So far, in this tournament, the US has given up 3 goals and every single one was GK error, except maybe the last but that one should have been saved by a decent GK at this level. The result vs Mexico will not really matter because both are going to the U17 WWC. Between now and then the GK coaches for the US have a lot of work to do because if there is still the current weakness at handling routine balls and making routine saves the teams at the WWC will pick us to pieces. The play on the field is OK but with the dearth of goalkeeping behind them it is hard to believe they will go far at the WWC.
Goalkeeping positions used to be a US strength at all levels. Now it is a huge weakness, the men as well as the women.
Talking by the perpective of a Nadeshiko Japan's fan. In the past, in fact, Goalkeeping was a big advantage over us for USWNT. Norio Sasaki used to say that if he could have "stolen" a player from USWNT, it would have been Hope Solo, and Solo had a big part in 2012 Olympics final, by stopping a Mana Iwabuchi's shot in the last minutes that could have made it 2-2. Now, Nadeshiko Japan keeps struggling to find a GK that's always reliable (Ayaka Yamashita, who recently saved a PK in the Asian Cup final, is close, but she can still make blunders), but I guess we're anyway closing the gap with USA in this regard, probably more because US goalkeeping is getting worse than because ours is getting much better.
I try to avoid commenting on refs, but I have to say how terrible this ref was in the first half. Multiple fouls in the box that should've been pks for the US. Also, there should've been ~15 minutes of stoppage time at the end of the first half. Haiti has potential and some ability, but were clearly gaming the ref. I'm just glad the US won despite what I felt was poor first half reffing (and despite poor GKing).
something's wrong. it's both gks! we seem to be improving in skill and tactics in the field and retrogressing in gk-ing. should somebody be questioning the gk coach? the u17s showed the senior team how to be patient against bunkering teams, and how to probe up both wings, thru the middle, and over the top in the last 2 games. (note however, that the u17 score vs canada was still the same as the score in the much reviled senior team game against china. and the haiti game was still a 1 goal game. that's soccer. the design and aim of the bunkering team is: keep it close and tight).
I do believe it is the GK coaching in general. I stopped coaching for health reasons about 10 years ago. I am now 70. Even with my health problems and advanced years I know looking at the raw talent displayed I could have the US goal keeper making the saves that were badly missed and making MUCH better decisions in less than two weeks of three 1.5 hour sessions per week. The problem I saw was not ability but rather it was between the ears. The GK relaxed and tensed up at the wrong times and appeared to have no fallback idea when a little surprised. Those are easily trainable in just a short time. The lack of proper coaching comes from the USSF program were they create cookie cutter coaches. (alliteration intended) Actually the field coaching is OK from those cookie cutter coaches BUT the GK position is a VERY different position and must be coached differently. You cannot, while training. worry about a GK's feelings and, sometimes you have to almost over-drill a very tiny point. GKs are often fragile but that must be cured not coddled to and it looks like the coaches coaching our youth keepers were "nice" to them too much. I am not saying that a coach need to be "mean" to the girls but they should be coached firmly and pushed to find their limit in training. Although she was a field play Mia Hamm gave some great coaching advice to Tony DiCicco when he took over the US Women's National team. He had never coached women before so he asked her, and some others, what he should do differently from the men. She answered, "Coach us like men but treat us like women." I believe that applies even more to the GK position than any others. The GK position is unique in many ways and the coaching of that position must also be unique. In coaching that position I have used tackling dummies, tennis balls, rope, volley balls, chickens (Have you seen the "Rocky" movies) and even a fire hose. Our current youth GKs seem to be soft but they do not need to be broken and giving up the kind of goals they have given up is a good first step toward breaking them. They need to be toughened and given the mental and physical tools to be hard when needed. This is lacking from most of the Women's yout teams but it is not too late to fix.
