WNT v Trinidad & Tobago (OQ Semifinal), Feb. 19, 2016, pre/pbp/post

Calling it right now: Dunn will be the breakout star in Rio

 

What's your basis for ranking Heath's 1 goal vs Morgan's 3?

 

So, Dunn 6 Morgan 5 with one game to go.

 

Pugh is fast but she still needs to build up her strength and experience.

Grats on Morgan's hat trick!

 

Ha ha, admire the honesty.

You could have said "the first goal was important & opened the game up" and I probably would have forgiven the homerism.

 

- Like Pugh on left.
- Can live with Dunn and Press coming in off the bench. How much fun is that going to be for tired defenders?
- Thought Brian did about everything anyone expected and more. She just quietly kills the opposition

 

You are kidding that was only decent? LOL! It was unbelievable how Pugh managed to even save it from going over the end line, much less deliver a ball like that across the face of the goal. Her ability t0o quickly get her body turned so she could execute such a play was incredible. Every time I watch her I get more amazed at what she can do with the ball. For a 17 year old, very seldom does she get the ball taken away from her like so many of the other players on the team do. She is really, really good in tight situations with the ball at her feet. I would be surprised if she is not on the 18 man roster for the Olympics. They will need her unique ball handling skills against the better teams.

 

Pugh and Horan haven't been tested on defense. We have been playing awful teams. This is aspect I want to see. Hell, Kling was playing forward several times tonight.

 

And endurance according to Markgraf, who thought Pugh looked gassed near the end of her time on the field.

 

Some player stats from tonight's match.

Morgan Brian -- PASSES ACCURACY 95% -- 53 CORRECTS - 3 INCORRECTS
Julie Johnston -- PASSES ACCURACY 95% -- 41 CORRECTS - 2 INCORRECTS
Saman. Mewis -- PASSES ACCURACY 93% -- 14 CORRECTS 1 INCORRECTS
Lindsy Horan -- PASSES ACCURACY 90% -- 27 CORRECTS - 3 INCORRECTS
Meghan Kling -- PASSES ACCURACY 80% -- 35 CORRECTS - 9 INCORRECTS
Tobin Heath -- PASSES ACCURACY 75% -- 24 CORRECTS - 8 INCORRECTS
Kelly O’Hara -- PASSES ACCURACY 71% -- 20 CORRECTS - 8 INCORRECTS
Mallory Pugh -- PASSES ACCURACY 61% -- 14 CORRECTS - 9 INCORRECTS
Carli Lloyd C -- PASSES ACCURACY 54% -- 13 CORRECTS - 11 INCORRECTS

Johnston can pass and she's fast. Question is this, can Sonnett step up into a starting roll? Then you'd need to bring in Engen or Rampone as backup CB.

 

T&T coach Richard Hood laments the "poor football, poor organization, poor facilities" of his country's domestic league

 

Raquel Rodriquez scored again for Costa Rica vs Canada. She's on fire. The Thorns are gonna be kicking themselves in the future for trading the #2 pick in the draft and allowing Sky Blue to pick her up.
She is tied thus far in the tournament for the highest goal average at 1.5 and has 6 goals. Too bad her supporting cast is limited, only Shirley Cruz and the goalkeeper Diaz are at the same level or better.

 

I keep hearing that argument, but I was not at all that impressed with some of the regulars against such inferior talent, either, too many errant passes. Too many balls kicked to hard that simply go out of bounds. Not sure they will do any better against the better teams. Those end line retrievals by Pugh with the ability to make the cross were outstanding, I don't care who you play.

 

I don't really rate the performance of wingers by goals scored, but it's definitely a moment to celebrate, especially since her run was something I'd like to see more often from far side wingers... as opposed to running for a post or staying way wide.

Want to echo how difficult it is to drive full speed to the endline, strike the ball with power, & still have the technical witheral to wrap your foot around the ball to pull the cross away from goal as far as Pugh did on the goal & on several other occasions tonight.

There are somethings that Pugh still has yet to show me (like physicality), but that is a quality that is valuable to no end. Pugh broke down the T&T defense way more than anybody else tonight.

 

I agree...every time I see her she shows me a little more when most players tend to show less on repeat viewings.

 

I totally agree. Everybody is so full of this team after beating inferior competition. It doesnt really probe anything. There is still something wrong with this team. Im not sure we have all the right players on the field to create the best team possible but I am sure that Jill Ellis thinks we do. Then there's Jill Ellis's coaching decisions

Take last night for example. Why were we playing an empty bucket against a team that had a hard time getting over mid field? This creates a lone forward that even though had 3 goals, is not great in a 1/2 field game. We should have had many more shots with all the possession we had. I will say we tried to work it in and it was crowded but I just am not convinced this is the best 11 going forward or that Ellis is good enough to make necessary adjustments. She gets too locked into certain players to even consider alternatives

We'll see how we look against Canada. This will be a much better test on where we are at for the Olympics

On Pugh - best young player I've seen in many, many years. I thought she was maybe the best player on the field for us last night. To describe her in one word....smooth. Few mistakes, good passer, just a great player. Ellis is correct in starting her and should from this point forward.

Ellis also needs to make better use of Press and Dunn. Both are too good to ride the bench but I dont think she's using them well. Maybe they need to be in a rotation with Morgan for that center spot?

 

Midfield? As in still too many errant passes under little or no pressure. I wonder if that might not get better as we play better competition where we begin a little deeper in our own end ,and are not asking them to be playmakers but to simply advance the ball to the attackers? Maybe too hopeful?

I think Pugh picked up a ding early. I am not sure she is a 90 min player at this point. I suspect the physicality might get to be a bit much over the full ninety.

That being said, she is still such an exciting talent that I would start her and run her as long as she could go. She can do things with the the ball and her speed that are truly special.

Dunn has to have a roster spot.

I am tired of these types of games and am ready to see them against some real competition. I did have the thought while watching the game that Jill might actually be developing some tactical options with some of her choices in these games. I may be giving her too much credit, but I am trying to like her since she is going to be around at least until we lose something.

 

Do ya think ol' Jack Warner has a few shekels he toss the ladies' way? Maybe he can bankroll a W Connection rec league where the T&T ladies can play.

 

I think what everyone is excited about can be summed up in Pugh. It's hard to take much else from the match. T&T gave away more space than Mexico did so it's hard to compare the two defenses. I also believe the defense is suspect and we could see it exposed a bit in the next four matches. Then we'll have a bettr idea if Horan and Pugh can play both ways.

 

I think he is under the mistaken impression that the phrase "spring chicken" is about nimbleness, "springing," rather than the season, "Spring." And "nimble" is never going to be the first adjective applied to Horan in any season.

Just as people no longer have any collective memory of how a horse is steered, and so "free reign" is spreading like athlete's foot, so we no longer very many of us raise chickens and so we never see a "spring chicken" to understand the image by.