Well they conceded two pretty cheap goals on some bad defensive lapses… it seemed like Amy was alone in the center of defense, she saved us on several other opportunities. The offense wasn’t much better either, except for that twenty minute stretch right after halftime……meaning that a certain someone must have made positive tactical and motivational changes in the locker room…….. Not an excuse, but I think having Osborne in midfield would have helped, it seemed they had difficulty in transition. Overall, I think they’re getting more nervous with each game…. And hearing negative chants from their own fans doesn’t help that. The weather was perfect, and it was a well played competitive game….The fact that Tony’s defense first, grind it out strategy for the most part isn’t working anymore is a testament to how much better the league has gotten from Year 1 to Year 2…and how far women’s soccer has come since 1999. The man’s a legend, the least he deserves is to stick out the rest of the season and coach his last home game in his home state. If not for Tony we probably wouldn’t even have WPS. And the progress that he helped make in promoting women’s soccer around the world is now coming back to “haunt” him, if you know what I mean.
Why was Moore on the bench and Igwe at center back? Was that part of Amy looking so alone back there? They were pretty much dominated as the 2 shots on goal would attest. Too bad style points don't count, but 2 ugly goals still beat 1 beautiful goal any day. Has anyone else made note that Amy Rodriguez is tied wth a bunch of others for 2nd in goals scored with 4 this season? Is it the system? And can this franchise, generating negative chants from one of the most loyal (and previously forgiving) fanbases in WPS really allow this continue? Can they afford to let the legendary coach make it to that last game in home state out of sentiment? Are they ready to pack in the season already a little more than halfway?
Oh I agree they played horribly for the most part, and were much deserved losers. The point of the Lepeilbet comment was to say exactly what you did…that the rest of the defense was nonexistent and that Tony made some gambles tactically that didn’t pay off, in other words he’s desperate and almost trying too hard at this point. I’m not trying to make excuses, because there aren’t any after that performance. However…..YES, it is the system, and Arod struggling in Boston is the perfect example of that. Tony’s teams generally start at the back with great defensive play and rely on power and technique, not speed, up front. What I was trying to say was that strategy worked ten years ago when women’s soccer was not as strong/fast...discipline and teamwork, grinding out results will win you games. Now, the game has changed….and Tony is searching for answers. Correspondingly, his team is struggling mightily. What he realizes and we don’t, however, is that this is actually a very fitting end to his legacy. His efforts in changing women’s soccer forever have led to his own “downfall.” After he won the World cup as coach, he dreamed of a professional league with better coaches and players for women’s soccer…and his dream has come true, at his “expense.” Again, you look for the positives in life, always. One rule of being a great sports fan…you NEVER turn against your own team. Pompey fans had a million reasons to do so……and still sang louder than ever at the FA Cup semis and finals. Given the financial questions of WPS and the fact that next year is a world cup year, you never know how many more Breakers games will actually happen at the good old Harvard Coliseum.
A team that doesn't rely on some speed up front, along with technique? Hmmm. Ghana proved today what a little speed can do for you.
If you're going to depend on "defense first," I'm not sure why you change the defense that's working reasonably well. Moore was exposed by the likes of Marta, and we could use someone faster in the center, but the defense was overall pretty good. Igwe didn't look like any kind of improvement. (Too bad we don't have someone with some speed, like Candace Chapman. To channel Bob Lobel, 'why can't we get players like that?') I wonder if Moore is hurt? I can't explain her absence from the lineup otherwise. You could similarly wonder about Naeher starting over Phillips. Ashley was also occasionally shaky, but we weren't giving up that many goals with her in there. We definitely miss Leslie Osborne, but we weren't scoring with her in there either. Cheney had a pretty bad game, and I wasn't surprised to see her subbed out. I knew we were in trouble while watching the warmups. The team was taking shots at goal and they were nearly all going over the bar or wide. They couldn't even score without a defense. I hope the Breakers don't do what the Revolution did and squander the early support for the team by having a bad product on the field. They won't be able to survive as long as the Revs have. I'm in for the duration, but we'll see about everyone else. I'm not worried too much about the lower attendance last night. The city really emptied out and I was shocked to encounter no traffic at all from Longwood to Allston. I guess everyone took off for the weekend.
Yes, Moore was exposed by Marta, but tell me who she doesn't expose ? She is one of the best ! By looking at the last 2 week's roster reports on the WPS page, I am pretty sure that either Moore or Phillips are injured, just benched for whatever reason. Before the last 2 games, our defense was looking pretty good. The problem seemed to be with the forwards not scoring and still is. For the previous 8 games, the Breakers boasted the second stingiest defense in the league, allowing just 9 goals. Since TD has made his recent changes, we have allowed 3 goals in the last 2 games. Seems like the problem lies with the forwards, leave the DEFENSE alone. As to why the forwards are not producing, that is the big question. AROD seems to be thriving under a different coach, how is the chemistry with the team? We are running out of time to answer these questions...
Remind me again what Lipsher, her of the 9 clean sheets, did to piss off Tony in the off season? This team's marquee players have been a disappointment this year. Kelly is showing either her age or disinterest (unless you count almost getting a 2nd yellow as interest) and Cheney is no better than anyone. If Dicicco isn't gone by the end of the season...
