Where did you see that statement? The only place I saw that was in your post. The only one that said that was M9fanatic. Reread the posts carefully. I paraphrase your quote: "No wonder we have been at the bottom of the "women's soccer" barrel since the [mid] 90's. It's all April's fault for bad coaching!!!" You make an excellent point - our record has been pretty good. You must not think much of Mia if you think what is expected of Mia is the same as what is expected from other players. After all Mia is one of the best US Women's players of all time (along with Michelle Akers, Carin Gabarra and April Heinrich) and her expected level of play should be above the other players. As far as double and triple teams - that is "normal" for her as she is such a good player. In other words she choked. If you beat the defender; get into the Penalty Box with no one on you, going at speed toward the GK in front of the goal; have been a NT Forward for 16 years; considered one of the greatest players of all time; scored the more international goals than any player in history (man or woman); and, you pass instead of shoot - then you have choked. A lame excuse about being restricted for two years just doesn't cut it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- She didn't pass. She looked up to pass and was all alone. so she tried to beat the keeper with a juke and the keeper got a hand on the ball. What is your problem. all you do is talk in circles. answer questions with questions, develope your opinions from other peoples idea's and in the end cultivate absalutely nothing. You bring nothing to the table even worth discusing. your sole intent is clear. You have no interest in this discusion, your perpose is to disrupt this thread as much as is possible. You chose to attack Hamm because you have some vendetta against me. But; clearly you are too much of a coward to deal with this in PM's. I have offered before to discuss what ever issues you have with me in PM and you ignore the offer as if it was never presented. and in your attempts to dog me you upset other posters which is un-fair to them. having said all that I know almost word for word what you are going to say. because you have become painfully predictible. Lets see.....you think everything revolves around you...Get over yourself. that is one of your standard responses. and one of my personal favs. if you knew anything at all about me you would know just how off base that comment is. However I will say this. maybe your little world revolves around me since you seem so addament about chasing me from board to board. i do not know if I should feel sorry for you or flattered. to all those involved in this thread I cincerely appologize for the disruption in the flow of what was a very interesting discusion. lets see if we can get it back on track. Thanks Fawcettfan14, nice post as well. I too would like to see Mia move to that role as attacking mid. Everytime she steps into that space good things happen and we play better over all. Alana1079, your analogy was perfect MiaBeliever, you made me laugh. Sarchasm can be a wonderful thing
Arcangel it took you a day of lurking to figure out how to write up your pathetic little response. Seek life as a troll elsewhere, your method of baiting is tired. You’re not as cleaver as you think you are, your efforts and intentions are transparent.
FallenAngel: I may not speak for all, but I certainly speak for myself when I say, "Bite Me." The fact that you can't even peacefully debate an issue shows your maturity level. Grow up. And while I anticipate your retort to my "bite me," I assure you, the phrasing is not my preferred, but I think you and everyone else reading this gets the intended message. Have a real nice day. How 'bout them Red Sox?
It seems to me that whatever is wrong with this team, its such a confused mess that you almost need to start over. About half a dozen different problem areas seem to have been identified. I wouldnt be optimistic about turning the current course of the team around until after the olympics. The problems seem to lay too deep to get settled in the time left.
Mia Hamm is a great player BUT, ..... when it comes to big games she's no Michelle Akers, period. She has the tendency to underperform from her usual stellar standards in pressure packed games.
I see more bashing maybe we should have a bashing board so all the bashing could go on and the one who are tired of it can move on lets see Mia ,Mitts, april who next the waterboy
Yes, this thread has nothing to do with the Japan match anymore, so why doesn't someone make an official b*tching and bashing thread? There we can complain all we want!
Of course the problem, whatever it may be, will not be settled in the time we have left. But even if we did have time, I do not think the right idea is to "start over", as you suppose. The problems with the team, like problems in most organizations, including businesses, start at the top. The organization needs to get on the same page, which includes getting personel with like minds (coaches, gm, etc). In the case of our fine ladies (USWNT), we already have a player pool from which to select a best-in-the-world team. In fact, we're debateably not far from there now -- because at this time we ARE considered one of the best in the world, even though we as fans know we are/could do better. We just need an organization to make best use of the player pool. Hamm-star has very eloquently painted the picture on most of the substantial problems: We need a coach who can pick the right players from this player pool and, at the same time, field a team in a lineup that will best utilize their skills (ex. Mia). I don't think we need to start over. But along those same lines, especially after the Olympics, we do need a coach/organization who will clean house. We need a coach who will cut any player beyond their prime who might retain a position because of their past. A final thought: Comparing Mia with Michelle Akers, as NYC ugly has done, is like comparing Reyna vs. Beasley (Apples and Oranges). They are two differnet, distinct players. They do not play the same position. Although they have played together and have done so for many years, Mia is now playing in a very different game (more competative) than when Michelle was playing (which is NOT to take anything away from her complete dominance in the midfield). Comparing Michelle against Boxx is a fairer comparison, although Boxx must play another decade in order for true lines to be drawn.
