For the Slavic-language challenged, that means "Ana from the Black Mountain(s)". And Leroux just scores! Finally they're not just passing the ball to the goalkeeper. After the Korea vs. Switzerland result, US team needs a good result here to have better chances in the end. And Bywaters just scores. Oh, I like this shooting gallery.
23' 2-0 USA siege Switzerland's box: right corner cleared, USA controls, dumps it back in. Left corner blocked, Swiss cannot clear. #3 Rachel Quon settles at 25m 6-right, looks up for anything, lob-whatever blocked, pop fly high to 20m box top right. Swiss swing and whiff, #9 Kristie Mewis misses a header, Quon races in to challenge. Ball pops around, nobody can control it. Drops to somebody with two digits (#20 Amber Brooks?) at box arc right foot with back to goal, one-touch centerward into the stride of #19 Sydney Leroux. Leroux has a seam toward arc left foot, shoots left foot from 17m, rising golazo into the left upper 90. I think she's hit that same shot in every U-20 finals now ...
25' 3-0 USA threads the perfect 20m vertical pass through box top 6-left as #12 Zakiya Bywaters outsprints Switzerland's right flank and cuts in diagonally through box left. Bywaters collects around 12m, carries to 6-top left, and delicately rolls it under #1 Nathalie Schwery and just inside the right post. That's actually about the 3rd such vertical pass USA has tried, and this one worked beyond perfection -- Bywaters never had to change her stride.
36' 3-0 Switzerland plays up the right to #9 Ana Crnogorcevic at 25m, who turns just inside her defender in a too-close 1-v-1, and suddenly has acres of space to cut inside. Crnogorcevic dribbles too-patiently into 8m 6-right, doesn't like the shot through two defenders' traffic -- backpasses too-prettily toward #10 Ramona Bachmann at 14m right post, and USA easily intercepts inside-out. 2-v-4 is not the time to play at half-speed ...
42' 3-0 #16 Maya Hayes receives at 18m just wide of box top right, 1-v-1 with #3 Sarah Steinmann, outsprints her down to 5m box right, and turns the corner cleanly. Her low cross is cut out by the 2nd line of defense, and USA can't do anything with it. Let's keep knocking on that right-side turnstile
45+2' 3-0 #9 Ana Crnogorcevic carries to 22m box right, shoots hard and high -- off the crossbar about 2m from right post. #1 Bianca Henninger was right under it anyways, and her right hand looks like it would have stopped any on-frame ball path.
Pretty good halftime commercial showing all kinds of "3". Downside is that you don't realize it until the punchline/branding at the end: it's for ESPN3 itself. Probably would get the message across better by emphasizing that right at the beginning. Hilarous ESPN Press Pass studio break discussing Thierry Henry joining Red Bulls. Tommy Smyth: "Well, he's come to the wrong city --" Yay! It's the Altidore SportsCenter commercial! "It's an Italian shirt" -- "Yeah, it's nice"
49' 3-0 USA exert pressure behind box top left. #12 Zakiya Bywaters has it poked away to 20m left touch, chases half-way, then sees #5 Kendall Johnson overlapping up. Bywaters drifts forward into a gap instead, Johnson outwrestles a defender and pokes it to her. Bywaters forearm-fends two Swiss off her back as she carries to 10m 6-left. Cross is blocked, pings around, Switzerland finally clears it to 20m wide right. #3 Rachel Quon dumps it back in, too high, #1 Nathalie Schwery basket-catches it.
52' 4-0 USA controls at their own box top left post. #2 Toni Pressley lobs the 45m long ball, and #19 Sydney Leroux beats the trap at 7 mowed stripes!! She's 2 stripes alone down the left post lane, into 12m to lure out #1 Nathalie Schwery -- cuts endline around her, recovers at 4m halfway wide of left post, and finishes coolly with left instep to right back corner low.
59' 4-0 Switzerland chip a dangerous high cross from 26m box right toward #14 Meg Morris breaking past the medium-high line at 9m left post -- but it sails about 1m over her leaping head.