3rd: [Canada-Haiti] win or stay home The go90 stream is jumpable! 48' 1-0 Haiti #4 Mathurin left throw-in at midfield, to circle top wide left. One-touch tap back to #7 Abaina Louis at circle top mid-left, promptly contested by #7 Serita Thurton. Thurton passes to circle half-top right, Huitema begins her run from circle center due north. #6 Angeline Gustave turns to collect but #12 Teni Akindoju challenges well and wrests it away. Gustave, on a tripod, scythes a clearance through circle center -- directly to #8 Caitlin Shaw. Shaw settles, promptly chips to 22m arc left. Huitema has inside position on #19 Milan Pierre, outruns her to arc top left as GK Fleuriot comes up to 15m. Huitema measures, chips shin-high left instep softly past Fleuriot's left ribs, bounces behind her into center back low. 74' 1-0 Haiti #4 Mathurin left throw-in from own 1/3, heaved up left touch past circle top. Spin-and-go up left touch to 5m wide left, Canada steal and clear. Square pass to Shaw at circle back. She settles-and-turns but ball escapes her radius, #5 Estericove Joseph(?) darts in from 10m+ away and pokes ball loose. #13 Rachelle Caremus collects and turns to 32m center, scoops left foot mini-lob to arc tangent left for #10 Melchie Dumonay back-cutting behind #19 Jade Rose. Dumonay veers outward to 4m mid-left, GK Karpenko charges out over-eagerly, dives at ball and trips Dumonay down sideways, like a bowling ball picking up the 10-pin. Foul, pk, Haiti crowd chants "DU! MO! NAY! DU! MO! NAY!" etc. 75' 1-1 Dumonay pk, right instep hard pull to back left low, Karpenko dove correctly but was still going upward.
88' 2-1 Fleuriot distributes right to #19 Pierre, she gets closed down. Long square pass misses or tipped, Canada collect and probe across 22m center. Square pass left to #16 Andersen Williams at arc top box left, her cross blocked by Pierre jump-tucking, over endline left. 89' 2-1 Canada left ck, #20 Julianne Vallerand sails it over mouth to 1m 6-right. Huitema jumps alone, twist-heads high back to 6-top right post. Williams steps under it, twist-nods a header past heavy traffic, just inside right post low. Haitians collapse all over their 6-box. 89' Goal @CanadaSoccerEN! Andersen Williams scores with a dramatic header to give Canada the last-minute lead against @fhfhaiti! #CU17W pic.twitter.com/ZHD9vJtQlV— Concacaf (@Concacaf) June 12, 2018
90+1' (of +3') 2-1 Caremus fouls at arc top center. Stoppage: Huitema is down on back at (own) circle back box right. Ice pack to forehead, stretchered off to far touch. 90+3' (of +3') 2-1 Huitema returns, receives throw-in down right touch, gets to corner arc, fouled. 90+4' (of +3') 2-1 Canada fk upon the right corner arc, they form a 3-wall and play it very, very, very short 90+5' (of +3') 2-1 Haiti hoof past circle top, but Canada collect. FT 2-1. Canada advances as CONCACAF 3!
That was a fun match. Haiti opened things up a lot compared to how they played the US which made for a good back and forth (even if the first half had limited chances).
There are plenty of high quality GK's at all levels of the USSF. The miss is in identification and bringing in more than just 2-4 per cycle. Whether its u17 u20 or the Full team, they bring the same three or four into every camp. The USSF would benefit if they added more Keeper specific camps where they bring in 10 from each cycle and work them together
Ch. [Mexico-USA] #14 Nicole Soto for #4 Karen Gómez. Official lineup @miseleccionmx v @ussoccer_ynt #CU17W pic.twitter.com/abIWzKK7zS— Concacaf (@Concacaf) June 12, 2018 #Sub17Fem | ¡Vamos por el título, chicas! 💁🏻 ⚽️Con este cuadro iniciaremos ante Estados Unidos en la Final del Premundial. 🏆 Pueden seguir el partido en 👉🏻 https://t.co/829xpxH3uI#NadaNosDetiene pic.twitter.com/l4By38mRoG— Selección Nacional (@miseleccionmx) June 12, 2018 Championship szn.Introducing your U-17 #USWNT starting XI vs. Mexico for the #CU17W final! pic.twitter.com/Obv476zHbS— U.S. Soccer YNT (@USYNT) June 12, 2018 Morris for #19 Agresti; Hunter for #4 DellaPeruta; Staude for #11 Doms (and 3-4-3 => 4-3-3 to contain Mexico's awesomeness); Bebar for #13 Kroeger.
