2015/06/02 Tue: (all times PDT) 15:00 Mexico - Brasil: dunno yet 18:00 USA - Japan 06' 0-1 Kobayashi squares from ~box right to Yuki Mutsutani at 14m mid-right, quick turn and left-foot shot curls around Casey Murphy's lunge, into left side netting high. 08' 0-1 Pugh sprints past 2 through box top center to 8m 6-left, left-foot shot over Matsumoto's fingertips, just high.
Live webstreams of all 6 matches at ussoccer.com! Also it's on YouTube. USA-Japan stream is here. Low-angle camera and a bit too much zoom ... but the 720p is good, jersey numbers are huge and dark , and this pbp guy is most excellent at rattling off everybody's names.
30' 0-1 Japan doing their usual short-passing and team movement. USA hoofed several longballs to nowhere, continue to try long ground passes to Pugh or Racioppi (or Pugh to Racioppi). 31' 0-1 USA pass to 6-top right, win a 5th corner. 31' 0-1 USA right ck, headed into traffic but no shot window. USA poke it out through box left, #4 Mikaela Harvey chases but trips #11 Mitsutani. 32' 0-1 Japan down box left, cross back to Mitsutani at arc left, high left roundhouse swing and whiff Pugh breakaway, tripped flat before circle back -- no call. Mitsutani shoots very long, sails high.
35' 0-1 USA 6th right ck, hangs up in the blustery wind and drops to 7m 6-right. #5 twist-header drops down to 5m 1/3 right, #12 right roundhouse glance tip down to right post low -- bounces/squirts past Matsumoto! Post defender boots it off the line, into far touch at the corner arc. 38' 0-2 #11 Mitsutani(?) right instep ground pass to #20 Kobayashi at arc top, right instep micro-deflection through the CBs into the run of #13 Yui Hasegawa from arc left to 14m, one-touch right instep under Murphy's right hand, into 1/5 left back low. 40' 0-2 Japan two more through-ball tries to 24m arc top, both just miss as USA is scrambling to match the changes in direction. USA's attack has attenuated to nil.
42' 0-2 USA 8th(!) left ck, Matsumoto slaps it to 2m mid-right. Pugh shin-blocks it, Japan hoof clear. 45' 0-2 USA attempt a high press, but too many players are lost in zones. Japan pinpoint-passes up centerline, weave through a disorganized box-top clump. Simple wide pass sends #20 Kobayashi alone down wide right to 5m box right, hard cross to 2m left post misses 3 chances. 45+1' 0-2 Japan left ck, cleared to box top center. Japan right roundhouse volley, just wide right low. HT 0-2. We look decent on the ball, Japan looks like Japan.
USA (Michelle French): best guesses 11 Taylor Racioppi, 9 Mallory Pugh, Marley Canales 13 Jordan Harr, 12 Emily Ogle, 5, 4 Mikaela Harvey 6 Sabrina Flores, 19 Kaleigh Riehl, 2 Natalie Jacobs Japan (Asako Takemoto Takakura): 19 Yuki Mitsutani, 13 Yui Hasegawa, 20 Kobayashi 16 Momiki, 10 Sumida, 11 Mitsutani 6 Kitigawa, 8 Ichise, 2 Norimatsu, 9 Miyagawa _ Momiko Matsumoto Brilliant system by JFA: Takemoto Takakura won WC17, so she and many of her players just stay together and all move up to W20. 46' 0-2 USA subs in: - (1 of 6) FW #_ Ashley Sanchez for MF #4 Mikaela Harvey - (2 of 6) MF #_ Megan Buckingham for MF #13 Jordan Harr.
48' 0-2 Japan turn at 24m wide left, cross to arc left bounces through the CBs toward the spot. #19 Shiraki pounces with a 1.5-step lead -- #2(?) Natalie Jacobs slide-hooks ball first from behind, Shiraki faceplants across the spot. Ref signals no call. 51' 0-2 #10 Sumida dribbles to arc top left, blasts right foot and forces Murphy to dive horizontal -- bends just wide left. Japan are not high-pressing: now they're just blanket-smothering the lanes and receivers, and punishing every turnover.
