Becky Sauerbrunn
Becky Sauerbrunn is a defender for the U.S. Women's National Team and for magicJack in Women's Professional Soccer.
June 30, 2011
Becky Sauerbrunn: "Every team in this year’s WWC can and will compete"
“Okay, wow. Not bad.”
“That was kind of sick.”
“I think that was all done with one touch.”
A couple comments heard around the USWNT meeting room as we watched clips from a friendly game between North Korea and Germany. And no, we were not talking about Germany. We were doing our homework on North Korea because we knew our first game was going to be a challenging one.
But there is a World Cup going on, and between the multiple meetings and trainings, we found the time to watch portions of every team’s first games. My initial thought is that every team in this year’s WWC can and will compete. There weren’t any 4-0 beatdowns or overly dominant possession stats. Obviously there were better teams and weaker teams, but I was thrilled to see the progression of women’s soccer on a global scale.
My second thought is that no team played their best soccer. There is better soccer to come. Take the Germany-Canada game. Germany had everything going for them--home crowd of 70,000, a nation’s support, momentum from decisive friendly wins. They performed well, don’t get me wrong, but I expected a different level. A level I’ve seen in the clips we watch in our meetings. I say the same for the other front-runners in the tournament. Including the U.S. I’m projecting that teams will have more complete performances as the tournament continues and that the quality of soccer will continue to improve and impress.
The North Korea game was a huge win for us. A big 3 points, top of the group in goal differential, ‘sitting pretty’ as they say. We performed well. Our team defense was the best it’s ever been, and against a possession-oriented and highly technical North Korean side, team defense makes all the difference. On the attacking side, we generated chances and obviously scored two crucial goals. Is there more in us? Absolutely. We didn’t play our absolute best, but it’s a positive sign that we got the win against a very worthy opponent doing so.
My third and final thought from the WWC’s first games is that the sport is growing. The atmosphere has been phenomenal. Germany has done a wonderful job putting on the tournament. Everywhere you look there are banners, commercials, posters, etc. I mean, seriously, 70,000 people at any sporting event is awesome. Make that a women’s soccer game and that number is staggering. And it’s not just the Germans supporting their home team. Just today our team trained in front of hundreds of American soldiers and their families who are stationed here in Heidelberg, Germany. If we’re receiving that kind of support in a training imagine what it’ll be like Saturday when we play Colombia in a supposedly sold-out stadium.
Becky Sauerbrunn: "Every team in this year’s WWC can and will compete"
“Okay, wow. Not bad.”
“That was kind of sick.”
“I think that was all done with one touch.”
A couple comments heard around the USWNT meeting room as we watched clips from a friendly game between North Korea and Germany. And no, we were not talking about Germany. We were doing our homework on North Korea because we knew our first game was going to be a challenging one.
But there is a World Cup going on, and between the multiple meetings and trainings, we found the time to watch portions of every team’s first games. My initial thought is that every team in this year’s WWC can and will compete. There weren’t any 4-0 beatdowns or overly dominant possession stats. Obviously there were better teams and weaker teams, but I was thrilled to see the progression of women’s soccer on a global scale.
My second thought is that no team played their best soccer. There is better soccer to come. Take the Germany-Canada game. Germany had everything going for them--home crowd of 70,000, a nation’s support, momentum from decisive friendly wins. They performed well, don’t get me wrong, but I expected a different level. A level I’ve seen in the clips we watch in our meetings. I say the same for the other front-runners in the tournament. Including the U.S. I’m projecting that teams will have more complete performances as the tournament continues and that the quality of soccer will continue to improve and impress.
The North Korea game was a huge win for us. A big 3 points, top of the group in goal differential, ‘sitting pretty’ as they say. We performed well. Our team defense was the best it’s ever been, and against a possession-oriented and highly technical North Korean side, team defense makes all the difference. On the attacking side, we generated chances and obviously scored two crucial goals. Is there more in us? Absolutely. We didn’t play our absolute best, but it’s a positive sign that we got the win against a very worthy opponent doing so.
My third and final thought from the WWC’s first games is that the sport is growing. The atmosphere has been phenomenal. Germany has done a wonderful job putting on the tournament. Everywhere you look there are banners, commercials, posters, etc. I mean, seriously, 70,000 people at any sporting event is awesome. Make that a women’s soccer game and that number is staggering. And it’s not just the Germans supporting their home team. Just today our team trained in front of hundreds of American soldiers and their families who are stationed here in Heidelberg, Germany. If we’re receiving that kind of support in a training imagine what it’ll be like Saturday when we play Colombia in a supposedly sold-out stadium.
