Tag: Argentina

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

Posted on by Backline Soccer

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 10

Posted on by RJ Allen

June 10: Matchday 4

Argentina 0 – 0 Japan

Anyone who thinks a 0-0 game can’t be thrilling should be lucky enough to be in the stadium for a game like this. From the opening few minutes until the final whistle, this was full of tension, waves of action, and moments to set your heart racing.

It was also an exceptional team defensive performance, with Argentina putting on a clinic in how to frustrate a possession-oriented team without ever having to resort to the Dark Arts. They hardly committed a foul in the game – in fact it was Japan that was far more likely to commit serious infractions, with Argentina’s Estefania Banini drawing several bookings from the normally restrained Japanese players.

And while this was a defensive approach from Argentina, don’t let anyone tell you that it was a ‘bunker’ or that they ‘parked the bus.’ There is an important difference between those things. The problem with bunkering is that you effectively subject yourself to constant pressure, with very little in the way of failsafes. What Argentina did was far more refined and impressive. They set a solid block, but also continually sending players at the top of the block forward to harass Japan as they attempted to probe the Argentinian defense.

It was a wonderfully controlled performance, one which put enough pressure on Japan to significantly restrain their attacking creativity, without exhausting themselves in the process by consistently chasing the ball. It takes a degree of precision to strike that balance – one that is certainly possible for a club team that trains together every week, but is rare among national teams and virtually unheard of in national teams with the level of resources provided to Argentina.

The heart and soul of the operation was Lorena Benítez, a 20 year old futsal player (!), who only joined the team in March (!!). This was just her fourth time playing for Argentina, but she turned in one of the great performances from any player in the whole tournament. As defensive midfielder, she shepherded play, tracked runs, and covered an almost impossible amount of territory. Watching from high above, it genuinely seemed like she was everywhere. Each time a potentially dangerous attack from Japan was snuffed out, she was there. And as the game progressed, she ranged further and further forward, applying pressure in much more advanced zones.

It would also be impossible to let the game go by without talking about Estefania Banini, who ranged all across the field, providing crucial relief for Argentina by holding possession and disrupting Japan’s efforts to build any serious rhythm. And as the second half went on, and Argentina seemed to grow more comfortable, Banini was a whirling dervish, helping to guide several counterattacks.

For Japan, this was very much a game to forget. They may seriously regret the points they dropped here, but the reality is that things haven’t really changed that much for them. Beat Scotland and they’ll likely finish second in the group. Beat England and Scotland, and they’ll finish first. That was true before this and it’s still true. The question is whether this was a one-off case of nerves, or whether it’s a sign of deeper malaise in the team. My bet is that they sort things out and emerge fine, but it’s certainly something to watch out for.

Canada 1 – 0 Cameroon

This was a peculiar game. In my pre-match writeup over at Stars and Stripes FC, I said that it was a clash between styles, with Canada wanting a tight game and Cameroon wanting an open one. And I suggested that whoever controlled the tempo would therefore have an advantage. The first half was frantic and chaotic, much like Cameroon would have wanted. Except it didn’t produce the goals we might have expected. The one and only tally came on a corner, and all the other chances just fizzled away.

Then, goal in hand, Canada came out in the second half to completely shut up shop. And they pretty much succeeded. The result was a narrow 1-0 that felt like a pretty wide margin by the end, as it seemed less and less possible that Cameroon would be able to get a grip on the game.

On a day when Japan – a team fairly similar to Canada in terms of expectations and ability – failed to get a result against an inferior team, getting the three points probably counts as a major success. But Canada really had no business letting it be as close as it was.

Those two perspectives are going to define this team over the coming weeks. And, as I said on twitter earlier today, as unpopular as it is, this conservative, stifling approach to the game may end up serving Canada very well. It doesn’t produce many goals, but it keeps games close. When they come up against The Netherlands, we’ll get to see whether that tradeoff is worth it.

