FIRE VLATKO NOW?!?! a Reverse Jinx

Discussion in 'USA Women: News and Analysis' started by kolabear, Jul 21, 2021.

  1. kolabear

    kolabear Member+

    Nov 10, 2006
    los angeles
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Kornieck Cringe Tackle in San Diego's home opener vs Chicago. 6'23 of the video. Alyssa Naeher raced across the field from her GK position, probably demanding a red card. Kornieck received a yellow

     
  2. kolabear

    kolabear Member+

    Nov 10, 2006
    los angeles
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    VLATKO'S greatest skill as coach of the national team is his ability to keep the soccer journalists happy and distracted.

    Of course we're all thrilled at the thought of Julie Ertz returning to action. If any player could come back after such a long layoff and make an impact, it's JJ and there's not a single one of us who would throw away the chance of it happening. (Of course, the Collective Bargaining Agreement also requires at least her return to camp after having a baby)

    Also, Catarina Macario is such a phenomenal talent (especially in the eyes of those who've seen her play for Olympique Lyonnais) that it's natural there's a place waiting for her on the team if she can return soon from her ACL injury.

    But here we go again just like the Olympics. Our planning seems to revolve around the return of as many familiar old faces as possible. Rapinoe, who's injured again. Tierna Davidson and Kelly O'Hara who are returning from lengthy absences due to injury. And VLATKO is even still talking about Tobin Heath and Christen Press, saying they're in return-to-play protocol although I have to believe that he's not seriously counting on them returning in time for the World Cup but wants to let their fans know he hasn't forgotten them.

    But as much as possible, VLATKO wants to return the squad which failed at the Olympics 2 years ago:

    • Goalkeepers: Adrianna Franch, Alyssa Naeher, Jane Campbell
    • Defenders: Abby Dahlkemper, Tierna Davidson, Crystal Dunn, Kelley O’Hara, Becky Sauerbrunn, Emily Sonnett, Casey Krueger
    • Midfielders: Julie Ertz, Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle, Kristie Mewis, Samantha Mewis, Catarina Macario
    • Forwards: Tobin Heath???, Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan, Christen Press???, Megan Rapinoe, Lynn Williams
    Of the four players in red who seem definitely out, one (Carli Lloyd) retired, and two (Dahlkemper & Mewis the Sam) are ruled out by injury, leaving only a backup GK (Campbell) as being a "healthy scratch"

    Six other players in blue seem to have a place held open for them pending recovery from injuries (or pregnancies), leaving Tobin Heath and Christen Press (in blue italics) who maybe (???) have a place held for them or maybe (???) don't but VLATKO is only making it sound like they have a chance to make the World Cup in order to keep their fans smiling for the moment
     
  3. cpthomas

    cpthomas BigSoccer Supporter

    Portland Thorns
    United States
    Jan 10, 2008
    Portland, Oregon
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    For those in blue (except for Macario), I think it is more like, You have paid your dues, so I will give you a chance to show what you can do ... but it is now or never. But I do not have any idea what is up with Rapinoe.
     
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  4. lil_one

    lil_one Member+

    Nov 26, 2013
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I'm just going to point out that according to the CBA, players coming back from pregnancy must have an invite back to camp after being medically cleared. Somewhere it was reported that Ertz was cleared by her personal physician only a month ago, which if true means that this would be the first camp when she could be invited back.

    Meg Linehan seems to think this window is the one not automatically included (immediately precedes a WC), but I'm not sure that is correct since there is also a July 10-18 FIFA window for Type I friendlies, but the USWNT has no games scheduled then since they'll already be in New Zealand:



    Vlatko did say that it was a "soccer decision" to bring in these players but that he believes that it also lined up with the CBA requirements.
     
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  5. hotjam2

    hotjam2 Member+

    Nov 23, 2012
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    #230 hotjam2, Mar 30, 2023
    Last edited: Mar 30, 2023
    I wouldn’t call winning the bronze an failure, and in today’s environment where you finally see foreign countries putting some serious money into their woso programs(especially England & Spain), I would personally think winning 3rd at WC would be a pretty good achievement.
    And the funny thing is(thank you FIFA) gave us an rather easy route into the semis; top group contender Netherlands will be missing its One Man Army in Miedema as well Martens & Groenen are currently injured. Most likely 16th round opponent Italy is in a slump. Probable quarter finalists will be either Norway or Japan/we haven’t lost to either NT’s in over a decade.
    I remember two years ago how Ertz gets injured in maybe the first NWSL of 2021/misses her club games till NT camp/starts in all 6 Olympic games/claims injury again & skips the rest of her club season. So got to worry about her general commitment, but then the Red Stars coach ended up being outed as an predator, so can’t blame her for wanting to get away, and that trend of missing club soccer isn’t all that bad/a lot of the worlds top NT coaches(including Wiegman) blame club soccer for draining the energy out of their players as well as the horrendous amount of ACL’s currently happening

