I agree, but Brian was saddled with being a solo 6, with the 2 8's backpassing all night. Brian can not be blamed. Dunne was not good either, but she did try stuff occasionally. And, the other thing about Horan I meant to post was that she lost the ball off her foot any time she met a real challenge. Beating people on the dribble is no part of her game. Never has been, never will be. On the flipside, she almost never dispossessed a French player, or even tried. Dunne was not guilty of either of those shortcomings.
Yep - that's how the ladies wanted it. They didn't want to be paid like the men - on a game by game basis, with no insurance provided by the Fed. They wanted guaranteed contracts and health insurance. With that comes a bit of roster rigor mortis. And, it's why you saw A-rod getting the occasional call up. Our attacking contingent is getting a little old-ish? Great, let's call up a comparatively old, one dimensional forward, coming off a knee injury, instead of looking at younger players who could fill that spot. Why? Contract.
yeah, yeah, yeah.... if the team wins this wc and gold next year as well... some will be quite sure it's actually her 'fault' they won.
i like ohai and williams myself. but there's nothing wrong in taking the attackers you listed above ahead of them. it's just an understandable individual coaching difference. it has been pointed out repeatedly that most other countries (france and germany probably included) don't have outstanding older players who are staying in the game and advancing their skill and experience. the u.s. does. who do you think is better than: morgan? mcdonald? press? heath? rapinoe? those better than lloyd don't have her experience. barring injury, most good coaches would be sure to have her on the team.
are college players under payed contract? Isn't that against NCAA rules?....just mentioning cuz for instance France 3rd goal was scored by a 20 year old who Brunn & Dahlkemper couldn't even catch up with. So hence, we really need faster/perhaps younger players in there
It's not. She's a terrible coach and is taking this team NOWHERE. Meanwhile other teams are coming on
Hard to write anything about this game, so I haven't. It is hard to take away anything when Ellis starts Fox against France, in France, and then she gets roasted repeatedly and it ruins the game. I thought it was strange that this was actually the first really good test of Dunn at LB, and she didn't play her there. Dunn was awful in midfield, btw. But the most concerning thing is Brunn again getting torched on a simple counter. She is a leader and she is great, but she ball watches (and her partner must be doing it too) and she is caught flat with the striker and too far away. It happened here and it happened against Sweden in the Olympics. It is simply a communication and awareness thing I presume, so she needs to get that out of the game. Or at least be close enough for the professional foul; although I've read that our woman want to be exemplars and will not do professional fouls. I hate to bring it up, but you almost wonder if Fox starting there, and doing so terribly, was a message from Ellis to USSF to let her bring Hinkle into the team.
Catrina Macario is a young attacker primed for the world stage, she is the first off the top of my head, but I do not think the cupboard is bare regarding young US strikers. Attacking I think is the least of the teams worries now and going forward, no pun intended.
macario is not a u.s. player. she's brazilian. she may be available to play for the u.s. in the future, but right now the only call up she can get for the wc is for brazil, which would then, if she accepts it, tie her to brazil.
If what you say is true she's clearly not ready to play on this big a stage. Better for her to wait and keep her options open, then - as soon as she's eligible - choose us.
I watched a bit of the game vs France but could not watch a lot of it because it was really bad soccer. I am appalled that is where we are as a country and that so many of our players lack basic technical skills and have such a poor touch on the ball. I am DVRing today's game and if the game is anything like the vs France game, I can't envision watching a lot of it. It will be interesting to see if they get torched again. Hopefully Lavelle plays today. The team needs technical and creative play makers like Lavelle as opposed to a player like Pugh that can't keep the ball at her feet. Don't get me wrong; Pugh has great pace and is an "ok" player but overall I'm not impressed. She just seems very one-dimensional and really lacking in overall technical skill. She seems to get by primarily with her athleticism. I'm also hoping Heath plays today. She seems to take a lot of criticism here and elsewhere but she's my favorite player on the team and my favorite to watch. She can beat nearly anyone in a 1v1 situation. I will admit, though, that sometimes she dribbles too much and could take an easier route than she does. I believe that it is partly due to her not getting adequate support in attacking situations. If she can get adequate support and teammates showing for the ball, she can be really good and is among the best. I've read a lot here about Brian back passing. As I mentioned, I did not see a lot of the game so I am not entirely sure what those are references to. The way that I was taught to play soccer was to play in the way in which I am facing. I believe that most of the world is still taught that way. It is better to back pass and play the way you're facing as opposed to forcing things and playing a more direct style. I'll keep my eyes open and try to see what the criticism is all about. Soccer is a game of patience, though. It is better to play a "death by 100 passes" style and possess the ball as opposed to being direct, passing minimally, and always playing into a 50/50 situation. If the team does pass more today, I certainly hope that the passing is better. In just the short bit I watched of the game vs France I was shocked at how many passes were errant and, in actuality, looked as if they were being passed to the opposition. Again, the lack of basic skills is appalling. I posted the video below in the men's forum during the NCAA playoffs. Many of you may have already seen this. It's men's soccer and is Akron playing Stanford while advancing to the College Cup. This probably doesn't belong here but for once I would like to see the USWNT play a similar style: Anyway, perhaps the team will show better today. I find it hard to believe that the USWNT have never played Spain. From what I have read and heard about Spain, they are young and talented. I haven't seen the starting lineups yet but I want to see some different players today. A keeper other than Alyssa Naeher would be good also. For as unimpressed as I am with Pugh, I am many times more unimpressed with Naeher.
