38' 2-0 Scotland free kick from circle front box right. Into the scrum, cleared. USA counter up centerline, feed Morgan at circle back. #6 Joanne Love chases from behind, flashes across as Morgan tries to cut behind her, steps/hooks Morgan's left ankle. Morgan down, yellow card on Love. 41' 2-0 Morgan is helped off the field by 2 trainers, on one foot. 41' 2-0 USA subs in (1 of 6) #14 Sydney Leroux for #13 Alex Morgan. (Krieger took back her #11 )
With Leroux on now, I'd like to see Cheney replace Wambach at halftime. Have her be the fulcrum and distribute to the speedy forwards. Abby just isn't cutting it today.
42' 2-0 Scotland poach a bad ball at 35m center. #13 Ross weaves through traffic, but ends up trying to dribble 4 defenders. Sauerbrunn(?) gently interposes and adopts the ball. Scotland fouls. 43' 2-0 Wambach dribbles down box wide left to ~15m, crosses poorly with the left foot, heads toward 6-left foot, and either over, or dies in the grass, or Faye picks it up.
I saw a slightly late tackle. You saw a Scottish bitch. I find it slightly amusing to listen to the commentary: "Scatland has a shot.... Scatland fouls... Scatland moving forward... Scatland shoots..." Didn't the commentators swot up on the opponents at all?
Or you can take out Wambach and bring Press up top and put Mewis or O'Reilly on the flank. Then take out somebody like Lloyd for Cheney.
45' 2-0 Scotland chases 1-v-1 down box left with a 1-step lead (over Krieger?), but can't get any power on the cross. Rampone clears it. 45+1' (of +2') 2-0 O'Hara weaves 1-v-2 through moguls down box left. Tries 1 more move to turn corner at box left foot, but leaves the ball motionless behind both of them at 6m. Scotland recovers first, hoof clear. HT 2-0.
I like the dramatic music that the USsoccer halftime feed plays. Yes this game is soooo dramatic! just kidding!
Just gotta hope that Morgan is healed in time for training camp with the Portland Thorns. Portland fans will want her ready for the inaugural match, in tip-top shape.
her game is rapinoe serving air balls to her, just doesn't have the legs anymore. her other goals are more or less clean ups after morgan shots. early 2014 has to be some combo of sydney, morgan and press, as the primary attack. of course another forward could pop up.
Second half?----------------------Loyden------------------------ --Krieger---Johnston---Sauerbrunn---O'Hara-- ----------------------Boxx--------------------------- --------Mewis--------------------Heath----------- ---------------------Cheney------------------------ ------------Press---------------Leroux------------ Averbuch for Boxx at some point, O'Reilly for Heath.
Abby was awful. Carli is always looking for her shot and turns it over a lot. Other starters looked fine.
Christen Press is looking impressive for her first United States appearance. It looks like she will be on the USWNT for the Algarve Cup.
Abby has declined a ton in the past few months. I'm beginning to wonder what she'll be like at the 2015 WWC. It's very realistic that she will be no where near the player she was in 2011-2012. Hopefully it's just "rust".
I think WNT watchers have seen for a while that we have lots of talent in the attack. Sermani needs to mold the new defense. I think O'Hara and Sauerbrunn are where they belong. Rampone needs to be phased out and although I am a fan of Krieger, she seems to get caught out of position quite a bit. Near the end of the half, she should not have had to run down the Scottish player. In other games I have watched her drift inside, leaving too much room for wings between her and the touchline. I don't have any complete solutions yet, but Engen belongs on the WNT; she could be the second center back. After all Sauerbrunn is a seasoned player.
Interesting facts from MatchTracker. -Press joins two other USWNT players to score two goals in their first cap: Cindy Parlow and somebody called Sherill Kester. I think the implication there is that nobody has ever scored three. Can Press do it? -It's the first time Sydney Leroux has ever appeared in the first half for Team USA.