Age now, then three years hence: Alyssa Naeher - 36 : 39 years old Emily Fox - 26 : 29 years old Korbin Albert - 20 : 23 years old Naomi Girma - 24 : 27 years old Trinity Rodman - 22 : 25 years old Casey Krueger - 33 : 36 years old Crystal Dunn - 32 : 35 years old Lynn Williams - 31 : 34 years old Mallory Swanson - 26 : 29 years old Lindsey Horan - 30 : 33 years old Sophia Smith - 23 : 26 years old Tierna Davidson - 25 : 28 years old Jenna Nighswonger - 23 : 26 years old Emily Sonnett - 30 : 33 years old Jaedyn Shaw - 19 : 22 years old Rose Lavelle - 29 : 32 years old Sam Coffey - 25 : 28 years old Casey Murphy - 28 : 31 years old Just based on age alone I think it is obvious that the WC team is going to have a number of new faces. If 25-26 is the start of a players prime, then our current forward three are going to be at their peak by then. Doubt Williams will be the sub at that point. Midfield will need some swaps, as Lavelle will be entering their twilight as well as Horan. Dunn, Krueger and Naeher probably won't be on the WC team as well. I could see Sonnet, Horan, Lavelle and Casey Murphy has the "older" vets on the team.
Enough of this nonsense please. The officials called it the way they were instructed to. Full Stop. If they make up there own interpretations, they jeopardize their chances of going to big tournaments. I get that people disagree with the interpretation, but it is what is taught by the body responsible for the Laws of the Game.
And what could have happened, did. Emma was right about her subbing and everything else-- it was quite possible to win the whole shebang that way.
so, they don't teach officials to search for "emotional possession"? I've read a lot of takes today about what constitutes enough involvement in a play for offside to be called, but to be "emotionally in possession" has to be one of the silliest takes... and by an actual for real reporter who covers Women's Soccer for money. https://t.co/tdsfzy9WIm— babs (@babranski) August 11, 2024
Certainly! ps. Rose is 29 and will be 32 at WC… that kinda blows me away. I still think of her as “young“ upstart ‘s and having recently broken into the team. Obviously that’s wrong but for some reason that’s how I feel feel about her.
No doubt true and I meant to disagree with that part of the post by @GoodHands It's why I've said of Tori Penso's red card to Colombia (Mayra Ramirez) that Penso (who is definitely no coward) had no choice once VAR called her over to the monitor to see for herself the dreaded, shocking, horrible spectacle of OH-MY-GOD FLAT FEET BUCKLED ANKLES!! (At 5'54 of the highlights) It's a reason why I've brought up the farcical Bruno Fernandes / Marcus Rashford goal in the Premier League in Jan 2023. There are high-profile cases that have shown referees that, yes, indeed, this is what the Higher-Ups want, as garbage as it is Even when I'm critical of refereeing, I am often trying to defend the individual referees from unfair criticism, especially women referees since I'm a fan of the women's game. And one unfair criticism is to blame individual referees for the failures of their male counterparts and higher-ups, what I've been calling in this thread the BigWigs and PooBahs of FIFA / IFAB / and the various Governing Bodies Instead of blaming individual referees, we should, as fans, put the blame where it belongs — on the Higher-Ups. By the same token, referees could also learn to stop blaming fans but put the blame where it belongs — on the Higher-Ups *** I think there is some truth about referees "accepting the current situation" because "they do not want to actually have responsibility", but again I think the primary blame lies with the Higher-Ups. I'll have to save my comments on this for another time, though. Thinking about Smith and the offside debate on the goal, I thought about that quote, too! But the way I remember it is, "If a player isn't interfering with play then what's he (or she) doing on the pitch?" Either way, the Higher-Ups have messed it up and made a shambles of it
a bit biased by Mewis. not just with 6 US players but zero mids as well in favor of 6 attackers. I didn’t see enough of everybody to make an judgement, but I would pick Ashley Lawrence(Canada) over Dunn, Banda(Zambia)either over Katato.or Smith(who only scored vs Germany). Nice to see my avatar(Brand) get picked though, she might be the youngest on the list fair to say that Davidson & Fox were excellent defenders as well in this tournament
got to add, though maybe controversial, but I give Elias over Hayes as coach of the tournament. He had stunning, by 2 goal wins over France & Spain only loosing a close one vs US, while still showing bravados of attacking full tilt while missing big names like Bia, Debhina & Kerolin(while Hayes only missing Macario)
So do I. This goal was crushed by Lauren in the 2015 WWC Final. The Japanese goalkeeper, who was in great position, could only wave at it as it sailed by her ear.
