I've watched a couple. Boxx was better than I remember. I always liked Amy LePeillbet (sp?), but she was great in the Canada game, really fast. And, she just danced with the ball away from pressure a couple of times. Rapinoe vs. Canada was really interesting. She didn't look confident at all. She was kind of a "glue" player. She made excellent passes, but not "last" passes. She was more than happy to lay off the ball as she got closer to dangerous spaces. And, her game was not nearly as sharp. I guess she was coming off of knee surgery, so tough to evaluate her off that match. The Hamm/Foudy/Fawcett retirement game reminded me of something I'd forgotten, not that it makes a big difference. Wambach made Parlow totally superfluous. And, that's a hell of a thing. Yes, Parlow retired due to concussions, but after Abbie, she was never going to play a lot. Any opinions changed out there?
Shannon Boxx was a great player. She had excellent defensive skills and was an awesome header. The main problem in our elimination from the 2007 WC when Boxx was red carded for getting tripped, was not that we were a player short; it was that Boxx was the player we were missing. She was that important.
Foudy in her prime was better than I remember. I think in her later years, she declined in form, perhaps more rapidly than a player like Hamm, and that later form is what sticks in my mind. But rewatching some of the earlier games reminds me of how important she was in the midfield and why she was with the team for so long. She wasn't as crucial as a player like Akers, but re-watching that 99 game made me appreciate her more. And as for Akers, you can readily see the difference in the midfield after Akers goes out and that says all you need to know about her...and she wasn't even at her best then. (But in regard to Akers, my opinion hasn't changed. I've always been a big fan.) Also it was a joy to watch Cheney/Holiday again. For those who really only watched WC/Olympic games, they never saw her in her best position. Watching the 2013 game the other day reminded me of that, and also makes me want to go watch some FCKC games as well.
Opinion Before - Brimming with Complete and Total Awesomeness. Opinion After - Brimming with Complete and Total Awesomeness. Soooooooo..............no change.
I too remember her more from her later years. Part of the issue is that she was miscast as the attacking mid - which was not her position. But, a while back I watched the 91 WC (the 1st one - in China, in case I got the year wrong). She was really fast back then. She had a bigger impact on the game than Hamm, and iirc, Lilly.
Those older players from 1999 were pretty fast. I don’t remember them well but they would be very dominant today in their prime, JMO.
I've rewatched this year's She Believes Cup because I was working in Europe during the matches. (1am start times, need for sleep,etc.) anyway... Carli Lloyd is undervalued.
Michelle Akers would still be the greatest women's soccer player ever, Kristine Lilly would still be great (and would start ahead of Rapinoe) and Joy Fawcett in today's greater media exposure environment might finally be appreciated for how great she was.