8/2: Cyberrays v Courage in-game/post-game [R]

Discussion in 'NWSL' started by FearM9, Aug 3, 2002.

  1. FearM9

    FearM9 New Member

    Jul 14, 2000
    On my bike
    19th minute

    What I've noticed up to now is that most of the Cyberrays attacks have gone up the right flank. Correct me if I'm wrong but French has gotten off only two serves into the box from the left side. Good idea or bad idea?
     
  2. FanOfFutbol

    FanOfFutbol Member+

    The Mickey Mouse Club or The breakfast Club
    May 4, 2002
    Limbo
    Nat'l Team:
    --other--
    Well the goal was the result of one of Beenes worst plays ever. Any U14 keeper should have kept the shot out and a top level NT keeper should have held it. She just lost her concentration and played it like she was afraid to handle it. Catching with the arms is a mistake. Keepers MUST use their hands.

    The game was just tied and the Carolina defense was MIA. the closest marker on TVH was the ball girl behind the net. I guess that Carolina does not want to play defense in the heat.

    Beene is looking VERY shaky in all her play. She has bobbled the ball several times and that is out of character but VERY dangerous for SJ.
     
  3. FanOfFutbol

    FanOfFutbol Member+

    The Mickey Mouse Club or The breakfast Club
    May 4, 2002
    Limbo
    Nat'l Team:
    --other--
    Fotop runs MUCH to straight up and down! If she would learn just a bit of forward lean she would be a LOT faster. It is like she is running with a 'chute attached to her back.

    The game has all the look of many of the 'Rays games this year they will look like world beaters one minute and then look like a women's rec team the next.

    Luckenbill is winning the GK battle right now. Her distribution is amoung the best in the league, if not the best. She can hit the 60-70 yard ball and it is so low that it gets to the attack before the defense is ready and it is usually right on target.
     
  4. TishaVench15

    TishaVench15 New Member

    Sep 29, 1999
    Florida
    what happened?

    This game....sucked. Very few CyberRays came to play. The team must have gone home after the 1st half. I guess I can somewhat take back what I said earlier about effective half-game talks.
    Beene, what happened? She seemed about 3 feet tall in goal today. Like FofF said, her attempt to catch the ball with her arms was a big mistake. She looked confused and out of the game quite often today.
    Wagner didn't seem to do much when she got subbed in. Her whiff at the top of the 18 pretty much caused a goal and honestly, that was about the only time that I noticed her.
    TVH's goal was very pretty but easily preventable by the Carolina D. Right place at the right time and she was able to get by a defender and slide on in. She's the only player that scored for us at SAS this year, too bad it wasn't enough.
    Prinz was not marked in the second half like she should have been. She's been contained before and poor defense is the only excuse as to why she got by so many times. Bryan looked frustrated and upset, though did she have some good moments. But not typical Thori defense.
    The defense looked extremely confused and scared in the box. Many of the players dodged out of the ball's way. I understand that sometimes that's just the body's reaction, but some of those dodges were pitiful and should not have occured. The communication in the box by our defense was hard to watch because there wasn't much in the second half. Lindsey didn't seem to be playing her best at all but she was subbed out and will hopefully be rested for the rest of this week.
    I was impressed by Borgman. She became the only rock on D late in the game and her tackle on Fotop was picture-perfect. She did very well and had no inhibitions or hesitations, despite the heavily-taped knee.
    UGH!!!!!
    Can't wait to hear what ya'll have to say about this one. We REALLY better hope for some help from the other teams.
     
  5. lab99

    lab99 New Member

    May 10, 2001
    Orange County, CA
    This was a tough match, as I would have liked to see both teams come away with the win - unfortunately, that can't happen. You guys still have a chance and can pull off a playoff spot. GOOD LUCK!!
     
  6. TishaVench15

    TishaVench15 New Member

    Sep 29, 1999
    Florida
    Thanks, Lisa. Anything can happen this week but man, this one hurt. We needed desperately to win and we didn't play like it at all.

