Sundhage Named U.S. Women's Soccer Coach

CHICAGO (Source: US Soccer) – Pia Sundhage has been named the new head coach of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, it was announced today by U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati. Sundhage, 47, brings an extensive and impressive resume to the position as both a player and coach, most recently as an assistant for the Chinese National Team during the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Sundhage has been hired to coach the U.S. team through 2008 and the Beijing Olympics, and will begin work immediately on preparation for Olympic qualifying. While final CONCACAF qualifying dates have not yet been announced, it is anticipated the tournament will take place early next year.

Sundhage (pronounced Soond-hahg-Eh) coached in the WUSA during all three years of its existence, serving as the top assistant for the Philadelphia Charge during the 2001and 2002 seasons before taking over as head coach of the Boston Breakers in 2003. She led the Breakers, a team that had not made the playoffs in its first two seasons, to the regular season championship and its first playoff berth.

Sundhage is actually the fourth foreign-born coach in U.S. Women's National Team history, after the team's first coach Mike Ryan (who was born in Ireland but relocated to the United States in 1958 at age 23), Anson Dorrance (born in India) and Greg Ryan (born in Germany).

The U.S. Women’s National Team has won four world championships – two Women’s World Cup and two Olympics -- and finished in the top three in all eight women’s world championships staged by FIFA since the inaugural Women’s World Cup in 1991, the only team in the world to medal in every tournament.