USA Women's Soccer 13 Thai Girlz ZERO
- Thread starter Pitt79
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But if you read more of what I wrote, I'm more old school, like my dad, I might tell my daughter, "you want to travel around the country playing soccer with your friends, THEN FIND THE MONEY TO PAY FOR IT, I'M NOT PAYING FOR THAT!" She can and did play soccer with her friends locally. At some point I need some common sense and fiscal responsibility, I WILL DECIDE FOR MY CHILD, that I think it's a waste of money, and she'll BE FORCED to play locally, even the travel team she played on for a year just traveled to PA, NJ and VA, so it wasn't outrageous, and like I said, I was happy she didn't like it, because it was basically nonsense, there where actually girls on the team who got cut from high school JV, the coach would yell at them about "playing at the highest level"-she hated that coach- so why not play rec league? Most aren't getting scholarships, so why waste $5-10K? Sometimes the parent just decides. I even knew girls that got D1 scholarships who quit playing club and just played high school, because they also wanted to play basketball, lacrosse or both in addition to soccer. They can play the game they love in the local rec league or at their high school when it comes down to it. And I can see why it's appealing to good players, just saying I might choose to not finance it.
I’m with you. If you’re not on an elite team at an elite club playing the very best competition , then it’s a waste of money if you’re expecting something out of it more than it provides them with something social, it keeps them out of trouble, and it keeps them active. At that point, as a parent you have to decide how much that’s all worth.
To me, it’s foolish to go somewhere where club dues are high, and you’re traveling to 2nd rate tournaments and showcases. With my son, he doesn’t have the genetics to play D1 soccer, so I pulled him from an elite club that traveled a ton and I took him to a 2nd rate club with low tuition and minimal travel. If he decides to play in college, then he can still play at a small school somewhere. There’s always a place in college for players. With my daughters, different story. They played at the highest level, we’ve spent a lot of money, and loved every second of it. It’s been an investment that was well worth it.
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It's true, if you are really good, and actually WANT to train on soccer ALL YEAR ROUND, like it was your passion, and you could actually make the team that is this top ranked team, my daughter, actually didn't want to do it that much as she learned on this travel team, as much as the travel team demanded, and the travel team tried to shame her for being involved in other things, like ballet dancing, which I actually think helped her in soccer with flexibility, who else got a yellow card for kicking a girl who was standing straight up in the head? LOL. And in the end, she is playing college soccer this year, ironically she showed up for the first meeting a few months back, and the girl she kicked in the head in a high school game is her college teammate now!
And I actually think, to fill out rosters and make money, some of these lesser clubs take on players who are not good, forget college, some of these kids can't make the high school team, and they are paying thousands to be on these teams.
Ertz is both center back and potential attacking mid. She brings a ton of offense and defense stability. Lloyd in my mind for two reasons, leadership/experience and to enforce ball control. That’s it. Women can be very effective even in mid 30s.
I said it months ago, the defense is weak. A powerful attacking team like France will cause issues. France seems to not be playing at full potential, but once the switch is on, they will be World Cup winners.
I do not think we are getting enough from Rapinoe or Morgan. I’m sorry, but performance against Thailand was a joke. Performances against Spain and Sweden showed we need more. This team cannot expect domination from Morgan against France. There has to be a very strong Outside and center mids to win this game and Ertz has to be on her best. Outside backs are not going to stop le sommer Henry and the other french attacker.
I'm just curious, with your daughters, did they do anything else? Like another sport or activity? Like I said, my daughter did dance for 12 years, ballet mainly, and one year of volleyball and piano for a few years. Did your kids just stick to the soccer alone at some point?
There where some stud athlete girls at our high school who might have gotten D1 soccer scholarships, they where that good, but one got a D1 basketball scholarship (She is like 6-4) and two others D1 lacrosse scholarships, they all quit playing for soccer clubs in high school because they wanted to do multiple sports.
No they didn’t do other things. When playing at that level, it’s more or less a full time commitment-which is what they wanted. But with my son, thats another reason why I have him where he is. He plays another sport.
Here's an article that I think sums up Ellis correctly:
https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/201...-france-2019-fifa-womens-world-cup-jill-ellis
By the way, if the rumors are true the US is not starting Lindsey Horan today. As someone elsewhere said, the only way that makes sense is if Ellis thinks that Horan is a sleeper agent who was turned during her time playing professionally in France.
And it is official, the US is starting the same lineup as last game. Which means leaving one of the best players in the world on the bench. Again.
Although with how well they played last game I can see why you wouldn't want to rock the boat
Although with how well they played last game I can see why you wouldn't want to rock the boat
I don't have a problem with the same lineup, as long as Horan still plays significant minutes (i.e. 60th minute sub).And it is official, the US is starting the same lineup as last game. Which means leaving one of the best players in the world on the bench. Again.
Although with how well they played last game I can see why you wouldn't want to rock the boat
1) Crystal Dunn!!!!
