Cp

When Cindy is on her game, I have been an admirer of her. The problem is, the "passionate" CP has been few and far between as of late. She never has been a real workhorse, like the Wombat, but has great footskills and is an excellent finisher (you don't get 75 career goals by accident). She has either very strong games (see WWC semifinal vs Germany) which include a lot of "wow" moments, or really bad games which include a lot of "ugh" moments. I think she has had the problem of being too assured of a spot on the team. If you rewatch some of the earlier matches in her career, she just seemed to work harder. Some of her slowing down could be accumulated injuries, but it seems like she has been too confident of a spot lately. I too think that these '04 Olympics served as a wake up call for her and she'll use it as motivation to get back on top of her game. I haven't seen any of the FCT matches yet, but it sounds like shes been playing well, taking into account that these haven't been the strongest opponents. Imagine a "passionate" CP, Wambach, and O'Reilly 3-front with Tarpley as the AM. That just might work, IMO.

 

Cindy is a great player and her performances during the Tour have confirmed that. I hope that she can maintain her play and that this is a sign for the future. As to most of the issues brought up on this board about her play(work ethic, motivation,etc), I personally don't like to speculate on them. They could be factors in her past performances, but the bottom line is that Cindy is the only one who truly knows the circumstances surrounding her play. In good form, I believe(my bias coming through) that she is and will be an integral part of the team for many years to come.

With all of that said, reading about her Tour performances has only magnified an idea that I have been contemplating for a long time. The effecftiveness of Cindy's game has always seemed to correlate with the ability to be creative on the field. If I remember correctly from the things I have read, April does not allow for much creativity in games aside from the "Tours." IMO this does not bode well for Cindy because her game thrives on creativity and not structure. I am not saying that this accounts for all of the questionable times/performances. I just think that this may be a factor.

 

Performances on this "Fan Appreciation Tour" are prety much meaningless. These games are so far removed from any sort of "competitive" spirit or environment that they are basically glorified scrimmages.

That's not to say that Parlow isn't doing well - it's just to say that I wouldn't get to worked up about any positive statistical performances from this tour.

 

Sorry, RUUDVN, but I agree with Andy. By the way, I liked Ron Popeil's image better than your present one. Anyway, as I mentioned in a post after watching the match in Houston, the Irish figured out quickly after the game in Chicago how to keep CP from scoring - stay at her feet and don't give her open space. That's the ONLY way she can create shots. She isn't shifty (she did get by a couple of defenders that evening, but that was because these are rather inexperienced players) and relies more on garbage goals during games than creating her own. I believe that she will do even worse in real competition, plus she tends to get testy when the opponents take her down often (like they do Abby). Her reaction is always to foul, which puts the US team at a disadvantage. Instead of letting the ref take care of the game, she takes the game away from the ref with her fouls and puts herself on the wrong side of a colored card.

Were I to reconstitute the team starting in 2005, Ape or no Ape, I would not include CP among those I would even call to camp. You can't teach speed, and she doesn't have it. She doesn't even have the speed the Abby has - getting to the right spot to shoot - as she did on Mia's first assist.

 

Or her opponents and teammates might care, and she may find herself outclassed. Hard to say.

 

CP may still have a role, but I she'll never eclipse Abby. Abby is so much more mobile than Cindy and versatile, too. Abby has a killer instinct that Cindy lacks. I also think that Abby displays leadership and personality that's not apparent with CP. In addition to leading the team in scoring, Abby will become the next Fawcett/Overbeck type leader of the team.

 

Cindy is not the only WNT forward eclipsed by Abby. None of the other forwards play as well when Abby and Mia are showing "their special chemistry". That chemistry is beautiful for Mia and Abby but it tends to simply leave out the other scorers. They don't even get into the play and passing game as much as usual. It's a style of play that works for Ape but not so well for the other players.

 

I have watched Cindy Play since she was 17. When she's on her game, Abby doesn't hold a candle to her. I watched her play against Boxx, Grubb, and Sobrero when they were in their prime, and Cindy would take them on 2 at a time and school them. Yes, I have it on tape. You are talking about someone who successfully could run as the top forward in UNC's high pressure system, against many of the same girls who now grace the national team. On a team with Roberts, Fair, Keller, Fettig, Mullinix, McDowell, Wilson, among others, she was the most celebrated UNC player since Hamm. That does not come easily.

I question whether what's going on with her is medical or mental. At times, she shows a few flashes of the old Parlow. Like against Germany WC03. But most of the times she looks lethargic and tired. I am wondering if she is suffering quietly with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It would explain much to me.

I realize many newer fans of the WNT will not have seen Cindy in her prime but take it from someone who watched her live (and in awe) and talked to her before she got her first cap with the Nats. The girl was a flat out player. Take a look at her stats from WC99 to see what I am talking about.

 

Cindy hasn't looked like her wheels were sound for the past couple of years. The WWC game against Germany was the exception, she ran like she was 10 years younger, and to be honest I don't know how she did it - but she did.

I didn't see her play in the the earlier tour games but from what I saw yesterday, rumors of her return to former glory seem highly unlikely. Her legs looked like they were barely able to hold her up. The Danes ran circles around her.

 

CP played well in the world cup. But over the years CP= cherry picker. She's a good finisher, but not much more. She's been given a pass on roster after roster. She's had numerous chances to show that she belongs. Bring on Welsh if you want another tall finisher.

To suggest without any proof that her play is due to "chronic fatique syndrome" is pretty weak, because she must have suffered that condition on and off over the years. CP has never been a consistent player. You never knew which CP will show up. But one thing is for sure- in the past, another player with chronic fatigue syndrome did show up, and there is no comparison between the two.