Like I just said run a three front with Amy, Sydney and Christen up top. Start heath for Holiday and bring Morgan, Brian and if necessary Abby on as late subs. Take it right down their throat and win. Possession based soccer is overrated. It's dangerous attacks, clinical finishing and good defense that win championships. Speed is deadly. Look at what Klinsmann is doing for the men's team. ceding possession early on, wearing attackers down and going for meaningful possession to generate QUALITY chances, then finishing them. On the men's side our strike rate is very good. One of the best in the world over the last year or so because they are creating quality chances and finishing them with less than stellar talent. On the women's side we have the best attacking corps in the world in my opinion. Just attack attack attack! If route 1 soccer wins one more world cup for us then fine.
Is Lloyd your DM in that set-up? Are you playing a triangle in CM? If you play flat CMs (Heath--Lloyd--Rapinoe) there isn't much D there. It might work against Sweden, but Germany is another matter. That's what we need to be building towards. The SF date with Germany. Winning the group is the first step, however.
Hotel lobby packed w/ Outlaws. Shuttle bus to game. Labatt's is flowing and being consumed freely. GO USA I believe.
I'm just going to point out that the bolded part has not been a habit of the WNT lately. This team usually creates a slew of chances, especially against weaker opponents which Sweden is not, but struggles in finishing them.
The first thing we should do is move Lloyd back to Dmid, where she played in 2012-13 on this team, remember the Olympics? She is right now, on this team, our best option for dmid, unfortunately. Let's put Brian in front of her, she's our best central passer. (ya'll remember when Pia toyed with Cheney as dmid? it didn't work then either) Third thing we should do is put Dunn on the right wing. oh wait. ok so my line up would be: Kriegs-JJ-Rampone-Kling ----------Lloyd----------- Heath---Brian-----Pinoe ------Press---Syd------ BUTT - Sweden has a slow back-line, so we may want to start Arod up top and do a 4-3-3 --------Lloyd------- ---Brian-----Pinoe-- --Arod--Press--Syd-- Heath worries me as a starter, on the right wing. She doesn't get around players, she doesn't get crosses in.. but what else can we do but start her? Hao is a mystery at this point. Press is waisted out there... I'd like to see Rampone play the second half, we may need her against Nigeria. Morgan comes in with 15-20 minutes or so left in the game.
http://espn.go.com/espnw/video/13060257/exploring-team-usa-formations And here's Foudy and Lil's formation - with boxx starting at dmid! and Abby starting! in a 4-3-3 surprise!
Just like it did in 2011? I'm sorry, but it is 4 years later and most teams have gotten so much better technically and tactically. It just won't work. You can see that even team like Norway is trying to pass the ball around. And let's not forget that Even Pellerud was a Norwegian coach when Silvia Neid was playing for German WNT, not coaching them.
Our backline doesn't have to be slow for the Nigeria game though. Play Engen and Sauerbrunn at CB with Rampone and O'Hara on the outside and that speed for Nigeria is negated.
I keep hearing this but I don't believe it. We'll see. And remember in 2011 we lost to the swedes, beat brazil in pens a man down for quite some time and rolled france. Morgan was a halftime sub and Japan had no answer for her. They had to make a tactical red card foul near the box to stop her from scoring in ET near the final stoppage time and we lost on pens. Japan did not out play the US nor did they "deserve to win". I believe speed kills. Use it or lose it. We are no a technical side. We have techincal players but we are not technical through the best XI and the bench. PLay to our strengths. Speed up top, fitness in the middle with some technical ability and toughness and intelligence in the back with a brilliant keeper. No reason to deviate from the rudiments of what makes this team special because media thinks we should. The media want Electronica, we are punk rock. Basic, fast and right up the ass.
[QUOTE=" ok so my line up would be: Kriegs-JJ-Rampone-Kling ----------Lloyd----------- Heath---Brian-----Pinoe ------Press---Syd------ BUTT - Sweden has a slow back-line, so we may want to start Arod up top and do a 4-3-3 --------Lloyd------- ---Brian-----Pinoe-- --Arod--Press--Syd-- .[/QUOTE] Lineup looks fine, except switch Brian and lloyd. Lloyd is too offensive minded to stay in position deep. Ibelieve I saw a few games at UVA where Brian played a holding midfield role. And given her youth, I am sure she would be more willing to follow instructions in exchange for being on pitch.....reality is that this my be the game to bring in Shannon Boxx. Run her for 60 minutes or so then sub in Holiday or Brian.
You don't think Japan deserved to win in 2011 and USA were very lucky to win that QF? Ok. I don't think I'm gonna convince you now, but let's see, maybe results of this WWC can do it.
It was more like deep-lying playmaker role that Brian played at UVa sometime last fall but it seems that is also what Ellis prefers.
Anxious about this game. The lineup will either increase my anxiety or lessen it (do the right thing Jill).
Well as the first post I guess in the Nigeria -- US game thread -- good for us that Nigeria is starting the same 11 that played all 90 minutes against Sweden. Figured I would put this here though anyways.
Starting Lineup for the US: 1-Solo, 2-Leroux, 4-Sauerbrunn, 10-Lloyd (c), 11-Krieger,12-Holiday, 14-Brian, 15-Rapinoe, 19-Johnston, 22-Klingenberg, 23-Press Sweden: Lindahl; Fischer; Dahlkvist; Schelin (c); Jakobsson; Ilestedt; Sjogran; Nilsson; Seger; Samuelsson; Rubensson
Yes lets see what happens. Even if the USA are the best or second best team they still only have a 30 percent chance to win it all. I just don't buy the narrative that their soccer is passe. Even if they don't win it all I still won't buy it.