    Ertz was a very stylish DM; tough defender, but who could who could rip those accurate long passes like a well versed quarterback, to go along that she could occasionally score a game winner like the SBC match vs Spain. But things have changed since 4 years ago; these days style has been replaced by brute physical DM’s like Oberdorf, Stanway & the one that Vlatko let slip away, the American born Erguella. Besides showing no mercy in their ‘professional tackles’ will know every trick in the book like even trying to get the opponent red carded through trickery & dives.
    In a pre match post. I tried to warn that vs England, how dirty a player Stanway is, and look exactly what happened; Stanway(who don’t mind receiving an yellow card)takes out Fox in a well placed tackle designed injury enough to take her out for the rest of the game, Fox gets replaced by Mace, who ends giving up an PK—and what else; Bronze taking an dive right next to Mace’s high kick. I mean these two plays won the game for England . So watch out, it’s a whole new world order out there!
    ——————————————————
    Kolabear; so why you think Vlatko chose 10 defenders & only 6 fwds for the two games vs Ireland?
    -
     
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  6. cpthomas

    cpthomas BigSoccer Supporter

    Portland Thorns
    United States
    Jan 10, 2008
    Portland, Oregon
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    He obviously does not know what he is doing, has the proportion all wrong, and once again shows why he should be fired!

    On the other hand ... maybe he is pretty set with who the forwards will be but still has not made final, final decisions on defenders so wants to give those on the bubble a last chance to prove they should be on the team.
     
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  7. ytrs

    ytrs Member+

    Jan 24, 2018
    I am not a Vlatko defender, but I suspect it is the latter. He has a group of defenders that he has not decided on yet, so this is their last shot. I was a little suprised he did not bring Thompson in with Rapinoe out though.
     
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  8. hotjam2

    hotjam2 Member+

    Nov 23, 2012
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    going with yesterday’s Champions League; our lone US representative(Lindsey Horan) blew her PK/shootout shot which there by eliminated Lyon from the competition. From my perspective, it’s actually a good thing since it will help the recovering Macario from further participating in these often brutal, do or die CL encounters(it was the CL final where Macario got her ACL).
    On the other hand, I keep telling ya, we’ve really fallen behind here; England got the world’s best diving schools, lol, as the youthful Lauren James sold the perfect dive with just seconds remaining(at the 120 min mark) to send the game to PK shootout
    my question was an friendly ‘nudge’ to Kolabear that maybe hid fav, Chrystal Dunn WC spot might not be secure after all, lol.

    On final 23 rosters, coaches usually pick only 7 defenders(4 starters/3 subs) do that CB’s would be the last to be subbed out—and in favor for 7 fwds since one can be subbed for an FB in case of playing catch-up

    in reference to your first paragraph & thread reference; my pre Olympic prediction; Vlatko wouldn’t get fired if he at least gets 3rd place without getting clobbered at semis. Pretty much my same prediction for the upcoming WC.
     
  9. hotjam2

    hotjam2 Member+

    Nov 23, 2012
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    here's a video follow up to OP
    , ladies & gentleman, here;s the unquenchable Georiga Stanway at your serivce
     
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  10. WoSoFan

    WoSoFan Member

    Dec 23, 2017
    Macario injury happened in the last league game of the season. Carpenter was the one injured in the CL final.
     
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  11. kolabear

    kolabear Member+

    Nov 10, 2006
    los angeles
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    #236 kolabear, Apr 4, 2023
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2023
    One of the arguments against hiring VLATKO in the first place was a lack of international experience, a point made by some here at BigSoccer. I wasn't one of them, but it could be a deficiency worth revisiting as we get close to the World Cup. Does VLATKO have enough acumen to deal with the wide range of tactical challenges different teams and different coaches will throw at us? Maybe beating Laura Harvey two years in a row wasn't good enough qualification to be coach of the US national team.

