Tag: Australia

Women’s World Cup Daily: June 22

Posted on by Backline Soccer

Round of 16, Day 1

Germany 3 – 0 Nigeria

A comprehensive victory for Germany, who continue to roll through the tournament despite the protestations of pundits on both sides of the Atlantic that they haven’t looked great. This was by no means a perfect performance, but they absolutely bulldozed Nigeria in the middle of the field, and controlled the game accordingly.

It was particularly notable how physical they were, consistently descending on any Nigerian player who had the ball and often directly dispossessing them, or at least forcing them into a hasty pass. Considering that Germany’s big problem game so far came against a China team who unsettled them with physical play, this was a significant improvement.

The only real worrying thing is that all three of their goals had some degree of fortuitousness involved. A better team would be unlikely to let the ball drift to the head of Alexandra Popp standing flat-footed in front of the box. A better team will be less likely to give away a penalty needlessly. A better team won’t accidentally pass the ball to your lethal striker directly in front of goal.

But this is the game of soccer. Most goals come at least in part from defensive mistakes. And yet we still see plenty of goals, because defending is exceptionally hard. Perhaps a team like the US or France might not make those precise mistakes, but they are likely to make some. And Germany has shown the ability to capitalize. The third goal, for example, was a gift. But it also took a perfect finish from Schüller to actually score it.

If there’s an area to focus on, it’s translating their dangerous possession into genuinely good shooting opportunities. That was the only real missing piece today. Repeatedly, they unlocked the first line of defense and found themselves with the ball in space, moving forward with speed, and looking for chances. But also repeatedly they were stopped by a Nigerian defender stepping up, or their cross sailed over the heads of everyone, or they simply let the ball get too far away from them and lost their angle.

Of course, this is precisely where Dzenifer Maroszán could be critical. She made the bench today, after missing the past two games entirely with a broken toe. If she can make a full return, she will be the exact sort of player Germany have been missing—the connecting force who can receive the ball near the top of the box and take the final touch or make the final pass which generates a clean chance.

For Nigeria, the World Cup ended here, in a frustrating game against a team who gave them very little to work with. They certainly weren’t completely shut out, and were able to produce a couple decent chances that might have swung the game back in their direction. And as discussed above, the goals were all definitely fixable mistakes rather than examples of being truly outmatched. At the same time, it also took some exceptional defensive recoveries to keep the margin where it was, and while VAR is certainly annoying, it did get all the calls right.

Norway 1 – 1 Australia – Norway advance on penalties (4-1) 

This was an absolutely bonkers game, which contained just about everything you could hope for in a soccer match, with the one exception of ‘good teams playing well.’ But if you could just accept that it was going to be a wild and crazy, end-to-end explosion of emotions then it sure was a lot of fun.

The openness didn’t really feel like a plan by either team. It was just a game played at a crazy tempo without a huge amount of execution. There were plenty of beautiful passes, wonderful touches, great tackles. But there were also plenty of misplaced balls, terrible touches, confusing decisions, crosses to no one in particular.

On balance, Norway were the better team, but it wasn’t by a huge margin. They did get the early goal and held the lead for most of the game. But they weren’t especially comfortable in the process, and seemed to drop back into a crouch far earlier than they probably should.

Australia’s hopes generally rise and fall with Sam Kerr, and she wasn’t able to get a whole lot going here. But that was less do with poor play from her than it had to do with Australia’s frailty in the middle third of the pitch. In my preview, I suggested that Norway might try to clamp down in that space to starve Kerr of the ball, but that’s not actually what happened. Given the quickness of play, no one was clamping down on anything. The Australian midfield just couldn’t find her, and the Norwegian defense generally stuck close enough to keep her under wraps once she did get the ball. All that said, Kerr was given enough to work with that you’d probably expect her to have found a goal somewhere. But she didn’t. And so once Kennedy was sent off for a Denial of a Goal Scoring Opportunity, Australia were reduced to hanging on for dear life to go to penalties.

And then once they got there, it all fell apart.

I feel awful for Kerr, who really is the best in the world – or at a minimum one of the two or three best – and deserved more chances to show what she’s capable of. But unfortunately for her, the Australia team has kind of fallen apart in the past six months, so it’s hardly surprising at this point to see them go out.

I’m sure there will be more written about this Australia team, and some serious questions asked about the relentless schedule that these players have followed over the past few years. But for now, we unfortunately have to say goodbye to the Matildas.

Notes

The subtle racism with which commentators describe African teams really went into high gear today, with all the subtlety wiped away.

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A brief summary of today’s awfulness is here. I’m sure more will be written about this, but if you want a quick breakdown of what goes wrong when you engage this separation between ‘tactics’ and ‘athleticism,’ above and beyond the laziness and stereotyping, check out this thread from Michael Caley.

The long and short is that the way Fox commentators have discussed teams primarily composed of black players is absolutely shameful and it’s frankly appalling that they haven’t publicly apologized and specifically reprimanded the people who keep saying this stuff.

Tomorrow’s action

Tomorrow we’ll see England v. Cameroon in the early game and France v. Brazil in the late one. Remember that you can check out my preview of each game in this round here.

I will unfortunately be leaving France for a couple days. I have a conference in Newcastle, and won’t be back until the first quarterfinal in Le Havre on the 27th. That does however mean I’ll get a chance to watch England tomorrow in England. Hopefully I can find a good crowd to watch with.

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.  

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 13

Posted on by RJ Allen

June 13: Matchday 7

Australia 3 – 2 Brazil

This game was completely bonkers, and a lot of fun to watch. But hardly an impressive display from either team. The big questions going in were: ‘can Australia improve on their mediocre start’ and ‘is Brazil actually better than we all thought?’ The answers to both were unfortunately ‘no’ and ‘no.’

But before dwelling on the negatives, let’s talk about the positives. This was a wild, open game, especially in the first half, with both teams going full blazes. Australia found very little in front of goal, sending in a bunch of weak crosses, but at least they were moving the ball with some purpose, especially down the right flank. The decision to play Steph Catley (one of the top left backs in the game) at centerback was mostly successful. She injected some pace, and they were finding enough joy from Carpenter at right back that the loss of Catley’s attacking force down the left wasn’t a huge problem. But then we saw the limitations of play Catley in the center, as Debinha sent in a cross and Catley was simply outmuscled by Cristiane who powered it home. That, along with Marta’s penalty, put Brazil up 2-0.

But then came the comeback. A superb ball in from Logarzo found Foord. Then Logarzo got on the scoresheet herself on a bizarre ball that seemed aimed for Kerr in the box. But the two defenders and goalkeeper were so focused on blocking out Kerr that they didn’t actually stop the ball, and it bounced right in. Then came the coup de grace: an own goal under truly bizarre circumstances. I’m not going to get into analyzing it here, since I’ll have a more developed piece out tomorrow. But it counted, which is the important thing, and Australia had their lead.

In the end, it was enough. There was a late penalty shout from Brazil for what looked like a rugby tackle by Kennedy in the box, but it wasn’t called, and Australia had their victory.

It was a famous comeback for Australia, and Kerr took at shot at their doubters after the match. Which, count me as one. Because while Australia won this game, they looked pretty awful in the process. The defense is in shambles, and the midfield was completely overrun by Brazil – not a particularly strong team in the midfield, to be honest. For a team that looked like genuine contenders pretty recently, Australia has kind of fallen apart. Polkinghorne has been a disaster, and Kennedy only a little better. Catley as a makeshift centerback worked okay, but wasn’t great. Kellond-Knight was bad at fullback, and Carpenter is still a very limited player. And there’s almost literally no one behind these players in the depth chart either.