We're fielding the A team today -- and they're doubtless mad as hell after the debacle in Le Havre. So, we should be at our best.
[ESP-USA] 19 Amanda Sampedro, 10 Jennifer Hermoso, 9 Mariona 11 Alexia Putellas, 15 Silvia Meseguer, 6 Vicky Losada 16 Mapi León Cebrián, 20 Andreas Pereira, 4 Irene Paredes, 8 Marta Torrejon 13 Sandra Paños 15 Megan Rapinoe, 13 Alex Morgan, 17 Tobin Heath 16 Rose Lavelle, 8 Julie Ertz, 9 Lindsey Horan 19 Crystal Dunn, 4 Becky Sauerbrunn, 7 Abby Dahlkemper, 2 Emily Sonnett 1 Alyssa Naeher
01' 0-0 Spain hoof past box top left and press, Sonnett pokes into near touch. 02' 0-0 Lavelle counters to ~24m mid-left, USA creates a scramble in Spain's box. 07' 0-0 USA sustain pressure in Spain's 1/3. Left throw-in, Morgan offside leaning past 1 through box top mid-left. 08' 0-0 Spain possess at circle back, initiate short-passing possession. 09' 0-0 Losada chips toward Putellas cutting to arc tangent left, her back-header to nobody. USA clear poorly, Spain instantly possess with 5+ consecutive one-touch passes. Spain dump down mid-left, too far and over.
12' 0-0 Spain hold at circle center, note USA's high line, chip fast diagonal pass down wide left for Mariona 1-v-1 on Sonnett chasing. Backpass to Meseguer unmarked at 22m mid-left, she quickly turns and chips an entry cross to -- nobody at 12m mid-right, headed away. Spain's speed of ideas is about three times faster than ours -- not yet paying off, though. 13' 0-0 USA right ck, inswings down into the scrum at 5m center, Paños punch-nicks it off Meseguer's head (and flattens her). Ball bounces once, flick-headed out to 6-top left. Rapinoe measures, goes airborne for a bicycle kick on-frame at center high, Paños does just enough to bat it away, Spain clear into near touch. Stoppage for Meseguer in some discomfort -- twinged (lower) back? She resumes, for now.
17' 0-0 Ertz dribbles past circle back left, Putellas lunges late and steps on her left foot top. Foul. 18' 0-0 Sonnett right throw-in at midfield, up right touch to Heath surrounded 1-v-3. Spain steal-and-ping, but ... ball ruled out? 19' 0-0 2nd right throw-in to Heath's chest -- she fouls, or handball? 20' 0-0 Spain ping disrupted, Heath collects at midfield wide right, tries a quick vertical pass, intercepted. 21' 0-0 Spain short-pass at wide right, USA content to congest. Ertz steals a pass (actually it nails her in the ankles -- good positioning). Morgan turns through circle back, tries a way too ambition long diagonal pass 30m+ downfield, too far for Heath by 20m.
That's a question with many possible, reasonable answers. A better question is what did we learn from that match. Something useful, I hope.
23' 0-0 Losada dinks over own shoulder at midfield (her) wide left, turns to follow, gets bumped by Lavelle and horse-collared by Sonnett. Foul on Sonnett. 24' 0-0 Spain short-pass at left touch, backpass behind midfield, switch to box right. Marta chases down box right, outjumps Dunn but heads over endline, collision knocks them both off-stride. 25' 0-0 Heath flicks a pass to Lavelle in traffic, clang wrested away 1-v-2. Ertz disrupts at 25m center, USA breaks past circle left. Rapinoe veers through box top mid-left to 10m, left foot shot blocked over by Torrejon(?). 26' 0-0 Rapinoe left ck, tight inswinger glances off left post and over endline. Bit too tight.
27' 0-0 USA ping is not quite as sharp. Backpass misses Ertz laying out, Sonnett collects and flicks forward to Lavelle coming back. Again a clang forces Lavelle to chase, she just manages to backpass. USA go down box left, called for a foul -- on Dunn? 29' 0-0 Putellas switches wide right over Dunn a bit inside. Dunn +1 disrupt Marta, Dunn shows quick feet to outdribble 2. Rapinoe receives at 30m box left, pass to Ertz at 24m mid-left just misses, Ertz stabs it down mid-left over endline. 30' 0-0 Lavelle presses Losada at circle top left, almost wins it. Losada spins away, rushes a switch left too high into near touch.
32' 0-0 Ertz drives a pass from 30m right touch, it inswings behind Morgan releasing early up mid-right, to 22m arc right. Horan reaches back and dinks a pass to Morgan, but she's offside by now -- and shanks her shot wide right anyways. 33' 0-0 Spain thread a pass to #_ at 9m mid-right, backpass to nobody intercepted by us. Lavelle slips a good diagonal pass through Spain's retreating backline to Heath at 14m box right. Heath clangs it centerward, follows and blasts a left-foot shot off shins, it rebounds out past arc tangent right. Ertz runs on, shoots one-touch just over crossbar 1/5 right. 36' 0-0 Spain pass up wide left, León turns past Heath, Heath body-bumps her down from the right flank. Foul.