    Is there reason to think another 3-0 drubbing like the one Sweden gave us at the Olympics isn't possible from some team and some coach we'll face at the World Cup?

    ***
    I've noticed something about VLATKO'S approach to the substitutes he has on the bench, what we might call the "one moment of magic" factor. Megan Rapinoe, nearing the end of her career, exemplifies this. She does have that ability to make that one wicked shot or wicked pass that can produce a game-changing goal, but as the minutes tick by, she becomes invisible again. She's not going to change the overall pattern of play, she's not going to help the US seize tactical control of a game where they're being outplayed, except by producing the "one moment of magic"

    At the other end of the career spectrum is Ashley Sanchez, and she, too, at this early stage of her career is capable of producing that "one moment of magic" if Lavelle runs out of gas or is having a bad day. But helping the US seize control of midfield? Highly doubtful.

    Kristie Mewis might be the midfield substitute who can best change the texture of the game.

    Then there's Taylor Kornieck. Is it "one moment of magic" she brings, a wonderful flick to spring someone free and on goal? Or maybe, maybe, you can say her height and ability to head the ball changes the overall grip of the game, bypassing a midfield where we're losing the battle and making a threat of the long-ball over and over again, not just a "moment of magic" but a recurring threat. Maybe we can say this is changing the tactical control of a game, and maybe this is one of the best tactical options we have, but Jeebus, it's Abby-Ball all over again. Hopefully effective but not terribly sophisticated, this is the best we can do after 3 years of VLATKO?

    At 2'00 of the San Diego vs North Carolina highlights clip
    , we get Kailen to Kornieck to Jaedyn Shaw, goalkeeper gets a "hockey" assist


    ***
    Of course, Julie Ertz can change everything (We hope so!). JJ can UnJinx everything, probably everywhere all at once.

    Or not. She's played 6 games in TWO YEARS, all at the Olympics. That's a lot of accumulated rust. Is the timing going to be off on her tackles? I said in the original post of this thread that I was worried about rust showing up on the defensive side of things. Rust doesn't show up in just strikers running out of gas on a long run and whiffing on a ball as they stumble and fall, collapsing in a heap. It shows up in the timing of tackles and interceptions, in judging the speed of the other team, and getting there in time to break up the play without picking up fouls
    ***
    Mainly because Tierna Davidson, Krueger, and Kelly O'Hara (all defenders) were medically available to return.

    If forwards Tobin Heath, Christen Press, and Megan Rapinoe were healed enough to return, we would've seen them back in camp, too
    (tee-hee!)

    ***
    I'm sure I've said this before — VLATKO is like watching Greg Ryan happen in slow motion.

    And I don't understand why our WoSo Journos are so blasé about it. The only thing that aroused some skepticism was the Kornieck experiment at the #6, an idea so absurd so close to the World Cup, I have to think VLATKO was giving the journalists something to criticize him for just for appearances sake, just to give them something so they can feel they were doing their jobs as journalists and not just being stenographers for the Federation.

    Of course, the Nature of Reverse-Jinxes being what it is, I'll take full credit when the US is successful at the World Cup.

     
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  12. Number007

    Number007 Member+

    Santos FC
    Brazil
    Aug 29, 2018
    @kolabear

    As you know, International soccer is a different animal to Club soccer. Sometimes those differences get lost in the desire to sell International games as the pinnacle of the sport. The world cup is a huge event in itself as it brings eyeballs to the game that are not necessarily watching Club soccer.

    1. Coaches get far less time with their team to install tactics and practice.
    2. Coaches have to make the best of qualified players. They cant go out and add a player to fill a key hole like a Club can
    3. The World Cup is a sprint. Small groups and then a KO event with PKs.

    This can make in game tactics very different to Club soccer. I think this makes managing the USA unique. Yes, you get more time with the team than any other country, but you also face pressure not only to win, but to do so with the established names. the impact sub thing is probably the best way to utilize some of these players. The style of play has always been secondary imo, no matter who the manager is. VA was selected to manage this team because of the leading candidates - Harvey,Riley to name a couple, he was the most willing to do it under the conditions outlined above.
     
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  13. cpthomas

    cpthomas BigSoccer Supporter

    Portland Thorns
    United States
    Jan 10, 2008
    Portland, Oregon
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    My brain is self-destructing even thinking about the possibility the USSF would have hired Riley.
     
