Too early Olympic roster projections?

I 'd ike to add Lavelle for my 16th field player.

 

So then the question becomes "is Coffey actually hurt. or was it just a scare/precautionary?"

 

Well, she is out today and is deemed "week to week."

I think it is a race for her to get healthy. I doubt she olays any more league matches, either way.

 

No word on what the actual injury is?

 

Swanson, Smith, Rodman, Shaw, Macario
Lavelle, Horan, Lily, Coffey, Albert
Dunn, Nighswonger, Fox, Girma, Davidson, Sonnet,

Alt: Morgan, Krueger, Olivia, GK

Emma would be making a mistake to not lock-in a generational talent such as Lily.
If you haven't watched her at Ajax, she's ready.

Dunn and Sonnet make it for their talent, versatility, and experience.

 

But would that be entirely Emma's choice-- doesn't Yohannes have a say in that also?

 

duh.

And Lily isn't cleared to play for the Netherlands as of now.

 

From the Thorns, Coffey's has an ankle injury. It is not a serious injury, she was held out from today's game as a precaution. One never knows how much of the released info is on point, but it sounds like it she will be fine for the Olympics.

 

It got overshadowed by Croix Bethune's last minute heroics but anybody else notice Trinity Rodman's yellow card for dissent in the 82nd minute of Washington / San Diego?

I don't think there's any question about Rodman making the Olympics team, but I think the coaches have to have a friendly chat with her and plan on her being a backup starter and/or coming off the bench. It's not punitive but protective and precautionary for someone who is still very much a young player in US tradition. We all want Rodman to experience the Olympics. We all expect her to be a key US player for years to come. But you can't put the team at that much risk; nor do you want to risk the hurt to a talented, mercurial young player and her reputation and career by putting in her positions where she's likely to melt down.

So when we draw up our 1st string Starting XIs we should all try to come up with one that doesn't have Rodman in it. That's our homework exercise (tee-hee!)

***
I haven't seen the entire game so I don't know the entire background to the yellow card, but Rodman got the yellow card for dissent on a play where she got the call (!)

Then she continued to put her head down and try to force her way through challenges, trying to draw contact so she could complain again. Which worked for a moment, as she got the call against Torpey, who had just entered the game, and got a yellow card issued to Torpey on a challenge which didn't even look to me like much of a foul (except of course Rodman winding up a poor victim down on the ground)

A couple minutes later, Rodman got hurt by charging into McNabb on the other end of the pitch as McNabb cleared a ball away.

Fortunately for Rodman, her team, and a record-breaking crowd at Audi Field, there was a happy ending for Washington when Croix Bethune scored that wonder goal in the dying seconds of stoppage time

 

I agree with @fire123's roster, except that I would possibly take Dunn instead of Kruger. However, Albert would be my 16th player, Rose is a lock for me. I would take Naeher and Murphy in goal. I don't think taking six attackers is the right team balance, so dropping someone like Dahlkamper for Morgan would not be sensible.

I think we need someone who can provide defensive bite in the midfield. I would be ok with someone other than Sonnet, but I don't think cover at the 6 and at CB should be the same person. So I wouldn't take Coffee, Albert, and Yohannes without more of a destroyer type in the team.

I don't think there is a point at taking Morgan as an alternate. Maybe I'm wrong, but she doesn't seem like HAO (who should have been on the team anyway).

If Coffey can't go (but it sounds like she can), that complicates the selection. Like for like would be Lily Yohannes. I think she's got a great future but I'm not sure she's the choice for a 18 player roster. Andi Sullivan was in camp for Korea, and provides experience and defensive grit, but I am not convinced by her at the highest level. Ashley Sanchez hasn't really produced for the national team in big games or against big teams. Moultrie has the same issues as Yohannes and maybe not as a high a ceiling, though I haven't really seen enough of either to evaluate. I hope this wouldn't lead to taking Morgan and leaving the midfield light. But I'm not sure what the right selection would be. Fortunately I don't think that will be needed.

 

Only thing I recall, was her com8ng back to the bench in a walking boot.

 

To me.... It depends on what happens at 9. No question, if the US goes 3 up top, two are named Swanson & Smith. If they put Smith at the 9, you start Trinity at the wing. If Swanson & Smith split wide, well... who ya got at the 9? Macario or the old lady Morgan?

