What will the USWNT look like for Canada 2015

Thanks for making the new thread

If my count is correct:

8 players were on both the 2007 & 2011 WWC squads (Solo, Rampone, Abby, Cox, Boxx, Lloyd, Barny, HAO).

10 players were on both the 2003 & 2007 squads (Abby, Hucles, Aly Wagner, Scurry, Whitehill, Rampone, HAO, Markraf, Lilly, Boxx).

12 players were on both the 1999 & 2003 squad (Brandi, Scurry, Rampone, Parlow, Fawcett, Foudy, Sobs, Lilly, Hamm, McMillan, Roberts, Milly).

11 players were on both the 1995 & 1999 squad (Scurry, Overbeck, Fawcett, Foudy, Lilly, Hamm, Akers, WebberI had forgotten she was a '95er, Roberts, Milly, Venturini).

8 players were on both the 1991 & 1995 squad (Overbeck, Fawcett, Foudy, Lilly, Hamm, Akers, Hamilton, Harvey)

1 player was on the 1991 squad, not on the 1995 squad, and then back for the 1999-2003 squads (Brandi).

The 1991 squad was limited to 18 and the 1995-2003 to 20. 2007-present there are 21.

So, based on previous history, I'll say 8-10 of the 21 from 2011 will be on the 2015 squad. Which ones? I don't know. A lot depends on injury and players really committing for the full 4 years. Who keeps playing? Who runs the sprints up hill alone at 5am every morning for 4 years? Who is willing to have a baby and come back? Who doesn't have kids til they're +33? And, of course, who is the coach?

Just looking at the age spread of the 2011 WWC squad, I'd say the best candidates are O'Hara, Cheney, Heath, Morgan, ARod, Buehler, HAO, Rapinoe, Sauerbrunn. A 33 yr old Lloyd and a 34 yr old Solo wouldn't be out of the question but I see many more question marks.

I think Abby knows this was her last real go-around. At 35, unless something dramatically changes with her body, she won't be able to play forward at the international level. And she would have to change a lot about her game if she were to try to move back. Not to mention find a club to play for that would allow her to play in such a role.

 

Great points. Abby won't move back, but I question whether she will have to. She was number 2 in scoring in these games. While she might not be what she is now, she will still be better than most at what she does. Maybe Hagen or somebody will get a shot, but maybe not.

I don't see 33 for a keeper as necessarily an issue. Buffon was the best Keeper in the UEFA tourney at 34. Keller was great until his last couple years, Friedel is 40 and still in the premier. Howard is 32.
The question isn't really whether she will be as good, but will anyone else be better? I see some good young keepers, but no Hope yet.

But I don't think you can plan on a field player over 35. If it happens, you can marvel at it, but you certainly don't plan for it 3 years away.

The older players do have an advantage in experience over the pups. They better understand the hardships. But hopefully, with 3 years to try new players, some positions will see new blood. I think the emphasis is to find new players right up the middle of the field, just as it was for Germany in the last cup. They didn't replace their old players fast enough with good enough replacements.

The new players will hopefully be in the mold of the style we profess to be moving toward, but that isn't a given. We will get to see how well development is with the new Youth program and whether it gets results or was just talk. We are in year 3 or so...

 

If Carli is still mobile for the Rio final, she starts

 

How in the world did I forget Crazy-Legs? I <3 Jennings Gabara. smh at myself. So that makes 9 players on both the 1991 & 1995 WWC squads.

You make good points, as well. You're right that in theory, 34 (Solo is an '81) isn't too old for an international keeper. Silke Rottenberg & Scurry were 32 in 2003. Angerer turned 33 in 2011. I wonder how Solo will hold up w/ respect to injury but mostly desire--she's said she has interest in post-soccer careers. And what is her willingness to face very real competition for the #1 slot from fiery personalities.

Barny is top shelf but never a real threat to displace Solo & she's much more laid back. Loyden isn't real competition and is on the roster b/c of the 3 'next best' keepers she's the one that gets along best w/ Solo and isn't a threat. A coach manages the team this way now b/c Solo is so very good on the field. But in 4 years? Harris (Duisburg for this season), Naeher (Potsdam for another year), Henninger (what's her injury status?) are three post-collegiate keepers I think have the best potential. I won't list the younger ones but I think there are a couple gems. As you say, we'll see how they pan out.

I agree that the spine is where the USWNT will have the most turnover/need the most change. I eagerly await word of where certain young central defenders are going to play in the fall/winter. They need games to get better. A batch of central mids (including but not limited to Edwards, Winters, Averbuch, Bock) that have signed on to play in various Euro leagues for this upcoming season. I wish them all success b/c we need them to develop.

 

Where do you guys get to watch these players?

