USA coach Ryan hoping to remain at the helm

By Gary Rose Special to PA SportsTicker

SHANGHAI, China (Ticker)—Greg Ryan admits he is keen to remain as coach of the United States national team and lead them to further success in the future.

Ryan led the United States to a third-place finish at the 2007 World Cup, defeating Norway 4-1 at Hongkou Football Stadium on Sunday.

The triumph helped Ryan’s squad finish on a positive note following their disappointing semi-final defeat to Brazil on Thursday.

For much of the United States’ young squad it was their first World Cup, and with the Olympic Games on the horizon, Ryan is keen on staying to guide them as far as he can.

“I want to continue on as coach,” he said. “I don’t feel my job is done yet with this team. We had a lot of youngster here and this was a first World Cup for so many of our players. With the Olympics up next, having players with a world championship under their belt completely changes them because the only way to get experience is to play.

“The job that is left undone is what you saw on Sunday night, which is playing tactically a different kind of game; a more possession game where everyone is involved.”

Despite the convincing win, Ryan feels he still needs to get more players involved.

“I didn’t feel we got enough people involved in our attacks throughout the tournament and some of that might have been a little tight or we just held back,” he said. “In the final we saw there is a lot of talent to get forward so I feel like a job is not done and I would love to stay on.”

Norway striker Ragnhild Gulbrandsen admits she is feeling mixed emotions following her side’s fourth-place finish at the World Cup. Gulbrandsen earned the Adidas Bronze Shoe Award for her commanding overall performance in the tournament.

“Having scored six goals but ended up in fourth place leaves me proud and disappointed at the same time,” she said. “I think the differences was that our skill on ball was simply not as good as the USA’s and Germany’s.”