Tiina Saario

Tiina Saario

Playing for Åland United in February 2013
Personal information
Full name Tiina Saario
Date of birth (1982-01-15) January 15, 1982
Place of birth Helsinki, Finland
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Playing position Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 MPS
Youth career
FC Viikingit
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1998–2000 PuiU
2001 Springfield Sirens
2002 MPS
2002–2005 Barry University
2004 KMF
2008 KontU (1)
2009 Veto
2010–2012 HJK Helsinki 65 (13)
2013 Åland United 23 (14)
2014– MPS 7 (4)
National team‡
1999–2013 Finland 22 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 5 July 2013.

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 17:08, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

Tiina Saario (born 15 January 1982) is a Finnish football midfielder. She plays club football for MPS in the Finnish second tier Naisten Ykkönen.

Club career

In 2002 Saario went to Barry University to study criminology and play for the varsity soccer team. She turned out for Springfield Sirens in the 2001 W-League season.

After university Saario drifted away from football, but eventually started playing again for smaller clubs KontU and Veto. She agreed to join Naisten Liiga HJK Helsinki in 2010.

In the 2010 Finnish Women's Cup final, Saario suffered a serious head injury in which her jaw was broken and she lost several teeth.[1] Åland United signed her ahead of the 2013 season. In June 2014 it was announced that Saario will rejoin Åland for the qualifying round of the 2014–15 UEFA Women's Champions League.[2]

International career

Saario made her debut for the Finland women's national football team in February 1999, having turned 17 the previous month. She played 90 minutes of a 3–1 defeat to the United States in Orlando, Florida. At the 1999 Algarve Cup Saario made two further appearances, but did not play for her country again until April 2002; a 3–0 defeat to the United States in San Jose, California.[3]

Saario remained on four national team caps until February 2012, when she returned to the team for a friendly with Russia after an absence of almost 10 years.[4] In June 2013 Saario was named in national coach Andrée Jeglertz's Finland squad for UEFA Women's Euro 2013.[5]

Honours

Club

Åland United
HJK Helsinki

Winner

References

  1. ↑ "Kauhunhetkiä kokenut Tiina Saario teki maajoukkue-comebackin" (in Finnish). Yle. 25 March 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
  2. ↑ "Tiina Saario palaa ÅU-paitaan" (in Finnish). Yle. 30 June 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  3. ↑ "Tiina Saario" (in Finnish). Football Association of Finland. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
  4. ↑ "Tiina Saario Naisten Liigan Kuukauden Pelaaja" (in Finnish). Football Association of Finland. 11 May 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
  5. ↑ "Jeglertz turns to youth for Finland". Uefa.com. UEFA. 28 June 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
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