Team Finland HC Mele Mosqueda and QB Miro Kadmiry eye up Sweden ahead of national team showdown
This coming Saturday, the Swedish and Finnish national teams will square off against each other in the IFAF European Championship semifinals to secure a spot in the gold medal final later this year.
Newly appointed Team Finland head coach Mele Mosqueda and starting quarterback Miro Kadmiry feel they have the upper hand over their Nordic neighbors.
For starting quarterback Miro Kadmiry, this is nothing new as he has been a member of the Finnish National Team since 2010. He is currently midway through an undefeated season with the Helsinki Roosters in Finland’s Maple League – and is the only non-American starting quarterback in the league. The last time Kadmiry and the Swedes met was in the 2018 European National Championship when the Finnish quarterback threw for 159 yards and a touchdown leading Finland to a 35 – 21 victory.
Over the years, Kadmiry has built up a respect for the Swedish squad, but still believes in his team and coaches to get the job done:
“The Swedish team is naturally good and physical. They have a great mix of veterans and a young new generation of talent with them! I believe in our team and I know Coach Mikko Koikkalainen is working on a good game plan for this saturday.”
During his quarterbacking days, Kadmiry has seen a handful of head coaches come and go, but says he likes the way his new head coach does things:
“I see Mele has been in Europe for a while, so he clearly understands what’s going on here. He also brings that good ”fight for your playing time” vibe in practice and makes sure every rep counts.”
Just as Kadmiry is midway through his season, Mosqueda is also arriving after spending half a season in the German Football League as head coach of the Frankfurt Universe. Unfortunately, his tenure ended prematurely.
Mosqueda had inherited a Universe team that had been ravaged by the recruiting of the newly-formed Frankfurt Galaxy in the European League of Football. As a result, the team got off to a horrendous start, to put it mildly, and Mosqueda suddenly found himself without a job. But he has clearly not let this affect him as Team Finland’s head coach, and now has his eyes focused on the game this weekend as he soaks up the new atmosphere:
“This is my first year with the Finnish National Team. Honestly, you can’t even compare it to the domestic leagues as it’s the best of the best in the country and ran extremely professionally.”
Preparations for Mosqueda and Kadmiry started earlier this week with an intensive training camp schedule to get the diverse mix of players from different clubs acclimated to each other with four practices per day. Mosqueda feels defensive backs and offensive skill groups have stood out and may prove to be the X factor come Saturday.
Although the new head coach has yet to face Team Sweden, he has been researching his opponent well and is, like Kadmiry, expecting a tough game:
“I’m expecting to see a well-prepared and highly motivated team from Sweden. From our end, the expectation (as a coaching staff) and from our preparation, is to see a well-prepared team show up and be ready for war this Saturday.
“It will take everything to win; from all three sides of the football! I expect Special Teams to be the difference maker in this Semi-Final.”
