The captaincy was handed to Tim Sparvi Lukas Hradecky. The goalkeeper wants to stick to the culture of winning that has developed for the team in recent years.
The owls will face Bosnia and Herzegovina today at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium. The broadcast will be available on TV2 and Areena from 18.00. The match itself starts at 7 p.m.
For several years now, the classic song of the band Million Rains has been sung in the North Guard’s Auditorium. The supporters version sings about the culture of defeating the Owls.
May the song be played on the eve of the opening match of the League of Nations by the new captain of the Owls Lukas Hradeckyn away when he arrives in the lobby of Kalastajatorppa Hotel for an interview. Those who finished their national team careers in the autumn Tim Sparvin, Paulus Arajuuren and Joona Toivion the legacy is based on the saying of the song, according to the goalkeeper.
– A harder culture of winning has developed here. We no longer bow to anyone, and somehow we have managed to reap all the important gains. Of course, we have also lost important games, but the successful development has been striking, Hradecky says.
Finland has undoubtedly made a difference, especially at home. Since the fall of 2018, Huuhkajat have lost only four competitive home matches at home, two against France and Italy. On the other hand, the fall in the fall of 2020 for Wales and the defeat for Ukraine last October retaliated worse once in the league tables.
The culture of winning is a concept whose exact definition is almost impossible. But how is it understood within the Owls team?
– Most of it is sacrificing for another. I think compared to many other national teams, the atmosphere here is just awesome. We play for the Finland shirt and other players before we play for our own name or our own interests, Hradecky ponders.
– We always play for the team. That’s what has made us a better team than what we might have on paper.
Being the captain is not new to Hradecky, as he is also the captain of his club team in Leverkusen. On the national team, the goalkeeper has succeeded Sparvia as skipper if necessary.
– For the first time, the role of captain has felt like a huge honor. It has brought pride in the whole family, Runosmäki and Turku, that the captain from Turku was grinned again, Hradecky grins.
A new chapter in the Alliance of Owners begins on Saturday against Bosnia and Herzegovina, even more familiar from the League of Nations. Montenegro and Romania also play in the same block.
The four matches in June show what height the league will reach before the September playoffs. In the best case scenario, the Owners can have a place in the placard in the European Championship qualifiers before the actual qualifiers start.
The start of the four matches also gives an indication of where the Game of the Owls is evolving. The March practice matches against Iceland and Slovakia left a loud picture.
– There is still room for improvement in the game. The game has been slow from time to time. We’ve continued to vary the tactical system of whether we play on three or four lines. We are still looking for ourselves in it. We have good features in our game, but we need better and more comprehensive 90-minute ones, Hradecky thinks.
The last time the Owners faced Bosnia in a away field last November and played one of the best matches in its history, even though it was missed in the first period.
In that match, too, the opening goal was very important. The Owners have not lost a competitive match for more than two and a half years after scoring the opening goal. Captain Hradecky has a message ready at the other end of the field To Teemu Puk and To Joel Pohjanpalo.
– Greetings to Teemu and “Jolle” for taking care of the first goal, it will be good.