Let's see how it worked: Check. Didn't guess the score but Spain won. What do you think, @hotjam2? Also, this somehow puts Japan's loss vs Spain in a different perspective: that team did grow a lot. Ok, I missed great time with this one. Completly failed at what was my most important prediction. Still wonder how can you lose to a counterattack at 92' when you play 11 vs 10. Anyway I at least guessed right that it was going to be the match with more goals. Check. Exact result. Didn't get the result, but Icelandic girls emerged the winners as I had predicted. Check. Got (quite easily) Norway's win, but not the result. I thought Norway would have want a better revenge from their abysmal tournament than "just" 2-0.
didn't see as of yet any highlights of the final. but thank fully the 'beautiful game' has been preserved by Spain. Got to give Herdman credit though; he brought a bunch of unknown college & high schoolers with him from Canada, not to mention the bizarre Jamaican connection of his squad, and still somehow manages 2nd place. And yet incredibly starts the 15 year old Huitma over Sinclaire? other Algarve thoughts; sorry, the only thing I can think of whenever Japan comes up is; what the HELL ever happened to Yoko Tanaka??? She was easily the best player of the 2012 u20 WC. and that tourney produced more future stars than any other with the likes of Hegerberg, Hansen, Marozsan, Dunn, eccedra. So just sayin, Japans sort of slide from the world stage kinda reflects the similar journey that Yoko's career must of taken the Matildas always been a fav to watch, but that's partly due to absolute atrocious coaching of Staj(geez Staj, can you please teach your girls how to take pk's!) I enjoy the Dutch as well despite their sucky defense, but still waiting for them to unleash their lil munchkin, Keizerweird(hopefully, that name came out right!)
After her Purgatory in 2nd Division (where she failed to conquer promotion with her team at play-offs in 2015), she's finally back in Nadeshiko League 1st Division this year, after winning 2nd Division with Nojima Stella Kanagawa Sagamihara. We're all hoping she's coming back in force (although that generation of 2012 U-20 players, as Naomoto, Shibata, Nishikawa, disappointed to some point and was quite rightfully put aside by Norio Sasaki in the past: the only one from that team who actually managed to break through is Kumi Yokoyama, altough also Hikari Takagi and Mina Tanaka were at Algarve this year). Meanwhile, you can see her in this long video made at the end of 2016 season. If you want to see what this promotion meant to her, just skip to about 24'40" to see a very emotional Tanayo (that's Yoko Tanaka nickname). Hopefully she will make Senior NT once again!
Major congrats to Spain! This is their first international title of any kind at the senior level, I believe. If they can beat Canada, I think they can beat England, so I'd peg them as a dark horse for the Euros. (I still think it'll be either France or Germany, but right beneath those two I'd make a tier of England, Spain, Sweden, and Netherlands.)
Huitema is the 3rd youngest capped player for Canada after Kara Lang & Jessie Fleming. Canada Soccer thinks she'll be a star but unlike Lang & Fleming, I haven't seen it yet in matches played for youth teams. Spain does play beautiful football but Canada largely outplayed them especially when 2 of the teenagers were subbed out in the 41st minute. Spain's keeper was decent and Fleming blew an easy chance. Not sure what you mean by bizarre Jamaican connection. Blacks are the 3rd largest visible demo group and most tend to be from Jamaica and T&T. The men's team has similar representation. The actual interesting connection for both the men and women's team is that nearly all of them come from Brampton - Toronto's 2nd largest suburb. Brampton main demographic group is actually South Asians but Jamaicans are 4th. Brampton also produces quite a number of hockey players like Rick Nash & Tyler Seguin. So, something is going on over there in regards to youth sports.
I would add Norway to the teams just below the top two, otherwise I agree. One of those seven is pretty much sure to win it and most likely Germany or France.
I would also include Norway as a potential winner of 2017 Euro. They tend to do pretty well on big occasions ; their new coach is a proven winner; if Ada and Caro are meshing well, can be a lethal combo: a healthy Haavi adds to the threat; generally strong GK and defense. Also, d is for darkhorse and d is for Denmark. I always like to include then in the mix. They can play great football.
agreed, he took them all the way to 11th out of 12th place in the Algarve Cup! my bad.......humor; they it just kinda reminded me of the Jamaican bobsled team! but still that so many of Canada's squad come just from one place arigato, I did find these videos on the elusive Lindsay Keizerwook, maybe one day she'll make the Dutch NT
They used the entire tournament as a string of training games to test new players and he didn't care at all about the result in the tournament. I think we will see a pretty different Norway when they use all their best players and the coach actually have studied the opposition.
How can it be hard to see the difference between: "The coach used it as training games" "The players didn't want to win"
Is their first trophy won....The first of many imho, in 3/4 years they'll be very very strong on international level really able to do what their male did not long ago. Btw Her name is LindsEy KeizerWEERD...don't know why you keep on calling her LindsAy KeizerWOOK ?!? By the way I saw many footage of her, very interesting player indeed ... right footed winger able to play either flank, very good athlete, creavity and technical abilities good but her ball control must improve, she's ony 19 years old so definitely have time to work on it. However, what I like the most about her is how she's always aware of the situation, able to do the right pass to her unmarked teammate basically all the time because she always put her head up even when running... which is always an excellent quality in football specially for a winger. Just like Spain, the Netherlands are producing an interesting quantity of young players with quality, Miedema, Roord, Janssen, Beerensteyn, Folkertsma , Zoi Van de Ven and other less known .....it's a shame that we don't have Dutch people posting regularly.
Good thing I can do the math myself! Which is enough for a forum discussion. Not like I ever post something here because I see it first on Wiki.
nice to see Caroline Graham Hansen(#10) playing her heart out! She must of not got Jan Balk's memo; this is a "training game"
Do you understand the difference between player and coach at all? That the coach use the matches as training games do NOT mean that the players don't won to win, that is two completely different things. Which is pretty obvious for anyone with at least basic understanding of soccer.
here's my pick as current the best player in the world~~~Pernille Harder! She took Denmark, an"mediocre team"(batfink's words, not mine) to third place at the AC, and that's despite missing their top striker, Nadim, due to injuries. And debzy, take note she's aiming to take down Lyon at next week's Champions League PS please stick with this video, her goal towards the end of the game is nothing short of phenomenal!