Meanwhile, the midfield can barely play the ball, since the only two credible ballwinners they have (Kennedy and Kellond-Knight) are stuck in the backline.

Any team with Sam Kerr is going to be a terrifying opponent in a knockout game. But unless Australia figures the rest of their business out, and soon, they are going to get steamrolled the first time they play a legitimately good team.

South Africa 0 – 1 China

A thoroughly professional showing from China, who dominated the game from start to finish, and effectively shut down South Africa across the board. They possessed the ball very nicely, and while the finishing left something to be desired in general, it only takes one. And what a one it was. Li Ying had an impressive game, and her goal is one of the prettiest of the tournament.

I wasn’t thrilled with the way China played against Germany, but there’s no denying it was effective. They probably won’t get away with it to the same extent again, but even if they’re significantly more reined-in, that kind of disruptive performance could be enough to really threaten any team in the tournament. But it was nice to see them go wholly in the other direction this game, with lots of quick passing and movement. They were still physical – and made it extremely difficult for South Africa to ever settle – but they came to play, and it was a lot of fun to watch.

One player who particularly impressed me was Lin Yuping, the 5’11 central defender who was absolutely dominant in the air, shutting down basically every single ball that South Africa tried to play over the top, and thereby neutralizing one of their only attacking weapons. Lin is 27 and only has 15 or so caps to her name, so has clearly been a late-bloomer. But I really know nothing more than what I saw here. Would love to know more about her story.

For South Africa, advancing from this group was always a long shot, and it’s now probably impossible. They put in strong efforts against two excellent teams, and now get the reward of playing Germany. Ouch. But even so, they should be proud of what they’ve accomplished.

Notes

– The atmosphere in the Parc des Princes for South Africa v. China was fantastic. It was only about half full, which is less than ideal. But the 20,000 who were there made up for it with enthusiasm. At many times, there were three or four different songs or chants all competing to be loudest. And the corner of the stadium that was taken over by the traveling Chinese contingent was L.O.U.D. Really wonderful to be there.

– Kerr didn’t score today, but her mere presence led directly to two of Australia’s three goals. On Logarzo’s, they were so distracted trying to prevent Kerr from scoring, they failed to actually stop the ball. And the own goal was clearly a product of fear about Kerr lurking behind. It hasn’t been a great tournament so far for Kerr, but even without a gaudy goals-total, she’s still making a difference.

– I’ve been thankfully protected from the Fox coverage of this tournament for the most part. But I have heard what’s going on. And I have to say: the lazy, racially coded stuff about black teams being physical and athletic is pure trash and thoroughly embarrassing. Please be better.

Tomorrow’s action

  • Japan – Scotland. This should be a fascinating tie. Japan were frustrated against Argentina, but may have gotten over their nerves a bit. Scotland played well against England, but not well enough to earn a result. They’ll both still feel confident in their ability to advance. But what lessons will have Scotland learned from Argentina? Will they follow the same strategy: play tight and hope to spring them on the break? If so, having weapons like Cuthbert and Little could be enough. But Japan will also be ready to adapt. So Scotland may prefer to come out more aggressively and apply pressure high.
  • Jamaica – Italy. Italy got a surprise win against Australia, which puts them in great position here. They will certainly be favored against Jamaica, and a win would guarantee them a spot in the Round of 16. Prepare for a game with a lot of running. Neither side are particularly strong in possession, and would prefer to attack with pace more than precision.
  • England – Argentina. Can Argentina work another miracle? I certainly wouldn’t bet on it, not against an England team that should be far more prepared to simply overwhelm their defensive structure. But I wouldn’t have thought they could hold out against Japan either. Look for England to get their clever midfielders a lot of time on the ball, spraying passes and forcing open channels for the forwards to run into, and for their fullbacks to get very engaged in the attack to put pressure across the whole spectrum and limit Argentina’s ability to provide covering support.

I’ll be traveling to Reims to see Jamaica v. Italy, which I’m really excited about. I’ve really enjoyed following Jamaica ever since CONCACAF qualifying back in Texas last October, and Italy’s performance last week was one of my highlights of the tournament. Can’t wait to see this one.

Women’s World Cup Daily – June 9

Posted on by RJ Allen

June 9: Matchday 3

Australia 1 – 2 Italy

This was among the wildest soccer games I have ever seen in person, and I was at one of the bonkers 5-4 games between Seattle and Sky Blue a couple years ago, so I know what a wild soccer game is like.

Australia came into the tournament as an exciting team with a chance to go far, but with a wretched defense and a lot of concerns about whether they could fix it. This game sure did not help to alleviate those concerns. Italy had the goal in the net in the opening fifteen minutes, only to have it disallowed on a very close offside call. This would definitely be a pattern.

Over the rest of the game, Australia’s high and ragged line was broken time and again by the quick Italian forwards, who raced in behind and laid waste to Lydia Williams’ goal. Time and again, those plays were called back on the offside rule. But the margins were often razor thin. Australia was clearly playing with fire, and eventually they got burned, with Italy pulling it back to 1-1 after a ghastly mistake from Claire Polkinghorne, who gave the ball away and then watched Barbara Bonansea put away the goal.

Unlike many games in this tournament, which have wilted pretty heavily in the second half, this one grew and multiplied, growing only more intense with every minute. First Australia threatened, then Italy came back. Lisa De Vanna nearly got sent off within fifteen minutes of subbing on. The Australians began falling over as soon as they entered the box, desperately hoping for a penalty.

In the end, it was Italy that found the winner, thanks to another dumb mistake from Australia, who needlessly conceded a set piece, and then watched helplessly as Sam Kerr backpedaled desperately and just missed clearing the ball, leaving Bonansea free at the back post to nod it in.

And the crowd erupted. And so did the Italian team.

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Australia is still probably fine. They’ll be favorites in their other two games, and even a draw against Brazil wouldn’t kill them, since four points is effectively a guarantee to advance under this system. By the same token, Italy is now in very good shape. A result against Jamaica is by no means certain, but that would be sufficient to advance them to the knockout stage, a big deal for a team that hasn’t been to this tournament in two decades.

Brazil 3 – 0 Jamaica

All of us soccer experts managed to talk ourselves into believing that Jamaica could potentially pull this off, but it ended up a comfortable win that the casual fan always expected. There were many factors involved. Jamaica definitely looked like a team attending their first World Cup, with quite a few nerves getting in their way. They also struggled in the midfield, as expected, and played a slightly naïve system that pushed high too often and left them critically exposed. Only a showstopping performance from Sydney Schneider in goal kept them in the match for as long as they were.

For Brazil, this was obviously a nice performance and a great way to break a long losing streak. Jamaica weren’t that bad, but Brazil dominated the game, and provided a nice template for how they should play against stronger opposition. It also built well on a set of performances at SheBelieves in February and March that didn’t produce any results but at least looked more credible than some of what we saw from them in 2018. There are still a lot of holes in this team, but they once again look like a viable player on the big stage. It’ll take another strong performance against a better team to really convince me, but the world is better when Brazil is good, so let’s hope so.

The big topic is how (and maybe whether) they should reintegrate Marta. I am a strong believer that Marta makes everyone around her better, and don’t think Brazil’s struggles had anything to do with her being in the team. So I’m entirely on the side of bringing her back in when healthy. But if nothing else, this performance gives them some runway to work with if she isn’t immediately 100%.

