2016 FIFA U-20's WWC - Group Match # 3 - USA vs Ghana (pre/pbp/post)

63' 1-1 Ampah slides inside-out, clips Pugh into an airborne barrel-roll past box top wide left -- no call. Ghana drive down wide right, Riehl cedes a corner.

64' 1-1 Ghana right ck, headed into near touch.

65' 1-1 Ghana right throw-in, switch left, lose it. Sánchez tries to run self between two larger humans just past midfield box right, trips/gets pushed down, no call. Ref is getting tired of wielding the tin.

67' 1-1 Fox chases inside-out to 30m wide right, pokes ball up right touch and #7 Abambila shoulder-slams her down. Foul, yellow card on Abambila.

68' 1-1 Cousins fk to 15m center, Ghana clears, USA fouls.

68' 1-1 Ghana subs in (2 of 3) #14[y] Lily Niber-Lawrence for #10 Princella Adubea.

 

69' 1-1 Ayieyam turns down box right to 12m, Elliston slide-hooks ball away perfectly.

70' 1-1 Ghana backpass to Agyei, ping across the back, go up wide right (to Diwura-Soale). USA are content to hold compact shape and trot for a few minutes. Elliston chips up wide right to nobody, Ghana resume.

71' 1-1 Ghana chip from midfield to 25m center, Elliston volleys away -- directly to a 50-50, Ghana wins that. Abambila eventually shoots from ~arc top left, bounces wide right. We can't just think ahead of the foot contact and clear the ball directly to a teammate's foot, nor into space -- it's often straight to Ghana, or straight up. It must be torturous for them, too, all our bad touches and none have gone their way yet.

74' 1-1 USA subs in (1 of 3) #2 Parker Roberts for #15 Jessie Scarpa.

75' 1-1 Murphy gk to circle left, Roberts heads it forward, Ghana collect. 2H cooling break.

 

78' 1-1 Owusu-Ansah drives up wide right to arc top, square pass to #13 S.Abdul-Rahman. She shoots from ~24m, shanks it way wide left -- Murphy chases it to box left foot.

80' 1-1 Pugh pokes ball past #15 Ampah at arc top mid-left, swim-moves past Kuzagbe through box top left, dribbles to 3m mid-left. Square pass poked back to spot, Ghana collect and clear.

81' 1-1 Jean chases ball to own box left foot, Owusu-Ansah chases and shoulder-challenges her down, collects and turns through 4m box right to mid-right. Rushed right toe-poke sails wide left.

81' 1-1 USA subs in (2 of 3) #11 Alleandra Watt for #16 Emily Fox.
82' 1-1 Ghana subs in (3 of 3) #20 Fatima Alhassan for sub #12 Vinoria Kuzagbe.

 

88' 1-1 USA right throw-in at circle top, toward Watt(?) at 22m wide right. #5 Anane chests ball upfield, chases it and does a flying front-kick clearance -- then momentum carries her kung-fu flying into Roberts. Anane comes down injured (leg?) -- and a yellow card.

90' 1-1 Cousins right ck, to 4m 1/3 left, Agyei catches. +5'.

90+2' (of +5') 1-1 Niber-Lawrence chips a cross from 22m wide left to 3m 3-left, Murphy sprawls on it.

90+3' (of +5') 1-1 Murphy putters behind a gk. A Ghana fan in the stands taps his wrist impatiently.

90+4' (of +5') 1-1 Ghana hoof down left touch, USA poke it out.
90+5' (of +5') 1-1 Ghana left throw-in deep, long backpass, #15 Ampah long ~25m+ shot sails high.

90+5' (of +5') 1-1 Ghana long serve from box left to 12m mid-right, Ayieyam jumps over Jean and heads wide right.

FT 1-1. Our offense is a bit anemic, lacking anything explosive.

 

Final time both games, I see. So does anyone know exactly how the placement will be decided? And which team officially won the group?

 

It will be decided by fair play points (no. 7) which means USA won the group

https://twitter.com/AnnOdong

 

Group C:
5+2 (+4-2)[0r][0y] C1.USA (vs. D2)
5+2 (+4-2)[0r][1y] C2.France (vs. D1) -- 48' yellow card on LCB #14 Estelle Cascarino
3-3 (+2-4) New Zealand
2-1 (+3-2) Ghana

 

Impressive. Who did take that single Yellow Card for France, that ended up deciding 1st place, and in which game? Does anyone remember if it was a reasonable YC? The referee surely didn't weight in the fact that she was deciding the whole group with that decision!

 

Cascarino got the yellow card and injured a NZL player who as subbed straightaway. Between yellow and red for me, it was a clumsy tackle.

 

Yeah, crazy ain't it? Actually, Penn State also had one more freshman field player who left to join Germany's U-20 squad for the 2016 WWC. So that's 5 field players and 1 goalkeeper.

To be fair to the other players, I heard it was Stanford that didn't allow for the students to take a redshirt year off. However, I'm not 100% certain. Perhaps someone can verify this.

 

So, if it wasn't for one mistake by our keeper Murphy, we might have won this match 1-0.
Not bad, considering how many fans were really concerned at the thought of playing Ghana.

 

Posting these a little late, but thought you all might enjoy.

 

Other than a tactical change in quitting the bunker, I think Cousins was the difference maker. She is the most technical player out there for the USA. Tight control on the dribble, exquisite first touch and great vision. Little simple passes to relieve pressure mixed with incisive passes such as the ball to Pugh for the goal. One of the few who can manage limitations in time and space. Well weighted and directed passes are not the norm with our youth teams. Also much braver than her stature should support on defense. Much better than Ogle who turned the ball over more often than not. Cousins seemed more forward in this last game, but still setting up behind Ogle. Should consider switching Cousins to the forward point of the diamond and maybe we will see some combination play in the box leading to a goal rather than solely depending on individual brilliance from Pugh or Sanchez (or Scarpa/Watt/Fox).

The Swedish ref definitely helped them out. Took away some of the physical advantage by calling a very tight game. Be very glad they got Ghana and not Nigeria. Easiest game probably in the next round in South Korea I think.

 

It helps when you're tiny, like Cousins, no one notices you.
But seriously, Cousins and Fox have made a big impact for USA as starters.

 

Ive liked Fox all along and thought she brought something missing coming off the bench.

 

Good awareness by Pugh to see the Ghana keeper's momentum was moving left and then shooting to her right.

Wow talk about the narrowest of margins (a yellow card) making a difference. France got pretty unlucky getting Germany instead of Mexico. But fortunate for the USWNT, I guess restraint in physical play is rewarded sometimes. Would like to see France get revenge on Germany for the 2015 QF loss, but this German team is so strong and consistent.

U.S. will have to be wary of Mexico's strikers Sanchez and Palacios. Good players both.

 

Good thing French went with the taller keeper (sarc). How does a 6"1" keeper get scored on from the circle when she is on her line? These tall GKs just aren't athletic enough.

 

To be fair to Murphy I think it was more about the wind than how athletic she is.

Offense is still awful. If they cant get Pugh or Sanchez behind they cant even get SOG let alone score.

 

Interesting Narrative on the way as Mexico was the team that beat the US U17s to keep them out of the '14 world cup. Lots of the same players on both sides in an elimination game! Retribution is the solution!

 

The funny thing is that according to our European friends on the board, this is one of the weakest German sides in a long time.

 

7 of the Mexican starters (and 9 overall) are US-based and presumably US citizens.

 

Well, it's your way of saying that, anyway it goes, USWNT will "somehow" advance?