11' 0-0 USA sieges the final 1/3 for long stretches. So far, Costa Rica has defended well enough. Heath shows some danger getting into box left foot, but dribbles into a 1-v-2 endline trap, and loses it. 13' 0-0 CR has had the sporadic forward counter, quickly fizzling.
thank god!!! and thank you ohara, cheney, boxx and heath... that was a great overlap by ohara...her comfort on the ball is evident.
I didn't know Tobin Heath could head a ball; honestly, that might be the first time I've seen her do it. Set piece defending is an area CONCACAF teams really, really need to work on.
16' 0-0 #19 O'Reilly taps into the stride of #5 O'Hara overlapping past, she goes endline and wins a corner. 16' 1-0 #12 Cheney right corner, outswings to 6-top left, #7 Boxx outleaps everybody and heads down hard to left post. #18 Miranda parries it, high pop-up hangs and drops to 1m right post. #17 Tobin Heath + 1 other lurk right there, don't even have to move, she heads it straight forward into the upper back right corner.
set piece goal (size and strength), but nothing coming forward. tell me when the speed line up is subbed in the 2nd half.
typical buehler in the span of 30 seconds gives the ball away to costa rica in the box and then boots the ball past the midfield to costa rica
Agreed. However I would argue that Beuhler's fabulous header to the Costa Rica forward right in front of goal was worse
god buehler... headed the ball to costa rica, again.. so, boxx, to me, is rarely in the right defensive shape... and she does not have the pace to track back and gain ground on forwards..i have not seen it this tournament... i'd like to see someone else there (besides Lori L)
Costa Rica has some players with decent ball skills. With some more experience, I could see them challenging for a CONCACAF World Cup spot in 2015, given the increase to 24 teams. Maybe.
20' 1-0 #19 O'Reilly stabs a backpass to #7 Boxx, she misses it, Costa Rica breaks all the way to US's box top left. USA clears, CR dumps it in from wide right. #19 Buehler(?) heads it from box top center sideways toward box left -- directly to #4 María Fernanda Barrantes breaking in diagonally through box top (her) right. Weak shot from 15m, #1 Solo sprawls and smothers it.
Yikes if this was a team with a stronger forward and some experience they would have put one of those chances away. US cannot play sloppy like that.
god buehler..... let her girl FLY by here.. then box and Lloyd passed right to a costa rican player...
O'Hara needs to become a ball winner if she is going to be a defender. She's lost a couple of 50's and had terrible position on a couple of plays. Shaky stuff.
24' 1-0 Brandi makes a gracious remark re Costa Rica playing for the big upset, and a funny joke re Lloyd getting 2 points for the takedown (on #16 Alvarado) in CR's box. 25' 1-0 Costa Rica free kick from just past midfield wide left, played square to center circle top. Long chip bounces into the box, #11 Raquel Rodríguez Cedeño beats #19 Buehler(?) as #1 Solo charges out to 14m -- sprawl-block stops the shot.