News & Media II: Articles, photos, videos, etc.

Nike is once again going to want the USWNT to wear a "cutting edge technology" jersey at the World Cup. Who knows exactly what shade of color it will be.

 

*** Memory Lane Alert ***​

The NBC "Olympic Channel" (Channel 389 on Dish Network, Channel 624 on DirecTV) will be replaying the 2008 Olympic Final Match vs. the Diving Divas on
Sunday, August 12, 2018 10:30 a.m. ET.

 

Aaaaaaaaand from the Way Back Machine, Six Years Ago:

 

Mark Zeigler's fairly long article is entitled "U.S. pay-for-play model not working" riffs off the failure of the U-20s to get past Spain.
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/sd-sp-us-soccer-pay-to-play-u20s-20180814-story.html

Here is a few paragraphs:

"The last global count by FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, found that the U.S. has as many female players as the rest of the planet combined. There currently are about 1.5 million registered female youth players, depending on which database you use; Spain, according to soccer’s European federation, has 20,590.

Perspective: San Diego County alone has two or three times that.

For this particular age group, thanks to Title IX, Team USA can draw on 333 Division I women’s soccer programs with 14 full scholarships each.

Plus another 300 at Div. II.

Plus another 300 at Div. III.

Plus 208 at NAIA.

Plus hundreds more at junior colleges.

They should win forever.

That they don’t is an indictment of a pay-to-play youth system that everyone seems to agree is broken but no one can agree how to fix, that doesn’t develop players organically but in a capitalistic test tube that spits out blonde-haired, pony-tailed robots.

“A rich, white kid sport,” as former U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo puts it."

 

I'm recopying this here cuz I can never find the previous post and I panic:

Very helpful Wiki page regarding the Tournament:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_CONCACAF_Women's_Championship

Two from the Central American Zone will qualify from the August 27-31 Group Stage:

• Costa Rica (33)
• El Salvador (NR)
• Nicaragua (NR)
• Panama (NR)

Three from the Caribbean Zone will qualify from the August 25-Sept 2 Group Stage:

• Cuba (85)
• Jamaica (71)
• T&T (50)
• Antigua and Barbuda (133)
• Bermuda (115)

Plus the 3 auto qualifiers - Mex(25), Fightin Tancredi's(5) and the Ladies with the White Hats.

The draw for the final tournament will be held on Tuesday September 4, 2018, @ 10:00 EDT (same day as Chile match in San Jose).

The US plays in NC on 10/4,7,10 then TX 10/14,17.

 

... if we get that far

 

Comments like that will put your status on my Christmas Card list in jeopardy.

 

Fortunately the USWNT is not the USMNT.

 

you guys have your head in the sand. no?

they almost didn't qualify for 2011 - and that was years ago. the other teams are getting better. they're figuring out how to hunker against us, and upsets can always happen.

 

To not qualify for the WC (because there's no chance of not advancing from the group), the US would have to lose the semifinal, lose the third place game, then lose a two-leg playoff to Argentina. Knowing the US, do you honestly think all 3 of those things are going to happen?

 

no.

but i don't think that it CAN'T.

 

USA'S 2018 CONCACAF WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP GROUP GAMES - North Carolina Tickets
https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/20...usa-2018-concacaf-womens-championship-cary-nc

Only 10,000 available, so get them early and often.

 

Club soccer has little or nothing to do with the fact that our U20 team did not win the title. The clubs are turning out a LOT of good, skilled players. But having good players doesn't guarantee anything--as other nations have skilled players, too. There are many factors involved in how well a particular group of players performs. Also, the fact that Japan won the tourney, and Japan and Spain were in the title game, shows that the handwringing about the U20 team was a bit overwrought. Japan may have edged us on overall play, but not by much, and their goal was pretty lucky--not to take anything away from the Japanese, who fully deserved their championship trophy.

 

I found this hour long (last 50 minutes) discussion on the Greatest Athletic Contest in the History of Mankind on a Podwhatever. Great breakdown of rosters..then and now, refereeing, Canada Program, but stayed away from the announcers.
http://backlinesoccer.com/the-123rd-minute-that-canada-game-you-know-the-one
Match:


Host admitted he has watched it a Grand Total of once in the last 2,211 days and that only to prep for the program???!!!??? Guest says she watches it about twice a year. I know someone who combined has them beat by 200+.

