Fortuna Hjorring and Brondby secure Champions League spots
By Ciara McCormack
It’s been a good week for Our Game’s Lisa Woods. First named to Norway’s World Cup squad on Thursday, today Woods’ club team Fortuna Hjorring, secured a 3-0 win over third-place Skovbakken, guaranteeing Fortuna and Brondby as the two teams that will represent Denmark in next year’s Champions League. (more…)
Maria Karlsson: Home sweet home
I love to travel, to be abroad, meet new people and new cultures, to taste new food and get new experiences, and since January all that has been a big part of my life. I’ve really enjoyed my first four months in England and all the new experiences I’ve had and all new people I’ve met.
Last week, Kylla Sjoman and I were in Barcelona and Rome. It was a lovely week with sun, ice cream, sea, tapas, FC Barcelona, new friends, pizza, Colosseum, and espresso. The foreign girls in Doncaster (Kylla, Aine, and I) have had a good time at Ramada Hotel, but Kylla and I didn’t miss the hotel food when we ate home cooked pasta in Italy. It was lovely! In Barcelona, we watched FC Barcelona’s last home game for the season. The game was average, but the celebrations after were the most amazing I’ve ever seen. More than 70,000 people congratulated the Spanish Champions, and I really look forward to tonight’s Champions League game. I feel prepared after being at both Old Trafford and Camp Nou the last months. I hope we’ll see a well played game between two tactical teams that want to attack. (more…)
Olympique Lyonnais takes revenge on Potsdam, wins Champions League
By Olaf Goldbecker
Olympique Lyonnais cared for an end of the German dominance in the Women’s Champions League. With a 2-0 win against Turbine Potsdam, they took revenge for the loss after a penalty shootout in the previous season. It was Olympique’s and France’s first international club title in women’s soccer. (more…)
Lisa-Marie Woods: Yes or No?
Yesssssss!
I have been anxious to write this blog, as I knew I would wait until the roster for the WWC got released. It could have been a day of joy or a day of misery. As I told you in the last blog, I had an exciting week ahead of me, which was last week. It was the week where I had the national team camp as well as the cup final against Brondby. We all knew that this was our last chance to prove ourselves good enough for the World Cup team, and I had to give everything to prove that I would be the right selection. (more…)
Norway releases its World Cup roster
The Norwegian Women’s National Team announced its World Cup roster this morning. Coach Eli Landsem named 19 players and will add two more prior to the World Cup. Lene Storløkken (LSK Kvinner) Lise Klaveness (Stabæk) are recovering from injury and still could make the squad, but are still being assessed. The roster features six players from the 2010 Norwegian Football Cup champions Røa, including former Lene Mykjåland, who played last year for the Washington Freedom of Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS). (more…)
WNY Flash midfielder Caroline Seger named WPS Player of the Week
Caroline Seger in action against magicJack (ISI Photos)
After her two-goal performance led the Western New York Flash to a 3-0 win over magicJack on Sunday, Flash midfielder and captain Caroline Seger earned WPS Player of the Week honors for gameweek 7. The Swedish international becomes the fourth Flash player in a row to win the award.
“I’m very happy to have won this, but I want to say thanks to my teammates because without them I wouldn’t have gotten this,” Seger told Our Game Magazine. “They make me play well and it’s easy to be good when you have 10 others that help you out there.” (more…)
Maria Karlsson: First half of FA Women’s Super League season comes to a close
We have now played seven games, and the first part of the season has passed by far too quickly. My personal opinion is that the league could have been played another three weeks, and then continue after the Women’s World Cup from end of July to October. I know it’s only eight teams, but why not play every team three times instead of two? I like when it’s intense between the games, but the
training suffers, and it’s hard for the clubs to get time to advertise each big game. Especially for our club, which has had three home games in the last eight days. I’m sure that the clubs and the FA have the same goal – that the players, teams and the game should develop. That will bring a bigger crowd to the games and more sponsors and money to the clubs. It would be a win-win situation for all parts. This of course is something that takes time and is a long-term project, and I think that this first season will teach a lot about how the future will look.
