Hard to figure why u would risk Lavelle unless she is 100%. Two of the matches could see cold weather which isn't conducive to a cranky hamstring.
A lot of people blame the original injury in Norway to Lavelle playing 92 minutes against Sweden followed by 84 minutes (up until the injury) against Norway. Personally, I feel if ur gonna be an international starter then u have to be able to do that sort of thing. It was a talking point tho at the time.
No, the injury in the Norway match was the initial injury with the NT that Lavelle has been struggling with ever since. She was playing regularly before then. However, she did frequently struggle with small injuries during college. I don't know if the responsibility here lies with the coaching staff. IMO, the question rather is whether or not Lavelle is sturdy enough for international competition.
Part of the process is seeing who can stand up to the physical demands, especially of a world cup. It doesn't do any good to have someone on the roster whose physique can't handle the physical demands. This is a little (though occasionally) discussed topic.
Well the part of this that is on Ellis is how quickly she was brought along. Lavelle pretty much went from not being able to make a roster to every game starter to out injured. With all the talent she has at her disposal Ellis didn't need to rush Lavelle in the down year after the Olympics. Bringing young players along more slowly lets the coach gage physical limitations.
While I would really like to see the kind of sophistication that Lavelle brings to the game become expected instead of surprising in the US style of play, I am not sure Lavelle is the one to carry this endeavor forward. I first noticed her as did many in the 2014 u20 WC as a mispositioned (by the ever brilliant Michelle French) holding midfielder. French in my opinion had completely missed an opportunity when 16 year old Pugh was a complete disaster in the first game at the 10. Horan had spent that game on an island as the 9. Instead of keeping Horan at her natural 9 (where she had been playing for two years professionally) and moving Lavelle forward to her natural position as a creative ACM (10), she kept Lavelle behind and moved Horan back to the 10 and Pugh to the side as a 7. I think it was Purce who was benched and I can't remember who came in as the 9. Pugh was pretty poor for that entire tournament and I remember thinking what's all this hype about? Lavelle had moments of magic in the midfield in that tournament and became a full team candidate at that time. But by her own account in a 2017 interview, she did not really succeed at Wisconsin. She often had her thigh wrapped and although the team tactic was "get Rose the ball", her stats were very poor her last 2 years. Some argued, well Wilkins brought her back to the 8 and she therefore had less opportunity for stats. Au contraire, Wilkins brought her back hoping to get her on the ball more. She took far more shots than any other player and had plenty of opportunity to shine in creative final balls, but she just didn't. Again by her own admission she wasn't happy with her production and Wisconsin itself was less than impressive. Her junior year she took 78 shots with 7 goals and 3 assists (the assists number may be even more disturbing in a #10.In her soph year 2014 she had 3g and a more respectable 10 assists (playing 23 games). The big ten as all P5 conferences include some pretty weak teams and as their marquee player should have been able to put more of her shots on and indeed in the goal. I am not sure that I can get behind Lavelle as a Flemming type transformational player unless she becomes more impactful. It is clear that Ellis has been worried about her stature and ability to physically withstand the rigors of pro/international play. From my attending many top level events with my children, I see that we are beginning to develop some more magicians. Time will tell if these rare, individually unique and magical players can succeed at levels above top club. I am keeping my eye on one, who is relatively unknown to this point, this upcoming college season. If she does well and becomes more visible, I will direct those with interest to her. I don't think it is right to put the spot light on kids who aren't in it of their own accord. I saw one of them not really shine her first year in the PAC 12. Ekic, in contrast, was awesome at Louisville earning ACC coFOY honors, but I heard tore her ACL (totally un verified! but would explain u20 camp exclusions) near the end of the season. I am always watching UCLA when I can to see Flemming although I wouldn't be surprised if her college soccer career is over. Macario is a well know player who really deserved the Hermann her first year she was that impactful... Fortunately many games are streamed and archived on ESPN3 so they can be viewed. Last year I probably watched 50 or more college games.
Olelaliga, Emina Ekic's ACL tear is definitely verified. It has been mentioned in local news articles a few times since 2016.
It is getting serious - - February 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th.............Sports Shangri-La. 244 hours and 35 minutes and counting.
Long term forecast is currently calling for abv normal mild temps for early March. http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/814day/ It is a long term forecast so don't blame me if it changes!
March 1 Columbus - 6:00 53°- 24° Precipitation 30% N 4 mph Rather cloudy, chance of a little rain Sunset at 6:24 March 4 Jersey - 12 Noon 52°HI Precipitation 4% NW 14 mph Gusts: 30 mph Intervals of clouds and sunshine I got all excited when 1st saw the 50's notations then I noted the Match start times. The wind in Jersey is a little unsettling. Don't worry D24, I'll only blame you if it changes for the worse.
England roster: #SheBelieves INCOMING 🚀4 of the best teams in the world. 3 amazing cities. Only 1 winner. Bring it on.Our squad 👉 https://t.co/BG4AgV6yXQ #Lionesses pic.twitter.com/IL1lDx5epW— Lionesses (@Lionesses) February 20, 2018
France roster: La liste de Corinne Diacre pour le tournoi international "SheBelieves Cup" ➡️Du 1er au 07 mars aux Etats-Unis #ANGFRA #USAFRA #FRAALL pic.twitter.com/9aGuyUIig1— Equipe de France ⭐⭐ (@equipedefrance) February 20, 2018
English and French Rosters dropping... Announcement of additional Matches... ShebaLeaves hours away... Dogs and cats living together... Mass Hysteria!!!!
was not an ellis backer at hiring time, but i could have sworn that one of your complaints against ellis during her tenure was that she stuck with the entrenched players too much, while the likes of herdman was bringing in a lot of young players. most were glad that lavelle, clearly the kind of player we've been calling for, was getting played with the top 11. seems your criticisms of ellis are adjusted so that whatever she does you take the other side.
Well Im not talking about bringing young players onto the team. There has to be a constant turnover and Ellis has certainly done that. Im talking about the Ellis penchant for not grooming young players. Pugh went from first cap to 90 minute starter in a matter of weeks. So did Lavelle, Dahlkemper, Sullivan, etc. Compare that to players like Sauerbrunn, Morgan, O'Hara, Mewis, etc who were brought along more slowly. Sure u can do it either way but if ur going to fast track players ur going to miss things. Maybe a slower approach would have worked better for Lavelle.
And who is better positioned to judge that "maybe--" you or Ellis? Ellis who sees her at practice, talks to her and her teammates every day of camp, talks to the medical staff, and probably the parents and coaches back to grammar school, or can. You watch televised games and maybe an occasional practice. Understand that I don't think anybody objects to a certain amount of second guessing, we all do that. But you are relentless at it and express your points as though you have some sort of soccer infallibility certified by God, and after awhile it comes off as character assassination and rather tiresome.
Why would it have worked better? You say it like it's a cautionary tale. It was a non contact injury. It could have happened during practice or warm ups. As far as her actual play on the field I think up until the hammy she was doing just fine...in fact better than fine.
The U.S. has to be favored going in to this tournament. France and Germany are plagued by bad coaches, weird player selection and stupid tactics. England has a strong squad but Neville is a brand new coach, and brand new to the women's game entirely. We have criticized Ellis a fair amount, but compared to these opponents we look in good shape.