 1. What a phenomenal Olympic Games run you had! Going into the Games, you had three season ending injuries to key players. How did you get the team to rally, particularly after losing the first game?
The first thought after the injuries and the loss against Norway was: Find another way to move on! As long there is a chance, we’ll try and do our very best.
It helped that we’ve been talking since December 2007 about THE TEAM that is going to win. The team is bigger than any single player. I went from words to action:
- Talking about the players in pairs (Boxx and Lloyd, Rampone and Markgraf, to journalists.
- We changed the attacking style. We worked on exaggerating the “keeping possession” idea and not playing “long balls to strong, great Abby”. We wanted to make our play more unpredictable.
- We had drills where they coached each other.
- We have worked on creating a great atmosphere and that helped us in difficult times. We had fun together!
2. After being named in November of 2007, with less than a year before the Games, how did you approach the upcoming Olympic preparations?
The very first meeting with the players, my first words were from a song, Bob Dylan’s “Times they are a-changin’”. Everybody wanted a change and my job was to inspire that to happen. It couldn’t be too small of a change (no one would recognize the change); it couldn’t be too big of a change (that would make a bronze-medalists team lose confidence). It had to be a change that MADE THE DIFFERENCE. I made it clear that it is not about me, it is not about one star, and it is about THE TEAM.
Little by little, I changed things with the coaching staff. I came up with a nine month plan focusing on three items: attacking-team, defending-team and fitness. We couldn’t afford to NOT be very professional in every moment on the field! We did not have much time. Every single minute on the green grass, every single feedback, took us one step closer to improvement and to the change the team embraced.
3. You have been a coach in Sweden, Norway, China and the US, are there any differences that you see from country to country in player development?
Swedish and Norwegian players are well organized on the field, well educated, and have watched many games. They are physical, tough, and good in the air. But sometimes they are not brave enough to step up, to do something different and have a tendency to “hide behind” the Team. Norwegians do not have good technique overall. Swedish players don’t talk on the field enough. Sweden and Norway have different playing styles!
Chinese players are very technical and when I ask some players if they are left- or right-footed, they don’t understand the question. They have four good feet!!! They are quick players, but they are not fast. They follow the coach, never questioning and are very loyal. I think they need one or two players that are NOT typical Chinese players. If they change this pattern, they would improve their soccer a lot.
The American players have the ability to “Go For It”. They are fast and forward. They hide their lack of technique with speed and fitness in general and with a belief that they are the best in the world! They don’t read the game as well as the European players. The great history and winning culture have won many games for the US Team, I think.
4. Team-I think that is the word that defines this Olympic team. You can definitely see the team effort. What are three keys to building a great team?
- Awareness
- Responsibility
- Enjoyment – and be patient.
My knowledge and inspiration will give them feedback, so they are aware of how they play and how they are off the field. Then we all should take responsibility for the way we act/are. But first and foremost we have to find a way to make it fun. Joy is the best motivator. For me, it is very important to be positive.
Every player and coach has a role on the Team. If we understand, accept, respect the role we have – for now – and if we can see the bigger picture, we have a big chance to win. I usually say, “We are the environment that brings out the best performance from each other.” So play to her best foot and expect good things to happen.
5. The pressure has to be enormous when you are playing single elimination. How do you and your coaching staff try to diffuse the pressure or do you?
The coaching staff shows that we believe in what we’re doing, in our players, in the Team by being positive. I expect good things to happen and very often it does. I also believe that it takes seven positives to balance one negative. (An old clever woman in Philadelphia told me that…) That’s why we show the players video clips where they are successful. They have not yet seen a goal we’ve given up on video. We have talked about it, drawn arrows on the flip chart, yes-- but not on video.
When I give positive feedback I talk to their heart (video). When I want to adjust something I talk to their brain (flip chart).
Soccer is much more than Gold medals. It is the way, the road we decided to take. We’ve set up a goal to be winners in two ways.
- Win the next game
- Win the respect from people by the way we’re playing.
“It is a privilege to play under pressure”
6. There have to be some serious challenges when you have to move locations every three days during the Games. Moving people, equipment and being tired from just competing, how does that work?
Great people around the team are making a great effort to make it work as smoothly as possible. Our General Manager, Cheryl Bailey, has played a big part in our Gold Medal! When things are not going so well with luggage, etc. we remind ourselves that if you can’t do anything about it (the problem) let it go.
The Team is very competitive so we do whatever it takes…
7. Tell us about your most memorable moment at the Games. When the referee blew the whistle after 120 minutes and the coaching staff hug each other.
And when I heard friends and family singing USA, USA, USA--when we came to the USA House in Beijing after the final.
8. As a coach, how do you try to keep up with current trends in women's soccer?
Studying/analyzing games-- working with analysis program on my computer. Reading magazines. Talking/listening to coaches as often as possible!
9. What advice would you give to a young coach who is just starting out?
If you think its fun (make it fun) and if you’re interested you will improve your game all the time. Watch soccer! Study a player in the game. Spend time with the ball little bit every day. Make the ball your friend.
Don’t let the coach decide how good you will become. You have the ability in you.
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