WWC19 USA v ENGLAND Semifinal, pre/pbp/post

I see definite contact, and I also think the contact was slight and accidental. Sauerbrunn accidentally tripped her, i.e. she tripped her. Tripping is a foul, all the more so, I think, when it prevents the attacker from shooting the ball. It was a good call, imo. (but one I personally didn't see until rewatching it multiple times.)

Also I'll point out that those who argue that the "touch" on Lavelle in the Spain game was a foul and a PK, but that this one wasn't, are not being consistent, imo.

 

IMO that interpretation depends entirely on an optical illusion that their feet were close to each other. The reverse angle to this one sure seems to show a foot or more clearance between.

In fact the best evidence that I can see for a foul is that Becky didn't seem to offer any objection...

And incidentally, from this angle it does not appear that White is actually shooting-- it looks like she is trying to touch the ball to her left to shoot behind Naeher when she finishes going down. And it looks like she's already missed it before Becky's foot gets to its closest point to her.

So not exactly a sitter either?

 

To me the foul on Lavelle in the Spain game was a 50-50 call that could have just as easily and fairly not been made, but I believe that although it lacked an indisputable level of merit, it definitely had more substance than yesterday's call. In that instance there was significantly less doubt remaining, particularly after the VAR replays, that the players at least made contact and that the contact was what initiated the player's fall. Definitely some theatrics by the "fouled" player to sell the PK call in both cases.

 

Great thread - read the whole damn thing - feel like the guy in the TV commercial that stands up from his PC and declares "I've finished the Internet"!

Mostly agree with what has been said - reps to Lavelle, who had her best game I've seen her play. Ertz gets little mention, but she breaks up a lot of attacks. She's a rock. You can argue all you want about the PK and whether it was a good save or not but her save on the long range shot was terrific - I thought it was a bit audacious shot at first, but it was very well struck and heading for the top corner, but Naher got there.

England or rather Neville, I thought panicked a bit in the second half with their switch to the physical tactics, but it was how I thought they would play from the beginning - taking cues from the Spain game.

But coming on here and getting lectured by Englishmen on arrogance...that takes the cake.

Well done Ladies. On to the final.

 

The first half was a very fun entertaining game.

Then the 2nd half came where Neville clearly instructed his players to play dirty. Which is exactly why I don't watch much men's soccer. We saw time and again where the England players were grabbing jerseys (or shorts), physically holding players down before jumping for a header (and then complaining that they got hurt running into the player that they held), and other underhanded types of play.

This ref was terrible. I say that recognizing that she got some difficult calls right. And both uses of VAR seemed appropriate. But she completely lost control of the match. She got upset at Horan multiple times for instances where Horan was being fouled. This was a ref who supposedly reffed at the 1st division men's Brazil league. Well it looked like it, because she had no idea how to spot dirty (ie illegal) play. There was simulation all over the field 2nd half. If a player went to ground, this ref called it a foul. Morgan learned this and used it to close out the 2nd half multiple times.

As for Morgan's goal celebration, I feel that you gotta enjoy a little friendly banter.

All in all, it was a fun game!

 

Random thoughts:

1.) Really happy for Christen Press. She's had a positive attitude this entire year, and stepped up big when the chips were down. Very proud of her.

2.) I really really hate the Ellen White eye goggle celebration. It's not so much the gesture, but the fake surprise look on her face. I'll reiterate what someone else said in the Equalizer forum, when the US scored their second goal, they should've all surrounded her and did the eye goggle celebration. Yes I'm being petty, but I find that celebration really annoying and condescending.

3.) Agree that the initial no penalty ruling should not have been overturned. Both Becky and Ellen were occupying the same space, and it was Ellen that reached back and hit Becky's leg. The ball was basically behind her at the time and it was incidental contact initiated by Ellen reaching back with her leg. In any case, there wasn't that much evidence there to overturn the initial call.

4.) I actually liked the 10 minute time killing at the end. It really rattled England to the point where they took long distance shots that had zero chance of going in or having miscues on simple throw ins. They had this mentality that even though there were 8 minutes left, they had to do something drastic on each possession, since they may not get a chance to get the ball back. They probably saw how well the US applied this tactic against France.

5.) Timex should reach out to Morgan to do a "Takes a licking but keeps on ticking" commercial.

6.) I'm enjoying this WC a lot more than 2015. In 2015 the US team faced fairly easy opponents in the round of 16 and quarters (Colombia & China) and then a dead tired German team that just had a grueling match against France. At that point Carli Lloyd took over and put the rest of the team on her back. This time around I feel like it's more of a team effort against stronger opponents. Lots of love to go all around. Let's hope they win on Sunday. I'm predicting a shocking 2-1 US victory.

