Two matches vs South Korea: Oct. 19 in New Orleans at 7 pm CT; televised on FS1 Oct. 22 in Cary, NC at 2 pm ET; televised on ESPN Roster: GOALKEEPERS: Jane Campbell (Houston Dash; 1/0), Ashlyn Harris (Orlando Pride; 13/0), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars; 20/0) DEFENDERS: Abby Dahlkemper (NC Courage; 9/0), Julie Ertz (Chicago Red Stars; 53/11), Sofia Huerta (Chicago Red Stars; 1/0), Kelley O’Hara (Sky Blue FC; 101/2), Becky Sauerbrunn (FC Kansas City; 131/0), Casey Short (Chicago Red Stars; 15/0) MIDFIELDERS: Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC; 39/4), Carli Lloyd (Houston Dash; 242/97), Allie Long (Portland Thorns FC; 31/5), Samantha Mewis (NC Courage; 30/5), Megan Rapinoe (Seattle Reign FC; 125/33), Andi Sullivan (Stanford; 4/0) FORWARDS: Crystal Dunn (Chelsea FC; 55/22), Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride; 130/77), Christen Press (Chicago Red Stars; 92/43), Mallory Pugh (Washington Spirit; 28/6), Lynn Williams (NC Courage; 11/3) Rose Lavelle is also in training camp, but is not on the roster since she is coming back from injury. Taylor Smith and Tobin Heath were on the roster but are now out with injuries. Of the 20 players remaining on the roster, 18 will suit up for each match.
Interesting roster. Only two centerbacks, Sauerbrunn and Dahlkemper, if you play Julie Ertz in the midfield. Going toward the World Cup, you're going to need another centerback on the roster. Huerta is on the roster again as a right fullback. She deserves to be there after her previous game. However, it's going to be tough for her to beat out Taylor and O'Hara for the position. That right back position right now seems the most contested on the team. I would assume that Carli Lloyd will be a sub, especially in the opening game. That means a likely midfield of Ertz, Mewis, and Horan -- which is the U.S.'s best team of starters in my opinion, So. who sits if Carli becomes a starter again? Is Morgan Brian ever going to return from injury? Rose Lavelle is also beginning to seem frail for the pro game. Can Heath return to form? She didn't look that great in the NWSL finale. My guess as to Ellis' lineup tonight. . : Naeher Huerta-Dahlkemper-Sauerbrunn-Short Ertz-Mewis-Horan Pugh-Morgan-Rapinoe
As much as I've loved her in the past, Lloyd doesn't look like she belongs on this emerging team. Long is done as well. Sunshine is on the possible list for tonight, I think; Rose is not for either game this go round. Heath was a bully in the final, not a net positive. Horan played that way as well in the final, which is how she used to play for the national team. I'd like to see Ellis sit the players that played in the final last week. That was a brutal game and they can wait a couple more days to play.
11' 0-0 USA left ck, good header away. O'Hara shoots from ~arc top right, GK dive-blocks aside, Korea clear. USA are, of course, dominating in midfield with general speed and alertness, snuffing almost any low-numbers foray by Korea. Korea are defending well, stopping crosses and moving the ball confidently. Sullivan in midfield is intriguing. We look like we'll have several players who all fit into different midfield line-ups. At home, with most players fresh, we should dictate the action. Korea is very skilled. This is a pretty good match-up for a friendly.