    SHOTS- 12-15 in favor of Car
    SOG- 6-11 in favor of CAR
    FOULS- 19-18 in favor of SJ
    OFFSIDES- 4-3 in favor of SJ
    CORNER KICKS- 4-6 in favor of Car
    SAVES- 6-4 in favor of SJ(that kind of surprised...but Beene was tried more than Luckenbill so that did it)

    Was it just me or did it seem like every player on the active roster was in Carolina today?
    Those that played-
    Beene, French, Chastain, Lindsey, Borgman, Nanez, Wagner, Bryan, Venturini-Hoch, Sissi, Dorn, Pretinha, Katia, Bell, Eagleson
    There's 15. Greathouse and Montoya traveled and that brings the total to 17, the WUSA rule is 16. Does somebody have an explanation?
     
  7. FanOfFutbol

    FanOfFutbol Member+

    The Mickey Mouse Club or The breakfast Club
    May 4, 2002
    Limbo
    Nat'l Team:
    --other--
    To put this result in perspective it nearly eliminates San Jose because to get a playoff spot they must catch the looser of the Washington Atlanta match and pass them.

    If that match is a tie it STILL takes two wins to pass Washington and a win and a tie to pass Atlanta.

    The Winner, if there is one, of that match is out of reach.

    SJ looses the tiebreaker to both teams so they must end up ahead.

    Right now SJ is 3 points behind Atlanta and 4 behind Washington.

    Once either Atlanta or Washington gets a win they go out of reach and Washington is out of reach with 2 ties and Atlanta is gone with ties in all their last three games.

    Atlanta has games remaining with:
    Washington away
    San Diego home
    Philly home

    Washington has games with
    Atlanta home
    New York away

    It is VERY hard to think that Washington will not soundly beat New York in a must win so Washington will, probably, close out San Jose in that game, if they do not mannage a win against Atlanta.

    Atlanta has a bit tougher road BUT they have an extra game and San Diego is almost as bad as New York at this time. And VERY important both of their last games are at home.

    San Jose plays:
    Philly away
    Boston away

    From all this it is clear that San Jose's hope are not dead but they are on life support and the order to pull the plug is only awaiting the final signature.

    I hoped that the race would continue to be as exciting last year but, as was stated earlier, the 'Rays self destructed and played themselves mostly out of the race.

    Well, there is STILL a chance for Atlanta or Washington to take second and Carolina is a threat for first so the race does continue to have interest.

    I wish that San Jose had won this if for no other reason than it would make tomorows game have more fire.
     
  8. krashnburn

    krashnburn New Member

    May 21, 2001
    San Francisco, CA
    Damn the Fotopoulpottamus!! (long, rambling)

    Well, to start with, I agree with most of what's been said. Beene had a bad game (slight understatement), and the defense in general was definitely not solid (bigger understatement). Hey, those two are probably related! Unfortunately, this isn't the first time we've seen the defense look so disorganized. But I think the worst games before were attributed to Brandi and LaKeysia's absence.

    It's actually a mystery to me what happens to our D at these times, except that it seems to be a lack of communication, and losing focus. There's a whole lotta not marking up and much ball watching confusion, instead of someone going to ball with others backing up. I'm sure others can break it down.

    I was afraid we were set up for this, because of the streaks heading into the game. Let's be honest, Carolina is at the top of the league for a reason. They were hungry for this game in a big way after the Atlanta fiasco (talk about a bad taste in the mouth - probably blood) and another loss to Wash. and all their key players were back and starting! We looked the best in the first 30 minutes, and it went down from there. Once they pushed up the pressure we lost the flow we had with comfortable possession. Either Ian got outcoached today or we are pretty tired from the schedule because the 2nd half was definitely theirs.

    Our lack of depth is hurting us, though. We've activated everyone on the roster now except Shock, but that's why ending the season playing the top teams 3 of the last 4 games is an even tougher task. French finally started again, and I was happy about that, but what I would like to know is why isn't Dorn coming in sooner? She has a great work rate and she doesn't freak out and give the ball up easily. She was the only one actually playing defense at the end of the game!

    Oh, the officiating was not stellar. He called a lot of fouls early on us that were pretty weak, broke up the play a lot. Then there was the handball in the box, which seemed very obvious; it really did look like she meant to do it too. I just don't know what they WERE looking at to not see it, unless they did and thought there wasn't intent.

    TRoberts has turned into a testy one. I mean, I think she's good in general, but she was kinda nasty today, which was a surprise coming off a red card suspension. She flew into Beene once and it wasn't even called. I think we might have become frustrated with some early calls and we were tired. Getting payback racked us up more yellows. Is anyone in danger of suspension?

