Category: World Cup

Women’s World Cup Daily: Previewing the Round of 16

Posted on by Backline Soccer

Tomorrow begins the knockout stage. While we all take a break today, here is a preview for each match. If you want a bit more detail on a couple of the most tantalizing games, head over and check out our own Allison Cary’s post on the Top Three Matchups in the Round of 16.

Germany – Nigeria (22 June, Grenoble)

Germany will be heavy favorites, but it would be a huge mistake to write off Nigeria. They were after all one bizarre penalty retake away from earning a draw against France. And their strike force has the speed and intelligent movement to wreck the fragile Germany defense. The big question will be whether Nigeria can do enough to harass the German midfield. If this turns into a training ground exercise sort of match, with Nigeria endlessly chasing, I have faith in Germany’s ability to pick off the defense and score the goals they’ll need.

Norway – Australia (22 June, Nice)

One of the most exciting matches of this round. If you subtract Sam Kerr, Norway has arguably the stronger team in all three lines right now. Of course, add Kerr back and the equations start to change pretty rapidly. Not only is she arguably the best striker in the world, her mere presence warps games and forces the other team to re-organize to accommodate. It will be fascinating to see how this plays out. In theory, this should be a high-scoring thriller, with Norway using their ability to attack directly to pose all sorts of troubles for Australia’s cobbled-together backline, and Australia firing back with Kerr and Foord up top. But it could go very much in the other direction. If Norway decide to focus on controlling the midfield and starving Kerr of chances, this might end up a tedious 0-0 decided on penalties.

England – Cameroon (23 June, Valenciennes)

England went three-for-three in the group stage without quite kicking into full gear. This could be more of the same, against a Cameroon team who has proven to be quite difficult to play without posing nearly as much attacking threat as anticipated. As with every England game, one big question will be who Phil Neville chooses to play. It’s a squad with a huge amount of depth, and with five or six spots where you can make compelling arguments in multiple directions about who to play. Will he go with experience or youth? Pace or precision? Volatility or dependability? I’m particularly curious to see whether Georgia Stanway might have done enough to play herself into taking over the role of creative midfielder from Fran Kirby.

France – Brazil (23 June, Le Havre)

This is the glamor tie of the round, with two of the great names in world soccer. But these are very much two teams moving in different directions. France is a co-favorite for the tournament, while Brazil is an aging team trying to eke out one more result before their key players shuffle off the stage. Still, for all their struggles coming into the tournament (nine losses in a row!), Brazil managed six points in the group stage, including a solid performance against Italy in their last game. But for all that Italy has been great, they’re no France. Brazil will need much better from Marta (who hasn’t really contributed much, to be honest) and will need flawless games from the likes of Thaisa and Andressinha. That’s certainly possible, but if they expose any cracks, that midfield is going to get absolutely run over by France, and that will probably be the game.

USA – Spain (24 June, Reims)

If this game feels familiar, it should. The US played Spain just five months ago. It was a 1-0 game for the US that day, but Spain earned plaudits for their excellent possession and ability to control the game for long stretches. Expect some of the same this time, but probably to a lesser extent. The US were in their off-season last time, with Spain right in the middle of their season. That’s not true now, and it’s hard to see this version of the US conceding any space for Spain to play. The main question for the game is whether Spain is able to exert enough control in the middle of the pitch to dictate play, or if the US can overload the wings and bring overwhelming force to bear against the center backs before anyone can get back to help them. I’m betting on the latter, and would be surprised at any result other than a comfortable win for the US.

Sweden – Canada (24 June, Paris)

This has been widely billed as a boring tie between two teams that play hyper-defensively. Which is a good test of whether folks have actually been watching Sweden. Because this version of Sweden is hardly the stolid defending team that rode a series of drab games to the Olympic final three years ago. They may not be scoring much, but it’s not for lack of trying. They’re not going to say damn the torpedoes and go full leather into the attack, but this shouldn’t be a completely cagey match, and has at least some potential to be genuinely interesting. Both coaches have the ability and willingness to adapt, which could make for some fascinating chess as the game progresses.

Italy – China (25 June, Montpellier)

Italy were the surprise winners of Group C and as a reward got a game that certainly looks easier on paper than their groupmates. But in practice, this looks like precisely the sort of team that Italy will hate to play. China showed against Germany that they have the ability to play an aggressive physical game which depends very little on doing anything constructive. But Italy’s success so far has largely come from two things. First, picking at the weak spots in their opponent’s setup and then ruthlessly exploiting them. Second, using their physicality to disrupt the opposition, riding their luck a little bit to avoid getting tossed into the sin bin. Will they have the same results against the chaotic bundle of energy that is China? On the opposite side, will China look to play at full tilt like they did against Germany, or will they sit a bit deeper and ride their luck like they did against Spain. The former was far more successful than the latter, so I’d be surprised to see anything else here. Let’s all say a brief prayer for the lower-body health of Italy’s forwards.

Netherlands – Japan (25 June, Rennes)

On paper, this looks like the most exciting match of the round. Two teams with a lot of attacking potential, but in very different styles. The Dutch will look to spread the defense, to create spaces for Miedema to work in, and to give their wide attackers targets to ping with crosses, and create room for slashing runs. This relies on a great deal of technical ability but is fundamentally about vertical movement. Japan, by contrast, are all about triangles. They’ll hope to move the ball quickly through the middle. So far, Japan has been more potential than reality, and my gut tells me that will continue here as well. The Netherlands are absolutely exploitable, but I’m not sure Japan has enough firepower to match the goals they’re likely to concede. At the risk of invoking the pundit’s curse and ensuring this ends up 0-0, I’d expect goals—quite a lot of goals—here.  

12 Standout Players from the Women’s World Cup Group Stage

Posted on by Backline Soccer

Thirty-six games are in the books, with only sixteen left to go. Obviously, the ones remaining are the most important, but it seems like a good point to stop and take stock of who impressed in the group stage of the tournament. I picked twelve names – two from each group. My goal wasn’t to identify the absolute best performers, but rather to pick a range of folks from the obvious to the slightly unconventional. For example, while I would be happy to write another rhapsody about Sam Kerr, it felt more useful to call attention to some less well-known players that also performed superbly.

Group A

Amandine Henry – France

Henry was my pre-tournament tip for the Golden Ball winner, and nothing I’ve seen so far makes me regret that choice. She’s the closest thing there is to a perfect all-around player in the game today. Everything you’d want, she can do it: win tackles, hold the ball, link play, brilliant throughballs, wonderfully struck goals, good in the air, good on the ground. And she sees the game as well as anyone. France is stacked from bottom to top, but Henry is the ticking heart of the team.

Guro Reiten – Norway

She scored and assisted a goal in Norway’s opening match, but was arguably even more impressive over the next two games. She has done some excellent work out wide, where her pace and dribbling skills allow her to run at defenses, but at her core she’s really more of a true #10, at home in the middle of the pitch pulling the strings. The ability to get Reiten more of the ball is one of the key reasons for Norway’s success so far in the tournament.

Group B

Mapi León – Spain

León has excelled in wide defensive roles in the past, but has played center back in this tournament. Theoretically, you risk losing something when you put such a creative and inventive player into that role. But the way León plays center back, it really hasn’t been an issue. We’re used to ball-playing defenders these days, but it’s still exceptionally rare to see someone lean so heavily into the libero (sweeper) role, particularly as part of a back four. But León is doing it, and with distinction. By moving forward in possession, she gives Spain a whole separate hinge from which to build their attack, and is a key part to their strategy of suffocating possession. León has also done excellent defensive work, particularly in her recovery runs, which is crucial since her wanderings often leave her out of ideal position when the opponent does get the ball.