 

Meh. I think the same of Sonnett when she comes into the game. Has that approach of being an “enforcer” or game changer that it becomes a magnet for yellow/red cards. Which most of us thought about Lloyd and Rapinoe at some point until they started refinining their game.

 

GOD'S BLOODY WOUNDS. It gets worse. I saw a post on X-Twitter with a still frame showing Trinity Rodman collide with Kristen McNabb. Apparently Rodman herself posted it on social media (Instagram?), but it's a play where Rodman herself caused the collision.

Minute 87'30 of the game

1802735481295114240 is not a valid tweet id

Very good way of looking at it. It's also a good way of making me feel depressed

Somebody, please, come up with a starting 3, a Plan A, without Rodman

 

I would have to agree with Morgan; the now having an appalling weak NWSL season with only 1 assist, 0 goals on 15 shot attempts/only one tackle to her credit/only 69% successful passes.
Meantime frontline team mate Jackie Shaw got 3 goals on 12 shot attempts/10 tackles to her credit/71%

The only thing Morgan’s got going for her is bigger name recognition, thus brings more endorsement dollars to the team

 

I found a short clip of the Rodman/McNabb collision. I still recommend seeing it on the game replay just after 87'30 of the game clock because it shows more context — Doniak (?) deflects a crossfield pass from Casey Krueger. The ball rolls in McNabb's direction who seems to take her time sizing up her downfield options before clearing it over the touchline while Rodman barrels in

 

I'm not seeing a foul at all-- unless the AR thinks McNabb falling on Rodman was intentional; she's got a better angle on that than the video. But either way it seems like a thing that happens, not a big deal...

 

Morgan's issue isn't that she's "old", it's that her game hasn't aged well on top of some natural physical decline. She's very one dimensional and direct. International caliber defenses have no issue marking her because she is not good on the ball and doesn't have the pace to latch onto the long balls she used to score off. She also has little ability to shoot accurately from a distance. There are players still at a very high level at age 34 (like her or not, Lloyd was one). Even marta is still capable of off the bench magic because of her technical gifts. The game has passed morgan by because it doesn't suit her style anymore.

She looked terrible against south Korea, I'd love to know what her pass completion rate is. She's not a false 9 so they need to stop trying to make her into one because she's not scoring as a traditional 9 anymore. Macario, Shaw and Pugh are all far better suited to that role. Even Horan could do it if you don't care about pace (which presumably you don't if you are playing Morgan).

I have absolutely no faith in USSF to leave her off, though. I've already seen coke and reese's commercials starring her.

My prediction (not necessarily what I want, but what I think will happen):

FW: Swanson, Smith, Rodman, Morgan, Shaw
MF: Macario, Horan, Lavelle, Coffey, Albert (or Lily but I lean toward Albert and Lily as an alternate)
DF: Dunn, Sonnett, Girma, Davidson, Nighswonger, Fox
GK: Naeher, Murphy

Albert sneaking onto this team is pure euro bias on behalf of Hayes but she's played enough on the USWNT over the past 8 months that I assume she's the last choice midfielder. I don't think she's that great though, on or off the pitch in the locker room. Hopefully she'll have more competition as Hayes has more time to scout American based talent.

 

Morgan was involved in the build to our goal vs S. Korea.

 

"A Thorns spokesperson told ESPN it was "not a major injury" and the team was "being cautious.""

Last I've seen on Sam. Sounds like good news.

 

NWSL teams are announcing their Olympic send-off games this weekend (last games before the Olympic rosters are due July 3), and word on the social media street is that players were told if they were on the roster or not yesterday although I'm not sure where that is coming from as I've not seen that news from an actual reliable source yet.

But, in any case, I expect the roster to drop this week, possibly even today.

 

At that date, this thread should change its name, from "Too early Olympic roster projections?" to "Too late for Olympic roster projections".

 

I cannot imagine rostered players will play this week-end, will they?

 

By the way, why are we fretting abut the roster anyway — isn't Macario healthy and available ?

I mean, didn't her fans and supporters insist for years that Macario would solve most of the USA's problems? So, what's our worry?

 

Heh, injuries?!?!