Purce was the highlight for sure. Sauerbrunn was an injury replacement after not making the initial roster. It is an Olympic year, so the idea we should just purge all the vets does not make a lot of sense. We have not won the Olympics since 2012 and just had our worst WC Finish. Whomever is playing the best, right now, should go. You can turn it over fully after this year. Williams to me makes a lot of sense as a WB. She has good work rate (the best amongst the wide mid types), good size, and good off the dribble ability. She scored once and had one called back. Plus, she is not an elite creator like you want up front. She, Purce, Dunn, and Fox all seem like good WB options. We miss Swanson, Macario, and Mewis badly. And peak Rose. And Ertz. The USWNT missing a star forward is new ground. Akers, Jennings/Gabarra, Heinrichs, Hamm, Milbrett, Parlow, Wambach, Lloyd, Pinoe, Morgan. Right now we don't have that. Weakest since 1995 with Akers injured and Gabarra on her last legs. Still not convinced on Smith and Rodman. Very raw.
The weird part is there was a team where someone could contractually hold a spot for over a decade now matter how poor they were playing for club or country.
It wasn't *that* long ago that players only got #13 if they were a substitute, and there were no assigned numbers.
We're coming up on the 100th anniversary of the birth of Joe Gaetjens. If I'm not combining situations, there was some controversy as to what number he wore, partially due to there being no assigned numbers.
That was the first time FIFA required players to wear numbers. The only rule was that you couldn't have any number higher than the number of players on your team. The US had 18. Most teams simply started at the back with the keeper -1 obviously- and then went across the lines until they got to 11. But you were only given a number for one game. If someone else started in your place they got your number. Ditto if you changed positions. Except for the US who ignored it all. In their first game Gaetjens wore # 15 but in the second, the insane game where 11 Americans who barely could even be called amateurs, beat mighty England 1 - 0, the photos show Gaetjens wearing # 18. Then he went home to Haiti and was murdered by Papa Doc Duvaliers TonTon Macoute, but that's another story.
Since she was a replacement on the roster, the rules stipulate she had to be given the same number as the player she replaced - Becky Sauerbraun was in the same situation
I saw that but it doesn't make any sense to me. How can the coach know exactly who you're going to replace. Or who is going to get hurt or sent off? You can't sit in the locker room and say for sure who you're going in for. And what if you then get sent in for an unexpected injury? Are you ineligible? "No, I'm sorry, you're only allowed to go in for #7, and the girl we just carted off is #12. No #12 on the bench? Then you're going to play a man down." I'm sorry but that can't possibly be the case.
I'm confused about your confusion lol The W Gold Cup teams made a provisional roster of 60 players. 10 days prior to competition they must file their 23 player roster for the competition - players are assigned numbers 1-23. In the case of serious injury (Fishel torn ACL, Cook knee injury), they can be replaced up to 24 hours prior to the first match. If replaced, their replacement (Morgan and Becky) must be assigned the same number as they were assigned. As in, you can't rearrange the already given out numbers for the new player.
Oh. See, when she said "substitute for" I thought they meant on the field, during the game, which seemed either impossible or requiring clairvoyance. Or maybe a whole bunch of shirts. I guess I don't understand then why it's at all remarkable. The team has been picked, num ers assigned and shirts made and then someone is unavailable so someone else gets added to the roster. However someone else already has the number you previously wore. Who on Earth would expect the player with your old number to give it up just because you were a last minute addition? It seems so obvious that I'm surprised that it's even mentioned. Whatever. Go Crew.
Does she think it's club soccer where numbers can be bought from legends for ridiculous prices or rookies are expected to give a number to some legend?
Just because it needs mention, the USWNT lost to Mexico 0 - 2 in the Gold Cup, a score which does nothing to describe how badly they got their fannies kicked. Leaving aside the fact that the cumulative record between the two sides was 40-1-1 coming in, Mexico played with aggression, style and a clue what they wanted to do while the US looked like a bad high school team. Also of note was that try as they might espn couldn't completely hide the fact that US-Mexico in Carson CA did not half-fill the stadium. Ugly all around. The new coach has her work cut out.
You might even be tempted to be generous and say that there were several new players out there - but not all by a long shot - but the first Mexico goal was scored 100% on veteran Becky Saurbrunn who butchered it about as badly as its possible to do and left the goal wide open. Just really ugly.
Only got to watch the first half. Remember thinking Mexico got a bit lucky on the goal (that Saurbrunn made such a boneheaded play... she even checked her shoulder before blindly kicking the ball into the defender). Having said that, i think the most dangerous chance the US had was a not even quite a half a chance that Smith made look more dangerous than it really was. I don't think Mexico was particularly good. USA was just that bad But who are these new players you're talking about? Coffee was the only real new player who started (and she was, admittedly, not good). The rest are long time starters, or at least started in the last WWC. Not sure if they just didn't care because they already were already through to the next round or what. Doesn't bode well. I really thought they looked their best a couple months ago when they basically had a squad of new kids. It may just be time to gut it and start from scratch *shrug*
My message to the USWNT: "Ladies, this not how Dos a Cero works. This is not how Dos a Cero works at all."
I concur. I have not been impressed with Smith, at all. Williams as a WB makes sense, not as much at WF. Smith, Rodman, and Williams is all kick & chase, there is no guile there. Fox & Dunn are OK, but do not create a lot. Bringing Sonnett on for a forward made zero sense. The did not really come close to scoring.
Most of our best players are injured (Swanson, Macario, S. Mewis), retired (Rapinoe, Ertz), well past it (Morgan, Sauerbrunn), or didn't play (Girma). I'll take Purce all day long over Rodman. Rose & Horan did not look great, either.
Nice to see Alex show a little spark. Alex Morgan stands on business. 😤 LFG!#WaveFC #USWNT pic.twitter.com/InUrabNs9G— Beach Bums (@BeachBumsSD) March 4, 2024 That chicken is lucky it got sorted a bit before Lindsay Horan showed up. I wouldn't want to mess with her.