Nov/Dec matches - Nov 28 and Dec 1

I see a handful of truly outstanding players, and the margins between the rest are miniscule. Differentiation becomes more about the team they are in than anything else.

 

I'm not sure I'm prepared to answer any-- my wife's surgery was a quarter century ago-- she has since replaced the entire knee due to the meniscus damage-- and I am not at all up to date on the current state of the art, just that the time lapses seem pretty much the same.

I am not a doctor, just a somewhat informed observer; and circumstances alter cases all the time.

 

Lavelle was mainly on the bench when she at her short stint at Man City(2020-21). Whoever coached MC started Scott, Caroline Weir, was
the better choice at AM

This list is meant for whoever played best in ‘2025’. Last year’s list had 3 Americans in the top 6, 5 out of the top 10—#3 Sophia #5 Trinity #6 Lindsey #9 Mel #10 Naomi—-and still some fans were whining that Girma(#10) was to low

We’ve only won one major tourney this decade(2024 Olympics). this year we couldn’t even win our own home based mini tourney(She Believes Cup). We’ve got now last-time-we-played-them, losses to Brazil-Japan-Spain-Sweden-England

 

Girma, Swanson, Rodman, and Wilson are our best players.

Tier 2 has Heaps, Lavelle, Fox, Coffey, and Macario.

Then you start getting youngsters and vets: Thompson, Shaw, Hutton, Schrader, Davidson, Dunn, Patterson, Moultrie, Lynn B., Sentnor, Cooper, Sears, Bethune, Reale, etc.

 

That is beyond lol funny - care to rephrase?

 

So, we're 1 for 3 in major tournaments this decade, the one having been the most recent one. The two when we were handcuffed by a CBA that prevented the coach from cycling in new players (the pre-Emma CBA only allowed the manager to call in 26 players in a calendar year, according the HAO). The current pipeline is massive. We'll see.

 

It seems to me intellectually dishonest to frame your statement the way you did. If, when you say, 'this decade' you're referring to the 2020's, then I'd counter by saying, let's revisit the conversation in 2031. But if we look back at the decade of the past 10 years, then I'm more than happy at the successes of the USWNT in major tournaments.

Please show me the national team that has had more success than the USWNT has had in the past decade. I'll add that I'm willing to bet that no other national team will have more success than the USWNT in the 2020's when all is said and done.

The SheBelievesCup is for funsies, no serious fan would take that as a measure of success.

I'm not one of those fans that needs to see my team win every friendly. I actually think it can be beneficial for the team to lose a match once in a while.

 

I agree with you re SBC, but several fans painted that event as a big tournament whose results meant a lot in establishing the global pecking order.

 

I know SBC is exciting for fans because 2-3 top-tier teams are typically invited and US fans can get a good idea of where 'this' years team stands. However, I also enjoyed watching larger scale tournaments, like the Algarve Cup, with lots of lower-tier teams.

 

Unpopular opinion, but WoSo would benefit from a dominant league without the constraints that the franchise system brings.

 

Unfortunately, unrestrained spending is what sunk the previous 2 pro women's soccer leagues, though.

 

I assume you mean in the USA. I don't care where the league is, nor does it have to be the only league. Just the one that gets the big TV deal and attracts the majority of the top talent. I enjoy the regular grind of Club soccer.

 

I’m only using this decade(post Covid/2020’s) cause a lot has changed in woso since last decade(commonly known as the 2010’s);

You know that Spain was only ranked #13 in 2021, and now seen a meteoric rise to #1 in just a few years?

back when US dominated the 2010’s. England’s WSL was considered a part time summer league which ended after just 12 games. Now it’s the most popular woso league in world. in the I think it was maybe 2016 when they finally decided to go full time—-but an part time league was good enough to get them third place in both 2015/2019 WC

and did you know France was one of the strongest NT’s of 2010’s(probably ranked #3-4 for most of the decade), yet I read an early 2010’s report that France’s overall female participation in organized soccer(assuming this was toddlers to pro) was at an shockingly low 50K—-I mean in comparison the US might have anywhere between 2 to 3 million females playing organized soccer at any given year.

These are just a few examples of what’s happening in the evolving woso scene(as the three countries I’ve previously mentioned seen their programs improve ten fold)

Of course I only mean WC & the Olympics as major tournies that the rest of the world are allowed in(so Concacaf don’t count) but you’ll be surprised a lot of Euros don’t even consider the Olympics an major tournament. In part due to its being an joke on the men’s side and that only three Euro countries are allowed to participate

in an way they proved their point as last year’s Olympics in France were mostly played tin empty stadiums where as this year’s Euros venue’s were practically all sold out & record TV ratings

 

So history doesn't matter??

 

The US didn't have a consistent pro league until 2012 and it was nowhere near the top European pro leagues regarding pay and quality of players. Heck, some say that even today it still does not rival the top Euro leagues in pay.

I think the NWSL something you won't find in Europe, and that is greater parity among its teams, hence more competitive matches. It has also been consistently growing its size, revenues, and hence, players' salaries. It's definitely a league on the rise with top players choosing to play in it now.

Spain had a meteoric rise and fall and rise again, which I think was due more to coaching changes than anything.

Same with Japan, they had a few good years, followed by some bad years, and are getting into that top echelon again. Same could be said for Brazil.

If I'm betting money, I'd feel more certain banking on this USA squad under Hayes having more success than any European teams. I can appreciate if you feel different, but we can revisit in 5 years and compare then.

 

I'm not surprised at Euro's attitudes about the Olympics. I know Euros. Are you saying teams don't put their best foot forward during the Olympics?

My response is that we've never seen the full potential of what the USWNT can do. Through the history of the team, it was handcuffed by a CBA that only allowed the manager to bring in 26 players per year. You couldn't do what Emma has been able to do and bring in 45+ players, get them all acclimated to the system. And, with that limitation, there was no reason to even have a U23 team. The NT positions were locked up, So not only were we missing on potential stars that never got developed, we had terrible depth at most positions.

The Vlatko era showed that. An expiring roster that could no longer compete. Because he hadn't had the opportunity to bring in new players like Emma does, and we weren't using the U-23's to get players ready.

 

The CBA had a real purpose in the early days -- it kept players paid and in the game when that was far from guaranteed. The team was far more stable than it would have been otherwise.

Yes, it outlived its usefulness, but it took the players to be willing to accept the risks involved.

 

No longer compete??? Don't be ridiculous.

They did not lose a game in the WC. Not one, which is more than the champions could say. What definition of "compete" are you using?

If a meteor crashes through your roof it does not show that the roof was bound to leak anyway.

 

The won one matches. 3-0 vs. Vietnam. You call that competing? My definition of competing includes winning more than one out of four matches, with that one victory being against a frankly awful team, that Netherlands put 5 goals on in the first half.

What the champions, Spain, could say is they won six matches. The US won one. Against Vietnam. I don't think comparing the WNT's performance in the WC to Spain's is your best argument for claiming the US "competed."

Why you even want to go out on that limb? Are you defending the old CBA? Are you an Alex Morgan stan? Pino? Because comparing the WNT's performance in the WC favorably to Spain's .... that's one of the craziest things I've ever seen.