What I am seeing that I really like is the USA has more offensive movement in this match than I have seen in any USA in the last four or five years. Everybody moves most of the time and that has to confuse the defenders almost to distraction. I am totally unimpressed by our goalkeeping as the keepers seem to be lost when something even slightly unexpected happens. This is both exciting and somewhat depressing. I wish there were fewer back passes but at least when they attack they do it with both speed and tenacity. I understand using backpasses to relieve pressure and to force the other team to spread out and that makes space and space is the enemy of defense and the friend of the attack so I can live with that. If our keepers were actually any good with their feet the play might look better. I do see a LOT more freedom in the play than ever under Vlatko Andonovski and I also see the potential for a lot more goals than the USA has produced in years. I do see some evidence of some players pulling out of tackles which I assume is because of the worry about health for the Olympics. I will not be surprised if we do really well in the Olympics and even win the damn thing. But Mexico is not France or England or Germany or even China or Japan so we will just have to wait and see what actually happens.
Final United States 1 Mexico 0 The video quality was significantly better on Telemundo than on TNT. Telemundo was also 22 seconds ahead.
Hayes has clearly used the one goal lead to have the team practice holding a lead it is over and I am impressed. 1-0 and I feel we could have had more if it were not for the "practice" of holding a lead. The USA looks better than ever or at least a lot better than anything under Vlatko Andonovski.
At least they don’t look super slow. I cannot understand how Hayes or anyone watches Smith and thinks she should be a starter for a high level national team. She seems like a nice person, and I wish her the best, but I just do not get it. Plus she’s rubbing off on Mal. If you just have to start Smith and Rodman, then play a counter game. Create 4 or 5 breakaways and they might get one. But they aren’t good for playing out and in possession. How many times did Mexico just say “press it towards Rodman and she’ll just give it to us?” Too many. Both players seem tailor made to be last 20 subs to run at tired back lines, but otherwise … ooof. Sad to see Davidson have trouble passing. And Alyssa looked shaky too. Girma was good. Mal and Coffey were ok. Williams is still very fast. But it’s a blow to not have Macario.
I hope Rodman is just holding out in case of injuries, she got that weak sauce out there. Dunn seemed more dynamic than Nighswonger, but it was later in the game. Horan had the switch set to “slightly off”
I wasn't able to watch. Out of curiosity, how did Korbin Albert do when she came in? Was she booed this time?
And we still don't. It was time to move on from Morgan, and I'm OK with Emma doing it now. Alex was great in her prime, but we have a lot of younger players who are also great.
hmm…..thought Trinity was the POG, good ringmaster, she just doesn’t have sn accurate final shot though, shoots it pretty wild instead Sophia tends to be selfish once she gets the ball—doesn’t have much an header game and because of it every pass & cross kept low just for her(especially if she’s the main, go to striker) Mal needed to be more assertive—-she’s got the most accurate & versatile shot selections out of everybody Lindsey stuck as an double six in Emma’s version—-and that’s having to safeguard the left side so much do to FB Nighswonger’s continues forays upfield—-now almost feels like we’re playing with just an 3-back(which could possibly expose us to quick counters) heads up for Mexico playing an aggressive high press—most opponents looked like they’ve just stepped off the plane & bunker instead
Against a team we should beat - 4-3-3 with two 10s. --Swanson------------------Smith------------------Rodman -----------------------Shaw-------------Albert --------------------------------Coffey ---Nigh-----------Davidson---------Girma-----------Fox Plus the goalie that is better with her feet! Just not a Rose fan as she plays two slowly by taking extra touches or just misses passes. She did have a couple of moments that were positive, but plenty of bad passes too. Albert looked good to me and was very mobile in midfield. She provides hope of something better as does Shaw.
Good. I want her to succeed. I am really excited for this group. I hope they feel they have made their point, now move on and support her and this team. Also, on thw subject of Alex Morgan, I have no problem wirh moving on from her. I dont want it to get like with Abby Wambach where she was allowed to stay on the team so long that she became a cardboard cutout on the field. Just taking up space. Emma is a manager who is not going to let the inmates run the assylum. She will do what is necessary to bring this team to the top again.
You just consistently have very wild takes. I don't think anyone believes Smith and Rodman should not start after the second game vs the South Korea remotely understands this sport.
Sophia Smith is our best forward right now. Everything about her is top notch. Her touches, her movements with and without the ball, her shots are all World class and IMO she is becoming the face of the USWNT. Just like Alex a few years ago, her demeaner is first class and the camera loves her. As a Red Stars fan, when Portland comes to town, I get nervous every time Sophia Smith gets the ball. And more often then not to my dismay, she delivers for Portland.
It’s like bizarro world! Her touches? Her world class shots? I see many more times that she ends the offensive series with a bad touch or poor pass or can’t get her shot off at all. So many people fawn over her that I watch each game thinking I must be wrong and this time she’ll look great. Then she doesn’t again but everyone says she did. Either the emperor has no clothes or I’m just crazy. Does Portland play a transition game or a possession game? I think she could be dangerous looking in transition. Although she’d probably need more chances than you’d like to get it right. Does the USWNT have G v xG stats?
Contrary to the prevailing view, I wasn't very impressed with the U.S.'s performance in this match. The Mexicans pressed the U.S. hard and spent too much time close to the U.S. goal to suit me. Yeah, they only had 3 shots officially, but they had several shot attempts blocked. Ovalle seemed to get forward all too easily. It was a frantic first half and I anticipated that the Mexicans would tire out and the U.S. would score two or three or four goals in the second half. Didn't happen. We got one measly goal -- and yet we talk about how good our forwards are. The Mexicans seemed to me to be just about as big, just about as fast, and just about as physically fit as we are. That's certainly different from a decade ago. Has Mexico improved? Well, they didn't qualify for the Olympics -- if that's an indicator.
And yet having the best chances yesterday, she was only on frame, what, twice? Unless on the break away, you count glancing off the frame. Now granted Mal blew chances as well, and Trinity. It appears to me, US Strikers are still dealing with an issue of finding the frame. Seems to have plagued them over the last 4-5 years. Seems to me anyway. Edit: Emma spoke to this in the first question of her post game.
Chris Henderson tweets NWSL G v xG stats, and Smith's Gs are quite a bit higher than her xGs : xGs of 6.78, Gs of 10. Here margin is best among the NWSL big scorers.