For Jamaica, this was probably their best chance for a result, so their odds of making it out of the group have definitely taken a hit. But it’s by no means over, and there was a lot to like in this performance. Shaw didn’t find the net, but she showed plenty of the talent that made everyone talk her up. And the team as a whole looked far more solid and coherent than they did even a few months ago. There’s still a chance for something special from this group of players.

England 2 – 1 Scotland

I missed this game entirely, thanks to poor train station wireless. But it sounds like a fun one, with England in full control for the first hour or so, only to let things slip away a bit and invite Scotland back into the game. 

It doesn’t really tell us anything we didn’t already know. But it’s nice to get some confirmation that England is, in fact, pretty good. And that Phil Neville actually does have a pretty clear idea of how he wants to set his team up – despite quite a bit of pre-tournament hand-wringing about his tinkering and inconstancy. It was also nice to get some confirmation that Scotland are a perfectly credible team, who can pose real challenges to anyone in the tournament. 

I’m really looking forward to seeing both of these teams play going forward.

Notes

– I wrote a piece for AllForXI about the Hegerberg conversations, and all the ways that we continue to harass women by demanding impossible levels of perfection and refusing to respect the dignity of their decisions. For more on the subject, check out this nice piece from Meg Linehan on the nature of resistance and different aspects of the fight for equality.

– I also wrote a piece right here at Backline about the Video Assistant Referee system, and the way it’s beginning to take over the experience of these games.

– Sydney Schneider put on a ridiculous display in one of the CONCACAF qualifying games I got to watch back in Texas last fall, and I have been a huge fan ever since. Glad to see her turn in a good game in the World Cup. And she’s still only 19! And hey, while we’re on the subject, go read this great article on Schneider.

– I find it strangely comforting that Sam Kerr is kind of rubbish at taking penalties. It’s just a nice reminder that no one, even a superhero like Kerr, is perfect at everything.

– Good news! According to Jaclyn Mahoney at Football Reference, we’re well ahead of the pace for yellow cards per match (at 2.9 this year, compared to 2.0 and 2.1 in the last two tournaments). I’m a firm believer in giving out more cards.

Tomorrow’s action

  • Argentina – Japan. This should be an easy win for Japan, with Argentina one of the weakest teams in the tournament. But it will still be an interesting test for this young Japan team. Will they put away their chance easily or make it difficult? It will also be the second game in Paris, and I’ll be curious to see how the atmosphere compares to the crackling opening night.
  • Canada – Cameroon. Again, this should be fairly straightforward. But the potential contrast in styles, at a minimum, should make it interesting. Canada is one of the most conservative teams in the tournament, scoring few and conceding fewer, while Cameroon is one of the most open. It’s also always worth watching Canada, because we’re nearly critical stages of the Christine Sinclair countdown.

Backline Chat: Welcome to a World Cup Year

Posted on by RJ Allen

Charles Olney (@olneyce): Hello, and welcome to our first Slack Chat of 2019. I hope everyone had a good new year, and is excited for a big year. To kick things off, I thought we should start with some fun stuff before turning to some of the more depressing elements in recent news. So…it’s a World Cup year! What is everyone most excited for in 2019?

RJ Allen (@TheSoccerCritic): I really am looking forward to watching the first time teams in the World Cup.

Allison Cary (@findingallison): I’m excited to see Scotland and I’m excited to see if France can keep playing quality football.

RJ Allen: Kim Little on the world’s stage? Yes, please.

Allison Cary: My sister is going to school in Scotland so it’s particularly exciting for this to be going on while she’s there.We’re hoping to catch a game in France.

Charles Olney: My honest answer is simply that I’m excited for the incredible opportunity to be in Europe this summer, which means I’ll be able to see a bunch of the World Cup in person. And I’m obviously excited for the chance to see the US make a deep run. But in terms of storylines, I think there’s just so much potential. Could France finally win a title? Could England or Australia take that next step? Could some of these new rising powers like Spain and Italy make the leap into the inner circle? Can some of the new teams put their mark on the tournament.

RJ Allen: I have a lot of questions about the World Cup but you’re right, there are some really amazing storylines.

Allison Cary: So much potential.

Charles Olney: I’d love to see the US win, but I have to admit that a new winner would probably make for a more interesting tournament.

RJ Allen: US, Norway, Germany, and Japan are the only winners. It would be nice to see another name added to the list.

Allison Cary: If France wins, per a previous slackchat, I’m obligated to move to France. I’m not opposed to that lol.

Luis Hernandez (@radioactivclown): I’m looking forward to the matches and if New Zealand can get out of the group. Plus how the NWSL will handle absences.

Charles Olney: If it were to be a first-time winner, who do people think is most likely? France is probably the obvious pick, especially given their recent victory over the US, but are people still high on some of the other big teams?

RJ Allen: I would have guessed Australia two weeks ago.

Allison Cary: I would say Australia but I’m not sure with the latest coaching drama.

RJ Allen: Now? I don’t know. France or maybe England? I’d love to see Canada get one for Sinc.

Allison Cary: England maybe? I’m not sure if they’re ready to go all the way.

RJ Allen: I really would like a team other than the US to win. I think it’s better for soccer world wide if other teams can take down the US now and again.

Allison Cary: I agree with RJ.

Charles Olney: I was looking over the betting odds this morning, and put up a tweet. I have to say that the odds look a little off to me, but I’m curious if others think so.

RJ Allen: I do not think these betting books know Germany’s state of affairs right now.

Charles Olney: I still think the German team has a lot of potential, but yeah, I certainly don’t think recent evidence suggests they belong in a tier with the US and France.

Allison Cary: Yeah, I’m also not that confident in Japan.

RJ Allen: This is, to me at least, proof that while betting markets are not great now, they might drive some change. The house wants to keep their money. So they are going to need some better stats and better people predicting these things. They might drive that area.

Charles Olney: I think it’s interesting that Spain is right up there. I really enjoyed watching them against the US this week, but I felt like they were still a little under the radar. I wonder whether some of that is people transposing their judgments about the quality of the men’s team.

RJ Allen: Brazil being so high might be the same thing.

Allison Cary: Yeah, I think Spain could make a decent run, but I don’t see them going all the way. They looked better than expected against the US, but not quite there yet.

RJ Allen: Can we all agree if North Carolina was in the World Cup (at full roster) they would be on the top 5 in the list?

Charles Olney: Definitely. I was actually thinking about them and Lyon and how they’d fare if they attended the World Cup. And I think it’s a good sign for the game in general that we’re getting close to the point where the very highest level of soccer is at the club level rather than the international level. We’re not quite there yet, but the tipping point might be coming soon.

Charles Olney: Okay, so turning the attention toward the US in particular, I’m curious if anyone has any broader thoughts about the recent friendlies. Anything to worry about there, or just a normal way to kick off the year?

Luis Hernandez: No worries for the first two matches after months being off for me.

RJ Allen: I think a lot of the worry about the games are going to end up not being founded. They have been off for a few months, it’s their pre season, a lot of players aren’t playing or have been hurt. If they look like this in May I will worry. But right now, no.

Allison Cary: I’m not worried about the U.S. Maybe it’s just me, but I learned more about the U.S. opponents in these two friendlies than I did the U.S.

Luis Hernandez: I enjoyed how Spain moved the ball. Didn’t know they were skilled to do that for their team.

RJ Allen: I agree with Allison. I think we learned a lot about France.

