Those three would really help through the middle of the field, and that is where this team is far too often getting overrun.
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Those three would really help through the middle of the field, and that is where this team is far too often getting overrun.
That’s your spine. When you have a spine you can build around it. I know it sounds elementary but when coaching HS, a team can be judged on its spine and everything else takes care of itself.
You’d have Sauerbraum at CB which allows you to push Ertz up the field, then Pugh Swanson in front of her attacking and Macario in front of her.
Completely different team at its most important positions.
So I haven’t heard a lot of commentary but one thing I’ve heard is that training sessions are like a country club compared to what they used to be like. I’ve followed this program for over 25 years and heard a lot of talk and commentary, and one thing they always talked about is how tough and competitive the training sessions were. Games were a cakewalk compared to training, and that’s no longer the case. So something within the culture has changed, so I understand keeping the older players around for linkage if they are showing the younger players what it takes daily. But it appears they aren’t. Part of that is certainly on the Coach as well.
What I am struggling to understand in these first 3 games is that you have world class midfielders in Horan and Lavelle that they could play through, yet they insist on serving balls up the wings and then hopelessly crossing balls into the box. They do a good job of getting corners, but the servicing has been awful and their top target historically (Ertz) has hardly played/trained.
I think they expect to win by showing up. The other teams aren't just giving up. They actually need to perform to win. They have failed to win 2 of 3.
Absolutely. And Carli - as direct as she was - was still pulling her punches. She’s a genuine insider, so she’s very aware of what the issues are.
But for those of us who’ve been following this team for a decade or more, we can see the lack of passion that this team has. They think that they can win games simply by showing-up in their USA uniforms. Nevermind that a lot of the world has caught-up to them in terms of skill, and has surpassed them in terms of drive and effort.
And dare I say that too many of the players have put their off-the-field passions and political activities before their soccer?
I think that's fair on all points. I was listening to Sirius yesterday and Jason Davies was talking about how in the past, the training's were brutal and intense and the games were looked at as a break. I don't get that vibe that this is how it is. The Federation in general is just a mess.
Ha! I posted that yesterday. But I haven’t listened to Jason Davis since the Gold Cup. But perhaps I’ve heard that stated before on his show and certainly on XM.
I think the politics thing makes them an easy target…but they were political 4 years ago and still won. So I dunno. If they lose that’s what people will say. But when you look terrible, you leave yourself open to it.
I neglected to mention that in at least one of her interviews, Carli noted that she'd seen (while she was still on the team) the earlier stages of the problems that we're seeing now. So I'll assume that these problems have gotten worse and not better.
Thinking back, when we consider the great players of the past, players such as Carli Lloyd, Mia Hamm, Abby Wambach, Michelle Akers, Hope Solo, Briana Scurry, and Julie Foudy, we had faith that they'd do anything that they could to win a game - even a meaningless friendly.
Today's players? Not so much. Megan Rapinoe's (once great) skills seem to have evaporated, so I don't expect much from her anymore. Alex Morgan still has the skill, but does she have the leadership qualities that this team is so desperate for? I dunno.
The fact that the US has a roster with a lot of youth is a good - but not if the older players are failing to pass down the kind of leadership (that they themselves received) that it takes to be a consistent winner.
Ahhhh, I got my content provider mixed up!!! Davis did mention that he had no problem with their post game antics and criticized those that had a problem with it.
Also, the lack of commitment to ancillary staff from the USSF is shocking considering how successful they have been. For example, Dawn Scott is well known as the best performance coach in the women’s game and they let her walk (I think to England’s federation). Not only that, but US Soccer has turned off some of the best American-born head coaching candidates by being notoriously impossible to work with. Mark Krikorian comes to mind as someone who has said he will never work another day on USA Soccer’s dime after some miserable experiences coaching youth national teams.
Yep, and even before then, in their more recent "friendlies", it was mainly one person - Mallory (Pugh) Swanson - who was getting a lot of the goals. And when she got injured, no one has stepped-up to fill her shoes.
I loved the one tweet that said now the women's national team is paid like the men's, they have decided to have equal results too in World Cup play.
Yep. I said it back then.
The opposite. That shouldn't happen but when girls dont play soccer in big soccer nations, you can lose to Americans who cant make the USWNT but have Jamaican grandparents.
I was going to ask if Pulisic was going to get a check since the women advanced out of the group.
It is amazing how literally everything, even stuff that directly contradicts what you have said before, really shows that you were right all along.
BTW, interesting article on Nigeria and Randy Waldrum today. Essentially the Nigerian federation was going to fire Waldrum right before the tournament started, because he took the side of his players in their argument with the federation about the players not getting paid and substandard training and the like. The only reason they didn't fire him was that it was too close to the start of the tournament, so instead to punish him they fired his top assistant. Waldrum was so sure they were going to fire him that when they got to Austrailia he didn't even bother to unpack his suitcase the first week they were there, because he assumed they were going to fire him and he was going to be heading back home.
