Pia Sundhage facts for kids
Sundhage in 2013
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Pia Mariane Sundhage | ||
| Date of birth | 13 February 1960 | ||
| Place of birth | Ulricehamn, Sweden | ||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
Switzerland (manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1975 | IFK Ulricehamn | ||
| 1975–1976 | SGU Falköping | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1977–1978 | Falköpings KIK | 3 | (2) |
| 1979–1981 | Jitex BK | 54 | (86) |
| 1982–1983 | Östers IF | 40 | (65) |
| 1984 | Jitex BK | 18 | (33) |
| 1985 | Lazio | 23 | (16) |
| 1985 | Stattena IF | ||
| 1985 | Jitex BK | 9 | (4) |
| 1986 | Hammarby IF | 18 | (17) |
| 1987–1989 | Jitex BK | 65 | (41) |
| 1990–1996 | Hammarby IF | 111 | (21) |
| International career | |||
| 1975–1996 | Sweden | 146 | (71) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1992–1994 | Hammarby IF (player-manager) | ||
| 1998–1999 | Vallentuna BK (assistant) | ||
| 2000 | AIK Fotboll Dam (assistant) | ||
| 2001–2002 | Philadelphia Charge (assistant) | ||
| 2003 | Boston Breakers | ||
| 2004 | Kolbotn Fotball | ||
| 2005–2006 | KIF Örebro DFF | ||
| 2007 | China (assistant) | ||
| 2007–2012 | United States | ||
| 2012–2017 | Sweden | ||
| 2018–2019 | Sweden U-17 | ||
| 2019–2023 | Brazil | ||
| 2024– | Switzerland | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Pia Mariane Sundhage (born 13 February 1960) is a famous Swedish football manager and former player. She is currently the manager of the Switzerland women's national team since 2024. As a player, Pia was a forward and was once the top scorer for the Sweden national team.
Pia Sundhage was the head coach of the United States women's national team from 2008 to 2012. She led the team to win two Olympic gold medals. They also won a silver medal at the World Cup. Because of her success, she won the 2012 FIFA World Coach of the Year award. After that, Pia coached her home country's team, the Sweden women's national football team, from 2012 to 2017. They won an Olympic silver medal in 2016. She also coached the team of Brazil from 2019 to 2023.
Contents
Playing Career: Club Teams
Pia Sundhage started playing football with IFK Ulricehamn as a young player. In 1978, she joined Falköpings KIK. From 1979 to 1981, she played for Jitex BK.
She then played for Östers IF from 1982 to 1983. She scored 30 goals in her first season and 35 goals in her second season with Östers IF. In 1984, she returned to Jitex BK. In 1985, Pia played for Stattena IF, Lazio, and Jitex BK. She scored 17 goals while playing for Lazio.
Pia played the 1986 season with Hammarby IF. She then moved back to Jitex BK from 1987 to 1989. Sundhage finished her playing career with Hammarby IF DFF, where she played from 1990 until she retired in 1996.
She won four Damallsvenskan championships with Jitex BK. She also won two Svenska Cupen (Swedish Cup) titles with Jitex BK. Later, she won two more Svenska Cupen titles with Hammarby IF DFF.
Playing Career: National Team
Pia Sundhage first played for the Sweden national team when she was just 15 years old in 1975. She played in 146 games for her country and scored 71 goals. Her 71 goals made her the joint-top scorer for Sweden at the time. This record has since been broken by Hanna Ljungberg and Lotta Schelin.
She played for Sweden in the 1991 and 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup tournaments. Sweden finished third in 1991. She also played in the 1996 Summer Olympics. Pia won the 1984 UEFA Women's Championship and was the top scorer in that tournament.
In 1988, her picture even appeared on a Swedish postage stamp! In 1989, Pia scored the first goal ever in a women's match at Wembley Stadium. Sweden beat England 2–0 in that game. In 2000, Sundhage was ranked sixth in the voting for FIFA Women's Player of the Century.
Coaching Career
Early Coaching Roles
Pia Sundhage began her coaching journey as a player-manager for Hammarby IF from 1992 to 1994. After that, she worked as an assistant coach for Vallentuna BK (1998–1999) and AIK Fotboll Dam (2000).
She then moved to the United States to be an assistant coach for Philadelphia Charge in the Women's United Soccer Association. Later, she became the head coach for Boston Breakers. In 2003, she led them to win the league title and was named the WUSA Coach of the Year. When the WUSA league ended, she returned to Scandinavia for more coaching jobs.
Her time with the Boston Breakers was special. United States women's national team captain Kristine Lilly and fellow USWNT player Kate Markgraf even joined her in Sweden. They played for KIF Örebro DFF from 2005 to 2006, after Pia had a short time with Kolbotn IL in 2004. Lilly said she "wanted to play for Pia again."
