The U.S. will take on Brazil Saturday, Aug. 14 LIVE on CNBC at 11 a.m. ET. (Warning: Some cable systems maybe airing LOCAL commercials during the run of play) Thoughts on this game?
I predict the US will come out on fire and much more intense for this match. They have to. While they dominated against Greece with minimal effort (heck, Bri coulda stretched out on a lawn chair and sipped a latte for most of this one), that won't work against a quick, quality Brazil squad. Also, be prepared for a physical game, as is usual against the Brazilians. The Greece match today just seemed to lazy and slow for a major international event. Should the US win this game, Ape will be in a tough situation. Everyone would love to give the 91er's a break vs. the Aussies. But remember the last half we played with our reserves against Australia? Not too pretty.
This is wierd, but I understand that if the US and Germany win their groups they will meet in the semi-finals. It would be difficult to finish second in this group, but any coach that thinks hiding her team's best play in a friendly could sign on to such a plan.
The US isn't going to get 26 shots at getting 3 goals in this one, can they finish the chances they get? I'm getting sick of hearing about the Flab Five.
it is entirely possible that this team was told not to go all out. lets just get the win. we have an extra match to play that Germany and sweden do not. Definatly a factor. likewise it is damn hard to score against a bunker. I do agree we need to finish our chances. Abbs had a terrible game. Mees pretty much had to create the chances on her own as no one could could seem to play to feet. I actually think that the score against Brazil may be higher then the one against Greece. reason being no bunker. more freedom in the attcking third. the key for this team is to finish. quite honestly the socre against greece is not indicitive f how the game went. it was not a close game at all as the score suggests. by the end of that one we could have easily had a route of 11 or 12 to zip. all in all I am not that worried. Brazil will tell me more. if we play like we can and finish I am anticipateing a score of 4/5-1 if we struggle in finishing. then I anticipate this score. 1-1 or 2-1
Told not to go all out? What? This isn't the Men's game, where Full Internationals really are difficult even if you're playing a team ranked 100 places below you. I look at the US-Grenada series, and I look at today's game, and I see a huge difference in paradigms. The Greeks barely fielded a side. Their federation doctored a few last names to make their side "more presentable". And we couldn't do shee-ite in the middle of the field and in front of their box. Forward-Back, Forward-Back, Switch; Forward-Back, Forward-Back, CROSS! pray for someone to connect, or a bad bounce in the box, repeat. Where were the dissecting, deadly combinations, the throughballs of death? British commentators would have said "we were out of ideas" by the 60th minute. Against Greece. Faux-Greece. REPEAT: FRICKIN FEAUX GREECE. Half a side. Pathetic. You say it's not possible to make 2nd place in this group? A draw and a loss and we're there. If I could short us getting 2 wins in this group I'd double down based on today's effort. Granted, the first goal was well done all around. But after that, we looked utterly disgraceful. We should have been frickin slaughtering this opposition. I was initially worried that the Host Nation Crowd was going to show up in force. The lead-up press where the 91'ers were talking about how good it is to be pushed by a hostile crowd.... Today was a walk in the park, the Crowd was a complete non-factor, we were playing an abysmal side that would have gone O-fer in WUSA, and we STILL looked completely predictable. There is ZERO excuse for being unable to break down opposition of this calibre in the Women's game. The Gulf in Class between us and them was obvious. However our superior fitness, talent, desire, and form, were utterly wasted. Again, this isn't like the Men's game..... the GULF in (supposed) class between the United States and Faux-Greece SHOULD have been exploited. And not only was the opportunity utterly wasted, we actually had to work hard to waste the opportunity. I don't follow the Women on a daily or monthly basis, but I pulled out the tape from Athens, Georgia, and either the rest of the world has made parsec-distance advances, or we have regressed mightily. You decide. DAMN the 91'ers, they are going to take the ship down with them. -bs
I think the American's problems are aptly summarized in Ape's post-game comments: Might happen? Hope? Her defeatist attitude is disheartening, and even if the US takes home gold, I hope her ass is grassed.
I apologize for picking on you but either you or Ape must be from Roswell. Somewhere out there are the conspiracy theorists from the Fed who think that somehow the Nats can hide how they play as if it were a military secret. This isn't American Football where teams can have trick plays. In soccer, the best way to be able to play well is to play well against an opposing team. What is going easy about 26 shots! We are having trouble finishing - so let's not go hard in our first chance of the tournament to fix that????? I think that you are smarter than that but, quite honestly, I'm beginning to believe that April isn't. They won the match with what looked like a pedantic, workmanlike effort. That was only half the job.
