before halftime. The game went to the break at a 2-2 tie.
The advantage that the Umeå side had was the fact that they were used to playing together. The WPS advantage was the fact that they could bring in a fresh team in the 2nd half that was just as talented as their starters. Any side that can have the likes of Abby Wambach, Kristine Sinclair, Heather O'Reilly and Hope Solo coming off of their bench is a very talented group.
It didn't take long for WPS side to take the lead as Marta, yet again, made a run up the left side crossing perfectly to a cutting Christine Sinclair who made no mistake on the finish putting the All-Stars up for the first time, 3-2. Less than two minutes later, Brittany Klein hit a brilliant pass from the midfield to Sinclair who once again beat the defense and Soberg to put the WPS up 4-2 (pictured above). For her part, Sinclair put on a 2nd half clinic on forward runs. Besides her two goals, she hit the post once and only a terrific save from Soberg stopped her on another.
For the most part, the 2nd half turned into a barrage of WPS shots with Marta, Sinclair, Wambach, O'Reilly, and Tiffeny Milbrett putting constant pressure on Soberg and the Umeå defense. Soberg made several nice saves, including kick saves on shots from Wambach, O'Reilly, and Sinclair, to keep her team in the match. Meanwhile, WPS 2nd half keeper Hope Solo was tested seriously only once, but what a save it was. A shot appeared to be hooking just inside the post, before a sprawling dive and catch by Solo snatched it out of the air just before the goal line.
The match ended up with WPS winning 4-2. Marta played a brilliant match and Sinclair menaced the Umeå defense throughout the 2nd half. The WPS All-Stars outshot their opponent by a margin of 28-11 for the match. For their part, Umeå made a fine account of themselves, especially missing so many talented players. It was an enjoyable afternoon of soccer for all who attended the match.
Both teams were playing without several players. Several Umeå players are with their national side competing in the Euros which are being played in Finland. Additionally, talented young Ramona Bachman was missing for the Swedish club, reportedly because of illness. For the WPS team, Sonia Bompastor, Camille Abily, Eniola Aluko, Kelly Smith, and Alex Scott are also competing in Europe and missed the match. The match also saw WPS players Johanna Frisk and Frida Östberg switch their allegiance for one night to play for their former club, Umeå.
With all of the talent on the WPS side and many of their top players missing, one might have thought that Umeå would be outmatched. However, they came out playing very well and took it to the All-Stars in the opening minutes of the match. They quickly jumped on top with a beautiful pass from former Florida State star Mami Yamaguchi that found Madelaine Edlund behind the WPS defense and she finished for a 1-0 lead before the match was 3 minutes old.
A few minutes later Emmelie Konradson fired a shot that Karina LeBlanc saved, but Sofia Jakobsson fired home the rebound to make it 2-0. Just a minute before, LeBlanc had made a diving save on Mami Yamaguchi's shot from 20 yards.
However, as the match continued in the 1st half, the WPS team grew stronger. In the 24th minute, Marta made a long run up the left side. Her first crossing attempt to Cristiane was well defended by Umeå, but when the ball came back to Marta she placed a perfect ball to a charging Kristine Lilly. Lilly hit the inside of the post with the ball coming about a foot out across the goal mouth before spinning into the net on the other side.
Marta scored the next goal herself, with a dipping left-footed shot that managed to beat Umeå keeper Carola Soberg just before halftime. The game went to the break at a 2-2 tie.
The advantage that the Umeå side had was the fact that they were used to playing together. The WPS advantage was the fact that they could bring in a fresh team in the 2nd half that was just as talented as their starters. Any side that can have the likes of Abby Wambach, Kristine Sinclair, Heather O'Reilly and Hope Solo coming off of their bench is a very talented group.
It didn't take long for WPS side to take the lead as Marta, yet again, made a run up the left side crossing perfectly to a cutting Christine Sinclair who made no mistake on the finish putting the All-Stars up for the first time, 3-2. Less than two minutes later, Brittany Klein hit a brilliant pass from the midfield to Sinclair who once again beat the defense and Soberg to put the WPS up 4-2 (pictured above). For her part, Sinclair put on a 2nd half clinic on forward runs. Besides her two goals, she hit the post once and only a terrific save from Soberg stopped her on another.
