8/23/04: US Vs Germany: olympic semifinal (11 AM ET on MSNBC) Pre/During/Post/etc.[R]

Re: 8/23/04: US Vs Germany: olympic semifinal (11 AM ET on MSNBC) Pre/During/Post/etc

Mitts will see no playing time in this match with the speed of Brazil. She would get eaten alive. Backline will be Rampone, Fawcett, Cat and Kate. Cat is too slow to play outside so Kate will go there.

 

Re: 8/23/04: US Vs Germany: olympic semifinal (11 AM ET on MSNBC) Pre/During/Post/etc

You want to take your chances with Rampone after today? More power to ya.

Paul

 

Re: 8/23/04: US Vs Germany: olympic semifinal (11 AM ET on MSNBC) Pre/During/Post/etc

Absolutely. Remember Mitts got beat by Australia three times. Germany is no Australia. You put in Mitts and Brazil will cut her to shreads. Oh yea, I just remembered, you are the one who hopes other players get injured so your favorites can play. My last reply to you.

 

Re: 8/23/04: US Vs Germany: olympic semifinal (11 AM ET on MSNBC) Pre/During/Post/etc

I *never* wished anybody injured; and please to be not twisting my words around. I had heard that Chastain was injured and that's why she had to be subbed out. I didn't know then what her status is for Thursday. I still don't.

Paul

 

The reason the US won today is because they scored. Seems simple? Yes! But they did not do that against a much better German team in the World Cup. This German team was inferior and we played better and SCORED. You always have a better chance if you SCORE. Way to go USA.

 

Overall a much better balanced USA attack than they've had in a while: combining on the ground, a few crosses just to keep Rottenberg honest, a few outside shots to loosen up the D. I have no idea why the USA hasn't put together a few games like that over that past years. If they had, we probably wouldn't be as loud calling for April's head. (And Milbrett might still be on the squad.)

Much better possession in midfield, too. Better support, angles and passing than we've seen yet. Higher pressure helped all over the field, not just sagging back and giving Germany space to get into dangerous positions.

The goal the US conceded was really a team breakdown. There was a foul out near midfield just prior, I think. Rather than get behind the ball quickly, the US was slow to react as a team. A quick free kick took most of the team out of the play and left 4v4 at the back. While the deflection was lucky for Germany, the the US defenders did not have any support, and Bachor won the 1v1 battle.

I still have to question one Heinrichs decision, though. You are protecting a one-goal lead late in a big match. Why put in the one player on the bench who is probably the weakest defender there? Okay, maybe not Parlow, but when Foudy got hurt you still had Mitts, Hucles and O'Reilly available. Any of the three could have dropped into Foudy's spot and done a better defensive job IMHO.

The O'Reilly sub was excellent, though. The US still had enough possession; putting some speed up top really kept Germany honest. Having that threat up top also kept the US from going into too much of a defensive shell. It's refreshing to see a US player who has the guts (or has been given the freedom) to try to take on 1v1. It's an element that's been missing in the US attack. Drop Mia to midfield and O'Reilly up front against a much faster Brazil side on Thursday, maybe?

Well done USA.

 

Re: 8/23/04: US Vs Germany: olympic semifinal (11 AM ET on MSNBC) Pre/During/Post/etc

Anything else Einstein?

 

Re: 8/23/04: US Vs Germany: olympic semifinal (11 AM ET on MSNBC) Pre/During/Post/etc

Geeez...tough crowd..the honeymoon's over , I guess.

peledre, I think they're getting at the anemia that has plagued this team lately.

And, yeah, while we're in pundit mode, where was Rampone on that Germany goal?
And, Cat had a couple of bad goal kicks - one started the sequence that lead to the Germany goal. They got better after that.
As far as Wagner goes, yeah, not stellar, but I don't think this "style" is suited to an AM - every AM in there has been basically off the radar screen.

But, enough of that - every game has it's highs and lows.

This match was their best in a long while!

Now on to the Gold - no "appointment" Thursday, straight-up honest vacation!

Gold will definitely increase my chances of a VICTORY/Farewell tour somewhere near soccer wasteland!

