Pia Sundhage is considered to be one of the finest minds in the soccer world today. She has extensive experience as a player and coach at both the club and international levels. Sundhage has a true "pioneer spirit" that can be seen on the field and the sideline. She has become the face of American soccer after her Olympic success with the women's national team.

Sundhage was clearly a great find for the U.S. women's soccer program. Success and greatness have followed her everywhere she went. Her most recent assignments with the Chinese National Team and the WUSA helped establish her as one of the most respected coaches in the game. Sundhage has made the dreaded transition from player to coach look almost effortless. That is not a surprise to anyone that knows her or has played against her. Terms like "Player of the Century" and "legendary" are often used to describe her 22-year career in international soccer.

We had an opportunity to speak with Pia Sundhage at the April 11 match between Sky Blue FC and FC Gold Pride. It was an honor and a pleasure to discuss the beautiful game with one of the all-time greats.

Her attendance at this match speaks volumes for this emerging league. Sundhage predicted that the teams and players of WPS will improve with time. She suggests that we will see a much different game in as little as two months.

Pia Sundhage has turned a difficult situation with the women's national team and turned it into a work of art. Disunity among national team members, particularly Hope Solo and Briana Scurry, plagued this squad at the 2007 Women's World Cup. The headlines created by this conflict were completely negative and pushed a talented team into disarray. That all changed with the hiring of Sundhage, who promoted teamwork and selfless play over division and individuality. Sundhage was "the missing link" that helped secure Olympic gold for the U.S. Women's National Team. She spoke numerous times about the team' s winning attitude and how that helped push her players to higher levels.

Her focus is now on preparations for the 2011 Women's World Cup in Germany. Putting the best squad on the pitch is achieved by simply choosing the best players. Her expectations for those players are very high. This was evident when she elaborated on the selection process by saying it is " not enough to have one good game here and there, not good enough to have 30 minutes here and there." Sundhage continued by saying that it "has to be 90 minutes. One bad game is okay." It is easy to see that she values consistency and those that have a strong work ethic. She appears to be very open to the inclusion of younger players and has remained flexible when it comes to the primary formation that would used.

Sundhage spoke passionately about the American style of play. She described it as physical and intense, almost like a running game. It has three levels: “fast, faster, fastest.” Sundhage, through her vast experience, knows that "soccer is rhythm” and that it involves tempo and pacing of the game. "You should not always increase the tempo. Sometimes you decrease the tempo to find the right way and the right time to penetrate."

Pia Sundhage has the experience and attitude to remain a major figure in American soccer for many years to come. The U.S. Soccer Federation should consider itself lucky to have her among their arsenal of talented coaches.