I get why we're doing it, and I guess the team does need to practice it since we're not good at it. We're not good at sitting back instead of pressing higher (On the press, for most of the game, the press was on and looked much better than it did a few months ago). We're also not very good at taking the ball to the corner. When the "defend the lead" changes start (looked like both a formation change and a tactical change), we look more likely to be scored on, instead of less.
I will answer. At the risk of repeating myself, I wrote: I guess if you are OK with the idea that religion gives some of us the right to condemn others of us as being sinners or going against what God intends by virtue of being gay, then its no big deal what Hinkle did, and maybe even Albert's repost of anti-gay sermon. If, however, you believe that the values of the US - and of the USWNT - are tolerance and acceptance of all people, then such intolerance dressed up in religious faith is really not OK. To me, wearing the gay pride flag in the number is a sign of acceptance and embrace for a group of people who have been viciously and violently discriminated against (apparently by "Christians"). But not by all Christians. Not by most mainline protestant churches - at least in "Blue States" - who fly gay pride flags. And not by Pope Francis. Gay pride is seen by many as a civil rights movement. Not a "political agenda." But if you belive your God tells you not to wear a symbol of gay pride for a team with numerous gay players and coaches, that is your right in this country. Buy to say all Hinkle took a "neutral stance" because all she did was say it was "not her job to promote gay pride" is intentionally sticking your head in the sand to the realities of discrimination and even violence against gay people, and how that intolerance is aided and abetted by people like Hinkle, no matter how earnest she claims her faith to be. Do I need to list the names of all the lesbian players on USWNT past and present for people to see how this issue is an intensely personal "political" issue for the team?
The non stop bashing of Horan by certain posters is sooo tiring. Like all the players she's has strengths and weaknesses to her game, but "making players around her worse"? Horan consistently gives players around her an outlet to pass to who has excellent first touch and ball control and is strong enough to hold off tackles and shield the ball to help us maintain possession in traffic and progress the ball from defense to offense as she is a mostly accurate passer of the ball as well. And she draws a lot of fouls due to her craftiness to position her body to draw the contact. She is better at these things than most other midfielder options, and she is a legit scoring threat in open play and set pieces and clutch on penalties. But yeah, she mostly sucks. Sheesh.
That is an illusion caused by two pretty obvious things endemic to the situation: 1. You reach a point where it is worth more to try to keep the clock running than to try to score and 2. The other guy reaches a point where it is far more important to try to score right now than it is to avoid giving up more goals to you. He/she's taking more and hairier chances looking for the equalizer, and you are not seriously taking advantage of the ways in which he is leaving himself open to counterattack. So of course "we look more likely to be scored on." That's just the game situation, not any failure of technique. The other guys can play a little too; that was a very good Japanese team.
Agreed that Japan is a good team and I even said in this thread that they were turning up the pressure. My criticism isn't blind here; I know why we do it, and I know that there are situations to do it in. But, the USWNT have been doing it constantly when up only 1 goal. My criticism is more that we're so bad at it, not that we're doing it at all. For example, the players seem to do things like go to the corner when there are better options. Smith did it in this game when she had Macario running with her in the center and better odds/numbers going towards goal rather than towards the corner. That's not a slam on Smith because Williams was doing the same in the W Gold Cup. Speaking of, remember when Canada punished us for it in the W Gold Cup...twice. Additionally, at points, we shelled up so far into the defensive third, inside the 18, and were letting players have too much space outside the 18 but still inside our defensive third (Girma being out though could have been part of the reason there). You know what protects a lead better than shifting everything only to defend a lead? Putting another goal in.
