Swedish coach suggests the US might not want to face his team in women's hockey semifinals

MILAN (AP) — Sweden women’s hockey coach Ulf Lundberg has plenty of confidence in the challenge ahead.

In outlining how fearless his young and talented group has performed in going 5-0 to reach the semifinals at the Milan Cortina Games, Lundberg made a bold suggestion in preparing to face the top-ranked and tournament-favored Americans on Monday.

“(The Americans) are just human beings,” Lundberg told The Associated Press immediately following a 2-0 quarterfinal win over Czechia on Friday. “It’s a fantastic challenge. And I don’t really think that the U.S. team wants to meet us right now.”

While anything is possible in a one-game knockout, the Swedes beating the U.S. would represent a significant upset.

As for Team USA’s response to Lundberg’s comment, coach John Wroblewski said he’s eager and ready to play whoever is next.

“We’re ready to play against anybody, and we’re excited to play anybody,” he told The AP. “I think that the hunger and the gamesmanship of which they’ve shown to persevere through the relegation pool is admirable. And of course we respect that.”

Defending Olympic champion Canada will play Switzerland in the other semifinal, with the winners advancing to the gold medal game on Thursday.

The tournament’s semifinal matchups are the same as the 2014 Sochi Games, when Canada went on to defeat Switzerland and then claim gold on Marie-Philip Poulin’s overtime goal in a 3-2 win over the U.S.

What’s different this time is the dominance the United States has shown in a tournament beginning to resemble more of a coronation for the two-time gold medal winners.

The Americans have won five games by a combined margin of 26-1, including a 5-0 victory over rival Canada. And they haven’t allowed a goal since Barbora Jurickova scored on a breakaway 8:37 into second period in a 5-1 win over Czechia in both teams’ tournament opener on Feb. 5.

The Americans have shown no fear against anyone.

“We have one goal in mind and that’s to bring home a gold medal,” defender Megan Keller said. “So whoever’s in our way, we’re going to focus on ourselves.”

Four years after Canada dominated in winning gold at Beijing, the U.S. has raised women’s hockey to another level with a multi-faceted attack that overwhelms opponents in waves and features a swift, playmaking group of defenders driving the offense.

The U.S. has four players in the tournament’s top 10 in points, with three of them defenders, including Caroline Harvey, who leads all players with nine points (two goals, seven assists).

Wroblewski’s biggest fear is overconfidence.

“There needs to be a lot of respect for the treachery and how fragile it is between success and not. You can’t take anything for granted,” he said. “It’s really good to have confidence because confidence is earned. But we’ve got to make sure that these one-game sets, they’re volatile. ... We’re nowhere near the end.”

The Swedes are on the rise under Lundberg, and feature a young, brash, talented core that includes seven players still competing at the U.S. college ranks. Much like the U.S., Sweden won five games by a combined margin of 20-2, but had a comparatively easier schedule in the Group B bracket.

The team now has a chance to earn its third Olympic medal and first since winning silver in 2006, when Sweden upset the U.S. in the semifinals.

Lundberg’s confidence reflects that of his players, who’ve been instilled with the vision of being honey badgers.

“The honey badger is chasing lions and elephants and everyone away. And they are scared of the honey badger because he or she has a totally (fearless) mentality,” Lundberg said. “And so we need to have that (fearless) mentality, because in Sweden we’re a little laid back and humble. But in the game of hockey, you have to take the lead.”

Canada has never missed advancing to the gold medal game, and welcomed back Marie-Philip Poulin in a 5-1 win over Germany on Saturday after the captain missed two-plus games with a right knee injury.

Switzerland reached the semifinals for the third time in team history, with Alina Muller scoring and goalie Andrea Braendli stopping 40 shots in a 1-0 win over Finland.

The 34-year-old Poulin's return provided a much-needed boost to an older Canada team — evident in its only tournament loss. Minus Poulin, the Canadians couldn't keep up with the Americans in the nation's most-lopsided loss and first shutout in Olympic play.

Signs of sloppiness remained in a sluggish opening period against Germany.

“Those are just habits that creep into your game sometimes based on the opponent. And we just got to get away from it,” coach Troy Ryan said. “The other part is we’ve got to manage our aggressiveness. So if we’re aggressive, great. But you can’t have one, two, three people being aggressive on plays.”

The Swiss are in contention for their second medal after Muller, at 16, scored the game-winning goal in a 4-3 win over Sweden in the 2014 bronze medal game. Though Switzerland finished last in Group A at 1-3, it gained confidence with a tournament-opening 4-3 shootout win over Czechia.

Canada is 5-0 against Switzerland in Olympic play, including a 10-3 win in the semis at Beijing in 2022.