Lin Yuping – China

I could just as easily have gone with Peng Shimeng, who showed exactly what she is capable of in China’s 0-0 draw with Spain, making a number of top quality saves and ensuring her team a point in a game that they generally got blitzed. But Peng is somewhat of a known quantity, one of China’s few true young stars. Lin is different – at 27, she’s hardly young, but still has under twenty caps. I tried to do some digging, but language barriers and a general lack of content left me with nothing. I don’t know her backstory. All I know is that she is dominant in the air and pretty solid as a one-on-one defender. She effectively shut down South Africa before they had a chance to even start attacking, and was a key part of the defensive wall that limited the German and Spanish attacks.

Group C

Barbara Bonansea – Italy

You could pick three or four players from this wonderful Italy team, but I want to focus on Bonansea, the hero of their famous victory over Australia for the brace that she scored. She also had a third goal in the back of the net, only to have it called back on the narrowest of offside decisions. Above and beyond just the goals, Bonansea has been a constant threat, with slashing runs that left Australia under constant pressure in their first game, and with cool link play that helped unlock the Jamaican defense in their second. She’s also done some excellent defensive work, dropping quite deep to pressure the ball and provide critical support. And she has an absolute rocket of right foot, and seems as likely a candidate as anyone to score the golazo of the tournament.

Deneisha Blackwood – Jamaica

Blackwood has fewer than 20 caps, but on this Jamaican team that still makes her a veteran presence. She can play in a number of different roles, but the evidence of this tournament suggests left back might be the best spot for her. She was a whirling dervish in the second half against Italy, racing up and down the pitch, winning tackles, delivering crosses, and playing an endless run of clever one-twos. It was one of the most impressive displays from a fullback I have seen in the tournament, and in a fairer world would have led to Jamaica’s first World Cup goal.

Group D

Lorena Benítez – Argentina

Argentina were one of the great stories of the group stage, and while their success should be regarded as a genuine collective effort, two players have generally been specifically singled out for praise: forward Estefanía Banini and goalkeeper Vanina Correa. Both are absolutely deserving, but I want to add a third name to this list: Lorena Benítez. Her performance against Japan was absolutely everything you could hope for in a central midfielder. She disrupted play, she won tackles, she leapt in for critical blocks, and she raced everywhere to plug holes and fill in gaps. If a center back stepped forward to challenge the ball, Benítez dropped behind to fill the space. If a fullback had moved forward in attack, Benítez slipped into the space to block a cross. It was a truly inspired performance, and there’s no way Argentina could have so thoroughly choked off the Japan attack if not for her efforts. In their third game, Benítez took on a more progressive role, serving as a fulcrum for the attack, and demonstrating that she’s far more than just a destroyer.

Erin Cuthbert – Scotland

If you were paying attention to the pre-tournament hype you already know about Cuthbert’s skill and technique. She an inventive attacker, who can dribble, pass, and (especially) shoot with the very best of them. But for me, the most revelatory thing about watching here over these three games is just how big of a pain in the ass she is to deal with. It’s one thing to dazzle with your touch or your precision. It’s another thing to be clinical—to bury your chances when they appear. But one quality I value over almost any other in a striker is peskiness. The players who are constantly in your face, who don’t let a single pass go easily, who are constantly buzzing through the backline, shedding defenders left and right. Cuthbert has this quality in spades. Combine it with top quality skill, and you’ve got a player genuinely ready to take the step up to superstardom.

Group E

Vivianne Miedema – Netherlands 

It’s probably not telling you anything you didn’t already know, but Miedema is a truly exceptional striker. Her success is even more impressive given the existence of some very real limitations in her game. She relies pretty heavily on service, and is unlikely to create much all alone. But give her the ball in any sort of dangerous position, and set her loose, and chances are the ball is going to end up in the back of the net. She might well be the most clinical finisher in the world, and doesn’t need clear chances to convert. The Dutch have generally not looked great so far, but Miedema is a clear exception.  

Desiree Scott – Canada

Canada is not here to make friends, and they’re not here to score goals. They are here to make their opponents miserable, and there’s no player who’s done more for that goal than Desiree Scott. Scott doesn’t offer a huge amount going forward, but more than makes up for that with her relentless defensive work. Her responsibilities are particularly large when Canada shift to a back three, which often leaves Scott as the only player on her line, needing to harass and harry any counter-attacking threats to protect the backline from becoming exposed.  

Group F

Christiane Endler – Chile

Sometimes the obvious answer is the right one. Many of us flagged Endler as the key player for Chile before the tournament, but we don’t really deserve credit for ‘calling’ that one because anyone with access to the internet and two minutes could have told you the same. But Endler really has been marvelous. She’s not the only reason the US scored ten fewer goals between their first and second game, but she’s a big part of why. Her saves were stupendous, even more so because they ran the gamut of different goalkeeping skill. Some were incredibly athletic, requiring significant extension in the air. Some were pure reflex, requiring instant movement. Some were purely about positioning – putting your body in the right spot to make the save virtually inevitable. The second half against the US was truly virtuosic, but she was good throughout all three games.

Kosovare Asllani – Sweden

Asllani used to be a rising star. She spent five years at PSG in France and Manchester City in England and always seemed to be just on the cusp of making the leap into the stratosphere. But it never quite happened. But since returning back to Linköpings in Sweden in 2017, she seems to have settled into a new phase of her career, one that makes her absolutely central to Sweden’s plans. Playing as a true number 10, Asllani is given the freedom to drift. Step back and she can play make from in front of the defensive line. Step forward and she becomes a second striker, able to make intelligent runs into space. Asllani is one of those players who needs only the barest bit of space to work with. Back off by even a foot and she’ll exploit the angle. She was the most dangerous Swedish attacker in the group stages–both in terms of chance creation and in terms of ultimate production. 

Women’s World Cup Daily – June 20

Posted on by Backline Soccer

June 20: Matchday 14

The group stage is over. It took 14 days and 32 games to eliminate a grand total of eight teams. It’s actually kind of a silly process, but so many of these games have been so great that I find it hard to really complain. 

Cameroon 2 – 1 New Zealand

Netherlands 2 – 1 Canada

In the day’s early games, the Netherland confirmed their status at the top of the group with a win, albeit not a particularly easy one. The real excitement was in Cameroon v. New Zealand, where we looked set for yet another ‘draw that helps neither team’ until literally the final seconds of the game, when Cameroon found their winner. It was an absolutely magical moment for them, and a well-deserved result for a team that has played tough in all three games. That result did eliminate Argentina and Thailand, and really put the pressure on Chile for the late game–forcing them to win by a clear three goals to advance.

The Canada-Netherlands game mostly confirmed things we already knew about these teams. Canada did an excellent job killing off the game for about an hour – showing why many of us have tipped them as team that could go further than might seem plausible. They’re not going to beat many of the other top teams, in the sense of outplaying them. But they can neutralize just about anyone. 

At the same time, the Dutch did find two goals, one more than Canada had conceded over the entire rest of 2019. So even though the Netherlands still didn’t quite look right, there were a few solid glimpses of the team that won the Euros. It was enough to net them the two goals they needed. 

If they expect to go significantly further in the tournament, they’re going to need to get better performances from their defenders, who once again looked pretty shaky. They also may want to consider whether the likes of Jill Roord and Lineth Beerensteyn might deserve a start. They’ve been getting very little from Lieke Martens and Shanice van de Sanden. It’s hard to argue against going with proven talent, and the substitutions have been working well. But they’ve also had to ride a decent bit of luck to win their three games.

Sweden 0 – 2 United States

Thailand 0 – 2 Chile

Heartbreak for Chile, who came achingly close to qualifying for the knockout stage by only managing two of the three goals they needed. I was in Le Havre watching the US so I didn’t get a chance to see it, but it sounds like this was the truly exciting match of the late time slot, one which was unfortunately probably seen by a tiny fraction of the people who watched the other game.

