Tag: Brazil

Women’s World Cup Daily: June 23

Posted on by Backline Soccer

Round of 16, Day 2

England 3 – 0 Cameroon

I have to admit that I don’t have the emotional energy to provide a ton of commentary on this game. There was just too damn much going on.

Obviously, the major story was the refereeing, and Cameroon’s response. At several points they seemed on the verge of literally walking off the field. At others they were pointing at the big screen insistent that it proved them right, when it very much did not. And the fouls…oh dear, all the fouls.

So rather than trying to digest it all, I will split my comments into a few bullet points, first on the match itself and then on the meta-match.

The game

1. England played exceptionally well in the opening 20 minutes, and showed in that period why they should be considered legitimate contenders.

2. England played like garbage in the next thirty minutes, and showed why they could easily lose to Norway in the quarterfinals.

3. That said, I don’t think you can draw too many conclusions from this match about England’s future prospects. They’re not going to play anyone like this again, and they certainly won’t play through this kind of chaos, or deal with the emotional thunderstorms of this game. England looked completely lost for much of the early second half, but you can understand why. At least Cameroon had anger to focus their attention. England had to stand around for long periods just feeling bewildered.

4. Cameroon did very well to execute their plan. They got beat – badly, and repeatedly – in the midfield, but their defenders were fantastic as stepping up to clear up the messes before they had a chance to explode. They posed a real threat on the counter, and could easily have scored a couple. But in the end it was always going to take a huge amount of luck, and they didn’t get it. The other events of the game will overshadow it, but they did about as well as you could reasonably expect in this game.

The discourse

1. Cameroon’s players absolutely lost their cool, and it was to their own detriment. None of the calls were wrong, even if they were extremely frustrating. Emotions were riding high, but it would have been good if they and/or their coaches had been able to pull things back a bit quicker than they did. It’s also not great to accuse the officials of rigging the game against you, especially when the calls were all correct, albeit close.

2. That said, they did rein things in pretty quick. As noted above, it was England who looked the most out of sorts for quite a while in the second half. Cameroon played better in the second half, even with what must have been a thousand volts of adrenaline running through them.

3. We also need to talk about the larger story here. Many of these players live on the margins of professional soccer. As much as emotions ride high in an event like the men’s World Cup, there are some relatively cushy fallbacks for players. Here, not so much. The stakes are enormous.

4. It also has to be said that the referee bears some of the blame for this. Once again, the communication was poor. The various VAR referrals were not well explained. And those things can build. Once you feel that the system is rigged, you will be even less inclined to listen the next time. It also seems to me that she genuinely felt bad for Cameroon and wanted to let them vent. But at a certain point, it just meant that the game fell completely out of her control.

5. Broadening the scope even more, as with our conversation about Nigeria yesterday, it is extraordinarily frustrating how people seem to be unable or unwilling to see how their depiction of black athletes can contribute to racial stereotyping in extremely harmful ways. That’s not an excuse for bad behavior, of course, but it’s absolutely a reason to seriously interrogate our assumptions of what counts as ‘bad’ behavior, and what interests are served by policing it in that way.

6. To wrap this up, I absolutely don’t think that Cameroon covered themselves in glory today, and I certainly think it’s necessary for there to be genuine and serious criticism of some of the things they did. Not just the reactions to the refereeing decisions, but also the rough play, the spitting, etc. But the choice about how to engage in that criticism is an important one. Far too many people today leapt to outrage. Far too few took any time to consider the context. And that ultimately may end up being far worse for the world than anything the Cameroon players did.

France 2 – 1 Brazil (aet)

France certainly did not look like the tournament co-favorite that we all have been calling them. They managed only a handful of shots on goal over the course of the whole game, and struggled mightily to create any sort of dangerous attacking moves. The whole night, they focused almost exclusively on attacking with width and then sending in crosses. But their delivery was generally poor, and on the few occasions that Gauvin could get her head to the ball, it didn’t produce much.

There was one exception in the first half – an opening goal which was disallowed on review by VAR. To my eyes it was a good goal, and should have been allowed to stand. Who knows if that lead might have changed things. But it wasn’t allowed, and so it took until the 52nd minute before Gauvin got her goal. For once, instead of simply reaching the end line and then immediately sending in the cross, Diani chose to cut inward, beating a defender and giving herself less distance to cover with her cross, and a better angle. This time, the goal stood, and France had their lead.

While Brazil didn’t exactly come roaring back, they did begin to pose a bit more of an attacking threat, often led by Debinha who I must (begrudgingly, given my past critiques) admit was Brazil’s player of the tournament, by a mile. She raced into the space left open by Torrent, the French right back, and left Bussaglia – who could theoretically have tracked her – in her dust. From there, a dangerous cross whipped in left Renard with little choice but to weakly tap a clearance down into the penalty area. The waiting Thaisa thanked her for the gift by burying her shot.

