vs. Phlufia Post-Game [R]

Pics from Yahoo! Sports:

L-Squard and MFM:

http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/photo?slug=1052602395wusa_charge_freedom_dcmc102&prov=ap

Stealthwhacker and Melanie Hoffman:

http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/photo?slug=1052602212wusa_charge_freedom_dcmc101&prov=ap

Skylar and Tullock:

http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/photo?slug=1052607634wusa_charge_freedom_dcmc104&prov=ap

Schott and Tietjen-Prozzo:

http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/photo?slug=1052607434wusa_charge_freedom_dcmc103&prov=ap

 

I thought the Freedom looked good for the most part, though they seemed to have a lot of possession that didn't amount to much. I was a little worried early in the second half, when Philly was pressing and we had only the one-goal lead. But Siri and the defense held.

 

Pic of Abigail and McVeigh:

http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/photo?slug=1052611394wusa_charge_freedom_dcmc105&prov=ap

 

RE:

Mia had reason to grumble, and that grumbling was in the second half. I saw numerous occations when Mia was wide open with a good 7 to 10 yards of room around her and we were passing into preasure. Plus the fact that Jim kept moving her around. she played practically every mid-feild position today, and worked her ass off. Mia was frustrated as she had a right to be, because she is an offensive player forced into basically defensive mid. As that seems to be what Jimbo wanted her to do today. She was argueing that she can not help assist the play if she is constantly being expected to fall back and defend, while defenders are moving up the flanks on the counter. She is hungry, and she wants to be involved. I think that is a good sign not a bad one. and after that PK...well...that is an intense and focused Mia hamm...I personally love that look. love the encouragment she is giving to her team mates and loved the Abby chant she did at the conclusion of the match.
Abby!!!!....good for her. no question in my mind that if Abby does notmake the roster for the england match on the 17th, that it has nothing to do with her skills as a player, but is personal. And April will be making a big mistake if Abby Wambach is not included in the WWC roster.

 

I don't really have that many comments on the game that aren't totally clichéd. I did have a hell of a lot of fun dissing McVeigh's alma mater though. Abby definitely is for real and I will be incensed if she isn't called up for the WC. Watching the tape I noticed that she is starting to not get called as much, a fact which Mowins and Dorrance both mentioned. Whether or not she is a bully is a matter of opinion, I suppose, but in my opinion she is a gifted forward who just happens to be the biggest player on the field. People need to get over this fact.

I was dismayed with the crowd (when am I ever not dismayed with the crowd anymore?) but I suppose the threat of rain will do that. Many thanks to the people upstairs for holding it off until the game was over.

Having now seen this Philadelphia team two weeks in a row, I think I can firmly say that nearly all of its problems can be attributed to Melissa Moore. There is no small irony in this for me, because the Charge emply Penn women's head coach Darren Ambrose as a part-time assistant goalkeepers coach, and (I believe) an unpaid one at that. Perhaps that needs to change.

Anyway, it was great to be home (and to beat the team from the city I've been living in for the last nine months), and I'll see you all next week!

P.S. I think it's spelled "Fluffya," or maybe that's just what they tell the Penn students.

 

I completely agree with Hamm-star. It wasn't just the second half though, it was the whole game. I was getting so mad. I was yelling at the tv "I can see her! Why can't you see her?!" She was wide open on the flank most of the game and they don't pass it to her. Or either they tried and ended up missing. They seem to only give her the ball when she is marked. And the words give and go don't seem to mean anything to half the team. And it isn't just Mia they're not getting the ball to. They seem to be trying to hard to pull of some awesome move because there were numerous times when people would have 3 players around them open, 3 defenders in front of them, and instead of passing they would dribble right into the defenders. Augh! It was making me so frustrated.


Okay, no Imma quit complaining and say great job everybody on the defense except Emmy (she's a big part of the reason why Mia had to track back on almost every Philly possession. She does not impress me 1 v 1. But at least as long as she is playing, Casey Zimny isn't.). AND WAR ABBY! WAHOO! SUHWEET!

 

Loved the game

Gabarra is showing different faces each game. This one was Abby.Defenders were pushing up and mids holding. Mia is a soccer player that will be marked consistantly. With Abby's game today it will open Mia's tomorrow.It was tough going to the center of the field and bringing the ball wide brought chances that could not happen up the center. Mia will get many good chances at all these positions. The Wins are coming and we are all happy with that. If Mia was up top and getting the ball constantly we would not be doing as well IMOHO. But everyone must sacrafice a small amount to to make the entire team productive. When the injuries start, and they will, we won't be shouting get it to one certain player. It takes a team. Not just a Mia! The Subs are contributing. Kelly G and Schott played well. A couple of beautiful crosses to Steffi and Kelly G towards the end by Schott. And Kelly did a lot of hustling out there. We will need to make changes w/o Mia and Abby and Siri. I'm saying better now than later to see what we have. MHO is that Gabarra is doing alot of things right , it may not be popular w/ some but then how many coaching decisions are? EC

 

I wasn't saying the team is just Mia. I was just sayin they aren't getting the ball to her.And it isn't just her they aren't passing to. They very rarely pass to open players. Most of their attack was going up the right wing. Kelly G. didn't get many balls passed to her outside either. Jacqui for some reason seems very reluctant to pass to anyone but Skylar a lot of the time. Don't get me wrong, Jacqui's great, but if she's going to keep doing that, she needs to be moved to the left side.


