90' 4-0 #20 Solis chases through box top right, down to 5m. #16 Katherine Gonzalez(?), beaten by a good step, blatantly reaches out and grabs a handful of shirt, pulls and tugs Solis away from the rolling ball, until she drags Solis down sideways and backward. Penalty, no card. 90+1' (of 2') 5-0 PK, #10 Natalia Gómez-Junco rolls it to right corner low, as Wetherby dives incorrectly. FT. Mexico qualifies for the W-20 WWC. Significant mismatch in fitness and foot speed: Mexico just runs faster, for longer, and can do stuff at those speeds. (They chose not to make the passes -- there's a difference) Panama's limited possession play was no match: their off-ball players couldn't gain separation, so the ball-carrier saw no passing lanes, open targets, or triangles. Even when they did get it into Mexico's box, they had to go 1-v-1 with a defender, and Mexico won all of those. NCAA is a pretty formidable baseline: it's still more program infrastructure support than many smaller nations have at all. Many (most?) of Mexico's roster benefit from that, and it shows.
Dayton Wetherly played very well considering the lack of defensive help she got. She's also has American/Panamanian parents, which is why she is playing for Panama. Intrestingly enough she will be a 2013 class player. She's already committed to play for Navy, but if a big name college notices her work this tournament, she could de-commit.
Was Wetherby the GK? The announcer kept saying it was Montenegro. But the official article on Concacaf says it was Wetherby. (I was thinking...damn, their GKs look the same). Dayton Wetherby is a HS kid from Florida who is going to Annapolis next year. I noticed that last match against Canada, she and her back line were getting snippy with each other and the defenders ended up taking some of her goal kicks. I glanced through the game reports and it looks like she was GK for every game *except* against the US. Interesting call.
[USA-CAN] USA (Steve Swanson): [LINEUP-4-3-3] 11 Lindsey Horan, 20 Maya Hayes, 14 Katie Stengel , 12 V.DiBernardo, 15 Samantha Mewis, 6 Morgan Brian , 2(c) Mollie Pathman, 5 Kassey Kallman, 17 Olivia Brannon, 4 Crystal Dunn , 1 Bryane Heaberlin [/LINEUP-4-3-3] FW/MF left/rightness with grains of salt. Canada (Andrew Olivieri): [lineup-4-3-3] 11 J.Richardson, 10 Ch.Oduro, 17 Nkem Ezurike , 8 Danica Wu, 7 C.de Chantal-D., 6 Jaclyn Sawicki , 2 Kylie Davis, 5(c) Sh.Zadorsky, 4 Rachel Melhado, 3 Nicole Hill , 1 Sabrina D'Angelo [/lineup-4-3-3] Edit: Canada have a diamond-like midfield, with #10 Oduro between the lines. #2 Davis (MF) is LB, and the usual LB #3 Hill is RB for this game. Anthems!!
01' 0-0 USA quickly up centerline, through box top left, long shot sails high. 02' 0-0 USA left throw-in at own box top, #10 Oduro called for a high foot? 03' 0-0 USA up box left pass to 25m, flick header goes long and over. 03' 0-0 USA long ball up right corner to #14 Stengel. I guess that means she's RF for now ... USA throw-in, Canada clears, USA win it at midfield, #15 Mewis switches it into left touch.
05' 0-1 Canada ping from midfield, #11 Jenna Richardson toasts USA's high line left flank at 25m box top right. Dribbles fast through box top right to 8m 6-right, shoots low past #1 Heaberlin to back left corner low.
07' 0-1 USA #4 Dunn(?) rolls ball through box top arc right, #14 Stengel gets contested control at 12m right post, ball deflects wide left and over. 08' 0-1 USA left corner, to 7m right post. #15 Mewis knees it frameward, #1 D'Angelo catches in traffic. 09' 0-1 USA pops ball up to 4m center. #20 Hayes jumps but can't head, D'Angelo pops it out. #14 Stengel(?) gets a short touch at 7m 6-right, ricochets off D'Angelo, nothing.
11' 0-1 Canada hold at midfield and probe. #20 Mayes steals it, drives hard to 25m arc right. Perfect through-ball hits #11 Horan with inside track on her defender, to 13m left post, low shot saved by D'Angelo. 13' 0-1 DiBernardo crosses high from box top left touch, too long, D'Angelo catches.
21' 0-1 USA much pressure, at least one left corner, but can't get any clear shots. Canada passing decently when they have it, but content to let USA expend energy to chase. 23' 0-1 USA swarm slowly up center. #15 Mewis (dude says "Lewis") turn-and-shoots in the center top arc, deflects high and drops to #20 Hayes at 13m 6-right. She gets closed down, fizzle. 24' 0-0 #7 Chantal-Dumont slides through #11 Horan just behind midfield, foul. USA boom a shot, slightly wide left.
26' 0-1 USA left throw-in, #14 Stengel has rotated to the left. She gets into a turning duel at box left foot, slide-tackle cedes corner. 26' 0-1 USA left corner. #12 DiBernardo takes it, short, USA circulates behind box top. 27' 0-1 USA chip to 12m center, #11 Horan gets flattened by 2 defenders. No call, ball loose to box top. #6 Brian(?) backshields, backpasses to #4 Dunn behind box top right. Dunn touches centerward, unleashes a rocket shot -- 1 diameter high.
