DENMARK

DANES STUMBLE INTO USA. Early on, the experienced Europeans looked like the obvious choice to be the No. 2 team in Group A and advance to the quarterfinals. North Korea didn’t even qualify for either previous World Cup, and Nigeria was winless in both.

The Danes – sixth in 1991 and seventh in 1995 – blitzed through their qualifying group with a perfect 6-0-0 record.

But the Danes’ form entering the tournament leaves doubts. Coach Jorgen Hvidemose was shocked to see his team get blown out, 4-0, by Sweden May 19. In qualifying, the Danes had conceded only three goals in six games.

KEEPER STARS. On a positive note, the Sweden game marked the return of goalkeeper Dorthe Larsen who, broke her arm in the Algarve Cup in February. She’s one of the top goalkeepers in the world.

Five of the Danes – FIFA World Star Lene Terp, fellow defender Marlene Kristensen, midfielder Janne Rasmussen and attackers Gitte Krogh and Merete Pedersen – play for Odense Boldklub, the Danish league’s hottest team.

COLLEGE CONNECTION. Terp, the captain, played at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla., during the 1994 season.

Midfielder Mikka Hansen, who was born in San Jose, Calif., led Santa Clara to the final four as a forward in 1996.

The daughter of a Danish father and American mother, Hansen debuted for Denmark this year and emerged as a starter in the Algarve Cup.

She joined Danish club Frederiksberg in January and convinced former Santa Clara teammates Jen Lalor and Dayna Smith to join her. Hansen, who speaks Danish, is one of several players who gets paid to play in the semiprofessional league. FB gives her a modest salary and pays for her room and board in Copenhagen.

“She’s aggressive and she’s really working hard,” said Terp, the Danish captain. “That spirit is very important for the team. Denmark only has five million people and I don’t know if the competition is always that strong. It’s good when a new player is coming into the scene.”

At Santa Clara, Hansen was the Broncos’ target player, and scored 52 goals. With Denmark, Hansen is a distributor, whose job is launching crosses, and she has flourished as a left-sided winger in the direct style of the Danes.

NIGERIA

FALCONS LOOK TO SOAR. Coach Ismaila Mabo and “Marvelous” Mercy Akide expressed confidence at the World Cup draw that Nigeria can reverse its World Cup fortunes this summer.

Nigeria obliterated its competition in African qualifying, outscoring opponents 28-0 in the final round held in Nigeria. Akide led the Falcons in scoring with seven goals, while defenders Eberechi Opara, Prisca Emeafu, Kikelomo Ajayi and Yinka Kudaisi and goalkeeper Ann Agumanu Chiejine kept opponents at bay.

Florence Omagbemi, nicknamed “Dunga” after the Brazilian defensive midfielder, and winger Patience Avre are hard-working members of the midfield.

PRINCESS IS BENEFACTOR. The Nigerian league kicked off in 1992, but regional leagues were around as early as 1978. Princess Hannah Bola Jegede, the owner of Jegede Babes FC of Lagos, has been the main driving force behind the growth of women’s soccer in Nigeria. She sponsored the first National Female Football Championship in 1990, which was won by Rivers Angels.

Nigeria has never won a World Cup match. It went 0-3 in 1991, and managed only a 3-3 tie with Canada in 1995. It is not likely to break into the win column in this difficult group.

NORTH KOREA

THE X-FACTOR. North Korea could be a tourney surprise, and is certainly a mystery.

After years of toiling in the shadows of Asian champion China and perennial Asian runner-up Japan, North Korea has bumped the Japanese aside to claim the No. 2 spot. Its June 24 group match with Denmark in Portland should decide which of the two teams advance.

ROUGH PASSAGE: The physical North Koreans left three Japanese players injured, one with a broken leg, in the Asian Championship.

Captain Kim Sun Hui, North Korea’s top defender, picked up her second yellow card of the tournament in that game and had to sit out the final, which China won, 2-0.

North Korea uses a 4-4-2 formation and plays a short-passing style similar to the other Asian powers. Forward Kim Kum Sil is the main scoring threat. She led North Korea in scoring with nine goals in Asian qualifying and bagged the goal in the semifinal against Japan that got North Korea into the World Cup. Kyong Ae is a crafty passer and does a lot of the work in midfield.

GROUP A IN BRIEF


USA

ò Colors: Red, white and blue
ò Coach: Tony DiCicco.
ò Past: 1991 – 1st; 1995 – 3rd.

NORTH KOREA

ò Colors: Red.
ò Coach: Kim Hak Toung.
ò Past: 1991 – did not enter; 1995 – did not qualify.

NIGERIA

ò Colors: Green and white.
ò Coach: Ismaila Mabo.
ò Past: 1991 – 10th; 1995 – 11th.

DENMARK

ò Colors: Red and white.
ò Coach: Jorgen Hvidemose.
ò Past: 1991 – 6th; 1995 – 7th.

Scouting Report


DENMARK. Poor results in World Cup warmups had Coach Jorgen Hvidemose shuffling his lineup. One thing will not change, however: the Danes clog the back and look for the quickest, most direct path to goal.

By Soccer America associate editor Dean Caparaz