Postgame: New York @ Freedom [R] OnTheSidelines match report up: Little Consolation In 'Crappy' Freedom Performance, Even In Victory http://onthesidelines.org/freedom041203.htm Mia says if they play like this against San Jose, we'll be talking about a loss.
It was a competitive game and could have gone either way. The Freedom were pretty sloppy and seldom managed to put together a good attack. Jacqui just kept managing to be in the right place at the right time (not that that is a trivial feat), though she did a good job finishing on both occasions. With the first goal, the entire Power defense just seemed to stand there and let her take as much time as she wanted to set up her shot. Not surprisingly, she nailed the top right corner. For her second goal, she took a weak shot from Carrie Moore and blooped it over Smolak and into the left-hand side of the goal.
Someone needs to merge the two threads together please. Post-match article from Brian Strauss of the Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A15199-2003Apr12.html
I would say we did not play well at all offensively and it was more that the Power is really bad on defense. Abby worked her butt off but not much came of it. Jacqui was just in the right place at the right time twice but finished and that's all she needed to do. I may get lynched here but I would say Mia played the most uninspired game I have ever seen here play. She made one good run in the first half and then the one that led to the PK. Why is the all time leading scorer stuck out on the left wing?? I ask that but I guess you can't argue with 6 points after 2 games.
Post-match article from Ken Wright at the Washington Times: http://www.washtimes.com/sports/20030413-42439.htm I talked to my friend who went to the game and she agrees with you on Mia not having a good game. Maybe Mia will be bumped back up top when Bai Jie and Golewhatever join the team. Kelly G. should be all wrapped up with OFC qualifying and join the team next week as will NY's two Aussies...Joanne Peters and Cheryl Salisbury. Pics from the game courtesy of Yahoo! Sports: Abigail and Raveia: http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/photo?slug=1050199218wusa_power_freedom_dcmc104&prov=ap Mrs. Nomar and Pearman: http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/photo?slug=1050198871wusa_power_freedom_dcmc103&prov=ap Abigail and Pearce: http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/photo?slug=1050193820wusa_power_freedom_dcmc102&prov=ap Jacqui and Raveia (not for the squeamish OWWWW!!!!): http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/photo?slug=1050193816wusa_power_freedom_dcmc101&prov=ap
Mia had a couple of runs but was invisible most of the game. I was really expecting her to run wild against the Power defense, but it didn't happen. Kelly G. told me a while back that she'd just barely miss getting back for this game. She'll definitely be available next weekend. No one seems to have a clue what's going on with Bai Jie.
FWIW Mia did fly to San Jose for Roger Chastain's funeral and then came back into DC on Friday night. I do not know about the rest of you but I can barely handle the next day after commuting back home the day before (35 miles one way). Funeral for the father of a very close friend plus a cross country flight...that probably is very hard on the psyche. I'll cut Mia some slack right now.
I was at the game last night. Pretty dreadful performance, really - if you stretched the first 10-20 mnutes of the Carolina game over a full 90, you got last night. * Hamm doesn't get enough touches out on the wing. * Wambach made some solid runs, but never received the ball. * Jacqui's goals were well taken, though both had some help from lax NY defense. This looked a lot more like WUSA season one. RS
7,268 Don't know whether or not to be disappointed in that figure for the home opener. My friend went to that match and she said that is a high number.
For opening night with beautiful weather, that is not a high number. Might not be too bad because many school systems started Spring Break after school Friday so some people could have been out of town already.
You can so argue, espcially if the Freedom end up in second place (again) because the braniac manager keeps sticking "God" on the left wing...
Beulah's report: http://www.beulahsports.com/wusaarch_4_12_03.html From CyberSoccerNews: Freedom find a little victory against Power Washington not happy with their performance by Katherine Minarik
So what did you all think of Abby outsprinting Pearce for a ball in the 90th minute (no angle or anything, she just flat out-ran her)? I think Abby has worked on her fitness... Was Jacqui attention-starved Saturday night or what? 100% through two matches, but of course that's where we were in 2001... As long as the team isn't thinking everything is hunky-dory (and they sure don't sound like it) because of two wins I think we'll be OK.
New York coach Sermanni labeled the call, “A penalty decision, shall we say, which we would have preferred a yellow card going the other way.” What? I wasn't there...did Mia dive? Either that or Sermanni's just being an ass.
Mia was in a breakaway on goal and Pearman brought her down from behind, just into the penalty area. I think Sermanni should be grateful that Pearman didn't get red-carded for it, as, strictly speaking, she should have. Photo of incident
Well, I was there, and from where I was, I thought Tammy Pearman was stupid for coming up behind Mia like that, cuz it sure looked like she tripped her up. I thought Sermanni was gonna ream her for that, but maybe he saw it differently than I did. However, I do NOT think Sermanni is an ass. When I met him several months ago, he really seemed like a very nice guy.
Is he serious?! My question to him is: Do you really think that a wide-freaking-open-in-the-box Mia is going to dive when she could just shoot? Answer: No.
I think it is pretty tough to say from that picture if there was a penalty. There is no contact below the waist in that shot and a forearm in the back. Mia is already going down so the contact must have already happened.