But since I was one of those who watched the other game, that’s where I’ll have to restrict my comments.

After two matches that were effectively uncontested, the US finally got to face some serious opposition. It didn’t actually look that serious in the opening twenty or thirty minutes, as the US moved at breakneck speed and looked like a constant threat to score. Sweden struggled badly in this period to do anything with the ball, occasionally finding a little space out wide but almost nothing else. And they also seemed at a loss to cope with the US ball movement and speed of play. They didn’t really press, but also didn’t drop back to limit space. They mostly just backpedaled and then got turned by either a dribble or pass. It looked like it might turn into another bloodbath.

But eventually Sweden got their bearings, and the US dropped off a bit. The second half was much closer, with Sweden finding a lot more time on the ball, getting a lot of dangerous play from Kosovare Asllani in the middle and from Sofia Jackobsson out wide. Fridolina Rolfo also looked dangerous after she came on as a substitute.

Still, in spite of those threats, the US never really looked to be in danger. After a wonder goal from Tobin Heath (officially listed as an own goal), they rested fairly easily on their 2-0 margin.

In the end, that pretty much just means they held serve. This was a second-string Sweden team, with quite a few changes from their primary XI, and the US would have been expected to win pretty easily. Which they did. And that’s fine. When you’re the best team in the tournament, as long as you hold serve you’ll probably win. 

But this certainly was’t a dominant performance, and it showed that all the weaknesses we’ve discussed at length are still there. 

It also exposed one newish weakness: Megan Rapinoe. I don’t think this is actually that new of a phenomenon, since I actually struggle to think of examples from this year when she’s really been Megan Rapinoe. But this was a particuarly rough game for her. She was virtually nonexistent in the attack, and actively blew up several promising moves. It’s possible that this is her lingering injury. Maybe it’s rust from lack of training and limited games. Maybe she’s just finally reverted to the aging curve we all expected her to follow a couple years ago. Or maybe it’s just a bad patch and she’ll be back in top shape soon. I certainly don’t feel comfortable saying for sure. But given how dynamic Christen Press has been in that exact role, it’s certainly time to at least consider whether Press should be the first choice there for the upcoming knockout games.

Notes

– If you didn’t see it already, check out my post on last night’s truly mad experience: Scotland, Argentina, and the Human Condition.

– The second US goal was allowed to stand. And according to the rules as they appear to be written (and interpreted), that is apparently the correct call. But by any reasonable interpretation, it should clearly have been disallowed. Carli Lloyd very obviously interfered with play from an offside position. This is the rule, apparently. But it is an absolute nonsense rule and we should absolutely not tolerate it.

Tomorrow’s action

There are no games tomorrow. I don’t really know what we’re supposed to do with ourselves, to be completely honest.

 

Women’s World Cup Daily – June 19

Posted on by Backline Soccer

June 19: Matchday 13

Japan 0 – 2 England

Scotland 3 – 3 Argentina

I wrote about Scotland and Argentina here. 

For the other game, I have very little to say. I only caught glimpses, but England looked fine, while Japan looked…also fine. Obviously, England got the goals they needed, so will be much happier with the result. But nothing I saw here suggests that either team is quite ready to step into the top tier. England have a much easier draw now, and should have some time to play themselves into their top form, so I certainly wouldn’t count them out. But I’ll need to see more from them to be a true believer.

Notes

– I created a World Cup mix, with all the songs that I’ve been listening to on repeat while riding the trains around France. Give it a listen!

– I took a trip to the Atelier des Lumières this afternoon, and it was fantastic. It’s set in a 19th century smelting plant, and they display literally dozens of huge moving images on basically every surface in the place. The exhibit right now is primarily organized around Vincent Van Gogh and is truly breathtaking. It’s not simply pictures of his paintings; it’s a whole mesmerizing repurposing of his style and approach. I took some pictures, but they capture maybe 10% of the experience. You really just have to go. If you’ve got some time in Paris, I strongly recommend it.

– Back in the NWSL, Sky Blue are busy trading away one of their best players for future draft picks that they probably won’t even be able to use. I’m glad this organization has made some improvements in treatment of players, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that this is not a viable club. In my ideal world, they fold, or are transferred to a new market, and an additional franchise is brought in, taking the total up to ten teams. But if there aren’t two markets ready to enter, I’d rather stick with nine if that’s what it takes.

– More NWSL news: Taylor Comeau has retired. She should obviously do what’s best for her, but I hope we someday get to the point where highly-useful non-starters are able to regard staying in the league as a good career move.

– Even more NWSL news: the final has finally been announced in North Carolina. I don’t really understand why it isn’t in Utah, and I really don’t understand why it took them so long to announce it. Please do better.

Tomorrow’s action

Four games tomorrow, which will close out the group stage. They will fill in a lot of gaps in the bracket, so everyone will be watching closely to see how it plays out.

  • Cameroon – New Zealand. Two teams on zero points. Both will need a win, and potentially a big win. So far New Zealand has shown almost literally zero effort to attack, but they have some legitimately good players, so it’s time to see if they can do anything with them. Cameroon has been better in their games, but hardly as explosive as we hoped they would be. Tomorrow could be the day that changes.
  • Netherlands – Canada. Both teams are through, but it’s a pretty big difference to win the group. First place gets Japan in the round of 16, while second place gets (probably) Sweden, which isn’t a huge difference. But the quarterfinal matchup is the difference between running into Germany or getting to face Italy, China, or Nigeria. Netherlands hold the tiebreaker, so Canada would need to beat them to secure first.
  • Sweden – USA. We all know what’s up here. The US arguably would be better of losing the game – and thus avoiding France until the final. But this US team is not going to take their foot off the gas. Sweden may be able to neutralize them enough to hold on for a low-scoring draw, but I doubt it. And it’s very hard to see them actually beating the Americans.
  • Thailand – Chile. See above. Another match between two teams on zero points. Both need a win to have any hope. Chile will know the exact margin of victory they’ll need (3 goals would certainly get it done, but less might be enough depending on what happens in Cameroon-New Zealand). Thailand only have a chance if the day’s previous game ends in a draw, since there’s no chance of them pegging back their goal difference.

As I write this, I’m on the train heading to Le Havre, to kick off a week of some extreme bouncing around. I’ll be back in Paris tomorrow for a day, and then off to England for a conference, before heading back to Le Havre, Paris, and Valenciennes for the quarterfinals.

Scotland, Argentina, and the Human Condition

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Where can I even begin? I can report on what happened, at least as much as it was possible for one mind to grasp. But that only touches the edges. This wasn’t simply a game of soccer; it was a microcosm for life itself. Confusing, frustrating, horrifying, joyous, enthralling, soul-crushing. 

All I can really do is describe what it felt like to be there, and try to reflect on what it means for us to have experienced it.

Like all good ghost stories, it all started fairly innocuous. The first half went more or less according to plan, with both sides coming out looking for a goal, and Scotland being the one to actually break through. It was an entertaining half of soccer, with Argentina finally playing more expansively—losing some of their defensive solidity but also starting to pose more of a serious attacking threat.

But they also looked like a team mostly composed of amateur players with no institutional support and no training regimens, who had already played two incredibly intense games in the previous nine days. The opened strong, but were fading badly after about 25 minutes and it felt like a genuine struggle to make it to the half.

Things only got worse from there. They came out flat in the second half, and Scotland racked up two more goals, taking it to 3-0 and seemingly putting a cap on the game. Argentina then subbed off their two best attacking players—Estefania Banini and Sole Jaimes, both of whom had put in some serious shifts over the course of the tournament and surely needed a break. But it felt like throwing in the towel. They nearly made it 4-0 on another Erin Cuthbert (who was phenomenal) breakaway, which was stopped cold by my new favorite player, Lorena Benítez. But the writing wasn’t just on the wall. It felt etched in stone. At the 70th minute, I effectively declared the game over, and Scotland through to the knockout rounds.

