Unless something is done soon more and more players will get hurt in the women's game. The refs need to take control of each match early and start handing out yellow cards. Most of the US / Sweden match was unwatchable with all the vicious fouls being commited. The commentators don't help either when they think that running at full speed and giving someone a shoulder tackle, or going through someone's legs because you're aiming for the ball is ok. Retribution fouls are becoming the norm since all the refs seem to do is award free kicks. I know that some of the US fouls deserved yellow cards in the Germany game, but so did Popp when she went directly for Morgan's leg. I also believe that there should be many more penalty kicks awarded in the women's game. The refs are constantly missing handballs or obvious tackles in the penalty area.
I'd like too see the foul rules expanded for the box so its not an automatic PK unless its a breakaway or clear chance on net. Maybe more indirect free kicks. The refs aren't calling bad fouls because they don't want to award what's basically a sure goal.
But even if we take the penalty box area out of the equation, many fouls that typically receive a yellow card in the men's game are not called in the women's. An offensive player should not resort to defending themselves against vicious tackles if the ref will look the other way. For semi-hard take downs or shoulder tackles that occur in the penalty box, perhaps the ref can give a stern warning to the player. If they keep doing it then a penalty kick should be awarded.
Repped ya for the find. The comments are an absolute hoot and required reading for members of this forum. All the same positions and characters we have here, except with a Teutonic flavor! Really fun.
In about two years the experimentation should be tailing off as the team gets ready for qualifiers. By then, if Tom hasn't a good idea about who should be Heading to the cup, he never will. But yhat's 60 games away. Let's see how many players get real time in the interim.
I would love for the USWNT to play 6o matches between now and the next WC. Unfortunately, they'll probably only play around 35 or so.
Bartusiak as well was guilty of more than her fair share of questionable tackles in those two games. Yeah, Germany can stfu.
I'd say by the start of 2015, I'd like for him to have an established group of 15-16 players who will, barring injury or extreme loss of form, be on the WC roster. He can use the few months leading up to the WC to fill in the last few places.
Especially the tackle she had on Morgan. She grabbed Morgan from behind threw her to the ground with one arm as she was driving. Of course the US commentator thought it was a perfectly good challenge. Maybe so if they were playing in the NFL!
That's probably about right. From 2009 to the start of the 2011 WWC, they played 37 matches according to US Soccer. If the NWSL is in operation the entire time and is giving players 20-25 matches a year, I think that's a good number. Sixty would be too many over the next twenty-seven months.
While I think it was a foul by Beuhler and I don't even know what she was thinking, she didn't tackle her. The Japanese player is diving trying to head the ball. Beuhler is holding her around the waist. Beuhler may have slowed her down but she didn't even change her direction. Now Hope hitting her going for the ball that changed her direction. But none of that matters. This isn't about Japan. This is about Germans complaining about fouls, they give more than they get.
Laudehr had minor knee surgery so not sure if she'll be back yet. Krahn got hurt during France (in a friendly!!!) Didnt u say bad stuff bout Angerer the last time I mentioned her? Wensing wasnt as effective as she usually is. Bartusiak was sick. Bajramaj prolly isnt ready yet but Kulig should be back.
All I said about Angerer is that people are talking about her being over the hill like Rampone, but she is still the better choice when they need a result, especially compared to Shult.
Yes and there is something to be said about stability in tournament years as opposed to off years. But that doesnt cover Krieger. The starting right back goes down in the first game of the year. Apparently there were absolutely no right FBs in the US forcing Sundhage to covert two players to cover the loss. That she didnt look at any body there is odd to say the least.
There is a fan (apparently German) on Equalizer who comments on articles sometimes. His take on the US/Germany game was the Russians had paid Averbuch to take out Kessler and the Canadian referee was working for the Americans.
Because, of course, Canadians have such love right now for their neighbors to the South in soccer... And Averbush fell in love with Russia last Spring.
Russian women in athletics have totally declined in success over the past 20+ years. Unless it's tennis. I get the feeling that the 1995 Russia women's soccer team could beat the 2013 Russian women's team, if you could invent a time warp, and have both teams play each other in their peak.
Indeed. And when I pointed that out to the gentleman, he said that it was a fact that the Americans had bought the referee a new Mercedes . . . He was also keen on the idea that the German players should deliberately injure Yael in the rematch as revenge. Good thing we don't have such loonies on this board . . .
If u follow his theory to its natural conclusion, Im thinking Grings and Fuss will turn out to be cleverly placed assassins.
Cross-topic: It's worse for USMNT right about now. We have a pool of 6 int'l fullbacks, and all six are injured. Our call-ups for the CRC and @MEX WCQs this week-end are, um, adventurous Clearly this is Klinsmann's fault for not having developed a 7th guy!! Fire Tom Now oh, wait -- n/m ...
It's pretty funny reading the comments from the German perspective. Apparently the Canadian referee(which by the way I wasn't even paying attention to what nation they came from) was favoring the United States over Germany because Canada is from North America and so they automatically are our friends and are against Germany. Another one was apparently the USWNT are looked at as robust women of the Amazon and Germany shouldn't face them anymore otherwise they risk getting injured! Finally my favorite, the US are terrible because they foul a lot, more than Germany. Well I believe if you look at the stats for that particular game, Germany was pretty high up on fouling as well. So isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?