  14. hotjam2

    hotjam2 Member+

    Nov 23, 2012
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    what I’ve read. the Feds first wanted Wiegman, so I fear(with Vlatko) we got stuck with sloppy seconds!

    There’s a big difference OL vs WC; 3 of our tough OL group made it to the semis, whereas we got an remarkable easy route into the WC semis(I mean both OL group, Sweden & Australia are stronger or at least higher ranked, than any team will be facing till the WC semis)

    our one big name group opponent, well by the Netherlands got two different teams out there; one with Miedema/one without. We’re facing the much weaker latter

    PRO’s & CONS;
    PRO’s; we could have our strongest frontline ever in Smith, Swanson, Morgan, Macario(if she ever gets back into shape), Rodman, then it’s either Pinoe or Williams(or both?)

    CON Vlatko as coach(what else, lol)
     
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  15. kolabear

    kolabear Member+

    Nov 10, 2006
    los angeles
    Nat'l Team:
    United States


    It's not like it was reasonable for (some) fans to think VLATKO should have a backup plan in the midfield

    And for those who want us to take their word for it that Crystal Dunn is not a "world-class midfielder", we're supposed to just accept that Ashley Sanchez is in all the ways that matter at World Cup level?

    Fortunately, in the last couple years Lavelle has seemed more durable and less prone to recurring, niggling injuries which limit her playing time. So... knock on wood
     
  16. CookieRules

    CookieRules Member

    N/a
    United States
    Jul 1, 2021
    Im sorry but anything less than Gold is a failure for a USWNT. You should know that by now.
     
  17. hotjam2

    hotjam2 Member+

    Nov 23, 2012
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    with the way higher amount of money being spend in Europe for woso these days, the USSF will forgive if we don’t win the WC this time around. Plus the future looks bright with the NWSL stepping up with ever expanding professional league as well as like the high investment money by clubs like Angel City($38 mill?) & the Spirit supposedly buying off Lyon.

    right now it’s hard to predict who’s going to win the WC; a few months ago I thought England had it locked up, but now reeling from current 5 starters on the injury list, their chances might of fallen off drastically(and why don’t they play as the UK instead?, so at least they add Weir, Little, Fishlock)

    Spain has yet to squash its rebellion(so missing several valuable players & still don’t know on which side the returning, all-star everything. Alexis Putellas will be on)

    USA chances will depend if our own potential GOAT Macario will return to pre injury form(maybe @WoSoFan might know how’s she’s recovering . @kolabear mentioned that Lavelle is currently out on injury, so far no updates been given on how serious it is

    Vlatko job will probably survive if he looses a close semi or even quarter finals. But in my view, would really need to be removed for future USWNT chances. I mean that several 1st & 2nd NWSL All-Star picks are NOT part of his chosen view needs to be seriously looked at
     
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  18. Number007

    Number007 Member+

    Santos FC
    Brazil
    Aug 29, 2018
    The USSF spend more money than anyone else on the NT by a lot and seem to have more control over NWSL Clubs than other federations do over theirs. I think " the way higher amount of money being spend in Europe for woso these days" is overblown. Yes, some Clubs are spending more money, but you would have to explain to me how that translates to International play in a meaningful way.
     
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  19. hotjam2

    hotjam2 Member+

    Nov 23, 2012
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    #244 hotjam2, May 2, 2023
    Last edited: May 2, 2023
    more money hopefully translates to bigger, better salaries which in turn leads to higher participation/more turning pro

    USSF pays the salaries of our NT players, but now NWSL can pay an extra as well, for example; Alex Morgan’s salary is put at $450K(250K for NT/200K by her club as max cap allowed)

    Euro it’s the club’s that pay the bulk of the salaries with only a much smaller supplemental bonus for playing for their respective NT’s.

    some of Euros NT’s can be dominated by just one club(for instance, before the Spanish woso Civil War, their NT started as many as 9 Barca players in their lineup while playing both the similar tiki tacky style

    England by far has really picked up steam; like their broso counterparts, they’re aiming to be the most powerful league in Europe, and have shown now to be the most balanced as well Their NT bought the most prized woso coach there is in Wiegman(the US wanted her badly), as well snatched our 2019 conditioning coach that did such an good jjob of whipping the over-the-hill gang into shape. To add that did pay up to host last year’s Euro championship.