    Well, a couple of positives:
    1. At least it was Carolina, not The Beast! I actually think they play great soccer, and McDermitt should get coach of the year no question. They have a lot of talent, and are a deep team.
    2. Tisha has had a great season! She has really stepped up this year and is in top form. I guess marriage has been good for her, although I wish they'd just stop with cramming the hyphenated names on the jerseys. I know it used to be liberated like 25 years ago, but now they should not be afraid to just keep their own name, or choose to take his, but why worry so much about stamping it all on the jersey?
    3. We're still not out of it. Get yer Hooper voodoo dolls out for tomorrow!
     
  9. SoCcErHyPeR 2

    SoCcErHyPeR 2 New Member

    Aug 6, 1999
    San Jose, CA
    Last season the league allowed us to travel more players when we had our three away games.. I guess they did the same thing this time.. Some of the players were just in their practice jerseys..
     
  10. SoCcErHyPeR 2

    SoCcErHyPeR 2 New Member

    Aug 6, 1999
    San Jose, CA
    Honestly this game really sucked. To me it seemed like a bunch of bad coaching decisions.. there isn't one player that really sticks out in my mind that played their typical game.. even some of Sissi's passes were off.. geez.. and darnit PLAY DI. Brandi didn't do much up top.. that was the first bad that Ian had.. Gina has been training as a forward NOT as a defender.. you don't just throw her back there so Brandi can go up top.. c'mon Ian..
     
  11. Hawkeye17

    Hawkeye17 DynaChick v QuakeBabe v WildKate v Chewie23

    Aug 25, 1999
    Miami Vice 82
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Re: Damn the Fotopoulpottamus!! (long, rambling)

    Fixed the post a bit. :)

    If I had a Hooper bobblehead, we'd be putting the hex on it tomorrow. However, none exist as of yet.

    Got to get help at this stage, and Atlanta would love to get even with the Rays after last year, and winning tomorrow would be sweet for them.

    Though as a Rays fan, got to hope for them to lose.

    Cheers!
     
  12. SomebodyOrOther

    SomebodyOrOther BigSoccer Supporter

    Jun 8, 2002
    Over here!
    I hate losing

    As always, just my opinions offered and nothing more.

    There are actually some things about this game that made me really happy:
    1.
    French starting (duh) and staying in the whole game!! 'BOUT TIME, IAN!! She seemed plenty solid on D from what I could tell on TV (half of what I like about French's game is what she does away from the ball, so on TV it's hard to tell if she's "on" defensively sometimes), and served several really nice balls, including one beauty early in the game right Tisha's head for a good scoring opportunity. I hope Frenchie's PT continues like this from now on--starting, playing 90+, as it should be.
    2. Borgman's tackle on Fotop in the box. Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet. :D Many-rewind worthy! That's the sort of play that will make Danni a star in this league someday.
    3. Tisha with yet another goal. Like I said in my pre-game post, I'm happiest with our offense when she can get forward into the attack like that. Tisha has always been, and continues to be, a smart, opportunistic goal scorer, and we need to continue to utilize that.
    4. Boof's 10 seconds at "forward" in the first half. Just because!!
    5. Dorn getting PT. Again, I have no idea what I would do with her as a coach, where I'd play her, how to get her more PT...not with the other players we have. I just simply like to watch her play, because she's all hustle and heart and fearlessness and snarling teeth--a tiny tiger. Go, Carey, go!
    6. Katia playing on with the big lump on her forehead most of the game after knocking noggins with Slaton. It's been fun for me to see Katia evolve as a player this year. She's taking so much more personal responsibility for the outcome of games. She's not diving (as much) and taking the easy way out. She gets shaken up, and doesn't go looking for a sub, but gets back up (or comes back in right away if she does have to go out). I hope she continues growing in that direction, because her best is yet to come.
    7. Thori. Yes, she looked a bit sloppy at the end of the game, but she'd been running down (and over) Prinz and Fotop all day. She saved our butts more than once, and was part of why we were only down one goal with about 70 minutes to go--it could have been much worse.