And that was it for regular time. France certainly pushed, and seemed like they might get the winner. They were helped by the departure of Formiga, both because it removed an intelligent player from the field, and because Brazil simply didn’t have a similar replacement. Andressinha is a nice player, but simply can’t do the defensive work to control a midfield. France responded by bringing on Thiney, restoring their traditional 4-2-3-1, and finally started to look more like the France that was dominant earlier in the tournament. And yet…they couldn’t find their goal.

But finally, in extra time, the dam started to crack. France began pouring on the pressure. They brought in Delphine Cascarino who provided a breath of fresh air, and the pace out wide that had been missing. And it was only a matter of time. Eventually, it was (who else) Amandine Henry that actually delivered the winning goal. And for all of the good work Brazil put in over 120 minutes, it’s impossible to say it wasn’t deserved.

France weren’t good today. But they were good enough.

And so the fated showdown between the US and France remains on track. If the US can indeed win tomorrow, the last piece will be in place. And it will all come together this Friday, at the Parc des Princes. On the evidence of the tournament so far, the US will be favored, but I’d be very careful to avoid overinterpreting recent results. This France team had a rough day today, but they remain incredibly good. And unlike the US, they will come into the game having already faced some serious challenges. That could make them more fragile. But it could also make them more resilient. Only time will tell.

Notes

I am in England for the next few days (see the image featured above for evidence). I was hoping to catch the England game today in a pub with locals, but sadly wasn’t able to find anywhere with much excitement for the game. The tournament is doing good business up here, by all accounts, but I couldn’t find much evidence of it in town. But I’ll continue to poke around and see what I can find.

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 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.

The Unknown International: Andressinha

Posted on by RJ Allen

The NWSL may be the American women’s soccer league, but some of their strongest players come from all around the world. This series will look at some of those internationals that you may not know a lot about. Each article will highlight their style of play, the role they play on their national team, and the role they play in their club.

This week we will be looking at Brazilian international Andressinha of the Houston Dash.

What Does She Do?

Andressinha is a 22-year-old attacking midfielder. She is one of the numerous Brazilian players in the NWSL. Among these include names like Marta, Camila, and Monica of the Orlando Pride; Debinha of the North Carolina Courage; and Poliana, Andressinha’s teammate on the Houston Dash. Andressinha is one of many young Brazilian players making a name for themselves in the NWSL.

Brazilian National Team

Andressinha has been with the Brazilian national team since 2012. She has nine goals in 23 caps with the team, and competed in both the 2015 Women’s World Cup and the 2016 Rio Olympics. She is currently competing in the Tournament of Nations, where she played a full 90 minutes in the 1-1 draw against Japan and scored two goals in Brazil’s 4-3 loss to the United States. The Brazilian national team, and Andressinha along with them, have been steadily improving since 2015. Their critical matches in recent tournaments have come against Australia. Australia knocked them out of the 2015 Women’s World Cup, and they subsequently knocked them out of the 2016 Rio Olympics. Both teams are strong and on the rise, full of young talent and getting better with each match.

Houston Dash

Andressinha has made 25 starts in 27 appearances for the team over the past two years. This season she has already scored two goals and three assists. She is improving more and more as the season goes on and as she gets more playing time. Andressinha has played a crucial role in the Dash’s six-game undefeated streak, earning Player of the Week in Week 13 after scoring the game-winning goal against the Washington Spirit. She was credited with creating two goal-scoring opportunities in that game and had an 87% passing accuracy.

Andressinha is a player that is constantly improving with both her club and her country. At just 22-years-old, she has much more time to grow her game, especially as she continues to get more minutes with both Brazil and the Houston Dash.

Around the World of WoSo

Posted on by RJ Allen

As part of a new series at Backline Soccer, I will be discussing and offering my opinion on a weekly basis, gathering news and topics from all over the world in women’s soccer. That includes (but is not limited to) the U.S. Women’s National Team, National Women’s Soccer League (U.S.), NCAA, and international matters as well.

Let’s start with the good news:

The NWSL is back:

After a two-week Olympic break, the NWSL is back in action. Last week marked the return of USWNT member Ali Krieger to Washington as the Spirit beat Houston 2-1 to claim top spot in the standings. In front of a solid crowd of 5,012, this makeup game (rescheduled from May) proved to be worth the wait. With two beautifully constructed goals from Christine Nairn, the Spirit were on their way to another shutout (seven on the year), but the Dash’s leading scorer, Kealia Ohai, had something to say about that. She managed a goal in the 90th minute to bring her total to five on the season.  In the next week or so, U.S. and foreign international players should be returning to their respective teams. The next game is scheduled for August 26th, as Washington travels to Orlando to take on the Pride. With five weeks left, teams will be looking to make a final push in hopes of earning a playoff spot.

