Pia Sundhage
Encyclopedia
Pia Mariane Sundhage is a Swedish
former professional football player who is currently the head coach of the United States Women's National Team
. While she played most of her career as a forward, she had stints as a midfielder
as well as a sweeper.
in 1978. She then joined Jitex BK
from 1979 to 1981. Sundhage played 1982 to 1983 with Östers IF
, scoring 30 times in her first season with the club and chipping in 35 more in her second season. 1984 saw a move back to Jitex BK, while 1985 saw Sundhage split time between Stattena IF
, S.S. Lazio
(where she scored 17 times), and Jitex BK. She played the 1986 season with Hammarby IF DFF
, before she moved back to Jitex BK from 1979 through 1989. Sundhage finished her career with Hammarby IF DFF, playing from 1990 until she retired in 1996.
She won four Damallsvenskan
championships, all with Jitex BK, as well as two additional Svenska Cupen
with the club. She also won two Svenska Cupen with Hammarby IF DFF.
as a 15-year-old in 1975, eventually amassing 146 caps and scoring 71 goals for her country. Her 71 goals gave her joint-lead with Lena Videkull for the most in the Swedish National Team history, a record which has since been surpassed by Hanna Ljungberg
.
She participated for Sweden in the 1991 and 1995 (a third place finish) editions of the FIFA Women's World Cup
and the 1996 Summer Olympics
. She won the 1984 UEFA Women's Championship
. Her image appeared on a Swedish postage stamp in 1988. In 1989 Sundhage scored the first goal in a women's match at Wembley Stadium, as Sweden beat England
2–0 in a curtain–raiser for the Rous Cup
.
In 2000, Sundhage finished sixth in the voting for FIFA
Women's Player of the Century.
from 1992 to 1994. She then took assistants jobs with Vallentuna BK
(1998 to 1999) and AIK Fotboll Dam (2000) before moving across the Atlantic Ocean
to become an assistant with Philadelphia Charge
of the new Women's United Soccer Association
in the United States
. She eventually was hired on by Boston Breakers
as the head coach, winning the league title and being named the 2003 WUSA Coach of the Year in the process. Once the WUSA folded however, it was back to Scandinavia
to take on further coaching positions.
Her relationship with the Boston Breakers led United States Women's National Team
captain Kristine Lilly
and fellow USWNT player Kate Markgraf
joining her in the Swedish Damallsvenskan
when Pia coached KIF Örebro DFF
from 2005 to 2006, after a brief stint with Kolbotn IL in 2004. Lilly said she "wanted to play for Pia again."
Sundhage served as an assistant to Marika Domanski Lyfors for the China Women's National Team
during the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup.
head coach on 13 November 2007. She became the seventh head coach in the U.S. team's history and the third woman. April Heinrichs led the squad from 2000–2004 and won the 2004 Summer Olympics
, while Lauren Gregg was in charge for 3 games in 2000 before Heinrichs was appointed. Sundhage served as a scout for the United States during the 2004 Olympics.
While at the helm of the United States, Sundhage has won the 2008 Algarve Cup
and a Gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics
. She was on the verge of winning the 2009 Algarve Cup
, but the United States lost out to Sundhage's native Sweden
on penalties.
as a lesbian
in an interview with Swedish television personality Lasse Bengtsson and stated “There has been no problem for me to be openly gay as head coach in the U.S.” Sundhage has a partner, Marie.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
former professional football player who is currently the head coach of the United States Women's National Team
United States women's national soccer team
The United States women's national soccer team represents the United States in international soccer competition and is controlled by U.S. Soccer. The U.S. team won the first ever Women's World Cup in 1991, and has since been a superpower in women's soccer. It is currently ranked first in the world...
. While she played most of her career as a forward, she had stints as a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
as well as a sweeper.
Club
Sundhage started with IFK Ulricehamn as a youth player and eventually moved to Falköpings KIKFalköpings KIK
Falköpings KIK, formed 1976, is a sports club in Falköping, Sweden. The women's soccer professional team has qualified for the 2007 season Damallsvenskan.-External links:* - Official website...
in 1978. She then joined Jitex BK
Jitex BK
Jitex BK, a football club in Mölndal, Sweden was founded January 21, 1971 and plays in the Damallsvenskan.Jitex BK is one of the most successful clubs in Swedish women's football, with six national championships and three victories in the Swedish Cup during the 1970s and 80s. The Jitex name came...
from 1979 to 1981. Sundhage played 1982 to 1983 with Östers IF
Östers IF
Östers IF is a Swedish football club located in Växjö. The club, formed 20 April 1930 , is currently playing in the second Swedish league called Superettan. In 1968, Öster won Allsvenskan as newcomers. The club is affiliated to the Smålands Fotbollförbund...
