How many of you share my opinion that the USWNT's playing style is just plain ugly? Let's just consider the second half of tonight's friendly against Australia. How many combination passes did you see? I mean passes that actually take a defender out of the play. How many absolutely blind flicks did you see? You know, the type that result in less than 50% possession. How many times did you see the Keeper wave off the defenders so she could launch a less than 50-50 punt? Given the quality of offensive starts by the U.S. defense, perhaps I'd have waved them off as well. What was the greatest number of consecutive ( same team ) passes? How many times did that occur? I guess that I could accept losing if we just played with some flair.
Australia will be in our group in Athen, if we show our best, they will find the way how to beat us in Athen.
Did we not win the game 3-1 with 4 starter not playing the first half. I hope we have to play them again.
Did we not lose the first half, with our starters on the bench? Only after they came in, did the intensity pick up, we started to string together passes, and ultimately score goals. Anytime Abby, Mia, and Boxx step on the field, good things happen. Who cares what Australia knows about our tactics. If we have our best XI out there from the start, we should beat them anyway and it shouldn't matter what they know. Ape is a meathead, period. In '99 prior to the WWC, Tony played MOSTLY the same lineup every friendly, regardless of the team we were playing. Other teams feared us because we put our best lineup out for battle. Having the best players on the field, as well as team chemistry. is what makes a great team, not "hiding" all your cards.
So true. No one fears us anymore because losing is excused, its never the coach's fault, we put out a crappy product for the fans, we play down to expectations.(and we expect people to get revved on WUSA?) - Remember when we used to watch a game with a positive attitude, to be entertained? Now it's like: how will this game dissappoint me... we have no cards to hide-every team knows what we have and how we play it. The only unpredictable element of this team is what assinine thing Heinrichs will do next.
While I agree with much of what you've said, I failed to notice any stringing together of passes. What I saw was a physical overpowering of a game but spent opponent by fresh legs coupled with some low percentage flicks by Kristine Lilly. I was heartened by HOR's fine play and Mia's willingness to FINALLY take on some defenders individually. I saw crosses played into a crowd and the ball moved side to side - willy nilly - by a back line embarassed by their tactical cluelessness and lack of speed. This "hiding your cards" business is the biggest joke of all. The bulk of these women have been playing internationally for almost fifteen years. If the world does not know what they are capable of, then humanity is regressing to the Neolithic. You play friendlies to practice against the type of full speed opposition that you can never establish in practice. While I think it is a good idea to allow reserves a chance to learn and to prove themselves, I don't believe that it's a good idea to do it enmasse. Finally, something that no one has commented on is the lack of offensive pressure from the back line. For most of the evening, we had four backs holding hands with one or two Aussie strikers. No runs, especially down the center. Maybe we have trouble scoring in the run of play b/c our defenders are the gang that couldn't shoot straight. Unfortunately, our NT has adopted a style and pace of play so plodding and predictable, that I have trouble finding anything positive to say.
It is sad that April would cut Shannon MacMillan but keep Lilly who, to me, hasn't made me notice her with a through ball, cross, or shot in a LONG LONG time. It is amazing that when a star breaks out (Wambach, Wagner, Boxx) certain veterans are never at risk of losing their roster spot. I would have though Shannon was one of them. I would like to have seen MacMillian and Roberts on the team, O'Reilly in the U-21 Nordic cup and Lilly on the outside. Crazy Larry Women's US National Team @ CORDOVA Inc. http://www.cordovainc.com/wusnt
In past years the WNT was praised for their skill, flair, excecution of the team game, beautiful soccer at it's highest. I remember when there was wide spread hope that our mens team would start to play like our ladies. Now the level has fallen so far that it's reduced to 50 yard kicks forward and hope to God it's in the area of one our players. The mid field contrabution has been limited to hanging around just in case the defense doesn't kick the ball far enough. Kick and chase, boot and scoot, hit and hope what ever you want to call it seems to be the order of the day, now that is what I would expect from a first year AYSO coached team but not the National Squad (men or women)
You can thank one person for that. Coach April. She has added confusion to the game and no one knows what she wants.
MacMillan is not old enough for "icon" status or young enough for "young gun" status. Maybe she's just not good enough; she did spend most of her National Team career on the bench. Her career has been a bit of a Catch 22: she was on the bench because she wasn't as good as the starters, but she couldn't become great because she was on the bench so much. After the '91ers retire Shannon won't be brought back into the NT fold--she is just too old--US Soccer just wants young players (a bit of a backlash for keeping the '91ers around after their prime.) I think that's too bad: Shannon never got to live up to her potental (bad timing on various injuries, bad coaching, and she was a streaky player, either was on or off.) I agree Lilly is looking a bit tired of late, but no, she needs to be on this Olympic team. Didn't she score off a 20' strike in one of the recent friendlies? Lilly is not the National Teams' problem, and I think we know who is...
March 3rd vs Costa Rica (4-0) and Feb. 25 vs T&T in a 7-0 blowout are her 2 goals this year. Crazy Larry Women's US National Team @ CORDOVA Inc. http://www.cordovainc.com/wusnt
We almost all agree that April has been the reason for the "ugly" play of the USWNT. People can agrue that the vets are too old or whatever, but ultimately it falls on the coach. He or she decides who to put out on the field, what formation to play, what style to play. If a player isn't good enough to be on the Nats, it isn't the players fault; they're playing as hard as they can. Its the coaches fault for keeping them on the team. Hopefully we can get around our coaches crap tactics and find a way to win at the Olympics. She could sure help herself out by playing the lineup and formation that works well for this team. IMO this lineup would be pretty unstoppable, regardless of the coach. 4-4-2 Scurry Rampone Fawcett Markraf Reddick Boxx Foudy Lilly Hamm Wambach O'Reilly Subs: Tarpley in for Foudy at around '50-'55 Parlow in for Wambach or O'Reilly (whoever is tiring) at around '65 Third sub would depend on the situation; whether it be offensive or defensive (Brandi for defense, Hucles for offense)
Hey, FF14, Your lineup is just like mine that I offered in another thread. Of course that means that what we see on the pitch wsill in no way resemble what we've put down on paper. After all, what do we know that Ape and her brain trust don't?
FF14, did you ever think that some of the WNT's opponents would be searching this BS Board trying to get some insight as to what lineup Ape would throw at them? If they did, they'd be pretty confused when they show up on game day.
Mac wasn't the pure striker that Tiff has been, and no one has been as good a forward as Mia. That said, the few times that Mac got to play full time (when Mia was out injured) for the NWT, she was the one who scored the goals - look at the Algarve Cup, didn't she get 7 of the 8 the team scored?)
This thread is a bit old and pointless, but, I just had to reply...I luff Mac. I thought her versatility (she wasn't a 'pure striker', she was a good mid. too) was a good thing. But maybe it wasn't. It just seems coaches (Tory or April) didn't know what to do with her. Waisted talent, if you ask me. Although her career stats aren't too shabby...