Very true. As you say, the balance of power currently rests on the Pacific rim. But let's not rest on our laurels too long.
Canada should just shut up and be thankful the idiot ref didn't see the Tancredi Tango on Carli's head.
For Morgan to be a complete player, she is going to have to become a complete player. It doesn't really matter where she plays. If she plays in Sweden, she will become more physical to survive, if she plays in Germany, she will get more crafty up top, if she plays in France, or the US she will continue to get on the end of passes to space, and probably end up flicking in a couple of goals a season by flailing at the ball. If she plays in Japan, she'll learn to move the ball quicker to fit in. Too bad, she'll end up playing in the new US league next year. It will make her look good by playing in a league designed for kick and running. Personally, I'd like to Morgan try to play in Germany or Japan, because she hasn't proved that she can play those styles.
Japan has moved on. So should we. The spirit of the competition is to respect the ref's decisions and to compete. Do your best. There's always another tournament.
Flailing at the ball? Or hitting a bouncing/curling/swerving service with touch that puts it past the keeper into the net? Like the ball she put past the French keeper? Or the outside left footed shot off of a rebound for WNY Flash? Which flailing shot did she put past the keeper. I think alot of European players could learn some finishing from her, instead of trying to take 3 touches when the ball lands at their feet in the box, Le Sommer, Necib... I thought the goal of a forward was to score goals. When did the goal become to prove that a player can play every style? Surely she has things she can learn or improve. But proving she can play a style? I would like to see her play anywhere where she can develop her game, but she has plenty of skill already. In the Olympics she proved she can play with the ball at her feet, keep control of it in traffic in the box, and then put a pass through traffic onto the foot of her teammate. She has more skill then she gets credit for. Is she Marta or Scheilin? Maybe never Marta, but probably Scheilin sooner then people think. In fact more goals and assists then Scheilin this Olympics, and had more impact in the game with defenses worried about keying on her.
Strange that you mention Lotta and Marta who both can play and succeed playing many different styles. Guess you are right. She has nothing to prove. She is the greatest to her fans as was Giorgia Chinaglia for the NY Cosmos. They sure can put the ball the ball in the net, can't they? Uh, they both made their teams better and they won championships for their teams. Maybe baby horse can rack up 20 more lifetime goals against Dominican Republic, justifying your perception and reinforcing my perspective.
I love how people on this board debate. Take everything to farthest possible extreme. I never said she was perfect. But not being perfect doesn't mean she sucks. I never said she has nothing to prove. I said she doesn't need to prove that she can play with the German or Japanese style. She needs to prove that she can continue growing her skills, and her ability to read the game. She needs to continue doing the things she is already good at. She needs to continue going in the direction of unselfishness and setting up her teammates for goals when they are open or she draws multiple defenders. She is far from best she can be, but she doesn't have to prove she can out dribble Marta to be the best Morgan she can be. Or prove to you that she can play the French style. She owes it to her team to become better and perform in whatever system the USWNT is using as it evolves. Funny you mention Dominican Republic when she didn't have a goal against them. Your perspective is she is fast and gets lucky with flailing uncontrolled shots. Watching games proves that isn't true. And if it was, then defenders wouldn't worry about her, because luck only lasts soo long. And yes funny I mention Marta and Lotta, because playing many styles of club football have gotten them one thing, wins in club football. They haven't won the WWC or the Olympics yet, and they have quite a few more years in their careers then Morgan does.
That's the thing, whenever someone on this board has constructively criticized Morgan, people have jumped to the conclusion that we are saying she sucks. She definitely does not suck. She is a nightmare for defenders with her strength and pace. But whenever I point out that she can be selfish and hurried at times people jump on me as if I've said she's the worst footballer in the world lol. She can improve her awareness, such as waiting to make sure players are onside before playing in balls and she can also try and get her head up a little bit more. However, even without these improvements she is still a good player. When I compared her to Robben, people seemed to think I was saying she sucked. Robben is one of the best players on the planet, you know that right? However, he, like Morgan, can often hurry things and make the wrong decisions. Morgan is good, but not one of the top 3 female players on the planet. She shouldn't be a nominee for the Ballon d'Or, yet.
Robben is an overrated diver. Good player but not one of the best. Morgan will be in the shortlist and could very well make the top 3.
Thanks for the video. It includes an angle which was not shown on my TV broadcast. Now for the bad news. This simply makes it crystal clear that Solo was going to get to it first, not even really that close. Kumagai was doing what any attacker does when the team is losing, she's going for it anyway, if even just to provide a challenge. She's watching the ball, though she surely knows Solo is coming to get that. She's going to collide with Solo. It is perhaps evn a reckless challenge. Solo holds up her run and leans way forward to try to avoid the collision. The handball was certainly a pk of course.
We have no idea if Kumagai couldn't get their 1st. She was being held from the start of her run by Buehler. When Solo touch the ball Kumagai and her were right in line with the ball.
Frankly I do not agree. At 0:30 anyone can see that this is floated in HIGH - way over Rapinoe, way over the umping Ohno. At 0:33 anyone can see rthat Kumagai is trying to MEET and JUMP UP - but cannot due Buehler riding on her back - and her legs never leave the ground until she falls. In the end, she falls way below the ball trajectory.
give her piers the caps and lets see if she is the best morgan she can be. all i see is the suppression of her competition. it took jill to sit on the bench next to pia for syndey to get past two caps, even against the likes of the DR, and morgan still was unhappy because sydney was getting goals. what a joke! and the japan game was a bigger robbery than the canadian game. i saw a brasilian player's finger touch a ball in the mexico game, and they called that a hand ball.
Do you intentionally try to misspell words/use incorrect grammar or are you just that dumb? It doesn't take proofreading to know that "pier" is the incorrect word to use.
Whether a different player can be better then Alex Morgan if they have more caps, has nothing to do with how good Alex Morgan is. Marta has 2.5x that caps, Lotta Schelin 3x, Wambach 6x. We are comparing Morgan to players with more caps. You are saying well if so-and-so had 30 caps they would be better then Morgan. Maybe so, and when they have the caps, we will find out how good they are. Until then you are speculating, guessing, how good a player could be. The rest of us are trying to compare how good players are. As for Brazil, if it wasn't for some horrible calls they would not have beaten Honduras. I guess Brazil paid off the refs.
I would agree with you last year. But except for her last 2 shots of the Final, she got her head up and held up the ball at her feet for most of the tournament. I would say heat of the moment and watching Carli Lloyd more then regression. Needless to say, as long as she stays on this path of involving other players she will improve and so wil the team.
Should Pia send Leroux on since Abby was out of energy? 2 Strikers with pace will bring great threat to the Japanese defense in the counter.
Morgan's play was one of the most interesting developments in the US side. To this point I've thought of her as largely depending on her speed to get the job done and figured once she lost a step to age she would fade. I think I'll revise that. She definitely looked to be a more complete player in London.
He's back on the Leroux bandwagon since she's only scored 1 goal in her last 11 games, and against supposedly tired defenders. This was the same reason why he wanted A-Rod to remain a starter last year since she only scored 4 goals and assisted 3 times in 18 starts. It's reverse psychology from hell!