"Not at all. I'm not that smart.”
That was ex-USWNT head coach Pia Sundhage’s response to whether or not she engages in mind games. It is hard to believe at first.
Sundhage was just featured in a New York Times article that was supposed to be nothing more than a profile of her, a Swedish sporting legend. Instead, it turned into the talking point of the young 2015 World Cup.
The descriptions, anecdotes, and everyday happenings found in the article paint a scene of serene and candid appreciation. One in which Sundhage can be appreciated for what she is: a coaching genius. Yet, amidst the come several quotes that you would think should headline a gossip rag.
“Carli Lloyd was a challenge to coach, by the way. When she felt that we had faith in her, she could be one of the best players. But if she began to question that faith, she could be one of the worst.”
She said that “offhandedly” as she ate salad, finishing with, “It was so delicate, so, so delicate.”
She then divulged a conversation she had with Abby Wambach.
“I said that to Abby, I told her: ‘If I stayed, you would be a sub. The best sub ever. But a sub.’ There was no question about that in my mind.”
And said that Hope Solo was one of the hardest players to coach that she ever had, “especially when it comes to trouble.”
As shocking as her words are, the real interest found here is that they do not seem to be intended as inflammatory at all. Throughout the entire article Sundhage is shown to be someone who cares about soccer, and soccer only; someone who has little care for the personal lives of her players, and not in any sort of mean spirited way.
“You know, I talk to them about their mom, their dad, their boyfriend, their girlfriend or whatever, and you know what? It goes in one ear and out the other,” she is quoted as saying. “I try. I really try. I remember I sat with Amy Rodriguez for a long time once, talking and talking, and still I don’t know her family.”
Of course, regardless of how her comments were intended, their content was always going to stir up a storm of controversy. That is what happens when a coach calls an ex-player emotionally unstable, past her prime, or a lot of trouble. Their impact is only exacerbated by the fact that they are unquestionably true.
With the exception of Lloyd, whose emotional tendencies I have no way of commenting on, both Wambach and Solo can hardly say they are being discussed unfairly. Solo is the most controversial member of the USWNT. Abby Wambach is 35, and, for all of her prowess, she is about as mobile as a tractor stuck in mud. What we read in that New York Times article is nothing more than a genius soccer mind describing the way things are.
Sundhage’s current team, her native Sweden, and The USWNT are about to face off in the second round of the group stage, and in a pregame press conference on Thursday, Sundhage clarified her comments. She called Solo “a piece of work” as well as “the best goalkeeper in the world,” and said would make Wambach a sub in order to extend her career.
"The reason I'm sitting here is because of the U.S. team," she said. "They made me look good; three finals. And Carli Lloyd scored the winning goal in the Olympics both times actually."
It is tempting to call these clarifications a change of heart. As if her thoughts on her old players changed between that conversation over salad and Thursday. This is not true. Sundhage is merely doing what she has done all along: tell it like she sees it, and she sees things very, very clearly.
If her words do end up providing motivation for the USWNT, good. There has never been anything wrong with fanning the competitive flame. We all just need to realize that her words do so because they are true, and not because they are meant to hurt or antagonize.
Follow me on Twitter: @yetly
