October Matches - Oct 23, Oct 26, and Oct 29 including pre/pbp/post match

Weber is not a national team player. She is a good athlete.

 

The british numbering system is not very effective in categorizing modern players' nuanced roles. Hal can play as a single pivot, but it is not very likely the NT will deploy this system, she can also be a one of two pivots but I don't see her being more effective than Hutton in that role. Two back pivots have slight division of labor but they share more similarity than differences. I see no evidence that either Hal or Howell will be more effective than Coffey and Hutton.

Moultrie is a natural deeplying regista. It will not suprise me if she and Coffey will be the starting double pivot of the NT in the 27 WWC. Shaw's best performance is when she was played as a central midfielder with Heaps and Coffey. Shaw definitely have the potential to be one of the pivot, however, her potential may be better realized in the front field if she understand her strength is her size and physicality, and start to play more physcial instead of avoiding contact.

Emma does a lot of things and says a lot of words. Some of them more important than the other.

 

I'm not saying she was snubbed because she wasn't included with the U23 team, just that she's in that age-group and is having a good rookie year at Louisville. I'm not projecting per se as a national team player yet--but a currently good young US NWSL player.

 

https://hayters.com/slegers-provide...ter-arsenal-return-to-winning-ways-in-europe/

A short piece on the status of Fox after getting taken-off the field '85 with what's described as a shin injury:

“Foxy seems alright,” said Slegers. “She has a knock on the shin. I think she should be alright.”

So, we'll find out soon whether she's cleared for travel this weekend. Arsenal are off till the end of the int'l. break.

Foxy might be a fast healer, I remember her getting some knock during the Olympics and she was available for the next game.

 

Checking in, got the updates I wanted to hear about. Appreciate you all!

 

Dang, I've said this like 5 times. I'm saying Hal as a sub for Coffey. Coffey can't play every minute. We clear on that?

And, I've said this like 5 times. I'm not saying that Howell is better than Moultrie or Hutton. I'm saying she warrants a look.

Until you come up with a shorthand for "slightly more offensive double pivot" and "slightly more defensive double pivot" I'm going with 6 and 8. No one is confused by that.

I think Shaw as the 8 wouldn't work. A midfield that included Shaw and a true AM would get run over. Shaw is definitely best as a CM, but as an attacking CM.

 

The worst is when Foudy adds a y to Ian Darke's last name. I'm not even going to type that.

 

Right back at you!

 

She must be closer to dementia than I am.

 

Serious question, isn't that what her teammates call her?

 

Yeah, it seems. I've heard both Heaps and Nighswonger use it; but it might originate with her Arsenal teammates.

 

We don't have a recent catch-all thread for youth teams, and the U-23s and U-20s are already mentioned here as being in concurrent camps during this window, so I'll drop this news here: a combination of the U-18 and U-19 teams are headed to Portugal to play games against Ireland's U-19s on October 25 and Portugal's U-19 WNT on October 28.

Basically almost all of the youth teams will be active during this international break: the U-17s at the WWC, the U-18s and U-19s in camp in Portugal, the U-20s in camp during the Kansas City leg, and the U-23s during the Philadelphia leg of the window. (This isn't all Hayes either; USSF's US Way initiative is really pushing a renewed emphasis on development through the youth national teams.)

The U-18s and U-19s called to the Portugal camp:
Goalkeepers (2): Josie Biehl (San Diego Surf SC; Carlsbad, Calif.), Lizzie Thornton (Wake Forest University; Purcellville, Va.)
Defenders (6): Ella Bard (Louisville; Wadsworth, Ohio), Braelyn Even (Ohio Elite SA; Fairfield, Ohio), Savannah Leifried(Bay Area Surf SC; Ceres, Calif.), Emmy O'Donnell (FC Stars Blue; Concord, Mass.), Alexa Strickler (Fort Lauderdale United FC; Boca Raton, Fla.), London Young (FC Dallas; Dallas, Texas)
Midfielders (6): Kimmi Ascanio (San Diego Wave; Doral, Fla.), Olivia Belcher (Alabama; Colleyville, Texas), Reese Canada (Michigan Hawks; Fenton, Mich.), Saleen Koszorus (Crossfire Premier SC; Bellevue, Wash.), Adia Symmonds (Mississippi State; Tampa, Fla.), Paige Thompson (Alabama; Walnut Creek, Calif.)
Forwards (6): Anna Babcock (Crossfire Premier SC; Sedro-Woolley, Wash.), Addison Fife (Michigan Hawks; Ann Arbor, Mich.), Kate Kemmerley (Penn Fusion SA; Berwyn, Pa.), Audrey Mckeen (Virginia Development Academy; Vienna, Va.), Rylee McLanahan (Solar SC; Edmond, Okla.), Nylah Norris (Florida Kraze Krush SC; St. Cloud, Fla.)

https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/20...ds-portugal-matches-republic-ireland-portugal

 

5 playing college ball. All in the south.

