Women's World Cup - Go USA!

PhillyGirl

PhillyGirl

Member
Don't forget to support our national team tonight vs. Australia! U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!

Fun fact: Abby Wambach (bottom right), world record holder for international goals (both men and women).

USA is favored to win (we came very close to a win in 2011).

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It was, there were some odd calls. Team USA was slow and jumpy at first, but got into a groove in the 2nd half. Hate to say it, but Hope Solo was the hero of the game .. followed by Megan Rapinoe, of course.

We play Sweden on Friday at 8 pm EST.
 
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planomateo said:
Damn, missed this last night. Read twitter and sounds like the officiating was horrible.
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It was...Then again, it was questionable both ways. Teams have to focus on Abby, which gives players like Rapinoe so much extra space to dribble into like she did for her second goal. It was also great to see Alex Morgan get back in the groove. Leroux is playing exceptionally well, but if the US is going to get past Germany (that'll be a tall order...), we need Morgan at 100%.
 
They should have already punched their ticket for the knockout round. Terrible coaching the other night. I think Christen Press is an awesome player and could be rated as one of the USWNT's best 25 players or so in the next ten years, but she was getting bullied off the ball all night by those big uglies on Sweden's D. Abby wouldn't have been treated as such. Why? Oh why? Didn't Abby play the whole game?? Lloyd and Holiday are dynamic together but looked like average players the other night? How did Ellis fix that problem? Oh, she didn't.

Thank goodness Klingenberg and Johnston showed up! Best two players on the field all night!

And if Sydney Laroux can play the outside right, then Ellis needs to have Abby and Alex up front and Sydney out right all through the first half and at least fifteen minutes into the second.
 
bama alum said:
They should have already punched their ticket for the knockout round. Terrible coaching the other night. I think Christen Press is an awesome player and could be rated as one of the USWNT's best 25 players or so in the next ten years, but she was getting bullied off the ball all night by those big uglies on Sweden's D. Abby wouldn't have been treated as such. Why? Oh why? Didn't Abby play the whole game?? Lloyd and Holiday are dynamic together but looked like average players the other night? How did Ellis fix that problem? Oh, she didn't.

Thank goodness Klingenberg and Johnston showed up! Best two players on the field all night!

And if Sydney Laroux can play the outside right, then Ellis needs to have Abby and Alex up front and Sydney out right all through the first half and at least fifteen minutes into the second.
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Amen!!! That Sweden game was awful. The Swedes had a stout defense for sure but so many missed opportunities for us .. Lots of groaner plays .. And bringing in Abby like 60 minutes in? Wtf? No idea what that was about. Did they think this game would be a cakewalk??

Gah. I like Nigeria's spirit (they had a nice interview recently re: playing for girls all over Nigeria, and for the Boko Haram kidnapped girls) but I hope we crush them. We need to make a statement. Australia was a B/B+ game .. Sweden was a C game .. We need an A+++ game to get our swag back.

Johnston was a force. Saw a tweet online that said something like, "70% of the world is covered by water: the rest is covered by Johnston"
 
PhillyGirl said:
Amen!!! That Sweden game was awful. The Swedes had a stout defense for sure but so many missed opportunities for us .. Lots of groaner plays .. And bringing in Abby like 60 minutes in? Wtf? No idea what that was about. Did they think this game would be a cakewalk??

Gah. I like Nigeria's spirit (they had a nice interview recently re: playing for girls all over Nigeria, and for the Boko Haram kidnapped girls) but I hope we crush them. We need to make a statement. Australia was a B/B+ game .. Sweden was a C game .. We need an A+++ game to get our swag back.

Johnston was a force. Saw a tweet online that said something like, "70% of the world is covered by water: the rest is covered by Johnston"
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That's damn right! :)

Ellis has gotta give Abby the 90+ v. Nigeria...That or figure out a way for the midfielders to set her up to score a couple by the 80:00 mark. Nigeria's definitely no cake walk.
 
Glad we got the W but man that was a frustrating game for me to watch lol. Also what was up with the Nigerian coach refusing to shake hands?? My friend got it on a Vine and it has over 25,000 views and some re-posts by soccer players haha.

We're up again June 22nd at 8 pm EST against .. ??? haha. TBD!
 
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Is the game at night? I thought they said it was an afternoon game.

I think he changed his mind and came back to Ellis. I don't recall the specifics. I'm too jaded to be surprised by much anymore. :)

This was a very disconcerting game. Nigeria is #33 in the world; we're #2. We did everything right over and over except finish. I'm not worried about the save on Alex's second half shot. I think she's still a bit rusty. If she puts a bit more on that shot, we would hav easily won 2 - 0. It was great to see Holiday step it up.
 
We play Colombia. It's at 8 pm EST (5 pm their time).

Colombia lost their starting goalie in yesterday's match versus England. She got a yellow, and is thus ineligible for the next game. Certainly makes things interesting ..

Our game was frustrating. They just didn't seem to gel.

Great win by South Korea yesterday over Spain. Spain had a last second free kick to tie it, and it hit the bar. Korea's first win in the Women's World Cup (ever) got them a berth in the round of 16 and 2nd place in their group.
 