RJ Allen: We had no real answer for Henry. And while Horan should be able to match her, this game she very much did not.

Charles Olney: One impression I got from talking with the French players and coaches at that game: it mattered to them. A lot. They really wanted to lay down a marker, and it showed in the performance. That’s a great sign for a team that’s often struggled a bit to handle the pressure. I think they’re ready this time.

RJ Allen: That to me is a big deal. France doesn’t seem to really fear the US, at least in that match.

Allison Cary: Yeah, which caught my eye. France seemed really ready to prove that they belonged in that top tier.

Charles Olney: The US may still end up beating them in the quarterfinals, and we may end up talking about yet another France team that underperformed. But right now, I feel as confident about France as I ever have.

Allison Cary: They weren’t intimidated. They played their game. If they do that in June… they’re dangerous.

RJ Allen: Also, can we talk about the packaging of the games themselves for a moment? They were not really featured games. They weren’t cash cows. They were in Europe. The game against Spain was in the middle of a day. That feels big for the US in general.

Charles Olney: Yeah, that’s a great point. The US has often treated friendlies more as opportunities to make money than anything else. And they arguably still have a few of those coming up later in the spring. But on the whole, this seems like a team that’s keeping their eyes on the prize. And that’s a good thing.

Charles Olney: So, that’s a lot of positives. But I do want to focus our attention on two other stories that have been dominating the news lately, which are less encouraging. One is the confusing and troubling story surrounding the coaching change at Australia. The other is the persistent moving disaster that is Sky Blue FC. Let’s start local and discuss the unfortunate team in New Jersey.

RJ, you had some reporting that just came out about events there. And we’ve had a couple other stories recently about the continuing problems. At this point I almost don’t know where to start.

RJ Allen: So I have had a lot of conversations in the last few months with people that are no longer with Sky Blue. About a week about I spoke to someone still much more connected.

As I think you and I have spoken about on the 123rd Minute, Reddy had largely escaped conversation. And this person made it clear that is a mistake.

Charles Olney: I almost feel like we spent so much time in 2018 talking about the problems at the management level that we all really wanted to construct a narrative where the coach and the players were innocent victims just trying to survive in a cruel world. But your reporting makes it seem like Reddy maybe should have come in for a lot more criticism at the time. It was certainly strange to see a team that honestly had a lot of talented players do SO wretchedly bad week in and week out. And it was peculiar how the coach never really seemed to come in for the kind of criticism we’d expect.

RJ Allen: The information I have really does paint a picture of someone who sucked in as much power as they were able, due in large part of the issues in management, and had a hard time using that for the benefit of the players.

Charles Olney: It does strike me as a situation where it would be incredibly hard to succeed. So it’s possible that in more favorable conditions, Reddy might have sailed along just fine. So I certainly hope that none of this ends up taking away attention from the major problems at the top. But it’s definitely important to look at all parts of the picture.

On that note, as we are talking here it’s been two weeks since the draft. There, Tony Novo promised significant news on progress would come ‘within 30 days.’ Is anyone holding out hope that we’ll actually see something meaningful there?

Allison Cary: Nope.

Charles Olney: And if not, do we think Sky Blue is going to actually make it to the end of the season with enough players to fill a starting XI every game?

RJ Allen: No.

Allison Cary: No.

RJ Allen: They might have enough players because as we all know people dream of playing pro. There are enough ex NCAA players in New Jersey to fill in an XI. Look at Sky Blue’s roster in the past. They have always counted on local players. More than most.

Charles Olney: I do still hold out a little bit of hope that the remaining players manage to band together and fight this out, like you’d see in a classic sports movie where the underdogs find a way to show everyone their spirit. And there IS still a decent amount of talent theoretically on that roster. But as each week goes on, I find it harder and harder to be positive.

RJ Allen: My question is though, what does that buy? If they win games, what does that buy other than some cover to keep the team going? It might make the players a bit happier but all it does it prolong the fate that is written on the walls.

Allison Cary: Yeah, perpetuating a bad system isn’t necessarily good. Unfortunately, Sky Blue struggling along could do more harm than good.

RJ Allen: And I admit I am a bit pessimistic about all of this. But still.

Charles Olney: At this point, I think the best case scenario is a modestly positive year, which will allow everyone to feel good about moving on during the next offseason when they’re pushed out of the league…or when someone who will make real changes comes in to buy them out. But I agree: doing just well enough to survive without making any real changes might be even worse than ‘raze the ground and then salt the earth after.’

Charles Olney: Alright, so another troubling story: Alen Stajcic, the coach of Australia, was let go under the cloud of a recent report describing ‘toxic’ conditions on the team. It’s a very strange story with quite a lot of it hidden from view. I’m curious if anyone has any clear thoughts about what it all means.

RJ Allen: I think the federation has handled this horribly. Even if he was released with 100% cause, the federation makes it look like a hit job in a way that makes them look worse.

Charles Olney: Can’t argue with that. It does seem like, based on the information they seem to have, firing him was the right call. But the manner in which it’s been done has been very rough.

Allison Cary: Yeah, I don’t feel like I have enough of the story to make a clear judgment. But it’s been weird.

Charles Olney: Which doesn’t really do any favors to anyone.

RJ Allen: Players seem caught off guard too. Which is never a great look.

Allison Cary: Yeah, their statements haven’t been a position reflection on the federation.

Charles Olney: Which makes me wonder about those players who contributed statements about the toxic environment. Are they just hanging back in silence, feeling like they were hung out to dry by this process? Are they feeling pressure to say positive things now, because that same toxic environment is lingering, as many of the players who liked Stajcic have said positive things?

It would be particularly cruel to make it even harder for players to be honest and clear about how they’ve been treated because the Federation doesn’t want to air their own dirty laundry.

RJ Allen: Without the details of what a “toxic environment” is, I’m not sure what to think. Does it mean not welcoming newer players or players without the pro polish to them? Does it mean abuse? Without details it’s left up to us to put name to it. Which is never good.

Allison Cary: Yeah, especially considering the England scandal is still fresh in a lot of people’s minds, it’s not hard to assume the worst.

Charles Olney: There have been some more details in some of the media reports that have come out after. Things like abusive comments, body shaming, harassment that’s unrelated to on-field performance. All of which does sound like a really negative culture. But none of those are official statements, so we still have to wonder. And yes, I totally agree with Allison that the context of the Mark Sampson affair absolutely can’t be forgotten.

RJ Allen: Seeing more senior players supporting Stajcic just makes it more difficult for everyone. Having Kerr and LDV and so on look like they are blind sided is going to make a lot of the fans question this all. Plus an assistant quit in protest.

Charles Olney: Alright, I think we’ll probably have more to say on this subject as we potentially get more information. But for now, why don’t we turn back to some more positives, and discuss the NWSL. We have the draft, and some trades to mull over. And I’m curious what y’all think about where teams stand going into 2019. Who has made progress? Anyone who looks like a good bet to break into the top 4? Anyone who made the playoffs last year that you think is in danger of dropping out?

Bearing in mind that this will be a strange year, where many of the top teams will be losing huge portions of their roster for half of the season or more. Is there anyone that will be relatively unharmed by the World Cup that looks poised to take advantage of that opportunity?

RJ Allen: North Carolina is going to win the league by > 9 points. NTers or no. That team will win on the underdog story all their “best” players are gone.

Allison Cary: Yeah, I agree.