 

So, you have a history of posting things without looking at them closely and being completely wrong.

At least you are consistent. Though this one was the least obvious of those mentioned.

Or you could use some common sense. Becky not protesting should be one hint. White whiffing on a tap in another. Literally NO ONE ELSE thinking this was not a penalty should be a third. The entire Fox crew postgame all said PK.

I did not even realize every incident I mentioned had been you, I just thought they were the most obvious examples of the bias you were showing on this one. Hilarious that they are all you. That says something, don't you think?

 

Did want to say a word about Press, who was mostly fantastic.

Only blemish was failing to hit Morgan for the coup de grace that would have made it 3-1. It almost was really costly.

 

It was definitely not intentional since her head was down when she took the shot. She has passed the ball in similar situations in the past.

 

This is very true, but that doesn't make it something to brag about.

 

That’s kinda the point. I think Press is a really good player, but that’s one knock on her is she tends to keep her head down too long at times..

 

Agree. Kinda like US men’s basketball. The world is catching/caught up.

I think it’s ironic that not long ago the women’s team was having the issue of teams bunkering down on them and them trying to figure out a way to beat it... (Sweden in olympics)

Now look at how we’ve bunkered down the last couple of games.....

 

If it’s like 5 minutes left, of course do it...but I could have sworn, we went to that formation just shy of the 80 minute mark, and then there was 7 min added on.... but I could be wrong there...

 

That's quite a spin. All of the "incidents" as you call them were points of informed debate on this forum and not simply "the call was wrong because it was against America" bias. And my point was that although I do occasionally make a comment without having all of the evidence before me or allowing my perception to twist the reality of the situation ever so slightly, I'm always open to revisiting the issue, acknowledging my initial error, and changing my outlook [though it might not always be a 180 degree change] if presented with what I consider compelling evidence that conflicts with it. In this case such evidence simply doesn't exist, and the points you've made I see as circumstantial.

Becky may have very well known that all protesting would have accomplished would have been to risk turning that yellow card into a red for dissent if it rubbed the ref the wrong way. ("Hmmm...I'm going to reconsider my decision based on a player's protest", said no ref ever.) Players whiff on goal scoring opportunities all the time without any defensive interference, including the U.S. The Fox team has proven before that they aren't an unquestionable authority. And as my friend @FanOfFutbol has pointed out, the majority believing something doesn't make it an indisputable fact. Even if a general majority who agree with yesterday's PK call exists among viewers, it appears to be far from unanimous. "Literally NO ONE ELSE", really? For someone criticizing my vision, you've interestingly enough overlooked about a half dozen comments over the past few pages of this thread from other posters who dispute the PK call.

I've also been increasingly irritated by the haughty "I'm right and you're wrong; it's common sense" attitude that keeps cropping up in these threads. I've repeatedly caught myself and edited my own posts to make sure I properly frame my opinions as exactly those: opinions, and nothing more.

And look at me now. Thanks to you've I've become part of the traditional end-of-thread squabble I've been calling out in the last few threads. Fantastic.

 

Refereeing in soccer is a JOKE! That 2nd goal was a GOOD goal by England to tie the game 2-2 but referees act like GODS and want to change the result of the game!

The offsides rule in soccer is a JOKE to begin with! At least in Ice hockey there is a clear LINE on the ice so you can CLEARLY tell if it's offsides. In soccer the refs can basically just make it up as they see fit so it makes a MOCKERY of the game!

England should've taken that game into IT at 2-2 if the refs were FAIR!!

 

Lol are you sure you aren’t WorldCupfanEngland?

They had the chance to take make it 2-2 and they blew the PK...what more do you want?

 

was wondering how a Great Britan team would of done? The two changes would of been at center-mid, so instead of Rachel Daly & Jill Scott, it would of been Kim Little & Jess Fishlock. plus one of the CB could of been Rachel Corsie(played for a while with Seattle)

 

Also Erin Cuthbert I think should be on the squad. I thought she was Scotland's best player over the course of their three matches.

 

I agree on Ertz; she's one of my fav players, so I try not to post too much about her because I know I'm biased. But she is absolutely critical. A lot of what she does on the field goes without mention, but the team would not be in the final without her, imo.

 

Welcome to Big Soccer -- as a new member do you need someone to show you where the Referee Forum is? Spend some time there and I think you'll find out just how much your input is valued.

And on what we could all be calling the 'ball don't lie' call please read the player's own words that are now published post match on what happened and why, apparently she knew what she did and felt it was a sure goal if she didn't intervene -- so the ball DID lie but the shot was shite.

 

In the same way the US never "brags" about putting a man on the moon?

 

I felt the same when the 3rd US goal against France and Cameroon's goal against England were called back. Blame the existing rule, not the referee in this scenario.