No argument there, Japan had better of the play. Hardluck to them and well played. Something scary: If anyone remembers the Japan-Paraguay game at the 2010 World Cup, Komano missed the only kick for Japan by hitting it off the upright top right. The girl for Japan missed it the EXACTLY the same way. Something even more eerie... both are #3.
Yes, very painful for the PK takers. It was nice to see the Spanish console them after the game. Also the Koreans formed a tunnel of honor, that was classy.
I would normally say well done to the winner, but that was a really frustrating final. Japan ran the game like I thought they would, but the tactical changes were really confusing. Moving your best players out of posistion, then in the end having a forward line with 3 defenders. South Korea's suicidal goalkeeping a side their a good team, but champs I cant remember a game they looked like the better side; Not once. Strange thing is, take away the 2 GK errors and japan lose this game I think in the end you have a really good but frustratingly inconclusive tournement. Over all the tournament had way more positives than negatives, just a shame mistakes have played such a huge role in the showpeice game.
Yes I am not sure if both Kyokawa and Yokoyama should have been pulled. I think the #16 (Kato ?) was also pulled. Odd to choose all the FWs. Yokoyama did not have a huge game, but she made the 3rd goal. Kyokawa was more influential, a constant menace. I think the GK errors were about equal. The 2nd Japan goal was tight by the post, and it bounced around the 6-yard line, making it difficult. It would have been a very good save. On the other hand, the Japan did not make a single good save - barely a save of ANY kind. I agree it seems very inconclusive; it is hard to say what won it - sheer luck ? For example, the way Spain bossed DPRK around, it looked as though they should be in the final. I thought the Golden Ball winner was basically shut out of the final too, and found it bizarre to give her that on top of the Golden Shoe.
When I looked at the 2nd & 3rd Korea Rep goals I thought they were pretty good strikes, but yes it would have been nice if the Japanese GK actually touched the ball once. I thought DPRK would struggle with Spain. Spain like Japan are technically superior to many teams in this age group. I think the draws for the quarters onwards decided the winners of this tournement. The clash in playing styles was the downfall for many sides. Rather than who had the better players, it tended to come down to who had the best coach. The New Zeland U-17 WWC had far better stand out individual players, but the teams were more orginaised in T&T. This reflects itself the Gold Silver Bronze ball winners. If you think NZ U-17 WWC had Iwabuchi, Marozsan, and Mewis as its top players you can see just how good the individual player talent pool was. Especially considering players like Ji so Yun, and Popp were the U-20's WWC stars having played the NZ U-17 WWC.
Was Popp in the NZ U-17 WWC also ? She is already one of the great women's players, and I expect she will be a star in Germany next year. I think you right about NZ, somehow it was a very different tournament.
Yep Popp was in all the German games for NZ, scoring in the defeat to USA. She really does look like the real deal too, progressing at a surprising rate. Marozsan is still seen as the bigger talent in Germany, but Popp looks set for a WWC place already. That German side was actually really strong, it was more or less the U-20 squad that just won at home so convincingly. The potential future stars of many nations were showcased in NZ. I'm not sure the same level of potential star will come out from T&T, even though the overall level was higher.
From what I saw at the WWC U-20 this summer, you can take that entire fleet of Germans and have them face the USWNT tomorrow and the US would get screwed. They are fast, they never miss the net whether its close or long distance, they are fast, and oh did I say they were fast? US women are slow slow slow!!That's how scary it is.... Those German players were completely flawless if they do that next year, nobody is going to take anything away from them. Japan is pretty sharp too technically!! I don't know how the U-20 players are because oddly I don't remember them but those U-17 ones are pretty spectacular if they get even better we're in trouble. The US Womens U-20 team..... I think are only so so. Whatever magic they had when they were U-17 somehow isn't sticking and their talent isn't what it was before unless the coach really sucked. The U-17 team didn't even qualify..... enough said about that one.
The fact the the Final involved Asian teams is amazing sign of how Women's soccer progressed in last few years...Canada is staying behind in that soccer as well.
That is just not true. I heard it all the time. "Ooooooh Germany will beat the crap out of the US girls the next time! They're younger and faster and better!" And then? Germany 0:1 USA Germany 2:3 USA Germany 0:4 USA The USA is not only the only team against which Germany have a negative statistic, it's also a f**king bad statistic. 28 matches, 4 victories for Germany. Germany would have lost to USA at the U-20 world cup too, if they had met in the final. If Brazil hadn't beat the USA in 2007 Germany wouldn't be two time world champions. The USA is the Anti-Germany team. They just know how to beat us everywhere and any time. Well you should expect that Japan, a rich country with more than 120 million people and equal rights for women, can field a good team. How popular is football among girls in Japan? I think in Germany it could be already the number 1 sport, but I am not sure.
This stat is bang on. Its like when Norway play USA too, i'm sure they have a positive record vs USA?. Some teams when seeming inferior can overturn the odds based on their history. Germany are proberbly the #1 nation in women's football right now, but the USA seem to scare the ability right out of Germany. USA have speed and strength but can lack technique. Now you see a mental strength from the US, as they tend to lack posestion of the ball. I think the mental game is where these two sides really differ. Germany always look great at various levels, but put a defensivly strong set up in front of them and they can mentally wilt. Germany excel because they focus on technique to out play every one, with their speed and strength as an the added x-factor. Yet get them a little frustrated and weakness can appear. Yes Germany keep creating better players than USA, but The U.S. just seem mentally tougher. Even after saying this though, Germany still won the most important game between the two nations in 2003. USA 0-3 Germany WWC semifinal in the US. The numbers of female players in Japan may not be as high as you think. I have read that South Korea have a tiny number of teams to develop players, and Japan have also struggled for many years with the same problem. Success is a very recent thing for these nations on the women's side.
I totally agree with you. Our head to head results against USA is a disaster. It doesn't matter who has the better squad, when you mentally use to lose against US each time you meet them. This has turned into a very bad habit like our performance against Italy in Men's Football. The difference is that by Men's the competition is much higher and the probability of meeting Italy every world cup is very low. This would not be the case in Women's Football. We cannot expect Brazil to beat USA this time for us ! I say it again, losing against US girls has become a habit and Silvia Neid should think about an additional mental preparation program just for this, otherwise we should forget about celeberating a 3rd WC win at home soil.