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Lisa-Marie Woods: National Team and the upcoming World Cup
The Norwegian National team started their preparations a long time ago, and soon it will all be put to the test. We haven’t had as many days in camp as many of the other nations have, but we have gotten individual follow-up and gotten to play good games for our clubs. I wrote a blog from the Algarve Cup, saying we have a lot to work on before we consider ourselves ready for the World Cup, and when the team met up earlier this month, it was obvious that many had taken this to heart. (more…)
Lisa-Marie Woods: The ups and downs in the life of a soccer player
Soccer is serious, and some claim it is more important than life and death. I am not going to debate that statement here, but I will ensure you that it IS life, when you dedicate yourself to the game 100 percent. Maybe it is not healthy, I don’t know. Sometimes it is the healthiest thing on earth, as the pleasure it gives is something you will carry with you and hold your head high. At times though, it can be the most devastating and stressful. Yes, like any other life choice, it carries its ups and downs with it. (more…)
Maria Karlsson: My best supporter, a big win, and a meeting with a legendary manager
Maria Karlsson with Sven-Göran Eriksson (Photo by Tim Sweed)
I hate to lose, but I’m not a bad loser. There’s a big difference. But I’m definitely a worse blog writer after a loss. So today I’m happy to write this blog after our great and important victory over Liverpool on Wednesday. It was a game when we had decided to fight from the first to the last minute, together, as a team. We created a lot of chances, but still struggled to put away a second and third goal. At least it must be exciting for the audience. Our goalie Helen Alderson, who I feel I should pronounce Andersson, because that’s makes her more Swedish, had a brilliant save off a penalty in the second half and then a great save (for the cameras) in the last minute of the game. (more…)
Sweden, England announce rosters for May 17th friendly
The rosters for the England vs. Sweden friendly scheduled for May 17th are set. England features five players from Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) – Sky Blue FC’s Eniola Aluko, Anita Asante, and Karen Bardsley and Boston Breakers Kelly Smith and Alex Scott. Four players from FA Women’s Super League (FAWSL) league leaders Birmingham City are on the squad – Karen Carney, Dunia Susi, Laura Bassett, and Rachel Williams. For Sweden, captain Caroline Seger will make her first appearance in 2011 for her country. She missed the Algarve Cup due to injury. Sweden keeper Sofia Lundgren (Linkopings FC) will not travel to Oxford for the match. She recently suffered a minor foot injury. Head Coach Thomas Dennerby has named Kristin Hammarström (Göteborg FC) as the replacement for Lundgren. (more…)
Norwegian top leagues continue trend of financial troubles
By Ciara McCormack
While the Toppserien lost Donn to bankruptcy at the end of 2010, before the start of the 2011, the 1st Division had already lost Orkla and Manglerud Star because of financial trouble. Now, not even a quarter way through the 2011 season, financial concerns continue to plague Norway’s historically strong leagues. Last week, Trondheim’s Orn was in the headlines because of financial troubles. Assistant coach Peter Pedersen was let go due to financial troubles, and it was reported that head coach Goril Kringen is currently coaching without a contract. (more…)
Maria Karlsson: Super start for Doncaster
I think everyone who has ever been involved with sports can agree with me that winning is great. The feeling you get when you have three points after a football game is awesome, and it’s even better when it’s after the first game, of a new league, in a historic game for women’s football in England. We came out with three points against Lincoln last week and the goal came, well-deserved, from our experienced midfielder Vicky Exley. It was a great game and a really good team effort. It was all about that game. This week we have two new games. First, we play Everton away on Wednesday, and then Chelsea in our first home game, Easter Sunday. I hope that we can be consistent and have the same buzz as we had last week, and that all our Doncaster fans will be backing us up in the stands. (more…)
Champions League: Potsdam follows Lyonnais for a 2010 Final rematch
By Olaf Goldbecker
