Best player in the world is very subjective. I think we focus too much energy on individual awards and ranking players. Miedema is very good, but arguably Arsenal performed "better" in the CL than they have in a long time without her and Mead. No guarantee that adding both of them would have made for a better CL performance. No doubt over the course of the WSL season, not having Miedema limited their tactical flexibility and depth. "If only their major clubs would step up & pay respectable salaries, then they wouldn’t have to leave like traveling vagabonds to play for other leagues around the world" What do you mean by this? Why is playing in another country bad? is Macario a traveling vagabond? or Horan? Players should be able to find the best situation they can. I dont see how that would be a negative. Using one or two data points to evaluate Staab or anyone else is unfair. the way Smith (Sophia) was allowed to pick up the ball turn and run at defenders suggest that game was a tactical failure as opposed to individual errors.
Without knowing how VA wants to play, no. They play very different positions. Winger vs 8/10. I think once Hatch was out, he had to go extra winger to cover for whoever may play #9. For me it was more Shaw vs DeMelo. For the qualities Shaw has, I'm surprised that Thompson seems to be the chosen one. I think Hatch and Shaw together give this roster more flexibility than Thompson and DeMelo without sacrificing any quality. Player for player in isolation, hard to call. I go Shaw over DeMelo because if either plays a lot, something wild has happened and I'm betting Shaw is more likely to more valuable in 2 years. I'm biased though. I think Shaw can be really special.
plus probable round of 16 opponent Italy, might want revenge & use it as an rallying cry for the foul mouth portrayal of their idol Enzo in arguably the best sports film ever made! Ford vs Ferrari, lol. I know wrong threat, but asking @Number007 how we’re going to play & score against the Italians vaunted Cantenaccio defense?
Assuming everyone is healthy on that day, from the starting line up it will be clear what the plan is.
Horan and Morgan have been named captains of the WC squad. If both are on the field, it'll be Horan wearing the armband.
Good choices as captain and just as I predicted when Vlatko brought them out on media day with Pinoe and talked about the captains can still go to the leaders / older players on the team for advice.
Yeah, Demelo has to get some time tomorrow. So do Lavelle and O'Hara -- assuming that O'Hara is more than window dressing on the team. So, 60 minutes for Lavelle, 30 for Demelo or Sanchez. Or alternatively, 60 minutes for Horan, 30 for DeMelo or Mewis. That's two subs. Three more will be Huerta, Rodman, and Thompson. That'll give most of the newbies some time on the field.
I don’t expect Rose to play at all tomorrow. I think we will be lucky if we see her in the first game or two. She was quite vague when asked about her timeframe in the press conference in LA. I hope I am wrong.
Some of you don't like Morgan, Pinoe and O'Hara on the team. I myself think they deserve to be included among the 23 on their own merits but I will advance a conspiracy theory for you to chew on. Let's say the US wins the 3rd consecutive title, the only team women or men. It's a big story for the US, for US soccer, media, coaches , and everyone involved. So Horan, Lavelle go on national TV. Reporter: Wow, incredible, 3 in a row, ... blah blah Horan: Yeah, it's incredible, blah blah .... but I don't know anything about the 1st one. Can you imagine how lame that is? That would have killed the story right there. Contrast to Pinoe, Morgan, O'Hara, who will have had all 3 medals , all of whom are very good talkers, btw ... they would have run with that story ad infinitum ... (I am not forgetting Naeher but she is not a good saleperson nor did she get on the field in the 1st cup, right) That's why the soccer god wants them on the team. What do you think about that conspiracy story? I would love to have this happen to get Loudy Foudy to shut up about the 99ers, about her personal story, about how incredible her friends and she were ( I do love them , I just don't want to hear Foudy any more) . Do you think there is a chance that will happen?
I'm not buying the conspiracy theory, but personally, I don't rate the chances of the 3-peat being super high. Yes, I think the US is still a favorite going in, but I think it's not just having the talent but you have to have the luck as well to win it all. And we've already been a bit unlucky with injuries. Anyway, besides Naeher, Ertz was also part of the 2015 team. If you want to go further back, O'Hara, Morgan, and Rapinoe were all part of the 2011 team that lost in the final. All of those who went back-to-back have already surpassed the WC accomplishments of Foudy, imo, going back-to-back being more difficult. But Foudy still has two Olympic golds whereas O'Hara, Rapinoe, and Morgan only have the 1 from 2012. So maybe, it's really that they need to win gold in 2024. Even so, you'll never shut up Foudy.
thanks for doing this. Its always interesting to go back and see what people predicted vs what has played out so far. Girma has been solid so far, Williams and Thompson may yet impact the tournament positively if given real chances. Rodman appears to be pressing. I hope VA continues to give her the opportunity. Morgan has taken a lot of shots and the missed PK seems to have dented her biggest asset now, her confidence. Minor, but as a captain, I was a little surprised to see her and other veterans yucking it up post the Portugal game. Big test of her veteran leadership over the next few days.
It feels like the team lacks the intense urgency and predatory quality that I've come to love. I have not idea if it's the coach not being right for this team or that the new players have yet to prove themselves and lack confidence. It's not just the rest of the world is catching up. This team is not playing to standards. We've got at least one more game.
The USA loves a winner and better still, loves to give credit to individuals. The pitcher, QB, hot netminder, the 30 ppg scorer. Soccer is a team game. This team has rarely played like one.
Don’t wrap us in too tight a stereotype. Agreed on the team game. The USWNT has kept shape and was able to adjust on the fly. This team, with its relative inexperience playing together hasn’t shown that capacity
I meant more the sponsors/media. that is how they sell the game to us. I apologize if It came across as personal. Not my intent.
I should have been more brave and just have predicted that Spain was about to take over. I didn’t have the guts to go on the record that I thought the US would struggle and Spain was going to break out. I know I wasn’t the only one, but we all kinda hedged and were reluctant to go out on the limb totally against the grain for fear of looking foolish or being labeled as an anti-US troll.
I don't think Hatch would have helped. This team didn't need a striker that could get on the end of crosses, because we had "wings" that weren't crossers, but rather were center forwards that tried to dribble into a shot. What this team needed was a false 9 or a formation with two strikers and no one else up top.