So let's hear it..... Will Marta start? Do we have the defensive chops to contain Sinclair and company? Will this be the week that our offense really comes together? Who would you start in goal?
Lipsher should start. she got the shutout and made some good saves (even though SBFC finishing was beyond horrendous. This will be a great test of the mental toughness of your team. They can't be intimidated by the names they see across the field. at the end of the day, the pressure to win is on the flash. if they can focus on that they should be loose and come out to play.
This game could get ugly by the half. They dont have Boston's back 4 who kept 3 balls out of the net. It could have been 5-1 WNY without Marta and her little sidekick. Like I said, Blue cant finish especially Aluko in tight games which they needed a goal vs a weak ATL team. Marta - Sinclair - Morgan They'll kill Atl on the runs alone from Morgan and Marta. Anything isnt side the 20 and you have to deal with Sinclair either shooting and make a pinpoint pass. Gamma - Fountain - Maurine (AMF or F, will attack vs taking shots 30 yds out like Christaine and seems as quick as Gamma) Atl had breakdowns against Blue just like they had against Boston but blue is the 5th best team in the league on paper and they showed it.
I think they will match up at times... but it is going to be a real test for ATL to stay in the game....
Atlanta might be able to hold out for a half or so, but I think the deep bench of the Flash will do them in if the starters don't. Having Maurine, Davison, and Parker coming off the bench will be too much for just about any team to handle late in games.
WPS roster report.....Jesolva not rostered??????? Say it ain't so. Agree that Lipsher should start. Galanis said that Whitworth and Lipsher were running neck and neck in preseason. I say go with the hot goalkeeper until she's not.
Great performance by Atlanta in the 2nd half of the match. The first half was pretty dull by comparison, but the important thing was the Beat hung in there and didn't fall farther behind than 1-0. Great strikes from Chalupny and Lloyd. Larsen came close on another. Lipsher made some key saves down the stretch. I'm still not ready to proclaim Atlanta as a top contender, but their effort was impressive and they look like they can be very competitive in most games. Next week will be another test, their first road game and a rematch of this one. The second half of this match was one of the most exciting I've seen in WPS. Atlanta will need to start curbing some of the yellow cards or their going to be missing more players than other teams are for the World Cup.
The ref was a little quick to draw those cards, IMHO. But this type of "spectacular" reffing always seems to happen when the game is televised. Great game. Chalupny turned the game around. Kudos to the Beat for the way they handled conceding a goal after less than two minutes played. Wright could have used some more direction/clearer instructions, no? Chalupa - Player of the week.
I was watching the game on Fox Soccer Channel and when Loyd got the yellow card for slide tackling from behind you can here the Beat faithful complaining and giving the ref a hard time on TV. What's there to complain? They showed the replay and it was a straight yellow. Period.
I think the best way to measure a ref is by their consistency. 10 minutes into the game, you should have a clear idea of what they will and will not tolerate. I didn't think that this was the case with this ref. Wilson committed some bad fouls, but the ref let them slide. It was really more about consistency than about this particular situation, I believe.
I think the Beat played great! Congrats to the team, especially given all the badmouthing on this board about how WNY would roll over them. Here's mustard in your eye! Go Beat!
Personally, I thought all of the yellows were well-deserved, but I won't argue that there could have been more consistency overall. Chalupny will get pounded game in, game out and calls not be made, although I did see her bounce Riley a couple of times early on. It was kind of nice to see her dishing it out for a change. I totally agree on Chalupny for player of the week, but of course, I am biased being from the St. Louis area and her being my favorite player. But she was the engine that kept this team ticking when they weren't doing much early on. If it hadn't been for her goal, I don't know if Atlanta has the confidence they showed over the last 30-35 minutes of the match. It really got them going and they were a different team after that. I also have to give Galanis a lot of credit so far. He's getting a lot out of the roster he has. Some of the younger players have been pleasant surprises and even the much-maligned Lloyd seem to have a spark in her tonight. And yes, I was one of those thinking that this game would be a total blowout. Atlanta stayed in the game and didn't panic early when they fell 1-0 down less than two minutes in. They were able to attack the Flashes' weaknesses in the 2nd half and score a couple of goals. I do think that WNY was not used to playing on grass and it showed. The Beat also benefitted by only having to face Marta for a half, but to be fair, the Beat outscored them 2-1 in that half. So take nothing away from the Beat. There were a lot of positives to be taken from this match.
No, actually it was not a straight yellow. She came in hard and got all ball, you can clearly see that in the replay, and it was not from behind it was from the side. Mitts. I can't remember...did she get one? Someone on the Beat came in very hard cleats up and that was definitely worthy. On-topic, I was very much entertained and impressed by the 2nd half. Chalupny as usual played her heart out, what a fantastic goal for her efforts as well. Carli all-out buried her goal, nothing Harris could've really done about that. Fitness looked good, didn't appear to drag in the 2nd half. Not really impressed with Wright, really missing Jesolva. Had Jesolva been healthy, I'm really wondering what the offensive would've been like with her in.
I think Mitts usually looks pretty good, in this game she also played well. And yes, she got a yellow for the tackle at midfield late in the second half.
Boring first half, but nice strike from Sinclair. Much better second half, very entertaining. I give Atlanta a lot of props for going after WNY. I thought the yellows were deserved. Perhaps more could have been called, but it seemed to me that there was a warning first and then a yellow. Lloyd has a bad habit of fouling ... she needs to clean that up. Also, is she pulling a Wambach? She's on the ground so often its crazy. Chalupny was good (but got schooled by Riley), but not the POTM. In my opinion it was the goalie(s), either one. Overall, I think the play/matchups are far better than last year.
I think that was more frustration from the feeling that more calls were going against us than not, especially the missed call in the box. Congrats to the team, it was a great game and I'm glad it was broadcast nationally. I really like this team's heart, especially after going down a goal so quickly. I'm not sure I agree with AWK's assessment of our "oppressive tactics" which makes it sound like we dropped 8 or 9 into our back third for the first half. However, I am still a little concerned about not having a real out-and-out striker, though; it's more like we have 6 midfielders. I overheard one woman at the game who was distressed that she was actually getting used to the announcer.
I definitely agree, not having a striker is something to be concerned about. I personally don't put too much stock into what AWK is saying. It's not exactly a secret that there's an overall media bias in favor of Boston and against Atl and magicJack. For instance, lots of folks who have been discussing the mJ-Breakers game mentioned the "narrow field" in FLA, but guess what, both teams played on the same field. If someone from the Beat had used this as an excuse, everybody would have been all over it, calling the team crybabies or what not. It's quite amusing. So yeah, the Beat didn't go into the game with a plan to dominate WNY. Nothing shocking about that. They worked within their means, and this time, it paid off. Marta's salary alone is probably about equal with the payroll of the entire Beat squad. It was good to see that they were able to achieve a tie. Surprises like that are good for the league. The announcer appears to be improving. He didn't say "the first person to follow the twitter"