The second semifinal of the Champions League took place today between German sides Turbine Potsdam and FCR Duisburg, the trophy winners of the two previous seasons. Potsdam started the home game with the advantage of a 2-2 draw on the road, and after today’s 1-0 victory, Potsdam will join Lyonnais in the Champions League final. (more…)
Olympique Lyonnais reaches Champions League final
By Olaf Goldbecker
The second leg of the Champions League semifinal between Olympique Lyonnais and Arsenal London did not become a thriller. With the French side taking a 2-0 advantage with them to England, the duel was practically decided after only 16 minutes of today’s game when Eugenie Le Sommer marked the lead for Lyonnais meaning that Arsenal would have to score four goals to advance. Even this theoretical thought was history when Le Sommer added a second goal in the 34th minute for her team, which was also dominant on the road. To top this, Swiss international Lara Dickenmann scored to give Lyon a 3-0 halftime lead in stoppage time. (more…)
Newly promoted Piteå come back to tie Linköping in Damallsvenskan opener
After falling behind in the 26th minute on a goal by Linköping forward and Finland international Linda Sällström Wednesday night, Piteå managed to stage a late comeback to pull level courtesy of an own goal by Linköping’s Nora Holstad Berge of Norway. The tie against the 2009 Damallsvenskan champions earned Piteå its first point in the top-flight league in two years. (more…)
Damallsvenskan champions LdB Malmö settle for draw with KIF Örebro
Defending Swedish champions LdB Malmö opened up its 2011 Damallsvenskan season Sunday with a 1-1 draw against KIF Örebro at Behrn Arena in Örebro. After falling behind, 1-0, in the 24th minute on a goal by Örebro forward Sara Michael, Malmö needed a second-half strike to pull level and avoid defeat. Midfielder Nilla Fisher’s goal in the 61st minute tied the game for Malmö, salvaging the draw. The last time these teams met was in last year’s Super Cup, which Malmö won, 2-1, to claim the title of the champions of Sweden. (more…)
Champions League Semifinal: 2010 final rematch getting closer
By Olaf Goldbecker
On May 20, 2010, German club Turbine Potsdam won the Champions League in penalty shootout against French side Olympique Lyonnais. After the first matches of the 2011 semifinals, a rematch of this final seems to be most likely. (more…)
Lisa-Marie Woods: Back in season with a W
Last time when I wrote a blog like this, we were in sunny Turkey. Needless to say that the results were a little disappointing with a 1-1 draw against Sky Blue FC that ended up with a loss on penalties. Yes, we had two people who missed in that game, and guess who was one of them? Yes MOI!! Disappointing as anything. A PK should be easy peasy, so I went up, saw the keeper going the wrong way, and went to kick it hard up in the opposite corner. Easy enough, right? Wrong… the ball hit the crossbar and came back down, but never crossed the goal line. At the time I could do nothing but laugh at myself as it was just sooooo typical. Arrrrgh But hey, chin up. I will take the PK if we make it to any final this year, and I WILL score! (more…)
Maria Karlsson: Canada + Sweden – Ireland
Maria Karlsson, right, in action against Liverpool in the FA Cup
I have had a very eventful week here in Doncaster. My parents came into town, and it was really nice to see them again. I had a great time showing them around Doncaster and having them meet the people I’ve gotten to know here. Unfortunately the weekend did not end very well when we lost against Liverpool in the FA Cup. We didn’t play to our potential, so Liverpool deserved to win this time. Hopefully this will make us hungry for revenge when the league starts. There is only a week and a half left until we play Lincoln, away April 13th. (more…)
Caroline Seger lands in Western New York, getting closer to obtaining U.S. residency
Caroline Seger is settling into life in the United States in more ways than one. The 26-year-old Swedish international and midfielder for the Swedish women’s national team recently landed in Rochester, New York, preparing for her upcoming Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) season with the expansion Western New York Flash. She’s also close to becoming a U.S. resident. (more…)
Sweden coach Thomas Dennerby names roster for friendly vs. Canada
Sweden Women’s National Team Head Coach Thomas Dennerby has named his squad for the April 2 friendly against Canada. The two teams will play in Rome. Both teams will compete in this summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup. Sweden is in Group C with the U.S., North Korea, and Colombia. Canada is in Group A with Germany, France, and Nigeria. (more…)
