I had posted this in the other thread before but I'll start things off in this one. This is my pick for the starting line-up... Hope Rampone Markgraf Whitehill Chalupny Hao Boxx Lloyd Tarp Abby A-Rod Anyone else?
So, we are speculating: I will put Heath for Markgraf. In the starting 11 this are the remaining players on the bench: 6 Kai, Natasha 8 Cheney, Lauren 10 Woznuk, Angie 12 Osborne, Leslie 14 Cox, Stephanie 15 Markgraf, Kate 16 Hucles, Angela 24 Barnhart, Nicole 26 Buehler, Rachel For subs I would do (eventually) Kai, and maybe Osborne. After all, is China. Pia can give playing time to Cheney, Woznuk and Barnhart against Italy.
You know, I wanted to put Heath in there but after reading the article about Pia using Chupa as a flank defender, I just have a feeling that's where Chupa is gonna be. If Whitehill and Markgraf aren't healthy enough to start, then I will throw Heath in there, along with Cox. Then my back line would have Heath, Rampone, Cox and Chupa in some variation. If Heath is on the back line, I think she needs to be used as an attacking flank defending, like Chupa. I suppose I can throw out my "probably not gonna happen but it would be interesting" line-up, which would be... Hope Rampone Markgraf Whitehill Chupa Heath Lloyd Tarp Hao Abby A-Rod By the way, nice signature!!!
i don't like tarp as a left sided midfielder. i prefer her on the right or centrally - whether in the midfield or up front. and since i don't think she'll beat out hao at right mid, and i like lloyd's bombs from central mid drawing out the defense, i'll either start her up front with abby or bring her off the bench as the first sub. that allows me to use chalupa at left mid and either heath or cox at left back - i'm not sure what pia's preference is, and pia herself may still be experimenting there. so here's my preferred starting 11. ---------------------------------solo---------------------------------- rampone---------whitehill----------------markgraf----------------cox ---------------------------------boxx--------------------------------- ----hao------------------------------------------------------chalupa--- ---------------------------------lloyd----------------------------------- ------------------a-rod----------------------abby---------------------- i really don't care whether heath is the left back ahead of cox. she definitely has skill on the ball - which pia is looking for. but whether she is a better defender than cox or not i simply do not know. i'd just like to see more of her at the position before i make up my mind. and if pia is sticking with chalupa at left back, i would then put heath at her more natural left mid position, which would look like this: -------------------------------solo--------------------------------------- rampone--------whitehill----------------markgraf----------------chalupa -------------------------------boxx---------------------------------------- ---hao--------------------------------------------------------------heath--- ------------------------------lloyd------------------------------------------ --------------------a-rod-----------------abby----------------------------- matchtracker starts at 8:45 am et.
---------------------------------solo---------------------------------- rampone----------whitehill------------------markgraf-----------chalupa ---------------------------------boxx--------------------------------- hao------------------------------------------------------------------heath ---------------------------------lloyd----------------------------------- ------------------a-rod----------------------abby---------------------- I like Heath and Chalupa combination better than Cox and Chalupa. Heath has some speed and very good technical skill (especially 1v1 and dribbling ability). Her skill is best use in the wide midfield position to take on defenders and causing chaos in the opponent's defense. Chalupa has the speed and stamina to play defense as well as joining the attack from the back. Very dangerous player going foward yet have a good defensive game. I feel that left back should be her best position. I would like to pair rampone with markgraf in the middle of the defense and move whitehill to the bench but the problem is that there is no one suitable to play the right back position at the moment, so rampone stays at right back. This is the best line up at the moment for the USWNT.
KC did you read this one in matchtracker? (beautiful writing, almost poertry,i'll say): "The wind, which has been fierce so far today has died down a bit since kickoff -- but the U.S. is still attacking into the teeth of it
I'm still laughing at "O'Reilly flies through and tries to get a head on the ball, but goes tumbling down."
yeah, I would say is fun if I wasn't that bitter for not being able to watch the game... now, a couple of things worth mentioning: (serioulsy mode: on) Looks like Wambach is feeding the ball to Tarp or A-Rod, as she did on the 4NT, do you think she might be transitioning to that role since Lilly is out being pregnant and if that is the case... is her scoring strike over? or maybe it's just a temporary situation and not a trend at all? I'm all for variation on attack, but makes me wonder if we might only see Abby score on set pieces. Looks like they are marking Hao by positioning on a 4-5-1.. maybe Hao is a target player now...
Maybe, but she is also coming off injury, and if Pia has show anything, it is that she will put the fittest player on the field.
Yeah, I had wondered before whether or not Abby's role on the team has shifted a little. Not that she isn't going to be scoring but as we shift from a long ball style, which pretty much was "boot the ball to Abby" into a more technical, possession oriented attacking one, more people are going to be getting into the scoring game. It should open up a lot more options for others, as evident with Tarp's five goals in what, four games? HAO drove the defense crazy in her new role at the 4 Nations Tourney, a lot of the US scoring opportunities came from her playmaking. It would make sense I guess to try and keep her contributions to a minimum.
Yeah but Whitehill actually got injured at the 4 Nations so maybe she hasn't had as much time to recoup as Markgraf. I don't know for sure, just throwing it out there.
She didn't even make the trip. I remember she got injured on the Brazil game, right ankle got caught in the turf, but I' not sure if that is the reason she didn't go to China.
Markgraf didn't make the trip because she was still recovering. Or at least, that's what was reported. Whitehill sprained/rolled/turned/tweeked (take your pick, I've heard them all) her ankle at a practice in China before the tourney started I believe, someone correct me if I'm wrong.