US vs Finland, Los Angeles, CA Aug 25

I understood what you wrote and have no disagreement with you. My problem is with the way Ryan handled the whole situation. How do you risk your star striker over a meaningless friendly. I don't care how much she wants to stay in, at some point the coach has to do his job. Hopefully it is not serious but what if staying in the match jeopardizes her effectiveness in the WC? Three times this week we see coaches with no common sense to take care of their players. It is ridiculous.

 

She does not look 18. It's a trap.

 

To triple post, defense just got beat and Hope didn't quite make the stop when she came out but the ball ended up out of danger. Dicey.

 

Sure - after she put a sweet move on the goalkeeper and then put the ball perfectly inside the near post where the approaching Finnish defender couldn't stop it.

I may not lament the demise of the WUSA all that often, but whenever I see Shannon Boxx play for the US, I absolutely do. She more than anyone emerged as a WNT candidate from playing in the WUSA.

 

?????


These kids have to learn to take the ball to the corner. Say what you will about her but Parlow was great at that.

 

It's only a friendly. They want to keep playing. It's understandable.

 

I thought all of that was a given.

If there is something we need to worry about looking forward to the WWC... two US refs in the tournament.

 

huh

 

It is the last tune up game b/f the WWC. They need to do play like they want to play in the WWC. The pressure will be much greater and if they can't be smart enough in a more "relaxed" setting of a friendly, then will they be able to do it then? The lack of heading to the corner flag to kill a game is something I've noticed is lacking for a little while now--not just this game. They need to play smart.

 

The last sub for Finland looked really young.

Also from USSoccer.com:

 

Geez, 7,118 announced attendance for the World Cup send off match. That is depressing!

 

Agree, this game was the most I have enjoyed in a long time.

 

Yea, maybe that is why the investors are rushing to start-up the new league.

 

A month ago, sure. But there's not much risk here, is there? Either there's bone or ligament damage, in which case taking her out immediately ain't gonna keep her available for the cup, or there is not, in which case she'll be able to play. Even if the toe is broken or a ligament torn, tape and novacaine may let her play, albeit at a reduced level.

This isn't like Brazil leaving Rosalie in a friendly with an obviously unstable knee until she tore the meniscus as well-- playing an extra 15 on an injured toe is not going to lead to a greater injury, and this close to the tournament pulling her immediately really is unlikely to shorten recovery time enough if recovery time is needed...

I suppose there is some increased chance that she might suffer another injury because of this one, but if you start treating her like fine china she won't be Abby Wambach anymore or much of anything else either... it sucks, but its not Ryan's fault and he didn't do anything stupid...

 

Hopefully the new league will put a little effort in to bringing crowds in.

 

Boxxy says Abby may have broken her toe: http://http://www.insidesocal.com/soccer/

 

I disagree. Ryan should have subbed her out.

Leaving an injured player in, when there's no reason to, not only risks the injury getting worse, but the player can overcompensate for the primary injury and quickly develop a secondary one that may be even worse.

If Abby is injured significantly, then Kai should have came on much earlier I feel.

 

Ryan did sub her out-- any debate is over ten minutes or so...

 

This team already looks good enough to get a nick name and a theme song.
So here it is. BLITZKRIEG BOP! Nickname and theme song (1977 by the Ramones) all in one. Give it a listen. The WNT attacking style and the jerseys that look like the German flag made me think of this.

 

My hopes that this would prove to at least test for the team were dashed in the first 5 minutes as the Finnish side showed no ability to even test the US. The match was much like watching a Lasa Apso try to defend a steak bone from a Doberman.

I just hope that these last two fiascoes did not instill a false sense of superiority as has happened in the past and that Abby did not suffer a broken toe which would, probably, prevent her from playing in the WC.

I know that these extremely weak teams were all the USSF could come up with but the USWNT would have been better served playing a top WPSL side or a top college team of even a select team of U16 boys.

For a match to have any value you must be tested in a way that is close to what you will face in the "real" matches and these last two games failed to do that.

Maybe the next time we have this kind of game we can make it a little more even by playing with 8; simulating the situation we would face when we inevitably draw 3 red cards.

 

No thank you! give me a break! Get real!

 

most coaches (also remember there's usually a physio and doctor on the sideline too) wait and let the player try to play thru the pain, and when they can't go anymore or when they are hurting the team, they get taken out. ryan did what any good coach would do.

you and i and three other people have heard of the team. the ad campaign is not for us the tiny, rabid minority who follow the women's game in this country. it's for the huge masses who don't know how good somebody like carli lloyd is.

 

So I'm not the only one who thought the game got a *lot* better after Wambach sat down then, I take it?

I know she's a weapon, and you can't argue with her numbers, but even if her toe keeps her out for a few games I don't think our offense will exactly be in trouble because of it -- on the contrary it looked to me like her absence freed everybody else up to be more creative in the attack. It was tremendous fun to watch Lily / Lloyd / O'Reilly / Tarpley / Chalupney et al. moving the ball around up top, shredding the defense and repeatedly threatening to score in what must surely have felt like wave after wave to Finland's defense.

Frankly I enjoyed the second half of this game more than any USWNT match I've seen in years, and I hope I see more of this kind of play in the tournament.