Last week, Olympics-bound Sweden announced their roster for the 2012 Algarve Cup. Veteran defender Stina Segerstrom (born in 1982, 52 caps, 3 goals) returns to the squad after tearing her achilles early last year. Also returning is veteran midfielder Therese Sjögran (born in 1977, 177 caps, 19 goals), who missed a January tournament in La Manga, Spain due to an operation on a finger.
Missing from the squad are veteran defender Sara Larsson and veteran forward Josefine Öqvist (born in 1982, ~70 caps, ~18 goals) who is on maternity leave (Swedish article). Larsson had surgery for a heel-related injury (bursitis in the heel, I think) and will be out for a few more months.
Sweden’s WNT Algarve Cup Roster (2011 WWC Team Members are bolded):
Goalkeepers (3):
- Kristin Hammarström (K/Göteborg FC)
- Hedvig Lindahl (Kristianstads DFF)
- Sofia Lundgren (Linköpings FC)
Defenders (6):
- Emma Berglund (Umeå IK FF)
- Charlotte Rohlin (Linköpings FC)
- Stina Segerström (K/Göteborg FC)
- Linda Sembrant (K/Göteborg FC)
- Annica Svensson (Tyresö FF)
- Sara Thunebro (FFC Frankfurt)
Midfielders (8)
- Johanna Almgren (K/Göteborg FC)
- Lisa Dahlkvist (Tyresö FF)
- Nilla Fischer (LdB FC Malmö)
- Antonia Göransson (FFC Turbine Potsdam)
- Marie Hammarström (KIF Örebro DFF)
- Sofia Jakobsson (FC Rossiyanka)
- Caroline Seger (Tyresö FF)
- Therese Sjögran (LdB FC Malmö)
Forwards (4):
- Madelaine Edlund (Tyresö FF)
- Jessica Landström (FFC Frankfurt)
- Susanne Moberg (Kristianstads DFF)
- Lotta Schelin (Olympique Lyonnais)
Sweden is in Group A with Germany (roster profiled here), Iceland, and China. The USA could face Sweden in the second stage of the Cup, the placement matches, depending on how each team finishes in their group. (See this USSoccer.com article for a full explanation of the Cup’s set-up.)
Further reading: Roster plus write up (SvenskFotboll.se, in Swedish) (SvenskFotboll.se is the official website of Sweden’s soccer federation.)
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Note: Caroline Seger recently stepped down as captain. As of January, Charlotte Rohlin and Nilla Fischer are sharing the captain duties. Also, Dennerby has been experimenting with the 4-2-3-1 formation (insert Pia conspiracy theory here) as a companion to their regular 4-4-2 formation. For more about the formation experimenting, check out this SvenskFotboll.se article (in Swedish).
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In the roster, three players have less than ten caps: defender Emma Berglund (3, b. 1988), midfielder Sofia Jakobsson (8, b. 1990), and forward Susanne Moberg (3, b.1986). But, all three saw action against the USA in last November’s USA-Sweden match, which ended in a tie, 1-1. (US Soccer match report)
Berglund got her first cap in that match and played for the full 90. Jakobsson, who was on Sweden’s WWC roster and saw limited action as a sub, played for 87 minutes and scored Sweden’s goal. Moberg came in as a late sub for Jakobsson.
Berglund was also a member of Sweden’s U-23 WNT that the USA’s U-23 WNT defeated 4-2 last year in La Manga. Berglund scored in that match. Jakobsson scored the other goal for Sweden. (US Soccer match report)
Further reading:
Mini-interview with Jakobsson from last May (first senior WNT roster selection, SvenksFotboll.se).
Women's Soccer Express 