If he's such a good coach, why isn't he coaching in the pro's? where the playing field is much more even and you have to be good tactically. Ask Pat Farmer or Jay Hoffman. and don't give me his record as a nationa team coach, women's soccer has come a long way since then.
UNC coast trips My reference to a tired UNC relates to their travel arrangements. The team arrived in Portland a little more than 12 hours before their game after traveling for 8 hrs. They played two games in two days, then caught a midnite flight out of Portland and arrived in Chapel Hill at noon today. Tarpley and Chalupny flew all night to get there, arriving just before the game, hence the early substitution. Apparently Norfolk has never competed after a cross country trip, sitting in cramped airplanes, but it takes a lot out of the athlete. I make no excuses for the team against Portland on Saturday. The players would admit they didn't play well. This 12 game road trip is tough on the players, but it will make them a better team for the NCAAs. I think these teams will likely see each other again. I look forward to the game in neutral Austin.
I can see plenty of benefits to Dorrance's pattern of substitution, and since the team is ranked second in the country, I don't see the need to criticize it. Most of the players have a chance to contribute on the field, and so this coach sends fans the message that he has confidence in his entire roster. I like that. Perhaps he will substitute less at the end of the season, when there is less frequent travel, players are rested when it counts, and there is a sense that the 11 he puts on the field have earned their right to compete during the NCAA's. I doubt the players are squabbling over who gets to start and who doesn't, but many assume that's the way it is. Let them talk all they want.
Since SDM isn't here to take up the reigns as a die-hard Heels fan, I think I'm going to chime in. Go ahead and complain about substitution patterns and whine that players don't develop the ability to play 90 minutes (because the grueling fitness program isn't enough to keep them in fabulous shape). Cry that the best talent isn't always on the field. Complain when your starting 11 play to a tie against the Carolina 22. Them's the rules of the game. If you are going into a gun fight, better make sure you bring a loaded gun. It seems to me that Anson is taking advantage of having a program full of talented players. He seems to work hard at developing enough depth so that he can substitute when the NCAA tournament rolls around; without worrying about a drop off in the level of play. I think anyone that follows the program would tell you that the season is a tune-up for the tournament. Anson simply doesn't face that same dilemmas that other coaches face. He doesn't have to look for the marginal 10th or 11th player. He has to find the right 11 from a pool of former state POYs, ODPer's and NT wanna-be's. That to me just screams chemistry. How would you expect to find out who will perform in p(l)ayoff games without giving them all some PT? That said, I'm not even going to touch on the fact the fans love to see all the players get their shot. When the bench players can bring it on and thrash opponents... that's what makes the sometimes annoying Tar Heel faithful what we are... unabashedly proud of the team. Go Heels!
UNC Substitutions Thank you P.J.B. and GoCourage. Anson substitutes for a variety of reasons, and as GoCourage mentioned, it is within NCAA rules. The time-honored old-boy idea of 11 players on the field for 90 minutes is archaic. Lets see good soccer for 90 minutes, not 11 tired walking players at the end of the game. Anson primarily substitutes the forwards, and to a lesser extent the midfield and rarely the defenders. The forwards are expected to chase the ball and put constant pressure on the defense. The first game of the year in Lincoln, Nebraska, UNC used far fewer subs than Nebraska. In Portland, probably because of travel and injury, he felt the need to sub more often. Anson is trying to be careful with Chalupny and Tarpley after the U19 world cup; he needs them at the end of the year. Hence, Tarpley gets pulled early and Chalupny subs in. Anson wants these players to play the best teams when they are at their best, i.e. at home with a boisterous hostile crowd(as I understand it was on Saturday). This will make the team better in December. I think he would know.
How has Susan Bush playing this season? Does she look like a player that will be drafted in the first round of the 2003 draft (if she does go into the draft)?
UNC substitutes frequently because they CAN. Would they have been the same team they were this weekend had they not been substituting all year? Early in the season I started a thread about the new subbing rules and how they would favor deeper teams like UNC. At this point in the season, I think I've seen most teams substituting more in the first half than in prior years.
Susan Bush My views are tainted by only seeing her play in the four blowout matches in Chapel Hill and Durham, but... I think Bush looks like a totally different player than before her last round of injuries. She seems to have matured a whole lot as a soccer player in terms of setting teammates up and letting them set her up. She seems to work at positioning a lot more rather using pure athletism to run by/through/around defenders. I used to roll my eyes everytime she controlled the ball, because when she was willing to pass, not often, the passes were usually off the mark. As someone mentioned before, it seems like Anson has put a little more of the burden of being a team leader on her. It shows in her game. That said, I think the jury would still be out whether she is a first round pick. If her body holds up through the rigors of a full season (first since her freshman year) and she continues to develop her all-around game (not sure whether she still has the same speed that she was recruited for) she will be a draft pick. My thoughts after seeing how the Courage and Freedom developed would be that a first round pick wouldn't be wasted on a forward without some truly exceptional athletic ability and game savvy. International players seem to have the upper hand there except in the extreme cases (Wambach comes to mind).
Yes, some of us seem to have dropped into the realm of paranoia. Thanks for the support on the side of logic and statistics. Not that I'm not emotional about my support for the UNC Women, but not to the point of lack of realism. I make it a point of congratulating any team that gives us a scare if I can. I was proud of Marquette's first half performance. I really liked the point about variety in players. It is wonderful to see so many on the field each game and to see them develop within a system that allows for frequent substitutions without losing steam.
UNC Travel I doubt UNC will ever succeed in womens soccer based on Norfolk's assessment of the Anson's coaching strategy and travel smarts. Because UNC has only 5 home games and 14 road games (not including the ACC tournament in Florida) with two long trips across the country, the team is missing a lot of classes. These are student athletes after all. Anson has them get in Thursday classes and then leave. It's not ideal for sharp play, but it is a reasonable compromise.
The time honored old boy idea of 11 players playing the game IS how the game should be played. Its the game the rest of the world plays, its the game the pro's play in the US. Soccer is not grid iron football or basketball with mass substitutions. Its not meant to be a track meet with coaches stopping the play to send in the defensive unit or the corner kick special teams every five minutes. Its meant to be played by 11 players who have to be fit enough to play for 90 minutes. Its meant to be played by 11 players who can keep their concentration while fatigued. Your view of the game is very flawed. The first 15 minutes of most games at any level are fast and furious and the ball is blasted around with little or no possession. Its only after this time when the game settles down and space appears which allows the soccer artists to do their thing. That is the reason most people go to watch soccer. If you want fast and furious go to a track meet...or a UNC game.
To me Bush still seems tentative with her knee. She has had several chances to shoot from six yards out but made iffy passes instead, obviously to avoid a possible collision. Speedwise she definitely hasn't caught up to her freshman level. Strategically she is thinking more and passing well. I just wish she would finish like I know that she can. In the back of her mind she always has the injury controlling her decisions. Maybe she always will.
Ironically, the term "bait" was given to describe the behavior of a knight who (unprovoked), from up high on his horse, would cast aside members of the crowd with his lance.
I've never seen much in the way of college smack talk in the Women's Rivalry Forum. Very disappointing...
There isn't much rivalry in women's college soccer. There is Carolina and then someplace way off on the horizon, a little speck that is everyone else. ;-) ... and ... Yes, that's a joke. I'm sure people have a sense of humor, right?
There was a little last year, but not much this year. But then, the season isn't over yet. There may still be some.
Alright, due to popular demand, the GoatBoy has started a smack thread on the Women's Rivalry Forum. Maybe it's still a little early in the season, but I think we all need some practice before tourney time. So bring it. Punks.