The "New" will MacMillan make the Olys? thread

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Ya know. I don't think that heather O' is so much in april's dog house as she is just not versatile enough yet. there are other players who can play out of different positions. thus Ape does not have to sub to change or shift the formation. O'reily is a forward. and that is right now anyway the only position she can play affectively. If she were a big girl then she and Abby may be battleing for that forward spot. But; because Abby can not only score on the ground but in the air it is kind of like O'reilly has become the odd man out. Tarp can play forward or Mid. CP can play right flank mid and forward (though I feel she is more affective out of the mid) Mia likewise can play forward or attacking mid. Even Mac can play out of the right flank Mid and or forward. O'reilly just has not evolved into the versatile player April seems to want. She is still very young yet and I am sure that has alot to do with it. I am sure she will continue to grow as a player. But; she is just not offering up enough right now to secure a starting position for herself, or even first sub selection. that said....Doesn't mean she will not find herself in Athen's come August.

 

My 2 cents and forgive me if I'm not as soccer educated as some of you:

I'm not saying Mac is in good or bad shape this year since I haven't seen her playing live with my own eyes to judge. However, why are we saying she's not going to be playing in the Olys? She's not playing in 2 friendlies and therefore she's not going to be in the Olympics? There's still more games between now and August and Ape is unpredictible so why all the gloom and doom? Now if Mac''s out of the remaining 4 or however many friendlies left, that may say something more conclusive. But she's still in Residency Camp. Of course, if Ape is treating her as she did Milbrett (based on heresay), than I think Mac should make a statement too and drop out. There's strength in numbers.

 

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I firmly beleive that if we do not see mac in the next Friendly then the writing is on the wall. If she is a player that April has already decided will be on the roster for the Oly's then she would not miss three friendlies in a row. We do not have that many games left to build team chemistry. it seems reasonable to me that you would want your sure shots on the roster for every match leading to the Oly's. so her absance does not bod well for her.

 

Enough about MacMillan, how about Tiffany Roberts ? why she did not play in the last 2 friendlies ? i think they're both going to play on the next ones.

 

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One would hope so. I personally feel that TR is an assett. she will fight for the ball in the mid. and she is good at making flank runs endline. Hope Mac atleast gets some time. I think it would be rediculous to not atleast give Mac a shot and see how she does.
Course this is ape we are talking about. She does not do a whole lot that makes sense. And when she does....well it is either an accident. or it is something she faught tooth and nail and finally conceeded on.

 

Did anyone else hear the Wendy say that according to April both the roster for this match as well as the starting lineup was predicated completely on playing performance in camp? I swear I heard her say that. Which would lead me to believe she is not 'trying people out' at this stage and is just going with the top performers.

Before you say, duh...I think there are times in friendlies that she brings young ones in over verterans simply to give them a look. Based on Wendy's commentary, I do not think that is going on at the present...nor should it be.

Just thought it was an interesting comment...and one that does not bode well for those not on the roster.

 

Apart from the comment above, did the commentators say anything else about why players ie. mac arent on the team etc?

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------Hey Lizzle

All she said was simply that the players on this Roster were chosen for their performance level. or something to that affect. I am not sure but i think she may have said something to the affect that those who are here for this match are here because they deserve to be.
Not sure she made those two statments together or they were seperate dialogue from one another. I am going only by memory. I will watch the match again tomorrow maybe and see if i can nail her down word for word and i will post it.

 

Cool thankyou

 

I heard this statement, too. If accurate, I don't think it bodes well for those not on the two rosters but, obviously, April could change her mind at any point.

 

...and she also said that this line-up is still far from the olympic's

 

AH is really really serious about this olympic, she has no tolerant for any player who doesn't perform well in the camp, because this is her last chance to bounce back from the embarrassing WC turned out. It will be GOLD or FOLD !!! .

 

O'Reilly was playing for the best college team in the world, against other college teams - or she was playing for the best U-21 team in the world against lesser U-21 teams. And she wasn't playing behind Hamm and Wambach. Which would you say had the far easier task as far as scoring is concerned?

I do not think that it was a coincidence that when Mia was away from the NWT with her injury and rehabilitation that Mac was the leading scorer on the team...

 

Since both had major injuries last year, Only O'Rielly has been able to get back to her previous form regardless.

Is the College cup any harder than a friendly? top teams in college.

BTW, UNC can beat the WNT at this point in time

 

Ok, I'm a big UNC fan but I think your statement is ludicrous.

 

Didn't a cobbled together ghost of it's former self Freedom team recently beat the Tar Heels 2-1?

 

My point exactly. To say that any college team would beat the Nats shows a lack of understanding.

Of course, in defense of the UNC team, they were missing the folks training with the various youth and full Nat teams.

 

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hahahahahaha

that is the best joke I have heard all day

I too am a huge UNC fan but;as much as i love um' they are collage players and would never stand a chance against the WNT. the WNT is a whole other level or two above any collage team.

 

I think you have [grossly] under-estimated the level of play and quickness at the National Team level. There is a big difference. Most notably, if you witness a game in person and on the field (key), not just on TV or in the stands, the first thing you'll notice is the speed of the game. Much different. Even with UNC in mind.

(Disclaimer: I admit I have NEVER witnessed in person UNC play.)

 

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Absalutely bostonbully

listen to the comments by Tarp, boxx, ETC. and they will tell you that the one thing that they had to get used to was the speed of play. Even those coming from the WUSA said the speed of play is a notch above even the pro league.
college and the WNT are two very different animals on every level. technically and tachtically.

 

Leave and don't come back until you have a better argument

Once any of you can say you've seen Shannon play since the beginning of residency (no hearsay, or "someone I know went and watched"), then you can have an opinion on this matter. It is ridiculous to come on and pipe in like you know what you are talking about when you are going by pictures and articles. Some of you are embarrassing...

 

THANK YOU. No doctor would ever allow a professional athlete to begin playing unless they were 100% ready. It's April's fault, and April's fault ONLY that the US didn't bring home the cup. She didn't make good decisions on subs in the Germany game. Not even that Shannon should have played (which I believe could have made the difference), but the fact that once her game plan of "cross it into Abby's head" a thousand times didn't work, she was too much of a bighead to change it.
I can't wait until Shannon makes the stinkin' roster so all of you analytical types will have something else to talk about besides her weight gain and how she is losing her touch when NONE of you have seen her play. PLEASE! Get a hobby beside speculating on Shannon, whom you haven't even see play this year. I have seen her, and it's a mystery to me why she isn't playing. April is the only one who knows what's going on in her coconut brain, so we'll just have to see. If Ape's smart (which she hasn't shown lately), she'll have Shannon in Athens. Shannon has won in the Olympics... April hasn't.

 

You guys all just guessing to why she did not play in the last two friendlies, no one knows exactly why, and here's my guess, she takes care of Fawcett kids because she is injured her back lately.

 

What? I am not exactly sure what you are getting at...