Notes

– Check out my post over at Stars and Stripes FC about what to watch for in the US – Thailand game tomorrow. The US is going to win, but the way it plays out is still potentially pretty important.

– I also wrote up the discussion post at SSFC for today’s games as well.

– I was thrilled to see the level of support in the Parc des Princes today for Argentina – Japan. 25,000 is well below capacity, but is still a huge crowd, and they were into the game. I’ve got more thoughts on that subject, but you’ll have to wait for the next 123rd Minute episode to drop (look for it tomorrow) to hear them.

Tomorrow’s action

  • New Zealand – Netherlands. Another game with a clear favorite, but one where the underdog has a very real chance to find a result. New Zealand could lose this game 5-0 or could scrape a 1-1 draw. I’ll be particular curious to see if Vivenne Miedema (my pick for the golden boot) can get off to the races.
  • Chile – Sweden. Sweden should have enough to stifle Chile, and enough firepower to slice through their defense. But Chile have a top-class goalkeeper, and we’ve already seen what a disciplined squad can do against superior opposition. I’d certainly bet on Sweden here to win comfortably, but it’s no sure thing.
  • USA v. Thailand. See my post at SSFC.

The Unknown International: Estefania Banini

Posted on by RJ Allen

[media-credit name=”Kelley Piper” align=”aligncenter” width=”300″][/media-credit]

The NWSL may be the American soccer league, many of its most talented players come from all over the world. This series looks at some of the best internationals in the NWSL, analyzing their role and impact on their national team and their NWSL club, as well as their overall style of play. This week, we will be looking at Washington Spirit and Argentinian striker Estefania Banini.

Who Is She?

Estefania Banini is a 27-year-old striker from Mendoza, Argentina. Like many of her fellow female footballers, particularly from Latin America, Banini struggled to play the game that she loved as a child. Her parents took her from club to club in Argentina, until they finally found a team that would take their five-year-old daughter. Despite these difficulties, Banini found success. She spent three years with Colo-Colo in the Chilean women’s league, winning the championship each season. When she came to the United States, some coaches expressed hesitation in what they perceived as a lack of professional experience. But she proved them wrong. She joined the Washington Spirit and played a critical role in their run to the NWSL Championship in 2016. She has been compared to fellow Argentine striker Lionel Messi and Brazilian superstar Marta. But struggles with her federation have left Banini struggling to break out on the international stage.

Argentina National Team

Argentina has one of the best men’s national teams in the world, with two World Cup titles and an appearance in the 2014 World Cup Final to prove it. One might think, then, that they would have at least a decent women’s side as well. But this has not been the case. In fact, Argentina’s women’s team has been largely silent for the last few years, to the point of falling out of FIFA Rankings due to their inactivity. Banini earned her first cap in 2010 but has seen few opportunities to play for them in the years since. Before their friendly against Uruguay this August, the team hadn’t played since 2014. With a shift in management, the AFA recently began to prepare for the Women’s Copa America, to be played in Chile next year. This seemed like a positive sign, but the team is now on strike–due to lack of payment and poor training conditions. Banini has been working against the odds her whole life and will continue to do so as the Argentina women’s team fights for respect.

Washington Spirit

While Banini has struggled with her national federation, she has found nothing but success at the club level. After three years and consistent championships with Colo-Colo in the Chilean league, Banini signed with the Washington Spirit and joined the NWSL. She started in the first four matches for the Spirit in 2015 before an injury sidelined her for the remainder of the season. But she came back in 2016, earning 9 starts in 13 appearances and playing in both postseason games. Even in limited time, her five goals were enough to earn her the Spirit Golden Boot. But amidst the Spirit’s roster restructuring last winter, Banini looked overseas and chose to play with Spanish side Valencia. However, midway through the 2017 season, she rejoined the Spirit. She earned 6 starts in 9 matches with the squad, and while they will not be traveling to the postseason this year, many are interested to see where the squad goes in the future. In particular, the partnership between Banini and Mallory Pugh was something to watch this season and could be something to keep an eye on in the future. Only time will tell.