And yet…

Maybe the goal was simply to give some additional players a chance in a World Cup. Maybe they always knew that they had an absolute dynamite super sub in Milagros Menendez. Maybe it was pure luck. But whatever the motivation, Menendez scored within ten minutes of coming on, and played a crucial role in setting up a second goal as well. At 3-1, the mood of the crowd was celebratory. Scotland was still dominant, but Argentina had their consolation. Everyone was happy!

But then Florencia Bonsegundo—who had an excellent game—put in another (it was technically scored as an own goal but come on). And suddenly this was very much in doubt. Scotland, so dominant just a few minutes before, started going to pieces. Rather than calmly possessing the ball, passing rings around Argentina who were running on pure adrenaline and fumes, the Scottish players grew nervous. They started making mistakes. And then Argentina made another foray into the Scotland penalty area. A tackle came in…and the crowd took one huge collective breath. Was it a penalty?

There was no whistle. Play continued. The Argentina players were furious. The Scotland players thankful.

But this is 2019. In the world of VAR, nothing is ever what it initially seems. Because once play stopped the referee, Ri Hyang Ok, held everything in stasis, hand to her ear. The crowd roared. The Argentina players shouted and gestured.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Ri made the fatal symbol, and walked to the video booth. The noise grew and grew. The Argentina players began gesturing to the crowd, raising their arms in supplication. The crowd responded. Waves and waves cascaded around the stadium. And then finally, Ri stepped back onto the field…and pointed at the penalty spot.

Madness! Chaos! It took several minutes to actually take the penalty. Or maybe several weeks. To be honest, the very concept of time had faded into meaningless by this point (more on that later!). The referee explained the rules, warned Lee Alexander in Scotland’s goal to not come off her line, and pushed all the other players out of the area. Finally, the penalty was taken.

And saved!

Speaking to Alexander after the game, she described her thoughts in that moment. She had seen several penalty saves called back already in the tournament, with this new world of micro-millimeter checks, so she was very conscientious of her footwork.

But muscle memory is more powerful than the waking mind. And the rules are simply not forgiving of human reality. Because Alexander did come off her line, despite her best intentions. Not by much. Certainly not enough for the referee to see in the moment. Which meant, once again, that the Scotland celebrations were ripped away. Instead of saving their win, and their advancement, Alexander was booked for her troubles.

At this point, it would be impossible to reconstruct the emotions that were coursing through me. I was thrilled, horrified, in shock. It felt like sticking my finger in an electric socket. It felt like the whole world had gone mad.It was simply impossible to process.

And I was a neutral, there as media to simply observe and report. I had no team in the game, no rooting interest. I certainly like both of these teams and would have been happy to see either advance. But nothing more than that. I can’t even comprehend what it would have been like to be a fan, or god forbid a player in that moment.

On the second try, Bonsegundo put away her chance. As has been the case in each of the three instances of a penalty retake in this tournament. It’s hard to enough to save a penalty under normal circumstances. To do so when already on a yellow, which you received when you thought you were following the rule, makes it nigh impossible.

And so it was 3-3. A score that helped precisely no one. So as play restarted everyone burst from the gate, desperate to find a winner. Bemused, in shock, we all looked at the clock and saw it sitting on 90:00, where it had been for quite a while apparently. The 4th official held up the sign signaling 4 minutes of added time. Surely enough time for another goal, given the pace of events.

But then, barely a minute had gone by and the referee blew her whistle. Play stopped, confused. The referee pointed at the center circle. Why? I have no idea. She picked up the ball. Everyone stood around, bewildered. The assistant referees walked onto the pitch. The stadium PA declared the result final.

What?

Where did the time go? What are the rules here? The initial turn to VAR happened around 86:00. The whole process took seven minutes. Was that real time? Did it actually happen? How was it accounted? What are the rules here?

I remain as baffled right now as I was then.

If the purpose of VAR is to install objectivity into the game, to make it more fair, it seems well worth looking into some of the other features of game play. Where did those missing minutes go? Why were so many fouls unwhistled in this game? Do we really want endless litigation of millimeters – debates about whether the foot is touching the line or only hovering over the line?

All of that is a conversation that will continue well beyond this game. And there’s no point dwelling on it more here.

I want to end with the Scotland players. This team, full of talent and enthusiasm, who had brought their country to the World Cup for the first time, and inspired so many in the process. And then seen it all slip through their fingers.

I want to sit and watch them console each other, lift themselves up and walk over to their fans, to applaud them for their support. I want to honor them as they climb into the stands, sobbing, hugging their families. I want to commend them as they walk through the mixed zone, and put up with questions from reporters who want them to describe their state of mind on the worst day of their sporting career. I want to stand with the fans outside the stadium, waiting by the team bus, chanting and cheering and singing “we have the best team in the world.”

At moments like this, I’m torn. It’s so silly to let something as ultimately meaningless as sports hurt this much. But ultimately it’s a good pain. It cleanses and heals. It reminds us that we are all mortal, imperfect, broken. But in sharing our suffering, we can transcend it. And understand, if only for a little while, what it truly means to be human.

Women’s World Cup Daily – June 18

Posted on by RJ Allen

June 18: Matchday 12

Jamaica 1 – 4 Australia

Italy 0 – 1 Brazil

It was a day for chaos. While it didn’t end up quite as bonkers as it could have possibly gone, it was still a thrilling day, with goals pouring in and positions changing several times.

Ultimately, Australia got the goals they needed to haul down Brazil’s edge in goal difference, thanks to a Sam Kerr scoring spree, and were able to ride the ‘goals scored’ tiebreaker into second place. That’s potentially a big difference, since this pits them against Norway in the round of 16, rather than Germany or France – which is who Brazil will now be stuck playing.

I had the Jamaica-Australia game on my other screen and only paid it minimal attention, so I can only speak in the broadest strokes. But once again, Australia looked fragile basically everywhere except their center forward. But when your center forward is Sam Kerr, it can paper over a lot of deficiencies. I certainly wouldn’t bet on them to go far in the tournament on the evidence of their three group stage games, but I also have learned that it’s rarely wise to bet against teams who have Sam Kerr.

Jamaica got their goal, and perhaps even more importantly, turned in a high quality performance. They certainly could have done more to deny Kerr on several of the goals, but in terms of overall play, they looked legitimately solid. They didn’t get any points, but that really shouldn’t be the measure of their tournament. As I think I said back in the winter when talking about this team with Ana De Souza on the on the Futbol Ace podcast, they were put into a very tough group, and it was always going to be tough. But they played well, and should definitely be proud.

In the day’s other game, which I watched far more closely, Brazil came away 1-0 winners, which is probably a mildly flattering result on the evidence of the whole game, but certainly not unfair. Italy were the better team in the first half – though both teams had very good chances – but came out pretty flat to open the second half. With Brazil pushing more and more aggressively, it only felt like a matter of time before they scored.  And then they did, though it came on one of the softer penalties you’re likely to see. I don’t think it was clearly wrong, but Debinha fell very easily, and the play looked far more to me like a standard shoulder-to-shoulder play.

Then came the penalty itself. After the recent controversies, everyone paid close attention to the question of encroachment here. But, not enough attention to actually do anything about it, apparently.

Brazil played…well enough today. But it wasn’t a particularly impressive performance. And given their date with either Germany or France, they’ll need to be far better (or extremely lucky) if they hope to go any further than the round of 16.