100% spot on! This isn't the first time that athletes have played beyond their time to the detriment of their team. I'm getting tired of watching the athletic equivalent of the "Ya-Ya Sisterhood".
(Warning: Some cable systems in your area maybe airing LOCAL commercials during the run of play) Here in Philly Comcast cable showed the local spots several times while the US/Greece game was in progress. Comcast says that they are not at fault rather the NBC cable networks are. Is that true?
Elroy and Brushes Sand are spot on, as if often the case. I briefly reviewed the media coverage of yesterday's game: USA Today, San Jose Mercury News, Chicago Tribune, and they give glowing reports. They go on and on about how great it is that 9 Americans suddenly become Greek citizens and play in the Olympics against the Living Legends, spreading women's liberation around the world, or at least, their variety of it. A couple of articles implied that Greek women were not allowed to play sports, which is totally false and one that would enrage a lot of Greeks, male and female. I didn't see one mention of how poorly we played against a team that could not win a game in the WUSA. One article said the US went easy on Greece and did not try to score a lot of goals!!!! Yeah, right.
I think the team should quit now and come home. I mean, it's obvious we're going to lose, so why continue? The USWNT is making a mockery of the game, and the "Fab 5" are old, can't play, are too slow, and should be fired right this minute. I mean, according to DCUPopeAndLillyFan they're flabby. Thomas Flannigan, who I have on good authority knows everything, says they're old and slow. We only scored three goals against Greece. Who cares if we won or that at any one time nine Greeks could be seen in one camera shot. We should have won 15-0 with one arm tied behind our back and blindfolded. Brazil is probably going to beat us, so why suffer through that. Quit now. Make everybody happy.
i'd rather see us go down fighting. and i believe there is some fight and pride left. i look for close games v. the better teams, then who knows. the days of outright victory are long-gone.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- elroy....If we had actually finished our chances we would have seen a score of 11 or 12 to zip. it was finishing that was the issue in this match. go back and review the tape. I said what I said in my post because it is exactly what ape would do. I did not say it is what I would have them do. I am only trying to make sense of what I saw out there. as far as speed of play ETC. Mia was running her SS off. Abby was running hard but coud not hit the net to save her life in this one. and if you recall Ape herself made comments in the match against ( who was it?) Australia that they were throwing a little rope a dope by playing people out of their natural positions. So I would not put this past her. the match against Brazil will be a better beromiter.
You know what i find really funny?.....no one seems to remember us playing Iceland to a 0-0 draw in 2000. We actually played pretty decently against the bunker in this match. we just didn't finish. And I really wish people would stop whining about the 91ers. htey were not on the field alone yesterday. and if there is an issue at all with any of them I ould say it is jules and possibly lil. but what about Aly?...she isn't a 91er and she did not play well....How about Abby?.....likewise not a 91er and she too struggled...fact is this is a team. it has always had youth and veteran leadership. you can not blame one sect of this team and not hold the other equally responsible.
I'm not sure I understand your repetitive comments that Wambach didn't play well yesterday. She had around five of those shots, I'd guess, and put away one. Yes, she had the opportunity to get two more, but the fact is she got a goal. Her dummy on the first goal froze the Greek defenders so much all they could so was watch as Boxx stuck it in the back of the net. She held the ball with her back to pressure consistently and sent it to an open player every chance she got. Half the time I was wondering why she wasn't higher than she was, but that's because she spent a good chunk of her time tracking back to the midfield and trying to help playmake. I'm not sure what your definition of "struggling" is, but the rest of the team needs to struggle with her.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- her finishing is what I am refering too. If she had put them on frame and they were save I would not have said it. and I gave her kudo's for the goal she scored. and I agree it was a grat dummy.
Does this statement hold true for the Coach as well? Or do you not consider her part of the team? Also does this statement hold true for Mia as well? From all your posts it seems Mia is perfect and all the other players are flawed in some way. If the team does well it is all because of Mia and if the team plays poorly it is all because of the other players and of course the Coach.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Why don't you go find an ambulance to chase or something.