It does not appear, from the pictures I have seen on Go90, that there are lights on the field. If this delay continues and it gets on toward dark which L think is something like 20:00 - 20:30 EDT would the game be postponed to tomorrow or would they simply flip a coin or some such since both teams are going to the U17 WWC anyway?
The good news is the sun is out on the field. (There are clear shadows) But the bad news is (the camera seems to be facing east and the east looks VERY dark. I think in most of Florida storms move east to west but it has been a VERY long time since I was that far south in the US and my old memory may be mistaken.
Looks like the end of "Hello mother hello father," "the sun is shining, kids are playing, mother father kindly disregard this letter."
08'? 0-0 #7 Meza injured (ribs? torso?), stoppage. 10' 0-0 USA subs in (1 of 3) #4 Talia DellaPeruta for #7 Samantha Meza. 31' 0-0 Mexico square pass from box top wide left to box top mid-left, #10 Alison González pokes ball into box and chases. #5(c) Kennedy Wesley runs alongside, cuts in front of ball at 2m just as González also throws her body in front. They collide (ahem) butt-to-butt facing away -- and both go flying into end zone, González landing first. Ref calls -- foul on Wesley, pk González looked like she initiated that contact -- I think the ref was confused because González's landing looked worse. 32' 1-0 #8(c) Nicole Pérez pk, opens right instep into back right low, past GK Anderson frozen.
34' 1-1 #3 Wiesner right ck, low inswinger to 5m 6-right. Wesley arrives first, one-touch hop-flick to 1.5m right post. Bebar ("BEE-bar" ) turns and pokes across mouth, under GK Gutiérrez, into back left low. That's a nice lead you got there 🇲🇽. Would be a shame if someone ruined it.Hannah Bebar equalizes! pic.twitter.com/mzcLcSPKkt— U.S. Soccer YNT (@USYNT) June 12, 2018 45' 2-1 RB #2 Morris backpass from 32m right touch to arc top right, too soft, dies in grass! #7 Nayeli Díaz pounces from 25m arc left, races Anderson coming out, taps left around Anderson's right foot, into box alone. Díaz dribbles and cruelly slows down to 2m 1/5 left, casually toe-pokes into back right low. +1'. HT 2-1.
46' 2-2 Wiesner dribbles 2-v-3(?) up centerline to 27m, scuffs a diagonal pass left. Ball deflects perfectly and bounces through arc left, in stride for #18 Sunshine Fontes outflanking through arc top mid-left. Fontes follows ball to 12m 6-left, one-touch left foot shot across mouth past Gutiérrez stranded near post, into right bottom pipe. WE'VE GOT SUNSHINE! ☀️A stellar Kate Wiesner run sets up Sunshine Fontes, and we are level! pic.twitter.com/JcNXaB7Uw6— U.S. Soccer YNT (@USYNT) June 12, 2018
The second Mexico goal was another GK mistake, although a more forgivable one than the other three US GKs have made. She should have retreated toward her goal unless she was absolutely sure she could get to the very week backpass that was presented to her. Also the US has scored and equalized. And the announcers have answered another question I had. The game goes straight to penalties if tied after regulation.
59' 2-2 USA subs in (2 of 3) #11 Maya Doms for #10 Mia Fishel. 65' 2-2 Mexico subs in (1 of 3) #20 Aylin Avilez for LM #11 Anette Vázquez.