Tokyo Olympics: USWNT vs Sweden, July 21, pre/pbp/post

Discussion in 'USA Women: News and Analysis' started by lil_one, Jul 17, 2021.

  1. kolabear

    kolabear Member+

    Nov 10, 2006
    los angeles
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    There's just no high press from the US. Then there's hardly any pressure on Sweden when they have the ball in the midfield; very little backtracking from US forwards.
    It's only the first game so it's not the end of the world, but this is what can happen when you're conserving energy and trying to "manage the minutes" of your "stars" There's another team on the field that has 11 fit players with other plans.
     
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  2. JanBalk

    JanBalk Member+

    Jun 9, 2004
    And apparently Nilla Fischer declined due to family reasons.
     
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  3. Semblance17

    Semblance17 Member+

    United States
    Apr 27, 2013
    Lighthouse Point, FL
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    #253 Semblance17, Jul 21, 2021
    Last edited: Jul 21, 2021
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    [​IMG]

    I was half-asleep for most of the time the game was being played, probably deliberating in my mind whether I should drive over to a house with cable to watch it [as with the last Olympics game against Sweden I ultimately do not regret not moving heaven and Earth to watch].

    Oddly enough during that time I had a semi-lucid dream in which I kept checking the score this morning and finding the USWNT losing/lost 4-0...albeit to Great Britain for some reason.

    Lo and behold, the score I checked on the way out the door of my apartment this morning wasn't too different.

    That must have been a disturbance in the Force I had been feeling during the game. I wish I could wake up from this one.
     
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  4. Klingo3034

    Klingo3034 Member+

    Dallas FC
    United States
    Oct 11, 2019
    I remember one poster earlier talked about the need to be keep on pressing instead of slowing down the game and just passing around too much.
     
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  5. MRAD12

    MRAD12 Member+

    Jun 10, 2004
    Chicago
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Yes I can blame the players and Will! I have religiously followed this team for over 27 years going to many games all over the country and I'm tired of looking at some of these some-ole used up players. Vlatko knows what he is doing but IMO was probably forced to chose some of them due to cult of personality, gate draw for after Olympic tours, or just worry that the old guard will try to get him fired like they have other coaches when their their cushy good paying jobs are endangered. Time to turn this team over after the Olympics. 2019 was a long time ago in soccer terms. This team is old and stale!
     
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  6. tiaotnszn

    tiaotnszn Member

    Chicago Red Stars
    United States
    Nov 13, 2019
    They only medal if they make a gameday 18. If they are kept as an alternate the whole time, then they don't get a medal.
     
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  7. Reccossu

    Reccossu Member+

    Jan 31, 2005
    Birmingham
    That was a beat down. Sweden had a clear plan and the US had absolutely no answer. Sweden pressed Dunn and it resulted in constant turnovers. Mewis and Morgan were black holes, more constant turnovers. The defense was on its heels the whole time. No real adjustments in style just personnel, which didn’t solve anything. Vlad and his players looked outclassed in all phases.

    Dunn is a real problem. Her 1v1 defending and recoveries are so good how can you sit her? But Sweden just used her as a ball give back machine with their press.

    The team overall looked like the half-step slow version the critics were concerned about. It’ll take some real magic to get medals based on that performance.
     
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  8. hotjam2

    hotjam2 Member+

    Nov 23, 2012
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    Perhaps it was too early in the tournament to press full tilt? Also on an full press you want to bring up your back line(as to cut down the space) but that would of been very dangerous against a team with speedy fwds/wingers like Sweden(arguably the fastest player in the world in Jacobsson). Plus, the best presser on the squad since Vlatko took over, Lynn Williams, was oddly missing(way to go, Vlatkoo_O)
     
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  9. MRAD12

    MRAD12 Member+

    Jun 10, 2004
    Chicago
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Lynn Williams is not the answer. We want someone who can score not blast the ball 20 times over the crossbar. Her speed and so called pressure would not have helped. I think Mallory Pugh would have been a better choice in this squad than Williams.
     
  10. kolabear

    kolabear Member+

    Nov 10, 2006
    los angeles
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Even when Lynn Williams doesn't play, the people who hate Lynn Williams blame Lynn Williams.
    So you got the scorers all the fanboys and girls out there want to see and did they score goals? But then you say you want Mallory Pugh, who's done what in 5 years after being hyped up as the next big thing while Lynn Williams is helping North Carolina win championships?

    Baloney
     
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  11. West Ender

    West Ender Member

    Dec 28, 2020
    Southwest
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    ?
     
  12. RevsRule

    RevsRule Member+

    NE Revs, LAFC
    Jun 9, 1999
    N. Eastern, Mass
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I watched most of the game, until it became 3-0, then I clicked it off. I can sum it up as simply as we were too old and too slow. Sweden ran us off the pitch. Our fastest players were a non factor and they were simply better. A lot better. It could have easily been 5-0. Our defense was terrible, midfield weak and forwards mostly invisible. I have been saying for a long time "where will the goals come from" now we know. They wont. I think the chickens have come home to roost. We're to old to play a speed team like Sweden. We may not make it out of the group stage
     
  13. lil_one

    lil_one Member+

    Nov 26, 2013
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I just saw the report of that from Jeff Kassouf, and I get why, but it sucks to be the 3rd keeper in that situation.
     
