One game doesn't define a coach. If that were so the "brilliant" Pia would have been fired long ago. You can ignore Powell's accomplishments with the English national team all you want, but your assessment that she wouldn't even be capable of handling a U14 team says more about your willful ignorance of her work than it does Powell's skill. That is, unless you know many U14 coaches with a European Pro Coaching License, Euro Championship title, a Euro Championship second place, a Euro Championship quarterfinal appearance, a World Cup quarterfinal appearance, and an Olympic quarterfinal appearance, while improving her squad by about ten FIFA rankings spots.
The talk of a suspect defense is funny. Do you realize they have given up fewer goals than France or Sweden?
Pia has depth, financing, unlimited resources, unbelievable caps and friendlies and muscle almost equal to a men's squad rapped in women, and she still can't teach this team basic FOOT work across the board and ball handling skills. And again, they looked so so vs an Ali Riley NZ squad, because I really can't name a player past Riley. Without the muscle and since Pia fails in the skills department, GB would be trash with her. I contend Powell is the better overall coach. But we'll get to see Pia work her magic in Sweden shortly. That's the team everyone on the board keeps building up but they keep getting balls bouncing off of hips and shoulders for lucky goals. I'm pleased France put the Sweden nonsense at an end at least for this tournament. France is young, just on the stage since the WC, but is a far better team than Sweden, just was a bit down in the 3rd place game after the USA match and let it get away from them. I predict Pia will do NOTHING, even less than Powell, with Sweden, eventhough she will be blessed with more than Alex Scott and a broken Kelly Smith.
They played GB, who had a home field draw, but aren't really that good, if people took the time to notice and stop pumping up sweden and them. FC USWNT will mug Canada again. This isn't a friendly, it's semi-final game. i wouldn't be surprise if it is in the 3 to 4: 0 to 1 range.
Nice try, but the USA has better possession than any of it's opponents, and way better than Brasil had in any of it's games against top teams. You don't do that without passing and foot skills. And the more you denigrate speed and muscle, the more I like it. As long as opponents disdain it, we will have advantage. Funny you talk about lucky bounces, but Marta's only score against the USA from the field in the WWC went off two pipes before it went in, so I think you make your luck. This time, it's the USA making luck. Marta is mostly making tracks for home. As to where Pia will go, as you point out, the USA has unlimited resources. She might defer a switch for another cycle. One thing for sure, Brasil won't lure her away.
Umm. If you had won your last round robin match, Brasil could have played GBR. Instead, you chose to tank your game to avoid GBR and the USA. Your choice. You wanted to play the other team that tanked its game. At least they admitted it. It turns out they won that gamble. CANADA is a worthy opponent. I'm not so sure about Brasil anymore unless they turn it around.
I hope Pia doesn't do another cycle. If they lose the Olympics, will she leave, because that's the only way Christen Press and Becky Edwards get their rightful spots on the roster? Outside of that, I can't cheer for the team. And no, Canada is not worthy. If FCUSA plays like crap, then that is the only thing that will keep Canada in the game. When did Canada become a world power? three days ago people were talking up GB and luck ball Sweden. We've gone over this. Brasil has 4 players at best, and needs to completely retool AGAIN. I vote for Riley, but that won't happen. If Jorge is gone, CBF will bring in another slug like Lima or Dunga to do their bidding and bring more damage to the program. Then again, there is no program, because there is no REAL funding, so the friendlies leading into the Olympics were a complete farce.
I'm sure you don't. Canada became one of the four top teams in this tournament today. They are one win from a medal. Brasil became the team with only four decent players, one of who is invisible. The proper thing for you to do is to tip your hat to your betters. At last we agree. You would better serve your country if that is where you addressed your concerns. Brasil has the potential to be a great team. They are wasting great players, and it is because Brasilians allow it.
Well, you're right there. I recall mentioning she was an idiot before she predictably undermined her squad in this match. Watch her players body language around her (I remember in '07 watching her jumping up and down in a panic - the player on the ball looked at her, turned, played a different option and shook her head, it was classic). Or not, you're entitled to your opinion, even when it flies in the face of over a decade of consistently demonstrated incompetence occasionally overcome by luck and the athletic ability of people ignoring her. Also, in pumping up Powell, the UEFA license she got for hanging out with Stuart Pierce, and a 6-2 loss to Germany (after scraping past Finland and Holland) are hardly the stuff of legend. She's the perfect answer to anyone accusing the FA of sexism or racism and seems unsackable. But that doesn't change her underlying incompetence.
I don't know why Newsouth that you need to denegrate the Canadian Side. Despite that distrastrous World Cup, they could of easily broke under pressure from Sweden when they took a two goal lead from two very bad defense lapses. Any team could of been shaken by those two mental lapses, but the Canadians fought back stiffening defensely and turned the match around quickly. Then the England game, they simply took control and seized the initiative from England, they showed all of us they could play possession football, and to me that is a revelation. Back under Pellerud and Morace, they played Long ball football, a very boring and ugly system. Give Canada their due, they could of easily suffered another break down this Olympics so soon after that debacle in Germany, but they showed some inner fortitude. 90% of the squad was from that World Cup team, its actually an amazing effort on their part. In one year, they did a complete turn around and showed us a different football side. I'm quite impressed. Do I think they have a chance at beating the United States, I do, not a good chance, but I wouldn't rule them out. Canada's big problem is they have lost 3 centerbacks to injury, and with Wamback and Morgan, I'm not sure Canada's backline will be able to hold. Remember this is the Olympics, Upsets do happen, look what happenned in the World Cup, I really don't think many people thought Japan was going to beat the United States.