But in any event, he's going to be out at the end of the tournament. But the Nigerian federation people are saying that since the team is doing so well that they will allow him to resign instead of firing him. Which is hilarious, because it seems pretty clear he'd have no interest in sticking around there anyway.
But in any event, he's going to be out at the end of the tournament. But the Nigerian federation people are saying that since the team is doing so well that they will allow him to resign instead of firing him. Which is hilarious, because it seems pretty clear he'd have no interest in sticking around there anyway.
While the Waldrum USA Soccer suggestion was very intriguing, I heard that Laura Harvey, who currently coaches Seattle Reign and previously coached our U21 national teams, would get the first look should a change happen. She was a finalist when Vkatko was hired. She’s English.
How is it that you feel this is good for the women's game? Jamaica is a thrown-together team of American college kids and girls from England. I'm not even sure if these are "good" NCAA players. Here's their roster
USA 13
England 5
Jamaica 5
Canada 1
Solai Washington will be a senior at her HS in Georgia. The US could literally establish a team of girls with ancestry from most countries in the world and that team could beat the girls who are actually from that country. This tournament is an embarrassment. Interestingly, there are 5 American high school girls playing for other countries in this tournament. If Beadling, Century, or the Riverhounds U19 teams entered this World Cup, they'd all be very competitive and that's sad.
All three of those local clubs would get pounded by 3/4’s, if not 90% of the countries in this tourney. For all their faults, the US team would pound a local U19 all star team by 10 goals or more. And yet they struggled mightily vs Vietnam who has to be one of the worst teams in the tourney.
But yeah the womens game isn’t very deep. We all know that. The women’s world cup in the 90’s isn’t like it is today. And it will be better in 2060 as well.
I liken it to a girls WPIAL champ in 1990 would get throttled by a WPIAL champ from today.
Glad Randy and his squad played a part in Canada not making it past the group stage. Canada is becoming extremely annoying in the sport now.
I dont believe Vietnam could beat those 3 teams. And we are talking about 3 teams who divide Western PA talent. What if it was 1 team? I am 100% positive that if the top 15 Pgh HS girls were able to try out for random World Cup countries, they'd all make it. They are all D1 level players. If you play D1, you arent getting cut by some of these fake-ish teams.
I think you are correct that Laura Harvey would be the top choice. She was also part of the coaching staff at the 2021 Olympic tourney so she has quite a bit of familiarity with the personnel. I could probably name 6-8 better choices from the women’s college ranks (including Waldrum), but most of them wouldn’t be interested. I do think Randy would be interested. Word on the street is he has been angling for that position for years.
Yeah, good point, I can't understand why anyone would think that more competitive teams could possibly be good for a sport.
Or, I mean, I couldn't understand such a simple thing if I was you, apparently.
The US men use players that aren't born in the US. As do most of the other countries around the world. No one seems to care about this except you. Most people want to see better players and better teams playing games. Not you. You are all about national purity.
I mean I was saying that one of the reason's the USWNT wins these things is because few other countries play. I dont understand how American girls, none of whom would make a USA F team, beating Brazil disproves this. If anything it shows how much stronger US Women's soccer is than most of these other countries.
Jamaica "getting stronger" because they are convincing more American girls to play for them doesn't make the sport better. As I said, the US could field pretty much all 32 teams with girls of those ancestries and it would be more competitive. What does that accomplish?
Chelsea just signed a US forward today and had a big thing on social media about it. And I don’t think this player has ever gotten close to a cap on our senior team. Speaks to our depth for sure.
So what’s your endgame here? Don’t play it? Don’t have a womens world cup?
Just move to Saudi Arabia and put your wife in a hijab, and make yourself happy already. Lol.
I am sure the US could field a team of 🇮🇳 girls who could make some noise. That girl from Lebo could play for India but will choose USA obviously. India doesn't pursue these American girls. The same can be said for many teams.
Play it but understand what's going on an understand why the USWNT win. My son got into an argument with one of his friends who said the USWNT could beat the men. I mean they are kids who dont know any better but the American public see a women's team win and the men lose and they are stupid enough to think that the USWNT is this special group. No. Nobody else plays. They are Pitt football in the 20s.
If only you put the same energies in looking past the spoon fed narrative on things that really matter.
Exactly. The men's game has had over 100 years to get to the point that it is today. The NFL is completely different today than it was 90 years ago, or heck even 50 years ago. Baseball is completely different than it was 100 years ago, or heck, even 50 years ago. And so on.
The women's game is in it's infancy, relatively speaking. Just sit back and enjoy the games. Or, if you just can't bring yourself to do that then just sit back and shut up.