    Things that confused me:
    1.
    No Di??? I seriously think we could have used Di. OK, I really believe we got quite desperate for Di near the end. Did she travel with the team? I didn't get a good look when they gave the one shot of the bench--looked like Greathouse and then many people with dark-ish hair and ponytails. Anyone go to that 'Rays thingy today and see if Di was here at home? Could have used Borgman instead without taking Lindsey out, but...I still thought we needed Di. I screamed at Ian through the TV, but either he couldn't hear me (imagine that!), didn't agree with me (probably true), or Di was unavilable as a sub (also likely).
    2. The early sub for Bell. Granted, Bell was pretty quiet, but Eagleson once she came in didn't make that much noise, either. Hindsight is 20/20, but even right when it happened I was thinking I wished Ian would give Bell a few more minutes. I have to give Bell props for a really nice defensive stop early in the game where she dutifully tracked Staci Burt all the way back. Forwards are supposed to do that, but so few (Mia Hamm is one who springs to mind who always does it) actually give it more than a token effort that it just gave me the warm fuzzies when Bell hauled back and stopped the attack.
    3. The sub for Lindsey. Not Boof's best game of the year (and not her worst), but I can't see holding her at fault for Fotop and Prinz getting through our D, either. That's what those two forwards DO....to EVERY team. They're big, fast (at least Prinz is) and physical. I'm hoping the sub was more because Boof looked tired (she did to me, anyway) and not because Ian felt the need to punish her or something. I'm not complaing about the specifics of the sub, as Borgman, of course, did just fine when she came in. TishaVench15 said Borgs was a rock, and she was. Generally, it simply scares me when we take Boof out of a game. I hope she's healthy, just tired.
    4. Like Fear I noticed most of our flank attack going up the right side. We seem to always go through Brandi first. I don't always agree that's our best possible option at any given moment. I, of course, think French needs more offensive touches on the ball. I think her service is much better than Brandi's, and she makes quicker decisions on moving to balls, and on passes than Brandi does. Yeah, I'm a French fan. So sue me, whatever.

    Things that thoroughly sucked:
    1.
    We lost.
    2. The use of Eagleson as a defender. She's clearly uncomfortable as a back (I don't care that she plays D for Mexico, she just doesn't look solid back there, ever) and was exploited immeditately. And then repeatedly until we got Brandi back there. Not a good coaching move. Please don't leave her hanging out there anymore. Nothing specific against Gina. I don't want to see Katia playing back, either. We have plenty of other players who are very good back there, so there's no reason to ever need Gina as a defender.
    3. We lost. Badly.
    4. I actually have to say that I think Beene missed stopping at least one ball she "should" have had (even though it was a difficult ball and Anson tried to let her of the hook). I hate having to say that. I may never admit to thinking that again, so please note date and time of this historical event. I'm bummed for Beene. Everyone else on the field can screw up a million times a game and get away with it. Beene screws up EVER and it's a goal. It's rotten to be a goalkeeper--you hardly ever get to really be the hero (because your team can't win, regardless of what you do as a GK, unless someone for your side scores), but you have plenty of opportunities to be the goat. I'm still keeping Beene as my GK hands down, however. I don't care she's not superhuman this year. She's still a baby in goalkeeping terms, and any mistake she makes is just one more thing she'll learn from and improve on.
    5. We lost. Badly. Our playoff hopes are now incredibly dim.
    6. TR's volleyball-style strike that went uncalled. How would that have changed the complexion of the game if she'd gotten the red there and we'd had a crack at a PK? Bad officiating needs to end. It didn't cost us the game, but it certainly didn't help us any.
    7. Have I mentioned that we lost? Badly? And that our playoff hopes are incredibly dim? I'm very sad. :(
     
  13. *Crazy_Chastain*

    *Crazy_Chastain* New Member

    Mar 19, 2000
    Florida
    I think we kind of fell apart after the no call on the quite obvious TR handball in the box. But other than that the only real question/comment I have is...


    WHERE THE HELL IS ALAGICH?