, scoring 30 times in her first season with the club and chipping in 35 more in her second season. 1984 saw a move back to Jitex BK, while 1985 saw Sundhage split time between Stattena IF
Stattena IF
Stattena IF is a Swedish football club located in Helsingborg. The club played two seasons in the Allsvenskan in 1927-28 and 1929-30.-Background:The original club Stattena was one of the two clubs which in 1907 formed Helsingborgs IF...
, S.S. Lazio
S.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
(where she scored 17 times), and Jitex BK. She played the 1986 season with Hammarby IF DFF
Hammarby IF DFF
Hammarby IF DFF is a football club from Stockholm, capital of Sweden. The letters DFF, meaning damfotbollsförening or women's football association, separates the club from Hammarby IF FF which is the men's division of the same club...
, before she moved back to Jitex BK from 1979 through 1989. Sundhage finished her career with Hammarby IF DFF, playing from 1990 until she retired in 1996.
She won four Damallsvenskan
Damallsvenskan
The Damallsvenskan, Swedish for ladies' all-Swedish, is the highest division of women's football in Sweden. It is also referred as to the women's Allsvenskan, this term being used alone to refer to the men's division....
championships, all with Jitex BK, as well as two additional Svenska Cupen
Svenska Cupen
Svenska Cupen , is a knockout cup competition in Swedish football and the main Swedish football cup. Svenska Cupen usually refers to the men's tournament, although a women's tournament is also held. Each year 98 teams compete, comprising the 16 teams from Allsvenskan and the 16 teams of Superettan...
with the club. She also won two Svenska Cupen with Hammarby IF DFF.
International
Sundhage made her first appearance for the Swedish National TeamSweden women's national football team
Sweden women's national football team are a football team officially representing Sweden in women's football. They won the unofficial European Championships in 1984, a success the team has not managed to repeat, it has however won one World Cup-silver as well as three European Cup-silvers...
as a 15-year-old in 1975, eventually amassing 146 caps and scoring 71 goals for her country. Her 71 goals gave her joint-lead with Lena Videkull for the most in the Swedish National Team history, a record which has since been surpassed by Hanna Ljungberg
Hanna Ljungberg
Hanna Carolina Ljungberg is a Swedish football player, playing the position of forward. She plays for the club side Umeå IK and for the Swedish national football team. She debuted for Sweden, at age 17, on February 6, 1996 where Sweden won 8-0 against Spain.She is not related to Swedish male...
.
She participated for Sweden in the 1991 and 1995 (a third place finish) editions of the FIFA Women's World Cup
FIFA Women's World Cup
The FIFA Women's World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior women's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the...
and the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
. She won the 1984 UEFA Women's Championship
1984 European Competition for Women's Football
The 1984 European Competition for Women's Football was won by Sweden on penalties against England. It comprised four qualifying groups, and the winner of each went through to the semi-finals which were played over two legs, home and away...
. Her image appeared on a Swedish postage stamp in 1988. In 1989 Sundhage scored the first goal in a women's match at Wembley Stadium, as Sweden beat England
England women's national football team
The England women's national football team represents England in international women's football. The side has been quite successful of late, qualifying for three World Cups, 1995, 2007 and 2011...
2–0 in a curtain–raiser for the Rous Cup
Rous Cup
The Rous Cup was a short-lived football competition in the second half of the 1980s, contested between England, Scotland and, in later years, a guest team from South America.-Overview:...
.
In 2000, Sundhage finished sixth in the voting for FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
Women's Player of the Century.
Pre-United States
Sundhage got her start in coaching as a player/manager when she was with Hammarby IF DFFHammarby IF DFF
Hammarby IF DFF is a football club from Stockholm, capital of Sweden. The letters DFF, meaning damfotbollsförening or women's football association, separates the club from Hammarby IF FF which is the men's division of the same club...
from 1992 to 1994. She then took assistants jobs with Vallentuna BK
Vallentuna BK
Vallentuna BK is a Swedish football club located in Vallentuna.-Background:Since their foundation in 1919 Vallentuna Bollklubb has participated mainly in the lower divisions of the Swedish football league system. The club currently plays in Division 2 Södra Svealand which is the fourth tier of...