 

1 NWSL player as well; what's interesting is that Ascanio is still age-eligible for the U-17 WWC, but the San Diego Wave wouldn't release her for that. But, here she is showing up on this roster for matches in the same time frame. While I would think the experience of an international tournament would be preferred over friendlies, she is "playing up" for these games. I guess if the U-17 team goes far, it could get close to NWSL playoffs, especially with travel. And the U-17 WWC would probably be more demanding on her, in that she'd be expected to start more of the games than here.

 

I don't see much evidence that Hal will be a more effective sub for Coffey than Meza and Hutton. Ultimately, she is not very suitable for a double pivot midfield.
Why does Howell warrant a look if she is not better than her competitiors?
The British number system implies a player's role and duty is fixed in one match, however, the double pivots rotate their duty in each possession. In one possession Coffey can be an "8" while her partner is "6", while they exchange their role in next possession. Despite overall, Coffey fulfill the duty of a regular British "6" more often than her partner, but this does not her a "6".

The British numbering system is also not very compatible Emma's way of thinking. If you are familiar with the development of soccer tactics, Emma is way more influenced by the Italian tradition of the game than her home country's one. Her system in Olympic is textbook Zona Mista. The British numbering is very ineffective in depicting players' duty under an Italian system.

 

Moultrie and Yohannes are not comparable in their defense. Youhannes lacks the ability to tackle but Moultrie does not.

Hayes is a great communicator indeed, but what she said is not always congruent with what she deployed on the field. She said a lot of things for the media and doesn't always mean it. Her thinking can best be construed from her tactical set up on the field.

 

Heaps was never a good defender her entire career. The comparison of Moultrie to Heaps that was popular a while ago was fundmentally misguided because Moultrie displayed a central midfielder level of defender contribution very early in her career. Heaps was an attacker converted to a central midfielder, and her defense contribution is never up to the calibre of a central midfielder.

Lavelle's defense contribution is often underestimated, but she is more like a "central winger" than a typical central midfielder, her pressing and tracking back are pretty good, but she lacks size and physciality to contest possession againt opponent midfielder in the center circle area.

Moultrie is much more developed in this asepct. You can count Moultrie to do the defense stuff you expect a typical central midfielder to do, the same cannot be said about Yohannes.

Well, Emma is definitely more postive in her public evaluation of players than her game plan suggests.
One important thing is that Emma does not follow dogmas of modern European game, which overly emphasized possession and strived to avoid contact and pass the ball around your opponents. Her coaching formative years happened in the US, and this matters a lot. The three most achieved women coaches in the last decade are all Europeans who spent significant period of time in their playing or early coaching era in the US. This is acutally an interesting phenomenon.

 

I will add, Rose is fast, like Thompson fast. I've watched her beat our defensive mids to attacking forwards while starting yards behind defensive mids. Can't teach speed.

 

Actually, you can to a pretty great extent. Of course I mean that speed can be improved.
There is a quote that I mostly remember but I cannot remember who said it:
"People think I am fast but really I am not. What people perceive as 'speed' Is actually anticipation. I look fast because I start before most others do and in the correct direction. That simply means I always have a decent head start."

While straight line speed is pretty much unteachable, you can greatly improve things by assuring that players learn anticipation.

I noticed today that Rose has very good straight line speed but where she really excels is in the ability to get a head start on almost all other players. Today I saw her, while she was defending 10 yards away from her mark, and with the mark between her and the ball. The ball took an unexpected deflection and both she and her mark started towards it. Rose got there first. That is she made up 10 yards and arrived at the ball first. Watching it in real time it looked like the mark and her turned at the same time but a replay showed that she turned and covered 6-7 yards before her mark could get turned. It did looked like she made up 10 yard during the run. However the replay showed that she actually got up to full speed before her mark even started running. That is she won the race because she started earlier.
And that is a good thing.

 

I believe Hayes' strategy was/ is to cast a wider net at the beginning of 40 players or so. That experiment is over, I think the pool is/ will be down to 30 or so from here on out. With 3 spots reserved for Swanson, Smith, Girma, this 26 player roster seems to represent the pool of players going forward. Whoever is left off has very small chance of making it.
I think it's time to have a smaller squad to build the chemistry for the WC.