The poster just anti Alex Morgan.. and the reason most likely being is that Morgan failed to score when it counted…the last World Cup, despite starting in all four games. I’m no history buff, but in order to win a major tournament like the WC, you would need your main striker to score at least a few goals, lol. Though to be fair, our offense seems to be mostly winger driven anyways
Probably ordered by Emma Hayes, but the week before Hayes via Chelsea played an rectangular defense for an whole dreary 120 minutes, so get used to it!
you’re reading a lot of extra stuff about not what Hinkle did. She just chose to take a neutral stance. You’re adding a lot of stuff she didn’t do. But you didn’t answer my question. It sounds like you’re saying that if a person isn’t a gay marriage activist they can’t play on the team. And if that’s the case, what’s about the WNT from any job? There will always be lgbt employees (hopefully).
Do we beat Spain and England if we can't deal with a high press. We can't be afraid of turning the ball over and need to trust their passing skills to keep the ball at the end of the game. Stop punting and serving up 50-50 balls. It starts with the goalie and what we do on goal kicks.
That's code for "she exposes the tactical weaknesses of the other WNT players who don't see the game as quickly as she does..." Funny that she's consistently made the UCL level players around her worse for how many seasons in a row? I guess without her they'd have multiple trophies...
Stop punting and serving up 50-50 balls. It starts with the goalie and what we do on goal kicks. Not with punts and 50/50 balls. A controlled direct counter attack with some luck won the day for them. The first goal, a direct pass from a CB to a player on the wing who was waiting for it, not running on, and then possibly the best pass from the entire tournament to a 3rd person runner. The 2nd goal ball won in the midfield passed to a player already moving, and then luckily the shot deflects down off the defender's foot and loops over the now wrong-footed keeper. 3rd goal again passes to players that were in position, not balls into space. The 4th goal sure, I can see Rodman just outrunning the coverage on a throwin down the line and drilling it. Controlled direct play, where you're defending in a structure so that when you win the ball people are in place to get forward quickly, is very different from punts and 50/50 balls. ,
Huh? Are you saying that a team with bigots is a more true and accurate national team? I guess you got me there. Would be pretty accurate.
She refused a callup specifically due to the jersey. How many people could refuse to work on a project at their job because, for example, it involved the change in benefits for spouses to now allow domestic partners, and keep their job?
We could probably forgive Foudy the 1st time she called it a 5-4-1 but she kept saying it, kept criticizing it for 11 minutes + 5 minutes of stoppage. That's a good 16 minutes of real-time that a soccer analyst made the same mistake. It wasn't like she was busy calling the play by play either. I can't believe they had not pulled her off the air!! Sometimes you just want to switch to the Spanish channel without knowing any Spanish just to avoid her annoying comments.
I didn't even notice-- because I basically stopped listening to her an unknown number of years back, and since then my SO has taken to turning the sound down below my hearing threshold to avoid the crowd noise, which bothers her immensely.
The shirts didn’t change anyone’s benefits. It looks like you’re saying only lgbt activists should be allowed to work. Neutral gets you fired.
It was the end of the game with lesser skilled fullbacks in the game. We were parking the bus and punting, hated it. I think they can hold themselves to a higher standard and keep the ball. I am ok with center backs playing long, but don't let the goalie just blast it up. While we are at it. I just prefer the smaller, quicker, and more agile fullbacks. They get that with Nighswonger. The men have it in Dest. Dunn has lost a step for sure and feet aren't as smooth as they used to be. Question: has Horan played center back? I would like to see her there so that we have her head for set pieces and passing out of the back. Albert, Coffey, and Shaw provide more speed in midfield.
that game was practically the last day of group play, so the round of 16 opponents were already set. At the start of that game, I posted something that Spain should try & loose the game on purpose since the looser had a surprisingly easier path through the playoffs(looser takes on Switzerland, winner takes on Norway and then the winner of USA/Sweden) so I would think they’d purposefully lost(.it’s happened before in both men & women’s WC). Remember they had a scoundrel as a coach in Vilda, apparently hated & despised by the whole team).otherwise he wouldn’t have been fired after winning the WC. Vilda’s still a technical genius as a coach, the US might face him again if Morocco makes it to the Olympics. Last time we faced him, he’s maheshift B squad beat our A squad. You would think we would of learned something from it but apparently the only thing we learned is never to go on tour again!