Sermanni Names 23 Player Algarve Cup Roster

Good roster. Plus he will cap Harris and Horan. How many women can he cap in 4 or 5 games without destroying team cohesion? That's for people singing about Winters (She isn't that good.) and Brooks. There's no way Pia would bring this many newbies to a major tournament, throw them to the wolves and see what they got. I wouldn't be surprise, if he lets Press and Horan go at Pia's backline at some point, left Walking Header in a game so she could get a goal, so I don't see it beyond him. But don't start the crying if he loses the Sweden game in exchange to see what his young girls can do against a top 6-7 team in the world. I doubt they will get much competition from China (They'll be in a defensive posture for most of the game.) and Iceland.

Horan @ forward? I don't see a problem, because I think Press can play mid-field and still score like a forward sitting in the box, and he has something special on that right side with Press, Kreiger and Dunn. They seem to connect better than the left side.

Anyway, I see them getting past Sweden but I think Japan gets them, but that's cool, if it means he is confident to get girls playing time instead.

Sermanni

Oh, Hagen is a Wambach clone. No need for her in the cluster of forwards with Walking Header still on the roster. Also, she can't bounce back to mid-field like Press and Horan, too one-dimensional. She just doesn't fit in with the roadrunners he has now, and he seems to like quickness and speed up top.

If anything I enjoyed just looking at Mitts on the bench, even if she never got in a game. But I agree she could make the move to sports TV, and I'm sure one of the networks would jump her up to cover soccer.

 

Norio announced he was bringing a younger team to Algarve. No Sawa, Miyama, Ando or Ohno. If the purpose of this off year is to evaluate players, then I'd like to see the clones as well. The only problem with Heather Mitts is her age. A reserve spot is wasted on someone at the end of her career.

 

is hagen and winters even in his plans? who knows? this teams plays a club schedule, so he has more than enough time to cap them in 2013. you can't cap the world in 3 or 4 games, and he is giving a lot of players their first cap. becky edwards would be more important to this squad than winters.

ohno he will come up with his regular story that the games didn't matter. yeah, but they matter when he wins. my favor was when the german girls smoked his team pre-olympics. he has one major tournament, and that was due in-part to a natural disaster and a highly motivated team plus the USWNT inability to FRAME kicks. lets see him win another WC or Olympics.

sermanni has to have some cohesion because the fan boys and girls will come out the woods if he doesn't make it to the finals. i can picture this board before hand.

like people on this board won't start crying if he looses to pia because he started press and horan vs wambach and morgan.

prove me wrong.

 

Did he win the Olympics and Algarve?

His team road a natural disaster to the WC title? Dont worry. I have family in Louisiana, so I know about natural disasters, or man-made ones.

Every time he drops a game against a top opponent, he jumps on a podium and says, that one didn't matter because we were just testing players.

He's giving himself another exit ticket at the Algarve if Germany or the USWNT wrecks his squad.

If I had my issues with Pia, he is right behind her.

 

Sarcasm is hard to identify sometimes in little electronic letters. Pretty sure Sermani isn't calling women up to the nat team on hearsay. I hope Hagen gets a break soon, but i'm excited to see hagen.

 

Are we comparing to Germany over that Span? They got a third in the 2008 Olympics, didn't get past the quarters in the 2011 WWC, and had to pay to get into the stadium for the 2012 Olympics. Japan got semis, first, and second.

And when did the Algarve become a major tournament anyway? Just since Germany won one? If you count that, you have to count all the times they didn't even go to Portugal in their record.

 

When someone posted it with the WC and Olympics. I guess you missed that.

 

UNC has an extensive online class offering. The NCAA has taken no stance on the courses, so that is one option for her. The NCAA football Heisman Trophy winner is taking all online courses this semester.

I think the roster is a very good first step. I wonder if it would have been a good time to give Boxx a rest though.

 

Does she need a rest, really, or did he get a GOOD look at how well she worked with Press? I think it's the ladder.

From what I've seen, Dunn, Engen and Johnston need caps to fortify that backline and determine which one can be a starter in a year, if that is going to happen. I think the spot next to Rampone is up for grabs.