RJ Allen: I think Chicago has a really good shot this year. Seattle with Groom will be fun too. And now that we’re in this part of the season I can’t wait for the Laura Harvey mega trade.

Allison Cary: Yeah, I like Utah.

Charles Olney: That’s definitely the thing that’s most been missing this offseason.

Allison Cary: Definitely.

Charles Olney: I’m personally very torn on Houston. I think there’s a decent chance that they suffer a bit of regression to the mean this year, dropping down a bit simply because they probably overperformed their talent a bit last year. On the other hand, they’ll have a roster that’s comparatively less hit by the World Cup. And maybe they actually take a step forward. If so, they could actually even sneak into a playoff spot. I’d certainly love to see a new team make the playoffs – whether Houston or Utah. It’s always good for a new set of fans to have a playoff team to support.

RJ Allen: If Daly is there all year, and I don’t think she will be, and Mewis the Elder is back, they have a really good shot.

Charles Olney: Anyone have any thoughts about Washington? Their new coach seems to think very highly of himself. Anyone believe that he’ll be able to back it up?

Allison Cary: Not really. I just haven’t seen anything promising.

RJ Allen: I think that he is going to have some :fire: quotes from post games.

Charles Olney: I’d like to believe they have a plan. But…it’s a little hard to see how it’s supposed to work. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for them, I guess.

Alright, any final thoughts on the world of women’s soccer before we wrap up for the day? Any other stories that have piqued your interest?

RJ Allen: I am so glad we got to see soccer from the US. I missed it.

Allison Cary: The Afghan women’s national team story has gone a little quiet. It’s hard not to feel pessimistic there, but I think it’s important to just mention it.

RJ Allen: I agree.

Charles Olney: Absolutely. There’s just so much depressing news out there. It can feel overwhelming trying to keep up with it all.

Allison Cary: Absolutely.

Charles Olney: That’s kind of a grim note to finish on, but I think that’s alright. There’s plenty to be excited about too, of course, but it’s important to always remember how much work there still is to do.

Alright, thanks everyone for participating, and thanks to the folks out there for reading. We’ve got a big year coming up and are excited to get to share it with you.

Backline Chat: Goodbye Go90, Hello Mexico, and the Tournament of Nations

Posted on by RJ Allen

Charles Olney (@olneyce): Hi everyone, and welcome to the Backline Soccer chat. Today we’re going to spend some time talking about international soccer, particularly the Tournament of Nations. But first, can we all pour one out for go90, which is officially shuffling off the stage today? Will anyone be lamenting its departure?

RJ Allen (@TheSoccerCritic): Do we know how the NWSL is handling who will be calling games? Because I can’t remember hearing about that.

Charles Olney: We can hope that they haven’t found anyone and we’ll just get crowd noise.

Becky Schoenecker(@Beckster20): That’s a pretty great take.

RJ Allen: Jon Lipsitz would do it really cheap, NWSL.

Allison Cary (@findingallison): I haven’t had to use the app in the last year, since I’ve been in the UK. But I can’t say I’ve seen anyone who is sad to see it go.

Charles Olney: I actually hope that they return to local broadcasters. I’ve been a pretty big critic of that approach in the past, but the more that I’ve soured on the current system, the more I’ve wondered if I was too harsh on the old approach. It would be nice to get some more perspective on the differences.

RJ Allen: I am a fan of local baseball broadcasters and that’s a lot of the feeling I got from the best of the local broadcasters from the NWSL in years past. So I’d be happy with that return.

Becky Schoenecker: Having announcers who are actually at the games is a huge positive if they’re able to swing it.

Allison Cary: It works well in other sports. I don’t see why it wouldn’t work for the NWSL.

RJ Allen: Some crews were not good. But there were some that were really fun. #BringBackAnnSchatz

Luis Hernandez: I guess I’ll take the opposite side here. I remember the broadcast team the Pride used year one. It wasn’t great. They sometimes didn’t know the player names or mispronounced them worse than the go90 team

Charles Olney: All that said, my guess is that they’ll retain the services of the same broadcasters we’ve been getting, since the actual production company is a separate institution, which was only sending the feed to go90.

RJ Allen: Way to be a downer, Charles.

Charles Olney: But in typical NWSL fashion, they probably won’t tell us anything one way or the other until 2 minutes before the games return.

RJ Allen: Likely you’re right though. But maybe next year we can either get the games on ESPN+ or another way where it’s more consistent.

Luis Hernandez: I like some of the broadcasters now. I just wish I had more of a tie with them as they called the game.

RJ Allen: Also on site would help. So much.

Luis Hernandez: Instead it’s like “who are you and why do I care about you calling the game?” I mean knowing Dan or Jen being the person who called games means something to me because I care/respect their opinions during the match.

Charles Olney: Alright, while we’re on the subject of the NWSL, I’ve got two other things I want to get some quick thoughts about. First: Sky Blue and Chicago had to cancel their game this weekend. Thoughts on that? Is this another example of the Mickey Mouse operation that Sky Blue is running, or just an unfortunate thing that will happen when you’re running a league on a small budget?

RJ Allen: I think it is showing that a lot of teams do not think long term ahead. Teams flay out less than 24 hours before a match in some cases which isn’t ideal for the players bodies. And when something goes wrong there isn’t enough time to sort it out either.

Luis Hernandez: It’s hard to be critical of an operation when the cause is weather, but part of me still kind of thinks that it was due to a Sky Blue screw up that just happened to be connected to the weather.

RJ Allen: Yes, was it bad luck. Sure. But bad luck keeps happening to them too.

Allison Cary: Yeah, it seems like it could have been avoided with better planning.

Luis Hernandez:Orlando learned about travel in the league the first year and now they give themselves two days in Portland and Seattle. What is Sky Blue’s excuse?

RJ Allen: The flights are cheaper. They take whatever flight is cheapest.

Luis Hernandez:The most recent West Coast swing saw the team stay out on the road instead of flying back to Florida. I assumed other teams did the same thing. Or did Sky Blue not have a west coast swing?

RJ Allen: They may have but this was a one off in terms of travel.

Charles Olney: Second NWSL-adjacent question: North Carolina just won the ICC, after winning matches against PSG and Lyon. How big a deal is this? I’ll start by noting that I literally did not know what ICC actually stood for, and just had to look it up. It’s the International Champions Cup. Not the International Criminal Court.

RJ Allen: I think it’s a 6/10. Yes, Lyon hasn’t played as a unit since May but their starts have played for NT since and it’s not like they are inexperienced players.

I really think it matters no matter if it is their preseason or not.

Allison Cary: I think beating Lyon is a statement. People often say Lyon is the best club in the world (myself included). Beating the best club in the world when you have players on NT duty? That’s impressive.

Luis Hernandez: I think it’s a huge deal that won’t get treated as such because those other teams are in preseason while the Courage are in midseason shape

If the script had been flipped I know the narrative would have been “Of course N.C. losses to OL, what did you expect?”

RJ Allen: I would also like to point out it wasn’t like every Courage player was in mid season form as a starter. Neil Morris has a great chart in one of his pieces that showed that a lot of the players hadn’t played or played much this year.

Charles Olney: I’d probably put it at a 5/10. It’s a preseason game, and it’s hard to overstate how unimportant results are in preseason games. But it’s still a cool result. And perhaps more important, I think it demonstrates just how seriously the North Carolina team buys into their message. To play that intensely, and to achieve that result, with a half-strength team shows just how committed they really are.

As we’ve discussed before, I would LOVE to see a full strength NC and Lyon facing off. This wasn’t that, but it was still cool.

