In Focus: Sweden

Swedish Football Association
Current FIFA World Ranking: 5 
2015 Women’s World Cup Qualifying: Finished in first place of UEFA Group 4 to be one of the automatic qualifiers for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Sweden ran through its group undefeated to finish with a 10-0-0 record while scoring 32 goals and only allowing one against.
Women’s World Cup Finals Appearances: 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015
Record vs. USA: 5-20-10
Head Coach: Pia Sundhage
Championship Honors: Runner-Up at 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup; Third-Place finisher in 1991 and 2011. Algarve Cup Champion in 1995, 2001 and 2009. 1984 UEFA Women’s Champions
Leading Women’s World Cup Qualifying Scorers: Lotta Schelin (12), Kosovare Asllani (6), Lina Nilsson (4), Caroline Seger (3)
Key Players: Hedbig Lindahl (Chelsea), Nilla Fischer (VfL Wolfsburg), Lotta Schelin (Olympic Lyon), Therese Sjogran (FC Rosengard), Kosovare Asllani (Paris Saint-Germain), Caroline Seger (Paris Saint-Germain), Sofia Jakobsson

Sweden Women’s National Team Roster by Position:
GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Hedvig Lindahl (Chelsea), 12-Hilda Carlen (Pieta IF), 21-Carola Soberg (KIF Orebro)
DEFENDERS (9): 2-Charlotte Rohlin (Linkopings FC), 3-Linda Sembrant (Montpellier HSC), 4-Emma Berglund (FC Rosengard), 5-Nilla Fischer (VfL Wolfsburg), 6-Sara Thunebro (Eskilstuna United), 14-Amanda Ilestedt (FC Rosengard), 16-Lina Nilsson (FC Rosengard), 18-Jessica Samuelsson (Linkopings FC), 23-Elin Rubensson (Kopparbergs/Goteborg FC)
MIDFIELDERS (6): 7-Lisa Dahlkvist (KIF Orebro), 13-Malin Diaz (Eskilstuna United), 15-Therese Sjogran (FC Rosengard), 17-Caroline Seger (Paris Saint-Germain), 20-Emilia Appelqvist (Pitea IF), 22-Olivia Schough (Eskilstuna United)
FORWARDS (5): 8-Lotta Schelin (Olympique Lyon), 9-Kosovare Asllani (Paris Saint-Germain), 10-Sofia Jakobsson (Montpellier HSC), 11-Jenny Hjohlman (Umea IK), 19-Emma Lundh (AIK Fotboll)

SWEDEN ROSTER NOTES

• Sweden’s roster has six players who have surpassed the 100 cap mark. These include goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl (109), defenders Nilla Fischer (132) and Sara Thunebro (131), midfielders Therese Sjogran (211) and Caroline Seger (139) and forward Lotta Schelin (151).
• Sjogran is the most capped player on the roster with 211 appearances for Sweden, the only player of the group with over 200 caps.
• Goalkeeper Hilda Carlen is the least capped player overall with one cap. Forward Emma Lund is the least capped field player on the roster with 11.
• Swedish captain Seger is one of seven players on the roster to play club soccer outside of Sweden. Five play club soccer in France and one apiece in Germany and England.
• Forward Kosovare Asllani and Seger are teammates at Paris Saint-Germain, while defender Linda Sembrant and forward Sofia Jakobsson play together at Montpellier HSC.
• Schelin is the leading scorer on the Swedish roster, almost scoring four times as many as the next player. She has scored 80 goals in international play, including the game-winning goal during the USA and Sweden’s last meeting back in March 2014 at the Algarve Cup.
• The next scorer behind Schelin is Asllani who has racked up 21 goals in 78 appearances.
• The two players who netted the goals against the USA during the 2011 group stage match loss are part of this roster: Lisa Dahlkvist and Fischer.
• Thirteen of the players that took the field during the last meeting against the USA in March 2014 are members of this World Cup roster.
• The average age of the Sweden roster is 27.6 years old, with 21-year old Malin Diaz being the youngest players, and 38-year old Sjogran the oldest.
• Kosovare (Chicago Red Stars), Sjogran (Sky Blue FC) and Seger (Philadelphia Independence and Western New York Flash) all spent some time playing soccer in the United States.
  

USA VS. SWEDEN SERIES

• The USA has an all-time record of 20-5-10 against Sweden dating back to 1987.
• The USA and Sweden are grouped together for the fourth straight Women’s World Cup (2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015) and will face each other for a fifth time overall (1991).
• In the four previous meetings, the USA has defeated Sweden three of those times, winning 3-2 in 1991, 3-1 in 2003 and 2-0 in 2007.
• The most recent meeting between both teams in a Women’s World Cup game was on July 6, 2011 in Wolfsburg, Germany, where the Swedes handed the USA its first loss in World Cup group play. 
• The USA has outscored Sweden 64-32, and has only allowed more than two goals to be scored against them on one occasion.
• The last matchup between both sides came on March 7, 2014 in Albufeira, Portugal, during the 2014 Algarve Cup. The USA lost that match, 1-0.
• Out of the 35 meetings between both teams, the USA has played on foreign soil on 24 occasions, winning 12 of those matches, tying seven and losing five.
• The U.S. Women have only allowed Sweden to score a total of five goals while playing away from home.
• The USA’s largest victory against Sweden was a 4-0 U.S. win on March 7, 2012 in Parchal, Portugal.
• Thirteen players that took the field in the USA’s last meeting with Sweden are part of this World Cup roster.
• Behind Norway (19) and China PR (8), Sweden (5) is tied with Denmark as the nation that has defeated the USA the most times.