How about sit Dunn, JN in her place? Lavelle needs to rest too, she isn't tough like some of the other options, the wind could blow and she losses the ball. Do you agree?
Sonnet's biggest issue is she is right-footed but plays left center back which makes build up and breaking press more difficult than Davidson playing this role. She is also worse in long balling and dribbling than Davidson which is also bad for her offense contribution. Defensively, her position and aerial awareness are also problematic. She is not too much a burden overall though, but definitely significantly inferior than Davidson.
Sonnet is similar to Horan, vastly overrated for their careers, alas coaches have favorites in all sports.
I don’t think sonnet has ever been rated particularly highly, just as a solid contributor. No one is holding sonnet out as a top 10 player in the world, or expecting her to be the difference maker or something. But I’m glad she’s on the roster since Davidson went down. I wish Davidson were available but that’s not on sonnet. Horan has some vision and maturity that is rare in the US pool, but she’s so slow and prone to error and certainly hasn’t been as good as she thinks she is, that’s for sure. Well, maybe I need her to explain it to me since I’m an idiot American fan.
Sonnett, as I've said, keeps things simple. No flash, but she defends her position, gets out of pressure, finds teammates and makes trappable passes. She could play on any team. I've never been a big Horan booster. But, I will say, she's the only one on the team that is trying to make penetrating passes. She's playing higher risk/reward passes, so in a game where none of those come off, it's going to look like she had a bad game, Sadly, she's the most creative passer we have on the field. If Cat, or Shaw, or Croix were playing, that wouldn't be the case. With Horan, remember, she said that part of the reason we are stupid is we listen to Julie. And, on that point, I'm a Horan Stan.
Keeping things simple sometimes is not enough. She being right-footed and less technical than Davidson made build up more difficult. Her shortcomings are difficult to overcome by using different tactical arrangements. Horan's issue is she gave away too many balls. She should be used mostly in the front field in her current stage of career to serve as a semi-target behind the front three. Her hesitant handling of ball and wayward passing are way too risky in the backfield.
I've been somewhat of a defender of Horan because she has a tendency to come up with big plays at opportune times, but those seem to be coming few and far between lately. She has not had a good tournament. It's becoming tougher to overlook her liabilities IMO. TBH, I haven't been overly impressed with the midfield as a whole. Hopefully Lily commits to the US.
1. Lavelle has looked quite sturdy in this tournament. 2. She does not belong in a discussion of the back line.
Whoever is the midfielder that is trying to make things happen is going to be guilty of wayward passing. Get someone else in there who is actually trying to make things happen and I'll be happy to see Horan relieved of that role. Until then ....
Great analysis CP. I too was going to make the point in your 2nd paragraph. Japan played very defensively, but so did the US, by keeping the ball. Every time you take a shot over the top, it turns into a likely turnover and you give your opponent more opportunities for a counter. I think this was a chess match to see who could catch the other team out. I have faith in the players we have, that they will eventually score. I'm also surprised not more people have noticed that we can actually hold the ball for long stretches, even in the midfield. That was not always the case. I'm proud that this roster passes extremely well and holds the ball for long stretches. Again, for me, this was a defensive strategy more than it was an offensive one.
It's a bit puzzling and disappointing to read all the negativity in this thread. Japan is a very good team. They scouted the US well and had a gameplan to neutralize our dangerous and dynamic attackers, by ceding possession and trying to force turnovers by selectively pressing our backs, or more often in the midfield when a US midfielder checked back to receive a pass. They wanted to hit us on the counter. Anyone remember what Japan did to Spain at the World Cup in group play? It looked pretty clear to me our players were extremely wary of making a mistake and gifting Japan a counter attack, and Japan was determined not leave much room for us to play in behind, and to pressure our midfielders to deny service for such through passes or balls over the top. A chess match indeed! The breakthrough goal came from a diagonal long ball over the top bypassing the midfield, with Rodman very nearly offside, and then pulling off a bit of magic. We should have tried more of those and sooner, but credit to Japan for so effectively pressuring us and constraining us into a lot of sideways passing! Credit to US for being disciplined and patient to limit Japan's chances, and we were a bit fortunate none of their attackers came up with a moment of brilliance. Lots of criticism here of Sonnett and Horan. Sonnett is on the team due to versatility and experience. She has not played CB fulltime for her career, and has rarely been a top 3 or 4 choice CB in the USWNT player pool. She is doing pretty well, under the circumstances. Criticize Emma for not bringing a stronger third CB who could also play another position in a pinch vs. Sonnett as an all-rounder second choice for both DM and CB. Horan has been a bit subpar, but the criticism is really over the top. She has better vision than almost any other midfielder and excellent technique - as evidenced by the exquisite outside of the boot through pass assist in group play. She is not fast, and she has misplayed some passes. But at least she tries stuff once in awhile! And again, who on the bench do you want in there instead? Apparently Emma does not think Shaw is up to it, and Albert was needed in for Coffey because Emma could not use Sonnett at DM as Emma apparently does not trust Sam nor Krueger to start a QF match at CB . . . Apparent lack of trust in the bench by the coach is, in my view, the biggest thing to criticize - not some shortcomings here and here by clearly exhausted players who were being very careful to try to avoid gifting Japan counter attacking chances. This was a nervy game, and frustrating, but we ultimately won the chess match! Well done ladies!
1. Does Horan suppose to make things happen? She is a hybrid midfielder and she did not fulfill duty to connect backline and frontline well. 2. She needs to move the ball vertically more to make things happen, instead she forced a lot of vertical passes which are not effective. 3. She is best used for her size in the advanced area ATM, she is very detrimental to our defense if she keeps forcing things to happen in the center circle area. 4. When Horan and Rose start together, the burden on the single holding midfielder is overwhelming especially when direct pass from the backline to the front three is not easy. A 4231 with two true pivots is a preferred formation.
No need for passing stats…just watch Sonnett in the game! You can look up Girma’s passing stats (which is prolly gonna be good as Sonnett’s cause they mostly do safe passing around the back) or you can watch her in-game movement to see her brilliance and value to this team. And my guess for Foudy is that whatever agenda or influence they tried on Emma during the 99ers meet and greet didn’t go well, so here she is during commentary time, getting in front than getting behind the coach and the team. And they haven’t failed us yet. There was a point in the last game where the co-host pretty much tired or her subs rambling and said “so what you think Emma will think of that opinion?”
Julie was criticizing our play. From what I can tell, Julie for all her patting of her own back, never made it out of a group stage unscathed in the Olympics or WC.
You must be new here! That said, I agree - loved seeing the tactical game and our team being patient and falling into Japan's traps. Props to the team and especially the coach! Blows me away how much a good coach can improve things.
?? She's under contract to the network. She covers what they tell her to. I'm pretty tired of her myself, but the world does not have an infinite capacity to do what people here wish it could and would... I just remind myself of 1996 when the network proposed to let one, and only one Olumpic event go uncovered--woso-- despite the fact that they were just about financing the whole thing on the Mia Hamm "someone will give her a chance" commercial. That reminds me to be pleased that Julie has the job when it might be Bubby Brister... or nobody at all...
I like Aly Wagner more than Foudy as a color commentator. Also, I would like to see the play-by-play announcer actually call play by play rather than running on about everything else.
We will not get to enjoy the Tony Storm theatrics(if your an big AEW fan) as Popp’s been ruled out for todays game