USWNT in the ToN 2018

June 13 Thru July 25 - 45 days of barren lifeless desert abyss
July 26 Thru August 2 - 8 days of euphoric Paradise on Earth

 

45 days of getting 53 days' worth of work done

 

I'm gonna Jones bad when the Men's World Cup ends. This will get me through until European leagues begin. I'm looking forward to seeing these teams play. Australia is definitely becoming a power.

 

USWNT Training Camp roster for ToN:

https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/20...ng-camp-roster-for-2018-tournament-of-nations

 

Roster Thoughts:

1. I've been pretty critical of Leroux in the past but she should have gotten the call up over Arod based on current NWSL form. Same for Lynn WILLIAMS.

2. Hinkle deserves this callup based on play alone. Wonder what has changed...otherwise.

3. Glad for Ohai

4. Wonder what's up with Huerta? I'm not a huge fan of Matthias defensive game but she is playing great right now. Without Huerta or O'Hara I don't think there's enough depth at right back on this roster.

 

Interested to see Hinkle return and always happy to see Ohai BUT all things considered did Ellis really need to bring in 25 players when it effects both the league and the International Club Championship? I noticed Australia named 20.

 

Sonnett over Huerta is a bit of a statement. Personally I like Huerta over either Sonnett or Mathias in a system that needs the OB to be part of the offense.

Disappointed Ellis took so many Courage players. I would have been happy if Dunn, Mewis and Dahlkemper were the only ones picked leaving Riley a few defenders. I wonder if extra players will be released and a tournament roster named?

 

1. i think arod may be better percentagewise with chances in the 18. at least I think they think so.

2. i agree. what changed? did they have a talk? is she to be called in whenever there is no lgbt celebration? when is that? she does belong tho.

3. me too. I wrote in another thread that she needs to be tried out in that pugh position where mckaskill failed so miserably. she scares defenders. always has.

4. sonnett, short and dunn are also right backs in their minds.

very good players will be left out of the wc roster. i can see it now. we'll be arguing forever.

... and that's a good thing.

 

I think Mathias is all offense in my opinion. She struggles defensively but NC has been so dominant is hasn't been exposed. And I just haven't seen enough Sonnett at RB I guess.

 

1. I was critical of Leroux in KC and have always preferred Arod. Perhaps it's a little bit of guilt but I just wanted to publically acknowledge the Leroux is play fairly well right now

2. Your guess is as good as mine on Hinkle. Talk about an awkward locker room if something hasn't changed on that front.

3. It's a great time for Ohai to get a look with Pugh out and Mckaskill struggling a bit.

4. I forget about Dunn at RB. Good point.

-and yes I agree I could debate this forever. Awesome players will be left out. Heck I'm the crazy one who thinks if Shea Groom could find herself in a better situation (either Seattle or Utah perhaps) she would be in conversation here. But it doesn't look like that's happening, ha.

 

isn't it because they want players who can play well in more than one position-depending on the position? to them, sonnett can play well at both rb and cb.

from ussoccer:

of course that means that only 2 players will be released. not sure riley can hope for both to be nc players... maybe matthias and zerboni? I myself think that none of his players will be released. that's what happens when your players are good and you've already locked down a playoff spot.

lavelle and arod will be released imho.

 

23? Must be WC junior. Courage fans r saying Hinkle is a little banged up going in. If that's true and with Short & Dunn to handle the left maybe Hinkle is coming in to clear the air as much as anything.

 

If I ever meet you in real life, first three rounds are on me.

 

Naeher: Deserving. Nobody has dislodged her as #1.

Harris: Undecided. I am not a huge Harris fan. I think she is poor positionally, mistake-prone, and makes routine saves look difficult. I think a handful of other keepers in the league are just as good as her or better. She brings experience and leadership, but I prefer to see Ellis call up Naeher and two younger keepers like Franch and Bledsoe.

Franch: Deserving.

Dahlkemper: Undecided. Definitely talented, but less consistent/more fragile this year. To be fair an iron-woman streak like she had was never going to last forever.

Davidson: Deserving. Will be on this team for many years, but not perfect yet (see the Mexico series). Need to keep developing and not assume she is a finished product.

Hinkle: Deserving. I hope she and the team can reconcile or at least politely agree to disagree and get on playing. On the merits, she is a fantastic left back.

Mathias: Deserving. NC's offensive juggernaut means she isn't tested much defensively, but it's hard to deny she is having her best season yet as a pro.

Sauerbrunn: Injured for club, so why is she here? I like to see how they do without her, so I'd leave her home for this tournament. And I say this acknowledging Becky is my favorite WNT defender since Joy Fawcett.

Short: It's quite soon returning from injury, but probably deserving. Such a good lock-down defender.

Sonnett: Deserving. Still takes too many risks for my liking, but is an excellent defender with ball skills and a scoring touch.

Brian: I want her to get more minutes with club, and stay healthy for an extended period of time. And make an actual impact on games.

Ertz: Up and down NWSL season so far. But she is a key cog for the USWNT. Deserving.

