PBP: USA vs Netherlands - Tues. 12/03 - 2:45 pm ET

https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2024/12/five-things-to-know-netherlands-vs-usa

Background to the next friendly. My memory is so shot that I can read this stuff like it's new to me.

 

My preference for the starters:

Front line: Players with fewer minutes from last game-- Thompson, Shaw, Ryan. (Sears has fewer minutes than Thompson, but latter more dangerous; also Sentnor too inexperienced to start against this level opponent).
Midfield: Whole new midfield, Hershfelt, Albert, Yohannes. Too good not to play and wouldn't be intimidated by the opponent, besides the others just put in a mostly full-90 minutes.
Defense: I'll be a bit conservative and leave Fox, Girma, then use Sams (or Davidson as next up), Malonson as leftback (impressed by her game against Rodman couple weekends ago).
'Keeper: Tullis-Joyce, cuz, why make her (or us) wait, everywhere she's gone she's had to start as second-string and has eventually prevailed. See this reprint of a recent article about her originally from The Athletic:
https://www.kabargayo.com/2024/11/2...-biology-to-man-utd-no-1-and-uswnt-selection/

We can sub into the game the likes of Horan, Williams, Lavell, etc if the game gets hairy.

 

Further to the use of Malonson: she had 120 mins, 105 touches, 18 recoveries, 6 tackles, 9 interceptions and 4 blocks in play-off loss to Spirit and alot of that was being matched-up one on one with Rodman--was a great battle.

 

I just want to say that the reaction shots of Emma on the sideline of Wembley kept striking me as a cross between Winnie the Pooh and Sir John Falstaff...

 

Screw lineups and formations, all the USWNT needs to do today is to channel July 7. 2019 and we will be just fine. I can’t remember what I had for lunch Sunday but I remember 1,976 days ago like it was yesterday.

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People may eventually forget December 3rd 2024, but historians will remember this day for an event in The Hague that many will refer to as a Glorious Celebration of Women’s Futball.

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You guessed it ...

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Here’s the full lineup rundown:


Starting XI vs. Netherlands: 1-Alyssa Naeher (Capt.); 3-Korbin Albert, 4-Naomi Girma, 5-Jenna Nighswonger, 8-Jaedyn Shaw, 10-Lindsey Horan, 12-Tierna Davidson, 16-Rose Lavelle, 17-Sam Coffey, 23-Emily Fox, 24-Yazmeen Ryan

Available Subs: 2-Emily Sams, 6-Lynn Williams, 7-Alyssa Thompson, 9-Ally Sentnor, 11-Lily Yohannes, 13-Emma Sears, 14-Emily Sonnett, 15-Alyssa Malonson, 19-Hal Hershfelt, 20-Casey Krueger, 21-Mandy Haught, 22-Eva Gaetino

Not dressing: Phallon Tullis-Joyce

 

Horan starts again? WTF...she was terrible against England. No Lily..again????

 

Oddball starting XI...4-4-2? Curious to see where Rose lands in whatever formation they go with. I assume Shaw and Ryan up front, guess we'll know soon...

 

And Naeher starts again. It is another wasted friendly for the GK position. But I disagree about Horan. I thought she was a bit better than most of the rest of the USA team in the England match and she is at least not retiring from international soccer like Naeher.
We need to move past the aging players MUCH more quickly than we have in the past. And since Naeher has no plans to play for the USA in any important match in the future we really need to move on. I think Hayes has done mostly wonderfully with the field players but her lack of willingness to sit a quitter is just baffling.

You can take it any way you like but, by announcing her quitting before these "training" matches, she has shown that she believes she is more important than the team of this country's soccer players. And she still plays. It is stupid and selfish.

 

You're just pursuing a vendetta now...

 

There is nothing wrong with a mild vendetta if the subject is hurting the USA by her current presence. If there were to be farewell matches they should be in the USA. We have so few overseas friendlies that wasting them using a player that is quitting is simply stupid and very very selfish by the player involved.

 

The Dutch ready to play, this is more action in the first minute than England did all game long

 

starting the “Emma out” club early??? LOL, jk. On other news, Ellis got pulled by FIFA and is leaving the SD Wave. Poop in its rightful place, I’d say…

 

Goddam, NED came out to rock!

 

Hollands on fire 1-0

 

And that is the first Dutch goal of which I expect will be a few more unless we start to play soccer and Naeher catches the catchable balls instead of punching them badly.

 

Thr only other GK we brought with is Haught, who played for NWSL last place Utah

 

Contrary to what we hear on TV it is NOT an end to end match but rather it is and end to half line and then back to the end. We are playing like a bunch of high school girls right now.

 

Neaher does something very smart. She acts a little injured and gives her team a break to get maybe a bit organized.

 

Preventable own goal by the Dutch 1-1 before halftime

 

This ref is really bad, that was a push in the back on Girma on the goal and a foul that was not called. She is letting the Dutch foul all over the field, and calling the US on every little contact.