Line-ups in about 32 minutes (21:00 PDT). Kick-off at 22:00 PDT. Sports carnage today, with the NCAA D1 woso College Cup semis, mfb championship games, and wvb R1/R2 upsets. I need a nap already!
I'll follow the game on the Nadeshiko Japan's thread, but I'll possibly chime in here from time to time. Keep up the good work, Gilmoy! Oh, and could the better team win. And could the better team be Japan!
You have got to be kidding me. Everyone talking about the importance of keeping possession vs. Japan. What are the first two touches of the game? Play it back to the defense that lofts a 40/60 ball 40 yards downfield that ends up with Japan possession. They aren't going to change a single thing...
2016/12/02 Fri: Th31.USA - Japan USA (Michelle French): Hedge for #19 Natalie Jacobs. 17 Kelcie Hedge, 18 Ashley Sánchez 16 Emily Fox, 20 Katie Cousins, 10 Emily Ogle, 9© Mallory Pugh 14 Ellie Jean, 3 Kaleigh Riehl, 6 Taylor Otto, 5 Madeline Elliston 1 Casey Murphy Japan (Asako Takakura): 10© Yuka Momiki, 8 Yui Hasegawa 14 Narumi Miura, 6 Rin Sumida, 7 Hina Sugita, 16 Miyabi Moriya 4 Nana Ichise, 3 Hikaru Kitagawa, 13 Hisui Haza, 15 Asato Miyagawa 1 Chika Hirao
01' 0-0 1h kick-off at 01:23. 06' 0-0 USA constant pressure -- maybe Japan are not worried, and just let us run around. USA pass to Sánchez at 4m wide right, poked out just behind corner flag. 06' 0-0 USA right ck, to 6m 1/4 left, Hirao catches high. 07' 0-0 Japan dart to arc top wide left, sliding cross bounces through box, Murphy stays back on goalline. Japan slice a shross from ~arc top mid-right, bounces to Murphy. 10' 0-0 #8 Hasegawa dribbles from center to 25m left post, shoots left foot on the run but slices it high and just wide left. 11' 0-0 Japan switch right-to-left, entry pass to arc top box left disrupted by Elliston. USA ping in the back.
14' 0-0 Stream is jumping forward and backward, from 14' to 10' Japan hold at 30m and send 2-4 forward ground passes to box top, USA block N-1 and steal the last one. Long diagonal switch to Fox at 25m wide left, she settles well in a 1-v-1, takes RB #15 Miyagawa down box left to 1m. Cross floats to 4m 1/4 left, Hirao dives out horizontal and catches it before a tap-in. That longball almost worked ... let's do more 16' 0-0 Japan chip from circle top to box top arc right, #10 Momiki holds up between 2 and one-touch knockback to #8 Hasegawa at arc top center. Hasegawa drives rightward around 1, tries a diagonal pass to #16 Moriya cutting down mid-right -- Fox intercepts (in own box!), bravely settles between 2 and dribbles around them. Japan resume ping at circle top, chip down box right for Moriya on Jean -- just too far for both. 19' 0-0 Ogle steps up to #6 Sumida at circle center, gets thigh-tripped. Foul on Sumida. 20' 0-0 Otto(?) fk at circle center, square pass left to Riehl, chip up wide left volleyed away. 21' 0-0 Momiki threads a pass from arc top wide right to #6 Sumida between 4 at 14m mid-right, perfect touch-and-turn into wheelhouse at 8m, shoots across mouth toward left 90, Murphy stretches and double-blocks it just wide.
Ashley Sanchez is going to end up being a better player than Pugh. Both will be great, but Sanchez is going to be unbelievable.
I am guessing the team has been coached to just dribble as fast and as far as they can before either losing the ball or kicking the ball somewhere into the box no matter they have no teammates on that half of the field. I then see them pass it about 3-4 times in the back then a big lumped hopeful ball to no one in particular.