2) I feel for France
3) I’ve never seen a player score 5 goals, be on the verge of $ millions from it, and play unremarkably the entire time. Eff her.
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You guys have to be kidding me. I'm pretty sure that Crystal Dunn just broke the record for most turnovers ever in one World Cup game. She was awful. To the point that the US had to keep a midfielder cheating back on her side to cover for her. And then the US had to switch to a 5-4-1 in the second half to cover for Dunn. And that led to France having, by far, the better of the play in the second half.
And the one thing that she's supposed to be good at as a left back is getting forward and helping the offense. I think she got forward maybe twice all game, one of which would have been a really nice play had she not been a few inches offside. There has to be someone that can play better than that on this team, even if it means they would be playing out of position as well.
And the one thing that she's supposed to be good at as a left back is getting forward and helping the offense. I think she got forward maybe twice all game, one of which would have been a really nice play had she not been a few inches offside. There has to be someone that can play better than that on this team, even if it means they would be playing out of position as well.
I watched the game in a sports bar so you know how that goes. I thought she did well. Far from flawless but did well from what I saw. I saw her get forward, but you’re right, maybe just a few times. Her recovery runs were really good—her pace was noticeable and I suspect that’s her biggest attribute. 1v1 I saw some good things. But I’ll have to watch again I guess.
But let’s remember, she’s not a left back and was thrown on the world stage vs one of the best wingers in the game.
#perspective
Here’s a great article on Dunn and the tactics of the game.
https://slate.com/culture/2019/06/u...omens-world-cup.amp?__twitter_impression=true
https://slate.com/culture/2019/06/u...omens-world-cup.amp?__twitter_impression=true
Sorry but Dunn was excellent defensively in that game. France had 60% possession and it was obvious from the get go that the French were going to attack her side. She had a high work rate and performed well in the cross hairs. She had a number of very underrated plays if you go back and watch. Listen to what Lalas said after the game about her performance. He was her loudest critic and he said bravo to her for the job she did. I’m not saying she’s the ideal person for that left back role, but she deserves props today. It should also be pointed out that the player she battled mostly (Diani) is one of the best players in this World Cup.
Fk is right about Rapinoe. She has 4 goals in the last two games but she could be so much better than she has been.
I hated to see Rose Lavelle have such a poor performance today because I am a huge fan of her game. I wonder if Horan starts against England?
And let’s give it up for Alyssa Naeher. No, she hasn’t been heavily tested, but she made a few big saves and I’ve been impressed with her hands.
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Any coach would be thrilled with a player who was shoe horned into an unfamiliar position for the betterment of the team and battled her ass off against an elite talent. Kudos to Dunn. We all thought that she would be a reason they would lose...and as it turns out they won while not giving up any goals in the run of play.
And if the article I linked above is accurate, then kudos to Jill Ellis as well, as her game day tactics have always been questioned.
I give her credit for the ground she covers for her age. But she has been underwhelming, and yet the 2 pks, the lucky goal today and then the 2nd goal today (which she had the easy part) will earn her all of the post tourney attention. I was a huge fan of hers until she went political and divisive. Now I can’t get too excited for her success.
I did. It was further proof, as if anyone should need any, that Lalas has no idea what he is talking about. If we are going to quote articles on the subject:
http://backlinesoccer.com/womens-world-cup-daily-france-uswnt-winning-ugly-is-still-winning
about sums it up for me.
"One of the major themes of the game was problems with fullbacks. Crystal Dunn, on the US side, had a wretched evening, getting beat and over and over by Kadidiatou Diani–the only France player to truly show up on the night. But because Diani’s strike partners were consistently locked down, all of her incredible work ended up for naught."
"They won despite Crystal Dunn being exposed over and over and over."
And for the record, I want to say that I don't blame Dunn. She is clearly not a left back. It's not her fault that's where her coach is playing her. Watch her positioning when the opponents come into the US zone on the attack. When there is a wide player on her wing she is almost always way too far to the inside. And she gets caught paying too much attention to where the ball is and not enough attention to where the player she's supposed to be covering is. It's as if she doesn't understand that all her help is to the middle, but that she has no help at all to the outside. Which she probably doesn't, because those kinds of positioning things are the things that you learn by playing the position over and over in your career, and she hasn't done that. Anyone expecting her to be a world class left back was kidding themselves.
She works her butt off back there. In fact her superior work rate enables her to overcome many of her shortcomings in positioning. But in the end, I think the Slate story does get it right. Basically she won half the battles and Diani won half the battles. And at this level having your left back lose approximately half of a ton of one on one battles is just not good enough.
She works her butt off back there. In fact her superior work rate enables her to overcome many of her shortcomings in positioning. But in the end, I think the Slate story does get it right. Basically she won half the battles and Diani won half the battles. And at this level having your left back lose approximately half of a ton of one on one battles is just not good enough.
