The Charge perhaps saved their season today at Uniondale, NY with their first road win since June 19, 2002 as they paid back the New Yawkers 2-1 in Hope Solo's pro debut. She was solid, as was the MVP, who scored twice. It did get dicey at the very end, as Joey Peters scored her second goal in as many weeks in stoppage. Crowd was just 3,165 at Mitchell Charge improve to 1-4, and with Carolina pummeling Washington at the moment, they'll gain ground on the Freedumb, too. Potential bad spot: Deliah Arrington messed up her knee and was wheeled off the field in the second half; replays showed Smolak didn't touch her as she motored in on her. Hope she's OK. Stats: Shots: 12-7, PHL Shots on Goal: 7-2, PHL Fouls: 10-8, PHL Offsides: 3-1, PHL Corners: 6-4, PHL How sweet it is. Paul
Congrats to the Charge and their fans. They didn't have the majority of possession BUT they made the most of the possession they had... nice goals by Pichon... I liked her shout out to Kelly The score could have been higher if Smolak didn't make some of the saves she made, and Solo looked good/comfortable in the net.
Nice turnaround, this... Already we've got the team's take. http://philadelphiacharge.com/361419.html Coach K on telling Solo she was the starter *this morning*: "She showed a physical presence in there. She came out particularly early on a couple of balls served right in there. She came and grabbed them in a crowd. You can tell that she’s still young, but we know that she is a good talent." Solo: "Any time you come out for crosses in the box, you’re going to get hit. Any time they cross the ball you’ve got to come out strong and catch the ball." The acting captain, JT-P: "I thought we gelled together as a team. We kept in very compact. The last time we played (5-4 loss two weeks ago) we sat deep and gave them too many chances." Pichon on her "Kelly Smith #8" shirt under her jersey: "We miss her a lot and she’s a great player. We want her to know that all of the team is thinking about her. And she’s a good friend of mine." On her second of the day: "The keeper was going out of the net and the defender was going the same way. I didn’t care about what it took to score though. I just wanted to score." Paul
I really like Arrington and I hope its not the ACL but it sure looked like it easily could have been. The replay showed no contact. It looked like she planted her foot and tried to go forward but only her knee went. Hopefully it is only a sprain but it sure looked like the typical ACL injury :-(
Yeah. Arrington's injury looked bad. Hopefully, it won't keep her out too long. Both keepers did quite well. Good saves. Melanie Hoffmann? should have received the assist on the second goal. The Charge didn't have the majority of possesion but we were able to stop them most of the time getting shots on goal. The end of the game looks all too familiar. Keeping composure at the end will be composure. Such luck to hit the post twice in five seconds. Peters is a player to look out for. I didn't hear any music when I watched the game. I've been to Mitchell before and they didn't have music. Did they at this game? Good first win for the Charge. Hoffmann is a good passer. Makinen and McVeigh are getting better.
That they were yesterday. A true fan points out that as well as the times they weren't that good. It's most encouraging and something to build on. Next task: to even the season series with SJ next Saturday... Paul
More, from the rook's point of view.... http://www.philadelphiacharge.com/361597.html Note what Coach K's reasoning behind his decision... Paul
Tietjen should confess she f 'ed up on that late goal. It was her area, her ball. GK owns the 6. What was Tiejen playing - space or man? As it turns out - neither one. A defender's mentality should be that balls should NEVER drop inside the PA. See, not only did Tietjen fail to clear the ball the first time, but she also failed to clear it twice more when the ball was at her feet. McVeigh getting better??? Better at what? Better at mishandling a ball in stoppage-time with no opponent within 10 yards of her? Solo had to boot it out because McV was about to give up a corner in the dying minutes. I've given McV grief for not being able to play stand-up defense, but for chrissakes, she can't even play well with just her & the ball. McV will get better, but she really needs to go down that learning curve fast. Anyone notice how lazy Makinen was the entire game? On NY's goal, she just stood there doing nothing. Of course, she would win the obligatory ball once per half, otherwise, she'll let the opponent win it. anson commented how Krikorian yelled at Makinen for giving up a ball she already won; Mak just gave up when the opponent challenged her for the ball. So what else is new? I thought Lorrie Fair was bad, but Mak is definitely worse. You can't turn an ass into a thoroughbred, but gimme a break, show some enthusiasm and purpose when you're in the game. Observe how teammates would go out of their way to NOT pass to Makinen. Pass to Mak, you get it back. Specifically observe how Hoffmann would go out of her way to receive a throw-in even when Mak's wide open. Mark should break down the tape & observe his players' actions on the field. They don't seem to have confidence in Makinen. With those two in the game, perhaps the players on the bench are a worse lot? As soon as the 4th official flashed extra-time, Krikorian should have killed time with substitutions. A 2-goal lead is the most dangerous lead in football, & with the history with NY, no lead is ever safe. And with PHL giving up a stoppage-time goal for the 3rd consecutive game, a break in action would have calmed nerves. I thought NY played well. NY dominated the 1st 20 minutes. They were getting behind the defense & were unlucky not to make anything out of their attacks. Had Millie been playing, it probably would have been a different ballgame by half-time. Pichon was clearly the best player out there, & was the difference-maker with her two goals. Pichon's good at punishing defenses when they fall asleep, & this game was a good example of that. Solo played well in her debut. She owned the 6, something Melissa was shy in doing. Unlike Solo, Melissa shuns contact in the box, preferring her defenders to do the dirty work even within the 6. Most importantly, Melissa was also very punch-happy, preferring punching to snagging the ball even with no opponent within reach. With two outstretched arms, Solo knew she could reach for any ball against that taller lineup. Could that have been the reason why NY eventually decided to play short on CKs? Until she falters, I think Solo will start at GK. Solo's command of the box brings welcome relief to the beleaguered defenders. The team seemed more relieved than happy to get the three points. Winning cures all ills, & hope the winning ways continue against SJ.