23' 0-0 Japan diagonal pass to #16 Moriya at 22m wide right, bending low cross bounces through 5m (Murphy stays back again), Elliston shields it through 6-left. 30' 0-0 Very irritating stream problems, freezing and timewarping backward. 31' 0-0 1h cooling break. FS2Go stream just died?
Japan playing beautiful soccer while US continues to play dump and chase. At least Murphy has looked better tonight.
34' 0-0 Japan pass from wide right to RB #15 Miyagawa(!) cutting down mid-right to 8m, pass to 6-top right post for Hasegawa cutting center-to-right, one-touch chip toward center high, Murphy reflex-pokes it over bar. We defend with 9 and they still carve us open for chances. Nobody ever picks up the RB 36' 0-0 Pass to Momiki facing away at arc top mid-right, back-heel flick between her legs to Hasegawa cutting center-to-right behind her. Hasegawa backheel to Momiki at arc top right, she shoots left instep low but hooks it just wide right. Showoffs 39' 0-0 Hirao hangs(?) a side pass to Miyagawa, Fox races her to it at 3m wide left, Hirao pokes it into near touch. USA left throw-in, Japan promptly steal and ping the backline fireman drill as USA watches slack-jawed. 42' 0-0 Pugh collects, drives past circle top to 30m center, square pass left to Jean. Long pass down box left is way too fast for anybody.
The US is sitting back way too much--the midfield and even forwards are at the 18 yard line. We are not challenging the ball--just drifting back and giving Japan way too much room. This makes it very hard to play out when we get the ball--and we have too far to go. The midfield and back four have to play a higher line. Murphy has made two great saves.
The US is sitting back way too much--the midfield and even forwards are at the 18 yard line. We are not challenging the ball--just drifting back and giving Japan way too much room. This makes it very hard to play out when we get the ball--and we have too far to go. The midfield and back four have to play a higher line. Murphy has made two great saves.
42' 0-0 Momiki slides to arc top left, pokes a square pass right to #7 Sugita. Sugita cuts behind Riehl overpursuing, runs off-tackle to 15m arc left, shoots left foot -- blocked by a lunge, bounces just wide right low as Murphy dove. 44' 0-0 Riehl square pass to Jean, terrible one-touch return pass dies between them. Momiki turns around with ball at her feet, collects at arc top mid-right, does a drag-and-spin centerward into a 1-v-1. Riehl pokes ball away to nowhere, Momiki slide-passes to #16 Moriya unmarked at box top right. Moriya shoots just over. 45' 0-0 Japan ping at box top wide left, thread a pass to LB #4 Ichise lurking unmarked at 12m wide left. Ichise spins down box left to 7m, ground pass to Momiki at 11m 3-left. One-touch left instep shot pops up and drops toward left 90, Murphy flies and pushes it wide and off the left rear corner support pole. HT 0-0. Japan 15(5)-0(0) shots(sog), 5-1 corners, 65%-35% possession A brave, valiant defensive performance so far
We respect Japan far too much, and seem to have no confidence. Players are not moving off the ball enough either. Pretty pathetic display from the USA.
Maybe the US U17 & U20 WNT programs are just covert operations designed to create elite marathoners... Nothing else makes sense. Most casual fans of soccer could have more effectively adjusted the game plan tonight. Do the players not realize the insanity? Because that could be an even larger issue.
Perhaps French's plan is to let the Japanese exhaust themselves shooting the ball so they will be easy pickings in the last 10 minutes
What is bizarre is the way, when Japan has the ball, our midfield and back four just drift back, drift back, drift back--nobody challenges the ball. The midfield is far too passive and perhaps not athletic or pacey enough. Ogle, Cousins and Hedge, others need to get out and win some balls.
What is bizarre is the way, when Japan has the ball, our midfield and back four just drift back, drift back, drift back--nobody challenges the ball. The midfield is far too passive and perhaps not athletic or pacey enough. Ogle, Cousins and Hedge, others need to get out and win some balls. We are basically giving Japan the midfield with little to no opposition.
