Women's Quarter-final - Match 20 USA vs Japan Parc des Princes, Paris Saturday, 3rd August, 2024 6:00 am PDT 15:00 Paris time https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/results/football/women/qfnl000300-- https://www.fifa.com/en/match-centre/match/509/286068/286074/400015684
The USA have improved under Hayes, it will be interesting to see how they do against a side that will keep the ball well.
Even before Hayes took over, USA has had Japan's number the past couple years. However, I'm not saying it will be an easy matchup. From: https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/20...ch-history-five-things-to-know-paris-olympics "The quarterfinal clash in Paris with be the 41st meeting all-time between the USA and Japan and the second matchup between the teams this year. The U.S. and Japan faced off in the semifinals of the 2024 SheBelieves Cup in Atlanta on April 6. Playing in front of a crowd of 50,644 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium – the largest crowd to watch the USWNT on home soil since the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup Final – the U.S. came back from an early deficit to win 2-1 and advance to the SheBelieves Cup final, where it went on to hoist the trophy for the fifth consecutive year... The last four meetings between the teams have come at the SheBelieves Cup – a 2-2 draw in 2019 followed by three consecutive wins for the Americans (3-1 in 2020, 1-0 in 2023 and 2-1 in 2024). Overall, the USA leads the all-time series against Japan with a record of 31W-1L-8D, with its lone loss in the series came during the 2012 Algarve Cup. Since then, the USA is unbeaten in the last 13 meetings between the teams, with nine wins and four draws in that span, including victories in the 2012 Olympic Final and the 2015 World Cup Final. The U.S. has scored multiple goals in eight of its last nine matchups with Japan."
Agreed. I will petition Emma Hayes and company to gift a win to Japan... only you'll have to wait till next year.
USWNT's starting XI: Our Olympic Quarterfinal XI 🇺🇸#USWNT x @VisaLineup Notes ⤵️— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) August 3, 2024 Japan's starting XI: 🔹なでしこジャパン🔹📝LINE-UP📝🏆第33回 #オリンピック 競技大会(2024/パリ)⚔️準々決勝1 #山下杏也加(GK)3 #南萌華4 #熊谷紗希(C) 6 #古賀塔子 8 #清家貴子10 #長野風花11 #田中美南13 #北川ひかる14 #長谷川唯15 #藤野あおば 20 #守屋都弥𝐒𝐔𝐁🔄22 #大場朱羽(GK)5 #高橋はな… pic.twitter.com/P8v2LQZ15o— JFAなでしこサッカー (@jfa_nadeshiko) August 3, 2024
Yes, as usual, with a wingback pushing high (looks like mostly Dunn instead of Fox in this game) in possession.
You can have all the possession and all the patience but if you cannot advance the ball to create chances you have nothing.
This is how Hayes lost the CL final vs Barcelona. You have to have the flexibility to adjust in game. She won't even get the CBS or CDMs to advance the ball in the build-up stage
USA limps through on an extra time goal from Rodman. I'm both impressed with and worried about the team. Impressed, because the sign of a good team is gritting out results even when it doesn't look like they should. (Heck, last OG was a massive example of that, earning bronze while looking lackluster through the entire tournament; at least the US looked like the team to beat through the group stage this year.) Worried, because it's clear the team was tired today *and* we got to see the worst of Hayes' management style, i.e. a lack of adaptation to how things are going. If the US is as tired in the next match, it'll be even tougher trying to advance again. (Though if it's PKs against Canada, then we should be fine thanks to Naeher.)
A Rodman wonder stroke saves the lackluster U.S. against a typically game, organized intelligent Japan side. Japan has been such an admirably over-achieving program for so long, but in the end America's individual attacker is the difference, late, when it looked like the U.S. could get beat. The U.S. has a wealth of attacking talent--and in Swanson, Smith and Rodman surely the best forward trio in the game--all youngish and in their prime. And good forwards on the bench as well.
If Japan had any speed whatsoever, they would be so much more dangerous. Anytime they put together a nice dribbling/passing combo to get behind the defense, the defender catches up in three strides.
I thought the US tactical approach to the game was great. They executed it really well and got rewarded with a goal late in the match when the Japan defenders perhaps were a little too tired to keep up with Rodman. I thought Japan's playing a mid to low block for basically the entire game may have been a good decision by them, but it also may have been too pessimistic. The US was missing its starting left central defender and its starting defending midfielder, but the Japan tactics resulted in the US defenders not being under pressure for most of the game. Perhaps they thought the US would get undisciplined and exposed to counters, but the US was extremely disciplined. I give Hayes credit for that.
Wait, you give kudos to Japan as intelligent and organized side when they sit 11 players behind the ball for the vast majority of the match and you say the US looked lackluster? You liked the way Japan played? Their low block, defensive style-of-play didn't seem lackluster to you? These types of matches are not enjoyable to watch, but I understand why some teams/coaches need to revert to them. I'm really surprised Japan played this way. It seems that gave the US way too much respect. Japan used to be a possession-oriented team, much like Spain is today, which would control the ball for long stretches. I have no idea what happened to them in the past 12 years. I guess that golden age is over for them... for now.
Agreed 100%. Execution was really good and they were patient. In years past, players would get visibly frustrated when facing a low block for long stretches.