Considering Tennessee weather, they will likely be in Florida for both camps and just travel for the second game.
No one is talking about 2015 yet. My only hope for Algarve is that everyone plays. Last year Pia took a roster of 21 and amazingly everyone but Whitney Engen got into at least one game. Barny got a game and Solo never takes a day off. Cox got in three games and she was a replacement on the roster.
Yeah, and last year Pia still hadn't decided if Ohara was a fullback, something that will be up for discussion again this cycle. Engen wasn't going to replace experienced defenders. No coach wants rookies in the central defence. If she is going to latch on, the next 18 months is when she needs to make a mark.
Two of the games were 4-0 and 5-0. Second of all, if u dont think she can play dont bring her to Portugal. My theory was Pia was afraid she'd do well and lord doesnt that cause problems on the good ship lollipop.
Well Ive been harboring this theory that if most of ur defensive line isnt 5'5 Christine Sinclair has a harder time scoring at will but I'm sure the Japanese found them statuesque.
Pia publicly stated her teams where not the "best" available, but the best as a "whole" team. So I agree not allowing a player to shine may have been in the back of Pia's tactful mind. Press's inclusion as an alternate before ever actually playing for her or getting a cap also says volumes. Press must have played wonderfully in the few camps she was in. why didn't she get a shot? If nobody see her compete it's easier for Pia to do what she wants. Maybe i've gone a bit off topic. but i agree thai, i'd like to see the whole roster play at algarve with some different formations even!
Press only made one camp...she was invited to the pre Olympic camp but Goteborg wouldnt let her go but she got picked as an alternate anyway. I think that the fact she was tearing up the Swedish league was the main factor. Pia was very loyal to her girls. Sometimes to a fault. I dont think playing time is a problem with Sermanni. From the way he coached Austalia I can see him looking at different combination and people in different places. How much he can play with the formation depends on what he can get out midfield.
oh.. i must say i really wanted brooks in this camp too. she's a great holding mid and that is a position we must focus on going forward. are the games gonna be on tv!!!! will be fun.
DM? I guess Keelin Winters will get a long look there. U have to figure Julie Johnston and Yael Averbuck as well. I wouldnt be surprised to see Becky Edwards brought in next time. Personally, I like Sauerbrunn as the heir to DM. She reads the flow of play very well and is great connecting short passes forward. Moving her up will also allow him to rebuild the central defense with a combination out of Engen, Johnston and Cutshall. At least he realizes the clock is ticking.
It is a good enough camp list for the first one of 2013. We all have a player (or two) that we wish had gotten a call but didn't. Every young/new player won't get a look at every camp. And you can't dump all the vets without losing all the institutional knowledge--not to mention the youth need to actually demonstrate to the new guy that they can beat them out. The key will be to make an impression in playing club ball, either in Europe or the States, and seize any camp chance given in the future. From his time in Aussieland, Sermanni is familiar enough with having to look at players that aren't based domestically. Sauerbrunn is a class central defender, why would you want to move her to away from the backline? Particularly if you are a person who wants the backline to exhibit some quality passing & the ability to connect with each other in addition to quality defending? Winters had a successful stint at Potsdam in the middle. Is she ready for the next level? We'll find out. By her own account, Averbuck's time in Sweden has been good for her & her play.
The biggest problems with the two of them have been their speed of play. If they have improved in that regard, they have a good chance of making an impact - especially Averbuch because of her consistently spot-on passing. We'll see. I'd personally like to start to mold the DM spot for Johnston. I think we have enough quality CB's and not enough DM's and she could be the perfect candidate to be Boxx's understudy and then step in when ready.
Are you sure we know that Johnston is better potential at this level than Winters or Averbuch? I ask because both Winters & Averbuch had arguably better Uxx careers than Johnston's--particularly Winters. Don't forget just how outstanding Winters was at the point Johnston is now. We've just all seen the Uxx Johnston against her Uxx peers more recently than we have Winters or Averbuch. Don't get me wrong, I like the potential Johnston has and like what she showed at the 2012 U20 WWC. But this place has a tendency to fall for a young player immediately and forget about them almost as quickly once they turn 22 if they aren't on the full USWNT.* The questions, imo, for Averbuch at the international level is her quickness/speed & ability to get "stuck in." The questions, imo, for Winters at the international level is her ability to consistently connect her passes at (as you rightly note) this level speed of play--she's there athletically. The questions, imo, for Johnston are speed of play and athletic ability as she moves up two levels from Uxx play. I say two levels because we have not seen her play against adult pros yet. She wasn't so far above her Uxx international peers in either category for me to be confident she doesn't need the same sort of work both Averbuch & Winters needed at that age. *unless a USWNT player is out of favor with the hive mind and perceived to be keeping said player off the squad.
she was horrible in the wps. how people figure she is better than becky edwards, who more or less captained wny? i saw two mj games, and all winters did was give away possession, which resulted in two goals. their mid-field will really be a mess, if she becomes a starter. i'd love to see her against france with delie lurking around, given she loves to pick the pockets of defenders and defensive mid-fielders. girl is just horrible.
