Any word on the Alternates

I read about Solo being picked as 3rd keeper; she will travel to Athens then. I'm not sure about the other 3 alternates. I long time ago, and I can't remember where, I read that the Olympic team has two traveling alternates and two non-traveling alternates. What the point of a "non-traveling" alternate is, I haven't a clue. Even the two that get to go to Athens are pointless--there are 7 bench players. My guess is these picks will be symbolic gestures, either picking vets (Roberts, or MacMillan) as a "thanks for all you've done", or looking to the future (Chalupny, Orlandos) as "just wait a bit, watch and learn". The later would seem the most fruitful for the National Team, but I bet April will go with a mascot type like TR or Mac or even L. Fair.

 

MacMillan, Roberts, Fair, Solo.

 

I've heard only the goalie travels, although they cannot travel with the team in Athens. Apparently that's a rule. I believe the other three do not travel. It would seem to me that if there are injuries to rostered players prior to the games then the alternates would be the first ones called in.

 

I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.

 

I positively think that McMillan will make it to Athen.....

 

I think that Kylie Bivens should be named an alternate, mostly because of her versaltility. I know people complain about April being pushy about playing multiple positions, but as an alternate, it might not be a bad idea. We have six defenders, playing with four and two are not quite 100% healthy (not to mention also the oldest on the team). If something happens, that doesn't give us much room and I think Kylie is a good back-up, especially with World Cup experience. But as an added bonus, she is a good midfielder and could easily step in a flank midfield spot. That's just me thinking outloud...

 

i second that!

 

I agree about Kylie (even though she took a lot of bashing for the Germany WWC semi--myself included). She brings the versatility (which we all know Ape loves) to play either at the back or in the wide middie role, which IMO suites her better. It doesn't look good for her at the moment, considering she hasn't played since february or march, I believe. But then again, April seems to be leaning toward Lorrie Fair, which is a lil strange. She hasn't played since I don't even know when. Sometime last year!?!? Oh well, Ape will be Ape I guess, and we have to just hope for the best.

Ape's Alternates:
-Solo
-TR
-Mac
-Fair

My Alternates:
-Siri
-TR
-Welsh
-Bivens
(Mac?)

Also, is it 4 alternates including a keeper, or 4 field players + a keeper? If its the latter, I would include Mac on my list. Chalupny would be up there too, but now she's off with the U-21's. Best of luck to her!

 

I like lots about Bivens as a player but, as far as versatility goes, both TR and Fair also have extensive experience on the backline as defenders. In fact, both started as defenders under DiCicco many times. So, if Heinrichs is thinking about someone who could play in the midfield and defense, Bivens is not the only candidate (she actually would be the least experienced of the three). I suspect that if anyone on the roster other than a forward gets injured, TR will get the call as she also provides cover for d-mid. However, if (God forbid) Lilly goes down, it might well be Fair who gets the call as it was her not that long ago who was being tried out on the left (prior to Chalupny emerging). The interesting question for me is whether the forward alternate will be Welsh or Mac.

 

Flank Mid and Def are not the most pressing issues, there is currently no backup at D-Mid on the roster, IF Boxx gets hurt early in a game, that could end the Olympics for the US.

Bivens has no Experience there, but both Fair and TR do

 

They should add TR to the team now and drop Mitts.

 

They also have experience of getting BURNED there. That's why they never stuck. They lack size to play that position. They're big, but they get pushed around a lot. Kylie's not much bigger but she doesn't get pushed around as much. She may have never played there before but that doesn't mean she can't excel there. I think if she somehow got stuck there, you would be pleasantly surprised with the way she'd perform.

 

Mitts deservers to be on the team oh boy here we go again.I think Mac as a alternates is a good move i did not think of Fair she dose fit the puzzle.

 

Bivens has been burned enough, why toss her somewhere she never played.

She really needs another season of WUSA before getting another call up.

I was pleasently surprised that Joy and Cat were able to cover Biven's side in the WWC

 

The alternates were announced this afternoon:

http://www.socceramerica.com/article.asp?Art_ID=562134781

 

I hope Joy and Cat will be able to cover for Mitts in the Olympics. Off course we may be lucky and Mitts will not need to play.

 

you're still in doubt about Mitts ability, aren't you ?

 

I'm sick of the constant Mitts bashing. She is a good player. She is tough as nails and very fast. So if she does make a mistake, like they all do, (and I don't want to hear how she makes more mistakes than anyone else cause that's B.S.) she can recover faster. I have seen this team many times live and on TV. I have gone to almost every game this summer. Already took day off for next Wednesday for my drive to Blaine and baught my plane ticket for Hartford for the first of August, Mitts is a good defender she is on the team because the coaching staff sees in her what they didn't see in the ones that were cut. In Nashville I sat right behind the US bench and she looked pretty sharp. In Louisville she made some mistakes but so did everyone else. She does what the coaching staff asks her to do. It seems that those who don't like her always focus on her to find something bad and make it even bigger. And this hoping that she gets hurt or doesn't go in is also B.S. So get off her back and accept the fact that she is on the team because she is good deserves it!

 

You are tired of the Mitts bashing. I am tired of the Bivens bashing that Chargefan always does. Just because Bivens beat out his honey for a WWC spot he finds it necessary to constantly bash Bivens. So I find it necessary to bash Mitts. You said Mitts looked pretty sharp. She better, that's why she is on the team.

What ability are you talking about???????

 

Her entire flank collapsed when challenged by the Japanese attack. She couldn't get forward and when she did she fluttered out the attack died. If she can't do her job against Japan, you really think she can handle Brazil or Germany? Show me a game where she didn't get burned on the flank and set up a goal scoring opportunity. She didn't get burned against Canada because they don't put up as much pressure as Japan did, not forcing her to make mistakes.

Also we're not "bashing" Mitts, we're slowly picking away at her like vultures. Everything we see we point out. We're not attacking her, we're criticizing her play. Every player on the field is open for criticism here so be ready for it, no one is safe.

 

That's all crap. Show me a player who doesn't get burned. They all do at times not just Mitts. The whole back line had a bad game against Japan, not just her. I was there.

 

She scored a goal against Canada while no one couldn't