Press and Sydney (great pace but raw) need pressure cooker type games. They need to play as much as Morgan has played in the last 2 years. That doesn't leave much time for another forward who probably won't make the squad.

Maybe there is space for another mid-fielder like an Ohai or Horan (F/MF).

I think people are unreal on this board.

That's five-six new faces, who need SERIOUS game minutes.

The man can't trash to whole roster, and he can't cap every player, who people think should get a cap even if they dont have the goods for an international spot like Winters. I like Becky Edwards, but maybe she doesn't his mode, didn't fit with Pia either. I'm cool if she isn't capped.

Those ladies seem like the top 5-6, who will seriously upgrade the roster.

 

While I think I know what you mean, so far she has conducted herself with such. She has not embarrassed herself.

She was allocated for the league, which to me at the time meant she has/will have (or at least was going to get) a contact with the WNT this year. She was invited to the camp for Scotland games.
Remember, these players do not speak the word "retire" until well after the fact, they have endorsements to consider (which are based on being on NTs). They simply stop getting on rosters or into camps.

 

Is this first we hear of Solo's "long standing wrist injury" ?

 

No sarcasm implied. Pretty much all the new people called into the first camp were based on someone elses impression and film. I doubt Sermanni ever saw Julie Johnston or Crystal Dunn play in person before they hit camp. If one of his world class players told him Horan was worth taking a look at, dont u think that carries weight? Some of the best impressions u get of players r from the people they play with or against. And if Heath did mention her she wouldnt be the first because Rapinoe thru Horan's name out on a tv interview during the fan tour.

 

Norio is always playing an angle. Does he want to get his younger players experience? Absolutely. Is there other things going on? Who can say. He's a very good coach but a bit of a micro manager.

 

Also could simply be he also saw the film of her (sure there is a bunch that the national team has from the u20 qualifier and they file intra squad, etc.) and knows what she has done with the youth national team. In addition, I am sure April and Jill made recommendations regarding the youth players and I am sure Horan was on the short list along with Dunn, Johnston and maybe a few others.

 

Sure...Im sure he got all kinds of recommendations at the NSCAA convention. It wouldnt surprise me that Anson Dorrance pushed Dunn and Engen hard. Ive seen him mention both players deserving a shot at various times. Im sure Swanson and Waldrum spoke with him about their U20 and U23 rosters. He's got Henrich and Ellis as well. It's just nice that Sermanni wants to see for himself.

 

Boxx is 35 and has lupus. How can she not need a rest?

 

Watching someone on film is not someone else's opinion. Are you saying you can't have accurate opinion on how someone plays by watching on TV? Of course Tom has watched all of these players on film. maybe in person, who knows. he probably spends much of his time in Europe, being he's from...Europe.
And yes, I don't think a player will have enough influence on a coach, after a couple weeks together, to get an uncap'ed player called up.

 

Well it's not like Heath got her next door neighbor a shot on the team. Horan may have been the next choice after A-Rod but they thought the time frame was too short so they went with Bywaters. Who knows? Horan was gonna get a look at some point. I just find it very hard to believe that when Sermanni chatted with Heath about PSG that Horan's name didnt come up.

 

I will be pissed if he loses to Pia because he starts Press and Horan. I will say it up front. I want to bring in new talent while keep continuity and winning.

I don't think Press and Horan would lose us a game, but they might not win us one either. I would rather see Press with Morgan and Wambach.

 

Maybe someone's wishful thinking but can't see Horan starting such game.

 

Ill be mildly surprised if Horan is dressed, more surprised if she plays and stunned if she got a start as she is at a position that is already jammed up. On the other hand, if she did get in I wouldnt be surprised if she did OK. She has the look of the real deal or at least the real deal down the road.

 

How many days of training did Dunn get with the senior team? I wouldn't be surprise if he threw her and Harris in vs China. I think Iceland will put up a better fight but get overwhelmed late. That game will probably over after the 1st 60 min, if their defensive posture doesn't hold. If it's a laugher, I think he caps people.

 

Maybe, but if he caps people in a laugher, what does it show?