I did like the formation though. I think it worked well. Except for the whole not getting the left side involved as often as the right and not passing to open players.

 

Hey, did anyone see Abby take someone down from behind, clip their legs out from under them? I sure didn't, but the chodes are whining in their forum that Abby did something like that and should have been carded.

Also, they're whining about the PK. They obviously didn't see the defender link arms with Abby and hold her down.

And "sliced bread" went through the "Bass-o-matic" once again, now didn't she?? LOL!

Go Abby! Go Freedom!!

 

I agree

My Post was not directed to only you. I am merely giving an answer to the past several posts. If you review the game two weeks ago the ball went up the left side to Kelly G and rarely went to Schott on the right. Schott was in a defensive mode on the right and Kelly G was pushing up on the left. When Mia replaced Schott they pushed up the right. This was probably by design. What ever it is it is working. Hard to argue w/ success! As to Mia, I think she was a little a frustrated today. And vented a bit. Everyone wants to do the best for the team but you can't expect to be the one and only go to person every game and expect to have a winning season. This is not golf or tennis or track. This is a team sport and this team is looking at the big picture not just Mia. Mia played an excellent game! She took alot of pressure of other players. That in itself helped create this win. IMHO that should be satisfactory to a player of her esteem. She is not Jordan and this is not the NBA. We only need a few goals to win, if they don't come through her I hope she can handle it. Fact is they were overplaying her today and they paid for it. The Team did an excellent job today. EC

 

Re:

I don't think Mia was complaining about them not going to her constantly, but rather that they were not going to her when they should. they were forcing the ball into preasure, or strong side of the defense, when they had a wide open Mia, with no one around her sitting there waiting to get involved. What is one of the fundimental things you learn as a player. that you must move as a team. Seek the best option in the moment. And they were not doing that. I do not think that mia had the intention on all of those options, to take the ball to goal herself, but we know she is one of the best table setters in the business. and she knows how to make things happen. because her teammates ignored her in the attacking third they also failed (on many occations in not utilizing her) to spread the defense. And against what is essentially a bunker, you must spread the defense in order to break it, otherwise (as we did most of the game) you are trying to play through a congested penalty area, or attacking third.
How many strikes did we see bounce off shingaurds, knees, and feet?....That is because there were too many defensive players in the box. where did we have our success?...the few occations we went wide.
Examples:

1st goal scored off a corner
2nd goal was a flank run by J. Little out wide, nice cross to Abby in the box.
3rd goal the only real exception..the PK by Mia
4th goal, was again started by a left flank run, and ending with a defensive mis-cue, with Abby finishing.

So many times Mia made a run up the flank for nothing, as washington players tried to dribble or pass through 3, 4, or 5 defenders. instead of changing the point of attack (another key eliment in offensive success) and getting it to a wide open Mia. anyone who has watched mia play, knows a half step is all she needs to do something wonderful with the ball. And they didn't use her.
That is the issue i am addressing. i would feel the same way if any player was wide open and no one was trying to get the ball to them. too often we played too direct. and we stymied our own chances by being stuborn and not using our width. that needs to change. We had better not do this against the likes of boston, Atlanta, or S.J..or we may come out the other side with a loss.

 

Wambach's Hat Trick Propels Freedom to Victory by Brian Straus
Washington Post

Three Goals Keep Freedom Unbeaten
by Ken Wright
Washington Times

 

On their forum, they said it was Wambach on Benson in minute 87. I'll look at it on my tape in a bit, but it didn't stand out for me at the time.

 

Okay, I've looked at it, and I think it's bogus. Benson has the ball and is going right-to-left in front of her goal at about the 18-yard line. The ball is a little to her right. Abby comes in from behind and a little to Benson's right, makes a diving tackle, knocks the ball away, whereupon Benson trips over Abby's legs. Those more familiar with how these things are judged can correct me, but contact is from the front of Benson's legs and not the back, which I assume is fair play since Abby was clearly playing the ball and not just tripping Benson.

 

re:

it was a ligitimate play for the ball between Abby and besnson. i did not see Abby at any time clip Benson from behind. the contact that was made was upper body, not lower extremities. and Benson grabed on first.
That is how I saw it. the first time i watched as well as the second when i payed more attention to that incident.

 

How is Schott, who I thought was not on the active roster, able to be subbed in over Beard who took over Gerardo's spot? I thought you had to be bumped up to the active roster before you could play. Or was Schott put onto the active roster?

 

She's listed as a developing player. Apparently her development is going very well.

 

I think you can make 18 players available for a home game (16 on the road). And I think we only have 18 players right now, since Gao is gone and Bai won't be here.

 

From CyberSoccerNews:

Freedom and justice prevail
Wambach nets three in win over Philadelphia
by Craig Stouffer

 

From OnTheSidelines:

Heading In 2 Different Directions

http://onthesidelines.org/freedom051003.htm

by Jimmy LaRoue

 

You mean it's not Filthadelphia?

 

No, it's not. Because it's actually not that dirty.

 

Here is Beulah's report:

http://www.beulahsports.com/wusaarch_5_10_03.html