What are you basing your assessment on? Is it just a hunch? I have seen them both play on multiple occasions and it isn't that close. Pugh is faster, stronger, bigger, more skilled on the ball, much craftier away from the ball and works a lot harder. Just like I said before the game, Ashley disappears against big, fast, strong and athletic players. Think about the Scandinavian teams and the European teams and the players that they have. She will always perform poorly against those type of teams. She looks great against weak teams. Pugh plays well against everyone. Cherry picking with other good players surrounding you and/or looking like a world beater against far outclassed competition is not what makes a player great. It's that simple.
I have nothing objective to prove it. Overstating things or outright hyperbole like the bolded bits do not help you make your case. Pugh has also seemingly disappeared against opponents before at the youth level. The only time Pugh has really gone up against the top international competition at a big moment was the U20 world cup. The coaches thought highly enough of Mall to start her every match in Canada but she struggled for long stretches and failed to finish her chances. Sanchez is hard to defend around goal but if she rarely gets the ball there we never find out. You can't truly assess the players outside the context of the team performance. Sanchez is at least as fast as Pugh and she is certainly skilled on the ball. The only area where I think Pugh seems to have an obvious edge on Sanchez now is her movement away from the ball. Pugh's runs off the ball are superb. The "works a lot harder" seems the most dubious assertion. All these things are subjective but I'm not sure how you worked that one out. At any rate, the US is lucky to have two great promising offensive talents, and they're not the only talented young players either.
Tactics are also an important factor on how both teams look. This team is definitely built around speed and small ball. Also there are only three true mids on the qualifying roster, Torres, Howell, and Zandi. Snow's strategy seemed to be "let's burn them on the flanks" but this just made it easier for the English women to trap them. Spaanstra burned them a couple times but they had the flanks well marked. Apart from a few counters England was covering well on the edge so the US rarely made it far enough to cross until the end of the match. Tagliaferri has some technical ability but is definitely more suited to forward. Pinto is a great goal scorer but she struggled in the middle of the pitch. Torres and Howell are the only two possession oriented mids suited to physical opponents. Zandi is an attacking mid with some flair but she needs to cut out the unforced errors (ie unpressured errant passes). They rarely tried to use the middle of the pitch in this match which is a shame because that's where Torres shines.
This is all just banter so nothing personal. Sanchez is not in the same speed category as Pugh and that isn't subjective. With regards to working a lot harder that is on the film and I have a friend who's daughter is on the same club team as Sanchez and she does not work hard and is a "mean girl" by his definition. Pugh is much craftier around goal and has many more goals on the international stage and in ECNL. No worries in 18 months they will be on the same team (assuming Sanchez gets admitted to UCLA which isn't a gimme) and it will be fairly obvious. I would love a specific example of Pugh dies appearing because she either scored or got an assist in every game in Canada other than the final and at 15 she was the leading scorer for the US in the U17 CONCACAF tournament. My daughter has defended both and she says it's not even close.
I love the debate. This might have to be one that we agree to disagree on. The good news is that they will be on the same team and will be easy to compare. I will be at every home game and a bunch of the away games so I will be in a good position to see the outcome. Not to mention I will get a report from practice from someone that will be in a good position to judge both players from the practice field.
2016/02/13 Sat England - Japan (YouTube stream) 30' 1-0 What Sanchez and USA did to Canada in the CONCACAF final, England just did to Japan. GK Koguri badly underhits a square distribution, Charles darts in from box top mid-left and one-touch passes ball under Koguri's dive. 31' 1-1 Japan promptly give-and-go to 7m right post, mini-chip lobs GK into center back. England's direct play is giving Japan some trouble. Koguri has about four saves.
At the 2014 U20 World Cup in Canada Pugh started all 4 matches but didn't tally any goals or assists. She was young relative to most of her peers and it was a learning experience. But contrary to your earlier assertions she did struggle in those matches. I may not be as privy as the sources you claim to have but I can watch the matches like anybody else and draw my own conclusions. Can we keep the comments focused on their actual play? Let's leave the character aspersions based on hearsay fueled smears out of the discussion. That's not "banter."
