The biggest issue I've had when watching games has been the quality (or lack thereof) of the goalkeeping. It seems to me like Hope Solo is the only competent keeper in the world.
They could also give the men a lesson in "being more talented than their opposition" I hate shit like this. Why do you have to denigrate the men's team in order to compliment the women. Grow the hell up. The mens team has plenty of these characteristics - it is not nearly as talented relative to its opposition, however. You think our men didn't show any toughness, effort, or determination in the last world cup?
I've enjoyed this WWC quite a bit. I'm not as invested as I am with the men's game, but I've enjoyed pretty much all of the matches I've seen and have been very impressed with some of the play. I've always respected the women's game in an abstract sort of way, but I don't know that I had really appreciated it. What I think has made the biggest difference with me over previous WWC cycles is that I am now in a co-ed league and play with/against women several times a week. Unlike a lot of people I came to soccer as an adult (oh study abroad, you're so predictable) and was a fan several years before I started playing. Learning to play made watching other people play that much more exciting. Playing with women has similarly made watching women a much more rewarding experience.
I played in a league that had 3 girls cause a team couldn't fill out their roster. The girls were so annoying. They yelled for the ball, then when they received it would try some ridiculous cross field pass leading to a turnover, not to dissimilar from the WWC.
If the women lose the WC Final, I'll be a bit disappointed. If the men lost a WC Final, I'd break down. However, I've enjoyed watching the women play. They've showed a lot of heart and determination.
I'm having a lot of fun watching this WWC... To me, '99 was more about the social nuances than it was about the soccer, and being at the Linc in '03 for USA-Nigeria still feels like I was at an outdoor N'Sync concert amongst all the PTHers*, but the Germans have put on a great show this time...it sounds like a World Cup crowd...if feels like a World Cup to me...the players just happen to be women. Listening to Ian Darke helps a bit, I must admit. *PTH = Pony-tailed Hooligans, for the uninitiated...
Wow. You are really emotional about the opinons of others. Relax dude, its just a public message board. To clarify, I do believe that these women display a spirit and a toughness that is lacking in the men. I am not talking about talent or results. These women leave their guts all out on the field. They show up for each game. I also never said that the men show NO toughness. I just believe the women show more relative to their gender. I do not believe that LD and Abby W. have the same spirit. Feel free to disagree. Maybe you have some growing up to do. COntrol your emotions. Control your language. Breathe. Its a sign of maturity.
No can do, don't have that ability. Me personally, I'm enthralled with the team, and have been since 1991 I remember I couldn't wait to wake up and read the updates on if we won our games in '91. Hooked ever since the first WWC.
I agree completely. Yes we all know in science men have increased upper body strength. If I ever need to convince some Starhawk-quoting derptastic Feminist, all I need to show is back to back reels of men's and women's goalkeeping. I like the women's game, but I will admit that goalkeeping in the women's game has a long ways to go. This probably has something to do with the impetus on goalkeepers in most countries-where the goalkeeper isn't the most physical player on the squad. Considering that most women's national teams have limited talent pools, it's painfully obvious that only the US is fielding anything top-flight between the sticks.
To all of you not paying attention, here is the cliffnotes of this WWC : The brazilians -- talented but head cases and badly coached and supported by their federation. The Germans -- skilled but failed to scout and overlooked a good opponent. The Swedes -- big brutes playing kickball still. The USA-- fit tireless, gutsy, but overall mediocre skill level that be dangerous only from the flanks. The Japanese --coach knows what he's doing. He has selected a skilled team that has brains and tries to play like Spain. One of the few women's teams in the world they tries to play like men. Even the Germans didn't play like a men's team. The brazilians only flopped like a men's team. Frankly disappointed in all the teams except the Japanese. It will be interesting to see if their soccer IQ and better skill/ movement off the ball can vanquish a more athletic American team with a considerable height advantage. Any neutral wanting the women's game to progress ( and not remain status quo) will want the Japanese to win in their possession style because it would send shock waves throughout the rest of the world
Agree almost complete. Having watch many of the games, in addition to Japan, France was a breath of fresh air. A France-Japan final would have been great. Now we get to see if the US can yet again bang the ball off Abby's head for am unimpressive victory.
