I honestly don't remember much of her play, only a little in passing when FSU came to town. I do hope your right.
I know Boxx was tired, I am definetely not knocking Boxx. She is a rock and it sucks she probably won't be around 2015. I was making the observation that, despite Boxx's ineffectiveness in her role as DM, our defense as a whole did really, really, well. It was making me question if we even need a replacement for Boxx, even if Edwards was the greatest of all time.
I'm not sure if winning despite someone having a bad match is a reason to overlook well suited players who can play the position. Just because we can get away with something occasionally doesn't mean this should be the default strategy. The DM isn't only about defense and we can't expect the back line to shoulder the burden and account for the midfield's lack of possession in matches against good teams. This is not a recipe for consistent success.
One of the left wingers that has got to be given a shot at some point is Kendall Johnson. I know I may be biased, but she is a very skilled and speedy player who can play either defense or midfield and is great in an overlapping system. And, she has a tremendous work rate. And, she's strong. You put Johnson and O'Hara together on the same side of the field and they would wreak overlap havoc.
Johnson is in the perfect place to be noticed by Sermanni, assuming they do move O'Hara forward. Not only is she playing with Rampone, who provides a trusted opinion but u have to figure Cutshall is scheduled for a good look. Add to that TS fav Caitlin Foord on other corner and u have an excellent person to compare Johnson to.
Maya Hayes could be converted into a winger. She's certainly fast enough. Crystal Dunn could obviously fill in there if we have Krieger and O'Hara locked down at fullback.
Im surprised Sermanni didnt use Dunn at wing as it would help him cover two spots with one player. Im not sure what to think of Hayes. She's gonna need a big year to grab my attention. Despite all he talent she always strikes me as soft.
Doesn't anybody else think playing something like a 4:3:3 would be effective against the Sweden's & Germany's of the world? Would it be worth the defensive shape gamble in order to have Press centering Leroux and Morgan up top? HAO and Rapinoe have proven to be reliable defensively on the "back check", to quote a hockey term.
I see Ohai on the WNT before I see Hayes. Still at this point in time he's better having his reserve players like Dunn cover two spots than having reserves for each spot. With Ohai the question would be where does she with someone like Bywaters?
The only reason I didn't was because you mentioned her. I think she'll definitely be in the mix too for some depth out wide.
I would love to see these players in a 4-3-3 as a soccer fan. Would it be smart? I don't know. That's why they pay the coach.
If u caught the last 15 minutes of the Germany game, u saw a little bit of that. They brought Wambach in for Press but Wambach went to a center forward position and Leroux remained high on the right side. They also brought Sauer and Mewis in around the same time giving them a Mewis-Sauerbrunn-Boxx triangle in the middle. At least that was the shape I think they were going for.
The only thing I would be concerned about is pushing Morgan out wide. Sure she's fast but she does her damage in the middle. Perhaps playing Alex/Press (or Abby) up top with Leroux on the wing might be better.
What did they finish with, Krieger, Saur, Engen, Beuhler, Dunn, Boxx, Mewis, Morgan, Wambach, Leroux? A 5 2 3 almost.
When we talk about Press & Morgan up top together, do we really have to talk about who is wide & who is central? To be honest I think Morgan's speed and assist ability out wide combo's better with Press's first touch and finishing ability. Better than the other way around at least. Morgan's biggest weakness (both in my evaluation and her own admission) has been her first touches. But Apples & Oranges, really, they blow other teams away no matter what you do with them.
If they went 4-3-3 the two outside forwards would have to defend the sidelines to make up for being two down in the midfield against most teams. I dont think the forward runs change very much so Morgan would still be on the left post (mostly). Generally u see a center forward is more of a target forward at the top pf the box which Wambach should be good at. The real problem is it completely changes ur midfield. Without true wing plays, Rapinoe and Heath would end up in inside positions. HAO would likely be a reserve forward.
Yes, other than three in the front it was hard to see the shape they were going for in the middle. My guess is Boxx moved up to the point with Mewis in the left slot and Sauer in the holding mid position.
It's a spot I actually like Sauerbrunn in because she is calm on the ball and an accurate short passer. I also like having people behind her
Virtually all of Morgan's assists last year were in the box. I don't believe many if any came from crosses. She's good at passes in tight spaces. When she's out on the flanks and marginalized to the corners she is taken out of the match (and that's happened a few times). Alex's first touch is good if she's not on the run. Her finishing isn't a problem if she's open. And Press tends to be streaky with her finishing skills. She had a tendency to sky balls at times in Sweden. I feel both Alex and Christen are wasted on the wings. But I think it's possible that Syd could be useful there with her speed and hustle.
Press made an interesting comment in her blog. Here's an excerpt. I think she likes life as a forward.
Most of them do. I think she's good enough to be serviceable there especially against weaker teams where the team pushes up with more numbers. Against stronger teams I like Press as a forward. I would like to see her tandem with Alex up top at some point.
Yeah this is the National team. Rampone and Solo were forwards once, too. The question is what she can contribute to the team that she is asked to do.
She can contribute 20-30 goals as a forward in a calendar year. It's obvious after the Germany game, that top mid-fields can turn her to oblivion. Try Morgan and Sydney that deep, and it's probably even worst. Sermanni would try her out in the MF, because she seems the most fixable of the three, the best one suitable to play two positions. I do like someone's idea of moving Sydney, just based on her hustle, but she probably worst than moving A-Rod to mid-field. Quite the dilemma, Sermanni has on his hands over the next 2 years. It should be fun to watch. Double teamed and lost in space! So, is it a 4-3-3. They need their best mid-fielders on the field, not one of Sermanni's test groups with a slow Aver and a tired Boxx, which made it EASY for Germany to lock her down and keep her away from the Box. Yeah, the 4-3-3 forces Morgan to cover, but it also gives her and Sydney those sprints in a counter. In the end I don't think Sermanni missed what Germany did, and I'm sure we'll see a change or two in the next Germany friendly. Nothing is accomplished now against a weak side. He needs to know what works against the top 6-7 in the world, and how he can get that much offensive punch on the pitch with all three functioning actively in the game. But again, if one occupies a defense on a certain day, then the other two will cause havoc, as Germany found out. It's still a win situation, but the ODD girl out has to live with the BAD GAME of the DAY.
I'm sure within the course of 65 - 90 minutes they can find a way to alterenate. Players arn't assigned distraction duties so the other two can thrive.