Luis Hernandez: If anything I credit Paul Riley and this makes him a lock to me as coach of the year

RJ Allen: I would also like to point out it would be hard for these teams to both be at full power and play each other with how their seasons go. Possible, maybe but it would be at a very random or difficult time. It’s partly why I have issues with a club world cup.

Charles Olney: In the long term, I think a club world cup would be interesting and potentially could be taken more seriously than it ever could on the men’s side. The problem for the men is that all the best teams in the world play in Europe, so it’s a redundant event. But on the women’s side, there are GREAT teams that would otherwise never play. But I agree the logistics are tough.

Luis Hernandez: I’d rather see an Open Cup in the US before a club World Cup. Club World Cup is just a few steps below to me on priorities

RJ Allen: Oh lord. Pro teams should not play amateur teams.

Charles Olney: That’s an interesting topic, which we should cover soon here. But for now, let’s turn to the main topic at the moment: international soccer. In particular, the Tournament of Nations. I saw some folks saying that the US and Australia match this weekend was a potential preview of next year’s World Cup final. Do people agree that these are maybe the top two teams in the world right now?

RJ Allen: I think it could very well be a knock out game. But unless FIFA starts seeding teams better the Aussies and the US could play in the opening round for all we know.

Allison Cary: I think Australia and the US are two of the best teams in the world right now. But I agree with RJ’s point about seeding.

RJ Allen: I do think the Aussies are much higher than their 8th place FIFA ranking though. They have a lot of great players who work well together. And they were missing their starting outside back in this match.

Charles Olney: Personally, I don’t think it would be fair to set the US and Australia on a separate tier from some of the other competitors. But I wouldn’t argue if you wanted to call them 1A and 1B, with teams like England, France, etc. falling just a hair below them.

Allison Cary: For the record, I’m not saying they’re *the* best. But like RJ said, I think the Aussies are higher than 8th. I put them in a pretty elite class.

Charles Olney: For Australia, I think it was impressive how well the played in a game where Sam Kerr was very quiet. It can be tempting to think of them as primarily a vehicle for Kerr, but they absolutely aren’t. It’s a solid team from top to bottom.

RJ Allen: I was at the games in CT. There was a much, much different feeling watching the game between the US and Australia than there was for Japan and Brazil. The pace, what the players were doing, the way they were connecting and defending each other. All of it was just on another level for US v AUS.

Charles Olney: That’s a great point, RJ. And it provides some evidence that the Tournament of Nations matters, even if it’s fundamentally an imaginary, constructed event. By pitting these teams against each other twice in 12 months, it created an opportunity for a real rivalry.

Luis Hernandez: The main takeaway I get from ToN is that the USWNT has lost its mystique and intimidation factor. Other teams don’t fear the US anymore

RJ Allen: I don’t think that’s a bad thing though.

Luis Hernandez: I don’t think it is either. It should drive to make the team and players better.

Charles Olney: Regarding intimidation, when did the US really have that, though? Certainly not in the Olympics. Last World Cup? Didn’t feel like it. Before that? I’d maybe say that these games have been more about Australia showing that they’re ready to take on anyone.

RJ Allen: Maybe 2012?

I do think there is a pretty healthy respect between the teams in terms of knowing they have to go all out. You saw players working all 90+ minutes in a way the US rarely has to. The US doesn’t have to play 90 against many teams and the Aussies have quickly become one they do. And that is great to see.

Charles Olney: Agreed.

Luis Hernandez: I agree with RJ on this one too.

Charles Olney: Any other thoughts people have about the ToN? How is the US playing? Standouts or stars?

RJ Allen: Zerboni changed the way the US played when she came on. From the way Sauerbrunn lined up behind her to the way the midfield pushed up. I could see the change the second she came on in how players played.

Luis Hernandez: I thought Davidson bounced back nicely from her SheBelieves performance

Allison Cary: I’m really disappointed that Jill Ellis is only starting Naeher. I’d particularly love to see Franch get some playing time.

Luis Hernandez: And I’m here for Dunn on the back line.

RJ Allen: I am not. She got beat, a lot. In a lot of spots the camera might not have picked up. Seeing it was rough.

Luis Hernandez: With the level of talent of the team, I want all our good players on the pitch as we can, if it makes sense. I don’t think Press has had much of a ToN

Charles Olney: My lukewarm big picture take is that the US setup is basically working as intended, and while I don’t think it’s the best possible usage of the available talent, it’s a fairly user-proof, which is a nice feature. So while I’m not thrilled with their approach, I also am finding it a lot harder to get truly worked up about tactics and things. The US hasn’t lost in a year, playing all of the world’s best teams, and that’s not a total coincidence.

In particular, I’m ready to mostly stop complaining about the lack of buildup through the middle. That’s just not how this team is going to play, and while I wish they would do something different, it’s probably time to stop tilting at that windmill.

Luis Hernandez: It’s hard to screw up a 4-3-3

RJ Allen: I do think people get way, way, way too worked up about the “US being in a downfall and OMG everything is horrible”. They are playing well enough to beat pretty much every team in the top 10 or at least draw.

This is not the 2015 team and I’d really like to see people accept that.

Allison Cary: I think there is a section of US fans that want them to always be dominant, and that doesn’t really work well with the evolving nature of the sport. We want other countries to invest more and other teams to be better. Teams like Australia challenging the US is a good thing for women’s soccer. But it might mean the US not winning every game they play (although as RJ pointed out, they’re still winning most games).

Charles Olney: Okay, any final thoughts on individuals players, positive or negative?

RJ Allen: I think the US has to move on from the “Becky Sauerbrunn will always save us” mentality because frankly she can’t anymore. She is still very much an 8.5/10 player. But she isn’t 9.5/10 anymore.

Charles Olney: I think that’s fair. She remains a fantastic player, and the US is much worse-off when she can’t play. But she isn’t unbeatable. It’s strange that after so long with the defense being the team’s main strength, it’s become a significant weakness in 2018.

RJ Allen: Not having O’Hara hurt them more than I expected. As Sauerbrunn said in the video they did together, O’Hara’s energy can change a match.

Charles Olney: Alright, final topic: the rest of CONCACAF. Last night Mexico and Costa Rica played, in a likely matchup of two teams that will be vying for an automatic WC bid in a few months. Did people get a chance to watch it? Thoughts on either team?

RJ Allen: I’m glad teams in the same range are playing each other. I think it is a much better test for them than either playing the US and getting beaten 5-0.

Charles Olney: I’ve been impressed with the progress of the Mexican team. As you say, they can’t really hang with the US, but I thought they played well in those April friendlies. And it looks like the trajectory is continuing to move in a positive direction. I wonder if the success of Liga MX Femenil might have a role to play in that?

Luis Hernandez: I didn’t watch it but I followed it on Twitter.

RJ Allen: I hope they open Liga MX Femenil up to anyone able to play for Mexico next season.

Charles Olney: I’m particularly excited because one half of the group stage for WC qualifying will be happening down in my neck of the woods. They haven’t officially announced locations apart from the US and Canada, but I’m hoping that Mexico ends up in that pod. I’d love to get a chance to see them live a few more times. (edited)

RJ Allen: It would make sense for them to put Mexico in that group.

Luis Hernandez: I thought it was great for Mexico. As I tweeted the other day, I think the Mexican federation had to do something since it wasn’t getting a ROI for NWSL

Luis Hernandez: I could see the change the second she came on in how players played. Creating Liga MX Femenil is a result of it and it’s improved he Mexican squad by leaps and bounds.