46' 0-0 Japan subs in (1 of 3) FW #18 Mami Ueno for RM #16 Miyabi Moriya. 46' 0-0 USA subs in (1 of 3) #15 Jessie Scarpa for #17 Kelcie Hedge. 46' 0-0 2h kick-off at 64:35. 49' 0-0 Stream dies. 50' 0-0 USA pass to Scarpa 1-v-2 at 3m mid-right. Scarpa holds up, drives endline, hooks a weak cross to Hirao. 51' 0-0 Pugh breaks to own 30m circle right, diagonal pass springs Scarpa across midfield in a wide 1-v-1. Scarpa dribbles a tad too non-urgently to arc top wide right, sees Pugh's run up centerline, bends the cross -- into the 1, and then lets it bounce slowly into near touch. Deflating, but better than letting them do it to us. And stream dies. 55' 0-0 Scarpa passes to Sánchez facing away at 19m mid-right, brief hold-up, return pass to Scarpa down wide right. Scarpa jukes #18 Ueno(?) with a stutter-and-go, drives to endline, cross blocked over. 55' 0-0 USA right ck, to 5m left post, Hirao catches above 2 heads and tuck-rolls behind them.
56' 0-0 Japan pass to Hasegawa unmarked down wide left, closed down by Elliston(?), cross pops up high and stays in, USA clears? Japan switch right, Miura drives down wide right unmarked to 9m, bends a shross to 3m right post, Murphy catches. 59' 0-0 Japan thread a pass to Momiki in a seam at 22m mid-left, she cuts centerward across Ogle's bow, to box top center -- like DPRK's Sung. Same diagonal pass to Miura at 9m mid-right -- but Miura is not DPRK, lunges late and can't keep it in. Same pattern, but even Japan can't quite do it. This is actually turning into a bit of a concern for Japan ... 59' 0-0 Japan subs in (2 of 3) DF #17 Shiho Matsubara for MF #14 Narumi Miura. 61' 0-0 Pugh out-wrestles LCB #3 Kitagawa at 24m right touch, outruns her down box right to 4m, bounces a cross through 6-top -- just behind Fox 1-v-1 at 5m center. Ball continues untouched to Scarpa unmarked at 6m mid-left, one-touch left instep volley sails high. 64' 0-0 Japan are playing team handball, passing calmly around the large arc as we pack the defensive zone with 10. 65' 0-0 #18 Ueno turn-and-shoots from ~arc top mid-right, just high. 66' 0-0 Japan probe arc top wide left, dink pass over the top to Hasegawa tightroping across box top. Pugh collects, runs away from 3 up centerline to circle back -- but gets shielded off ball, loses it.
68' 0-0 Pugh(?) chips from own 1/3, Japan ping it around, USA harass with chests-upon-backs. LB(?) Kitagawa quacks a bad one-touch pass, Elliston steals, passes to Scarpa. Pugh chases to deep right corner, USA momentarily possess along wide right. Bad backpass, Japan flick it away and get a 1-v-1 at circle top left touch. Early turn-and-cross bends through box top center, too far for the lone runner, Murphy lets it bounce over endline right. 69' 0-0 USA subs in (2 of 3) #7 Savannah DeMelo for #20 Katie Cousins. 71' 0-0 Japan chip from midfield wide left, Elliston chests it away and collects (and stream freezes). Japan are tiring? 74' 0-0 Sumida turn-and-shoot from 10m 4-right, Murphy sprawls and double-blocks it wide right. Stream freezes. 74' 0-0 Japan right ck, short pass to Momiki drifting down to 8m wide right. Soft ground pass to Hasegawa cutting to 6m mid-right, Momiki makes a cut behind her to 14m mid-right. Hasegawa backpass, Momiki one-touch left instep shot across mouth to left 90, skims off crossbar and over. This stream is the worst I've seen in 3 years.