If they had a finisher or two then they might even give the US a run for #1. But, without a finisher, the are no better than where you put them at 5th to 7th.
Honestly it's surprisingly how quick Spain has developed within the last 5 years. I'm incredibly shocked that they didn't make it further in the WWC 19', I forgot who eliminated them.. Sweden or Germany?, they seem to be level with France, England, Germany and The Netherlands and could have easily beat those other teams last Summer. JMO
Front line should be Press - Lloyd - Tobin. Only thing Rapinoe is good for is set pieces, and Press, with more experience, is proving she's every bit as good. Williams doesn't have the skill on the ball or game IQ to really do much of anything other than try to beat people with straight line pace.
Was watching the clip of the goal and I have to say... first of all great finish but getting past that.... Press simply makes things happen. I really hope she is now rated as the starter... she saved our butts today with that cross. Rapinoe had 60+ minutes and did little. Press comes in and sets up the winner 20 minutes later. Also, Vlat has to do something about Lloyd as a starter. She is past her expiration date and maybe is a late game sub now but not a starter. Kind of the same for Heath and Rapinoe. Every player reaches the end of their usefulness. Some like Mia, Julie Fouty have enough sense to go when its their time. Others like Abby, Lilly have to be told its over. We now have 3 that are either there or close to there but are still hanging on. We must start getting younger soon. Who knows if there will even be an olympics? Lloyd is the biggest problem IMO. We really have no backup for her right now and that needs to be addressed. It's kind of like when Klinsmann went to the WC with just Jozy and no Donovan. Jozy goes down and we were screwed
My money is on Spain. England struggled against Japan. Spain and Japan are very similar but Spain is better
I'm telling y'all the criticism of Williams is just going to be ongoing - at times relentless, at other times insidious. I'm not saying she's a Ballon d'Or kind of player but other people have their favorites and they will just never give her the credit she's earned. Today, when she took it to the line and looked to cut it back, if Press was in the game, or one of her North Carolina teammates (McDonald or Hamilton), or if Lavelle was in an advanced position, they would've met her pass for a great scoring chance. Because they would've read the play in time to know where they needed to be.
In my view, today's game is a valuable reminder that it's not going to be an easy ride to an Olympic gold medal. One serious blunder against a good team could be a disaster.
She's fighting for a spot on the Olympic squad, she has to do better than what she showed tonight. Everyone who isn't doing their job is going to be criticized on this squad. All these players are fair game and nobody gets an excuse to be just okay. Lynn Williams went pretty much 90 minutes without anything to show except a lucky draw on a foul close to the box. We can't just take her because she is fast, especially if she's not doing much in the end and letting those balls get away from her. Tobin Heath may be slower but at least she's more patient with the ball.
Well our achilles heel seems to be with technical teams like Spain but Spain didn't qualify for the Olympics so the next best technical side is the one we're facing on Wednesday, Japan. They will likely run into us during the Olympics but they seem to be in a transition right now and they won't be at their strongest. I'm quite surprised that they aren't any better closer to the Olympics as they are the hosts and need to showcase what they're made of. Unfortunately it seems that Japan isn't going to be ready to compete for the best during the Olympics but you never know what will happen in a tournament. They are still classy AF, and organized and incredibly fun to watch.
If I were going to pick out a forward who hasn't done much for a while, it would be Heath. Williams didn't do much, but she did put in one good cross that could have turned into a goal. I was rather amazed in one instance when the Spanish center back stayed with her pace-for-pace for about 30 yards. I thought Spain played the US equally for about 75 minutes and then either wore out or started playing for the tie rather than a win. Ertz is certainly looking like the player of the tournament.
She was the more dangerous on the frontline in the 1st half, I think. In some ways, she's almost too fast. Occasionally, you'll see others not make the run with her (hmm, Rapinoe) because they can't match her speed or because they don't think she'll make the turn/cut. In any case, I do like her better on the wing; she doesn't play the #9 spot as well as Lloyd, imo. Her holdup play is not as good, and she's not as consistent on passing as some others. She also wastes chances (but then so does Lloyd and others; e.g., Heath has only scored once this year while I think Williams has 3.) But she has bright moments, and her pace makes her dangerous as well as her nose for the goal. In my book, she makes the Olympic roster. I also heard Vlatko is high on her. And if its between Williams and McDonald, then I say Williams. But who knows what will happen? On another note, Press is doing everything she can to say she should start consistently. I think Vlatko is testing different combos on the frontline, but by the time the dust settles as long as Press maintains form, she should be penciled into every starting lineup.
Another question: will we see the likes of Krieger, Short, Davidson, Sullivan, or Pugh in the next match? How much squad rotation will there be?
Because I had wondered about the armband change and maybe some of you had, too: Funny postgame anecdote from Carli Lloyd about the USWNT armband change at halftime. It kept falling off Dunn's arm and Dunn had to hold arm up all first half (noticable in stadium) and Dunn had Lloyd take it. Loose on her arm, too. Lloyd says they will have to hit the gym. 💪— Jeff Kassouf (@JeffKassouf) March 8, 2020
On that note, I just saw this: Vlatko Andonovski says it straight up about Mallory Pugh: “She needs to be better than players on the field. … I have no doubt that she’s going to get her spot back. How long it will take, we’ll see.”— Jonathan Tannenwald (@thegoalkeeper) March 8, 2020
And Vlatko answers this question, too: In postgame presser, Vlatko Andonovski says the #uswnt sitting a little deeper this game wasn't intentional, they were having issues adjusting their line of confrontation bc Spain was building more off their second ball and it messed with their timing to step up + pressure— Steph Yang | Horrible Soccer Goose (@thrace) March 8, 2020
Maybe a little bit of both but I think at some point, they decided to play for a tie. They intentionally took the foot off the gas in my eyes.
I still want to see Horan at center forward. At this time I think she would be a better hold up player and I know her heading is superior. She is also, at this time, a better passer and finisher in front of goal than anybody else on the team. Speed up the middle is not needed too much but Horan is OK in that department as well. The only other player that I think could fill that spot as well would be Ertz and playing her that far forward would take some of her best attributes out of the game. However it would mean that by the time the second half started many of the opposing central defenders would be so bruised they might be unable to move effectively. The only central defenders that I think "might" be able to stand up to her is the Germans. But it would be a pretty close call and it would take at least two German defenders to stand up to Ertz. But the one thing our current coach seems to lack is imagination, so we will see neither alternative in the foreseeable future. With the current coaching we have real quality but a lot of conservationism. That is not bad and it bodes pretty well for the short term, through the Olympics. But after the Olympics I REALLY hope that we see some real attempts to innovate this team. As good as we are if we do not get better we will no longer be the lead dog. Remember, "If you are not the lead dog your view never changes."
At the moment, five players seem to be competing for three slots: Lloyd, Rapinoe, Heath, Press, and Williams. (We have no idea if Morgan will be genuinely ready to enter that competition.) Of the five, Press has been by far the best player in this year's games. Barring a big change, she's got to be a starter in the games that count and perhaps play all 90 minutes.
Anybody know how the US was able to make four substitutions (Press, Heath, Horan and MacDonald)? Are those the tournament rules? I wasn't able to find anything online (though admittedly I could have looked harder).
I don't think that it's missing from her game, but, rather, that other teams have figured out that she's dangerous and have been doing a much better job marking her.