No, I don't think they have a chance, nor did GB, as you saw yesterday, but people are trying to sell these squads off as emerging giants, based on some nice draws and home field advantage, and I already said what I think about Luck Ball FC aka Sweden, winning games with balls off of hips (group vs USA in the WC) and shoulders (France qtr game). This isn't a check collecting friendly they are in. FC USWNT, like them or not, is a different beast in the early stages of tournaments when they are shooting for Gold. Canada doesnt have a Riley on the back-line to counter Sydney and Morgans pace. They will steam roll them again unless they play one of their usual BAD possession, tight games, not because Canada will bring anything unusual to the table. And people say I hate the USNT.
Chapman and Zurrer would start if healthy. Sesselmann has been the starter at left back of late. Herdman likes Wilkinson, in part because she is fearless, in part because she is steady and in part because she provides width on the right wing with deep runs into the offensive zone. She has been involved in Canada's offense a lot at this tournament. It's a style of play that uses a lot of energy so she tends to get subbed out late in the game. The business with Aluko was not typical of her play either in terms of the whiffed clearance that began the sequence or the messy tackle that followed.
I don't think it is a lack of respect to say that a cobbled-together back four is a relative weakness. They have done well in the circumstances, but there have been a lot of shaky moments, especially on set pieces. Fortunately, the most important player for Canada's defense isn't one of their back four at all. It's Desiree Scott. She has done a superb job shielding the back line, winning the ball back relentlessly, and retaining possession with total composure. She's my player of the tournament so far -- and not just for Canada.
Agreed on all points. My comment about lack of respect was a general point, and I think the comments on this thread speak to it.
You always have an excuse don't you - body language, experience learning from Stuart Pierce, one loss to a top ranked team three years ago. By that measure, Pia Sundhage is garbage. Hell, by that measure Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho are garbage. Look, Morris, you know it and I know it - you're wrong. You can continue to cherry pick random points, but your tiny sample set versus Hope's 14 years of achievement as coach of the English side, compiling a 80 win, 28 draw, 42 loss record, success with the U19 and the senior squad, and leading them to their highest ever FIFA ranking shows that you're wrong and you can't defend your position. Oh, and I see you just happened to leave out a 2-0 England win in last year's WWC over a little side named Japan; and the fact that their one loss in the Cup came in a penalty shootout to France. But I'm sure that just slipped your mind, right. It was sooo long ago and isn't it much easier to recall results from 2009 than 2011? The fact that you end your statement with a sexist and racist comment tells us everything we need to know, and it's the only reason I'm even bothering to respond at all. So she's just a pawn for the FA to deflect criticisms of racism and sexism? Maybe you should just stop talking before that hole you're digging yourself into gets any deeper.
I couldn't agree with you more. Scott really impressed me by nullifying Kim Little in the midfield, very impressed with Scott's workrate. Here is what Heardman has to say on Scott on the Leaderpost. "Undoubtedly, the player of the match was Scott, one of Herdman’s fresh injections into a veteran side. She bossed the midfield, bringing to mind retired Dutch enforcer Edgar Davids, dubbed the Pit bull. “Her nickname,’’ laughed Herdman, “is The Destroyer. She’s been the find and a half. When I came into the program we had a tough conversation and it was about breaking out of her performance cage. Every time I’d seen her play it looked like the fear of failure. She released herself in the Pan Ams and she’s never looked back. They knew it was going to hurt tonight. If you’re hurting, it means you’re present and it means you’re connecting to each other. Desire epitomizes that.’’ High praise for a player that was ignored by Morace, Herdman has really changed the culture on that Canadian squad, he also brought in Lauren Sesselman who in my opinion is Canada's best defender. She is fast, mobile, intelligent and doesn't blow marks. Both these players have given Canada something they did not have at the World Cup, lots of intangibles. I'm just surprised that Lauren did not get a look from the USNT, she really is better then most of the defensive backs on the US squad.
Wow, I wondered if you'd have the courage to raise your ignorant little head. You've got two or three "accomplishments" to give Powell credit for (of course, of little impressiveness upon examination), ignoring her decade of pretty much unmitigated failure in charge, and then accuse someone else of "cherry picking." But I'm glad you showed your true colors with the racism, sexism charge - the refuge of the lost argument here if there ever was one. I must've forgot it was her brilliance as a coach that let down an entire nation playing at home while she twiddled her thumbs and brilliantly did nothing as the game slipped away. Again. You're clearly right, she's an absolute genius, all England's success is down to her, but none of their shortcomings. smfh
Maybe, you should coach that talent rich squad she was blessed with. I didn't realize they were a top 5 squad, always thought they were somewhere in the late teens or twenties.
I have no doubt Powell has totally changed women's football in England from where it was when she started managing the team but seriously with the potential that team had quarter-finals is just a joke. She just needed to select the best players and she would have had a lot of options at half time to turn the game on.
I have to agree with those that think Powell's overall performances (especially of late) have been not up to snuff. And what some folks who follow the league(s) in the UK have said about player selection & player management by Powell confirms this view. At the very least, her regime may just be very stale and past need for change. In the men's game it is rare for a head coach to last more than one cycle. Even in the women's game a head coach lasting more than 2 cycles is rare. Powell's been in charge in England for too long. And frankly, her behavior after England were outsted on pks in the WWC last summer should have gotten her the sack.