We definitely had an easier path to gold, and if the script had been flipped - not Japan|Germany|Brazil, but France|Spain|Brazil - the end result might have been quite different. The tournament set up well for us, but Hayes took advantage of that. v Zambia (3-0) - a quick 3-goal lead, then a relaxed 2nd half vs 10 players v Germany (4-1) - a critical (and surprisingly comfortable) victory to take command of first place v Australia (2-1) - a bit of a struggle, and a nervous ending, but only a draw was necessary v Japan (1-0) - back and forth, chances on both sides, extra time, finally broke through v Germany again (1-0) - now much tighter, more extra time, key saves, decisive goal v Brazil (1-0) - weathered the 1st-half storm, wore them down in the second half, key saves Hayes had certain choices to make, she made them, and we won. The personnel choices showed her intent throughout the tournament. Consistent choices, core group, judicious substituting, reach the final with some energy left in the tank. I'll trace two players - Davidson and Lavelle, and their logical replacements - Sonnett and Albert. Williams also subbed in to spell someone - usually a forward - in all six matches. Krueger also subbed in six times, generally at the very end to preserve the win. v Zambia: 1-Alyssa Naeher; 7-Crystal Dunn, 12-Tierna Davidson, 4-Naomi Girma, 2-Emily Fox; 17-Sam Coffey, 16-Rose Lavelle (3-Korbin Albert, 46), 10-Lindsey Horan (Capt.) (14-Emily Sonnett, 65); 11-Sophia Smith (8-Lynn Williams, 43), 9-Mallory Swanson (13-Jenna Nighswonger, 65); 5-Trinity Rodman (6-Casey Krueger, 65) [5 subs] Albert gets a full half under low-pressure circumstances. Sonnett on at 65' (for Horan), but Davidson goes the full distance. v Germany (1) 1-Alyssa Naeher; 2-Emily Fox (6-Casey Krueger, 90+2), 4-Naomi Girma, 12-Tierna Davidson (14-Emily Sonnett, 44) 7-Crystal Dunn; 10-Lindsey Horan (Capt.), 17-Sam Coffey 16-Rose Lavelle; 5-Trinity Rodman (13-Jenna Nighswonger, 90+2), 9-Mallory Swanson, 11-Sophia Smith (8-Lynn Williams, 85) [4 subs] Albert DNP, but Sonnett jumps in for an injured Davidson, just before halftime. v Australia 1-Alyssa Naeher; 2-Emily Fox (6-Casey Krueger, 65), 4-Naomi Girma, 14-Emily Sonnett, 7-Crystal Dunn (13-Jenna Nighswonger, 46); 10-Lindsey Horan (Capt.), 17-Sam Coffey, 16-Rose Lavelle (3-Korbin Albert, 65); 5-Trinity Rodman (8-Lynn Williams, 65), 9-Mallory Swanson (20-Croix Bethune, 79), 11-Sophia Smith [5 subs] Albert on at 65', gets to feel some late-game pressure. Davidson is out, Sonnett goes the full distance. Note that Fox and Dunn got their only substantial breaks during the tournament. v Japan 1-Alyssa Naeher; 7-Crystal Dunn, 14-Emily Sonnett, 4-Naomi Girma, 2-Emily Fox (6-Casey Krueger, 120+1); 3-Korbin Albert, 10-Lindsey Horan (Capt.), 16-Rose Lavelle (13-Jenna Nighswonger, 106); 11-Sophia Smith, 9-Mallory Swanson (8-Lynn Williams, 91), 5-Trinity Rodman [3 subs - and all late-game] Albert starts and goes the full distance (120'), but for Coffey (suspended), not Lavelle (who makes it through the first half of extra time). Davidson is still out, Sonnets plays the full 120'. v Germany (2) 1-Alyssa Naeher; 7-Crystal Dunn (13-Jenna Nighswonger, 91), 12-Tierna Davidson (14-Emily Sonnett, 46), 4-Naomi Girma, 2-Emily Fox; 17-Sam Coffey, 10-Lindsey Horan (Capt.) (3-Korbin Albert, 91), 16-Rose Lavelle (8-Lynn Williams, 60); 11-Sophia Smith, 9-Mallory Swanson (6-Casey Krueger, 110), 5-Trinity Rodman [5 subs] Albert joins the fun very late (in extra time, for Horan), while Lavelle exits at the hour mark. Davidson returns and plays the first half, then Sonnett gets the second half and extra time. v Brazil 1-Alyssa Naeher; 2-Emily Fox; 4-Naomi Girma, 12-Tierna Davidson (14-Emily Sonnett, 74), 7-Crystal Dunn; 3-Korbin Albert, 17-Sam Coffey, 10-Lindsey Horan; 5-Trinity Rodman, 11-Sophia Smith (8-Lynn Williams, 84), 9-Mallory Swanson (6-Casey Krueger, 90+5) [3 subs - all (fairly) late] Albert starts again, but she's ready (a half v Zambia, 30'+ v Australia, 120' v Japan) and rested (just 30' of extra time v Germany in the prior match). Lavelle, injured or out of gas, DNP. Davidson lasts 74', then Sonnett enters to polish things off, and with legs to last through extra time, if necessary. In the post-tournament analysis, we found that the US subbed both later and less often than most* teams, which seems extraordinary when faced with six games in three weeks, including two 120' KO matches back-to-back. Hayes trusted her starting choices, and - absent injury - stuck with them. The players repaid her trust with solid performances. * I don't have the data in front of me, but iirc most = all the other (teams)
