With goals in the 17’ and 31’, the #USWNT U-23’s have defeated Sweden, 2-1 in LaManga.— Kentucky Women's Soccer (@UKWomensSoccer) March 3, 2014
“@ussoccer_ynt: The Under-23 #USWNT beat Sweden U-23s today, 2-1, in La Manga, Spain. Goals by Chioma Ubogagu and Frances Silva.” Sweden's goal in the second half
Actually this was a big topic last year at this time. Coach Waldrum was posting daily recap articles about La Manga on his Notre Dame blog. Of course USSoccer was posting nothing at all. After three posts they not only stopped but the first three were taken down from the site without explanation. The speculation here at BS was that the communication people at USSoccer got a bug up their collective asses because Waldrum was covering the team instead of them.
Apparently there were actually 10 minutes of highlights not just two. Are we having highlight rationing in the states?
I was kind of surprised at the speed of play from the Japanese. Im used to seeing the slower tempo from their full squad.
USA: 1-Aubrey Bledsoe; 14-Arin Gilliland (12-Amanda Frisbie, 46), 13-Abby Dahlkemper, 8-Emily Sonnett, 19-Jaelene Hinkle; 11-Frances Silva (7-Kealia Ohai, 67), 9-Meleana Shim (4-Danielle Colaprico, 63), 16-Jenna Richmond, 15-Erika Tymrak; 27-Katie Stengel (22-Jennifer Hoy, 46); 10-Chioma Ubogagu (5-Maya Hayes, 46) Substitutes not used: Abby Smith, Kassey Kallman Can't watch at work. Questions: What formation did they play? How fast is Ohai? Does Ohai have a tendency to attack to the right? How fast is Hayes? Faster or slower than DeVanna? How did Tymrak look? Possession? Linking passes? She got a full 90.
Tymrak play the 2nd half of the Japan game and all of the Sweden game. Didnt actually get too much of her in the clips Ohai captained the first game and came on late in game two. She was mostly on the right but I have seen her play both sides in the three front. In the U20 WC in the 113th minute I saw Ohai start 10 yards behind a North Korean defender and beat to the ball by several yards. Saw Hayes on the left some which is kind of unusual.
Your making me question my right from my left. In all highlights I've seen so far in this tournament, Kealia Ohai has been on the left. Against Japan, she struck the post from the left, and was on the left wing for all of the highlights available afterwards. Against Sweden she had only one highlight available. She receives the ball on the left wing and drives baseline. Would have liked to see her push all the way in, that kind of push is insanely difficult to defend and Ohai probably had the speed to get there and get off an out swinger. Hayes was pushing near post smartly, and a gap opened up behind her that Hoy(?) could have exploited. So there you go, she's always on the left. The exception? Ohai's Goal. If you watch the extended replay of Ohai's goal (god bless Japanese highlight procedures) you see it comes off a throw in, and it appears to be a set play that shuffled players around. I can't determine what position Hoy is in, but Stengel & Ohai have clearly switched positions to give themselves the advantage on the throw in. It is unfortunate the camera panned away during the play, because we don't see the initial sequence, but I can make out Tymrak being available on the touch, and three other players in a cluster including Stengel. You can make Ohai at the beginning of the sequence out just beyond the center circle. Not her usual position, but it payed off.
It won't let me edit :\ It does look like Ohai is moved to the right after her goal, could be a formation change at '71 when Groom was subbed in, perhaps to protect the lead, but its hard to tell. Still, she mostly played on the left, and she looked great. Lots of speed, lots of touches and footwork, she looked her usual twitch self in the Sweden highlight.
All right disregard EVERYTHING I said. lol. It looks like Swanson switched her around. She ended up on the right late in the first, after her flurry of chances on the left. Shes versatile, lets leave it at that.
In the 20 minute chunk from the end of the game she was on the right but in the long highlight package the shot that she took that hit the pipes was from the left...im guessing she played the first half on the left and the second half on the right. The fact that she could play any flank position on either side would make her valuable to the NT down the road...this was a pointed statement.