AP Olympic coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Canada's Marie-Philip Poulin (29) celebrates with Sarah Fillier (10) and Renata Fast (14) after Poulin scored against Germany during the third period of a women's ice hockey quarterfinal match at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Sweden's Head Coach Ulf Lundberg gestures during a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between France and Sweden at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Team Sweden players jump from the bench to celebrate after they beat Czechia 2-0 in their women's ice hockey quarterfinal match at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

United States head coach John Wroblewski yells to his team during the third period of a women's ice hockey quarterfinal match against Italy at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

US players celebrate at the end of a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between USA and Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

ADELAIDE, Australia (AP) — Anthony Kim walked out of a PGA Tour scoring trailer at Quail Hollow and straight to the parking lot on May 4, 2012. He put his clubs in the trunk and drove away, vanishing from golf and from the public view for 12 years.

Kim was all the way back Sunday in Australia, full of swagger and energy, as he capped off a stunning rally — not just in the final round of LIV Golf Adelaide but in life. Five shots behind Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, he closed with a 9-under 63 for his first win in nearly 16 years.

He put on an electric show with leg-kicking, fist-throwing reactions for his four straight birdies before LIV's largest and loudest gallery of the season.

“I'm too old to be reacting like that because I think I pulled something in my hip,” the 40-year-old Kim said to laughter. “But I will say that was all the lows I went through in my life that I got to dig out of. Every putt that went I felt the struggle and I was overcoming it. It was therapeutic out there to fight through it and come out on top.”

Those struggles include drug and alcohol addiction so severe Kim considers it a minor miracle he is still alive. He is married with a 4-year-old daughter, Bella, who raced onto the 18th green at The Grange Golf Club and into his arms.

“To be able to share this moment — even though Bella won’t understand it, one day she will — and for her to be able to run on the green and see her dad isn’t a loser was one of the most special moments of my life,” Kim said.

LIV Golf took a chance on Kim in 2024 when he played as a wild card, often finishing at the bottom of the small fields. Last season wasn't much better, though he showed signs of the progress — 1% better each day is his motto — late last season.

He was relegated out of the Saudi-funded league. He tied for fifth in the Saudi International. He had to play a qualifying tournament last month just to get another season on the LIV Tour.

Perhaps the final boost of confidence: Dustin Johnson signed Kim to his 4 Aces team when Patrick Reed decided to leave the league.

The three-shot victory over Rahm was as big as any moment on LIV, at a time when the league lost two of its bigger names in Brooks Koepka and Reed. All that mattered to Kim was coming full circle.

“I know the mainstream media is not going to pick it up,” said Kim, winning amid the Winter Olympics, the Daytona 500 and the NBA All-Star Game.

“But for the people that do hear about it, I want to be a good example,” he said. “I would say that I wasn’t the best person, the best partner, the best whatever you want to call it, the best son I could be when I was younger. But who I am today is a completely different person. With God, my family, my sobriety being the key things to my life, I can go as far as I want.”

Playing in black shorts — with black calf-length socks and white shoes — in front of a large crowd on a sunny day at The Grange, Kim caught up to Rahm after nine holes and pulled away. Thousands of spectators followed behind him in the 18th fairway when he capped off his amazing day.

It was his first victory since the 2010 Houston Open, the last of his three titles on the PGA Tour. He had not finished higher than a tie for 22nd on LIV, last week in Saudi Arabia. He won $4 million — he made just over $4.6 million in his best season on the PGA Tour.

Rahm closed with a 71 and DeChambeau shot 74 on a day the average score was 69.8.

Kim reached as high as No. 6 in the world in 2008, the year he played in his only Ryder Cup at Valhalla and needed only 14 holes to beat Sergio Garcia in singles. He moves to just outside the top 200 now that LIV gets world ranking points.

As big a win as it was for Kim, it was popular among the players he beat.

“I cried,” Lucas Herbert said.

“Man, he was a gun,” said Marc Leishman, whose rookie season on the PGA Tour coincided with Kim's peak years. "He almost had an aura about him, somewhat for his golf, somewhat for his partying. I mean, to see where he’s come from ... I’ve actually spoken to him a fair bit over the last couple of years about a few of his experiences.

“It’s an unbelievable story, the place he got to and how close he was to not being here. I’m not talking about in Adelaide, I’m talking about not being on this planet.”

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Anthony Kim of 4Aces GC waves to the fans after winning first place during the final round of the LIV Golf Adelaide at Grange Golf Club in Adelaide, Australia Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (Pedro Salado/LIV Golf via AP)

Captain Bryson DeChambeau of Crushers GC hits his shot from a bunker on the fourth hole during the final round of the LIV Golf Adelaide at Grange Golf Club in Adelaide, Australia Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (Charles Laberge/LIV Golf via AP)

Captain Bryson DeChambeau of Crushers GC reads his putt on the second green during the final round of the LIV Golf Adelaide at Grange Golf Club in Adelaide, Australia Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (Charles Laberge/LIV Golf via AP)

Anthony Kim of 4Aces GC hits his shot from the second fairway during the final round of the LIV Golf Adelaide at Grange Golf Club in Adelaide, Australia Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (Charles Laberge/LIV Golf via AP)

Anthony Kim of 4Aces GC reacts to his putt on the 18th green during the final round of the LIV Golf Adelaide at Grange Golf Club in Adelaide, Australia Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (Charles Laberge/LIV Golf via AP)