SWEDE CAROLINE
Dur dur dur... good times never seemed so good for Sweden. But can skipper Caroline Seger help them win their first World Cup?
Sweden versus USA is the most-played Women’s World Cup fixture in history, with the nations having already clashed five times in the seven previous editions of the tournament. So, there was a sense of deja vu when the Blagult were grouped alongside the reigning champions this summer.
In what the American press branded the ‘Olympic soccer shocker’, Sweden eliminated the USA from the 2016 Rio Games after a dramatic quarter-final penalty shootout. It was the first time the USWNT had ever failed to reach the last four of a major tournament, and Sweden skipper Caroline Seger – who first donned the captain’s armband 10 years ago – expects their old enemy to come at them all guns blazing in France on June 20.
“It’s going to be a big one,” she tells FFT. “It’s one of those matches you dream of playing in. Tickets have sold out – but I hope there are more Swedes in the stands than Americans.
“I know for a fact the US will be hungry for revenge after losing to us in Rio,” laughs the 34-year-old, who is preparing for a fourth World Cup finals. “They will be going after the World Cup trophy again and they know they have the squad to do it. It’s going to be the toughest game in the group, for sure.”
Drawn in Group F, Sweden will play Chile and Thailand before facing the US in Le Havre. The FC Rosengard midfielder, who has spent spells Stateside and in France with Paris Saint-germain and Lyon, insists her team can’t afford to trip up against the smaller nations along the way.
“We have to pick up points against Chile and Thailand before going into games against bigger opponents,” she says. “The weaker teams at major tournaments are very happy to be there but they’ll be ready, so at the start they can be tricky to play against. Making a good start is key to us being successful this summer.
“I think it’s really hard to know how far we can go in the tournament because on good days we can beat all the best teams, but on bad days we can lose against teams much weaker on paper.”
Starting her professional career at 18 and earning almost 200 caps to date, Seger admits a desire to turn back the clock as the women’s game enters an exciting new era. But while her quest to lift the World Cup will likely end this year, Sweden’s trailblazing captain isn’t ready to call time on her playing career yet.
“I find it hard imagining myself playing at the World Cup in four years,” she concludes with a mischievous grin. “I think this will be my last World Cup, but possibly not my last tournament...”