"As soon as the 4th official flashed extra-time, Krikorian should have killed time with substitutions." No, that is unsportsmanlike. Anyway, we do have a history with New York late in a game. All of the matches have had a goal scored in the last ten minutes or something. I saw it somewhere.
Forget about being professional; it would have added more injury time, wouldn't it? Meaning the ref would have seen through it and added the time anyway.. Paul
some add time. Some don't. That's why DennisM abhors the use of such tactics. Personally, I view it as part of the game. Legal substitutions are covered by LOTG. It's the CR's discretion to add time, if any. The best arbiter for this issue would be someone like nsa. Stoppage time of 2:00 was a bit harsh on NY. They subbed four, PHL scored two goals, & Arrington went down. If you add :30 as is usual and customary for subs & goals, add 1:00 for Arrington, stretcher, & Kruze, stoppage time of 4:00 would have been fair. 3:00 would have been reasonable. NY did make quick subs, so CR probably didn't add :30 for each player. Maybe actual time or :15. As things turned out, CR did add additional stoppage-time after NY scored & when she cautioned Pichon for USB. IIRC, stoppage time lengthened to 3:30 from 2:00. Add :30 for NY's goal, add :30 for Pichon's USB. Hmmmmmm . . . what's the other :30 for? I think original stoppage time was closer to 2:30 than to 2:00. Just my opinion.
PAX TV means minimize the extra time to get off at the top of the hour... extra time is odd, Urs Meier in the Champions league match put on 5 minutes...when two or three at most was deserved... this is the same guy who called the PK in the Korea-USA match... but the extra 5 minutes does add drama... back to the match, Solo presence in the box, particularly her willingness to challenge in the air is the big difference between Solo and Moore... lacking Iverson, having a keeper willing to challenge in the air will make a noticeable difference... anyway, who has the voodoo doll with the charge jersey on it... I'm taking wagers for the next player to go down
That's true. That's why they straight to the next show after a Pax match. I abhor it like I abhor playing into corners and other things because it's not fair play. Solo does do more of what I call "Beeneing"(LaKeysia does take some risks in her jumps) but she shouldn't have to if the defense was there to protect her. So it's good that Solo does that but it also means that our defense has to play better. Two minutes was too short but then again the 4 minutes against Washington was too much.
with Solo, there will be some trade-offs since generally the Charge defense, barring Mcveigh, have had the time to know each other. A team is a blend of talents, where each player does some things well. and others less well. Fitschen and Iverson commanded the air very well, so Charge keepers didn't ahve to be masters of the air. solo has an edge there, I'm sure her gambling nature might result in some misfortune, but only time will tell whether the fortune ends up being good or poor. the development of players like Kruze and misaki and mcveigh will be the key on how well this team gets to be...
Pichon's 2nd goal came in at 5th in the Fox Sports World Report's "Goals of the Week". I think Pichon's came in ahead of Trezeguet's goal against Real Madrid.
Pichon's two goals against NY really showcased her skill, great once touch, and then a couple deft touches for the winner. She appears more fit than ever. If she doesn't get worn out doing all the offensive work for the charge, I expect really big things this autumn for her for France. perhaps a golden boot??
I'll take Solo's gambling nature on snagging crosses any day. Is it any different with Melissa coming out early on many breakaways? A GK's primary task is as a shot-stopper. However, the modern game asks much more of the position. Snagging crosses, dead-ball positioning of self & defenders, quality of distribution. Melissa can stop shots, is agressive off her line, but not agressive with defending crosses, & I'm not impressed with her distribution. With this team, the GK can't rely on the defenders to clear, she has to do it herself. Melissa's not bad. Solo just brings certain qualities that are lacking in Melissa's game and in the defensive coverage.
Moore could rely on Iverson winning everything in the air for her. Wambach's first goal on her, I was yelling for Moore to punch it out of danger. Solo clearly would have done so. To me, the key player will be Melanie Hoffmann. I think we'll see Burt inserted to partner Pichon, and it'll be up to Hoffmann to provide the service. Against DC and NY, this team has played a better quality of game... and young players like Misaki and Kruze have contributed...I liked Kruze in the scrimmage I saw, and I think she's got a lot of upside... originally I had looked at the season as 7-7-7, where I thought the charge would struggle the first 7, find themselves the next 7, and hope to make a run the last 7... two home matches next, ideally two wins get you right back into everything, but a win and a draw (4 points) are almost required... I'm really curious when Scasna is expected back, if she's out several more weeks, then it's getting close to being a lost season for her... If Smith returns, I'd just use her as a 30 minute player.
...is it like the guy in the movie the Natural?? you know, where all the players are falling asleep?? did they ever have any one in the sort of role previously?? There's all this stuff about visualization... if you close your eyes and imagine you're scoring the winning goal or saving a PK, your neural networks don't know the difference between the dream or the reality... so by visualizing the process, your neural networks believe the task has been achieved... similary, if you moan and groan about not ever winning, that mental outlook gets enhanced, and it becomes even more difficult to win... the ever present self fullfilling prophecy... just like the "negative" outlook of Philadelphia sports fans having a curse for losing enhances the difficulty to really win... if you are continually reminded, you can't win, you can't win, then that enforcement gets realized...