55' 0-2 Pugh intercepts at circle back left, #10 Sanchez runs a 3-v-3 up arc left lane. Tries a ground pass to Pugh, pinched shut. Sanchez overtakes and pokes ball loose, Buckingham dribbles to 24m arc right, tries right-outstep flick through the line to Pugh, pinched shut. 56' 0-3 Sumida wins at midfield, pass or run to 6-top right. Quick turn and one-touch chip over Murphy charging out, perfect lob dropping into back left low. Japan teaches the arc! 57' 0-3 USA marking is nowhere, Japan square touch to #19 Shiraki unmarked at arc top mid-left, hard right foot one-touch bends wide left.
60' 0-3 Japan subs in: - (1 of 6) #14? Risa Shimizu for #11 Yuki Mitsutani - (2 of 6) #15? Hina Sugita (WWC-17 golden ball?) for RB #9 Miyagawa - (3 of 6) #17 Kiko Siike for LF #19 Shiraki. 64' 0-3 Japan fk at 27m arc left, #16 Momiki bends it left foot over 6-top right, misses everybody. 64' 0-3 USA subs in: - (3 of 6) MF #16 Savannah DeMelo for LF #11 Taylor Racioppi - (4 of 6) MF #8 Parker Roberts for MF #12 Emily Ogle.
67' 0-3 USA win a lengthy short-passing duel on own right side ... but then hoof from midfield wide right to 25m centerline for Pugh 1-v-4, easily intercepted. All that work, and that is the payoff ... 67' 0-3 Sanchez turns down box right to 2m, hard cross sails just over somebody's head at 6-top left. 69' 0-3 Pugh runs 1-v-3 down box right to 2m, holds up, then rolls a cross to 6-top right with no clear targets, Japan clears.
Just a few observations/rhetorical questions in the 72nd minute: (1) the US squad has no system of play. They rely too much on moments of individual brilliance via direct long balls to the forwards. I would hate to see the soccerMeter stats for this match. This is not a good reflection on the US coaching staff and is eerily reminiscent of the U17 CONCACAF qualifying debacle of a few years ago. (2) How is it that Penn State has 3 marginal players starting in this match? My apologies to the individual players, but how does this happen??? (3) For all the "speed kills" types out there, this match illustrates how technical and tactical superiority matters more than mere athleticism.
72' 0-3 USA subs in (5 of 6) DF #22 Courtney Petersen for RM(?) #10 Marley Canales. 72' 0-3 Japan subs in (4 of 6) #5 Takamura for LB #6 Kitigawa. 80' 0-3 USA subs in (6 of 6) #7 Kelcie Hedge for #9 Mallory Pugh (left leg cramping). 84' 0-3 Japan mesmerizing ping at midfield. Kids are rolling down the far-side hill, not paying attention. 87' 0-3 Japan subs in (5 of 6) #12 Sonoda for #13 Yui Hasegawa.
89' 0-3 Japan square to 24m centerline, USA scramble and poke ball away -- goes rightward directly into the stride of #20 Kobayashi. She shoots from 18m mid-right, Murphy catches face-high at right post. 90' 0-3 USA two right throw-ins, Petersen hoofs a high ball to 25m centerline, drops in a semicircle of 5 Japan defenders. Japan swarm and clear it behind midfield. USA up the left, long ground ball rolls aimlessly to Matsumoto. We must be gassed, nobody is making a supporting run.
90+2' (of +1') 0-3 Japan do more midfield ping. They choose to hoof to arc top mid-left, received but we poke away the rebound. 90+3' (of +1') 0-3 Japan press lightly in our 1/3, we miss a pass into near touch just behind midfield. That's the gulf 90+3' (of +1') 0-3 Sanchez drives on 2 to 19m mid-right, shot blocked wide right, shielded over? FT 0-3. It looked like Top Gun instructors vs. a bunch of Neos before they fell once.
