Why not both? As the match wore on, I kept thinking: we(Brasil) don't need Cris, we need Daniela. She would have provided the proper level of service and strength to get Marta and Ant in scoring mode. Sigh...
oh lawd. 1. Hope comes from very humble background and grew up with a father who was homeless and used to bring him food (to his camp in the woods) while she was in high school. 2. people of all backgrounds say unthoughtful things. poor, rich, black, white, Canadian, Brazilian.
Hard to hope Solo shows humility. The same can't be said for Brazil's players. Never said that wasn't the case.
Trolling or not, I have to agree with the sentiment. I have no interest in being grouped with Solo. She has fast become the Tanya Harding of soccer. I can't deny her abilities, but as a US fan I'll be happy when her WNT days are over. As for the game, I hate bunkers but I was actually routing for Sweden by the second half. Just can't stand Brazil's incessant complaining about very obvious fouls. They have drifted a long way from jogo bonito and the flashes of brilliance do not make up for the ridiculous gamesmanship in my mind. As with the US game, the blame for the loss lies with the losers play, not with Sweden's failure to play pretty futbal. Both the US and Brazil had tons of chances. If a team dominates and fails to capitalize by putting the ball on frame it doesn't deserve the win.
The Swedes used the weapons they had in order to win, I can't complain about it. We played for four hours against Australia and Sweden, took control of both matches and didn't manage to score a measly goal. That's on us. Our players still don't have the composure to finish their chances when it really counts.
I was making a joke about how Solo is vindicated. Her comments remain questionable. I am not a fan of her behavior over the years, and I advocate replacing her with a younger goalkeeper now. With three years until WWC, now is the time to develop the next generation. I agree Brazil has few excuses. They had ample chances to win the game. Doesn't erase the annoying manner of Sweden's progression through this tournament (and indeed qualifying in the first place).
Why do people keep stating this? as if they've just recently come to this enlightened realization. domination in soccer doesn't mean success. EVERYONE knows this. You're really in the wrong place, a soccer forum, if you expect people to not analyze or criticize matches.
shoutout to Pia Sundhage, first coach to take two different teams to women's Olympic gold medal match
There, there... Also, I gotta give credit to Pia's tactics. She knows we get lost when the other team park the bus, so she basically repeated what she did in the 2008 gold medal match. It worked again.
Me either. I've finally reached the point where I'm ready for Solo to move on. On bunkers, I admire a well-executed one, but just can't cheer for it (unless its the US playing one...). I don't hate them, but neither do I love them. And completely agree on the last paragraph; if either US or Brazil had been able to finish their chances, we wouldn't even be having the discussion on bunkering.
The other thing everyone knows is that lesser skilled teams bunker, and the proof of a superior team is the ability to figure out a way to break the bunker. So why all the calling out of Sweden for the style of play on this thread? That's not analysis; it's whining.
Very true. We were an utter mess in the waning stages of the 2nd half. Losing at home, in the Maracana is just . On a positive note: I think Vadao has improved as a coach in the women's game. I was pleasantly surprised to see him leave Maurine off the roster and Luciana too. I'm willing to keep him around until 2019(geez that seems like so far away). Hopefully, we can bring in some legitimate strikers by that time.
Bunkering in itself is a skill. If you can't beat them, chances are you're not actually more skilled, you just play prettier.
Damn I forgot she already has two gold medals.... I wonder if she'll become the first coach to win 3 gold medals..
Yeah, I dunno if I agree with this sentiment. I mean, it "only" took Vadão a couple of years to notice that Maurine and Luciana didn't belong on this team. Also, dude was in charge all this time and only tried Erika as a midfielder a few days ago. At this rate, he will need a couple more years to see that Raquel is useless. One thing I forgot to say about today's game: We really missed Fabiana's speed and skill, Poliana is waaay below her level.
Actually, you are correct. Time flies but it did take him awhile to make some adjustments. Do you think it was because of the occasion? Hope he doesn't revert to old ways after Games are over. Agreed about Fabi! Her presence was important than Cris', IMO. Poliana just doesn't have the skill or confidence to play this level. Lmao. Lawd, don't get me started on Raquel. She's as reliable as your girl, Esther.
The Twitters are reporting that after the match, Marta and Christiane told Lindahl that now that Sweden has beat them, they must win the whole thing. I had wondered what Marta appeared to be lecturing Lindahl about, finger wagging and all. And then of course stills of the pre-shootout Schelin-Marta hug are making the rounds as well.