When you first mentioned the tweet by Theo Lloyd-Hughes, I thought you were laughing with him. Now I realize you're laughing with derision. At him. "Emotionally in possession" is funny and when someone says that they know they're being silly and absurd (yet, hopefully, with a point). I would say this is a good test of who has a sense of humor and who doesn't. Lighten up
Using the same exact lineups with barely tapping in the reserves is nothing new, it promotes better chemistry & preferred as well by the likes of Wiegman & Vlatko. Hayes definitely knew how to pace the team, perfect example when Australia decided to bunker, the US used up about the first 20 minutes for just light passing(practically no shots taken during this time frame)—then, switches gears, scoring two goals, but then goin into an bunker like defense themselves for the last 15-20 minutes which at least spared them from running their legs off, basically turning an 90 minute game into just 50 minutes of hard core intensity, which conserved energy as well for the upcoming playoffs.’ Hayes got extra help this year by the massive investment efforts by the NWSL, the likes I’ve never seen before(easily blew the sails of England’s WSL in recruiting top players from all over the world as well as coaches ala 3 of them from Spain alone) Most likely this time US would have blown past France & Spain as well(there was definitely something off about two teams). But lack of Euro opponents(in the overall Olympic tourney) did help as there some squads like the missing Sweden & England that can match up better vs the US than others
Maybe, I'll yield to the *sarcasm translates poorly* take, but if the whole thread and the series of follow ups he put out was a performance to stir the pot... well then he was really leaning into it. I'm more likely to believe he did it "for the clicks" ... put a hot take out there that was barely credible and let people have at it in the replies to boost his engagement profile. if you have to take into account Smith's run, how it obscures the pass, and is a metre or less away from the ball, even if she doesn't touch it, she is having an effect on the play. offside all day, but would love to hear from a ref. pic.twitter.com/SUCKGGWN83— Theo Lloyd-Hughes (@theolloydhughes) August 10, 2024 Unkel has spoken https://t.co/8OE7yRJoFX— Theo Lloyd-Hughes (@theolloydhughes) August 10, 2024
More to chew on moving forward ... Possession "Although this tournament was marked by changes and reinventions, eight of Hayes’ first-choice lineup — all but Tierna Davidson, Sam Coffey and Mallory Swanson — were regularly involved in last summer’s World Cup. Under Vlatko Andonovski, the United States held a narrow advantage with a possession rate of 52.9 percent but often didn’t seem to know what to do with the ball. It led to some sloppy forced passes and frustrating turnovers at the edge of the final third, giving opponents plenty of time to set up sequences of their own as play changed hands. Confident in her players’ collective abilities on the ball, Hayes’ version doubles down on controlling play. Their 65 percent possession rate trailed only hypnotic defending World Cup champion Spain this summer, with rates ranging from 42.9 percent in the final against Brazil to 78.1 percent in the opening blowout against Zambia. Alyssa Naeher’s utilization in build-up has been more radical than any other player’s. In the World Cup, exactly 50 percent of her passes traveled 35 yards or further. This summer, that clip dropped to 29.5 percent through the semifinal — the second-lowest rate of any goalkeeper in these Olympics, behind France’s Pauline Peyraud-Magnin. That change alone goes a long way toward ensuring your team keeps the ball, relying less on winning aerial duels or lobs that can fail to find a friendly target. The reverse played out in the final: the one time the United States failed to win the possession battle, Naeher’s launch rate skyrocketed to 100 percent (yes —each of her 27 passes went over 35 yards) and the United States held just under 43 percent of the ball. The gold medalists were patient in build-up, directing 34 percent of all passes forward — down from last summer’s rate of 37.6 percent. Rather than overly relying upon risk/reward passes, the USWNT was far more comfortable with recirculation. Critically, Hayes has quickly remedied the attacking struggles that held the United States back last summer."