And what's the problem with that? Isn't the point to score more goals, no matter how? Joga bonito doesn't matter if you can't score more than the other team. I'll always root for my country over having final with two countries I have no connections to.
Well, once we of the International Football* Cognoscenti at last force Fifa* to accept our proposals, that will all change. Here are some of the relevant proposals: Only diving headers and cheeky, unconventional headers may count as goals. All other headers into the net will result in a goal kick. Players who conventionally head in a cross (including a corner kick) will be issued a yellow card caution. No shot on goal of any kind may result in a goal unless is has been directly preceded by at least one of the following: 1) fifteen consecutive passes by the attacking team, 2) the same attacker beating at least two players off the dribble immediately before shooting, or 3) the attacker executing a ball skill of Degree Three or higher directly before shooting (e.g., a ball skill worthy of being featured on an Alarazboy highlight mix). Any player beating another player to the ball by being substantially taller or faster shall be issued a yellow card caution and play shall be restarted by a juggling exhibition by the beaten player. You're welcome in advance. *-- Note proper European usage.
What exactly do you consider to be impressive? We may not play like Spain, but it was Italy that won the 2006 World Cup by playing organized, opportunistic football (in an impressive fashion). I also think that the athleticism, fitness, and intangibles of this US team are impressive. Perhaps you should appreciate that there are many ways to play the game, and realize that the US is hardly playing bunker ball against superior opposition.
He would be anyway. I mean it's a nice thought, that results have any control over performance evaluation in the USSF, but in their backwards world its a little far fetched...
To me...that's unfortunate. I'd break down if they both lost (men or women). I don't think distinguishing whether a team is composed of men or women should be the determining factor in my support and emotion toward the team. But that's just me. To each their own, and it's perfectly fine to feel the way you feel about it.
Given such a big handicap, I'm glad they can overcome it to impress you! Have you heard that they can read and write too? It's amazing what women can do these days. I hear they may even get the right to vote someday... WTF does that mean, "relative to their gender?" As for the rest of your post, yep! We're entitled to our opinions. Donovan and Wambach have each carried their teams as far as they can by playing as hard as they can. The women have gone further because they're a much better team relative to the competition. Remember, they were ranked 1st in the world coming into this tournament. I get annoyed when people use the success of the women as an opportunity to take digs at the men. If that makes me immature, then hand me a damn baby bottle.
To be honest, I sort of fell off the map after the 1999 Women's World Cup when it came to women's soccer. It wasn't until a few years ago when I started to follow my university's women's soccer team (I go to the same college that Abby Wambach went to) and when I met a player on the Women's National team who also going to play in the WPS. Maybe now that there is a women's league somewhat accessible to me, I don't fall off the map between a WWC. Men's soccer is just easier to follow.
Don't worry, you're in the majority, it's just that there's a bit of press about it now. We are doing well and press is also easier to get and soccer is a little more popular, but definitely following the WNT is not *common*. On a women's soccer internet forum, however...
Riiiiight. Nike's talking up the pressure they're under. Try playing in the actual World Cup. You know the one. I think our guys did pretty well in the mental toughness, effort and determination department. It just so happens that on the talent, athletic, strategic and tactical front, a hundred some countries and millions of players have been going at it for a about a century in a cut throat effort to win the thing, to be the best. Soccer's not a new hobby for teams in the World Cup. BTW, who's the one country that for a couple decades has had millions of female players competing in a multi-jillion dollar, highly sophisticated and stratified and rewarding development system from toddler age to adulthood? There is no comparison between the challenges facing our national teams. I'm really enjoying the US women's success and its nice to see more countries get competitive at women's soccer, and I'm somehow nostalgic for World Cup '06. But calling it the World Cup is for me, almost an irritating fallacy right from the get-go. Probably because so few in my country really seem to appreciate the magnitude and relevance of men's soccer, they buy too fully into the ploy.