Youtube Playlist for all 3 USA WNT matches at the 2016 SheBelieves Tournament: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUbTVyojaE6HqMHdhJa4_PRwiFtHOJ-oM
"Total revenue forecasted for the ’17 SheBelieves Cup is $2.4M, which includes a forecasted $1.175M net profit" https://t.co/kGLUhspeRh— Steph Yang | Horrible Soccer Goose (@thrace) March 10, 2016
Hopefully with that in their coffers next year they'll be able theyll be able to hire a lawn care professional to travel with the team.
They should be able to do better with more advanced knowledge of the tournament. The problem is/was scheduling. First, there was organizing a tournament with little travel to reduce costs and available pitches in March. Then, there was getting players from other nations and their club teams. English clubs start on March 23, French have a round of games on 3/13 and last played on 2/21, and the Germans have games from 3/19 and last played on 2/28. The NWSL does not start until Mid-Late April. Unlike the NWSL, the other leagues do not bend over backwards to help NT players out of windows. It's partly why players playing abroad rarely get called up. It is also something that certain USWNT players don't seem to get. Everything would be much better if the tournament was played the first week of April, but it would not be feasible.
Why not expand this tournament to 8 teams? Bring in even more money. 16 matches would be played instead of 6, when you include the two Semifinal games, the Final, and 3rd place game. Even more than 16 games, if they have a 5th place and 7th place game. This tournament is already bigger and better than the Algarve Cup in "Quality", and "Attendance". But the one thing it lacks is some "Quantity".
Can't tell whether or not you realized that the tournament was in a FIFA window? And that there being this FIFA window surely played a large part in it getting scheduled then and in being able to get the highest-ranked teams to come? Its why the Algarve, Cyprus, et al. were all being played at the same time. While there is a FIFA window at the beginning of April, that window only allows for 2 matches while the March window allows for four if its in a friendly tournament; the April window (April 4-12) is also 1 day shorter than the March window (Feb. 29-Mar. 9).
I think we are making the same point? I was trying to say that there was a limited amount of time to play the tournament which limited travel and venue selection.
My original point was that the main area of concern is the chewed up space along the side line on the camera side. I have to assume this is the place the players stand and mill about during American Football games. Since football season is month's gone and since this is sunny Florida not the northern tundra, why wasnt this area repaired before this match was played?
They usually do field maintenance after the spring football game/practices. FAU's spring game is in mid April. They usually don't re-sod entire fields, but will often grow a new grass field if they cannot repair it.
Just finished watching the match against Germany. Of the three matches I think the most instructive is the first one against England. It was similar to the Sweden match in the WWC. A competent defense that you wouldn't call a bunker but clogs their own end and the middle of the pitch. Yet still has the wherewithal to be potentially dangerous on occasion with turnover transition and opportunistic set pieces enough to contend for wins despite few dangerous forays into the box. That type of match worries me more than the typical ones against France or Germany where the US will have opportunities. It's really the ideal tactic against the USWNT. I think the team looked both it's worst and best in the France match (either side of halftime) in terms of positive vs negative play and overall organization. I felt the Germany match was choppy (and chippy) and that perhaps unlike the previous two matches they probably left some goals out there.