Crying shame we couldn't knock the French out ourselves. Can't stand them. But don't discount that Swedish/German game yet. That will be a great game!

That play by Columbia's keeper that landed her a second yellow in two games...Dumb, dumb, dumb. Abby, Alex, and Megan are going make the back up's life...not so fun Monday night.

Btw, UA has had some representation at the World Cup. One of our players had her tournament ended yesterday when Spain blew it against South Korea. Holland is still in it though.

http://www.rolltide.com/sports/w-soccer/spec-rel/060915aaa.html

Alabama Soccer Well Represented at 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup
Merel van Dongen and Celia Jimenez Delgado selected to their nation's rosters for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup
June 9, 2015
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FIFA Women's World Cup
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Former Alabama standout Merel van Dongen and current Tide student-athlete Celia Jimenez Delgado were both selected as participants, and are currently representing their respective nations as part of the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. Van Dongen (Netherlands) and Jimenez Delgado (Spain) are the first student-athletes in the history of the Alabama women's soccer program to appear at the Women's World Cup.

"Having two players from the University of Alabama representing their countries at the World Cup is incredible," said Alabama head coach Wes Hart. "This truly speaks volumes about the level of soccer players we have, and will continue to develop here at Alabama."

The 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup kicked off on Saturday with Canada and van Dongen's Netherlands squad earning a pair of 1-0 victories over China and New Zealand, respectively. Jimenez Delgado and the Spanish National Team will square off with Costa Rica this afternoon at 3 pm CT.

Six different venues spanning from Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal and Moncton will play host to the 2015 World Cup. FOX Sports will air all of the action through the July 5 final.

Van Dongen recently signed a pro contract with Ajax in Amsterdam after closing out a decorated career at The Capstone. She was named First Team Academic All-American, as well as Second Team All-SEC following her senior season, a campaign in which she set the UA single-season assists record with ten.

"My career at Alabama has helped me so much in preparing for playing with the Dutch National Team in Canada during the 2015 Women's World Cup," van Dongen said. "During my time at Alabama I learned what it takes to be a leader, a good teammate, to train as hard as you can, and to face adversity. With the help of my coaches and teammates I am where I am today. I am also very excited about the future of the Alabama soccer program with new head coach Wes Hart. I had an opportunity to meet him recently and his enthusiasm is contagious."

Celia Jimenez Delgado will begin her career at Alabama this fall after transferring from Iowa Western Community College last spring. Jimenez Delgado was a two-time Junior College First Team All-American, while also winning a pair of NJCAA National Championships.

"The opportunity to represent one's country in the World Cup is the biggest honor that a soccer player can have," Jimenez Delgado said. "I am so thankful for all the teachings and support that the University of Alabama has provided me, both on the field and in the classroom. I would like to thank all of my teammates, coaches, professors, and other staff that have helped me develop and manage school, soccer, and trying to make the World Cup team for Spain this past semester. I am so excited to represent Spain and Alabama in the World Cup in Canada this summer."

Get all the latest information on the team by following AlabamaSoccer on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.
 
That French ref...What the hell was she thinking with Holiday's yellow? That's going to hurt Friday.

Ellis needs to go to a 4-3-3 with Press, Lloyd, and O'Reilly in the middle and Laroux up front with Wambach and Morgan. Then Ellis needs to try something revolutionary :sarcasm:. Get her players to start using their great creativity and quit serving to Wambach in the air every other time in the attacking third. China is good, but they're not the China of old. They're like Columbia in the back, so the US needs to press, press, press.

Water covers 70% of the earth. Both Sauerbraun and Johnston cover the rest!
 
And Rapinoe. Terrible officiating last night .. I don't usually yell at refs but man, you'd think a Colombian drug cartel and/or Shakira had paid them off ..

Also, for the Colombian players themselves, the Academy Award goes to .. the entire team.

The defense is stout, I have no concerns there but they have GOT to click offensively and change it up. I agree, this isn't 1999 China but they need to get sh*t together if they want to stand a chance versus Germany/France in the next round .. or even MAKE IT to that round!
 
The defense and Solo are what will win the World Cup...Whoever thought that was the US's backbone?!? :headscratch::notall:

I get Rapinoe's card; I don't like it, but I get it. If that was the only foul she had committed in the five - ten minutes prior to it, the talk show talking heads would still be coming undone about it.

Also, for the Colombian players themselves, the Academy Award goes to .. the entire team.

No kidding! Horrible floppers! Their #7 should have been carded for her flop in the box!
 
Wow! This article nails it! Great tweet from Akers, too!

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/artic...=referral&utm_content=WWC&utm_campaign=Unpaid

Women's World Cup: USWNT steamroll plucky Colombia – but is there a Plan B? | Three Things
June 22, 2015
Charles Boehm
MLSsoccer.com
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Megan Rapinoe (United States) is brought down by Colombia, 2015 Women's World Cup
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Photo Credit:
USA Today Sports
Are you a fan of the New York Yankees' ruthless, relentless gathering of baseball's best talent? How much do you admire the New England Patriots' dour, dogged NFL dynasty? Did you enjoy watching Chelsea FC grind the rest of the English Premier League to mincemeat this season with their signature blend of pricey attackers and suffocating defense?

