Me being a fan: IF Rapinoe and Heath are healthy, USA will be tough to beat in the WC. And I’m lovin’ Rose more and more.
42' 1-0 Morgan leaves ball for Lavelle at arc top mid-left, but Lavelle gets overrun by retreating defenders, loses ball off her feet. 43' 1-0 Morgan dinks a pass into box mid-left, Japan ping it away -- right into Morgan's stride. She touches into box, then gets overrun and loses it. We're losing the ball in close traffic a bit frequently, but these games are to take risks and push our envelopes. 45' 1-0 Pugh receives just past midfield mid-right, promptly goes on a confident fast attack. Pugh slightly overhits a pass down wide right, Heath catches up to it, stands over ball and waits for support. Rapinoe comes over to 13m box right, they exchange touches. Heath scoops ball into box mid-right, Rapinoe is not quite expecting it, Japan hoofs clear. 45+0' 1-0 HT. We actually look like we have some decent ideas now -- pretty simple build-ups at high speed. We're still not great at individual ball wizardry.
Pugh seems to be doing OK but the midfield, as it needs to be played with this group, is quite different than she is used to. I can see how that could be the future for her play with the WNT for the future and she, I believe, is much faster than Mewis even though, right now, Mewis might be a bit better there. Remember that Pugh got the secondary assist on the lone US goal. I think that we are setting up for quite a lot of variance in both style and formation going into the WWC.
46' 1-0 USA subs in (1 of 6) #2 Emily Sonnett for RB #5 Kelley O'Hara. Dunn stays on the left. 47' 1-0 Pugh receives a hot potato at own arc top mid-right, pauses a half-beat she didn't have and gets caught. Ball bounces around our arc top, finally a clearance kick gets blocked over endline right. Need a bit more urgency at own arc top (but Pugh learns). 48' 1-0 USA cross from box right to Morgan momentarily alone at box top left post. Morgan clangs ball ~1 step in front of self, just enough of a gap for a defender to overtake from the right and slide-tackle ball away. Morgan looks a tad frustrated that all these half-chances are not becoming full chances. Japan are equally annoyed that they keep losing her.
I'm expecting Endo to come in soon for Japan. I think she will give real problems to the US defense the way it is currently being played. But I do not know what the Japanese coach has planed for Endo.
52' 1-0 Japan seem to be playing some high press, while USA's backline are willing to hold patiently and let the pressure come. Rapinoe rolls a long backpass into a 1-v-2 in our own box -- and Dahlkemper lets ball go and shields it (correctly, from Naeher's call?) Naeher rushes a clearance kick. Sonnett holds on the right, backpasses again. 54' 1-0 Japan sustain pressure at our arc top. Yokoyama snipes a pass from arc top mid-left to Kobayashi cutting down 6-left lane. Dahlkemper applies a sustained hip-press, Yokoyama fights for balance and can't ever unload feet to swing at ball, finally turns away. Backpass, 2nd entry pass rolls over endline left. A craftier striker could probably have milked that much contact into a PK. 57' 1-0 Rapinoe fk at 27m box left, inswings toward spot but breaks too soon, Japan heads away and clears.
Naher just showed one of her problems in goal: she was under pressure and the ball was lofted high and she allowed the ball to drop all the way to her chest for the catch. Keepers should catch high balls like that with their hands well above their heads. That way the ball cannot be legally headed before the keeper gets a touch.
59' 1-0 Japan subs in: - (1 of 6) #13 Mayu Ikejiri for #11 Rikako Kobayashi - (2 of 6) #12 Risako Oga for RB #6 Saori Ariyoshi. 62' 1-0 Heath stands over ball at 12m wide right, 1-v-1, all hold breath Heath does a left-outstep flick into box, doesn't follow in time -- but Lavelle arrives and challenges. Ball pops up high and drops at 3m 3-left, vicious spin fools the defender, 2nd ball pops up high and Lavelle lets it topspin over endline. 65' 1-0 Lavelle switches left to Rapinoe, stooping header flick to Dunn. Japan wins ball at own box top right, works up box right to midfield. Foul on USA, but Japan promptly lose it. Pugh hits a long ground pass down box left, Morgan pulls up (passive offside?), Heath chases it down. Not-great flick touch through box left, Shimizu(?) shields her off, Heath goes through Shimizu's back and falls upon her. Foul on Heath.
Japan scores off a horrid mistake at the back by the US. That is NOT the kind of defense than wins championships.
67' 1-1 Japan cross from 24m mid-left to Nakajima cutting through box top right. Nakajima tries a one-touch low shot through Dunn's legs, Davidson blocks at 9m right post -- but right back into Nakajima's stride at 12m 6-right. Nakajima steps to ball, perfect one-touch left instep bend around Naeher, into 1/4 left back. That's like a stuff-block in foosball.
I like seeing Christen make that type of impact with her first few touches in the match. I dig the new hairdo as well.
That was a weird sequence leading to the goal. I mean, Press completely stopped in the lead-up, after that clash at the edge of the box. Ref was like … umm, I aint calling a foul, so do something!
72' 1-1 Suddenly, Japan are buzzing all over USA's arc top. Ground pass from mid-left hits Ikejiri(?) at box top center, Dunn does well to recover and interpose. Nakajima receives at box right and drives down to 5m, pulls a hard ground cross through 2m that hits nobody, finally deflects off Sonnett's ankles and over endline left. 75' 1-1 USA finally get ball over midfield, lose it. Japan switch right to RB Shimizu way up. Japan work a classic give-and-give-and-go: long pass to 22m arc left as Ikejiri back-cuts up centerline, back-heel pass to 19m center in Ikejiri's stride, she swings one-touch left foot and pulls it wide left. 75' 1-1 USA subs in (3 of 6) #23 Christen Press for #11 Mallory Pugh.
At this point the US is LUCKY not to be down 3-1. Japan has shown a remarkable failure to finish and the US has punished them for that failure and has gone up 2-1 on a goal that was more the result of effort rather than skill. But that is OK.
76' 1-1 Press chases down box right, 1-v-1 on Oga, cuts inside to 5m mid-right -- and receives an inadvertent elbow/forearm to the nose? Oga goes down, Press stops and holds face -- no whistle, ball still live. Press retrieves ball, resumes working vs. Oga's defense. 76' 2-1 Press drives down box right to 7m, crosses chest-high to 6-top right post. Morgan wins race to ball, turns chest to proper angle and reflects ball just inside right post, behind Yamane's momentum. NUMBER 99! @alexmorgan13 moves one goal away from the 💯 club.pic.twitter.com/klF77StGAN— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) February 28, 2019 80' 2-1 Japan subs in (3 of 6) #15 Yuka Momiki for #20 Kumi Yokoyama. 82' 2-1 Japan subs in (4 of 6) #19 Jun Endo for #7 Emi Nakajima. 85' 2-1 USA subs in (4 of 6) #10 Carli Lloyd for #13 Alex Morgan.
Injured far side AR. She stood out to me earlier for her short, tight shorts. She pulled up running the line. Fourth is ready to go in.