I still had a problem with her substitutes. It sure seemed like after about 70 minutes that for whatever reason, slight injury, fatigue on a hot day, whatever, that Morgan had completely run out of gas and needed subbed off. And yet she played the full 90. It would have been perfect to have brought Lloyd on for her at the 70 minute mark. Maybe she could have broken up some of the momentum that the French had at the end by possessing the ball and drawing fouls at a time when no one for the US seemed like they could remember what color jerseys their teammates were wearing.
HOWEVER, the defensive triangle (which turned into a line when they went to five in the back) of Ertz, Dahlkemper and Sauerbrunn played very well, so credit to Ellis for not breaking that up like some people (me) suggested that she should.
I think I will stick to the opinion of Lalas —you know a guy that played defender in two World Cups and is Fox’s top soccer analyst — over an internet blogger.
My own eyes also told me Dunn played a great game.
Well then you will be happy to know that on Fox Soccer Tonight last night Lalas not only said that Rapinoe "played great" but that she was basically the best player on the field.
So the question is, do you stick with his opinion over yours too?
And by the way, let's remember that the guy whose talent evaluation skills you are touting was the general manager of the glamour franchise of MLS for three seasons. They won 13 games the season before he took over. In his three seasons they won 11, 9 and 8 and didn't qualify for the playoffs in any of those three seasons.
If you are a hockey fan, Alexi Lalas is basically the equivalent of Mike Milbury, a guy who was given the keys to a franchise and showed that he has absolutely no idea what he's doing, and whose landing spot was a great gig on television where his "great" talent evaluation couldn't ruin any more franchises.
If you are a hockey fan, Alexi Lalas is basically the equivalent of Mike Milbury, a guy who was given the keys to a franchise and showed that he has absolutely no idea what he's doing, and whose landing spot was a great gig on television where his "great" talent evaluation couldn't ruin any more franchises.
Well the bottom line is Rapinoe scored two goals against in the biggest game the team has played in 4 years — maybe the biggest game they have ever played. Dunn didn’t make a mistake that directly led to a goal against the run of play so maybe we all should just bottom line our analysis and enjoy a great win.
Oh, I definitely enjoyed the win.
As far as Rapinoe goes, isn't that the way it usually works in soccer? Scoring a goal, let alone two, atones for a lot of other ills. The men's game in Cleveland that I was at last weekend had a little of that same thing going on. In the first half I sat there wondering if Gyasi Zardes was even on the field. He did basically nothing. But then in the second half he scored two goals (and played pretty well overall) and after the game no one mentioned his first half at all, they talked about how great he was for scoring two goals.
I guess at the end of the day it is, like most, a bottom line business.
I basically said this team will live and die by the play of Rapinoe heath and center mids. I did’t think Morgan would be a factor, and she hasn’t been. You need a defense that is less talented to bend but not break. They didn’t break against France and that is all you needed. Sometimes you have luck, sometimes the one player you need to step up does, and sometimes you need the other team to just not hit the back of the net. USA had all the little things add up. England won’t be easy, and will be solid. We shall see how tired our legs are or how tired England’s legs are. Morgan needs a break, she is clearly tired.
I have definitely been surprised at Morgan’s usage, especially playing with a 1-goal lead the last two matches. I get the sense Ellis trusts her more defensively than most would assume. She looks banged up to me though. She’s taken some knocks for sure.
Not singling anyone out, but someone has to explain to me what Rampinoe has done. She did nothing but cover a lot of ground against Spain and was taken out of the game by Spain’s right back. Spare me the two pks. I would argue that Morgan did just as much, which is far from adequate, by drawing a dozen fouls. And no one praised Morgan for her efforts, as they shouldn’t. Then against France, Rampinoe was gifted the first goal and the players running onto the ball were just as responsible for the goal. And then her 2nd goal was made possible by the two plays made by teammates that led up to the goal. I’ll praise any of my HS players for scoring that goal, as one had to be in the right spot to score it. But excuse me if I don’t praise a 36 year old professional. Especially the professional who has created quite a distraction for her team.
I agree. She took a beating against Spain and I don't think she was all that healthy even before that. And then she took a pretty hard shot in the face during the game on Friday. Long before the game ended she looked cooked to me. I said it earlier, but I'd have brought Lloyd on for her at no later than the 70th minute or so. Lloyd probably would have been better able to be the pressure release that the US could have used late in the game.
I still can’t believe that after the Olympics we couldn’t go in a different direction. Certainly there are better forwards than Alex Morgan in this vast system/country we have.
You know what though, perception becomes reality. Because she actually scored the 100+ goals, she's seen as one of the best ever, even if it's because she plays forward on a team that is head and shoulders above everyone they play for the most part. So you're right, there are surely others that could get the goals in the same situation.
Maybe like Crystal Dunn! But I suppose Dunn doesn’t fit the profile for the style of play Jill Ellis wants to play.
A few years back, I went to a Washington Spirits game with my daughter's club team, and Dunn played for them then, as I remember she was a forward/striker and not back on D like she is now.
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