1) The team has secured a playoff spot. 2) The match against the Power really doesn't mean much now. ------------------------ In the Power match...should Mia come off the bench in the second half? Or should she start and only play the first half? Should she play the full 90? ------------------------ When August 17th rolls around...how should Mia be used in the match? I think we are all well aware of Mia's impact when she enters a match. She just changes the whole mentality of the team. Look at the Courage match...they owned us in the first half and then when Mia came in..you know what happens. And from what I've read (yeah I still haven't seen it)..this was also the case for yesterday's game. I say if Mia is good to go for a full match...start her. Or is the strategy that Jimmy is using right now in which Mia comes into the match in the second half a good one?
I seem to recall some comment from Gabarra implying that the New York game would be the first time he'd consider having Mia go 90 since she'd have a week off before and after, but I can't find it now. My inclination is to rest her, but I'd go with whatever gets her into the best shape for the playoffs. Beating New York should not be a consideration.
My hunch is that Mia's not going to play but a half at most against NY. That'll depend on whether the Freedom have a chance to grab 2nd place and a home playoff game. If Carolina wins against NY on Wednesday (highly likely), that won't happen. In that case, the Freedom will have the freedom to rest players should they choose. For the playoffs, since the games will be spaced out, I'd expect Mia to go a full 90+. She's said more than once that she shouldn't have played the full 90 against Philly. The schedule wasn't friendly for her recovery and that's the obvious reason behind playing just a half. She said after Sunday's game that she and Jim have been discussing her fitness and will do so again this week. She also noted that she felt she was running at a pretty good speed. As long as there are no setbacks with her knee, I think she's itching to get back and play an entire match and will do so for the playoffs.
I wouldn't want her to jeopardize her recovery in any way. Now having said that... It seems very likely we will be playing Carolina in the playoffs. Can the team really sit back and take the attack of Carolina for 45 minutes and hope we come out of the half with a shot? I think Carolina will have changed their game plan by then. Waiting till the second half for Mia to get the team going sounds too risky for a playoff game. She looked fast on sunday. I don't know I'm split on this one. She should try the 90 min against NY. She'll have plenty of time to recover. If she does well, then go for it in the playoffs.
Well, as much as I would LOVE to see Mia play the full 90 at the last home Power match, I totally feel she should play no more than a half. Even if they lose, they are IN and that's all that matters. However, in the PLAYOFF game, it may be foolish to wait, depending on how desperate Carolina is to win. But then again, after our LAST encounter with them, ya never know... And fast?? She was SMOKIN'! to use that idiot Dorrance's analogy - it was like she was shot out of a cannon. She made a couple of runs that made my eyes pop out of my head. Knee injury? what knee injury?? LOL! I'd rather see them down a goal or two going into the halftime break and come storming back, than to see them up a goal or two and then fade... Mia stayed strong that one game she played the whole 90, but wasn't as effective on the team. She may have been able to keep it up, but the adrenaline rush to the whole team didn't seem to last. There wasn't that same "she's in! she's finally IN!!" thing going. I really like the "super sub" energy she provides. Tough one to call... Norma
For the playoffs, one possibility might be not to start her but to be ready to put her in if the team looks as if it needs a jumpstart: if it's tied or we go up a goal, hold off, but if we're down, put her in before halftime.
there's the mental aspect of it too. Ok so your the other team: You just spent 45 mins trying to contian Abby and Jie. Your forwards are beyond frustrated by the production of "Me and My Shadow" put on by Moore. Siri is denying you. Steffi is a rock you can't seem to budge. And yet you still manage to claw out a 1 goal lead. Half time. You come on to the field and who do you see up and ready to go?.... Mia Hamm. So you think to yourself "Oh crap" and "Wow" Seriously people. She puts the fear of God into any team.
I agree. While I'd love to see her on the field for 90, if a second half "super sub" is going to be better for the team, then they should stick to that. I think Jimmy should let Mia start and go as long as she can against the Power to kind of see which way would work better in the playoffs.
Puhlease. Mia wasn't strong against philly. The last 15 minutes she looked liked she was dragging an anchor on her ass. She's definitely quicker than most of her opponents. But, if she can't last the full 90. sit her for the first half. I'd rather have her at the end.