Meanwhile Italy definitely showed that they aren’t a fluke, but also showed that they’ll probably end up the weakest of the group winners. Bonansea had a fabulous game, and Girelli was excellent as well, but their other attacking options looked overmatched and their wide defenders looked extremely exploitable. Brazil didn’t do nearly enough to capitalize, but it’s hard to see Italy being able to cope with some of the truly deadly wingers in this tournament.

Notes

– I tweeted about this during the games today, but the number of obvious and flagrant rules violations that happen in every game stands as a categorical rebuke to the argument that ‘the referees are required to enforce the letter of the law.’ When it comes to things like players preventing quick free kicks (an automatic booking according to the laws of the game), keepers holding the ball for more than six seconds, players cheating wildly on throw-ins, etc. the referees let things slide. They could also let it slide when keepers come one inch off the line if they wanted. It’s a choice not to do so. Whether you like that choice or not, it is a choice.

– At the end of Italy-Brazil, we were treated to the bizarre scenario where Italy were losing the game but assured of winning the group if they just kept it at 1-0. But instead of trying to kill off the game and preserve their group victory, they continued to fly forward searching for an equalizer. It was really fun to watch, particularly because it’s so antithetical to the attitude we’d expect from the Italian men’s team.

– I’ve been a huge Jamaica fan since I saw them in qualifying last fall, and I’m thrilled they found a goal. I wish they could have scored some more, but I think they should be proud of what they accomplished. This team effectively didn’t exist two years ago, and even nine months ago were a haphazard group of individuals trying to learn to play together. They built a genuine team, and I really hope that lasts. I wouldn’t want to bet on the Jamaican Football Federation giving them the support they deserve, but I hope their supporters can do enough to hold all the suits’ feet to the fire and force them to do what’s right.

– Featured image is from the Jardin du Luxembourg, which was very nice, but did not have the children’s playground that was anticipated. Fortunately, my friend’s kid is extremely chill and had plenty of fun digging around in a sandpit. 

Tomorrow’s action

I’ll be previewing Group E over at Stars and Stripes FC, so look for a post there tomorrow morning. The tl;dr is that Japan, Scotland, and Argentina all need to win. Draws do nothing useful for them. England can top the group with a draw, but after two unconvincing performances, they’re going to want to get everything clicking. So in theory we should be treated to a couple cracking games.

Women’s World Cup Daily – June 17

Posted on by RJ Allen

June 17: Matchday 1

China 0 – 0 Spain

I was hoping against hope this would turn out to be an exciting game. Instead, it played mostly as expected, with Spain trying somewhat fruitlessly to score and China trying somewhat effectively to earn the scoreless draw that advanced them to the next round and protected them from the United States.

But it wasn’t quite as dull as that sounds. Spain couldn’t score, but they did actually create quite a bit. They had a period of about twenty minutes in the first half when they were totally in control, and building very coherently and effectively down the left side. It didn’t produce any goals, but they came close enough to feel pretty good about their approach. Things quieted down significantly to start the second half, as they succumbed to their usual tendency to pass and dribble themselves into oblivion rather than just taking a shot. But with the final twenty minutes they came back to life a bit, and actually put quite a significant amount of pressure on China. In the end, it didn’t produce any goals, but that was more to do with an outstanding performance from Peng Shimeng in China’s goal. But on another day, Spain could have won this 2-0 or 3-0.

What to make of all that really depends on what you think Spain’s fundamental problem is. If it’s a general lack of self confidence and belief, a 0-0 result against a pretty mediocre China team wasn’t the thing to unlock their potential. But if it’s an inability to actually take the shots that would turn all that possession into something useful, well they did actually demonstrate some progress here. That’s something they can build on.

Of course, there’s also a third problem, which is that Spain also suffers from the basic lack of a clinical finisher. They can create plenty but there’s never anyone there to put them away. And there frankly isn’t really anything they can do about that.

For China, this is pretty much the exact result they wanted. And they got it without doing much to hinder their chances in the round of 16. I anticipated a more physical performance from them, really looking to get in Spain’s faces (and shins, to be honest) and make life difficult. But they mostly didn’t play that way. Presumably, it’s because that style requires a lot of work, and they didn’t want to burn the energy. And that style also exposes you to a lot of risk of bookings – which could trigger suspensions of key players.

So instead they backed off, defended a bit deeper, and just hoped that they could hold out. It was actually quite surprising to see them play a fairly lackadaisical style, since energy and athleticism is kind of their whole thing. But it worked, albeit with a bit of luck.

None of this is to suggest that China was actively trying to throw the game. They were attacking, just not a whole lot, and not in any significant numbers. If one of the chances had gone in, I’m sure they would have celebrated a big win over a good team and taken their lumps in the knockout stage. But this was clearly not a team trying everything they could to win a game.

South Africa 0 – 4 Germany

I only caught tiny glimpses of this one, since it was on simultaneously with the China-Spain game. But from what I saw, Germany dominated, and maybe shut up a few of the critics who had started wondering if they were actually any good. At the same time, this was a rotated South Africa side, so Germany certainly should have been expected to dominate, so one doesn’t want to read too much into it.

They’ll certainly be happy to have notched a few more goals for some key players, but the really important thing is that they topped their group with the full 9 points, and secured themselves a spot on the other side of the bracket from the top two teams in the world. Well, probably. It does still depend on the US not losing to Sweden.

For South Africa, this wasn’t the final result they’d have hoped for, but for a first-time team in a very tough group, there were plenty of positives here. A great goal in their first game and a hard-fought game against China are both fantastic points to build from.

As with many new entrants to the tournament, it remains an open question whether this will actually be a foundation on which more support can be layered, or whether their institutions will let them down and the team will fail to scale these heights again.  We’re all certainly hoping for the former.

Nigeria 0 – 1 France

South Korea 1 – 2 Norway

I couldn’t watch either of these games because I was on a train with no wifi coming back from Le Havre. From what I can tell, they both more or less went according to expectations, with France dominating but unable to find a goal, and with a fairly even game between South Korea and Norway.

The big controversy was obviously the penalty that determined the game in Nigeria-France. I haven’t seen anything but screen shots, but this is yet another example of the problem we’ve been discussing ad nauseum. The rules of soccer are not well-equipped for the burdens we are placing upon them, and it’s causing a lot of problems. I won’t dwell any further on the point now, but it’s absolutely something we’re going to need to come back to again.

These results put France through in first place, as we all expected, meaning that they have fulfilled their part of the bargain and slotted themselves in place to set up that quarterfinal showdown with the US. They’ll still have to get through the round of 16, of course, and the US may yet slip elsewhere. But it’s looking more and more likely.

Norway are through in second place, and booked a round of 16 match against which of Australia, Italy, and Brazil finishes second in Group C.

And Nigeria have been very hard done-by. The rules have been followed, but in text far more than spirit. And now they’ll have to wait on results in other groups to see if they will advance. They still have a good chance, though not a great one. They are behind China, and will almost certainly trail whoever finishes third in Group C. That means they need two of the following three things to happen:

  • A draw in Scotland-Argentina
  • A draw in Cameroon-New Zealand, or a 1-0 victory for New Zealand
  • Chile to win by two goals or less, or draw, or lose (unless they lose by 15 goals)

These are predicated on the assumption (which I think is accurate) that would lose on the fair play tiebreaker if they end up equal on points, goal difference, and goals scored with any of these teams. But yeah, it’s a complicated process, and I’m sure the next couple days will not be fun for the Super Falcons.

Notes

– This was another great game from Mapi León, the Spanish center back who is a boatload of fun to watch play. Her aggressive ball-playing from the back would be incredibly dangerous on many teams, but it really works for Spain who love having an extra body in the midfield to start attacks. And she had quite a few excellent defensive stops and clearances that cut out potentially dangerous attacks. I called her out as a player to watch in my Group B preview and I’m feeling pretty good about that one.  

