There's a photo or video capture out there from earlier in that sequence showing Buehler with a big handful of Marta's shorts. There's no question in my mind that Buehler did foul Marta, but Marta also committed a foul on the play making the whole thing a 50/50. If the ref thought that Buehler initiated the contact (doubtful to me, I think they were both fighting for the ball), then it's a reasonable call.
Rochester Democrat & Chronicle put homegurl above the MASTHEAD: http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/hr.asp?fpVname=NY_RDC&ref_pge=gal&b_pge=1
I know I said I wasn't going to be able to come on bigsoccer today (or yesterday) due to work stuff but after yesterday's game I've got to steal a few minutes First, I would like to thank jocasta in rivalry for lending me her WWC cheering strategy for my approach to this game. Great finish by Team USA. Just amazingly crazy finish. I'm still pumped. Don't have time for a big analysis post right now. Analysis doesn't really matter at this point, anyway. Also, let's all try to be gracious in "victory" (officially the game is a tie) my quick scan of bigsoccer threads indicates some sore winners.
Buehler threw herself after the ball and missed it completely and stopped Marta from reaching it and a great goalscoring opportunity. Buehler isn't standing up she is making a poor tackle, no shoulder-to-sholder 50/50 challenge there. This discussion is beyond silly. Best team won so why not take the blinders off?
Marta lifts the ball over two players heads, and gets to it on the other side to win a PK. Then she connects with a half volley at shoulder height, looping it over the GK to go in off the back post. For all the U.S. physical power, and dominance, a long high hail mary cross and a header sequence, is supposed to be the best piece of skill seen in the game . Please people, take pride in going through, but lets not talk so much nonsense about things that didn't take place. The late goal and PK's glossed over another shocker. Both teams supposedly #1 and #3 in the world, played out the worst 90mins seen in this WWC. The U.S. is holding on with tooth and nail to it's WWC hopes, but heart and skill are not related to each on this team. USA has done better than their skill or ability should have taken them. That's the real story here. While a fighting spirit is a wonderful thing, it shouldn't cover over the huge gaps in quality seen in every U.S. game. Remember, not so long ago a better Brazil and a similar U.S. played out the same game for the '08 Olympic final. Just like now, '08 was an ordinary U.S. team that found a way to get through 0-1 on a ET goal. This time Brazil scored 3 times, to USA's 1, and still the U.S. went through, this time on PK's. The U.S. is supposed to be the #1 team in the world. While the drama was high, the game was the lowest quality of all the quarter finals. It was a game of who could produce the least faults, not who had the most quality. Brazil relied too heavily on individual brilliance, while the U.S. had rely on it's ability to run all day. As the bandwagon crowed will now tune in to see how the WNT play against France, many will be shocked at just how ordinary this team really is, because you can't hide versus a nation that has produced so little in the history of the women's game. The WNT can't hide another rock em sock em soccer performance against a France their supposed to defeat, in a semi, no matter the result.
Marta is trying to get around Buehler. In fact, she is trying to go through her. The play began with Marta kicking the ball over Buehler and another defenders head. The two players then went after the ball, tugging at each other, grabbing each other. Buehler had the inside angle. Marta makes a lunge at the ball ala a karate kick. She is now climbing over Buehler. The foul is on Marta. It was a bad call. In fact, I think it was the initial call as the referee never pointed to the penalty spot but the point of infraction. She then must have realized that she was about to make a call against the untouchable Marta to whom she already gave a yellow card. In reality, it was a non-call but she made the mistake of blowing her whistle. But Buehler did not foul her and giving a red card was the topping on the cake.
I'm the first to recognize the US faults, but this post is ridiculous. Only one thing counts in World Cup competition.... wins. Over analyze, justify, complain all you want. The US is into the semi-finals again - the only team to do so at every women's world cup. Until the team wins it all or is eliminated I'm only concerned with wins. After the tournament then we can discuss new directions.
Life and death game. Winner goes on, loser gets eliminated. Quite often these are not going to be beatiful. Spain and Netherlands one year ago today was hardly an enjoyable game to watch despite the talents on both teams.
Utter nonsense, complete negation of what actually happened , I don't get this attitude at all. Women's soccer has come a long way since 1999, kind of how the quality of play in MLS has improved leaps and bounds. I watched a lot of games in this WWC and lo and behold, a lot of games were competitive and many teams actually played an exciting brand of soccer to watch. In 1999, there were a couple teams that had a legitimate chance to win and most of the games were unwatchable because of poor unispired play. I talked this over with my best soccer buddy, who watched many WWC games , and we agreed that the women have taken soccer to another level, we don't get to watch the women play except for these major tournaments, but the improvement is striking and gratifying. Go watch the play that the US scored, there was a lot of skill shown on that play by many players. Boxx's run was grueling and brave, time running out, she didn't panic, even with 2 Brazilians closing down hard on her. I thought she was going to lose the ball after her first touch but she effectively used space to give her that extra second to get the pass to Rapinoe. Rapinoe takes a confident first touch, see's 2 players in fron of Abby knows the only way to get her the ball is to kick it with a steep trajectory, but if she kicks it too hard it goes out of bounds. It might be seen as a hail-mary but she put the perfect arc and weight behind it. How is this not skill? The tenor of this bitter post is surprising and disturbing WTH is it about?