Don't hold your breath, we still don't know why Bishop got cut at halftime of a game she STARTED in last season.........
It is not the Breakers way. They are holding true to the WUSA way, when they let Jay Hoffman, TD's ASS Coach at WC99, ruin two full seasons before they did anything. Legendary tradition will continue.
Firing any coach, especially the most famous coach in women’s soccer history, midseason would be seen as a disgrace by the entire WPS community. A man of his pedigree and at this point in his career deserves to make his own decision to step down, which he should and will do at the end of the season. Not to mention the more immediate consequences of the players having to learn a whole new system right before the toughest stretch of the schedule. That’s moving backwards, not forwards. You know, they hang banners at Harvard Stadium to honor the legends of the game……just imagine what Tony’s might look like going with your suggestion……..”The man who introduced the world to the potential of women’s soccer, won the World Cup, started the first major women's professional league and inspired many WPS players to become who they are now……..FIRED by YOUR Boston Breakers!!!!” On the other hand, his struggles at this point would make a fitting end to his legacy if he walked out on his own…..he wished for progress in women’s soccer and got it…….to the extent that now he is running out of ideas and unable to keep up with the talent and coaching around him. That’s a perfect way to end the story. And we as fans should see it through until the last game….showing our admiration for all this man has done, and supporting his efforts to at least help the team to a respectable finish when all is said and done. He coached the US Women’s national team to the cup……and the next two Breakers games happen to be on Fourth of July and the day of the men’s world cup final……Don’t give up the ship
Guilty. So were they really making negative chants? wtf...what were they saying? It's certainly not what the players need, they probably get that enough in the locker room. I will definitely be there next time to cheer them on (even though they will be playing Atlanta, now one of my favs). I don't agree with the whole "learning a new system so far into the season is moving backwards, not forwards" argument. Sometimes new ideas/a new mentality can provide the necessary spark and a reminder of reality. We can't get so hung up on the past either. Right now, the coach ("famous" or not) is simply doing a poor job. I wasn't at the game, but it seems like change is needed. oh, and Masar? Her? (oh how I miss you, Arrested Development)
After this game: ARod 6 goals (tied for 1st with Marta), Breakers 7 goals. TD must feel sick in his stomach.
And your point is.....? You're right if you look at overall body of work, but I think Tony is more recognizable on a world stage simply because he won the world cup. And he was specifically influential in starting women's professional soccer as we know it. However that was besides the meaning of the post. Maybe "most famous" was the wrong choice of words.
I see that you are constantly stressing that TD won the Women Soccer World Cup but I seem to remember he won it with a team that was assembled, trained and honed into a world beating team by the previous World Cup coach Anson Dorrance. Anybody with an already well trained and ready team would have won the World Cup. You should give the credit where it is due.
Agree. Dorrance pretty much honed and shaped that team from its early days and more or less handed it off to TD who was AD's assistant.
Not entirely true. Anson was the WNT coach until 1994. DiCicco was the coach for the 1995 WWC and the 1999 WWC and the 1996 Olys. There were a couple of significant roster changes between the 95 version and the 99 version (eg Jennings-Gabarra & Hamilton) but the core was the same.
I'm not above firing a legend. After all, legends never last forver. Hope Solo had a great point with Brianna Scurry. Dicicco is now at the Scurry stage of his career and he needs to stop for the sake of the league.
Many of the players on the 1999 team have since stated that they conformed better to Tony's methods of coaching during the buildup to the WC and welcomed the change in style from Dorrance four years earlier. So you can't say that Tony didn't have a major influence on their win. That being said, we're debating a point that is almost completely irrelevant to the topic at hand. Both coaches were influential in different ways and with different styles, and I agree that Anson may have been more so, but Tony is simply more recognized by your average outsider because he was in charge in 1999, whether he assembled the team or not. That's all I'm saying. Both are legends. This is the Breakers forum, not a UNC forum, so let's get back on topic. Whether Tony is most famous or second most famous, he still deserves that banner at Harvard, and it will still say the same ironic thing of post #13 if they fire him (which they won’t)………. The last home game was scheduled for New Britain back in February for a reason……..because no matter what the team’s record would be at that point in August, it would be an opportunity for the fans to salute Tony and Lilly in their home state one last time, not just for the 1999 win but for the lifetime commitments they have made towards the game we know today.
Id argue that the Breakers honor those that were legends with the club. Dicicco hasn't done jack S*** with this team. And the game is in New Britain more because of Harvard Stadium isnt available than a desire to honor players/coaches.
Good for her.. There are those here that blamed all of our offensive woe's on her and were glad to see her go... I thought she played well and just needed some time to adjust and a system that worked for her strengths and not force her into some predefined roles. The best coaches make the system that fits the players and not the other way around.. We have what about 6 National Team players (Smith, Alex, Cox, Amy L, Fabiana and I think we have one more not including Lilly).. Some how that roster should be doing better that 1 win.. Two full seasons with also two fully different rosters and the results are the same.. Look at some of our cast offs.. Amy, league leading scorer. Bishop, from starter to released. Now starting defender for Atlanta and doing very well (3rd best defense based on GA).. Good coaches move players to positions/formations that allow them to succeed... Don't see that happening here... I'm here till they shut the doors.. Love the sport, team and games.. Just wish those in charge would "strap a pair on" and make the changes that are obviously needed...