On Archipelagos, Skerries, and Bandy

When Independence defender Sara Larsson describes her hometown of Kritinehamn, Sweden, it’s a combination of a vocabulary lesson and a fairy tale. “It’s a small town on the biggest lake in the country, and there is no better place to be during the summers. We have our own archipelago; you can go by boat to different islands and skerries, and it has its own monument designed by Picasso on the shoreline.” For those who need a refresher on geographical terms, an archipelago is a small chain of islands, and a skerry is a small, rocky island that is usually too small for habitation. “We have a summerhouse by the lake which I go to as soon as I have some time off to spend time with my family. During the winter it is very beautiful, and I want to make it very clear: we do not have polar bears walking around in Sweden!”

Sara, who has spent most of her life in Sweden but travelled the world with her soccer career, has enjoyed the journey and learned to love her own country even more in the process. “It’s really exciting to come to new places, to experience new cultures, and to meet new people, but I also feel that my time abroad really makes me appreciate my own country! There are a lot of differences between Sweden and the US. First of all, the US is huge compared to Sweden- we only have 9 million people living in Sweden, so it’s not crowded at all. Sometimes when I’m in the US, I feel like there are people everywhere!” To Sara though, that’s not necessarily a bad thing because she finds people in the US “very nice and friendly! They make you feel welcome and are happy and positive.” Although Sara says that Swedish people might seem a bit stiff and quiet in comparison, she was certain that “once you get to know us, you can’t do anything but to like us!”

According to Sara, Sweden is a great place for Americans to visit because a large majority of the population speaks English. “In Sweden we start studying English in fourth grade, and all English movies and TV shows have Swedish subtitles. Plus we learn of course when listening to music, so most of us can understand and speak English pretty well. For Americans it’s a great country because there are always people you can talk to if you need help or anything.” There may be a few surprises though, including a game called bandy. “It’s much like ice hockey and soccer together. It´s on a field nearly as big as a soccer field, and you have a different kind of stick and much bigger goals than in ice hockey. I used to play as a kid, and if I were to stop playing soccer I would definitely go back to bandy! It’s a ton of fun.”

Growing up, Sara played soccer, but being a girl she never dreamed that there was a future in it for her. “I remember those questionnaires that would ask ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ and I always wanted to write ‘a pro soccer player’, but I never did because at that time because it didn’t seem realistic. For the boys, it was a possibility, but not for the girls. Looking at my life now, it is amazing that it has happened!” Not only did it happen for Sara, but it happened in a big way. She has played professionally for nearly a decade and has represented her country in three Olympic Games and two FIFA World Cups. Her resume is matched by few, and she continues to excel at the highest level.

Sara’s ready to carry her success to Philly next season, and she summed up her feelings for us well. “It’s time for a new chapter in my life and it´s hard to describe how great it feels to move to Philly! I´m so excited! I´m so looking forward to seeing something new, meeting my new team and staff, and putting on the jersey to go out on the field representing the Independence! It´s also going to be great to continue playing with Caroline Seger who I’ve known for many years now on and off the field. She is a great player who I really think our fans will enjoy watching, but most of all she´s like a sister to me! I think we are going to have a great time in Philly, and hopefully together we can all make something really good this season!”

One of the reasons Nikki loves the holiday season is because she gets to spend time at home with her family. Her busy soccer schedule doesn’t leave time for much else, so she relishes her time back in NJ. “Whenever I do have spare time, which isn’t very often, I love just hanging with my friends and family and laying low. It’s nice to just read, watch movies, and relax because I’m not home that often. Part of the reason I’m so excited to be in Philly next year is the close proximity to my hometown. I love to travel, and playing around the country is a lot of fun, but I’m always drawn back to the East Coast. Being here next season is going to be awesome.” She’s living her dream of playing professional soccer, and she is looking forward to sharing it with her family and friends in the area.

Anyone close to her knows how much Nikki loves her sport, and they would tell you that she has the same type of passion that her role model Brett Farve does. “He’s pretty incredible in my mind” Nikki told us. “He has this undeniable love for his sport. You can just see it. I mean, he left the game and came back because he missed it. I know some athletes are in it for the money, but I think you can just tell how much passion he has for football.” Nikki has a similar outlook on her own sport, and she is looking forward to bringing that to the Independence this spring. “Playing for an expansion team is totally different. I think we have a really cool opportunity, and I’m excited to see what we can do.” She was able to get a feel for what 2010 holds at the U-23 National Team Camp in California last week, where she played with some of her future teammates. “Since we intermixed with the Full National Team, at one point I was actually playing next to Allison Falk and Heather Mitts in the back line- three of the back four were Independence players! I think we all appreciate that there is a chance for us to really make a splash in the WPS next year, and I can’t wait for us to start kicking everything off.”

In the meantime, Nikki will enjoy being home with her family and friends, put her gift-giving skills to good use, and wishes everyone a very happy, healthy holiday season!

