CYPRUS CUP VICTORY AND NORWAY     5th March 2010

Well obviously the good news is out. We won the Cyprus Cup. I know that the naysayers are already at work as they laud the victory while stressing that this is "only" the Cyprus Cup. They tell us that we shouldn't get too excited at our victory.

Well, even though it is true that winning the Cyprus tournament is no World Cup victory, it is also true that this Tournament has been a huge step for our team and a great start to the year. In terms of using new formations, introducing new players, gaining confidence and working as a team the event was critical.

Three years ago we won the same tournament under Even Pellerud's coaching. This was a good win too, but in 2010 the caliber of teams taking part has vastly improved. Make no mistake. These wins were no easy feat and confidence-wise, we could not have done anything better. Don't take too much notice of FIFA rankings when so many women's teams play so few games.

The Cup final against New Zealand was a battle. There are many teams around the world which are quickly moving up through the ranks and New Zealand is one of these teams. They are strong, tough, and their desire to win is second to none, especially as \ they were rebounding from two poor performances against arch-rivals Australia. In many ways, playing New Zealand was like playing the Canadian National team of a few years ago. They run their socks off, move constantly, tackle fearlessly and physically and have real passion for playing for their country. In this tournament they never gave anything other than 100%. We knew the final would be tough, and it was.

Under coach Carolina Morace we have changed our playing style from how we played under Even Pellerud. Many people have criticized him and us, for the type of soccer we played under Even. But, the fact is that using his tactics and under his direction, we became a top ten FIFA program. We played the type of soccer that he felt gave us the best opportunity to progress quickly up the world rankings. And, this is what happened. Under Even we were a good team, and now we are working with Carolina, we plan to become a creative and great one.

To change style and tactics involves a steep learning curve for all of us as players. However, it is wonderful and really exciting to be part of a new dynamic playing system. It is a complete rejuvenation of the program.

We have not yet had much time together as a team, but after 17 days training and playing together in Cyprus, we are all excited about what we can achieve. Playing against New Zealand, and seeing them exhausted and lying all over the field after we had won, and they had given everything they had, was a "eureka" moment. We certainly played a hard and running game, but we also played a smart one and by the final whistle, we were not only the victors, but we could have continued playing and running.

Once the on field celebrations after the match were complete, we headed back to the hotel and had a great team dinner there. Mind you, I am probably making this meal sound a little more interesting than it was. The food was exactly the same as every day we were there, but this time we were in great spirits to eat it. The hotel staff came out to cheer us and there was a bottle or two of champagne popped in our honor.

After dinner, we headed out to the local karaoke club. This is the same place that we went last year, but on this occasion, we were without Tancredi. This meant that our singing was so much better than it was a year ago. We were almost in tune. We had a good evening all around and the dance floor was pretty packed for the entire time we were there. I tried to be a wall flower but Karina was having none of it and I danced away.

The bus came to pick us in good time,and there was still time for packing and getting organized. We were all pretty exhausted as we clambered onto the bus for theairport. The check-in line at the airport was long and full of Canadian soccer players looking … well looking like the walking dead.

By the time our flight from Larnaca to London took off, every single one of us was asleep. On the way to this tournament we had found the flight from London to Cyprus a long one, but on the way back, it was nowhere near long enough.

All too soon we were collecting our bags and heading off in separate directions. Diana I and I flew out first, as our connection to Oslo was only 2 hours after arrival in London. Some on the team had to wait a further 8 hours before their flights. I was glad not to be one of them.

When D and I arrived in Norway, we had a big shock. It is still winter here and there is a whole pile of snow. Our good friend Mari was there waiting for us and it felt good to be back. However, I was not quite ready for the cold. The thermometer was registering -20 degrees Celsius this morning. To come from the sun and beaches of Cyprus to the freezing vastness of Norway was a shock to the system.

I am exhausted from the camp and the travel. Even after a good night's sleep here, I am still tired. I am looking forward to a couple days of doing very little before getting back into training mode with the LSK Club on Monday. We are now preparing for LSK's pre-season camp in Turkey.