Two World Cups in a row. Yeah , they flamed out in the 2016 Olympics. Yeah, they have incredibly talented players, but the USA has always had talented players. the talent gap with other countries was wider in the past than it is now, yet US WNT won two World Cups in a row. Anyone is entitled to their opinion, but any negative opinion abut her coaching just got a lot more difficult to support. Funny how often people fail at a lesser goal, then achieve a greater one, sometimes for the greater good, and , well, depends on your opinion- George w bush wanted to be Major League Baseball commissioner, but could not not .. became POTUS . Donald Trump wanted to be accepted by New York’s elite, but was laughing stock.... became POTUS. Michael Jordan wanted to make his high school varsity team as a sophomore, but did not... became NBA GOAT. Jill Ellis wanted to win College Cup at UCLA... came close , yet never did (and they did win soon after she left UCLA )... won two World Cups....
Yes, have to hand it to Ellis and staff. I might still quibble with some of her final roster choices, but she obviously had a grand design for playing a core group throughout the tournament, with small tweaks and subs as necessitated. I was very glad all field players got some playing time.
Donald Trump wanted to be accepted by New York’s elite, but was laughing stock.... became POTUS ... became laughing stock of the whole world.
I think Ellis was way in over her head in 2015 and that team really, despite the lack of cohesive coaching, drove the victory. Lineups, goal scoring, etc. were issues and frankly without the back four (Kling, Becky, JJ and Ali) and of course Hope they would have been out early. The continued instability in the team was evident in the 2016 Olympics where we blew it with a lot of the reason being coaching and the inmates running the asylum. Coupled with a coach trying to prove a point and it was a matter of time until the wheels had to come off. Fast forward to 2019 and she is on top of her game. Clearly she outcoached the opposition, was prepared to react and shift to meet different styles and defensive tactics, and was clearly in charge and confident without having to thump her chest. Of course the criticism is development of players which is always a big "issue" for many. She has some but not all the responsibility for that yet look at the average age of the 2015 team (oldest in the WC) and the average age 2019 version. There is something to be said about experience on the biggest stage against the best and most motivated opponents. Rapinoe said in one interview that as her contemporaries were shown by Wambach, Boxx, Rampone, etc. how to handle the biggest stage, she hoped her group was showing the next generation. Choices like adding Krieger paid off in the end. I think she has evolved and was prepared, confident and comfortable in her role and her relationships with players. Huge difference from 2015.
Not sure you can stop criticizing her for past tournaments. However, for WC 2019, she did all the right things. With a midfield which was not as fast and athletic as England and Spain, she made adjustments to strengthen the midfield/defense and not leave them exposed. She used her complete roster which allowed them to be more fresh in the final.
I think Ellis is an average to poor coach. However, I think the women's game is full of poor coaches. That Ellis's mistakes are mostly cancelled out by even worst mistakes by opposition coaches. Then, the overwhelming talent the USWNT has just takes over. The midfield barely touched the ball yesterday, doesn't matter. It just doesn't matter. Even these good teams like France, England, and Netherlands have only 2-4 really quality players. The USA has 14 (maybe 25). Horan or Mewis, it didn't matter. They are probably the two best #8s in the world. They would both start for every other team. In fact, every USWNT player would start for every other team except Naeher for a few. Sofia Huerta, McCall Zerboni, and Emily Menges probably all start for any of our opponents in this tournament. Ellis is the coach and it just doesn't matter. The youth development on the womens' side is a mess, and it just doesn't matter. The best players in the NWSL are mostly ignored, and it just doesn't matter. Ellis has been working on beating a bunkered opponent for three years, but nobody even tried to bunker until the Netherlands, so it just didn't matter.
Could have and should have given younger players a spot on the roster and experience playing on a big stage. Allie Long's roster spot was a waste as was Krieger's. Yes i know Krieger came in for O'Hara but Davidson could have filled in just the same. And dont get me started on Long.
I don't agree on Krieger. Davidson could have filled in if Dunn had moved over to the right, but Krieger was brought in for experience. That experience enabled her to step into a WC final cold and without any signs of nerves, and the level of the defense didn't drop at all. I personally felt much more confident having Krieger step in at that moment than I would have had Davidson or Sonnett come in. And I have to say, Ellis, you got that roster choice right, even if I criticized it.