Ex-USWNT coach Jill Ellis on why Australia's a World Cup fave under Tony Gustavsson (www.espn.com)

Soccer’s development director, and a Swede by the name of Tony Gustavsson was serving as part of the USWNT coaching team in the leadin to London.

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“Passionate, tactical, and dogged,” Ellis tells ESPN with a smile. “Those are the three words that come to mind.

We got in because we loved it and love the sport.

“He and I used to sit up late at night talking about the game, tactics, and players.

It was the months leading up to the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, where the United States would be looking to make it backtoback gold medals in women’s football.

After serving as an assistant to Pia Sundhage in Beijing in 2008, Ellis had since been named U.S.

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