I think Johnston is a good bet just because of her versatility. As you said, she had a very good U20 WWC tournament and she also had a great year at Santa Clara - 8 G, 5 A for a holding mid isn't too bad at all. But I definitely agree she has a lot of the same questions that Averbuch and Winters have. I still like Averbuch's chances over Winters though. Her passing can be awful, but who knows if she's improved or not. We'll soon see. Also, obviously Sermanni (or someone else) decided to bring in Johnston because they feel she can make an impact or to introduce her to the full national team setting. You don't see players like Nairn or Ohai here so clearly Johnston was selected for a reason. I don't think that she makes too big of an impact this time around but I do see her as a very viable option for the future. To me, at least, she has a greater upside than Winters and Averbuch just because of that versatility.
You see her play with Potsdam? Because reports from Germany (and actual viewing of games) shows she had success there. And she didn't suck in WPS. Winters had a typical rookie adjustment to taking the next step, showed improvement over the season, and earned a contract with the legend that is Schröder Nairn, imo, has been coasting on a rep she got as an 18 year old. Her form hasn't been that great since then as players caught up. There was improvement in play this year but not enough, imo, to warrant more than a U23 call. The fact that she wasn't called into this camp is a point in Sermanni's favor with me. Ohai isn't in a position of great need like the Johnston is. Sometimes numbers are in your favor and sometimes they aren't. If you look at the age distribution alone, defense and central midfield are the obvious immediate rebuild points for this cycle. Outside mid and forward aren't. I think it will take a bit longer for her to work her way into a full camp call because of the age of her competitors. If a player like, say, ARod doesn't impress Sermanni then he'll start to look at other "speed" options for his bench. And as great as Ohai's 2012 was, her 2011 was almost equally as frustrating. I hope her 2013 is more like her 2010 & 2012 but we'll have to wait and see. All that said, like Becky Edwards, I think Ohai will get a chance at a later camp this year. Can't call everyone to every camp.
Oh I am definitely happy Nairn wasn't called up. She didn't even impress me when she was called up years ago and there are much better options out there right now then Nairn. Definitely a + for Sermanni there.
Got better? Did you not see the mj vs Boston playoff game? Sophia's dispossession of her in the mid-field resulted in the press run and asst to rapinoe (header). Delie would eat her alive. She's a guaranteed goal, which could get France past the NT finally. She blows!
We'll see what happens. She also scored a goal in that playoff game. I don't remember the play you're talking about specifically but will search youtube to see if I can find a clip. And are you talking about Sophie Schmidt that starts for the Canadian national team? She's dispossessed a lot of high quality international players because she's an elite international player. Not a player trying to develop into an elite level international player.
One of the main things I want from the next DM is to be able to hold the ball under pressure and pass it thru the midfield. Even if Sauerbrunn isnt the best ball winner on the team I think her organizational skills and her anticipation make up for that. They need to link thru the midfield to get easy chances on the counter attack. I didnt see Winters play at TP so I have no opinion on her progress. She must have a lot of support as she is always on the list. What I like about Johnston is quickness, especially laterally, and her ability to anticipate the play and beat the offensive player to the spot. She also good in the air. And no, I dont think Winters in 2008 was nearly advanced as Johnston was this year. Johnston is a polished defender who needs to improve in other areas. Winters, who is a different type player was no where near this far along in Chile and may still not be. Ohai has a lot of WNT qualities but really needs to improve her ball handling skills. If she's gonna play on the wing she needs to be better at long passes, tho she is a decent short passer.
Having seen Johnston dozens of times, although mostly in MF, my bets are on her. Her game reading is top and her versatility will get her everywhere. Short and long passing - both incredible and on the spot. She's also got about 7 inches on Dunn. I keep wondering why you people keep talking about her pace - she seems speedy here at home. I did just read that she played the whole U-20 world cup with a broken bone in her foot. Did anyone else hear that?
Well Dunn is a whole nother situation. Dunn is probably ready for a limited role right now. She'd have to adjust to the speed of the game and the physicality but that comes with playing on that level. Both her pace and ball handling r international class and she dribbles the ball at speed as well as anyone. She can make crisp passes both short and long and is a very precise tackler. When ever her height gets mentioned I always thin of players like Bompastor who cant be more than 5'2 no matter what they list her as or Miyama who's a top 5 player at 5'. No, I hadnt heard heard about JJs foot and it doesnt surprise me at all. She doesnt seem the type to make an excuse or give less than 100%
Another height reference - You must not have seen her play. Ask the last 6 teams she faced in the NCAA tournament what her height did to them. JJ and Dunn are totally different players. Dunn is best on the outside and has crazy speed with and without the ball but with the ball she is special. She can defend the fastest player 1v1. We are talking about the MAC Herman trophy winner - D1 coaches voted for a 5' 2" player that only scored 5 goals on the year and spent most of her time playing defense - oh those 5 goals were all scored in the NCAA tournament when she was moved out of defense. You height concern is right if she was looking at center back but that's not going to be her spot.
FYI, Johnston was named Young Female Athlete of the year by US soccer, but is this going to come down to a contest between the two? I don't think so. It will be interesting to see how things play out for the next camp...