Final US wins 5-1 Uneventful. Hopefully everyone is healthy after more players got to be evaluated in different positions.
I previously mentioned the video problems on the espn broadcast that went on for the first half, but I also noticed the espn Bottomline ticker was often broken. There was a lot of SOCCER| INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY repeating for minutes at a time in the first half.
Really hard to glean much. I like that they passed more and dribbled less against the high line. Not sure what the purpose of capping Campbell against a team that couldn't test her. And really thrilled that Ohai was on the roster only to sell tickets at BVVA but couldn't actually make the field in a 5-1 nail biter.
There were these weird off-color vertical lines. Just to make sure it wasn't my cable company doing it, I checked in the WatchESPN app and it was visible there too. (It did seem to go away in the 2nd half, though)
No one in Houston knows she plays for the Dash and it's quite possible no one will at the end of the season either.
Is that what that substance is? I didn't know the USWNT was allowed to play on it... Seriously, though... if you can't see the lines, here I've adjusted the brightness/contrast to make it more visible: And it's not just from the sideline view: Here's the 2nd half, where they're no longer visible:
Well, clearing the jet-lag helped some. They had a few sequences with the ball that looked pretty good, and they didn't slide toward the center as much overall. But we still got the "rugby advantage" almost any time we wanted it; and I thought they stayed compact as much because they were slow stepping out when they got the ball as because they were trying to pack it in. They've got the goalkeeping solved and the coaching looks right there-- but that team really needs time in the weight room and on the track; they just aren't where they need to be physically at all. I don't just mean they aren't a match for the us athletically, I mean they aren't a match for Argentina or Italy or Ireland... They can be, but they aren't anywhere near their potential. I thought, and so did my SO, that Lloyd should have gotten a yellow at least for kicking the Russian goalie in the chops at the start; and maybe a red? Liked Pugh's game, and Brunn's, and Long's-- she really seems much better in the midfield to me. Kling looked better, but I think her back is still really stiff. Forgot to mention, I think, that the first game I was pretty impressed with A-Rod's outing-- good on her if she doesn't just make it easy for her to be the easy cut. Early on I thought we were getting pretty lackadaisical with the passes shifting in the back, but we seemed to get that recognized and corrected, which is a relief-- don't want to see a game like this start bad habits that wind up costing us in a more competitive one. Oyster actually got to do something impressive; she got fed a pass in a bad position and worked herself out of it... I do think I might have started Ojai in Lloyd's place, not so much because I'm an Ojaiphile, but because some recognition that this was not likely to be a competitive game and so might as well be used to give some people a run out seemed appropriate. I can make a good case for everyone else who started, but... About all I got.
She had a right to the space and was desperately trying to avoid contact. She jumped too early to avoid the contact. She failed miserably unfortunately. There was no intent there. There is no way that is a red.
I like Short. I like Mewis better than Long (though I like Long). It will be interesting to see what happens when Brian comes back. I know it's Russia, but I really like Dunn as a forward. I think I said that after SBC. Or, if we've had a friendly after SBC, before Russia, maybe it was then. I think that the speed of play of Dunn, Pugh, and Lavelle may not suit the style of play of Morgan, Lloyd, and Press. Id take the youngers at this point. It's been interesting to see Morgan trying to make passes these past 2 matches. I think that she feels like if she's going to fit in with the new crew, she has to be a little less selfish. I don't like Pugh and Lavelle being inverted. Right before Lavelle's goal, somehow she was on the left wing and Pugh was on the right. Within a minute or two of that switch, Pugh fed Lavelle for the goal. Then, they went back to Pugh on the left. I was confused. It was interesting that Lynn Williams was basically playing as a 10. She was an attacking mid, under Press and Morgan. And, she was really trying to play make, as opposed to looking for her own shot.
I'm a bit confused-- are we talking about the mow patterns on the field? Those are actually there, done intentionally by the grounds crew.
Well, I can't speak for WWC_Movement, but sitruc and I are not. If you can't see it in the screenshots I posted, adjust your monitor's brightness or something.
Well, when I look at the images you adjusted the brightness on, the only "lines" I see are the sort of checkerboard mow patterns, same as on the unadjusted images. Can you maybe describe where you see them? Is it over the whole image, on a color, on the field, what?
I don't see anything of the sort on the posted exemplars, no matter how I tinker with my monitor. A couple of them are at somewhat lower resolution, which I often see on streamed games, but no lines at all-- shouldn't they show on the blocks of empty seats, for example?
My take on all this is this: 1) Ellis is clearly, as she should, moving ahead with Pugh and Lavelle 2) Long is good with her head but not that good with her passing. 3) Lloyd hands on but Im not sure why? I think we need younger options for her 4) Morgan and Rapinoe are bench players for now 5) Think we've seen the last of Amy Rodriguez. Not even on the bench for game 2 6) Ohai can get a look... even in a blowout.... why? Do we really need to see Lloyd more 7) Lavalle is better than Heath and is the best thing ive seen since Mia arrived This game told us little. Russia is too weak to test anybody and everybody looks pretty good. Ellis needs to start looking for replacements for Lloyd and a couple others that are getting up there in age. These games are the time to do that.
You need better displays if you can't see it below. They're vertical lines. Click on the images to see a full-size image. http://i.imgur.com/TcJ5P12.jpg http://i.imgur.com/bjKrA0L.jpg Anyone who watched the first half on television or on a decent screen saw that. It was fixed for the second half. It was very obvious on the HD television broadcast. That's why I asked. I could see it on the SD station and watchespn as well.
I'm with taosjohn, I didn't see lines on TV (HD) and don't see them on my computer when I look at your pictures. Strange. Perhaps it has to do with how one receives the signals. I have Centurylink as a service provider, with DirecTV.
Is this one of those blue/black or white/gold dress things? I could understand if it wasn't seen on a different carrier's broadcast, but it's clear to me in the images above.