Deadspin has the best video http://deadspin.com/5931603/alex-morgans-knee-obliterated-a-kiwi-goalies-face Interested in hearing from players rather than arm chair pundits.
To me it seems that nobody does anything "wrong", it just happens. It's perhaps a bit clumsy by the keeper that she's out of position but she obviously doesn't wanna put her head at stake for stopping the attacking girl. She (attacking) doesn't do anything wrong either. What should the ref do there? Obviously get treatment for the keeper, but afterwards? idk. (Didn't see the game, btw)
We started a thread on concussion injuries because of it. But, obliterate her face? When I was young my brother asked me to join his fraternity for a game of beach soccer against another fraternity I was the ringer. I went up against a law student who did not know how to protect the space he was playing in. I caved in his cheek bone by accident. Some might say I obliterated his face, but I don't think he was that good looking to begin with. Alex Morgan played a very nice game against Japan today.
I brought it up because that incident seem unusual. I watched and played men soccer. It's very rare to see a collision that involved a striker knocking out a keeper in that manner. I've been hit in the head before but that happens when I dive head first and not feet first like that goalkeeper. How many men soccer game do you see where the keeper gets smacked in the face going feet first?
She got the front foot by her, but the back knee caught her things happen. It definitely was not intentional.
I have a hard time believing that keeper was clumsy. Look at the position of the defender. Morgan's open space was to the keeper's right. I think the keeper expected Morgan to cut away from the defender. I would have red carded the keeper for DOGSO. That camera angle doesn't show how far the ball was away from the keeper. She was trying to trip rather than tackle, but Morgan jumped over the trip. Perhaps because Morgan avoided the trip the CR thought she couldn't call DOGSO. The keeper should have left the game anyway due to the head trauma. Perhaps a doctor cleared her to play, but it wasn't right.
It was a terrible accident! The keeper was caught out in no mans land. It should have been a penalty kick. Keeps are usually trained to go down hands first anyway. No ones fault but the keeps, just bad timing on the tackle. Plus Alex Morgan is Hella quick.
It was clearly a foul OUTSIDE of the box so how would it be a PK? It was a nasty collision but a foul on the keeper so it should have been a red.
I think the keeper technique is on the poor side and she, gk, left herself completely unprotected. Hands should be going to the ball, "cobra" technique for extra protection. NZ has a defender on Morgan's right so I would think keeper would be going with hands to Morgan's left. To me gk just looks of two minds. Her hands are doing nothing, no where near the ball. Not protecting anything. On breakaway keeping 101, you get hands to the ball and with arms, shoulders and head behind your hands. I think there's even a case that there was a foul committed on Morgan (tripping an opponent), let's say that was a hand that hit morgan's knee and not the face. No argument, right? Did the ref give US a free kick?
Hard to give the keeper a red after she got a knee in the face. If Morgan was dragged to the ground by the keeper. Then it would have been a red.
Keeper leaves her feet ouside of the box to break up the play and there was contact. It would've added insult to injury but it was a clear break away and the keeper was the last man back. In the rules of the game that's a red card. Instead the ref I believe called nothing which didn't change the outcome of the game but it should've been a foul (at the very least).
Elessar, we see the same thing. The difference is that you think leading with the feet instead of the hands was out of lack of technique in an international keeper. I think she lead with her feet because she was trying to trip instead of play the ball. She had in reality no chance of getting to the ball in time, and she knew it. The keeper was in a bad position because she expected Morgan to follow the ball instead of going to the keepers left. Nick and I see it the same way. Morgan jumped over the trip so it makes a red a bit harsh (and a game changer), but me I would have shown a red anyway. (Easy for me to say, I haven't reffed a game in 20 years and then it was only bottom level recreational matches.)
Sure, but defending breakaways is mostly about the approach. Of course this is second guessing and being in the heat of the moment is a much harder thing, but let's pretend I'm sitting down with Bindon, the NZ gk post-game breaking down film. How would we play this differently? First, IMO, she's out way too soon. At this point all you're asking for is a red card, there is very little Bindon can do at this point—no hands and she's left her feet. Morgan will get her second touch before Bindon can get the ball. I might have come out 3 yards off my line and really come on her second touch. Particularly with the defender in the picture. Morgan's gotta take that second touch at pace or she loses her advantage. That touch could be heavy, could be poor. I wouldn't lose my advantage of being able to get hands to ball by coming out so soon. Which way would you dive? Hands keeper left or keeper right? The rule of thumb is to keep the legs to the bigger part of the goal, but here it's dead center. I think it's really a toss up. But, IMO, the poor timing on the approach is where all the problem started.
I agree with everything you said. I think the keeper didn't appreciate how much faster Morgan was than the strikers that she usually faces. And Morgan's execution was great. The decisions are made in split seconds. Keepers really have a tough job.
Morgan has gotten a lot better at taking on defenders. She did it a lot in the tournament. I didn't scout her before but apparently she is stronger with her left foot? Knowing that, "I" might have dove keeper-right to force her toward the defender. Again, it's all conjecture. We do a lot of bad things with coaching soccer in this country, but man, we produce A LOT of good GKs.
Should the GK have used her hands? Isn't the ball outside the box? Do they allow handling outside the box in women's soccer?
Hence why I said she needed to time her approach better. Is there really a point in discussing what a gk should do when she's left the box and left herself exposed?
Red card to the keeper. Missed the ball entirely and brought down the attacker in front of an open goal.
Guess I'm too use to watching men's soccer. Outfielders usually try to avoid contact in those type of situations.