Quality of Women's World Cup Teams, not many teams are very good are they?

Discussion in 'USA Women: News and Analysis' started by Nick79, Jun 12, 2019.

  1. Nick79

    Nick79 Member

    May 4, 2015
    Club:
    Olympiakos Piraeus
    The thing to me that is disturbing is the whole women's game. There may be 3-4 teams that can compete with the USA and the rest are like the crappiest rec team trying to not lose to the developmental academy by less than 8, to me this makes me think the USAWNT should NOT be paid more, they are not the best in the world for any reason other than the USA pushes "girl power" and women's sports, while the vast majority of countries are still thinking the women should be in the kitchen or raising kids, so they don't do anything much to develop women's teams. My daughter plays at a community college and Thailand looked so bad I feel like she could of helped them. It's like if the NFL All Pro team went to an American Football World Cup and played countries that had no youth, college or high school teams, and their national team was a bunch of guys that met at the park on weekends.
     
  2. bigredfutbol

    bigredfutbol Moderator
    Staff Member

    Sep 5, 2000
    Woodbridge, VA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    This is only the second WWC with 24 teams. And there have been some glaring mismatches in the first round.
     
  3. Nick79

    Nick79 Member

    May 4, 2015
    Club:
    Olympiakos Piraeus
    #3 Nick79, Jun 12, 2019
    Last edited: Jun 12, 2019
    My point exactly, there probably aren't enough quality women's teams to have more than 8-12 teams if you want all or most of the games to be competitive.

    My niece lives in Greece, she visited here in the USA, and happened to watch my daughter, her cousin, play for her high school team, in a stadium, with people watching, she was jealous, she wished a girls team existed for her to join. Is she in some mountain village? No, she's in Athens, Greece, a major European city. I'm sure most countries are like that, and that's why the USA and a few others who provide girls teams to play on are the only really good teams.
     
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  4. Cliveworshipper

    Cliveworshipper Member+

    Dec 3, 2006

    That would be an argument if the men had ever won a cup, which despite having more than three times the opportunity, they haven’t. They have many times been the rec team that didn’t qualify. The women have never yet not been top 3.

    And there have been only eight countries who have ever won a men’s title, which again, concidering the number of cups hosted, isn’t any more diverse a pool of winners
     
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  5. Nick79

    Nick79 Member

    May 4, 2015
    Club:
    Olympiakos Piraeus
    But every country has boys soccer, women's soccer is more like American Football, the USA has way more development of WOMEN'S soccer than anyone else-not even close. The USA dominates the women's game, like as if the NFL ALL PRO TEAM went to an American Football World Cup and that team played a group of guys from Thailand who where called the National Team, but just met at a park and played on Sundays.
     
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  6. stubifier

    stubifier Member

    Real Salt Lake
    United States
    Jan 19, 2018
    I agree that the bad teams in this World Cup are really awful, but there are more than 3-4 teams that are capable of hanging with the US. There are about 7-8 genuine contenders (USA, France, Germany, England, Australia, Netherlands, Canada, maybe Japan or Brazil), and another 6-8 decent teams who can spring an upset against the upper tier (Spain, Scotland, Sweden, Norway, Italy, New Zealand). A 16-team tourney would thus make more sense, but what's a World Cup without a handful of no-hope sides trying to eke out a draw?

    I hasten to add that the Thailand game last night was indeed beyond the pale. They simply don't have any development in the women's game, as you say. That last AFC slot should have gone to another European team.
     
  7. bigredfutbol

    bigredfutbol Moderator
    Staff Member

    Sep 5, 2000
    Woodbridge, VA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Co-signed.
     
  8. Cliveworshipper

    Cliveworshipper Member+

    Dec 3, 2006

    The idea we had a great advantage early is largely myth.
    Look. It’s not the USA’s fault that Germany, England, and Brasil actually outlawed women’s soccer for a time. But the USA had its first real women’s league in the 1950’s (Craig’s girls soccer league- look it up) the Europeans had leagues in the 20’s and 30’s before the rise of fascism.
    And we were pretty awful in the 1980’s. The Europeans were way ahead of us then. Im not sure we ever won a match, much less a tournament. We actually had to play catch-up. Carolina Morace was Italy’s Star back then in the women’s serie A playing for Lazio. Who was the USA star in the USA in 1984?

    The USA team was formed in 1983, but didn’t manage an international match for another 2 years. Our first international match was a 1-0 loss to Italy and Morace in 1985. Hamm And Akers were both on that team.