    She has proven to be one of our toughest most reliable backs this year, as French also has. So what's with their absence in the last 3 games (except French's about 60 min today)? Had Di or Frenchie been playing back in place of Eagleson when Prinz beat her and scored, I can not believe they would have been beaten anywhere close to that easily. Not to knock on Gina or anything, but as it was pointed out, she's been training as a forward. Di and Michelle are tough ass defenders. What is the deal? I think if we had our regular defense in there (by this I mean Bryan, Lindsey, Chastain, Alagich, French) the game would not have been so bad. Keyshia was not on her best game today, but it still wouldn't have been as bad if we had our best defense in there. I just really don't understand the whole toying with Alagich and French thing.

    Also....I love Brandi to death....but she really is killing us with the giving up and trying to get the call ************....play the game!!!!!!


    ummm I think thats it! lol
     
  14. SoCcErHyPeR 2

    SoCcErHyPeR 2 New Member

    Aug 6, 1999
    San Jose, CA
    Wowwie Bethie.. I agree.. I never expected that out of you! wowwiee.. wow. wow.
     
  15. SomebodyOrOther

    SomebodyOrOther BigSoccer Supporter

    Jun 8, 2002
    Over here!
    Brandi's going for the Oscar and forgetting to play soccer

    My not-so-nice assessment of Brandi...again...

    OMG I can't believe you actually really said that! :eek:

    Yes! I've been harping on this after almost every game, and just tried to not bring it up AGAIN in my post today, but now since someone else did (and someone who is CLEARLY a BIG fan of Brandi's), I'll throw in my $0.02, because again today I was yelling at the TV.

    Run, Brandi. Play defense. Stop throwing your arms up and looking for the easy way out. If you don't want to play, please sit out the game and let someone who cares be on the field. I'm sure Alagich or Borgman wants your starting spot. We already have seen all season that both of them never quit on anything.

    Everyone today is saying our communication out of the back is bad? Well, I think our LISTENING in the back is bad. Again, we had some good examples of some (ONE) people not paying attention. Boof can yell her lungs out, but if people are too special to follow directions, then there's nothing she can do. That's why we fall apart, time after time. Last game, Brandi checked herself a bit, and we had a shutout. This game...we fell apart, and Brandi was, well...you saw.

    Anyone else notice our major defensive breakdowns were mostly on the right side today (right flank and right center)? Anyone really wondering why at this point?

    Brandi, the fabulous leader, didn't hold us together? No, I guess not. Hard to tell on TV, but...it didn't really look to me like she even tried. If she's not going to try, why should anyone else? As Brandi goes, so go the 'Rays right now, because she won't let anyone else have much of a leadership role. We either need Brandi to fix her attitude, or lay off her influence a bit and let someone else stamp her personality on the team instead. By the time these chemistry problems become apparent from the play on the field, we have to know it's really bad.

    Watch, it'll turn out that I'm totally wrong and all the 'Rays defenders actually think that Brandi is absolutely wonderful all the time, and the whole team thinks everything is peachy keen. :rolleyes:
     
  16. cachundo

    cachundo Marketa Davidova. Unicorn. World Champion

    GO STANFORD!
    Feb 8, 2002
    Genesis 16:12...He shall be a wild ass among men
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    OMG Beth! That's blasphemy! lol

    I love her athleticism, which is an asset in playing defense. But there are times when one needs to play defense, instead of playing spectator or conductor.

    All I can say about Bell is she's probably a helluva practice player.

    If that wasn't Oceguera's worst game, I don't know what was. Was Alagich not available? Certainly Dorn was. Probably another helluva practice player. To all those who rave about her, good for her and good for you. But when the season's on the line, you play your best players. Not fan favorites. Not coach's favorites.

    I really was not as much concerned with Brandi's play as I was with the whole team defense. Carolina's 3rd goal showed how inept the defense played at that point. The defenders allowed four passes inside the PA that led to the goal. Four defenders had a legitimate chance to challenge for the ball, but failed to do so. Where's a slide-tackle when you need one? That sequence cost them the goal, and ultimately the game.
     
  17. TishaVench15

    TishaVench15 New Member

    Sep 29, 1999
    Florida
    Re: Damn the Fotopoulpottamus!! (long, rambling)

    Awesome post, krashnburn. I agree that Roberts was pretty nasty yesterday. I lost some respect for her, it's hard to respect players that play dirty and off the ball as much as she was. Her hand-ball was unreal. This is soccer, not volleyball. She really looked like she was trying to spike it down. That was bizarre.

