There were two very soft fouls that were given yellow cards. Naturally, both were for the US players who had already been carded in previous games. Holiday went in for a tackle, standing, missed the ball but caught a foot, not very hard. Rapinoe stepped in front of a player, tried to stop but bumped the Colombian with her butt. The guy who was hired to analyze the rules and refereeing agrees, no way should those have been yellow cards.
It was a bit of a dive-fest by Colombia and uneven officiating by the French ref. Still, the US did not look good and may be in trouble against China.
Anyone watched the France - Korea game? I watched on the Spanish channel and did not know much what really happened to the Korean goal keeper. It cost more than 7 minutes to take care of her injury. Was she really hurt or did she exhibit some drama?
The Columbian team was doing a lot of flopping and much of it was called for fouls. The referee was quick with her card and gave Holliday a second yellow for a strait up standing tackle from the front. It could have been just a regular free kick but there was nothing dangerous or dirty about it and the Columbian player, for once, didn’t go flying to my recollection.
US defense was much better than in years past but still no good connections on offense until the last 15 minute or so. I will be interested to see what they do for a line-up on Friday. People are not moving to space and making themselves available for passes.
Hard to disagree with most of the analysis, but it is hardly new. The US has been on autopilot for a long time, and has stopped to have the benefit of having … little to no competition from other nations. While soccer was (and is) a very popular in the US, the rest of the world did not develop its women side as fast and visibly did NOT care. As an example, in soccer crazy Mexico, there were fewer players than in a suburb in Dallas. Other countries, with the exception of China and Brazil, considered women soccer an oddity. Many countries selected players with bodies that looked more like a US softball team than soccer players. The US DID have an ample supply of top athletes.
This has, however, changed. Other nations have developed programs and are fielding teams that are just as athletic as the US used to be. Other nations also benefit from talented coaches who understand the “new” game all the while has been relying on a mediocre to average leadership, with clowns like Pia and the current coaches. The analogy to US U-14 team is on the money, safe and except than many youth teams in the US have better (imported) coaches!
If the IS could (not sure of that) outrun others with athletic skills, the system does not allow it. As I wrote earlier, they play a static game borrowed from another century. It is extremely easy for other nations to defend such system. The system also opens gaping holes, and the fact that the US has conceded few goals is a half-miracle.
In the end, there are no secrets. A team that needs to play 40 years old players and some who visibly had too many headers is NO longer competitive. That and having to align players like Leroux is simply a testament to a lacking pool of talent.
The game has passed the US in terms of talent and leadership. We did get worse and the rest of the world simply moved on by having more than a handful of players. We were tops when few challenged us. That is history!
Yes, the US used to rely on strength, fitness and superior “organization”. They have always played a predictable, direct game relying on set pieces and service across the middle but with little creativity and flair. As the other teams get more fit and better organized, they are losing their points of advantage. The US players, by and large, are very clunky ball handlers and have trouble with unforced turnovers and poor touch passes.
They looked pretty bad, it looked like the game was heading for a tie and a shootout until the red card on the goalie. The US showed no offense. the first goal they scored was partly luck, then the goal after the red card was basically a give me. Play 11 on 10, and it would have been next to impossible for Columbia to score, so they coasted. They looked crappy against Sweden as well, their offense is anemic, to say the least (they remind me of the soccer equivalent of the NY Mets). I don’t know if they are coasting or just facing better opponents, but they looked lackluster.
I don’t really have any problems with the yellow cards the U.S. players picked up in the last game. Could the cards not have been given? yes. But I don’t have a problem that they were. When you make plays like that you put it in the referees hands. I can’t picture the other card right now, but there is no way Rapinoe attempted to avoid the contact. She knew exactly what she was doing.
Officiating has been sub-par. I think it might be because these female refs have nowhere to practice their skills at the WC level, except literally at the world cup. It is different on the men’s side, where the refs, especially in Europe, can get top level games all year (there are often criticism in the men’s world cup thrown at the refs from other federations).
The assistant referees have missed a number of offside calls that were not very close by premier league / la liga / serie a / etc standards.
I feel we deserve better from our forwards. However, Ellis loaded the team on the defensive side.
3 Goalies, 8 Defenders, 7 Midfielders, to 4 Forwards plus Wambach .
Do you think Abby Wambach is our Brienne of Tarth at this point in her career, and not just in stature, but in the sense of not doing the one thing she’s supposed to do?
I hope this vine works. https://mtc.cdn.vine.co/r/videos/A6…p4?versionId=I6i2GHUo97LUoc_uCRuYHaG9D9cgVPZS
She’s a step off. If she was onside, I don’t believe, she wouldn’t have gotten to the rebound before it was gathered
They seem to have an offside-palooza happening.
Abby is the type of player that can win you the world cup off a corner kick. For that reason alone, she has a place… but from the run of play she is not mobile enough anymore to be very effective, IMO.
Thankfully Alex Morgan is playing herself back into shape (she was just injured), but she is the only one that has shown any creativity on the ball in the offensive third, IMO.
Have been disappointed with the play of Rapinoe, despite her goals. I thought she was top notch in the last world cup.
That game was epic! France really seemed to have the advantage most of the game. Germany looks banged up which I guess is good if the US can win. I was worried about the possibility of playing France.