Soldier Field, Chicago 1:30 ET - FS1 Live and Local from the Windy City. Beachhead Established - - 1.2 miles from Soldier. A HUGE shout out and thank you to USSoccer for scheduling a Match on my B-day. I'm sure that was a major consideration. I'll admit and confirm I am no longer in my twenties. Screw Michael Jordan Screw Da Bears Screw Oprah Screw Deep Dish Because............. Ali is here Becky is here Mallory is here Crystal is here Hope is here Lindsey is here Alexandra the Great is here Kelley is here Carli is here Julie is here Christen is here Tobin is here Whitney is here Ashlyn is here Meghan K. is here Morgan is here 36 hours 35 minutes to Kick. 2016 WILL BE GLORIOUS
here is highlights of South Africa's last game, a friendly they lost to the Netherlands, 0-2. Doesn't look like they got a good defense.
I see little to be learned from this game unless Jill is evaluating the bottom of the roster. She should play starters for no more than 1/2 the game then go to the bench. She has to build some understanding among the starters but also (unlike Klinsmann) identify the players past number 13 that she can actually use in a big tournament. We have not looked great against better competition lately
Starting lineup: http://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2016/07/09/14/56/160709-wnt-lineup-notes-usa-vs-south-africa
Lineups can be deceiving. But this would indicate Press in the #10 role, with Pugh and Dunn wide. Bodes well for Allie Long that she is starting. Maybe Ellis gives her a half, and Mewis a half. The lack of speed in the Horan-Long midfield pivot concerns me. Of course Solo starts. Because Jill really needs to evaluate her play. I feel bad for Harris and Naeher, both of whom have had far better NWSL seasons than Hope. Seniority (and cap/shutout milestones) wins out.
Per the other thread, Brian and Heath are out today with hamstring injuries. Rapinoe being held out due to quad pull. Worrying for Brian, her hamstrings have been bothering her all NWSL season. In the Dash games I've seen, she seems to be playing at half speed, tentative. As for Rapinoe, I just do not think it is a wise move trying to shoehorn her into the Rio roster. She should be allowed to rejoin her club and recover at a reasonable, gradual pace. She doesn't need to re-aggravate her knee or suffer some other secondary injury.
Yes, I agree, they're awful. I also hated the USMNT line-up photos that have been used lately. I don't know if US Soccer or Fox is responsible for them. They all look like mug shots. I think the idea was to make our men's team look intimidating, but it was a miserable fail, IMO.
Is a pleasant, natural looking smile or neutral face too much to ask for? We don't need excessive make-up, and we don't need faux tough-guy machismo. Just normal expressions.
.@Beyonce knows that @CarliLloyd and the #USWNT "Run The World". #WNTRunTheWorld (by @AO_Chicago) pic.twitter.com/aWANElgudT— AO (@AmericanOutlaws) July 9, 2016
So is this all we are going to hear from these commentators that SA is not like all the African teams that are only athletic and disorganized? Do they have anything else to tell us?