I'm never inviting you to a post-game party.. And I don't know about everyone else, but each time I see the red card call, I see Marta leaving her feet before any real contact.
Pre/pbp/post 7/10 WWC USA vs. Brazil. <<<That's what its about. Not chest pounding USA! USA! USA! only debate. I don't only care blindly about one team, I'm not judging from a partisan view point. This thread is open to rational opinion that can come from various view pionts. I'm not posting opinions in in the USWNT thread for this very fact. If you see it differently fine, but remember other people saw this game too, and it's wasn't just seen from a homer perspective.
LOL, like I don't like Japan . I have defended them most this WWC, feeling that they get unfairly branded as weak because they don't try to run over teams. Having an opinion on the other teams seems fine, but even outside of the WNT threads, nut jobs want to throw mud because you go against the grain of rabid U.S. nationalistic pride of a messy game . Did anybody actually see the level of the other 3 quarter finals?
Must disagree. You ARE judging from a partisan viewpoint. Just the opposite one from most posters here. Here's a blast from the VERY recent past: "Both teams that top group C will be booking flights home in the quarters. Sweden don't take chances vs weak opposition, while the U.S. give them away to weak opposition." And here you sit, WRONG! You are seeing what you want to see just like us homers.
Here's another good one from the Fink archives: "Group C is paper thin in quality. For such a straight forward group, I am yet to witness the quality of play seen in other groups. Sweden will top this group, but I don't think it matters for much. Both teams that qualify from group C, get beat by whoever they play from group D."
Beuhler isn't standing up because Marta is sitting on her shoulder with her leg bent and nowhere near the ball and obstructing her. I think Beuhler made contact first, but it's hard to tell. At any rate, the obstruction by Marta makes it irrelevant. Marta is a great player, but just like Michael Jordan was allowed three or four steps when no one else in the NBA was, Marta intimidates refs. No one wants to card the "best player in the world", and apparently you are snookered by her as well.
Yes I was wrong, no shame in that. It was a judgement on two teams not one, based on two very different groups. I made predictions on every group, so don't get so precious. This is not a thread for U.S. WNT only debate. I commented on Australia and Sweden on the same day, in their match thread too. No complaints, no biggie. It's only WNT debate that no debate is allowed. I didn't see any of the quality in the US vs Brazil game, that I saw in the other 3 quarter finals. And when I saw a wow moment, it came from Brazil. The U.S. goal was a huh, i'm in shock moment. I'm not here to jump on the bandwagon, I have seen this U.S. side play a few times before the WWC on tv, and seen them play every game when in Germany. I have only discussed one game, and treid to be fair in the assessment of the TWO teams I saw on the day.
Down to 10, the WNT managed to score a goal when down 2-1. Why is there debate? That outcome alone is worth praising. The time before the 66th minute was not great play from the US, yes, but give some credit to the Brazilians for making things difficult. Andreia saved a few difficult shots and the backline was heading away chances left and right. I suppose you're making the point that the WNT is no longer the superpower it once was, obviously, but the opposition are no longer the push-overs they once were either.
Sports Center has been showing plays from the game last night and every time I see Abby's header I get chills all over again!
But this is not the WNT forum, it's the Pre/pbp/post 7/10 WWC USA vs. Brazil thread. I'm only in here to see what people thought of the game, but it's turned into the mutated offspring of the US women's only blah blah blah thread. I like the U.S. girls, and up until recently was a big poster in the U.S. forums. I have known for quite some time that there are plenty teams that play better stuff than the U.S. right now, and because of that I also watch and talk about other teams in this tournament. I left the U.S. group stage alone, and made a point to comment after the Brazil game. At that point it would have been the second real test the WNT had to play. If I hadn't seen the two games on saturday, maybe I would have thought Brazil vs USA was great. Based on what I saw though, it would have been a lie to do so. I made a joke in another forum about who would be sent off this match, knowing full well the U.S. would play a robust game. I always thought the ref would have too much crap to deal with, because if Brazil didn't play well, the game would never have any shape to it. Whenever a game becomes about a refs decisions, the game tends to be low in quality play. The ref didn't ruin a possible great game, in the end players all did that themselves. High drama, yes. High quality, no.