30' 0-1 USA shot from center top arc, hard but right at D'Angelo. 31' 0-1 #20 Hayes fouled at 25m box left. Free kick to 6-top center, #5(c) Shelina Zadorsky micro-flicks it wide left and over (refs miss it, give goal kick). #17 Nkem Eruzike sprawls forward, undercuts Zadorsky, stays down for a bit: knocked heads? 33' 0-1 #10 Oduro splits USA's high line to box arc top center, sees #1 Heaberlin at 6m, chips her on the run -- shanked wide left.
35' 0-1 #11 Horan dribbles left-to-right across box top arc to arc right, shoots on the run but doesn't cut it back enough, wide right. 35' 0-1 USA win left corner. Curled hard to left post, #1 D'Angelo reaches past a box-out and punches it away from a skull-back, deflects through mouth to 6-top right, nobody there. 37' 0-1 USA down to box left foot, cross deflected over. 38' 0-1 #12 DiBernardo takes the left corners. Curls to 8m right post, flicked to the goalline, simultaneous header/fist contact thereat, pops wide right. D'Angelo pounces first, catches it.
39' 0-1 USA pass around the back, Canada's high pressure complicates the lanes. Turnover, but Canada can't control it, USA to midfield. Up left touch, another cross deflects over. 40' 0-1 USA left corner, to nobody at 10m 6-right. Header back into traffic, cleared. USA isn't getting much from all these left corners.
42' 0-1 Canada chip from 22m box right to 15m center. #17 Eruzike one-touch volleys with left instep, into space at 8m 6-right -- offside on her or #10 Oduro. Replay shows both even! 43' 0-1 #10 Oduro dribbles center-to-left, but with head down -- never sees #4 Dunn racing north, stealing it clean. Canada has lost several that way -- costing USA some energy. Dunn hooks a lousy long ball, drifts to box top left. USA ping to 14m right post, 2-v-2 and neither have shots. Awkward header back to center, bounces too high, #20 Hayes misreads the drop, whiffs on a waist-high roundhouse, corkscrews herself into the grass.
45' 0-1 USA deep right corner, crosses outswinging to 11m left post, skitters again off a forehead (#6 Brian? -- guessing from her brunette bob). USA settles at 14m 6-left, box is too obstructed, shot goes high. 45+1' (of 2') 0-1 USA cross from wide right, into a 50-50 at 6-top right post. #1 D'Angelo jumps and catches high while quarter-spinning, bumps back-to-back with #20 Hayes, doesn't drop.
HT 0-1. USA are a bit frenetic, pushing the pace beyond their own ability to sustain control. They can disrupt midfield and send the ball into Canada's box, but inaccurately, with players not in ideal positions, and nobody ever free. Even the odd bounces to our feet don't produce chances. Canada is defending with equal numbers and fitness, and is willing to cede corners and gum up the box. D'Angelo dominates everything within her reach.
So first half impressions. Americans are dominating play. Their passes are crisp and they have alot of ball movement. Canada on the other hand, haven't looked as good as they could have, mainly due to their poor passing. They can't build up anything, so you are seeing alot of kickballing down the field to their forwards. Maybe its due to that they have a lead and are defending it and are nervous. What we are seeing though, is even though a team like the US has mega young college stars in Stengel and Hayes, a good defensive team can keep them in check. Canada has been bringing numbers back everytime the US has the ball. And the backline have been keeping players marked and almost ineffective. Any shot the Americans got off were long range volleys and easily handled by Sabrina D'Angelo. It's going to be very hard to score on Sabrina, she is very agressive, challenging any ball that comes into the box. With her defense coming back in numbers to mark players out, it will be tough for the Americans to get quality shots off.
If Lindsay Horan keeps taking ridiculous no hope pot shots from way outside we have to replace her. Canada is packing the box and looking for long breaks like a lot of countries do against us. If we get the tie goal we can change this up some.
46' 0-1 Canada subs in (1 of 3) #15 Vanessa Legault-Cordisco for #3 Nicole Hill (RB). 46' 0-1 USA subs in (1 of 3) #9 Chioma Ubogagu for #14 Katie Stengel. 46' 0-1 Canada up box left, crosses to left post, #1 Heaberlin sprawls forward and stops it, small rebound but she gathers. 46' 0-1 Canada up box right deep, back-cross finds many red shirts at 11m. #8 Wu settles poorly, has no quick shot. USA clears it off her shins, reflects goalward! Harmless pop-up.
48' 0-1 USA up the right, #4 Dunn(?) to 6-top box right. Crosses to 7m 1/3 left, #6 Brian heads strongly, but right into D'Angelo's basket. 49' 0-1 #9 Ubogagu taps ball to settle, back through box top center into #6 Brian's stride running around some defenders, one-touch left foot sails wide left. Chances, but not sharp enough.
52' 0-1 USA pass across the 3 in the back, letting #2 Pathman sneak up left touch. Finally pass to her, Canada press and cause her to cough into left touch. USA win it back, send it long down box left, #11 Horan chases it down and wins a corner. 53' 0-1 Canada has about 8 in the box vs corners. Left corner cleared to 12m 6-right, chipped softly to 6-top, Canada head it away, and it's like 6-v-1.