Earlier (in the earlier thread?), somebody was saying that they thought Cheney peaked at WWC last year, but let's not forget that she had to basically change position. (Everyone wants to play forward, right?) Cheney was very good at possession in central midfield. She escaped double teams, drew fouls from triple teams, etc. If she can stay in amazing shape (i.e. please see Tobin Heath's athletic development), she will be a force in the midfield.

 

That was me, and I'm not married to the idea or anything-- just seemed to me that she was not as effective this season as last, even allowing for the adjustment. If I'm wrong I'll be very happy about it. I think there will be considerable effort to find a true playmaker over the next couple of years, and so far I'm not seeing Cheyney in that light.

I also left Hagen out of my list of who might be going to Canada, and I imagine that she's got as good a chance as anyone not named Morgan.

 

At this point in time, Cheney seems like a better holding midfielder and distributor than AM. She's actually really good at keeping the ball once she has it. Even with two three players going at her as soon as she receives it, she can escape with the ball (Tobin needs to learn to do this) since she has great situational awareness. She keeps the ball moving, distributes it around, but she's not a Pinoe. She doesn't create chances in the same way that Pinoe does.

If she develops better tackle awareness and technique, might she be the next Boxx but with better passing ability?

 

She's very good at using her body. She posts up well up top but that skill has translated into midfield hold up play. Heath doesn't have the same strength/body use as Cheney. She doesn't put her butt/back on a player, use contact/leverage and keep the ball.

In the Olys, Cheney was more restrained in attack than I've seen her before. She didn't try some of the quick attacks and other things that she did in the WWC. She adapted her game to the role Pia wanted from a CM. If you watched Cheney when she was a forward, you'd remember more attacking sparks & ability. But that's Rapinoe's role now.

 

Yeah, I did notice that. (I was quite appreciative too given how sometimes our CMs can be too aggressive.)

Cheney is quite impressive, to be able to adapt and change her game to what is required or best for the team. Very unselfish player too - holding the ball or distributing the ball quickly and accurately is key for ball circulation and offensive movement, but it's not all that appreciated.

 

I saw some much improved holdup play from Heath during these Olympics. The difference in one year was night and day. I'm not sure she has the shot power to be an attacking mid, but I'm not sure if we need her to have that power. She could lay it off to Cheney for a blast, and if they lose the ball, there's enough speed and hustle in both of them to get back on defense. I'm fine with having two attack-minded central midfielders, as long as one covers for the other and they both get back on defense when necessary. Lloyd makes me nervous in that respect.

 

Turbo agree. thought heath was good on both sides of ball..was fun to see the improvement.

Im excited to see what the u20's do..I think a few will def be in the Nat mix after the tourney.
am i the only one who likes Falk...also, Engen, with her forward experience must be a good fullback...i haven't seen her play this position though...

 

Engen is a center back only in my opinion. She never took off at fullback for the brief time she played LB for Chicago. I know people will disagree with me here on this, but I still see her as Rampone's successor and I think Engen is better than Sauerbrunn. She is better in the air, has superior passing ability, and is quicker.

I'd love to see her and Sauerbrunn together at the 2015 World Cup though. Both of them are definitely better than Buehler and LePeilbet.

 

Again, where do you guys get to watch these players?

 

Some of us watched Engen in college. Others of us watched Engen when she played for the RedStars (they webcast their games). Others of us watched Engen when she played for the WNY Flash. Some of us did all three.

 

Her upper body strength seems to be much improved; I've always thought her positioning defensively was pretty good, but she had a tendencey to get brushed aside at both ends when it came to close quarters, and that didn't seem to be happening much this time out.

 

Why would you turn over a roster that is the best in the world just for the sake of turning it over?

The 2008 roster, after all, did meet that standard.


And why not mention the players on the 2011 and 2012 team that weren't there in 2008?

Really, that's where the real story lies...

 

Nobody thinks Leroux's going to be a starting forward?

 

Agreed. Plus, is someone arguing that there's something wrong with a turnover of 1/3 of the team every four years? Doesn't that sound just about right?

 

I don't think she can beat out Morgan, and I think Morgan will be best paired with a sturdier, target type forward-- Press, Cheyney and Hagen all seem like better bets (well I actually have never seen Hagen, but if she is as advertised.)

 

Not in a world where attention spans are programmed by thirty second commercials...

 

If Tarpley had made this team it would have been at the expense of either ARod, HAO, or Heath. And really for all you know she would have been pregnant now whether she were injured or not... You can have Chalupny, but Tarpley is not a given at all.

Actually come to think of it, if Chalupny played its fairly reasonable to think that O'Hara might have beat out Tarply or one of the other three above also-- she'd have been competing for a midfield position basically, and I think we can see that she had something to show...