Sundhage also worked as an assistant coach for the China Women's national team during the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Coaching the United States Women's National Team
Pia Sundhage was announced as the head coach of the United States women's national team on 13 November 2007. She was the seventh head coach for the U.S. team and the third woman to hold the position.
During her time with the United States team, Sundhage won the 2008 Algarve Cup. She also led the team to win gold medals at both the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2012 Summer Olympics. In 2009, her team almost won the 2009 Algarve Cup, but they lost to Sweden in a penalty shootout. However, they won the 2010 Algarve Cup a year later, beating Germany 3–2 in the final.
She coached the U.S. women's team to the final of the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. This was the first time the team reached the final since 1999. However, they lost to Japan 3–1 in a penalty shootout after the game ended in a 2-2 draw. A year later, Sundhage coached the USWNT to another gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. They beat Japan 2–1 in a rematch of the World Cup final, with Carli Lloyd scoring both goals.
On 1 September 2012, Sundhage announced she was leaving her role as the U.S. women's head coach. She wanted to find new opportunities in her home country, Sweden. She coached her last game for the U.S. team on 19 September, beating Australia 6–2. Pia left the team with an impressive record of 91 wins, 6 losses, and 10 ties. This included two Olympic gold medals and a second-place finish at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Coaching the Sweden Women's National Team
The Swedish Football Association announced on 2 September 2012 that Pia Sundhage signed a four-year contract to coach the Swedish team. She started her new role on 1 December. Sundhage replaced Thomas Dennerby, who had resigned after Sweden did not reach the semifinals in the 2012 Olympics. Pia said, "I have long dreamed of becoming Sweden coach and now I am so happy."
Sundhage's first big tournament as coach of the Sweden team was the 2013 European championship, which Sweden hosted. Sweden lost 0–1 to Germany in the semi-final, and Germany went on to win the championship. In the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, Sweden made it out of their group after three ties. However, they lost 4-1 to Germany in the Round of 16.
At the 2016 Summer Olympics, Sundhage's Sweden team started slowly. They won 1-0 against South Africa but then lost 1-5 to Brazil. A tie against China helped Sweden move to the quarterfinals. There, they faced her former team, the USA.
Sweden played strong defense and won against the top-ranked American team in a penalty shootout. This was the first time the USA was knocked out before the medal rounds at the Olympics. Sweden then beat Brazil in the semifinals, also in penalties. In the Gold Medal match, Sweden lost 2-1 to Germany. However, they won their first Olympic medal in women's football, a silver medal.
After a disappointing quarterfinal exit in the UEFA Women's Euro 2017 tournament, Pia Sundhage stepped down as coach of the women's national team in August 2017. In November 2017, she was appointed as the new head coach for the Sweden women's national under-17 football team. Sundhage started her new duties on 1 January 2018.
Coaching the Brazil Women's National Team
In July 2019, Pia Sundhage accepted an offer from the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF). She became the new coach of the Brazil women's national football team. She coached the team until 2023.
Coaching the Switzerland Women's National Team
Pia Sundhage has been coaching the Swiss national team since 2024. The team performed well against Spain in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Women's Euro 2025 tournament, which took place in Switzerland.
Awards and Honours
As a Player
Jitex BK
- Damallsvenskan (Swedish top league): 1979, 1981, 1984, 1989
- Swedish Cup: 1981, 1984
Hammarby IF DFF
- Swedish Cup: 1994, 1995
Sweden National Team
- FIFA Women's World Cup: Third place in 1991
- UEFA European Women's Championship: Won in 1984; Runner-up in 1987, 1995; Third place in 1989
- Women's Nordic Football Championship: Won in 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981
Individual Player Awards
- European Competition for Women's Football top scorer: 1984
- European Competition for Women's Football best player: 1984
- Damallsvenskan top scorer: 1982, 1983
As a Manager
United States Women's National Team
- Olympic Gold Medal: 2008, 2012
- FIFA Women's World Cup: Runner-up in 2011
- Algarve Cup: Won in 2008, 2010, 2011
Sweden Women's National Team
- Olympic Silver Medal: 2016
Brazil Women's National Team
- Copa América Femenina: Won in 2022
Individual Manager Awards
- FIFA World Women's Coach of the year: 2012
- 2003 WUSA Coach of the Year
Other Recognitions
In 2021, Pia Sundhage received the Illis quorum award from the Swedish government. This is a special medal given for important contributions to Swedish culture, science, or society.
Images for kids
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Sundhage in 2013
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United States women's national team at the 2012 Summer Olympics
See also
In Spanish: Pia Sundhage para niños