 

8/23/04: USA-Germany Post Game Thread 2

*runs from the approaching mods*

Honestly, I spent all the time during the car ride back yesterday from the beach trying to figure out what my gut instinct was about this game. When it kicked off, I didn't think we were going to win it. When overtime started, I didn't think we were going to win it.

Now I'm planning for the final game of the Fab Five Farewell Tour, to be played at RFK as a doubleheader with DC United's first round playoff game.

 

Re: 8/23/04: US Vs Germany: olympic semifinal (11 AM ET on MSNBC) Pre/During/Post/etc

I started a new thread because we went over 350 posts.

 

Re: The one and only Queen of Caps

Originally Posted by zcgf02
Who were the women of the match

Agreed!! My alltime favorite too, glad she came through!!

 

Re: 8/23/04: USA-Germany Post Game Thread 2

There have been some comments about the CR, and now that I've been able to see my tape of the game I'd like to say a few more words about how inconsistent she was.

Why give Foudy a card for some sort of dissent that no one saw, and then let Lingor get away with angrily throwing the ball away after she didn't like a call that was made?

Why give Aly a card for what she did, and not give one to the player that injured Foudy by missing the ball and cleating Julie's planted foot? Did she not give the card because she knew the player already had a card and that would have put the Germans down a player?

Number ratings have been listed for all of the US players. Taking into account the inconsistencies mentioned, along with all of the blown calls (especially not calling the leg-whip in the box by Rottenberg on Hamm), I'd give this ref a 3 - and that's being generous.

 

Re: 8/23/04: US Vs Germany: olympic semifinal (11 AM ET on MSNBC) Pre/During/Post/etc

It was meant to be sarcastic, junior.

 

Re: 8/23/04: US Vs Germany: olympic semifinal (11 AM ET on MSNBC) Pre/During/Post/etc

Really? I was disappointed with her play today. She seemed to have quite a number of passes picked off, balls taken away from her while she was dribbling...

 

Just want to know why people are not all over Repone for the late goal if it was Mitts you would want to tar and feather her

 

Been on the road all day. Just watched a tape of the game. Wow.

Awesome. Haven't seen this much heart and will from the USWNT in a while.

Like I said earlier in this thread, I had a feeling the US would pull this game out, even though I had no idea how they were going to do it.

The fact is, the US just wanted it more. Riveting game. Very sloppy, but from the 60th minute on it was very entertaining stuff.

 

Where do Germany get that green/grey/blue color uniform? Their flag colors are red, yellow, and black, correct? Maybe if you smeared all 3 colors together you might get that..umm...interesting color. Thats the only explanation I can think of. The only other time I remember them wearing it was in the '99 quarterfinal. Other than that, I've always seen them wear black and white.

 

some good pictures of the game from yahoo.

Gallery starting on this page, midway down:

http://sports.yahoo.com/oly/soccer/gallery?pg=2&cap=1

also some articles:

After OT defeat of Germany, U.S. women set sights on gold

http://sports.yahoo.com/oly/soccer/news?slug=ap-germany-ussoc&prov=ap&type=lgns

U.S.-Brazil Vie for Gold in Women's Soccer

http://sports.yahoo.com/oly/news?slug=reu-soccerwomendc&prov=reuters&type=lgns

 

Not tar, flavoured oils.

Not feathers, well, maybe feathers, but then they'd get stuck in my mouth.




Y'know, if Rampone made a habit of getting turned inside out then I think you'd have a beef. The fact is, she has made damn few mistakes this tourny. She made a big one today and it resulted in a goal off Fawcett's butt. Go figure.

 

Looked like there were some tired legs out there today for both sides. Too bad that April had to use two of her subs for injury situations.

 

Re: The one and only Queen of Caps

Lilly!
I agree. She's having the best tourney for the US by far. The fact that she's scoring again is icing on the cake. Next would be Sobs & Joy.

 

from SD Union-Tribune

Mark Zeigler's piece on the game

 

Watch it on Telemundo. No commercial breaks, and the commentary is more exciting.

 

andy- what's your sloppy scale? if you're talking abt the germans, fine. and for uswnt fans, that first 59 was dominating bliss.