RJ Allen: I rather Mexico improve their league than send players into the NWSL and not. I think having Liga MX Femenil and the NWSL both in North America is better for soccer overall. And maybe one day open it up to players outside of Mexico.

Luis Hernandez: I don’t think Mexico has peaked yet either

RJ Allen: Mexico is 25 right now. I think by 2023 they could get near 15 or 14 if they keep investing.

Allison Cary: It’s definitely getting football fans in Mexico excited. At least female football fans.

Luis Hernandez: I think it’s just fans overall. This is what happens when both the men and women sides can use the same team crest

Luis Hernandez: Which I think would be a huge marketing win if teams in NWSL could do that

RJ Allen: I do not like that idea at all, whatsoever. They are not Orlando City Women. They are the Orlando Pride. They are not the Portland Timbers Women. They are the Portland Thorns. And so on. (edited)

Luis Hernandez: Doesn’t seem to hurt attendance in Mexico

Charles Olney: As with many things, I can see the arguments on both sides. I think in an environment where soccer teams already have huge, dedicated audiences, tapping in can be very helpful. The US doesn’t really have that, and charting out an independent identity seems to make a lot more sense. But I also completely get the concern about being designated as a secondary team making it hard to get out from the under that shadow.

Luis Hernandez: And you get clearly identifiable rivals. If you had Seattle Sounders women vs Portland Timbers women I think the crowd would be even bigger

RJ Allen: No. Fuck no. Hell no. All day, every day, no.

Allison Cary: I can’t get past the idea that Charles mentioned. The women will always be seen as secondary if they don’t have their own identity.

Luis Hernandez: You’re against LA Galaxy Orange County Women’s?

RJ Allen: I am out if the league starts doing that. I’ll go cover cornhole or something on ESPN.

Luis Hernandez: I’m just saying it’s a crest thing (representing the club) regardless of gender of the team

RJ Allen: Why on earth shouldn’t a different team have their own crest? Are fans not smart enough to understand they are under the same umbrella?

Luis Hernandez: In English football, I support the Blackburn Rovers. So I have a built-in interest in Rovers women’s side

RJ Allen: And if they were the Blackburn Bluejays how would that change the interest?

Luis Hernandez: Same club, different teams

RJ Allen: I don’t understand why they can’t have their own name and crest but under the same umbrella and that is the same.

Luis Hernandez: It would be easier for me to follow a women’s side at the top flight so I can track it better. I just have a natural interest for Blackburn.

RJ Allen: If your problem is people can’t remember the names of the women’s clubs then I can’t help you.

Luis Hernandez: That’s not it. It’s about the crest.

RJ Allen: They are not second-class citizens. They do not need to default to the men’s crest.

Luis Hernandez: But you’re missing my point, it isn’t a men’s crest to me at all. Just a club crest. I am not putting gender on a team symbol. Does that make sense?

Charles Olney: I think I’m on Team RJ here, but I think it’s to some extent a product of different naming conventions. In the US nicknames are part of the name, full stop. In Europe, they’re often informal or virtually nonexistent.

Allison Cary: In the UK, if I’m talking about Chelsea Women, they are absolutely seen as secondary. And up until recently they were still “Chelsea Ladies.” That might be able to change if clubs took the initiative, but so far they haven’t. And they have much bigger brand power than MLS. I don’t see how it would benefit a US women’s team to have a unified crest with a men’s side, all I can see is the NWSL becoming even more of an afterthought than it already is.

Luis Hernandez: I get what you are saying Allison and I don’t think you’re wrong at all. But I also see it work in Mexico and as far as I know France so maybe it can happen.

Allison Cary: I don’t think it really works well in France. I went to the Lyon-PSG match in Lyon in the city’s main stadium and attendance was pretty awful. And that was supposed to be one of their biggest games of the year.

RJ Allen: Just because something works in one market, doesn’t mean it works everywhere. See Portland.

USWNT struggle again, Australia take full advantage

Posted on by RJ Allen

You know that saying “it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish?” Well that certainly was the case for the United States against Australia on Thursday night in Seattle in front of a cool 15,748 people. The first 15 minutes were solid from the Americans, showing wave after wave of pressure on the Matildas, with veteran midfielder Megan Rapinoe leading the effort.

The next 60 minutes, however, were a different story.

I will admit, I thought Australia put out a better lineup and they had the right personnel on the field. And though the Americans are ranked #1 in the world, their performance was far from it. Every position was make-shift; starting with the defense consisting of Becky Sauerbrunn, Abby Dahlkemper, Casey Short, and newcomer Taylor Smith. While they were solid for most of the night, the eventual game winner to Tameka Butt for the Aussies was from two poor attempts at clearing the ball. Mishaps we don’t often see from a United States backline.

I noticed we were passing it back to keeper Alyssa Naeher quite a bit. Several passing combinations between the keeper and the backline had fans gasping for a breath with the uncertainty if it was going to cost us a goal or not. Luckily it did not, but it could’ve easily produced a goal or two with how close the always-dangerous Aussie Sam Kerr was getting.

The midfield was an area that really struggled to find cohesion and rhythm all night. The lone bright spot was Rapinoe, who was racing up and down the flanks, creating opportunities for herself and the team alike and pressuring when she thought necessary. It was a relief in my eyes to see her bring her NWSL form to the National team after a spell away. Her fellow mids sprayed a few passes here and there but for long periods of time I forgot who was on the field in the midfield. Sam Mewis, Allie Long, and Mallory had a few quality moments throughout but for the majority it was disappointing.

Up top for the USWNT were Christen Press and Lindsey Horan, two players who are playing quite well for their respective NWSL clubs, Chicago and Portland. But they couldn’t find the right chemistry and when they did, Australian keeper Lydia Williams was up for the task.

Watching this American team on Thursday night, it was no secret there was some disconnect but Jill Ellis is still in her experimenting stage so in the future it could be something that works. I don’t want to take one game and use that as the sample size because that would not be fair. But at some point, when do we figure it out? I thought that point would be the SheBelieves Cup back in March, but here we are at the end of July and once again, we’re on the bottom of the table.

When Jill Ellis started bringing on the substitutes, I thought maybe our tactics would change, (you know, building an attack from the back, putting more players in the box) but I was wrong. Now in the last 10 minutes, sure, we showed some serious quality in our movement but that was due to being down and having that dreaded sense of urgency on home soil. Carli Lloyd, Kelley O’Hara, Morgan Brian, Crystal Dunn, and Alex Morgan all arrived later in the second half. Lloyd almost found an equalizer but once again Williams stood tall in goal against her Houston Dash teammate. Morgan and Dunn made their presence felt, pressuring the backline and pushing the ball forward with great pace but nothing to show for either.

Overall it was a lackluster performance from a team that continues to struggle at home, now having lost a total of three matches this year compared to three matches from 2001-2016. While we may be experimenting in nearly every position, it’s not pretty to watch. With this caliber of players, the talent we have in this country, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where we continue to lose in tournaments and something doesn’t give before the 2019 Women’s World Cup.

Tournament of Nations? More like Tournament of What-Ifs for the United States.

Clash of Titans: The USWNT vs AusWNT

Posted on by RJ Allen

The #1-ranked United States Women’s National Team will open the Tournament of Nations against a familiar opponent, Australia (#7). They have a record of 25-0-2 against the Matildas and will be looking to stay undefeated. The match is set for July 27 at 7 pm on ESPN and will be played at CenturyLink Field in Seattle.

