For Old Times’ Sake, the U.S. Owes Norway

Chapter 22 in the most intense and closely fought rivalry in women’s soccer takes place today when the United States plays Norway in what is effectively the semifinal of the sixth Algarve Cup.

The U.S. team needs a victory to advance to Saturday’s final against China. The Norwegians need only a tie but won’t settle for anything less than a win.

The match pits the Olympic champion against the world champion. The countries have played each other 21 times since their first encounter in 1987, and Norway holds an 11-9 advantage, with one game ending in a tie.

Norway is the only country with a winning record against the U.S.

The United States defeated Norway in the final to win the Women’s World Cup in 1991. Norway defeated the U.S. team in the semifinals of the 1995 Women’s World Cup on its way to the title. It was the Norwegians who were beaten by the Americans in the 1996 Olympic semifinal. It was the Americans the Norwegians beat, 4-1, at this same stage of the Algarve Cup a year ago.

And if both countries get through their respective brackets in this summer’s Women’s World Cup, they will meet in the final at the Rose Bowl on July 10. But the focus Wednesday was on today’s game.

“The important thing here [in this tournament] is for us to get answers on the players we use,” Norway Coach Per-Mathias Hogmo said. “The results are not so important at this time. It’s always good to play against the United States because we get answers which players can do well and which cannot do it good.”

So far, the Norwegians have all impressed, beating Finland, 1-0, and Sweden, 2-1. The Americans, meanwhile, were tied by Sweden, 1-1, but trounced Finland, 4-0.

“I think there’s always a kind of shock playing a Scandinavian team when you haven’t played them in a while, and against Sweden it was quite evident in that first game,” said U.S. midfielder Julie Foudy of Laguna Niguel. “So they were a good tuneup for the Norway game. . . . Plus, we’ve never been successful [in four previous attempts] at this tournament, so obviously there’s a lot of incentive besides just playing Norway.”

Said U.S. Coach Tony DiCicco: “We know their team, we know their personalities. They’re a heck of a team and that’s what women’s soccer needs--more rivalries like the USA and Norway.”