    salaries are generally not disclosed, so can’t keep up with everyone’s, but some of the figures floating around; Ada Hegerberg(Lyon)$450K, Sam Kerr(Chelsea)$600K

    Everybody got an opinion on how much Europe improved, I’m just going with Vlatko’s record since the Olympics which is an dismal 2-4 against their FIFA ranked top 10 teams
     
  20. ytrs

    ytrs Member+

    Jan 24, 2018
    Who on here did he miss?

    https://prosoccerwire.usatoday.com/lists/nwsl-announces-uswnt-heavy-2022-best-xi-second-xi/

    He gave Mace, Coffey, Pickett all fair looks. Most of the rest are not US players.
     
  21. Number007

    Number007 Member+

    Santos FC
    Brazil
    Aug 29, 2018
    USSF no longer pays the Club salaries. English Clubs are signing predominantly foreign players though. Look at Arsenal, Chelsea, City and Man United. How does that help the Lionesses? The impact at NT level is tangential at best. Overall do i think the money that some European Clubs have put into the game has improved those Clubs. Yes. Do i think they are "better" than the top NWSL teams? Yes. Do I think they have increased their chances of WC glory, no. It will be mostly the same teams in the last 8 and a call here bounce there will decide who wins.
     
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  22. hotjam2

    hotjam2 Member+

    Nov 23, 2012
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    it’s basically in the ‘eye of the beholder’ to judge whether Vlatko gave them enough time. Here’s their playing minutes

    Coffey 172 minutes
    Mace 160
    Picket 152
    (Basically not enough minutes for 2 full games)

    and look at the low minutes he gave two prominent NWSL fwds

    Weaver 35
    Balcar. 12

    the ones that haven’t gotten a chance but listed on last session 1st & 2nd NWSL all-stars LaBonta, Millasso, Hubly & I still got to go with born & raised American. Ordenez( who Vlatko should have seen the forth site to see how good she was going to be before she joined to the MEX NT….to go along with fan faves like Pedersen. & Kiser along with the 39K that play college ball. None given a chance

    only time will tell if Vlatko sticking with an narrow but firm selection will pay off or not, but we’ve seen huge contrasts from other prominent coaches——Wiegman giving chances & way more minutes to new players like James Robinson & Park(who’ve barely made an scratch on WSL stats/half of Germany’s best are 22 & under


    I barely get England either(which Champions League bound Arsenal & Chelsea only started 1-2 domestic players on average). But I remember an English tv commentator always mentioning “we’re here to learn” that season featuring several prominent Americans(2020-21)

    and do question why with the philosophy of ‘putting all your marbles into one basket’ as both Barca & Wolfsburg’s bench could arguably be the 2nd best squad in their own respective leagues. But they both got the end results; the finals of the Champions League(with the monetary awards & prestige that go with it)
    But same time we’ve seen Lyon’s accomplishments of six CL titles this last decade offset by the French NT’s continues flops at the major summer tournaments , so go figure, lol
     
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  23. ytrs

    ytrs Member+

    Jan 24, 2018
    It is the National Team. Everyone does not get a chance. You earn it through club/college/YNT play. Those minutes you mention do not include him seeing them at training too. They have several sessions in camp. Being a strong club player doesn't always translate to national teams. It is the same with our college stars not always translating well to the YNT. You need to be super tactical and technical at the national team level. That is what separates national team players from other top players. Mace looked lost when she played with the national team in the fall. He does not have time to teach her tactics, and she is not the most technical player. He has so many ahead of her. Coffey brought no presence and struggled against England in the fall. She is not the style of 6 he wants (a ball winner). Pickett got a good opportunity and I think showed well. But he has so much experience at outside back. It is hard for a newbie to get an opportunity at that particular position with the World Cup just months away. She won't play ahead of Dunn or Fox, and he apparently likes the experience of the others ahead of her.
     
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  24. cpthomas

    cpthomas BigSoccer Supporter

    Portland Thorns
    United States
    Jan 10, 2008
    Portland, Oregon
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I pretty much agree with this.

    Add to it that the roster candidates include the following with no World Cup experience: Cook, Fox, Girma, Huerta, Kornieck, Krueger, Macario, Sanchez, Hatch, Rodman, Smith, and Thompson. With that many, it seems pretty reasonable not to be trying out more new players.
     
