The Freedom Fighters will be at Murphy's Law in Tenleytown (on Wisconsin Ave. two blocks north of the Metro station).
Not the best game I have seen the Freedom play this year, but we got the shutout and 3 points on the road so I can't complain too much. Freedom are still trying to figure out how to play without Sawa and De Vanna, but I think Lene and Abby are finally starting to get on the same page. Huffie and Long did another great job in the defensive midfield. Becca is still progressing - she made a few good stops, but she needs to realize you never want to pass the ball back in front across your goal - just knock it out. Marshall had another great game - she is transitioning into the pro game quite well. I am not a big fan of this 4-2-2-2 mainly because it leaves the wings wide open and unless the outside backs get up the offense is definitely one dimensional. My one request to Gabarra for the next game against Philly (and my only real complaint for this game): Please don't start Gilbeau....she turns the ball over too much and is always having to chase because she is out of position - plus she doesn't have the speed to recover. Hopefully the two week rest will give Bock a chance to fully recover and work on game fitness. Nice back heel from Abby on the first goal (even though I think she should have done better to get a shot off) and nice job by Lene with finishing the shot. The buildup to the second goal was nice to watch and gutsy finish by Abby on a diving header....why wasn't she wearing her mask??? At least for the next two weeks we can't be described as the team giving up the most goals...both the Beat and Athletica have allowed more
I was thinking that if they started giving out "Assist of the Year" awards, that would definitely be a candidate. Was very impressed with the way Huffie and Long were helping out defensively. We need it because we still don't have a lot of speed on the back line.
Overall, probaby not an evening to build the fan base. But congratulations to WF on the win, and to Wambach on a very fine outing-- she really looked good!
I think I pretty much agree w/ everything you posted. I said some similar things (minus the Gilbeau part) in the general all game discussion thread. Long really did have a nice game and I didn't expect her to do well as the holding mid. Of course, ATL didn't really challenge her much in terms of forcing her to track & defend all that much. She was just able to collect the ball & pass it around. Can she track & defend players like Seger, Lohman, or Buczkowski? I'm not so sure. I think I said at the beginning of the season that moving Moros back was a really interesting and potentially really smart idea on Gabarra's part (and I don't usually think Gabarra's the sharpest tack in the box). She's got speed and work rate. The question was whether she could learn actual defensive positioning & tackling. She's getting there -- passes into the middle notwithstanding. If I were McLeod, I'd choose to rest that shoulder/arm/whatever next week & not play for either Canada or the Freedom. If she goes down, you guys are SOL.
Kev, Al - Good to see you guys again. I'm trying to make it down for the game on the 30th. What broken nose lol? Still laying out to pick a ball 6 inches off the ground with her head. Abby has factored in 9 of the Freedom's 10 goals this season - only one entire team has scored more goals than that this season (FCGP, all of one goal more lol). Has already set the single-season assist record after just 6 matches. Obvious MVP choice so far. In the wake of the McNeil suspension for a challenge on Abby, anyone waiting for calls from Atlanta for Bompastor to be suspended a game? She was the one in late on the challenge even though she suffered some damage herself (if she is suspended, I probably forget about making the May 30 game, seeing Sonia play is one of my big incentives to go).
well if Hope Solo was right in her critique of McNeil's suspension, there won't be one for Bompastor as Zerboni isn't a "name" yet.
I have been surprised by Long's ability to play holding mid the last few games. Last year she didn't seem to want to come back and make a defensive play so I surprised this year when she started taking on that role. She has seemed to have matured from last year and is more willing to perform her role unlike last year when she would be all over the place at times and slow to make decisions. Long did alright in the first game against Philly as the holding mid during the first half, but during the second half she fell apart along with the rest of the team. She also did very well against Boston last game against Lilly, Smith, Cheney, and Fabiana. I am not sure if she would be able to be a lone defensive midfielder, but with Huffie alongside her it works out. They do well together - I do feel that when Bock is healthy though that Long will start attacking more and Huffie might move back out to the wing. The thing I like a lot about Becca is she studies the game - she wants to learn and is willing to put in the work. She watches more games and video than anyone else I know. I have seen vast improvements in her defensive work since the first game and even though there is at least one "Oh crap" moment each game the severity of my reaction has been less each game-meaning her mistakes have not been as serious. She still needs to work on her tackling a little though. I miss seeing her in the midfield or even up top, but I really like what she could potentially bring to the defense. I am actually not ready to say we will be SOL if McLeod gets hurt. Are our backups as good as her - obviously not, but I don't think many teams have a backup as good as their starting keeper. The only exceptions being Philly and Sky Blue (Bardsley being the backup) -I am interested to see how Harris and Naeher do when they get a chance. I am not ready to write off Meagan McCray from one poor half where she gave up three goals. To be honest I don't think Erin would have been able to stop those goals because the defensive breakdowns caused all three. I felt really bad for McCray that game - she had around five minutes to warm up in the pouring rain and then your entire team basically stops playing 10 minutes into the half. Not an easy situation to be in for your first appearance. McCray has potential and I thought she did really well in pre-season against Philly. I will be interested to see how she does against Canada with organizing the backline etc. I want to see her play a whole game before passing judgment. Yes I know I am ignoring Scurry in this scenario, but she has spent more time on the injured list than the active roster since the league launched. I don't see this changing any time soon, so I view McCray as the backup.
Last year, Long played wide mid in a 4-4-2 or attacking mid in a 4-3-3. That when she coughed up the ball a lot. I've only seen Washington once this year. Against Atlanta, Washington played a 4-2-2-2 with Long playing defensive mid and that was all she did. She stayed far back mostly and played defense. Most of her passes were to her backs. She made a handful of good forward passes but also got quite a few stolen. I have not seen it so I don't know if she knows how to play attacking mid yet.
Sorry to hijack,why is Washington not playing Eveland? maybe they should trade her to Atlanta or another team that needs a defender.
I'm guessing they're not playing her b/c she needs to improve her overall game to win a spot. I think Moros has done well enough at right back to keep her spot. Eveland did well to make the roster--several players picked above her did not. I wouldn't think a trade was in order. As a rule, rookies shouldn't expect to walk into a starting lineup. TBH, I'm not convinced she'd beat out Robinson (ATL's current right back).
Wouldnt she be a better center back- tall, fast enough to recover, great header. she will never get to do that at freedom...
I'm not saying she should be starting,but how is she suppose to improve her game if the Coach has not given her any playing time. If a player is on the roster(18) don't you think should get a few mins of playing time?
She'll be involved in scrimmages for hours every week in practice. You can be assured her soccer skills are not getting rusty.
11 starters + 3 subs < 18 players. And forwards end up being subbed more than defenders. So, to answer your question, no. I do not think that making the 18 is sufficient to get playing time. You've got to earn game day time through top level play in practice, too.
she is going against abby, sawah, devanna, girl from norway... she could be ready to play for any team, just not washington