If you said yes to any of the above, you're probably savoring the US women's national team as they churn through the competition at the Women's World Cup in Canada like cleats stabbing across artificial-turf infill.
On Monday night – just like in all three of their group-stage matches – the Yanks were uninspired going forward, rhythm-less in midfield and generally aggravating to watch if you're someone who puts a lot of weight into footballing aesthetics. And they still hacked down the plucky Cinderellas from Colombia in a 2-0 win that was effectively stitched up with half an hour still to play.

Richard Farley@richardfarley
#USA 2-0 #COL. This team as long defined itself by a "by any means necessary" approach. More than #GER or #FRA, style points irrelevant.
8:52 PM - 22 Jun 2015

My three thoughts:
1) Jill Ellis doesn't care what you think
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This US team isn't designed to entertain (although it could, if it was so inclined). It's designed to crush everything standing between it and the World Cup trophy that has been so keenly missed for the last 16 years. As frustrating as they've been, Abby Wambach & Co. are now just three wins away from the trophy they crave.
This isn't a Brazilian samba dance towards the title, or a rhythmic Spanish rondo around the opposition. It's a campaign of attrition, a slow but (possibly) unstoppable march across Canada. Tactics-wise, head coach Jill Ellis has kept things simple for her players – probably too simple at times – but if that means that games are decided by individual matchups and/or collective sums of ability, fitness and experience, the US will usually triumph in the end.

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SiriusXM FC@SiriusXMFC
"If she (Jill Ellis) is pleased with the way we played tonight then what the hell is she doing coaching our US team" - @MichelleAkers10
9:43 PM - 22 Jun 2015

Even taking into account the useful players that Ellis elected to leave at home, no one in the world – with the possible exception of Germany, who could be waiting in the semifinals – has more strength in depth than the USWNT. It won't be that way forever, but it is for now. And that makes brilliant individual talents like Colombian striker Lady Andrade and her magical footwork compelling, but ultimately futile.

The great irony of the Wambach-led players' fight against FIFA's use of artificial turf at this event is that the surface wears down bodies over time, giving deep, fit, scientifically-oriented squads an advantage. This USWNT is best suited to win a marathon.

2) But this was a costly win
Fans of the San Jose Earthquakes/Houston Dynamo teams that claimed several MLS Cups in the middle of the last decade will tell you that even the toughest, most organized and physical units need a spark or two of creativity to win things. Those teams had plenty of worker bees, and damn good ones – but guys like Landon Donovan and Dwayne De Rosario were the talent that made sure goals arrived when needed.

That's why the first-half yellow card awarded to Megan Rapinoe on Monday could prove so costly when the USWNT face off against China's well-organized defense in Ottawa on Friday.
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While her team as a whole has had a plodding, conservative bent to it, Rapinoe remains the wild card, the one that can make things happen out of nothing. Her quick feet can trouble opponents anywhere on the field, her maverick personality always shines through in her decision-making and her bustling work rate ensures that she'll cause havoc in dangerous spaces sooner or later.

Against Colombia, It was her pass (made possible by a nimble, leaping first touch) that found Alex Morgan streaking into space to draw the game-changing red card and penalty kick against unlucky young goalkeeper Catalina Perez. It was her quick cut in the box that drew the Yanks' second PK call, the one that Carli Lloyd banged into the net.

With Rapinoe and Lauren Holiday now suspended under FIFA's ludicrous “two strikes and you're out” WWC discipline policy, coach Jill Ellis has other options for wide midfield, and can patch up the central hole left by Holiday. But there's no direct replacement for “Pinoe,” no one else with the dynamism to dress up this workmanlike team up in something sparkly and fun.

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davina@bertiedav
the overall play has regressed under ellis and they've become a team reliant on individual brilliance to see them win over solid team play
8:54 PM - 22 Jun 2015

3) How do you solve a problem like Abby?
Wambach continues to be this team's – this tournament's – great enigma. Everyone, her included, recognizes that she's on the downslope of her career, no longer the dominating presence of old. She's actually missed more chances than she's made this month, which is downright weird to watch. On Monday she missed a PK, badly, and saw an early finish waved off for offside.
But she's still got a nose for goal and a flair for the moment, as she showed with the game-winner vs. Nigeria. Equally importantly, she's a reference point for the US, an old-fashioned No. 9 who can hold up play and bring others into the game.
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Wambach's teammates have at times looked lost without her, which suggests that Ellis hasn't crafted much of an alternative to the direct approach built with her in mind.

She's lost a step or two speedwise, which means she's unlikely to track down too many of the hopeful long balls into space that the USWNT resorts to all too often. With the hard miles stacking up as this World Cup run continues, it seems highly inadvisable to expect 90-minute outings out of her (she made way for Morgan Brian with 20 minutes to go on Monday, but went the distance against Nigeria and Australia).

Can she accept a supersub role? Can her colleagues cope without her? How can they keep pace with the likes of Germany in either scenario?

Stay tuned. The real battles still lie ahead.
 

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