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As football events of Olympics kicks off, US women eye revenge over familiar foes, Sweden

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The US have won four of six gold medals since the introduction of women’s football to the Olympic programme in 1996.PHOTO: REUTERS

United States captain Becky Sauerbrunn said the pain of their 2016 Olympic quarter-final loss to Sweden was driving her on ahead of the opening game between the two countries at the Tokyo Games.

Sauerbrunn was part of the team beaten on penalties by Sweden five years ago in Brazil, a loss that snapped a run of three successive Olympic titles for the US.

“I think what happened in 2016 was one of the worst results the senior national team has had in an international tournament,” Sauerbrunn told a news conference on Tuesday (July 20).

“For me it lit a fire going into 2019 and 2020… and going into this. It’s rich that we get to play them (Sweden) in our first game.”

Wednesday’s match at Tokyo Stadium will be the ninth meeting between the two nations at the World Cup or Olympics, making Sweden the Americans’ most frequent foe at a major tournament.

“Sweden in general is just a great squad so I’m excited we get to see them again,” said Sauerbrunn, set to win her 189th international cap.

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“They’ve got dynamic forwards. I’m just really looking forward to the battle. They’re special players, (Stina) Blackstenius, (Sofia) Jakobsson, (Lina) Hurtig…”

The US have won four of six gold medals since the introduction of women’s football to the Olympic programme in 1996, and also finished runners-up to Norway in 2000.

Megan Rapinoe is arguably the most recognisable member of a 22-player squad that also includes Alex Morgan, who gave birth to her first child in May of last year.

Coach Vlatko Andonovski has won 22 of 23 games since replacing Jill Ellis in October 2019. The US have conceded just four goals in that time, with Sweden accounting for three of them.

The Skopje-born Andonovski began his tenure with a 3-2 victory over the Swedes in Columbus, while the most recent encounter resulted in a 1-1 draw in Stockholm in April when Rapinoe equalised with a late penalty.

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“I think our team is very fortunate to have played as many games as we have,” said the 36-year-old Sauerbrunn, a two-time World Cup champion and 2012 Olympic gold medallist.

“It’s hard to replicate a game scenario. It has allowed us to form chemistry and work on tactics and dig down into those details that are so important.

“(But) going into a tournament you never know what’s going to happen.”

After dumping the US out in Brazil, Sweden scraped past the hosts in another shootout to reach the final before losing 2-1 to Germany.

Sweden’s run to the semi-finals of the 2019 World Cup secured their ticket to Tokyo, where they will be led by the vastly experienced Caroline Seger, the nation’s all-time record holder with 215 international appearances.

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“The US brings the best when they need to be the best,” said Seger. “It’s going to be a very tough game for us tomorrow but we’re going to be prepared.”

Sweden have held their own against the US in recent times, with seven of the past eight clashes decided by one goal or fewer.

“I just know that all the games we’ve played against them we’ve been very good,” said Seger.

“We know we have to be prepared for those games and step up to a level that is very high. It’s going to be very intense.”

Australia take on New Zealand in the other game in Group G, with the top two from each of the three sections advancing to the quarter-finals along with two third-placed sides.

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Reigning champions Germany failed to qualify for the tournament, while Japan return as hosts after missing out on the 2016 edition.

Britain will field a team comprised primarily of England players, with European champions and World Cup finalists the Netherlands making their Olympic debut.

Chile and Zambia are also participating for the first time, as China, Brazil and 2016 bronze medallists Canada complete the 12-team competition.

-AFP

 

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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International Football

Players’ union, FIFPRO, wants 20-minute halftimes, more cooling breaks amid extreme heat

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Global players’ union FIFPRO is exploring whether extending halftime to 20 minutes and introducing more frequent cooling breaks could better protect players from extreme heat.

Nine of the 16 host cities for the 2026 World Cup face conditions considered “extreme risk” for heat-related illness.

Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Guadalajara, Houston, Kansas City, Miami, Monterrey and Philadelphia are expected to face dangerous levels of heat and humidity, posing player safety concerns and fuelling calls for mandatory cooling aids or schedule changes.

FIFPRO’s heat risk assessments are based on wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT), a measure combining temperature, humidity, solar radiation and wind speed to estimate how environmental conditions affect the body’s ability to cool itself.

Under FIFPRO guidelines, a WBGT reading above 28 degrees Celsius indicates conditions in which matches should be postponed or rescheduled to protect players’ health.

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By comparison, world soccer governing body FIFA’s own guidelines set the extreme risk threshold higher, at 32 degrees Celsius WBGT – but even by that standard, six of the nine cities are still projected to exceed safe limits.

Major League Soccer in the U.S. has a threshold of 29 degrees Celsius WBGT.

“Cooling breaks at the 30th minute and 75th minutes are quite traditional, but from a physiological point of view it does not make sense,” said Vincent Gouttebarge, FIFPRO’s Medical Director.

“Even if you ingest more than 200 millilitres of fluid, you already cannot take it all. So I would definitely like to see some project where we look at the efficacy of perhaps more frequent but shorter cooling breaks – every 15 minutes, rather than only one during each half.”

