Yes Germany is a strong team, but it has not faced a very strong team so far. Germany are strong in the mid-field and forward, however they have given up 3 goals so far . Also, the German defense has allowed goals by weak teams e,g: Argentina and Russia.
Re: its the World Cup At the end of the qualification process goal differential might come into play. This was single elimination and Germany was still on full throttle in the last minute. It doesn't matter what level it is, show a little compassion for the opponents.
SpongeBob - I don't watch a lot of women's soccer, but this was my thought exactly. After they went up 4-0 Germany tried to play possession and could not - leading to the lone Russian goal. Thereafter the Germans pressed the attack because of this weakness in the possession game. It's strange to see a 7-1 shellacking and get the impression BOTH teams were bad: the Russians obviously, but the Germans as well due to this possession failure.
You know, this is really ironic coming from a US fan. I love the gals as much as you guys, but this is a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black. How many times have you seen obscene scorelines in USWNT games that rival this one? Not Germany's fault that Russia couldn't/wasn't playing any defense. I think we could be in trouble against Germany on Sunday. We haven't looked all that good in any single game, outside of maybe Nigeria. The Germans are probably the next best team behind us in the tournament, and are going to be more than ready for this game. From what I've seen of them so far, they appear to be very good finishers, so we can't afford any little breakdowns, because I believe that we will get punished if we do. Should be a very good game though.
I think Germany is a tough challenge if we get into an uptempo game like the Germans did against Russia. It is not the US style and I've been more than a little concerned about our D. If the US can thwart the attack in the midfield, US should win.
While our lack of scoring goals in the run of play concerns me, I think that DEFENSIVELY we have looked very good -- especially with Boxx in at d-mid. I think the team that plays the better defence on Sunday will win. Based on the results of the match-ups so far, that means the US.
I kept waiting for the retaliation fouls from the Russians. Either they had more class or were plain intimidated by the German squad. Heck, I'd even be intimidated by them. I really expected the Russians to fight back with their cleats at the end of the game. Instead, they just took their lumps. I'd have knocked a few Germans down if it were me. And man, in a game like this, the ref ought to lie about the time added on. Just say 30 seconds and end the friggin game!
Good post. Germany will be tougher than Norway and I like the way the USA has played so far. Should be a great match. If the USA beats Germany fair and square and goes on to win this WWC they'll have earned every bit of the bragging rights. Cannot possibly be any controversy that the USA's route to the cup was fixed or soft.
I don't agree with these critical comments about Germany playing hard for the full game. Especially when you consider how the US used to rack up hugely one-sided scorelines against weak opposition in *friendlies*. Both the US and Germany play attacking soccer that relies on aggressive hustling and constant pressure throughout the entire game. It seems hypocritical to praise Wambach for her style yet condemn Prinz when she does the same. IMHO, if you're not going to play hard for the full 90, then you shouldn't even be on the field. And as for retaliating with nasty fouls, that would show a true lack of class. I liked how the 16-year old never gave up and kept playing as if to win. That's how one walks away from defeat with head held high. You could see she earned the respect of the German players for that heart.
Just because I said somebody would pay a price for rubbing it in doesn't mean I'd retaliate with nasty fouls. That would be wrong. The Germans did what they did. What they should have done is work on their possession game in those last ten minutes instead of pushing up their personal stats. It might just come in handy if they get a goal up on the US.
They totally messed this up. There are too few players listed and they even have Tornqvist listed as a forward!
What about working on their finishing and scoring, wouldn't that be more valuable??? Won't that come in handy when they play the US
Norfolk is absolutely right. They can work on possession in practice (just as the Asian teams have likely mastered that in training sessions). The main thing that has hurt those teams (China, Koreas, and Japan) against the US is scoring/finishing. Germany showed a real HUNGER out there, something that only the US has previously shown among the top teams. This semifinal will be a firecracker of a match between two teams that aren't intimidated by anything. Surprisingly, I found the Norwegians to be a bit overly timid against the US. I expected more tenacious pressing from them but too many of their players held back and that significantly brought down the team's performance. (oh, and they should have put in Riise sooner!)
I think after five goals they pretty much did that. If they want to present a one-dimensional team to the US, which I hope they do, then go ahead work on scoring. But, I think the full steam ahead approach offers up the ball to the US team a bit much. The Germans need to work on holding the ball for long periods of time. Undoubtedly, this will be an exciting game to watch with the styles that are being displayed by these teams.