VOA常速英语2007年-US Women's Soccer Team Gets a New Coach

By Jim Stevenson
Washington
14 November 2007

The U.S. Soccer Federation¹ has announced the hiring of Sweden's Pia Sundhage to coach the American women's national team through the 2008 Beijing Olympics. VOA's Jim Stevenson reports.

Sundhage, who starred as a player for Sweden and was an assistant coach on China's national team, was introduced Tuesday. She replaces American Greg Ryan, whose contract was not renewed after the U.S. women finished third at this year's World Cup in China.

The 47-year-old Sundhage takes over the team immediately and will start preparing the players for the Four Nations tournament in China this January. She says her plan will help bring the players together.

"We have to work as a team," said Pia Sundhage. "And show that we are the best again. And in order to be successful, you need passion, inspiration², and like to be challenged. And I know that I have the passion for the game. I will inspire the players and the coaching staff. And I love the challenge."

U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati says Sundhage brings "a fresh perspective and a tremendous amount of experience to the job." Gulati says Sundhage stood out from the other candidates because she has a reputation for winning and getting the most out of her players.

"I am not going to say it has been an easy decision," said Sunil Gulati. "That would not be appropriate because we had some excellent candidates. But Pia comes with extraordinary credentials³. So I think the message is what we want it to be. We want to win the gold in Beijing. And we want to get the program to higher levels."

While Sundhage had played against some of the more senior U.S. players, she has deeper ties to U.S. Soccer. She previously⁴ coached some of the American players in the now-defunct WUSA league. Sundhage also served as a scout⁵ for U.S. Soccer during the 2004 Athens Olympics.

1 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

2 inspiration   

n.灵感，鼓励者，吸气

参考例句：

• These events provided the inspiration for his first novel.这些事件给了他创作第一部小说的灵感。
• What an inspiration she was to all around her!她对于她周围所有的人是一种多么大的鼓舞！

3 credentials   

n.证明，资格，证明书，证件

参考例句：

• He has long credentials of diplomatic service.他的外交工作资历很深。
• Both candidates for the job have excellent credentials.此项工作的两个求职者都非常符合资格。

4 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

5 scout   

n.童子军，侦察员；v.侦察，搜索

参考例句：

• He was mistaken for an enemy scout and badly wounded.他被误认为是敌人的侦察兵，受了重伤。
• The scout made a stealthy approach to the enemy position.侦察兵偷偷地靠近敌军阵地。