June 19, 2011
Becky Sauerbrunn: "All That Matters is the Present"
Leogang, Austria
WWC 2011
I can’t say the camp started smoothly. I’m packing up my bags in my boyfriend’s apartment in D.C., listening to some music as I’m folding up the last bit of laundry, when I receive a text message from our general manager.
“Are you at the airport? There are long lines...”
For someone who already suffers from tardiness anxiety, this completely destroyed any tranquility I had amassed from a week off from club and country duty. I swear and write back.
“Umm, no. Still at the apartment. Will leave as soon as possible.”
To which I receive the reassuring words: “You better.”
Awesome. Off to a great start. I yell at my boyfriend to get the car as I struggle to carry down my luggage. We hop into the car and almost immediately hit traffic. I swear again. My boyfriend tries to placate me, but I’m having none of it. We pass the remaining ride in silence. Me wondering how I’ll get to Leogang, Austria since I’m almost positive I will be missing this flight while he is just trying to avoid getting yelled at again. We share a quick goodbye and I start waiting in the first of two very long airport lines.
I make the flight, somehow, and as I’m trying to find my seat I hear Abby laughing. She knows being late and missing flights make me extremely anxious and so I’m sure I look like an absolute wreck. I’m the type of person who tries to board the plane when it’s not my seating number just so I can be on the plane. Whatever, I made it. We fly into Munich, Germany. I, like most of the girls on the team, sleep terribly on the plane and the thought of a 2.5 hour bus ride to Austria does nothing to lift the mood. After about an hour, the caffeine starts kicking in and we can actually begin to process things around us.
Austria is breathtakingly beautiful. I can’t find the words to do its beauty justice, so I’m hoping these pictures will help. Most important, it’s around this time when everyone starts to realize that we’re actually here. We’re actually at the World Cup. For awhile it seemed like the tournament would never come. And during our qualifying scare there was the chance it never would. Even after qualifying, it felt as though the training camps would never end. But all that is in the past - my anxiety, the training, the lifting, the running, the traveling. Our preparation is done. All that matters is the present, and from where we’re standing, it’s looking pretty good.
Photos courtesy Becky Sauerbrunn from Austria, where the USWNT is currently training prior to the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup
Becky Sauerbrunn: "All That Matters is the Present"
Leogang, Austria
WWC 2011
I can’t say the camp started smoothly. I’m packing up my bags in my boyfriend’s apartment in D.C., listening to some music as I’m folding up the last bit of laundry, when I receive a text message from our general manager.
“Are you at the airport? There are long lines...”
For someone who already suffers from tardiness anxiety, this completely destroyed any tranquility I had amassed from a week off from club and country duty. I swear and write back.
“Umm, no. Still at the apartment. Will leave as soon as possible.”
To which I receive the reassuring words: “You better.”
Awesome. Off to a great start. I yell at my boyfriend to get the car as I struggle to carry down my luggage. We hop into the car and almost immediately hit traffic. I swear again. My boyfriend tries to placate me, but I’m having none of it. We pass the remaining ride in silence. Me wondering how I’ll get to Leogang, Austria since I’m almost positive I will be missing this flight while he is just trying to avoid getting yelled at again. We share a quick goodbye and I start waiting in the first of two very long airport lines.
I make the flight, somehow, and as I’m trying to find my seat I hear Abby laughing. She knows being late and missing flights make me extremely anxious and so I’m sure I look like an absolute wreck. I’m the type of person who tries to board the plane when it’s not my seating number just so I can be on the plane. Whatever, I made it. We fly into Munich, Germany. I, like most of the girls on the team, sleep terribly on the plane and the thought of a 2.5 hour bus ride to Austria does nothing to lift the mood. After about an hour, the caffeine starts kicking in and we can actually begin to process things around us.
Austria is breathtakingly beautiful. I can’t find the words to do its beauty justice, so I’m hoping these pictures will help. Most important, it’s around this time when everyone starts to realize that we’re actually here. We’re actually at the World Cup. For awhile it seemed like the tournament would never come. And during our qualifying scare there was the chance it never would. Even after qualifying, it felt as though the training camps would never end. But all that is in the past - my anxiety, the training, the lifting, the running, the traveling. Our preparation is done. All that matters is the present, and from where we’re standing, it’s looking pretty good.
Photos courtesy Becky Sauerbrunn from Austria, where the USWNT is currently training prior to the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup
