Timko Looking Toward Future While Overseas

Lincoln ? Soccer has taken former Husker Brittany Timko all over the world. It brought her to Lincoln, where she was a two-time All-American for Nebraska, and has sent her as far away as China, where she played with the Canadian Women’s National Team in the 2008 Olympics. However, with the creation of Women’s Professional Soccer this summer, Timko hopes soccer will bring her back to the U.S. soon.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

A native of Coquitlam, British Columbia, Timko finished her NU career in 2006 as a three-time Big 12 Player of the Year, while breaking numerous Husker scoring records. Her time with the national team took her to the Women’s World Cup in 2007 before last summer’s Olympics. She currently plays for Pitea IF in Sweden’s Damallsvenskan league, which is considered one of the strongest soccer associations in the world. In fact, the WPS All-Star game on Aug. 30 will pit the best players of the WPS against Damallsvenskan’s Umea IK.

 

Huskers.com recently caught up Timko to discuss her recent soccer travels and what the future holds for her.

 

Q&A with Brittany Timko:
Q: Husker fans last followed you while you were playing for the Canadian Women’s National Team in last summer’s Olympics. Tell us a little about what you have been up to since then.

 

A: After the Olympics I took some time off. I had to take an extra 3 weeks because of my ribs, so I relaxed for a little bit and then in October I went to Australia to play in the league there. I played in Melbourne which is the second biggest city after Sydney. The people are really easy going and nice so it was a really good experience. It was kind of weird seeing kangaroos in a backyard since in North America you only see them in zoos, but in Australia they are everywhere.

 

Q: Tell us a little about the Damallsvenskam league.

 

A: The league is strong here because a majority of the Swedish national team players playing in this league. Sweden is one of the top teams in the world, beating Germany and the U.S. this year, and tying Brazil. There are also a lot of other national team players from other countries playing in this league.

 

Q: How has your Swedish experience been so far in terms of playing? Do you feel like you’ve had to change your game at all going into a new league?

A: I think I’ve gotten stronger as a player since being here. There’s a lot of focus on technique and the level of play in the league is high so you don’t have time to have an off day.

Q: Along with the WPS, the Damallsvenskan league is considered one of the best women’s leagues in the world. What has it been like to play against some of the world’s best players?

A: It’s been a lot of fun. I’ve played against a lot of them when we played against Sweden so I already knew that there would be strong players here. Even within my own team there are a lot of good players, a lot who have been in with the Sweden national team at some point before.

Q: What would you say is the biggest thing you took away from Nebraska that you use now?

 

A: I would say the biggest thing that I took away from Nebraska is being accountable. The only thing you can control is yourself. I think that holds true in all aspects of life.

Q: Coach John Walker has been involved in your training for a long time with Canadian national teams and while at Nebraska, is there anything he told you specifically before you went to Sweden?

A: I think something that I always think of when I think about what I take away from playing for John is to enjoy working hard. You feel good when you know you put in 100 percent and tried your hardest. John always made sure we weren't selling ourselves short and that we were putting in our best effort. It's just an all around better way to train and play.

Q: In terms of culture, you’ve lived in some vastly different places while going around the world. What do you think of the Swedish people?

A: The Swedish people have been great here. Because it’s a smaller town, everyone follows the soccer team, and they’ve all been really welcoming. The team’s been a lot of fun and I’ve really enjoyed getting to know everyone.

Q: Have you had any time off to travel and visit any other countries?

 

A: It's hard traveling during season because you usually have something every day, but since I came here in March I’ve been to Italy, Cyprus, Finland and Turkey. I really want to go to Africa, and some friends went awhile ago, so we’re trying to find a time to go sometime within the year hopefully.

Q: With the WPS expanding next season, will you try to make catch on with a team? Any organization in particular you would like to play for?

 

A: There’s been some contact from teams, so it’s just a matter of seeing if the possibility is there for the upcoming season. Karina [LeBlanc] and Christine [Latham] have both had really good seasons so far and I think it would be a good experience playing in the league for me. There’s no real particular team, I love the west coast but all the teams seem to be in good locations so it would just be a bonus.