– I commented on this during the game, but one major issue with the China-Spain match is the system in which 16/24 teams advance. It’s an inelegant setup, and one which makes it a little too easy for teams to advance. Any system is going to end up with dead rubber matches, or games where both teams are happy with a draw, but they’re more common when three-quarters of a group can advance. The worldwide dispersal of talent probably isn’t there yet to truly justify going to 32 teams, but I’m not sure it would be that big of a drop, and 32 is the obvious, objectively correct size for a tournament. Again, the talent probably isn’t there yet, so you’d likely end up with a bunch of groups with the top two teams both beating the bottom two teams and going through easily, which would hardly be more interesting. But I don’t think we’re that far away from this being a reasonable move.

Tomorrow’s action

Two games tomorrow, which will sort out the fate of Group C. This is certainly the most volatile group, with real potential for any of the top three teams to finish in any order.

  • Jamaica – Australia. Jamaica are pretty much only playing for pride at this point, with no realistic path to the knockout rounds. But there has been a lot of positives so far, and they do have a foundation to build from. Australia will be looking to win, and win big. They could still top the group, and secure a spot in the easier half of the bracket, but it would take a big win, and some luck in the day’s other game.
  • Italy – Brazil. Italy have been potentially my favorite team of the tournament so far, and this will be another test for them. Any result and they top the group. Even a one-goal loss would potentially be enough, since Australia would need to score five on Jamaica to pass them. But a two-goal loss would drop them below the Brazilians, and could even leave them stuck in third place.

If I had to guess, Italy-Brazil feels like a draw, leaving Italy to top the group, Australia to finish second, and Brazil third. But I really wouldn’t be surprised at any order here.

 

Women’s World Cup Daily – June 16

Posted on by RJ Allen

June 16: Matchday 10

Sweden 5 – 1 Thailand

Sweden get the three points, as expected, and pretty easily in the process. This group is very strange, with both of the big teams having faced incredibly weak opposition in their first two games. Everyone else is a week or more into a serious tournament, while the US and Sweden are still out there on the training ground. I don’t know if that will end up mattering, but it’s certainly peculiar.

Sweden will be happy to see some of their important attackers open their accounts, and in convincing fashion as well. They ‘only’ got five (and the fifth was a literal last-second VAR handball penalty). But there were a couple very nice goals in the mix.

Again, it’s Thailand, so don’t read too much into into, but for a Swedish side that often looks ponderous despite having a lot of theoretical firepower, a few nice goals are a good segue into their big match against the US. They’ll be much happier with their first half performance, but even the second half saw a few very nice moves – especially the 4th goal which was just about the perfect example of how to create space out wide and then execute a thumping header.

For Thailand, this was another frustrating game, but one with some genuine positives to take away. They put up far more opposition this time around – actually making some threatening attacks, and doing a bit more to disrupt play, especially in the second half. And they were rewarded with a genuinely deserved goal at the end. 

The first half was better than last time, but still exhibited many of the fundamental problems that had plagued them against the US: physical deficiencies and a lack of technique, combined with a frankly bizarre approach to the game. Repeatedly, they lingered on the ball and were dispossessed, or tried a low percentage pass which obviously went awry, rather than a safer play that would have allowed them to regroup a bit. It genuinely seemed to me like they were a team that had never faced opposition that were better than them, and how no idea how to adapt. They were continuing to play like you would against inferior opponents, and then getting stomped by Sweden when it didn’t come off.

It may have been the halftime talk, nerves finally settling a bit, or something else, but when they came out for the second half they finally looked like the team we had expected going into the tournament. Still the worse team in many ways, but with a far more coherent approach to the game. The defensive shape was more solid, covering players started backing up the first line of defense, and they even started winning some tackles. And when they got the ball, there was a bit more clarity, with players starting to pick their heads up and assess, rather than dribbling into a sea of Swedish defenders or sending an aimless pass away to no one.

Dropping Miranda Nild into the midfield made a big difference here. She wasn’t a particularly good defender one-on-one, but she did a lot to occupy space. And she got much more time on the ball – where she was a critical calming presence. The same can be said of Silawan Intamee, who put in a real shift today, and did a huge amount to buy her team some breathing room. And of course the goal-scorer Kanjana Sung-Ngoen, who kept making those runs all game, and was finally rewarded at the end.

I’m now thoroughly invested in the Thailand Redemption Arc, so I hope their final match against Chile is at least competitive. If they can play like they did in the second half, it should be.

USA 3 – 0 Chile

This was another dominant performance from the United States. They scored 10 fewer goals, but a huge part of that is the difference between an almost impossibly bad goalkeeping performance in the Thailand game and an almost impossibly good performance from Christiane Endler today. Chile also put up sterner opposition, of course, but with a different keeper this could easily have been 7-0 or even worse.

The US made a whole host of changes, and with the substitutions, they’ve now given minutes to every single field player, which is a major change from past iterations of the team. Several of the new additions did very well. I’m not sure anyone did enough to play themselves into the starting XI, especially given how much Ellis tends to lock herself into place on that front.

But this game certainly demonstrated that the US can handle some necessary rotation in the frontline. Christen Press was phenomenal out wide, which actually isn’t anything new – she’s really grown into the wide role a lot in the past couple years. But this was maybe the best she’s played there, and a clear demonstration that she can be a fantastic creative force out wide, as well as a serious goal-scoring threat. If not for Endler standing on her head, Press would have had a brace, maybe more.  In the middle, Carli Lloyd got two goals and was once again dangerous. It didn’t seem like she was really up for 90 minutes at full throttle, but it remains abundantly clear that Lloyd is not here as a token gesture. She remains a deadly player in the attack who will absolutely contribute going forward. And then there’s Jess McDonald, who earned her first World Cup minutes, and nearly got a goal in the process. McDonald’s story is truly wonderful, and I hope to discuss it more in a piece coming later.

Further back, Morgan Brian looked good, and even more important: she seemed to grow into the game. Her first half was fine, but her second half was truly impressive. With Ertz lifted, Brian occupied a deeper holding role, and did so with distinction, controlling play, spraying passes, and generally making it impossible for Chile to do much of anything on the rare occasions when they got the ball. It’s been a long, hard road back for Brian, but she’s here, and showed today that it’s not just a legacy thing. She played very well. And you could tell a similar story about Ali Krieger, who seemed far far away from the national team just a few months ago. But tonight she played 90 minutes and more than held her own in the process.

So what is there to ultimately make of all this? Well, to be completely honest, probably not that much. All we really learned is that the B team is also excellent, and they all appear to be primed to contribute whenever they’re called on. That’s hugely important, but it’s not really news. Beyond that, the US thoroughly outplayed Chile, surprising no one. But the unfortunate reality is that these were more training senses than true matches. The next five games are the real World Cup, and until we see how the US fares in higher stakes matches, we can’t really say anything for sure.

Notes

Before the tournament I tweeted:

I was thinking about that today, and celebrating just how much I’ve learned over the course of this tournament. How many names that were entirely unfamiliar but who are now on the tip of my tongue. How many teams I now understand far better. How many stories I have now heard.

And then multiply by by a thousand, by ten thousand, by a million. How many people before today knew about Endler? And how many more will now remember this performance forever? Think about how many games Kanjana Sung-Ngoen has played in her career, how many goals she’s scored, that went almost entirely unnoticed. And then think about how many people around the world celebrated with her today.

And then think about just how much more there still is for all of us to learn. 

It’s truly wonderful to be a part of it. I hope you’re all enjoying it as much as me.