61' 4-0 Switzerland pass inside-out to box top arc right, where #10 Ramona Bachmann has split two napping defenders. She carries to 12m right post, and lifts her shot way over the bar. Gack. All three players should hang their heads.
I am watching the Mexico game is Galavision, but I can not watch the USA game what up with that, not even on Oxygen! ESPN2 is showing the 30 on 30 Escobar story for the 20th time and then a replay of the Home run derby! WTF?
66' 4-0 USA coach Jill Ellis evidently wanders close to the sideline mike as she yells to a "Toni" (#2 Pressley). Switzerland backpass from 15m right to #10 Ramona Bachmann, who carries right-toward-center behind box top. #5 Kendall Johnson(?) lunges down, heels the ball away, and her thigh/hip follow-through bumps Bachmann down into a half-roll tumble, causing pain in her left knee(?). Bachmann walks into touch, and returns. 70' 4-0 USA send another long ball up the left, #19 Sydney Leroux chases it 15m and collides with #5(c) Danique Stein coming inside-out. Stein goes down, Leroux stumbles past her to 20m box top left. Foul on Leroux?! USA subs in #13 Mollie Pathman for #12 Zakiya Bywaters.
74' 4-0 #13 Mollie Pathman crosses from 4m box left, but it's poked clear. Switzerland subs in #16 Cora Canetta for #10 Ramona Bachmann (who is still limping a little).
76' 5-0 #19 Rahel Kiwic tries a simple high switch through the back half of center circle. #19 Sydney Leroux is camping in the passing lane, and leans her upper back into the path -- deflects the ball into her own stride! She's off to the races, alone from 40m left post to 13m slightly left. Once again, #1 Nathalie Schwery comes out to close the angle, and Leroux executes exactly the same right-foot cutback to round her, and left foot tap-in from 6m to center low. 78' 5-0 USA subs in #14 Meg Morris for #16 Maya Hayes. 80' 5-0 #14 Meg Morris dribbles with fresh legs up the box right lane, crosses at 15m -- poked away, and Switzerland clears. 81' 5-0 #14 Meg Morris clatters into #19 Rahel Kiwic, yellow card.
83' 5-0 USA ping it around the back. Oops -- turnover!! Switzerland can't quite connect three short passes, USA get it back. #5 Kendall Johnson hoofs a long ball to 6m past midfield -- #5(c) Danique Stein uses a forearm to control. Free kick lacks, um, urgency.
86' 5-0 The (lower) stands look quite full, like 80%. A refreshing change from some of yesterday's matches. Enough to make a good "ooh" on any exciting play in the box, and whistle all of USA's excellent slide-tackles in our own
90+2:34" 5-0 Switzerland switch field toward right touch ... and it rolls right over a foot and goes out. Commentator: "... and that really sums up Switzerland's afternoon"
[France-Germany] 27' 0-1 Huge scramble at France's box top center, migrates inside the box -- Germany about five half-chances, all blocked, and France just can't clear it out. Finally, Germany's last tiny goalward pop-up drifts too close to #16 Laetitia Philippe, who catches it awkwardly while leaping over a low foot.
[France-Germany][Costa Rica-Colombia] 33' 0-1, 0-1 Halfway there for Colombia to pip France: GF GA GD (at start of match) +3 -1 +2 France +2 -4 -2 Colombia A pair of 2-0 wins would drop/raise both of them to GD =0, but then Colombia advances on goals scored.
35' 0-2, 0-1 Germany lurk at -11m behind midfield right. #4 Marith Priessen chips a long pass up the 6-right lane. #11 Alexandra Popp outsprints the trap line 1-v-1 at 30m, gets a step on her defender, watches over her shoulder as ball bounces once behind her at 25m, bounces again level with her at 18m box top arc right, and leads her perfectly into the box. #16 Laetitia Philippe charges out to 9m, strands herself, and Popp one-touch lobs her on the run from 15m 6-right into the left side netting.
40' 0-2, 0-2 #6 Daniela Montoya scores again. With that goal: 9+6 (9-3) Germany 4=0 (4-4) Colombia 4=0 (3-3) France 0-6 (2-8) Costa Rica