Nov. 21, 2012

GOTHENBURG, Sweden - This is the final blog by former Stanford soccer star Christen Press in her first season in Sweden, playing for Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC.

Circles

“What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? … Or does it explode?

– Langston Hughes

I really had hoped to write something insightful for my last in-season blog post. I figured that after this phenomenal experience of life and football abroad, I would have some sort of grand final statement on my growth to share with you. But alas, this is not the case. What I have learned, however, is that, perhaps, nothing ever goes as expected and, perhaps, that is a blessing.

I thought I would get homesick. During the nine months of living single, in my one-bedroom apartment at the top of my hill, over 6,000 miles from home I thought I’d feel melancholy. I thought I’d long for my home in the states, my family and friends, my old life. But somehow over the course of my time here, I found a surprising strength and security in knowing that as my home was standing tall in the glorious California sun. My people have kept tabs on me from afar, and the beams exuding from their support and pride have shone brightly over me.

I thought that playing in Sweden would be kissing the USWNT goodbye. In March, I decided to walk away from the disappointment of being excluded from the national team. I thought my last opportunity to be seen had crumbled with the disintegration of the WPS, so I decided to leave my London2012 dreams behind in order to make myself a better player. I played in Sweden with a freed spirit and with my attention on enjoyment and improvement. And then, of course, as fate would have it, I got invited into my first and only camp before being called to the Olympics as an alternate.

I thought I embodied ‘the American way.’ While I was reared in the spirit of a true American, one of the things I am most proud of this year has been my “open mind” to the Swedish way. I opened my heart and really let a new place become a part of me. With its café culture, its lagom mentality, its cobblestone streets, and its park-side waterways, this lovely little city became not only the backdrop for my story, but a starring role in it. I came to Sweden with a fierce curiosity, trying hard to suppress my stubborn, know-it-all mindset. And from that curiosity I’ve observed and absorbed a different society. It has affected me in many ways: my style, my football, my routines. And as my grasp of the language improved, I think I’ve gained an even greater understanding of the world.

I thought this year was going to be about finding my way on my own. Instead, I have found the complete opposite to be true. The year 2012 was about coming together. It was about learning to lean on my friends. It was about discovering who I am and how to find happiness through healthy strong relationships. It was about learning how to be a true team player. Furthermore, it was about uncovering and harnessing the emotional and physical power that only exists when you both help and accept help from others.

Even though I am far away from the USA, November will always be a time when I stop to reflect upon and acknowledge the things for which I am most thankful. In that light I have added to my list of family, friends, and good health … My time spent here in Gothenburg playing for KGFC!

Stoppage Time:
I’ve come full circle. My first game for KGFC was the 2011/2012 Champions League quarterfinals. My last game happened to be the 2012/2013 Champions League Round of 16, with the Quarterfinals to be played in the spring of 2013.

We ended up at fourth in Damallsvenskan, missing 2014 Champions League qualifications and failing to reach many of our expectations as a team. And although the last league game seemed a little anticlimactic for my American playoff-mentality, I really believe that how we finished the season is a solid foundation for the team we want to be… going forward. In August our team decided upon two goals for the fall: a Swedish Cup Championship and making it to the Champions League quarterfinals. We named it and we achieved it, and that is an important step for our team. We know that it will take a lot to make a deeper run at Champions League, but we are an ambitious group and are willing to do what it takes to get there.

Final Score:
KGFC 3 Fortuna Hjorring 2
(4-3 Aggregate)

I've spent a lot of my time this week talking to my friends about how I believe 2013 is going to be THE year. The year 2013 is not for worrying, it’s for going for gold. So, yes, I dream big, but I know all my dreams depend upon the simple process of improving each and every day through hard work. They are my dreams and they do not depend upon what others want or what others think of me. Nine months later … I still maintain the same creed.

“Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.”

¯ William Ernest Henley

From My Dear Friend, Hindsight

When it’s finally over you will discover a newfound strength in your bones. Well, actually, your body will seem to deteriorate through the course of a long, tough season. Hmm … Perhaps your new strength will reside in your brain. It is funny how connected the two are: body and mind. Only you will be so fatigued that you may not recognize the new and improved you as you gravitate toward a postseason hibernation and find yourself sleeping roughly 12 hours at a stretch. But remember Rip Van Winkle … you will wake up to find change has happened. Through the ups and the downs, the cycles of games and breaks and then more games, through training after training after training, in the rain … oh the rain! ... and travel — planes, trains, buses, and automobiles -- the season will tear you apart. And yet, in the most important ways, it will quite certainly leave you whole.