    Tisha has been playing very well. She said herself that she was expecting more out of herself this year and she's been delivering quite nicely. Only problem is, there's been a few games where she's the only one who's delivering. Like SomebodyOrOther said, her not having to worry about defense(which is one of Tisha's weak spots) has allowed her to play her game more and we're benefiting from that.
    Marriage has been good for her, happiness outside of soccer can definitely affect a player's game(not to say she wasn't happy before). Good for her and I hope she sticks around for another season.

    This whole Alagich thing is mind-boggling. We go from French's PT to Alagich's. I hope she stays motivated and Ian will most likely play her some during the rest of this road trip, it will start to wear on some of the players.

    Beth is doing what good fans do and conceding that yes, her favorite player is not perfect. Lots of respect for you, Redneck. Brandi seemed to be somewhere else for a good portion of the game. She had some nice headers out of the box and some good runs on defense, but when she was moved up front, she disappeared. She seemed tired for most of the game but I did enjoy her little miking sessions. Funny stuff.

    All of these players need to rest up and get focused for Wednesday.
     
  18. TishaVench15

    TishaVench15 New Member

    Sep 29, 1999
    Florida
  19. SomebodyOrOther

    SomebodyOrOther BigSoccer Supporter

    Jun 8, 2002
    Over here!
    She's also the only true forward we have left who's healthy besides Katia, so it's not like we really have any other options. We did just sign Montoya, but my opinion is that we can't expect her to immediately step in and mesh with the rest of the team after a few days of practice. The team has progressed beyond what they were doing in the pre-season before she was cut. Also, the defenses are going to be a heck of a lot better than what Erin's been seeing at the WPSL level, or possibly ever in her life. It's not as though we brought in a world-class international who's already been playing at the highest level. No personal slight meant to Montoya, but the reality is that we brought up a "minor leaguer" and she's going to need some more adjustment time (more than 2 or 3 days--the Rays have been traveling and playing games, so Montoya hasn't had a whole lot of practice yet, I'd guess). So are her new CyberRays teammates. For instance, Sissi is going to know where to send the ball to get it to Bell, but not to Montoya, because she's not as familiar with her. Given the options of starting Bell, Montoya, or Eagleson as our second forward (trying to keep the rest of the lineup intect), I personally take Bell hands down any day. I think I've already given my reasons for really liking Bell in another thread, so I'll skip it for now unless anyone cares to hear my take on her again.

    I am not going to rehash how I think we should use Borgman at forward again, but, yes, I am still scratching my head. I'd like to think Ian at least tried it out in practice, but I don't know how much he's actually thinking at all this season, so I'm not holding out hope.


    Founder's Cup 1, Championship game. An example of her play in that game: Eagleson gets nutmegged IN THE BOX, loses sight of the ball, loses sight of her player, and so she just stands there looking dazed! Her player scoots right around her to score the go-ahead goal. :rolleyes: I was yelling at her to fall down or just do SOMEthing! She really looks completely confused as to what she's supposed to be doing defensively at times, and I just think we're best served keeping her away from playing on the defensive line if at all possible.

    I agree. I try to always be objective about my favorites, but it is hard, since, like any fan, I have a little emotional investment in them. I think I've posted my "ideal" CyberRays starting line-up, given what players we have available. Who do you like in the starting line-up? I do enjoy seeing other people's ideas, even if I debate them a bit. ;)

    Brandi's selfish play effects the defense as a whole. There's no way around that. If she's doing her own thing, everyone else is constantly having to adjust without notice, and savvy forwards are going to be looking for those momentary holes. The defenders have to rely on each other, because no one of them individually can cover the whole back. If Brandi shirks her responsibilites by quitting on a play, then it's hard for anyone else on D to look good, because they're all going to be out of position and scrambling to cover. That goes for any one of our defenders.

    I agree, everyone looked pretty awful on the 3rd goal. Boof did fine on the initial clear out of the box to Eagleson, then... Eagleson with the assist to Prinz. Wagner with the whiff. Boof looked like the was going to go for a slide-tackle and then didn't. Maybe she decided she wasn't going to get there in time and tried to spare Beene the PK but by the time she'd changed her mind she wasn't able to adjust her feet fast enough to just poke the ball out. French came flying in to help but misjudged her steps to the ball and got 'megged (ouch). However, because she is not Gina Eagleson (OK, sorry, that was a total slam but I DID just talk about that incident in FC I) she knew what to do and she immediately turned to recover...and was promptly run over (and nearly knocked down) by Wagner, rendering both of French and Wagner ineffective. Beene missed blocking Fotop's shot by inches, I've got to think she just mis-read it. Keystone Cops anyone?

