I've seen enough. Time to start over

Discussion in 'USA Women: News and Analysis' started by RevsRule, Oct 14, 2003.

  1. RevsRule

    RevsRule Member+

    NE Revs, LAFC
    Jun 9, 1999
    N. Eastern, Mass
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    After watching the USA vs Canada game I've seen enough to know that the future in Women's soccer will not be through players like Wambach or Boxx. In fact, there is NO future right now. I believe that Wambach and Boxx are very limited skill wise and are just "bangers" and should not be a part of any USA's plans to regain what we've lost. I have not seen enough of the younger players to know if they can play or not but I've seen enough of those two.

    The US needs to forget about the "system" and start looking for players that are currently "outside" the system. There are thousands of women playing college soccer right now that may be the undiscovered talent of the future. They may not all go to North Carolina, UConn, Notre Dame or Portland either. It's time to look for people that that may not even be trying to make a National team at all, but are talented. Mia went this route at 15, that Canadian girl was 16 or 17. Have we forgotten where some of our best players from the past came from? I think we have.

    We were old, and slow in this WWC. I saw nobody on the US team with the "wheels" to play at the speed the game is now played at. Go out and find some new people that can both pass and run and don't limit the search to those currently in the National youth teams either. If we don't start now, we won't even get third place in 10 months.
     
  2. sexysadie

    sexysadie Red Card

    Sep 29, 2003
    somewhere on earth


    April Heinrich said before the tournament that these are the best women players in US right now, so, she must've been gone through all that
     
  3. DoorKnob

    DoorKnob New Member

    Sep 23, 2003
    DC
    Undoubtedly,there are players who aren't in the "system", yet capable of playing at this level.

    I do think you are wrong about Wambach. She has a physical presence, but I don't think that is her only attribute. She is a very good dribbler, crosses well, and, generally, gives good feeds for assists.

    I didn't think much of Boxx.

    The US team, I think, is a very slow team, especially on defense. Our speediest player, Tiffany Milbrett, didn't play all that well and the team didn't play her the right way anyhow. It seemed silly to me to put her in the times they did. If you're gonna play 2 strong players up front, why put a short fast one in late in the game? When she was in, the team didn't look for the break away pass.

    I think the US team had the talent to win this Cup. Speed and coaching tactics killed us.
     
  4. MichaelR

    MichaelR New Member

    Jun 12, 2003
    Philadelphia
    Re: Re: I've seen enough. Time to start over

    I don't think April has a very good eye for talent. Otherwise, Wambach would not have been a bubble player all the way into midsummer, and Boxx would have been getting caps for two years or more. When she does spot talent, its development tends to be arrested (see Exhibit A, Aly Wagner) by unsophisticated and inflexible tactics.
     
  5. MichaelR

    MichaelR New Member

    Jun 12, 2003
    Philadelphia
    Tiffeny, along with Wagner, were the main victims of the kick-and-run Heinrichs WWC strategy. She was running around all over the place without decent service. Meanwhile, Aly didn't get much chance to exercise her creativity and flair in this system. April, of course, doesn't value flair and doesn't seem to understand the need for passing and buildup.

    That's about right. Injuries didn't help matters much, keeping Slaton and Hucles on the shelf. Both of them would have added speed to the US attack.
     
  6. RevsRule

    RevsRule Member+

    NE Revs, LAFC
    Jun 9, 1999
    N. Eastern, Mass
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Re: Re: Re: I've seen enough. Time to start over

    I have to disagree with the line on Wambach. I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt against Germany because they were making everybody look bad. But against Canada, she either lost the dribble or was stripped on many occasions and didn't seem to do very much but get in the way. She doesn't seem to a gifted passer and when Canada kept the ball moving, she was simply chasing the play and not really doing much of anything. I think she belongs on the bubble and and the the US would be better advised to keep looking.

    I don't believe that those are the best US can produce. I think that they may be the best that April can see when she looks out her back window though. I would love to see a bunch of open, regional tryouts to see what

    It takes guts to do what Brazil did in starting a youth movement and it will pay them back down the road. I would love to see some open, regional tryouts for the purpose of identifying talent outside the current US player pool. I'll bet it wouldn't take too long to find a bunch of people that are every bit as good as the ones we have now.
     

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