US won the gold... Now, does that change your opinion about whether Coach Pia should stay for one more WC or not? I don't think Coach Pia announced her plans yet...
Hard to argue with the results. Her brilliant decision to have Boxx injure herself put Carli Lloyd on the field, which led directly to victory.
This tournament and especially that match reinforced many of my feelings. I'm looking forward to a new coach.
Agreed. The Rapinoe sub was a real head-scratcher for me especially since immediately after, the complexion of the game changed. And really, why bring on Cheney? O'Reilly should have played. That substitution nearly cost the US the game. This team needs new blood going forward. They need a coach that will usher in new players and push older ones out. Including Rampone. If this tournament is any indication of her future play, she should be done.
This is ridiculous. Who would be better than Pia? Really. Is there any proven quality that is willing and available? If the USSF is going to force a parting of the ways they better have an improvement in coaching lined up.
So you and blitz are making the point, right? I don't get it. The US makes the finals of three straight world championships, wins two of them and loses the 3rd on PK's. Why on EARTH would you make a change????? (I know, because Press or Henderson or whomever isn't getting their day in the sun - THAT makes sense, uhh, to their moms maybe) Maybe for once the fed could do the right thing, keep Pia and get on with facilitating a pro league?
I've always been a Tom Stone fan, as an Assistant Coach candidate who could develop from there into being the possible future Head Coach at some point. He is roughly 47 years old, so he's still got some years ahead of him. Possibly 10+ good years of coaching left. He knows the women's game to a tee, and he knows player relations and how to empower and integrate them into one, with the best of them. Especially with the female gender. He is top notch at it. With all the talent they have (including the up and coming young talent), he makes sense to be on the coaching staff somewhere (at least as an Assistant), and possibly the head coach a few years after that.
Hey, I'm on you side. Let's recap. We have an idiot coach who makes an idiot roster decision, then when it blows up in his face takes a comment from the player who sat and uses it to divide the team in an attempt to save his own neck. Attempt fails, team is now divided, USSoccer sees though the ploy and fires his *ss. Pia comes in and the team is in such disarray that fall it barely gets through qualifiers. Best striker breaks leg just before going to China, Team wins gold in Olympics Team goes to World Cup and loses gold there in a shoot out in the finals, gets silver. Team wins gold in the next Olympics, now has best record of any coach in history. Fans think every decision she has ever made was bad. My question is...is it time to trade the fans in for better ones?
One more point to add... Pia benches a player who hasn't been playing well to start the tournament. She's forced to use that player because of injury, and that player becomes MOTM in the Gold Medal game. Instead of bragging how the benching was a smart tactical move which motivates that player, she steps up to the mike on international TV in front of millions of viewers and ADMITS SHE WAS WRONG. (Did Ryan ever do that? Didn't think so.)
Just ignore BigSoccer between major tournaments. Your average fan knows Pia has done a tremendous job. This site concentrates stupidity.
If and When Pia finally leaves, I'll honestly miss her positivity and everything she has given to the US team. She wasn't perfect during her run and frankly no coach ever is perfect, she goes in my book as one of the greatest coaches for our US team.
Heh. Pia's not perfect, but her record is tremendous and I'd argue we have made some movement toward possession at times (with reversions back). That being said, there is some notion to a new coach, new blood, new thinking. Like any decision, this is not made in a vacuum though. Who's the other candidate(s) for this job?
I don't want to rain on the USA's parade but I think it would be best if we started looking for a replacement. Pia was good when she took over and was a needed change. We're at that point again. I think player for player, were the most talented team in the world BUT we still don't dominate any but the minnows. I think Pia's game management is terrible and bench management in a tournament, not much better. More than that though, we really aren't progressing in our style of play. We are still relying too much on athleticism and too little on tactics. Japan and France both play at a higher level than we do...we win on guts and athleticism and that wont be enough much longer. I don't think Pia can take us where we need to go. Hire the Canadian coach. Hes moving an inferior team forward at a great pace. We won't be able to win again playing the way we are
I'd like to see a new coach. Yeah, we got the gold medal, but it was a lot tougher than it should have been and could easily have gone the other way. And, yes, we win all the time, but we're the #1 team in the world - we should win all the time. That being said, Katreus has a point: what are the alternatives? How about Paul Riley?
Not the only mistake shes made. She had A-Rod starting over Morgan for ever and she insists Buehler is a starter. Speaking of Buehler... see who the closest defender was on all three of Sinclair's goals as well as the Japan goal today. She gets an assist on the goal and almost set up a second. Our defense looked very unorganized at times today and changes should be made....will they? Not if Pia stays
Who he feck can stop or guard those shots from Sinclair? WTF are you on? One at point blank and 2 dead corners. Arod over Morgan because Morgan was still getting into it back in the day. We made it to the WC Final didn't we? We score 2 solid goals while Japan goals were all scrambled, like today. That's the best the lot can muster againt us. Don't change the shit if it ain't broken.
No they should not. Pia needs to go. It has nothing to do with success or failure. Coach K of the men's basketball team is resigning after the Olympics because it's time to give someone else the reigns. This is not college. A National Team coach should not be there forever. A new coach is needed with a fresh set of eyes and a fresh style. The National Team needs to constantly evolve. Paul Riley Albertin Montoya
I want Pia to stay. I give her the benefit of the doubt, and the benefit of a proven winner. She makes the team play better together. I will give her a chance to bring in new blood this next cycle.