Sounds like they will be analyzing other big matches from the past in upcoming programs.

 

The three best games of all time (in my humble opinion)

1. Brazil/US 2011 World Cup quarter-finals (Hell, I'll go even further. This was the greatest sporting event in the history of the world.}
2. Japan/US 2011 World Cup finals
3. Canada/US 2012 Olympic semi-finals

 

Hosts mentioned that this will obviously be one of the next featured Matches. Excellent trivia question to stump your friends- - - - -
Name the one Team to participate in both 1) The Greatest Sporting Event in the History of the World, and and and 2) The Greatest Athletic Contest in the History of Mankind? I'll take Total Awesomeness for $1,000 Alex.

 

Team Tommy Mattinson? @ The World Gurning Championships?

 

WCQ is set Costa Rica, Panama, Jam, T&T and Cuba + 3 Auto Qualifiers.

 

US Soccer has finally put out some new video content. The BFF quiz one is fun, but I'm mostly commenting here on the BTC: High Performance video that just came out. In it, there's a team meeting when Dawn Scott mentions that there are 22 WNT games before the WWC starts.

This was filmed at the start of this August/September camp, so it includes both Chile games. There's 5 WCQ qualifying games, assuming we make it to the final/third place game. That leaves 15 games after WCQ, and I think that means some games will definitely be played in November or December. Its simply too many to fit in otherwise. Also just to clarify, I'm sure all of these games have not been scheduled, of course. But they are windows that the US hopes to fill. @jackdoggy will be happy.

 

Wow, when I read that, as I Japanese NT fan, I am envious! This is what a serious program of friendly matches is!

For sure is easier for USWNT, because basically everyone wants to get tested against USA, but I wish Japan could get as many matches in preparation for WWC: it would be so much better and it would be a chance to try different players and strategies! Ok, Japan has many tournaments in Asia (Asian Games were played until last week, there will be EAFF championship early in 2019), but the big problem (given the distance from both Europe and America) is getting good tests against non-Asian international opposition. Hopefully, there will be Algarve Cup in March as usual, but I seriously doubt Japan will manage to cram 22 games in its season: in 2017 they played 15; in 2018 it gets better and we're already at 19, but it was mainly because of two major tournaments held in Asia (AFC Asian Cup and Asian Games) and in the second one of those Japan couldn't even get their internationals!

 

totally agree with you. Might be added. Over 99% of our youth players are there to play through college, instead of trying to make it into the pro or NT

American soccer is a bit different than FIFA in that we play the unlimited sub rule all the way through college. District/division type games are played into OT for a winner. Clocks are reversed/or stopped when injuries occur.

In my state, slide tackling is banned in high school & club ball.

I got to see in person this summer, the Barcelona womens team play a sort of 2nd division WPSL team (this league has 104 teams spread over the US). I was shocked to see Barca with its 12 Spanish & 6 Int NT's kept at bay to a 0-0 half time score. Only in the 2nd half when Barca was allowed to switch all 11 starters vs the SoCal squad with maybe 6 players seating on their bench, that they finally took command. FIFA poy, Lieke Martens, played in the 1st half, yet never could get passed the SoCal defenders.

one suggesting might be is to have high schools where soccer is the #1 major(but they still go to classes for the regular academics) this is done frequently around the world.
I heard there's a football school in Florida, but its a boarding school as well an a full year costs something like $50K for the year

 

WhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaWhhhhooooooooooooooooooooooo.
Maybe another Match in January over in Europe????????

 

Match tonight
WC Qualifying Draw
More Matches.................what a day, if not before I'm wide awake now.
Counting on my fingers and toes, 2 Matches in Nov, Dec, Jan, April, May + 3 in ShebaLeaves in the Feb-March period..... that is still 2 matches short. Plus, someone stated before the Chicago ToN match that SBC was not happening next year??!!??
Love it Love it Love it.

 

...plus we didn't send our best u20 players to the world cup.

our preference is to keep them for the wnt.

...which might explain why even tho we get beaten at youth world cups, we stay at #1 among wnts.

 

... and the sports psychologist says that everything that goes on in your life has the ability to affect your sport, and vice versa....

... wondering if this makes it easier, or more difficult to integrate possibly the country's (world's?) best left back....