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  25. kolabear

    kolabear Member+

    Nov 10, 2006
    los angeles
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It's getting close to the time where I have to decide whether to go on the record and predict disaster in order to reverse-jinx the US chances under VLATKO :)

    For the moment, I'm going to be positive and think of the kind of bold moves VLATKO can make to give the US a shot at its 3rd World Cup in a row. Although VLATKO has deserved a lot more criticism and scrutiny than he's received, he's shown an occasional ability to make bold moves. For example, after almost leaving Lynn Williams off the Olympics roster (by selecting her initially as an alternate, the only reason why she was able to play was FIFA and the Olympics Committee expanded the rosters due to the COVID epidemic), VLATKO started her in the quarterfinal against Netherlands where she scored one goal and assisted on the other.

    VLATKO also left Alex Morgan off the roster for an extended period of time after the Olympics. It helped revitalize her play. It gave her incentive to settle in with her new club, the expansion San Diego Wave, and help them get off to a good start in their first season and rediscover her game

    So what kind of bold moves can VLATKO make with the World Cup almost on us?

    One of the boldest moves has already been made for him. Various people, including the Philadelphia Inquirer sportswriter Jonathan Tannenwald, cautioned against the temptation of cramming Alex Morgan and Catarina Macario into the same lineup. The thinking of some is that Macario and Morgan would get in each other's way, that Morgan would occupy some of the same spaces that Macario needed to operate in to be effective. While it's a bummer that Macario's recovery from injury is taking longer than hoped, the silver lining is that it's one less mistake that VLATKO can make.

    We can give him credit already for another bold move (because we're nothing if not exceptionally generous here at BigSoccer...) Many of us fault VLATKO for not using Crystal Dunn in the midfield — and it still looks like the US can use help in the midfield — but as long as he's going to peg Dunn as a left back, it's been pretty awesome to see Emily Fox switched over on the right rather than sitting on the bench. I did not know Fox could play right back so I'll give VLATKO credit for it, although apparently she's played there before (perhaps in college) and she says she doesn't care that much which side she plays on. Regardless, I'll give VLATKO credit for giving the US the option of an awesome pair of outside backs which very few teams can come close to matching.

    So what are the kinds of bold moves we should look for (or hope for) from VLATKO?

    • Pick the right goalkeeper.— and I haven't a clue who it is although I've said for years that Aubrey (Bledsoe/) Kingsbury should've been given a chance of making the US team on the basis of her play in NWSL (also Kailen Sheridan if we could've fooled Canada that she was ours) There's no obvious answer here. Naeher, the longtime #1, has struggled mightily with Chicago this season but had a sensational game a couple weeks ago.
    • Bring in a bright young star AND MAKE IT WORK. Jaedyn Shaw, Savannah DeMelo, Sam Coffey? VLATKO probably should've given these three (and others) more of a look, but I have no idea if it will work bringing one of them now
    • Don't stick with Alex Morgan too long if she's ineffective. Morgan's still a good player; being left off the US roster at the start of 2022 and letting her concentrate on finding her form with San Diego has helped revitalize her, but she's nowhere near the goal-scoring machine she was 10 years ago. There's a tendency in US soccer that winning has to follow a narrative about the stars they build up and fit a marketing plan. The US was hindered by that in 2015 when they made it about Abby Wambach's quest to win a World Cup; we only won it when Wambach missed the PK against Colombia and spent the rest of the Cup on the bench.
    • Ditto Julie Ertz. If we take VLATKO's word for it that 80% of Ertz is better than anything else we can put on the pitch, he's going to have to make the tough determination if she's at only 79%. By the way, Japan left Mana Iwabuchi off the roster — that's what selecting a roster based on club form looks like.
    • We can probably assume Rose Lavelle will be back in time for the World Cup, as US stars are prone to do, even if they have to stay in protective wrap during their club's schedule. But will she be able to play 6 or 7 games? What's the Plan B? Was VLATKO's Plan B to hope Catarina Macario would be back, a player on a long-term injury as a backup plan to an injury-prone player? (Which someone like me can say now that we can't be accused of jinxing it?) Ashley Sanchez is a promising, talented young player, but can we expect her to dig in in a tough slog against a top-10 team in a do-or-die game? I think I would favor the steady maturity which Kristie Mewis has attained even if she's not as flashy as Sanchez. And then there's...
    • Maybe, yet maybe, VLATKO will Free Crystal Dunn
     
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