Tomorrow’s action

  • China – Spain. This will be a really tricky one. Both are on three points and are just about through, no matter the result. But a 2-0 or 3-0 could still leave them potentially vulnerable to being overtaken for that last 3rd place slot. The additional complicating factor is that it’s almost certainly preferable to finish 3rd in this group rather than second. The runner-up will probably play the US, while the 3rd place team will play someone much worse. Spain are currently ‘winning’ the tiebreaker, so a draw would leave them second. Top-level teams are never going to throw a game, but it can certainly influence tactical setup. Basically, expect China to play for an aggressive 0-0 draw.
  • South Africa – Germany. South Africa are all but eliminated, and Germany are virtually certain to finish top of the group. Germany need at least a point here to ensure they don’t get stuck playing the US, so they’re not going to take it easy, but I don’t expect a full-scale assault. This feels like a comfortable 2-0 to Germany.
  • Nigeria – France. A point would guarantee Nigeria a spot in the knockout stage, while a narrow loss would leave them in decent shape, but needing results elsewhere to go their way. On sheer quality, France should win this comfortably. But they don’t need much from this game and several of their key players are banged up, so will probably rest. That could give Nigeria some space.
  • South Korea – Norway. South Korea are all but eliminated and would to win by 2 or 3 goals to even have a chance. That’s unlikely, though certainly not impossible. But more realistically, they’re playing for pride here. On the other side, Norway could lose this game and still probably finish second, though they obviously prefer to win and lock that down.

I’ll be in Le Havre to see China v. Spain. I hope it’s fascinating, though I fear it will be a tedious 0-0 where no one does much of anything. Either way, it will likely determine who the US plays in the round of 16 so from an American perspective it will certainly be worth watching.

Women’s World Cup Daily – June 15

Posted on by RJ Allen

June 15: Matchday 9

Netherlands 3 – 1 Cameroon

This was an ugly, ugly game. Lots of fouls, poor refereeing, plenty of bizarre unexplained stoppages, along with poor touches and poor tackles from just about everyone. It did produce four goals, three of which were nicely worked, and remained close for most of the game. For those reasons, I’ve seen it described as one of the more exciting games in the tournament. But let’s be real folks, this was a terrible game of soccer.

In their first game, the Dutch were reasonably good but couldn’t finish. This time around they were very bad, but were able to finish. I suppose it more or less comes out in the wash, but if I were a Dutch fan I’d be extremely worried about this team. To be more precise, here’s a complete list of players who played well today: 

  1. Vivianne Miedema

This team is ridiculously talented, but at the moment they look about as weak as you can reasonably imagine them looking. Now, they have still managed to acquire six points from six, so maybe it’s just a case of a good team powering through a slow start. But at least so far, we haven’t seen anything remotely like the dazzling side that ripped apart their opponents two years ago in the Euros.

The backline is a major worry. It was a known concern going into the tournament, but has been even worse than expected. Anouk Dekker returned to the starting XI today after serving her suspension, but only brought more chaos, giving the ball away several times in incredibly dangerous areas for no particular reason. Bloodworth scored, but was off the pace all day and was often out of position. 

But it’s more than just the defense. The whole team just looked bad today. They couldn’t connect simple passes. Their touch was bad. They weren’t reading the game well. And despite some significant athletic advantages over Cameroon, they were pushed around quite a bit.

To some extent, this might be an officiating issue, with a referee who failed to keep a grip on the game. But this didn’t feel like China v. Germany, where the overall combativeness was in service of some larger tactical agenda. This was just a very snippy game that didn’t need to be.

For Cameroon, they were realistically never going to get much from two games against Canada and the Dutch. To hold their goal difference to just -3 over those two matches absolutely gives them a fighting chance. Beat New Zealand and they’ll be in the running for a berth in the knockout round. 

Canada 2 – 0 New Zealand

An exceptionally dull game, defined by one team that was entirely willing to let the other side attack, and an opposition that probed and probed and probed and probed, but lacked the technical ability to produce much of anything in the process. Canada did generate two goals, which is 100% more than I expected, so that does count for something. But this really just felt like exactly the result you’d expect from these two teams.

It was interesting to see Canada adapt fairly quickly. Once it became apparent just how deep New Zealand were going to set up – and that they were going to keep two forwards – coach Kenneth Heiner-Møller shifted his team shape significantly, dropping Schmidt into the central defense, allowing the fullbacks to operate as midfielders. They played most of the game in a 3-1-4-2, and were never really troubled in the process. It was a breath of fresh air in a tournament with exceptionally little tactical innovation.

For Canada, this was a job done. The results on the day do mean that they’ll need to beat the Netherlands to take top spot in the group, since the Dutch now hold the tiebreaker. But it’s not especially clear that it matters who wins the group – either way, you play a 2nd place team from another group in the round of 16. The only caveat here is that the runners-up could theoretically face the US if Sweden were to somehow beat them in the final game of the group stage, which is an eventuality you probably want to protect yourself from.

Canada remain a thoroughly limited team, but it’s hard to argue with results. No one much enjoys watching a team with talented players grind out results, but the reality is there just isn’t enough talent here to actually play some of the top teams in the tournament. So they’ve decided to lean into functionality, and hope for a thunderbolt now and again to generate a goal. It’s certainly worked so far, but we can see how it works against the Dutch before drawing any more conclusions.

Notes

– By my count, there were eight teams entering the tournament that felt like plausible title contenders. Of those, Australia and the Dutch have looked awful, Germany has struggled, Japan couldn’t do anything against Argentina and England only looked somewhat better. Canada has looked very professional and very dull, which seems to be their game plan, so we can call that a neutral result. But only the US and France have truly impressed.

I wouldn’t want to over-interpret the results from a tiny set of games, but it’s possible the two favorites deserve to be even heavier favorites than we once thought.

– I once again subjected myself to the Fox commentary for the Canada game and…it astonishes me that people being paid to talk about soccer on a major national broadcast can exhibit so little interest in actually describing what’s going on in the soccer game they’re ostensibly covering.

– As planned, I took the afternoon to wander around the Musée de l’Orangerie, which was really lovely. I’m a big fan of Monet, so the huge panels of water lilies were great, but I also really liked the other exhibits downstairs. Obviously, hit up the Louvre, Pompidou, and d’Orsay first, but if you have time for more, strong recommendation.

Tomorrow’s action

  • Sweden – Thailand. Based on their first game, no one will be expecting anything from Thailand. And while Sweden are not on the level of the US, they’re still quite good, so it’s quite likely we see another lopsided result. Still, Thailand were subjected to an epically bad goalkeeping performance last time, so if they change keepers (or remind Charoenying that she’s allowed to use her hands), it should be less of a bulldozing. 
  • USA – Chile. See above. Unlike Thailand, Chile have a world class keeper, so will not give away goals nearly so cheaply. But it would be an epic shock if the US failed to win this game. Expect something on the order of 4-0. Maybe tighter, but also maybe much worse. The one big question is whether the US rotates, and if so, how much. Ellis doesn’t like doing it, but it’s a short tournament and probably would be wise.

 

 

Women’s World Cup Daily – June 14

Posted on by RJ Allen

June 14: Matchday 8

Japan 2 – 1 Scotland

It’s almost bizarre how closely this game tracked with Scotland’s first match. Once again they fell behind 2-0 in the first half, partly due to a somewhat questionable penalty. Once again they finally found some attacking venom in the final twenty minutes, and did enough to get a consolation goal back, despite looking extremely leggy. Once again they were furious about the refereeing.

In the end, 2-1 was a pretty fair result. Japan were by far the better team for most of the game, but weren’t able to translate it into as much attacking success as they would have liked. And while their light pressing was enough to frustrate Scotland for most of the game, the defense broke down a bit toward the end.

Scotland can deservedly feel a little hard done by, with several decisions going against them. The penalty is a great example of something RJ Allen brought up in our pre-World Cup episode of The 123rd Minute – an NWSL player who is not ready for the stricter refereeing at this tournament. Rachel Corsie does this exact thing multiple times per game every weekend for the Utah Royals, and no one bats an eye. And even on the international level, it was a soft penalty. But the reality is that if you put your hands on an attacker in the box – particularly if you do it high up on the body rather than down at the waist – you’re opening yourself up to a penalty.

