20' 1-0 #5 O'Hara drives down box left for a rare left-side attack, crosses high over the 6. #17 Heath is sandwiched by 2 at 3/4 right, doesn't jump. #15 Rapinoe collects wide right, nutmegs #22 Sesselman down to her seat, crosses low to goalmouth, Canada clear. Rapinoe regathers at box top right, pokes to #13 Morgan at arc right. Morgan tries a chip but fouls it high, McLeod has to wait for it to land in her arms. Rapinoe is in #9 O'Reilly's RM role, but her play is completely different, because USA's possession has been mindbogglingly efficient. Rapinoe rarely has to sprint, hasn't seen a 1-v-1 yet, and is more of a sniper / fox. USA's midfield hasn't made a bad pass yet. One-way traffic, bing bing and we're probing Canada's box top. What a start.
I'm watching it on firstrowsports.eu. Drill down to the game, Link 1, sit through the annoying 30-second ad. 26' 1-0 USA pry ball loose just past midfield left touch. #13 Morgan collects at 40m box left, dribbles past scattered clouds to box top arc right, has #15 Rapinoe drifting wide right, but elects to chip. Blocked wide right, Canada clears. 27' 1-0 O'Hara splatters #22 Sesselman. Sesselman is helped into touch. Canada free kick from 35m box right, one fast bounce at 15m center and it goes way wide left and over. Again, the speed of the field seems to flummox Canada.
28' 1-0 #3(c) Rampone gets caught in possession, #12(c) Sinclair clips her down. Ball pops into a 40-60, #7 Boxx slides through it and whacks #6 Kyle in both shins. Yellow on Boxx, Kyle leaves field for one play. Canada thunderbounce another free kick too long to Solo's 6-left foot. Kyle returns. 29' 1-0 Off that restart, #17 Heath(?) rolls it down box right for #13 Morgan, who stops it alone just on the endline. She creeps in along endline nearly to 6-right, underhits a backpass to #15 Rapinoe -- the opportunity becomes a 1-v-3 swarm. Canada poke ball loose and send Rapinoe down. No call.
well at least we are not the only team with ugly new uniforms . Love solo's black though. She always picks good kit sets.
enough the fashion talk....what the hell with the long ball? please say we are not going back to that
Rapinoe has Sesselman (and everybody else, really) on toast. I agree with Martino that her endline crosses could be better, however, if she picked up her head. But regardless, great skill and control by her so far.
40' 1-0 #15 Rapinoe fouled at 20m wide right. She curls outswinging to 5m left post. #18 McLeod comes out to 5m 1/3 right, whiffs utterly with both hands as the ball curls away. It drops untouched to #14 Wambach's foot, not what she expected, volleys high wide left. It actually looked like she wasn't even trying a shot with that foot, and the ball landed on her shoe.
She has also got some serious work rate out there today. I love nothing more then a player that hustles.
44' 1-0 #5 O'Hara pushes past box top wide left, circles back in a seam to box top left. Shoots hard right instep, McLeod saves easily at left post low. A bit odd that Rapinoe is so dominating the right corner (she is), and yet we need our LB to get anything on the left side. I think Wambach, Morgan, and Heath are all running a cyclone twist in the center, free to sniff out weak lanes.
ok is it me or do those goddam stripes on our uniforms make distinguishing players really freaking difficult??
45+2' (of 3') 1-0 #12(c) Sinclair dribbles from box top right to arc right, clears 1 defender, shoots low (her) left as #1 Solo dives right post. Ball deflects off (#6 LePeilbet or #7 Boxx)'s inner right knee, to the centerline. Solo reverses, dives back to center, palms ball clear 1/2 diameter from the line. Trickles to left post, #6 Kyle sprints in but Solo wins that race with a sprawl. 45+3' (of 3') 1-0 Off the goal kick, USA hoof long and drop it over #13 Morgan's shoulder at 30m arc left, with 1.5 steps past 2 defenders. She dribbles and maintains lead to 12m 6-left, sharp cutback makes them both overshoot like MiGs past Maverick. Morgan steps into a right-foot roundhouse to 2/3 right low, #18 McLeod is nowhere -- #22 Sesselman is alone on her own goalline, clears it sideways while falling backward in. McLeod gathers at her right post. HT. Replay freeze-frame with cut zoom shows Solo's left arm cradling ball up against the inside of the left post. Plausible that it ever crossed completely over? That'd be a tough call for the AR on far touchline, or even a goalline ref standing behind the endline. Inconclusive.