For the most part, the 2nd half turned into a barrage of WPS shots with Marta, Sinclair, Wambach, O'Reilly, and Tiffeny Milbrett putting constant pressure on Soberg and the Umeå defense. Soberg made several nice saves, including kick saves on shots from Wambach, O'Reilly, and Sinclair, to keep her team in the match. Meanwhile, WPS 2nd half keeper Hope Solo was tested seriously only once, but what a save it was. A shot appeared to be hooking just inside the post, before a sprawling dive and catch by Solo snatched it out of the air just before the goal line.
The match ended up with WPS winning 4-2. Marta played a brilliant match and Sinclair menaced the Umeå defense throughout the 2nd half. The WPS All-Stars outshot their opponent by a margin of 28-11 for the match. For their part, Umeå made a fine account of themselves, especially missing so many talented players. It was an enjoyable afternoon of soccer for all who attended the match.
June 17, 2009
Damallsvenskan 2009: The Midway Point
0
comments
Labels: AIK, Damallsvenskan, Daniela, Djurgården, Friends of WSW, Guest Contributors, Hammarby, Linköping, Los Angeles Sol, Marta, Saint Louis Athletica, Sunnanå, Sweden, Umeå IK, Washington Freedom
Labels: AIK, Damallsvenskan, Daniela, Djurgården, Friends of WSW, Guest Contributors, Hammarby, Linköping, Los Angeles Sol, Marta, Saint Louis Athletica, Sunnanå, Sweden, Umeå IK, Washington Freedom
By: Jocasta -- Damallsvenskan Soapbox
At this point, the top team (Umeå) and bottom teams (last year's newcomers Kristianstad and this year's newly-promoted Piteå and Stattena) come as no surprise. The order of teams in the middle, however, is a little unexpected, with for instance none of the Stockholm teams (AIK, Djurgården, and Hammarby) in the top half of the table. Every team, even Umeå, has lost a game at this point.
Let's start at the top. The facts that coach Andree Jeglertz was lured away to Allsvenskan (Djurgården's men's side), and that some player named Marta was lured away to WPS (Los Angeles Sol) does not seem to have slowed the team down much—perhaps they win by fewer goals than last year, but the outcome is the same. Umeå's single defeat came at the hands of Sunnanå, a team that Umeå historically has had trouble with, for some reason; they also tied Piteå, in the last game of the last round. Umeå now has 28 points, leading the field by 2 points.
The first small surprise of the 2009 season is the team currently in second place with 26 points, Kopparbergs/Göteborg. K/G opened the season by defeating LdB, and then went on to defeat Linköping in their second game. They've looked quite good in the games I've been able to see, and two of its young forwards are at (Linnea Liljegärd) or near (Sara Lindén) the top of the league for goals and assists.
Third-place Linköping FC (23 points) lost a couple key players from last year, including Daniela (WPS's St Louis Athletica). They are quite a strong team, but have had a little trouble playing at that high level consistently.
The second surprise in the table comes in the 4th place, KIF Örebro(22 points). Örebro is a team without any really well-known Swedish players, but they are solid throughout, and have some top players from Finland. They are also well-coached by Richard Holmlund, who used to be at Umeå.
LdB Malmö (19 points) are probably this year's under-performers, if comparing pre-season hype to mid-season place in the table. They currently sit 5th, with 1 ties and 4 losses. LdB did give Umeå a bit of a fight, in a well-played game that was televised. They can score a lot against weaker teams, scoring 25 goals in three weeks against Kristianstad, Piteå, and Stattena, and Djurgården.
Sixth-place Sunnanå (19 points) has the other sleeper team this year, along with Örebro. The return of former national team defender Hannah Marklund heralded what has been a quite good season for them. Any year in which they defeat Umeå has to be considered already a success, and being in the top half of the table is a nice bonus.
The bottom half of the table starts with all the teams from Stockholm,with Djurgården, Hammarby, and AIK in 7th, 8th, and 9th place. Djurgården and AIK both lost key players from last year and have been struggling. Djurgården lost both of its German internationals, keeper Nadine Angerer and midfielder/defender Ariane Hingst, who went back to Germany and now play for 1. FFC Frankfurt. AIK's Australian internationals Lisa DeVanna and Kathryn Gill went in quite different directions, with Gill heading up north to play for Sunnanå, and DeVanna heading west for WPS (Washington Freedom). The third Stockholm team, Hammarby, has much the same team and is faring much as they always do.