Horan: Deserving. Possible MVP candidate in NWSL.

Lavelle: Again, I want more sustained minutes from her at club level. If she can stay injury free she's almost an assured lock. Brings a unique skillset to the team.

Lloyd: I think we need to move on.

Mewis: Her knee needs to be managed carefully. Definite roster member and probable starter if healthy.

Long: Never has impressed me with the WNT, I would call up several NWSL mids ahead of her.

Dunn: Deserving. In 2015 she was a pure scorer. In 2018 she's showing what a complete player she is.

Heath: Dawdles on the ball too long sometimes, but probably deserving due to her creativity.

Press: Milquetoast start for Utah so far. Hasn't done much to threaten defenses. Is a hot and cold player for me. Some games looks like the best player on the pitch, others is completely anonymous.

Morgan: Low goal tally for club (of her own doing, and also bad luck hitting posts), but she is a lynchpin of the offense, and is getting stronger with her hold-up play. Deserving.

Rapinoe: Deserving. She makes things happen.

Ohai: A more direct wing option than Rapinoe or Heath, which I appreciate. Happy her hard work has paid off. But her spot could be taken by Pugh when she returns.

Rodriguez: Hasn't offered a ton of offense for Utah. To be fair a ton of pressure was placed on her because Harvey didn't sign any offensive help in the off-season, instead opting to rely on the anemic FCKC-holdover offense (and trading away Leroux and Groom). I'm super bummed for Arod because she looked amazing in the first 60 minutes of FCKC's 2017 opener, then the ACL hit. Hasn't been the same since.

Missing players I would call, in lieu of some of those above:

Bledsoe: Capable of amazing saves. Also guilty of some preventable mistakes, but it seems every keeper has suffered brain lapses this year, she is not an outlier in that respect.

Menges: The one argument Ellis could make is Menges missed the first half of the season. But that argument doesn't hold water because she hasn't given Menges any respect in the previous 4 years, when she was healthy and a star.

Colaprico: Had a subpar (by her standards) 2017 and a slow start to this year, but she's rallied and remains one of the league's best passers.

Weatherholt: She has a great engine and covers a ton of ground

L. Williams: The finishing inconsistency is well-established and frustrating (should have 16 goals by now, not 8). But her speed is undeniably dangerous and with dedicated practice, her runs and finishing could improve. Ellis also needs to play her correctly (i.e. central and not a wing).

Leroux: Keeping Orlando's offense alive at the moment. Her aerial ability and defensive prowess are valuable.

 

Back in April I didn't think Press or Hinkle would be called back up to the USWNT. Looks like I've been proven wrong again [and as usual].

 

This is exactly how I feel, but about Press. I believe Williams should be on the team over Press, if choosing between the two.

Regarding Ohai, I always felt like her fitness was a question mark professionally. Which is strange because she came from a college program where fitness is the rule. She has looked better this season, but I still feel she is one dimensional, Dunn, Pugh, Press and Leroux are all more well rounded.

As for including Hinkle, I may not agree with her personal views, but if the other players don't mind her being included in camp, then she is more than deserving to be there.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts FawcettFan14, I enjoyed reading your post.

 

jaelene-hinkle-called-up-uswnt-lgbtq-fans

Article on Hinkle which I find harsh. Mods, if you think this is too loaded please delete and accept my apology.

 

gonna be awkward.

people might be scrutinizing the exact nature of the celebration after she picks out a pass to pinoe for a score.

 

I agree. I think the article is harsh and there was no call for it. It does nothing to promote the game or the team

 

It's a good group...

Biggest oversight, IMO, is Bledsoe at keep position. She's been excellent all year--probably the best keeper in the NWSL--but there are a LOT of good keepers in this country. That's the problem.

Hinkle: She's not going to be welcomed by some in the team, I don't think. Could be a chemistry issue....

Sonnett: I think she's one of the most overrated players on the team. Can be solid but makes mistakes. Huerta is also overrated--offensive talents but mediocre (at best) work rate.

Ohai: Can run and is physical; if she is running with the ball and a defender is beside her, she, more often than not, will beat that defender. That said, I think both she and Pugh are too one-dimensional--I have not seen either of them do enough in terms of making good crosses and centering passes to forwards and onrushing midfielders.

Long: I never had much of an opinion of her, one way or the other, because I hadn't seen her play much. But I've watched a bunch of Seattle games this year and her holding/center midfield play has been very impressive. Reads the game beautifully; seems always to be well-positioned. It's a sold group of midfielders. I think Brian distributes the ball better than anybody, and Lavelle, when healthy, brings some attacking dynamism to a U.S. team that lacks just that in the midfield.

 

1) Death
2) Taxes
3) My attendance at USWNT matches in North America

 

Does anyone know which players have USWNT contracts?

 

In defense of Ohai part 14 ... there r styles of play that Ohai wouldn't fit well in but if ur going to play the way Ellis is currently playing I think she can fill a role. She gets the cross off against everybody. She can score with either foot equally well. She defends end line to end line. She makes people come out and defend her.

 

Agree about Bledsoe.