Later in the game, Scotland seemed to earn a penalty of their own, after kicking the ball off a Japanese player’s arm in the box. It’s precisely the sort of thing that shouldn’t be a penalty, but which have been repeatedly called according to the new interpretation of the rule.

In either case, you could absolutely go either way. It just happened to be the case that both decisions went against Scotland. For them and their fans, that will be absolutely infuriating.

The Scottish team probably didn’t ‘deserve’ a result on the night, given the overall balance of play. But while it often felt like Japan was on the verge of adding more, they only actually managed the one goal from open play. So if those two decisions had merely evened out, Scotland very easily could have earned a point here.

Even without that point, they have a decent chance of making the knockout stage. It will take beating Argentina, of course, but they’ve kept their goal difference very tight, which is the key thing. If they can actually get the three points, they’ll go through.

Japan haven’t technically qualified yet, but for all practical purposes they have. They looked much better today than they did against Argentina, and seem very much like a team who will play to the level of their opposition. There’s no realistic chance of them winning four straight games to win the tournament. But I certainly wouldn’t want to play them in a knockout game.

Jamaica 0 – 5 Italy

Going into the tournament, Italy were generally regarded by casual fans as a random European team who probably couldn’t be written off, and by more knowledgeable folks like Yours Truly as a team with ‘Potential, Who Aren’t There Yet.’ And then a few genuinely knowledgeable people (everyone is following Sophie Lawson, right?) popped up a hand and said ‘well, they might actually be there already.’

Folks, they’re here already.

I’ve been lucky enough to see them in person twice, and they might just be my favorite team in the whole tournament so far.

No, this Jamaica team is among the weaker teams here. But that’s a relative matter. They’re still pretty good. And Italy played them exceptionally well, and more than deserved a lopsided result, even if there were some peculiar twists and turns along the way.

I’m not really going to get into the penalty save/retake situation, except to say that this is yet another prominent example of the way that the laws of soccer are essentially arbitrary, and ill-suited to the kind of work we expect them to do in the 21st century. Did Schneider come off her line? Yes, by a very small amount. Is this sort of thing called? Almost never. Is it technically a violation? Yes. What are we honestly supposed to do with a system that’s so fundamentally incoherent, which simultaneously claims to measure fouls by a fraction of an inch?

Over the course of the game, Italy showed that they are strong not only in their tactical play – they were masters of occupying space and shutting down passing lanes – but also in their sheer physicality. There was no single player in the Italian backline who could individually handle Bunny Shaw, but as a group they kept her relatively quiet. As the captain Sara Gama noted after the match, Shaw is dangerous because she will shoot from anywhere and with almost no warning. But all those shots were blocked because there were consistently two or three Italians hanging on her shoulder.

And the Italian attack was superb. Admittedly, the Jamaican midfield gave them some room, but it was still marvelous to see them exploit it. And their striking core is proving themselves to be one of the most dangerous in the tournament. And they can find success in so many different ways and from different angles. Barbara Bonansea didn’t add to her goal tally but her link play was excellent. Cristiana Girelli managed a hat trick without any of the three looking particularly impressive. But those things don’t happen by accident. It may look silly to score with your face or to chest in a goal, but it takes being in the right place. Then, substitute Aurora Galli entered the game and produced a wonder strike fitting of a 5-0 victory.

Italy, a team that has not been to the World Cup in two decades, is through to the knockout stage with every chance of topping their group. As Girelli told me after the game: “It’s a kind of magic. I mean, we left from Italy hoping to enjoy first, and then to pass the round. We made it, so we are really happy!”

For Jamaica, this was another frustrating result. They actually played quite well, and almost certainly should have found at least a consolation goal, if not two, in the second half. But the chances didn’t fall. At times, it looked like their urgency overwhelmed them and they tried just a bit too hard – playing faster but not necessarily smarter. But there were huge bright spots. Despite the goal tally, keeper Sydney Schneider put in another solid performance, including the penalty save that was taken away. Shaw couldn’t score, but occupied several Italian defenders all night, and gave her teammates space to work. Mireya Grey was a breathe of fresh air in the attack, while Jody Brown brought tons of energy in the second half. Chinyelu Asher looked dangerous out wide, while Havana Solaun played quite a few dangerous passes. And Deneisha Blackwood put in one hell of a performance at fullback. She was a dynamo, covering huge amounts of space, wrestling off defenders, winning tackles, and generally looking like someone who is impossible to play against. It was the best I’ve ever seen her play, and genuinely thrilling to watch.

England 1 – 0 Argentina

I saw zero minutes of this match, since it coincided exactly with my travels back from Reims. That means I’ve now seen zero minutes total of England. I was really interested in England going into the tournament so it’s weird I still haven’t seen them. And since I’ll be at the Scotland-Argentina match that happens at the same time as their final group stage match, I probably won’t catch much of that either.

It sounds from reports that this was a less successful defensive performance from Argentina, rescued by a show-stopping night from Vanina Correa in goal. Still, it’s incredibly impressive that they’ve gone 180 minutes against two of the top ten teams in the world and only conceded one goal.

Two points could theoretically be enough to advance, if neither New Zealand or Cameroon win a game, and Chile and Thailand. But more realistically, they’ll need a win against Scotland to go through. I wouldn’t say the chances are high there, but it’s certainly a realistic possibility.

The danger is that they’ll have to actually open themselves up a bit to attack, and in doing make it far harder to keep their own goal protected. I’m certainly pulling for them,. As much as I love the Scotland team, it would be a hell of a fun story if Argentina get through.

Notes

– As I mentioned above, I wrote a long piece on the laws of the game, and the problems that VAR is exposing (though not precisely creating). Give it a read, and then read Ian’s response/elaboration which offers a very interesting alternative perspective.

– I am a massive Bunny Shaw fan, but she should have been sent off. Her attempted bicycle kick put a boot directly into Sara Gama’s head. It was lucky that the connection was more glancing than full-on, but just a few inches different and she could be in intensive care right now. It wasn’t intentional, but that’s a red card.

– Kim Little is one of the best players in the world, but she’s having to do too much and it’s really limiting her effectiveness. I don’t know what the right place for her to play is, but it’s probably not holding mid. I understand the impulse to put your best player at a critical hinge, but I think they need to trust someone else to do a job, and take some of the responsibility off Little to shepherd play every single instant.

– I have thoroughly enjoyed riding the trains with fans of the various teams. Props to the Jamaica fans on the 21:12 out of Champagne-Ardenne tonight. Y’all were great.

Tomorrow’s action

  • Netherlands – Cameroon. The Netherlands couldn’t finish in their last match, but given the lethal strikeforce they have at their disposal, there’s no reason to expect that to last. Cameroon were solid against Canada, but this feels like it’s as likely to finish 4-0 or 5-0 to the Dutch as it is for Cameroon to get a result.
  • Canada – New Zealand. These teams are both good at many things, but scoring goals is not one of them. Of course, having said that, maybe it will end up a wild 4-3. I doubt it, though. We’re still in Sinclair watch. Failure to get any against Cameroon makes it much less likely she breaks the record in this tournament, but it’s absolutely still possible.

I’m not going to either of these games. In fact, I’m not traveling anywhere at all. For the first time in the whole tournament, I could just sit on the couch in my Airbnb all day if I wanted. But assuming I can get myself up, I’m going to see some water lilies at the Musée de l’Orangerie, and if it’s nice out do some reading in the Tuileries Garden, and then get some crepes.

Which, hey, if you’re in Paris and you want to talk about soccer or see some great impressionist art tomorrow, hit me up.