You don't get PKs and set pieces by "hoping" for them; you force them in run of play. And World Cups are almost always won by them. Give defenses Hobson's choice over and over, and cash in a bunch of them.
Kudos to Nike for actually giving the USWNT a patriotic kit to wear atop the podium this time. Red, white, and blue looks so much better than black, white, and highlighter green-yellow. To quote my eye doctor: Better '1'... ...or '2'? I also thought the commemorative jerseys distributed to the players with "Champions" as the name and "19" as the number on all of them [and of course the fourth star above the crest] were a nice touch. It emphasized the team spirit that had produced the victory and that the team had worked together as a unit to that achieve that one goal rather than as simply an array of players with individual objectives. Definitely better than the cringey "GREATNESS HAS BEEN FOUND" T-Shirts distributed after the 2012 Olympics win.
Lavelle was easily the MVP. Ertz a close second. Dunn was pretty much the reason the US got past France, neutralizing their best forward. Rapinoe was good on PKs, but relatively unremarkable otherwise. Morgan was average. The team engine was Lavelle-Ertz, 2 of the best all around players in the world.
If Ertz was a close second, Lavelle was not easily the MVP, but that is mere quibbling. I concur in your analysis.
You also must be fearless. If the attacking player in situations like our PK today pulls back to avoid the high foot there might be no call as VAR would not intervene because without the contact it is only "Dangerous play" and that is an indirect free kick not a PK and VAR does not review non PK fouls and it is clearly not deserving a red card which would trigger a review as well. So no VAR and the play just goes on.
My granddaughters want Ertz's autograph. They NEVER want autographs. Does anyone know when and where the US team will first be available here in the States for autographs and such. My granddaughters have to go back to Japan soon and I would pay extra, and even pay for an escort, to route them so they can try for that autograph.
They are playing Portugal at the Rose Bowl(Pasadena,CA) on August 3rd, 2019. This will be their first match post-WWC
This is just nuts. Every team since Thailand played us from the get go around the idea that "if we're destined to lose we're gonna make sure it isn't Heath that beats us." That was pretty much the leverage, the fulcrum. that made it possible for the US to do everything it did; and in a way that was the measure of how much better the second tier teams were than in the past-- that they could see that train a comin' and bring it to a halt. But then they couldn't do enough else to get untracked themselves...
I presume that they want the thrilling experience of personally obtaining the autograph rather than simply the satisfaction of owning the autograph for display [as in one that may have been purchased online]. If so I can sympathize; having both types of autographs in my collection, in-person signings are delightful memories that definitely make owning the autograph considerably more gratifying.
Thank You!!! That is a little later than what I wanted BUT it is actually good for me because it means I get the girls for an extra two+ weeks. (If I can convince their parents which should be pretty easy) Also California is on the route from here to Japan so the extra cost will be less than it could have been. Again, thank you.
Yes!! BTW: The only other two autographs they have are Angerer and Sawa. Both they acquired by perseverance.
I'm looking forward to see who Ellis brings into the side in the upcoming matches. By my reckoning, we need two new wingers and we need to find a replacement for Sauerbrun in the back.
We beat the team that finished second (of course). We beat the team that finished third. We beat the team that finished fourth. We beat the host nation. How much more dominant can you get?
Let me preface this by saying that these players deserve all the money they can make on a victory tour. My problem is that US Soccer is complicit in undermining its own league by doing the tour during the NWSL season. Wait until after the playoffs! Players have been gone from their teams for more than two months. Teams might benefit from an attendance boost when the national team players come back, and now there is no certainty over who would be available. Taking those players away from their NWSL teams for a glorified cash grab undermines the long term viability of the league. If we want the league to succeed, we cannot undermine the integrity of the competition. The Red Stars, for example, are struggling for playoff position, and they stand to lose Ertz, Brian, Naher, and Davidson for a crucial game against Utah, who will be missing O'Hara, Press, and Sauerbrunn. There is a time and a place for friendlies designed as a marketing exercise and financial reward. That time is not during the league season.