Resist the urge to attempt to “Americanize” your Swedish schedule. In the past, your seasons have been sprints, in which you’ve trained hard to prepare for preseason, even harder in preseason, played a few months of games, began your “kick” in the playoffs, hit the finish line, then a big fat break. This season, on the other hand, will be a marathon. You cannot train for a marathon like you train for a sprint, but you will try to anyway; doing interval training … pushing and pushing, adding extra trainings, extra running, and lifts into your schedule as a form of “improvement insurance.” Don’t do it! You will soon learn, “Enough is a feast.” Otherwise, while you climb the peaks and valleys this year, you will miss flourishing in the rain of the plains with most of your Swedish teammates. One last bit of advice … When it is time to stop and drink some water… stop … drink, but be ready to resume the race.

As I reflect upon my last season, I look forward to preparing for my next. With this in mind, I hope I can do a better job of adopting the Swedish training mentality. Supplemental training feels great to my body … to my mind. As the endorphins flush through my body, I am reassured that I am doing everything in my power to be my best, giving me confidence and pride. But, if I am going to embrace a more moderate approach to my practice regimen, I will need to fill in the ravine where the streams of extra endorphins and self-assurance used to flow.

My friend and former teammate is currently in a long, difficult recovery process following knee surgery. While chatting about her rehabilitation, she gave me clues into a possible method of coping with the extended season. Patience is paramount. Naturally, when first injured, she wanted progress to come as quickly as possible, and so, she too, was a sucker for overtraining. But now, she is learning that, in the long haul, it’s all about the “little victories.” While she works toward the big benchmarks — when she can run, cut, play contact … the wins, goals, and prizes of a season — her physical therapist advises her to make sure she focuses on each small improvement; thereby consistently validating her hard work and progress and reassuring herself. In extended rehab, progress might be manifested in the form of a muscle twitching for the first time. In a lengthy season, it might be something as subtle as recognizing a teammate’s tendencies. While it didn’t seem like a big deal, in hindsight, appreciating these small achievements potentially could have helped to build up my self-confidence and allayed some of my frustrations.

Hmm … it seems that no matter how hard I try to get everything out of an experience, I am always inadvertently taking the advice of my father. After a long day at Disneyland growing up, my dad would plea to us girls: “Save some for next time!”

In my first blog entry in February, I wrote about the pickup soccer I used to play at the park in Manhattan Beach, California. In a tank top and in the sunshine, I would join what I called a cast of misfits in a Telenovela for two hours of fútbol. That feels like a lifetime ago. So when my teammate called this week and asked if I wanted to come out of hiding and join her and some younger boys at Valhalla for spontanfotboll, I couldn’t resist! So much for my “big, fat postseason break.” But like overtraining, perhaps that, too, must go in my adoption of the Swedish way.

Walking into our locker room with the blasting music and smiling faces from a few of my teammates, somehow felt surreal, like a clip out of a movie. We took the field in 0 degrees Celsius, wearing far too many layers of clothing, and the rain seemed only to add to the drama. Yes, the season had taken its’ toll on all of us. But there we were, beaming from ear to ear like we had never had the privilege of playing before. When one of the boys scored a goal, I could swear I heard him yelling “Jag är den bästa spelaren i väldren!” (“I am the best in the world!”) … and bathed in a perfect mixture of rain and sweat … we were all reborn!

Stoppage Time:
Recently, it has been brought to my attention that the way in which I have explained the Swedish season is a bit confusing, so I thought I’d give a brief recap and clarification.

The Swedish League season runs from April through October, with a short break midway in the summer. Unlike the playoff models of my past, winning Damallsvenskan (the league) is the most noteworthy accomplishment within Sweden. We finished fourth in league.

Match versus Piteå:
Match versus Djurgården:
Match versus Malmö:
Match versus Linköping:

Meanwhile, the Swedish Cup (the tournament) runs concurrently with league. We played Cup games on Wednesday and league games on the weekend. We won the cup. (2-1)

Most importantly of all, Champions League runs from September through the following June with a long break in the winter. CL is congruent with most European league schedules, but Sweden’s weather conditions force Damallsvenskan’s schedule to be flipped: spring-fall versus fall-spring. To qualify for Champions League, a Swedish team must finish first or second in league. However, because of the timing issues, finalists in Damallsvenskan for 2012 qualify for Champions League 2013. By coming in fourth, the only way for my team to qualify for Champions League 2013/2014 would be, a la Chelsea CF, winning Champions League in May 2013.

Champions League games are also played on Wednesday during league, with each round consisting of a home and an away leg. We won the first round of Champions League against Serbia’s Spartak (4-0 Aggregate.)

We won the round of sixteen against Denmark’s Fortuna Hjørring, thus advancing to the quarterfinals in March. The draw for the quarterfinals takes place on November 27, 2012. (4-3 Aggregate).

-- CP