LONGER HALFTIMES

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Gouttebarge also questioned whether the traditional 15-minute halftime interval is sufficient when matches are played in extreme heat.

“You can imagine that halftime of 15 minutes might not be enough in order to decrease the core temperature,” he said.

“It could be a halftime of 20 minutes which would be significant. That has been shown in the laboratory and FIFPRO, together with the national union in Portugal in August, we are going to test this kind of mitigation strategy.”

The urgency of stronger heat protocols became clear at this month’s Club World Cup where two matches — Benfica-Bayern Munich in Charlotte and Chelsea-Esperance in Philadelphia exceeded the WBGT threshold FIFPRO considers unsafe.

“According to our position, those games should have been postponed later that day or rescheduled,” Gouttebarge said.

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FIFPRO officials acknowledged that FIFA has responded constructively during the tournament by lowering thresholds for mandatory cooling breaks and improving pitch-side hydration, but stressed that proactive planning is critical.

“FIFA have been quite responsive once the tournament was under way,” said Alex Phillips, FIFPRO General Secretary.

“They have actually modified how they’ve been dealing with heat during the matches based on FIFPRO’s input, which is credit to the work of the team. Obviously, it would have been better if that happened in advance, but it’s better that they have adapted.”

FIFPRO warned that the risks highlighted at the Club World Cup are a preview of what players could face at the expanded 2026 World Cup.

“This is not just affecting the Club World Cup, but also future tournaments either in the U.S. or elsewhere in the world,” said Alexander Bielefeld, FIFPRO Director of Policy & Strategic Relations.

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“We need a better balance between commercial interests and the health and safety of players,” he added, referring to earlier kick-off times to accommodate European television audiences.

-Reuters

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Former England and Man Utd midfielder Ince charged with drink-driving

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Championship - Norwich City v Reading - Carrow Road, Norwich, Britain - December 30, 2022, Reading manager Paul Ince applauds fans after the match Action Images/Matthew Childs/File Photo 

Former Manchester United and England midfielder Paul Ince has been charged with drink-driving, police said on Monday.

Ince, who earned 53 caps for England and won two Premier League titles during his six years at United, has been released on bail and will appear in court on July 18.

“The incident involved a black Range Rover which had collided with the central reservation barrier. Officers attended the scene and arrested a 57-year-old man,” the Cheshire police said in a statement.

“Paul Ince, of Quarry Road, Neston, has since been charged with drink-driving.”

Reuters has contacted Ince’s representative for comment.

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After retiring as a player, Ince led Milton Keynes Dons to a League Two title in 2007-08. He most recently managed Reading during 2022-23.

-Reuters

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From garbage collector to Starman of Ancelotti’s Brazil team: the story of Ribeiro

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I was without a team for a year and a half, doing trials… and no club in Brazil wanted me.!” Alex Ribeiro

Alexsandro Victor de Souza Ribeiro (Rio de Janeiro, 1999) was, until a few days ago, a semi-unknown to the general public in Brazil. 

However, Carlo Ancelotti, impressed by his strong performance against Real Madrid in the Champions League, insisted on calling up the Lille centre-back… and giving him his debut.

Not only that. He started alongside Marquinhos against Ecuador (0-0) and Paraguay (1-0) and helped the Seleçao keep two consecutive clean sheets for the first time in the qualifying rounds.

Alex, as he likes to be called, impressed with his 1.92 meters (6′ 1″) frame and confidence. According to ‘R10Score’, he was the Brazilian player who completed the most actions with the ball (186) and the second with the most cuts (11).

He completed 154 of the 166 passes he made (92% accuracy) and won 12 of the 16 duels he was involved in: 5 of 7 at ground level and 7 of 9 in the air. “A gentleman defender,” boasted the official Ligue 1 Portuguese account.

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His path to the elite wasn’t easy. “I don’t think you know this, but this is my first game as a professional in Brazil. Strange, isn’t it? There’s nothing better. To debut in Brazil like this, with a win and qualification,” he boasted after defeating Paraguay.

These first few days with Ancelotti have been unique; I’ll remember them for the rest of my life. I’ve responded well not only to myself, but also to the coach and the Brazilian people.  I was able to demonstrate my ability to those who had doubts. Few people give me the opportunity that the manager has given me,”  he insists

The Lille centre-back took his first steps in Flamengo’s youth system, where he even met Vinicius. 

“When we played against Real Madrid, Vini came up to me and hugged me. He said, ‘I’m glad to see you here, brother.’ That inspired and motivated me even more,” he told ‘Globo Esporte’.

‘Fla’ cut him off. He had to make a living as a street vendor. He also collected trash, especially cans. “I was without a team for a year and a half, doing trials… and no club in Brazil wanted me, so I went to Europe to play in Portugal’s Third Division.”

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Praiense (2018-20), Amora (2020-21), and Chaves (2021-22)—the latter already in the Second Division—were his springboard to Lille. The Bulldogs signed him in 2022-23 for €2 million. He has become a more than worthy successor to his compatriot Gabriel Magalhaes.

Little by little, my name is spreading. My football is reaching everywhere. This includes Brazil,” he said before making his debut with the Seleçao. Now that he’s made it, he has another challenge: I want to continue it.”

-Marca

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