At the very bottom of the table, there are currently three teams vying for 10th place in the league, which is a big deal because the last two teams are relegated to a lower division. Of the three, Piteå (10th) is probably feeling the best about itself, as they have just come off a shock draw against Umeå, in a game that they were winning until the last five minutes. The bad performance of Kristianstad (11th) is probably the most surprising of the three, as they managed to stay in the top league last year, starting their season with a shock 2-1 defeat of Djurgården. Twelfth-place Stattena has had just an awful time, with a goal differential of -40.
Games are scheduled to continue through early July, with Round 16 being played at the end of July, then the league goes on hiatus forthe European Championships in August and September. The season will then resume in late September, and end in early November.
Go to the Swedish FA's site (http://svenskfotboll.se/damallsvenskan/) to see the complete table.
At this point, the top team (Umeå) and bottom teams (last year's newcomers Kristianstad and this year's newly-promoted Piteå and Stattena) come as no surprise. The order of teams in the middle, however, is a little unexpected, with for instance none of the Stockholm teams (AIK, Djurgården, and Hammarby) in the top half of the table. Every team, even Umeå, has lost a game at this point.
Let's start at the top. The facts that coach Andree Jeglertz was lured away to Allsvenskan (Djurgården's men's side), and that some player named Marta was lured away to WPS (Los Angeles Sol) does not seem to have slowed the team down much—perhaps they win by fewer goals than last year, but the outcome is the same. Umeå's single defeat came at the hands of Sunnanå, a team that Umeå historically has had trouble with, for some reason; they also tied Piteå, in the last game of the last round. Umeå now has 28 points, leading the field by 2 points.
The first small surprise of the 2009 season is the team currently in second place with 26 points, Kopparbergs/Göteborg. K/G opened the season by defeating LdB, and then went on to defeat Linköping in their second game. They've looked quite good in the games I've been able to see, and two of its young forwards are at (Linnea Liljegärd) or near (Sara Lindén) the top of the league for goals and assists.
Third-place Linköping FC (23 points) lost a couple key players from last year, including Daniela (WPS's St Louis Athletica). They are quite a strong team, but have had a little trouble playing at that high level consistently.
The second surprise in the table comes in the 4th place, KIF Örebro(22 points). Örebro is a team without any really well-known Swedish players, but they are solid throughout, and have some top players from Finland. They are also well-coached by Richard Holmlund, who used to be at Umeå.
LdB Malmö (19 points) are probably this year's under-performers, if comparing pre-season hype to mid-season place in the table. They currently sit 5th, with 1 ties and 4 losses. LdB did give Umeå a bit of a fight, in a well-played game that was televised. They can score a lot against weaker teams, scoring 25 goals in three weeks against Kristianstad, Piteå, and Stattena, and Djurgården.
Sixth-place Sunnanå (19 points) has the other sleeper team this year, along with Örebro. The return of former national team defender Hannah Marklund heralded what has been a quite good season for them. Any year in which they defeat Umeå has to be considered already a success, and being in the top half of the table is a nice bonus.
The bottom half of the table starts with all the teams from Stockholm,with Djurgården, Hammarby, and AIK in 7th, 8th, and 9th place. Djurgården and AIK both lost key players from last year and have been struggling. Djurgården lost both of its German internationals, keeper Nadine Angerer and midfielder/defender Ariane Hingst, who went back to Germany and now play for 1. FFC Frankfurt. AIK's Australian internationals Lisa DeVanna and Kathryn Gill went in quite different directions, with Gill heading up north to play for Sunnanå, and DeVanna heading west for WPS (Washington Freedom). The third Stockholm team, Hammarby, has much the same team and is faring much as they always do.
At the very bottom of the table, there are currently three teams vying for 10th place in the league, which is a big deal because the last two teams are relegated to a lower division. Of the three, Piteå (10th) is probably feeling the best about itself, as they have just come off a shock draw against Umeå, in a game that they were winning until the last five minutes. The bad performance of Kristianstad (11th) is probably the most surprising of the three, as they managed to stay in the top league last year, starting their season with a shock 2-1 defeat of Djurgården. Twelfth-place Stattena has had just an awful time, with a goal differential of -40.
Games are scheduled to continue through early July, with Round 16 being played at the end of July, then the league goes on hiatus forthe European Championships in August and September. The season will then resume in late September, and end in early November.
Go to the Swedish FA's site (http://svenskfotboll.se/damallsvenskan/) to see the complete table.