 

The Lineups

Head coach Jill Ellis will be experimenting as has become the status quo for the US team. Her call-ups feature plenty of veterans, with a few newer faces and a small sample of youth as well.

  • Goalkeepers: Alyssa Naeher, Jane Campbell, Abby Smith
  • Defenders: Becky Sauerbrunn, Ali Krieger, Kelley O’Hara, Julie Ertz, Abby Dahlkemper, Casey Short, Taylor Smith.
  • Midfielders: Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe, Morgan Brian, Allie Long, Samantha Mewis, Margaret Purce.
  • Forwards: Alex Morgan, Crystal Dunn, Christen Press, Sydney Leroux, Mallory Pugh, Lindsey Horan, Lynn Williams.

Some notable players are currently unavailable due to injury, including Tobin Heath, Meghan Klingenberg, Rose Lavelle, Ashlyn Harris.

Australia is a dangerous team because they have two things that I love: youth and speed. It’s no secret they have always embraced their young talent Down Under and head coach Alan Stajic has continued to do just that. The Matilda’s ToN roster has an average age of 24, with two 17-year-olds (Ellie Carpenter and Princess Ibini) rounding out the bottom, while the oldest is Lisa De Vanna at 32.

  • Goalkeepers: Lydia Williams, Mackenzie Arnold.
  • Defenders: Clare Polkinghorne, Steph Catley, Laura Alleway, Alanna Kennedy, Caitlin Cooper, Ellie Carpenter, Gema Simon.
  • Midfielders: Katrina Gorry, Tameka Butt, Elise Kellond-Knight, Emily Van Egmond, Chloe Logarzo, Alex Chidiac.
  • Forwards: Sam Kerr, Lisa De Vanna, Hayley Raso, Emily Gielnik, Princess Ibini.

Notable players out due to injury; Kyah Simon, Michelle Heyman.

 

The History

The last time these two powerhouses met was back in 2015 at the opening match of Group D in the Women’s World Cup in Canada. Rapinoe led the Americans to a 3-1 win by scoring a brace while Press also contributed a goal in the second half. The United States would go on to win their third star while the Matildas reached the quarter-finals but would go no further thanks to eventual second-place Japan.

In 2016 the tables turned a bit for both countries in the Olympics. The Americans would crash out of the tournament in the quarterfinals (the earliest exit in history) while Australia took a devastating loss to Brazil (again on penalties) in the quarterfinals as well. Both teams had high expectations but were eliminated from the Games in stunning fashion. 2017–for both teams–has been a year of experimenting and figuring out how to prepare for the next major tournament as the cycle begins again, the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France.

 

The Match

The United States will want to put on a better performance than their last home tournament, the She Believes Cup back in March, where they took fourth behind France, Germany, and England. They made a better showing last month in their first overseas friendlies in years, when they managed 1-0 wins over Norway and Pia Sundhage’s Sweden last month. Australia surely feel the same need to prove something after they finished third in the Algarve Cup in March with a shocking loss to Denmark in penalties.

Players to watch for both U.S and Australia will be Megan Rapinoe and Sam Kerr. Rapinoe has been in remarkable form for her NWSL side Seattle Reign, scoring a league-leading 12 goals, including a hat-trick on July 22 in a thrilling 5-4 in over Sky Blue. Kerr has equally been impressive with Sky Blue, netting 11 goals so far this season. Rapinoe and Kerr will surely give the opposing defense some challenges if they can translate their NWSL club play onto the international stage at this tourney.

Unsung Hero of the Week: So Calm, So Cool, So Catley

Posted on by RJ Allen

In this weekly series, I will be highlighting a player from the weekend who was their respective team’s unsung hero, win or lose. A player who does the dirty work, does the little but important things in a game and someone who didn’t exactly fill up the stat sheet but found other ways to contribute.

This week I’ve chosen Orlando Pride defender Steph Catley.

The 23-year-old Australian international has appeared in 23 games for Orlando, already making a place for herself in women’s soccer history. Catley scored the first ever goal for the Pride in its inaugural season on April 21st, 2016. Sometimes I forget just how young she is but then I remember this young talent has already made 57 appearances for the National team. But I also need to give some credit to Australia’s coaches, as they are known for young talent and putting them into the squad as teenagers and finding success (Sam Kerr, Kyah Simon, Caitlin Foord and Hayley Raso to name a few).

Orlando 0-1 Chicago

While Orlando may have lost this game, (thanks to a penalty by Christen Press in the 68th minute) I do think it was one of their best efforts on the year. Steph Catley was a player who stood out on the night, starting the game strong in her left back position. Her first call to action was in the third minute as she raced down the sideline to receive a beautiful ball from Toni Pressley, splitting the two defenders who tracked her down (Alyssa Mautz and Taylor Comeau). She found fellow Australian Alanna Kennedy for the trailing ball a few yards from the Pride’s 18, takes a shot at serving up Rachel Hill in the box but her effort was a bit strong over the top.

Right off the bat, we see Catley attempting to put pressure on the Red Stars outside backs, showing not only her aggressiveness but her ability to get forward and find that space on the left side. I am an avid supporter of defenders who want to get involved in the attack and Catley is just one example who can do that on a consistent basis.

I thought Catley and Jasmyne Spencer worked well together, combining down in the offensive third (in the form of give-n-go or overlapping) for the Pride on several occasions and earning Orlando corners which they totaled six in the first half alone. With the awareness of Catley and the speed of Spencer, they could spread out Chicago for a period of stretches in the first half by exploiting the space once again on the left side.

In the first half, Orlando controlled possession nicely (70%), building an attack from the back significantly better than Chicago, which allowed them to dictate the pace of the game early on. The start of that success was the backline of Orlando, consisting of Catley, Ali Krieger, Kristen Edmonds and Toni Pressley. The organization allowed Catley to venture up as far as she wanted, knowing she had the capability to ignite the offense and it could pay off at some point.

In the second half, we finally saw Catley make a play in Pride’s end, showing her defensive prowess. The first major one being in the 58th minute when she read a sneaky seam pass from Vanessa DiBernardo in the middle of the park. By recovering to make a sliding tackle just outside the 18 on a ball that was on its way to Press, Catley prevented a dangerous 1V1 with Orlando keeper Audrey Bledsoe. It was a beautiful pass and if Catley hadn’t stretched out for it, surely Press would’ve made the backline pay for letting her slip through the cracks. It was really the first time in the run of play that Catley was called upon after spending most of the first 45 on the offensive end for the Pride.

Just a few minutes later in the 62nd minute, Catley was busy breaking up a play in a 1V1 situation on the right side of the box. Again, it was DiBernardo with the ball, this time looking to switch it to her left for potential service, Catley got a foot on it just in time to clear it another 10 yards from goal. A play that momentarily gave Orlando a breather as Chicago had been pressuring relentlessly for the last few minutes.

Catley was the best player on the field for Orlando in my opinion, her versatility clearly being showcased all throughout the game, doing a little bit of everything to help her team. She created just about every corner for Orlando, her service into the box showed promise, she worked tirelessly all game down the left side to find space and did her defensive duties to a tee all night. She was absolutely outstanding and a joy to watch against a tough Chicago team.

Catley is a key player that needs to continue her form if Orlando want to stay alive in the playoff hunt. The Pride are currently sitting in sixth place with four wins, five losses, and three draws on the season.