Against average countries the USA with their marginal players and their athleticism would dominate play. Thus the average viewer would think the USA is a great soccer team and well Coached. But as CoachJake questions "How does this Happen"? If you follow youth soccer, college soccer and even pro soccer on the womens side it's not hard to figure out. USA Womens soccer is in a free-fall compared to the other Top Countries. The US Womens National team may do well in the upcoming World Cup....... and they should but in all honesty they should be blowing teams away! What needs to be done is a change in leadership similar to the Mens side. A Jürgen Klinsmann type needs to takeover the reigns and clean house and bring in competent Coaches, Trainers, Scouts and Players! Take a look at the Japan vs US-20 game! The US was completely outplayed, outcoached, out-soccer IQ and OUT......... Lastly, if your getting beat or if you go into a International game representing your country or if your lucky enough to be picked to play for your country, don't you leave it ALL out on the field? Fitness WoW! My COED team puts in more effort than that! Find some better players who are fit, possess the ball, give a FULL EFFORT, appreciate the opportunity, will do anything for their country and with High soccer IQ! The USA Coaches always talk about technically and tactically better players. Actions speak louder than words. Japan just showed everyone what that means!
My take was a little bit different. As I saw it, after the 3d goal against in the 55th minute, the USA was mentally broken. The often-praised US will-to-win disappeared. Part of that problem may be that the roster is mostly high school players.
From my perspective, the game was lost very early on when French had Pugh and Harvey swap places. Harvey is a pretty good attacking center-mid, but not a good forward when the US launches long-balls into space. Pugh is a terrific forward, but not close to being adequate at center-mid. Of course, it was somewhat of a flashback to the last U20 WWC when French had Pugh play center-mid. French's coaching tombstone is going to read: "I'm the one who twice tried to turn Pugh into a center-mid."
Come on, really? That perspective is never taken on a coach. You're a veteran poster who can no way truly believe that statement. I guess you'll be supporting Jill Ellis after the WWC since she'll be on the sideline the entire time. French picked the team and French coached the team...0-2. She's simply not up to the task as we saw last year and we're seeing again; it's obvious to everyone except those with Portland ties and those named April Heinrichs. The makeup of the staffs of the WYNT program continue to be a travesty.
The Women's U-20 teams are demonstrating many of the same issues as I think we are going to see with the Women's team as they progress to higher levels of the World Cup over the next month. They simply do not have an identity. They can't figure out what style of play they are striving for and accordingly are having real difficulty identifying the players to fit their system. This shows up most acutely at the younger levels of our program, where the teams are a hodge podge of athletically and technically gifted wunderkids and get exposed badly by countries that are committed to a system and are identifying the athletes who fit best into their system and are teaching them how to play in that system much earlier. Hope I'm wrong, but the Women's team we saw play South Korea last weekend looked almost as lost as the U-20s did yesterday against Japan. Playing three interior-type midfielders in a flat four midfield is not a recipe for midfield success in my view. Playing a well past her prime superstar too many minutes at forward is not likely to be productive either. Totally agree, btw, with Hooked. Michelle French repeat after me: Harvey, attacking mid; Pugh, forward. Rinse and repeat.
Tok, I couldn't agree more in that there needs to be a shift in the entire wnt leadership. They are resting on past successes and not evolving. New leadership is needed to provide direction down to the youth level. Youth programs on the boys side is slowly evolving but the girls side hasn't changed. Too many top level ecnl teams still choose athleticism and size, don't teach tactics, and only employ dump and chase.
These US girlies don't look like hardened women athletes. They look like the soft, round, cherubic schoolgirls you see riding those silly cruiser bikes to class. It is a fascinating phenomenon but in our cultural rush to material well-being and homogenized conformity we have lost most of our hard-edged toughness, street smarts and outlier qualities .