    Just about the only school that was giving out scholarships was UNC and one or two others, even 10 years after title IX. When WCC schools were going to the final 4 in the 90’s, they were doing it with 6 scholarships per league rule. The pac10 had 8.
    Even schools like USC, Call, and other PAC 12 schools were underfunded. CAL wasn’t fully funded until the new millennium.
     
  9. FanOfFutbol

    FanOfFutbol Member+

    The Mickey Mouse Club or The breakfast Club
    May 4, 2002
    Limbo
    Nat'l Team:
    --other--
    In any given World Cup, men's or women's, there are maybe four or five teams going in that have a realistic chance of winning the whole thing and there are four or fife more that, with a few breaks or a real top notch performance by a player or two could end up in the final four. All the rest of the teams are just cannon fodder that are really there just to fill out the field and for the purpose of making money. This WWC is no different.

    The only difference is that, in this case two to four of the cannon fodder teams are truly bad. This has happened in several men's WCs in the past. It is not really unusual at all.

    The only problem is that in this WWC the schedule conspired to match some of the weakest against some of the strongest and made those strong teams (particularly the USA) hungry by making them wait and wait for their first match.

    That is really all that is different between the WC and the WWC as far as quality of teams.

    The women's game still lags a bit in that there are fewer teams that can fill that cannon fodder roll hence why they only have and only will have for the next few cups a field of twenty-four. Instead of the thirty-two on the men's side.

    BTW: If you really want to see a disparity of strength just wait until the men expand their field. Matches with margins of seven or greater could be quite common. Also the red card count may well jump.
     
  10. ceezmad

    ceezmad Member+

    Mar 4, 2010
    Chicago
    Club:
    Chicago Red Stars
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I have to say, I have commented before that I want them to go to 32 in the next WC.

    The past results tell me to shut the fvck up.
     
  11. Suyuntuy

    Suyuntuy Member+

    Jul 16, 2007
    Vancouver, Canada
    #11 Suyuntuy, Jun 12, 2019
    Last edited: Jun 12, 2019
    The raison d'être of FIFA has been from the first day to expand the game all over the globe, not to emphasize quality.

    The imbalances are, hopefully, a needed step into expanding the game to non-traditional areas. As people see their women's team getting humiliated, some pressure is created to improve the women's sport in their country.

    It's the same with the FIBA and the FIVB, the other two team sports aiming for total global coverage.
     
  12. OfficeSpace

    OfficeSpace Red Card

    United States
    Jun 8, 2019
    The 100th ranked men's team is competent.

    Thailand was ranked 34th by FIFA.

    The end.
     
  13. Cliveworshipper

    Cliveworshipper Member+

    Dec 3, 2006
    #13 Cliveworshipper, Jun 12, 2019
    Last edited: Jun 12, 2019

    On the SAME DAY as the women beat Thailand, #13 Germany roughed up #96 ranked Estonia 8-0. They are 330 point apart in the ranking table.

    So a top 100 men’s team got slaughtered by a team that’s not even top 10, not the best in the World.
    And the men’s ranking includes 221 teams, so being 100 isn’t even halfway down the ranking.

    And the USA men are only ranked 24.
     
  14. lil_one

    lil_one Member+

    Nov 26, 2013
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Its already been said, but if AFC had actually had a balanced qualifying tournament, North Korea would be here instead of Thailand. So I'm blaming the AFC.
     
  15. lil_one

    lil_one Member+

    Nov 26, 2013
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I'm not arguing that Thailand is good, but I do think the result was a bit of an anomaly. Thailand held Australia to a draw last year.
     
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  16. JanBalk

    JanBalk Member+

    Jun 9, 2004
    Yes, there are about 20 teams that would do at least ok, but then the quality starts to drop of rather fast, and half of them is in UEFA.
     
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  17. OfficeSpace

    OfficeSpace Red Card

    United States
    Jun 8, 2019
    This is super easy.

    8-0 is not 13-0.

    And it's a relative anomaly in the men's game.
     
  18. Lloyd Heilbrunn

    Lloyd Heilbrunn Member+

    Feb 11, 2002
    Jupiter, Fl.
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Just wait till the men's World Cup has 48 teams in 2026.

    We might as well just save the OP for then...
     
  19. MRAD12

    MRAD12 Member+

    Jun 10, 2004
    Chicago
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    So what's the point of this thread? To put down the women's game?