(1998 to 1999) and AIK Fotboll Dam (2000) before moving across the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
to become an assistant with Philadelphia Charge
Philadelphia Charge
The Philadelphia Charge was an American women's professional soccer team that played in the Women's United Soccer Association.The team played at Villanova Stadium on the campus of Villanova University near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The team began play in 2001. The league announced on September...
of the new Women's United Soccer Association
Women's United Soccer Association
The Women's United Soccer Association, often abbreviated to the WUSA, was the world's first women's soccer league in which all the players were paid as professionals. Founded in February 2000, the league began its first season in April 2001 with eight teams in the United States...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. She eventually was hired on by Boston Breakers
Boston Breakers (WUSA)
The Boston Breakers were a professional soccer team that played in the Women's United Soccer Association. The team played at Nickerson Field on the campus of Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts. The team held a "name the team" contest that Laura DeDonato of Easton Massachusetts won with the...
as the head coach, winning the league title and being named the 2003 WUSA Coach of the Year in the process. Once the WUSA folded however, it was back to Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
to take on further coaching positions.
Her relationship with the Boston Breakers led United States Women's National Team
United States women's national soccer team
The United States women's national soccer team represents the United States in international soccer competition and is controlled by U.S. Soccer. The U.S. team won the first ever Women's World Cup in 1991, and has since been a superpower in women's soccer. It is currently ranked first in the world...
captain Kristine Lilly
Kristine Lilly
Kristine Marie Lilly Heavey is a retired American soccer player who last played for Boston Breakers of Women's Professional Soccer and was a member of the United States women's national soccer team for 24 years...
and fellow USWNT player Kate Markgraf
Kate Markgraf
Kate Markgraf , is an American soccer defender and was a member of the U.S. women's national team.-Early life:...
joining her in the Swedish Damallsvenskan
Damallsvenskan
The Damallsvenskan, Swedish for ladies' all-Swedish, is the highest division of women's football in Sweden. It is also referred as to the women's Allsvenskan, this term being used alone to refer to the men's division....
when Pia coached KIF Örebro DFF
KIF Örebro DFF
KIF Örebro DFF is a football club from Örebro, Sweden. They play in the highest level of women's soccer leagues in Sweden, the Damallsvenskan...
from 2005 to 2006, after a brief stint with Kolbotn IL in 2004. Lilly said she "wanted to play for Pia again."
Sundhage served as an assistant to Marika Domanski Lyfors for the China Women's National Team
China women's national football team
The China women's national football team represents the People's Republic of China in international women's football.- Records :China had held the record of going for 442 minutes without conceding a World Cup goal, until it was broken by Germany on September 26, 2007, when Germany beat Norway 3-0...
during the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup.
United States Women's National Team
Pia Sundhage was announced as the United States Women's National TeamUnited States women's national soccer team
The United States women's national soccer team represents the United States in international soccer competition and is controlled by U.S. Soccer. The U.S. team won the first ever Women's World Cup in 1991, and has since been a superpower in women's soccer. It is currently ranked first in the world...
head coach on 13 November 2007. She became the seventh head coach in the U.S. team's history and the third woman. April Heinrichs led the squad from 2000–2004 and won the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
, while Lauren Gregg was in charge for 3 games in 2000 before Heinrichs was appointed. Sundhage served as a scout for the United States during the 2004 Olympics.
While at the helm of the United States, Sundhage has won the 2008 Algarve Cup
2008 Algarve Cup
The 2008 Algarve Cup was the fifteenth edition of the Algarve Cup, an invitational women's football tournament held annually in Portugal. It took place between 5 and 12 March 2008 with the reigning champions the United States winning the event for a record sixth time, after defeating Denmark in a...
and a Gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
. She was on the verge of winning the 2009 Algarve Cup
2009 Algarve Cup
-11th Place:-9th Place:-7th Place:-5th Place:-3rd Place:-Final:...
, but the United States lost out to Sundhage's native Sweden
Sweden women's national football team
Sweden women's national football team are a football team officially representing Sweden in women's football. They won the unofficial European Championships in 1984, a success the team has not managed to repeat, it has however won one World Cup-silver as well as three European Cup-silvers...
on penalties.
Personal life
In January 2010 Sundhage came outComing out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
as a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
in an interview with Swedish television personality Lasse Bengtsson and stated “There has been no problem for me to be openly gay as head coach in the U.S.” Sundhage has a partner, Marie.