    While I agree that Boof, Frenchie, and Keysh didn't look stellar on this play, I have to think it all may have looked differently if you put Brandi where Gina was (assuming Brandi was having a team-oriented day and was actually in posistion), and Nanez (or ALAGICH, damnit, Ian!) where Wagner was. The breakdowns started with people unfamiliar with really how to play solid defense (because they don't have to most of the time) in that situation, and more inexperienced with real game situations (both are bench players), and it left our regular defenders scrambling to clean up. It doesn't excuse our play on that sequence as a whole by any means, but it is part of the reason we looked bad, and it's an illustration of what I mean when I say I don't get what Ian is doing in terms of who he is putting on the field.
     
  20. SoCcErHyPeR 2

    SoCcErHyPeR 2 New Member

    Aug 6, 1999
    San Jose, CA
    Actually Bellie's a converted forward. :)
     
  21. SomebodyOrOther

    SomebodyOrOther BigSoccer Supporter

    Jun 8, 2002
    Over here!
    Bellie

    Uh...Wha?
     
  22. SoCcErHyPeR 2

    SoCcErHyPeR 2 New Member

    Aug 6, 1999
    San Jose, CA
    Re: Bellie

    http://www.sjcyberrays.com/news/rel_20001211.html

    Christina Bell Defender Sonoma State, Fresno State :)

    searching for an article i read a while ago about Ian converting her to forward.. they announced it in some of the games last year..
     
  23. TishaVench15

    TishaVench15 New Member

    Sep 29, 1999
    Florida
    Bellie is versatile, which is always an advantage. I'd like to see her play back just to see how she is out there. I've never really noticed how tall she is until yesterday, that girl has some height!

    Awesome points, SomebodyOrOther. A good amount of our players, starters and subs, played what was or was close to their worst games of this season. Not a great time to get that mess out of their systems but hopefully they'll step up it BIG TIME on Wednesday and then again on Saturday. We just really shot ourselves in the foot yesterday.
     
  24. SoCcErHyPeR 2

    SoCcErHyPeR 2 New Member

    Aug 6, 1999
    San Jose, CA
  25. Chiefs

    Chiefs New Member

    Dec 21, 2001
    I am not going to bother saying much because everything has really been covered. We played well during the first 40 minutes or so, at least well enough that I thought we would get away with a win. I believe that the first goal was Keesh being lazy and thinking she could easily handle it and the second by Slaton, thought that was LAME. The turning point, I agree, was the hand ball. How could you not see that?

    I thought that Brandi did not play well and as you could see on PAX, was always coaching. maybe if she focused on marking and playing better balls out of the back, things would turn in our favor. She may have the most experience, but she isn't the coach and it making things worse when she is worrying about everyone else instead of her own play.

    All the goals did come from the right side of the field, which, was Brandi's side. I realize the offense has to get through the other players, but it seemed Carolina was focused on that side and were being successful.

    I couldn't figure out why Bell came out either. She was really running around and tracking back on D. I think she is a work horse. When she came out I was thinking maybe it was a heat thing and Ian was going to sub three players through the front, giving them each about 30 minutes to run hard. But, as always, I scratched my head with Ian.
    Gina didn't do much at all and her D on Prinz was bad. Granted it was a great shot, but she shouldn't have even given it to her.

    Bryant - I know you love her, but what was she thinking this game. So she doesn't get a call on a foul, I KNEW she would retaliate and then she gets a yellow. And where she committed the foul!! Her service was bad.

    All around, everything was bad. No one had a good game. No one. I was glad to see French back in the game and surprised he left her in since he was sub happy. Obivously, by the tape, Borgmann isn't healthy, so Di should have been able to suit up.

    I have a feeling some of the players confidence has gone down quite a bit not knowing what is going on, what they need to improve on or whatever.

    Luckily DC won, so we still have a slim chance. I hate relying on other teams though.

    Did I say I wasn't going to write much...... :)
     

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