This team (depending on the match) is underachieving. For the most part it really has nothing to do with personel. It does however have to do with how they are being utilized. Quite honestly you could hand select the finest players on the planet for a team, but if the are played out of position, if those things which make them so great are stiffled and not allowed to emurge then the team overall will experience failure. it is not enough to have the best players. Which honestly i think we do over all. They must also be played out of their optimal positions, and those who are consistantly playing well absalutely should be on the field for every match. It is disconcerting to me to see players on the pitch who are clearly at best sub material playing for 90 min. when another player who is consistantly world class level is sitting on the bench. I mean there is just something fundimentally wrong with that. as for Mia...I stand by what I said earlier. Mia does not choke in big matches. you can not compare friendlies with tournament play. any more then you can compare Mich. with Mia. In friendlies there is nothing but pride perhaps rideing on the outcome. In a tournament the stakes are higher. In a friendly you may not see the best 18/20 for the opposition being fielded. In a tournament you will. Mia scares defenses enough that their coaches choose to man mark her and double and tripple team her. In friendlies that does not happen as often. Mich was 5' 11" tall. Her style was bruising and physical and ya know what?...she paid for it. Mia is small. she can not play the same kind of game because physically she is not able to. if she tried she would be taken out on a stretcher. her game is finesse and deception. Mich. ran through players, Mia jukes and uses her tremendous ball skills to turn her defenders and get around them or she uses her speed. I would not want Mia to play the way mich. played. i think that if Mia had we would not have had her very long at all. mia cautioned Abby about throwing herself around too much. Told her to pick her battles or she would end up paying for it later in her career. She told her to learn to understand when you are in a good position to get the ball and when you are attacking a situation that will not bare fruit. Told her if she continued to play the way she was then she would have a very short career. Because of this you do not see Abby fouling as much as she once did. nor coming in late. she is picking her battles well. Mia was not telling Abby she should not be physical. She was just trying to get her to understand that taking punishment with no reward likely at the end of it was the equivilent of throwing yourself in the path of a moving car. Physically it exacts it's toll on you...but; to what end? What was gained by doing it?
Hamm-star, great post! I am glad to hear that Mia gave that very sound advice to Abby realizing that she (Mia) would be leaving the game soon and wanted to make sure that Abby stayed around for a while. Mia has been relatively free from inuries, probably from the advice given her at UNC. I'm sure Anson probably talked to her about the prudence of jumping over a keeper diving at her feet. So what is you miss the chance at scoring that goal. At least you preserve yourself for playing many more games and scoring many more goals. Same thing as leaving your feet when a big defender comes into your legs feet first. Sure, they may get a card, but you might get a ride on the stretcher. As I recall, the collision with a keeper happened to Mia during the 96 Olys when she and the Swedish keeper collided in Orlando. She missed the match against China, but came back against Norway in the semis and China in the final - gritting her teeth.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well is is great advice and Abby does not get into as much foul trouble as she once did. I think Mia saw Mich. go through hell go through numerous knee and shoulder surgeries and concusions and did not want to see the same fate befall this very young and talented player. Abby is still evolving. she is not done yet. I would like to see her reach her full potential. I am sure Mia wants to make sure that nothing steps in the way of that. Abby is very fortunate. she not only has a great mentor, but; she has one that took an interest in her. Spent time with her working on her skills. Shares what she knows and understands about the game.
I think soccer fans are fortunate that a great player like Mia is grooming a younger player to perhaps try to fill her shoes as one of the best players in women's soccer when she retires. Abby Wambach is an exciting player to watch and I hope that she continues to improve and show the world what she can do.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------well i think any young player should not try to fill anyone elses shoes. They should just wear theirs. no one can be the next Mia. there was and is only one. But she can be the first Abby. and that is perfectly fine.
EXACTLY!! While young players should listen to advice from the more experienced players they should never try to copy the playing style or the on field persona of those players. Great, or even very good, players are their own person and while they may remind one of another player they do not copy that player's style. Some of the top US women players give very good advice and Mia gives a huge amount of it. She even helped Tony Dicicco when he took over the US Women's team with this advice: "Coach us like men but treat us like women." Advice April seems to be missing as the team is seems poorly trained in the combined attack/defense style that top international soccer requires. Young players, and even the not so young, need to look to the leaders for clues as to how to best exploit their abilities and fit their style into the team concept but they must implement that advice in their own style and find a way to make out their own stamp on the team. A player that tries too hard to fit in will never help the team improve and never produce at the level they need to reach to be the player they want to be.
Oh I absolutely agree. What I meant was that Abby would be the next American soccer great. Not necesarily the next Mia Hamm. Other than Abby's post-goal celebration during the Japan game being nearly identical to Mia's post-goal celebration in the previous game.... I honestly can't see Abby emulating Mia's style.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Precisely! It is apples and oranges. one physically small player and one physically big player will automatically have a different approach. Abby being big can use her size and strength to win the ball, hold it or get by a defender. Mia being small has the advantage of speed, agility, and quickness.
I saw CP at Lowes yesterday and she admitted that no one played very well v Japan. Gave her a quick high five and resumed shopping. I love it here.
I watched Kristin play at Dartmouth where she took a good team to The Final Eight only to lose to UNC. I saw her on a poor Dartmouth team the following year make over 20 saves in a game vs UNC which they lost 1-0. When The Courage played DC in The finals of The Founders Cup, Mia made one of the great shots in soccer history to beat Kristin, but Kristin stoned Mia and Abby the rest of the game for the victory. This is Bri's Olympics, but rest assured, if Kristin gets in, you will get to see winner in goal.