After the Algrave Cup, I hope Sermanni will be more ruthless in taking on new and younger players. To me, the back line of USWNT is the weakest link and gave way under immense pressure. Rampone is good in kicking the ball upfield to teammates but as a CD, she lacks the ability to take command of the area in front of goal. Look at the match against Australia, she was left way behind by an Australian forward who scored a goal against Solo. In many cases, the holes she left behind were up to her defender teammates to cover and I think she is not very good to do the opposite for her teammates. I am sure Sermanni can still remember vividly the way Rampone was left stranded by his Australian forward. JJ is very good in covering and in defense as witnessed in the final of U20 World Cup. She is the right player to step into the back line, together with Sauerbrunn, Buehler, Krieger, Mitts who, in contrast to Rampone, were good in sliding to take the ball away from the attackers. O'Hara is wasted as a defender with her ability to score with volleys and other difficult shots. I hope Sermanni will not play Dunn as a defender either. Midfield needs more speed. Cheney appears to be slow in getting the ball to her teammates most of the time. This allows the opposite team to get back into position. I am glad to see Mewis and Dunn have been called up for the camp. Kealia O'Hai impressed me greatly in her U20 World Cup and NCAA matches. She deserves a place in the lineup of USWNT along side Dunn. In preparation for the next Women's World Cup, many of the existing players will become too old and slow by then. Injection of younger players is paramount. I am excited in watching what players Sermanni will bring into the team. I hope he will take action early to give his new players adequate time to mature and develop into a cohesive team before the crucial matches on the world stage.
There are U23's and other pros that need chances before we go with the 18-20 crowd on the senior team. Many solid college players never deal with the step up in competition in pro play, let alone senior national team play. We definitely need to shake some things up, but swapping in the U20's based on what they did in college isn't the way to go.
The two u20s they picked r being looked at based on what they did as U20s not in college. In their world cup they distinguished themselves against professional players not other college students. For example, ten members of the Korea DPR team that they beat 2-1 were also on the team that USWNT beat in the Olympics 1-0 including five who started both games. How many member of German U20s play in the Bundesliga? Probably all off them including Dzsenifer Marozsan who is the best player for top team Frankfurt. Six members of that German team were on the roster for the two friendlies against against the USWNT in October.
I see realistically two spots up for grabs in the backline. That's it. Players like Boxx, Lloyd, Oreilly, Wambach, Rampone are damn near lifetime locks on the team.
I think what people want to see is a progression more than a changing of the guard. Take Boxx who is 35. People want to see that there is someone in the wings at DM. Same thing with Wambach. Is it Leroux? Some people like Press more or Hagen. A lot of what needs to get sorted out isnt changes to the starting line-up, but whether the substitute roles r better used for bring along those eventual replacements or r continued to be held by veterans. I mean I have nothing against Heather Mitts but is a 34 year old really the best use of that slot?
Yea, she is a good defender, i agree... but she's not a dmid. her distribution skills are not good enough to play this position and her her ability to win 50 / 50 balls has been fair in the past.
Brooklyn we have to agree to disagree. Under Paul Riley in Philly her distribution was good, she was playing in a system that she benefitted from. She wins 50/50 balls she not a mouse that gets run over, if your talking about aerial challenges it's not a minus that can't be over come. 5'0 nothing Matheson doesn't beat player in the air, she wins the ball on the ground. Both players have a ton of similarties in their game. I do think there are better option at DM Bock, Osbourne, Johnston, Averbuch. She could play as a fullback also, one doesn't have to have height to play there ie Cam Levin & Meghan Klingenberg.
Why would you have JJ play CD when her best position is DM/Holding Mid? Why would over Engen or Bock from CD and give JJ the green light in front of any of them? Engen has been given no time at all. Bock no time if any at all on the CB for the NT. Bock played well as CB with the Flash.[/quote] You mentioned Cheney. Tina DiMartino amazing creativity, good distrubtion, reads the game well. She should be on team given actually chances to play her position like everyone else.
I would guess* about half play in the Frauen-Bundesliga (but most of the starters) and the rest in 2. Frauen-Bundesliga (the second tire of the German League system). But since that tire also is named Bundesliga you are not techically wrong saying they all play in the Bundesliga *Guess based on situation in Sweden, but there are so many similarities between the Swedish and German systems that it must be considered a qualified guess.
This is exactly the point. How many U20s play in high level pro leagues in the USA? The correct answer here is 0. The college game and even U20 play doesn't guarantee that these players will end up quality pros or senior team players. There is no reason to skip young players (U23s and top former WPS players) for unproven players 3-4 years behind them. The system in place in the USA gets players to the senior team a few years later then top European leagues. The u20s will get their chance. For all the clamoring that Pia didn't give various players a shot, people sure are ready to go for the newest shiniest things.
Did ya'll see that Bywaters is replacing Rodriguez in camp due to A-Rod's pregnancy? Wonder how the timing will work out for A-Rod with a new coach?
U act like all he took were college kids. Mewis and Bywaters r current u23s and Engen, Winters, Averbuck and Press just came off the U23s. I think the age u group ur speaking of is very well represented and I think theyve managed to select the cream of the last five years.
I was replying to the people complaining that he took anyone other than the U20s. A dozen U-level games is not enough to judge every U20 player superior to every player that came along before them.
Speaking of Julie Johnston...I looked back at the previous ball winners at the U20 tournaments. JJ was the first defender ever honored with a top three award. The only other defensive player was the Chinese GK in 2006 who got the silver ball. Johnston was also chosen over Kim Un Hwa (Korea DPR ) 7 goals, Yoko Tanaka (Japan) 6 goals & Lena Lotzen (Germany) 6 goals who were the three boot winners.
BTW, Im in full agreement that they took the only two U20s they should have and that playing in college is necessarily a good indicator of WNT potential.
I definitely want bigger camps with more diverse players called in, along with game time for more of the players seen in camp. I just don't think it should be all of the U20s or U17s. I want to see Press get some game time. I want to see Bock and Edwards get camp time under the new coach.
I agree... the U20 r in camp now and will continue to have camps in the build to Canada in 2014. Im sure Sermanni will go to those camps and watch some of their games. Im sure he'll also watch a lot of league games. The hard people to see r those like Edwards or Levin who r in Europe or Japan. Those he'll just have bring in a few at a time until he gets things sorted out. Im sure nothing will be settled by the first camp.
I am sure that's the case. I am not sure the 2 u20 in camp will be in the next camp as TS may not only want to see others but those they also have school commitments.
He needs to rebuild the defense and improve possession and hopefully by he end of the year he has an idea of who can do that. Then he has next year to tinker and get them playing together.
Nothing ever happens the first camp except that the new coach sings Dylan tunes. No word on whether it will be "Pity the Poor immigrant" or "Changing of the Guards" for the Defense.
Funny but I guess one thing will happen shortly after the camp - he will have to decide if he the Algarve will be basically the same team that won the Olympics