Val Henderson

If you had asked Val Henderson at age 11 if she’d be playing professional soccer one day, she would have told you absolutely not. In fact, she probably would have told you that her future was in flag football and that she had no interest whatsoever in playing soccer. For a long time, she was also convinced that she’d be a wizard when she grew up, so that didn’t leave much room for other occupations. Lucky for us, Val’s mom had other plans and “pulled rank” to get Val on to the soccer field. Thirteen years later, Val is one of the best goalkeepers in the nation, and even though her career as a wizard didn’t pan out, she couldn’t be happier that her soccer career did.

Born and raised in Orinda, California, Val traveled 6 hours south to attend UCLA for her college years where she became the all-time leader in career goalkeeping victories for the Bruins. When Val entered the WPS Draft last year, she did not expect to end up in Los Angeles. “I really thought I was going to get drafted outside of California, which I was actually pretty excited about, since I’ve been there my whole life. When I found out I was coming to Philly this year, I was pumped. I’m looking forward to a change.”

A true California girl, Val’s longest extended stay outside of the state was the semester she spent abroad in Sevilla, Spain. “It was an incredible experience and I absolutely love Spain.” Of course, Val didn’t hang up her cleats while she was overseas. “I tried to play with a women’s soccer team in Sevilla, but the sport just hasn’t really advanced for the girls over there. So, I ended up playing men’s indoor, which they call “Futbol Cinco”, or five on five, and that was a ton of fun. Sometimes I even got to play forward and score goals- as a goalkeeper, I felt like such a rockstar!” Although she’s not completely fluent in Spanish, Val can communicate effectively and has definite plans to visit Spain again in the future.

For now though, she’s enjoying a brief stint back in her hometown. “It’s really relaxing being at home. I love just hanging out with my family, and I’m catching up on a lot of good reading. I also love hiking, so whenever I have some downtime I try and get a climbing trip in. Plus, my mom is an awesome cook- everything she makes becomes my new favorite meal.”

Although she’ll miss her family when she is on the East Coast, Val is not worried about the transition. “When you move to a new place with a team, you already have a built in family and group of friends. It’s so much easier. Plus, it’s nice being an expansion team because we are moving into a community that is welcoming us as a whole group.” Val is always looking for the next adventure and has an incredible ability to stay positive in any situation. For example, singing may be one of her weaknesses, but she always does it anyway. “I always try to live in the moment” says Val. “It makes everything more fun. I can’t wait to start exploring Philadelphia, and I am so excited for the season to start.” With her great attitude, sense of humor, and outstanding ability in goal, we can’t wait either.

Lori Lindsey will go down in history as the first expansion player ever drafted in the WPS, and we sat down with Lori to a little bit more about her. Growing up in Indiana, soccer was just beginning to get competitive when Lori was young, and she spent countless hours training for a sport that was not very mainstream in her area. Competing against girls who were training year round in California, Lori always had to go the extra mile to stay at the top of her game. “I always wanted to stay as fit as possible, so even if it was snowing and freezing in Indiana, I would shovel our backyard to run sprints and do fitness in the little area I had cleared. The roads were too icy and I didn’t belong to a gym, so to me it just seemed like the only option. My family makes fun of me to this day for all the weird things I would do.” But Lori’s dedication paid off, and her commitment to the game has helped her succeed at every level she has played at. A decade since leaving her snow-covered backyard in Indiana to attend at the University of Virginia, Lori is looking forward to a new beginning in Philadelphia with another unique set of challenges to overcome.

Over the past seven years, Lori has seen professional women’s soccer evolve and has remained a dominant presence in the game. Lori, who spent the last six years with the Washington Freedom competing in the WUSA, W-League, and the WPS, is excited for a change. “I’ve been really lucky with the Freedom over the last several years. I’ve grown as a player and learned a tremendous amount, and I wouldn’t trade my experiences there for anything. But in everyone’s life, there comes a time when you have to move on, and this was a great opportunity for me to step outside my comfort zone.”

With her low key attitude that makes those around her feel at ease, it’s hard to believe that Lori will have any problem adjusting to a new setting. She takes pride in her ability to make people laugh, and believes that she can cook eggs with the best of them. If she’s not playing soccer, you’ll probably find her relaxing or hanging with her friends, but be warned that if she’s not on a soccer schedule, she might be late. Lori claims that punctuality to non-soccer events is one of her weaknesses, but as long as she makes it to games on time in Philly next year, we can let that one slide.

Lori has visited friends in Philadelphia many times and is ready to make her transition into becoming a full-fledged Philadelphian. The only problem she’s expecting to encounter is her NFL allegiance to the Indiana Colts. “I’m definitely not rooting against the Eagles, it’s just that the Colts are my team. In fact, I’ve got no problem supporting the Eagles, it’s really only going to be a problem when they play each other!” The Philly sports fanaticism is a problem Lori is happy to deal with, because she hopes those avid Philly sports fans will support the Independence just as strongly. “The Philadelphia soccer community is a great one to be a part of, and it’s about time that Women’s Pro Soccer returned to the area.”

Lori knows that as an expansion team, the Independence is in a unique situation, but she believes the squad is up for the challenge. “Honestly, we don’t really even look like an expansion team anymore. The core group of players that are already on the roster are extremely talented and a genuinely great bunch of girls. I think we are in a really good place and I’m excited about the upcoming season.”

The thing Lori’s looking forward to the most about coming to Philly? “The cheesesteaks” she laughs. “No, but seriously.”