A (correctable?) weakness ... Set pieces and corner kicks "Heading into Saturday’s final, the United States ranked third by averaging 8.5 set plays per 90 minutes, 20 percent more than the tournament average. However, it took them an average of 25.5 set pieces to yield a goal. 16.7 percent of their goals came from set pieces — the lowest rate of any team that converted at least one dead-ball situation this summer. Corner kicks also proved difficult to convert. Only 9.7 percent of their corners were converted into shots, far below the average of 20.5 percent. Considering the United States averaged the second-most corners of any team (5.5), it added up to a lot of wasted opportunities that could have given some breathing room in their closer contests — roughly one shot per every two games."
An interesting stat, speed of ... Tactical Fouling "Out of possession, the United States played to keep the ball rolling. On average, a team fouled an opponent shortly after committing a turnover 4.6 percent of the time. The United States checked in at a 1.3 percent rate of these tactical fouls, making them the only team to register a rate below 3.3 percent. Their 5.2 fouls committed per game was well below the average of 9.2. While that does keep players from risking seeing a card and limits conceded set pieces, it also allows opponents to sustain momentum on the ball. There’s no one best practice to win a game using the referee’s whistle as an asset, but it’s a bit of gamesmanship that’ll likely evolve in the coming years." All of this from the NYT?Athletic article linked earlier ... https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5693423/2024/08/11/uswnt-olympic-winners-takeaways-analysis/
And yet going into the tournament, folks were concerned about Trinity and her temper on the field. Good for the team to hold that sort of thing in check, with the exception of course of Coffey, hehe.
Well, we won -- and we're number one -- but it took a little luck. We won all three knock out games by just 1-0. It took an overtime goal by Smith to beat Germany and Brazil took more shots and had more shots on goal than we did. Perhaps most importantly, Spain went belly-up during the Olympics despite being the favorite. We have a hell of a defense; the offense, not really or not yet. In other words I'm not ready to declare the 2024 team the best ever. I think we might have been better at the world cup in 2015 and 2019.
FWIW: The yellows on Coffey were in two different matches and at least one of them were pretty much undeserved. However, even if they were deserved, she just needs to learn a little more about how to play with grit and still stay on the safe side of cards. To make a comparison with a previous much adored player: Ertz drew MANY yellows throughout her career and she is general known as the best defensive mid we have ever had. I think Akers was better but her career was only partially as a defensive presence. I do not think Coffey deserves any real criticism for her play in this Olympics, she was just unfortunate. As an aside: I think the two yellow cards in different matches rule in tournaments needs to be changed. It is just too easy to get a couple of yellows for relatively inconsequential fouls. I think a much more fair rule would simply change the 2 to a 3 and keep everything else as it is. But, since FIFA is NEVER WRONG, the rule will remain as it is. Also it does give the commentators something to jabber on about. Lastly I think Rodman does have a temper but I have not seen it affect her play except I have noticed that she can gets too conservative when she gets angry at herself. She seems to direct that anger inward and that limits her effeteness after minor errors.
And good thing, too! Enough to put a Revese-Jinx on it! (I told y'all if Rodman did great at the Olympics and stayed out of trouble I would take the credit. Tee-hee!) I don't think that's supported by the facts. JJ only had ONE yellow card, according to FBREF, in Olympics, World Cup, She Believes, CONCACAF matches (CONCACAF should include all World Cup and Olympic qualifiers, I believe)
On the flip side, yellow card accumulation rule could be a deterrent for the “foul till you get what you want” teams. Of course it’s gonna suck though if you have trigger happy or plain bad refs on consecutive games. Thinking of some of those stooges that officiated in the men’s Copa.