June 16, 2009
Damallsvenskan Round 11: The Weirdness Continues
0
comments
Labels: AIK, Damallsvenskan, Djurgården, Friends of WSW, Guest Contributors, Hammarby, Linköping, Sunnanå, Umeå IK
Labels: AIK, Damallsvenskan, Djurgården, Friends of WSW, Guest Contributors, Hammarby, Linköping, Sunnanå, Umeå IK
By: Jocasta -- Damallsvenskan Soapbox
The 11th round of Damallsvenskan is now completed, which means the season is half over. My thoughts on the season so far to will follow...
On 13 June, Kristianstads DFF took their first points of the season, beating newly-promoted visitors Stattena IF 4-0. The two teams are now tied on total points for the season (3), but Stattena's really terrible goal differential (-40) and the fact that they have three ties but no wins puts them in last place at the moment. In Stockholm, AIK hosted second place- Kopparbergs/Göteborg, and lost 0-1 on a goal in the 86th minute by Sara Lindén.
On 14 June, on what *should* have been the shock of the week, LdB lost badly to Sunnanå at home 0-4, and the two teams are now tied on points but LdB has the edge in goal differential. In a Stockholm derby goalfest, Djurgården defeated Hammarby 5-2. Linköping and KIF Örebro were in 4th and 3rd places respectively, but today they played each other and Linköping's 4-0 win means that the two teams swap places in the table.
Shock of the Week: On 15 June, in the last game of the round, league-leaders Umeå did something that they don't do too often—they traveled *north* for an away game, against tenth place Piteå. And here's another thing they don't do too often: they came away with only one point. Yes, that's right, Piteå played Umeå to a 1-1 draw, and so have reduced Umeå's lead on Göteborg to two points.
At the halfway point, then, here are the rankings (go to svenskfotboll.se for more details):
Umeå IK
Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC
Linköpings FC
KIF Örebro DFF
LdB FC Malmö
Sunnanå SK
Djurgårdens IF
Hammarby IF DFF
AIK
Piteå IF
Kristianstads IF DFF
Stattena IF
The 11th round of Damallsvenskan is now completed, which means the season is half over. My thoughts on the season so far to will follow...
On 13 June, Kristianstads DFF took their first points of the season, beating newly-promoted visitors Stattena IF 4-0. The two teams are now tied on total points for the season (3), but Stattena's really terrible goal differential (-40) and the fact that they have three ties but no wins puts them in last place at the moment. In Stockholm, AIK hosted second place- Kopparbergs/Göteborg, and lost 0-1 on a goal in the 86th minute by Sara Lindén.
On 14 June, on what *should* have been the shock of the week, LdB lost badly to Sunnanå at home 0-4, and the two teams are now tied on points but LdB has the edge in goal differential. In a Stockholm derby goalfest, Djurgården defeated Hammarby 5-2. Linköping and KIF Örebro were in 4th and 3rd places respectively, but today they played each other and Linköping's 4-0 win means that the two teams swap places in the table.
Shock of the Week: On 15 June, in the last game of the round, league-leaders Umeå did something that they don't do too often—they traveled *north* for an away game, against tenth place Piteå. And here's another thing they don't do too often: they came away with only one point. Yes, that's right, Piteå played Umeå to a 1-1 draw, and so have reduced Umeå's lead on Göteborg to two points.
At the halfway point, then, here are the rankings (go to svenskfotboll.se for more details):
Umeå IK
Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC
Linköpings FC
KIF Örebro DFF
LdB FC Malmö
Sunnanå SK
Djurgårdens IF
Hammarby IF DFF
AIK
Piteå IF
Kristianstads IF DFF
Stattena IF
June 9, 2009
TTI: Global Focus
0
comments
Labels: 1. FFC Frankfurt, 2009 WPS, Arsenal Ladies, Birgit Prinz, Chelsea Ladies, Chicago Red Stars, Los Angeles Sol, Marta, Olympique Lyonnais, Umeå IK
Labels: 1. FFC Frankfurt, 2009 WPS, Arsenal Ladies, Birgit Prinz, Chelsea Ladies, Chicago Red Stars, Los Angeles Sol, Marta, Olympique Lyonnais, Umeå IK
Newest installment of Tuesday Throw-Ins. I give a shout out to WPS Talk - Futebol Feminino.
Read on -- Tuesday Throw-Ins: Global Following Gaining Momentum
Read on -- Tuesday Throw-Ins: Global Following Gaining Momentum
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Search
Welcome