USA - Korea Republic 78' 2-0 Sanchez jukes #12 at 15m wide left, jukes #14 at 12m wide left, faces up #15 at 9m box mid-left, jukes her and gets to 3m mid-left, scoops right outstep to 6-top left post -- intercepted. Korea look a little tired. This solo pbp guy (edit: Mark Sorber?) is pretty good at identifying each player, with no storytelling -- listen to him for ten minutes and you could sketch both teams' entire formations.
England 1-1 Japan USA 2-0 Korea Republic 6+4 (+4-0) USA (vs. Japan) 4+5 (+6-1) Japan ------------ 1-2 (+1-3) England (vs. Korea Republic) 0-7 (+0-7) Korea Republic Matchday 3 pairing is also a H2H championship match. USA need a draw or better. More interestingly, Japan isn't a total lock to just dominate the field (like their U20s do). USA could (and should) game-plan to just take it to Japan and make them defend our stuff. England look solid at this level: good skill, composed, focused tactics, relentless aggression. They get a sneak peek at three non-Euro sides.
this kind of ball skill, which is very rare in u.s. girls, makes me very excited about this player. looking forward to seeing her develop.
2016/02/15 Mon Korea 2-0 England USA - Japan 10' 1-0 USA longball up wide right (what Serber calls "the channel" ) for #14 Civana Kuhlmann (not "savannah coleman", your ears can deceive you) chasing inside-out at box top. Kuhlmann takes to right touch, taps back to RB #15 Kennedy Wesley, who drives past 2 to 4m wide right. Cross to 3m 1/3 right for #8 Pinto, glance-headed across by the CB. #10 Ashley Sanchez unmarked, chests ball down at 10m left post, right roundhouse half-volley into back right low.
While typing up one goal there, I missed two here 25' 2-0 Out of the 1H water break, Wesley routine chip from circle back mid-right to circle top box right. Kuhlmann collects a clang (diving header-away missed), drives hard 1-v-1 to box top arc right -- pulls up to lure #17 Takahira into facing up, then drives hard down box right and out-accelerates her to 9m. Fast ground cross to 6m 1/4 left, [edit] #8 Brianna Pinto marked so tightly at high speed that -- her sprawling defender quacks ball into own 1/3 right back low. Kuhlmann flattens Pinto with a flying hug. 28' 2-1 Japan play out of back left to circle right, mesmerizing short-pass sequence up wide right. Quick ground cross to Nagano at box top mid-right, pinpoint stop-and-tap redirects ball across spot, toasting the CBs and Japan are 2-v-0 thereat #16 Endo, coming through box top arc left on the outside, calls off the inside decoy and passes ball left instep into 1/4 left back, with #1 Laurel Ivory beaten either side by any of four shoes. Too many USA defenders spent that entire sequence backpedaling, like they were mesmerized or something. HT 2-1.
FT 2-1! 9+5 (+6-1) USA 4+4 (+7-3) Japan 3-5 (+2-7) Korea Republic 1-4 (+1-5) England Good warm-up for qualifiers (for us).
Fox Soccer Plus is televising the CONCACAF U-17 Women's World Cup Qualifiers. In fact, they aren't just televising the US matches. The Mexico vs. Costa Rica match is also being televised, and potentially more.
I understand the CONCACAF U17 Women's Championship is being held in Grenada. Wikipedia says that Grenada produces 40% of the world's supply of Nutmeg. Reportedly, Tobin Heath does the rest. <rimshot>
Yep. And Tobin Heath will also give her opponent the sweat from her balls. Soccer balls, at her feet, of course.
Not sure if this has been posted, but Fox Soccer 2 Go (the online, don't need a cable subscription, pay service) is also showing all the CONCACAF qualifying matches, and is providing a free code good for the duration of the tournament. When you sign up at foxsoccer2go.com, enter the code "U17WNT" when you reach the payment page.
Does anyone know if Sophia Smith(Real Colorado; Windsor, Colo.) has committed to playing at a university yet? I think she's a 2018 grad, if I'm not mistaken, so plenty of time for her to decide.