22' 0-0 Korea ping down wide right to #16 Choe Yu-Ri, she beats Short(!!) to box right foot, cross to 5m center cleared away. Korea cross from ~box top right, Ertz(?) clears away off an attacker's shoulder -- that close. Korea swing down wide left, shross goes just high over right 90. 23' 0-0 USA attack down wide right, cross over mouth to 2m 2-left, Korea taps it over endline. 24' 1-0 Rapinoe left ck, hard inswing to 5m 5-left knee-high. Ertz cuts hard from center, dive-flick-heads across mouth, nutmegs GK #1 Kang Ga-Ae, into back right low. Portland ck targets Sonnett or Horan, USWNT ck targets Ertz's head or Ertz's foot
28' 1-0 USA's passing tempo is very high this match: lot of one-touch and quick passes. They're aggressive passes, too: most players can settle, turn, peek upfield, and then choose a pass. Rapinoe, Ertz, and Sullivan are all doing this. It's coming close to a critical mass in team-wide tempo, as we have basically no ball-sink of slow play on the field. In contrast, we've had relatively few attempts at 1-v-1 dribble-drives. It helps that the off-ball players are kind of young enough to still be running around actively. Now, we're missing the final pass a bit often, but maybe that's OK for this week. 29' 1-0 Rapinoe plays up wide left for Short overlapping. High cross to Morgan at 8m center, slightly behind her jump, she heads it waaaay upward and over bar. 31' 1-0 Choe Yu-Ri and Short charge head-on at a 50-50 ball. Short flicks it (or it ricochets off Short's leg?) up into Choe's sternum. Whooof, she goes down -- a loss of air, not an injury. Brief stoppage, resume. 34' 1-0 Rapinoe receives facing away at circle top mid-left, Choe Yu-Ri (she's back ) bumps into her chest-to-back and knocks her prone, then trips upon her. Foul.
40' 2-0 As for speed of thought ... Short switches to Ertz at circle top, wide pass to O'Hara at 25m right touch, she passes to Pugh at box top right, going toward right sideline away from pressure. O'Hara sees that, instantly makes a hard cut up box right -- Pugh sees that, dink diagonal pass to box right foot. O'Hara touches to 0.1m box right, Korea's defense half-relaxes thinking ball is entirely over. O'Hara hook-cross to Morgan facing away at 4m 6-right, she spins cw to 6-top 4-right and shoots left instep rising across mouth, past Kang Ga-Ae into back left high. Immediately afterward, Korea look ... shocked that a goal kick wasn't given. Anyways, don't let Morgan post up where she wants. RTs DO count as endorsements 👍Cool as you like from @alexmorgan13! pic.twitter.com/L1dEzik9nH— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) October 20, 2017 They tweetcapped this one.
44' 2-0 #12 Yoo Young-a(?) dribbles to midfield mid-left, Pugh overtakes from behind and kicks at ball -- misjudges badly, whacks Yoo in the right Achilles, jams her own foot into the turf. Yoo stays down, Pugh stays up, hops 5m past that spot on left foot only, clutching right hamstring. O'Hara helps Pugh sit down. Stoppage, trainers: they quickly motion for a sub. Two trainers support Pugh into near touch; she promptly lies prone in front of bench while a trainer tends to her hamstring. 45' 2-0 USA subs in (1 of 6) #12 Lynn Williams for #2 Mallory Pugh. 45+1' (2-0) Korea subs in (1 of 6) #13 Ji Sun-Mi for #3 Shin Damyeong. +3'.
45+5' (of +3') 2-1 Korea switch from right touch to #22 Han Chaerin at circle top(?) mid-left. Han dribbles fast up arc left lane, spins Dahlkemper one way, then the other -- nobody stops ball, Han gets to arc top left, shoots left instep into left 90 over Naeher's stretch. Where was the midfield on that pass? Dahlkemper probably did the right thing to play the %s and cede the long shot while stopping the run-past, but ... shot happens. HT 2-1.
Lots of energy on both teams -- and good play in tight spaces. This is a good test of the US-- playing a technical team rather than a muscle team. Miracle goal by Ertz. Rapinoe's corner kick come in like a rocket to Ertz's head who somehow redirected it to goal. And speaking of rockets -- that blast from outer space by the Korean was pretty special too.
Anyone who watches NWSL knows the answer: Emily Menges. And Sonnett too. I like Sauerbrunn, Dahlkemper, Menges, Sonnett as my four center backs for 2019.