    I'm a male who has played this game most of his life including college and I love the women's game. It may not be as fast or as physical, but I don't care about that. I enjoy this beautiful game in all it's forms. The women's game in many instances can be more cleaner, even better skilled. You don't see the women rolling around ten times trying to get a PK out of the ref, chasing the ref down field with obscenities, women get fouled and get right up, etc.

    I live in Chicago and actually enjoy watching Red Stars games more than Fire games.

    The women's game is still growing in many parts of the world.
    I remember in the 70's in the men's game when African nations like Cameroon would get beaten by European teams 7-0. Not anymore. The same thing will happen in the women's game as more girls are exposed to the game around the world.

    Yes, right now there will be a few lopsided scores in then Women's World Cup, but it won't be forever.

    So what's the point of bringing up disparity between the USWNT and Thailand?
    African nations in the men's game were in the same boat in 70's but now are much stronger.

    Enjoy the beautiful game in all it's forms. Enjoy the Women's World Cup.
     
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  20. Cliveworshipper

    Cliveworshipper Member+

    Dec 3, 2006

    I notice you cropped out where Germany isn’t the best team around.
     
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  21. McSkillz

    McSkillz Member+

    ANGEL CITY FC, UCLA BRUINS
    United States
    Nov 22, 2014
    Los Angeles
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I disagree with you on many things but you sir, I agree with you on this. Thank you for the post and I'm glad I can finally agree with you on something, politics aside of course....
     
  22. Nick79

    Nick79 Member

    May 4, 2015
    Club:
    Olympiakos Piraeus
    Nobody is putting down "the women's game" Just stating FACTS, that it's not really so "amazing" that the USA Women's team is so dominant. They are that way because 99% of the other countries still think women should stay in the kitchen and they don't provide soccer development for girls. I PERSONALLY DON'T HOLD THAT VIEW, SO DON'T ATTACK ME just because I am telling the truth that the USA is way ahead in women's soccer just because teams and development for girls simply EXISTS and in most places it doesn't =TRUTH!
     
  23. MRAD12

    MRAD12 Member+

    Jun 10, 2004
    Chicago
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    No problem, not attacking, but those of us who have followed women's soccer in this country and world for last 25 years know that already. As we know, the culture(s) in other parts of the world is different from ours when it comes to women and sports. There are still "neanderthals" out there who believe that girls should be just taught how to cook, raise kids and be servants to their husbands. Soccer is for boys. Or...if women do play sports, make sure they wear short skirts, etc. That's how IMO, behind some societies or individual thinking are/is when it comes to women and sports.

    How fast "developing" countries will give focus to the women playing soccer, we don't know. Many "western" countries are on board.

    From what I've read women's soccer is the biggest growing sport in the US and because it is mainly a suburban sport for girls in this country, it is well funded.
    Because of Title 9, most colleges have soccer programs for women and offer scholarships. This is not the case in most countries around the world.

    USWNT players under contract make good money. Maybe not as much as men playing pro in Europe for instance , but still GOOD money. Heck I'll take $200,000, $300,000 Salary a year playing a game I love and Morgan probably makes in the Millions due to endorsements. Something other women playing soccer around the world can only dream about.

    I do feel there will be less and less 13-0 scores in the future.
     
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  24. Nick79

    Nick79 Member

    May 4, 2015
    Club:
    Olympiakos Piraeus
    #24 Nick79, Jun 14, 2019
    Last edited: Jun 14, 2019
    It's not just "developing" countries, it's western countries as well. My niece lives in Athens Greece. She's 14 years old now. A couple years ago she visited here in the USA. She attended one of my daughter's high school soccer games. She was so jealous, she said she wanted to play soccer but there where no girls team at all where she lived, and she said, she could try to play on boys teams. as some girls did, but preferred not to, which I can understand, she's tiny, but watching her kick the ball around, she seemed to have better skill than her brother who played on a boys team. her dad said "well of course, soccer is for boys, that's why they don't have girls teams" lol. But think about this? She wasn't in a mountain village in Afghanistan or Sri Lanka, she lives in Athens, Greece, a major European city! So if Greece has no teams for girls, where do they get players for their women's national team and how can they possibly be any good if they didn't play as kids?
     
  25. Cliveworshipper

    Cliveworshipper Member+

    Dec 3, 2006
    #25 Cliveworshipper, Jun 14, 2019
    Last edited: Jun 14, 2019

    Apparently your niece doesn’t know how to google.

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_A_Division_(women's_football)

    There are four professional teams in Athens. One of them will steer your niece to their youth program.
     
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