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  14. dspence2311

    dspence2311 Member+

    Oct 14, 2007
    Hard to know who to blame given the unique pressure$ surrounding player selection for the women’s team (which have been discussed ad nauseous here).

    My question is this: What is different about Sweden compared to 2019. Since the USWNT is mainly the same group, albeit 2 years older, what was different about Sweden. I haven’t watched my recording yet, but it sounds from this thread and news reports like speed was part of the issue, as were midfield defensive mistakes. Is that right? But there must be something different about Sweden too.
     
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  15. RevsRule

    RevsRule Member+

    NE Revs, LAFC
    Jun 9, 1999
    N. Eastern, Mass
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    They came to win... we showed up saying "do you know who we are"? They ran us off the field. We did hit the post once late in the game but too little too late
     
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  16. BrooklynSoccer

    BrooklynSoccer Member+

    Jan 22, 2008
    #266 BrooklynSoccer, Jul 21, 2021
    Last edited: Jul 21, 2021
    This result is certainly no surprise.
    The writing was on the wall for this performance, which myself and a few others on here have discussed.

    1. Vlatko forcing available players into a system and formation which doesn't suit them. (Horan at holding mid, example) CHECK
    2. The backline exposed and unorganized. CHECK
    3. Starting someone who hasn't played in months. CHECK
    4. The entire team looking slow and showing their age. CHECK
    5. Abby losing her mark in the box, resulting in a goal. CHECK
    6. Unorganized and uninspired in the both the attack and defense. CHECK
    7. Outclassed and unable to adjust to opposing team's formation and style. CHECK
     
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  17. hotjam2

    hotjam2 Member+

    Nov 23, 2012
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    Besides our over-the-hill being 2 years older;
    1) Ellis instead of Vlatko
    2)five changes for Sweden vs one change for the US
    3) Sweden might of not wanted to win the 2019 game as they matched up better vs particular opponents in the playoff rounds
     
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  18. fire123

    fire123 Member+

    Jul 31, 2009
    Some said Dunn was asked to do too much.
    This was/ is simply how it works in our 4-3-3. The outside backs are supposed to cover whole length of the field, defend wide and provide width in the attack.
    Our mid field 3 is also designed to work as a small triangle in both defense and offense. They either overload one side or the other, they can not cover both sides.
    Our 3 forwards provide width and number in the attack and help defending wide but they can never drop fast enough to defend quick counter out wide.
    Everyone knows that but only the Swedes were capable of exploiting us by sending numbers forward.
    They were/ are also better equipped to beat the US in the high ball/ heading game, both on offense and defense.

    How do we overcome this?
     
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  19. lil_one

    lil_one Member+

    Nov 26, 2013
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It wasn't a question of age and pure speed despite posters saying it over and over again. In a pure speed test/foot race, I think the US would still win, but that's not the game. Sweden was quicker on the decision making and speed of play. Sweden also had a better game plan to press the backline and smother the midfield so that we couldn't play through the midfield, and they also had the speed to cut off the direct ball over the top. They cut off passing lanes, and they played with a lot more energy. I would guess they won most of the 50/50 balls. They also forced a lot of corner kicks, and that paid off.

    The US, on the other hand, gave the ball away so many times: it felt like every time we went on the offensive, we gave the ball away. And if we didn't, the player with the ball had no one to play it to since other players weren't making runs to support them. At one point, you saw Lavelle with the ball give a shrug looking around like, "Where is everybody?" Some of the giveaways were forced by Sweden's pressure, but some of it also was poor play on the part of the US. The lack of support on defense and offense is on us, too.

    By the time it was 2-0, it looked like it was in the players' heads with not enough fight to get back in it. We also did get two off the post, but it seemed like it was not our day. Honestly, the team never looked "desperate" to me, and I mean that in a good way, the high-energy, desperate play that you've seen in the past when the US is down. That kind of urgency was never really apparent over the whole team; it honestly looked like they were okay with the loss, and I know they weren't, but that was the sluggishness they were playing with.

    I hope we see that urgency and fight in the US in the next game, and if so, I feel a little bad for New Zealand.
     
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  20. dspence2311

    dspence2311 Member+

    Oct 14, 2007
    But other than that …
     
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  21. fire123

    fire123 Member+

    Jul 31, 2009
    People did not blame William out of nowhere. That was an answer to someone's comment about her being the answer. She is not. Noone is. Not in this game.
     
  22. Number007

    Number007 Member+

    Santos FC
    Brazil
    Aug 29, 2018
    Players who can cannot pass well or retain possession as a means of defense/controlling play. CHECK
     
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  23. Number007

    Number007 Member+

    Santos FC
    Brazil
    Aug 29, 2018
    The USA do not pass the ball well. Traditionally, they look to transition vertically off mistakes and win the set piece battle.
     
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  24. BrooklynSoccer

    BrooklynSoccer Member+

    Jan 22, 2008
    and also that Nike Commercial, "Play New" was awful.
     
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  25. lil_one

    lil_one Member+

    Nov 26, 2013
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    When the US came back and defeated Germany 1-0 in the final? Ok, I like that comparison better than my memories of the 4-0 loss to Brazil in 2007. Or, maybe I can think instead of the 2-0 group stage loss to Norway in 2008 when the US also came back to win gold.
     
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