College Soccer is underway:

The 2016 women’s campaign has started, with ACC and SEC powerhouses already colliding, as first-ranked Florida State opened the season by defeating eighth-ranked Texas A&M 1-0 in a tough battle at Ellis Field. Another top 10 encounter saw West Virginia and reigning champions Penn State take a 1-1 draw in a grueling double overtime contest. Santa Clara and USC played a thrilling match that was finally decided in overtime, a 3-2 decision in favor of the Broncos.  Plenty of talent on display every week as young players are eager to make their mark while veterans look to lead their teams to the promised land. That’s what is so great about college soccer—a star could be found anywhere. Sure, big name schools usually have great recruiting classes, but smaller schools in Division I are full of surprises that will unfold throughout the season.

The planned retirement of Silvia Neid:

Ok, so this isn’t exactly the best news, but I feel we should take this opportunity to celebrate what she has done for women’s soccer in Germany over the last few decades. While she is stepping away as head coach, she will now take part in setting up a scouting department for women’s soccer at the GFB (German Football Association). In charge since 2005, Neid has certainly set the standard for women’s soccer in her home country. Under her direction the German Women’s National Team won the 2007 World Cup, two EURO titles in 2009 and 2013, Olympic Bronze in 2008, and now an Olympic Gold, to add to her long list of accomplishments. Neid first captured my attention in that 2007 tournament when she took down Marta and Brazil to claim the championship. What was most impressive about that run was the fact that they didn’t give up a single goal and scored an impressive 21 goals in 6 games. Neid has always shown a desire for winning, and she has done it on every stage.

It wouldn’t be a conversation about Neid if I didn’t mention her choices over the years when it comes to her game-day outfits. She has set the bar extremely high when it comes to fashion on the sidelines. Seriously. Neid has shown an impeccable style and a quiet intensity to match. What I will miss most about Neid on the sidelines is the way she carried herself and the way she wanted the team to carry itself. The expectations were to be champions every year, whether that be the World Cup, Olympics, or Euros—she has done it all. Twice named FIFA World Coach of the Year (2010 & 2013) and hailed by many as the greatest female to ever coach, I forever applaud what she has done for the game as a whole and hope the work she has completed be remembered for a long time.

Moving on to the bad news:

Brazil failing to medal in Rio:

This team always has high expectations as long as Marta is on the field. With fellow veteran Formiga once again in the mix and leading the way, this team could’ve and probably should’ve medaled. As the host country of the Olympic Games, the pressure was probably the highest it’s ever been; even for a women’s team that has not quite been embraced like the men’s side has in its rich history. When they finally reached the bronze medal match, it was not secret they looked tired after playing in back-to-back 120 minutes + penalty kicks in a win vs. Australia in the quarterfinals and a loss to Sweden in the semifinals. Add on the travel Brazil had to do and (not to diminish Canada’s effort) Marta and Brazil just didn’t have enough left to earn that Bronze medal. Not medaling in these games was extremely disappointing, I do find it comforting that in the last game for Brazil was in front of 70,000 excited fans. Which is something that rarely is achieved for the women’s side. And to be embraced for these last few weeks—I know it meant the world to the players who have worked so hard to grow the game in their beloved country.

Brazil Federation still not supportive:

Even with arguably the best player in the game since she was 18, no matter what Marta does to lead her team, Brazil’s soccer federation still doesn’t want to put in the time, money, and resources to support their women’s national team. With plenty of clubs and schools dedicated to males all across the country, they refuse to invest in their female counterparts. With such a proud and successful history, as a whole, within the soccer world, why not support the women who wish to play; who could be the next Marta? During these Games, Brazilians went to games, cheered for the women’s team; created such a memorable atmosphere for them to play in. Isn’t that enough evidence to start seriously investing?  Moving forward and thinking about the next big tournament (the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France), can the women’s team survive another cycle? I sincerely hope this is not the last time we see Marta and her incredibly talented teammates on the field at the biggest stage. It would be cruel and wrong of Brazil’s federation to continue to treat the women’s team like this, with such little respect and recognition. They have more than earned a place in the sport.

Injury for USC Senior:

Not to be drastic or to undermine the talent of the 11th-ranked Trojans this season, but a knee injury to starting center back Dominique Randle (Red Shirt) in the preseason has certainly caught my attention. No stranger to injury (she was forced to redshirt freshman year and saw no playing time in 2013 due to injury), resilience and patience are things she has plenty of. Randle started all 23 games in 2015 and only allowed 11 goals through 20 games (a conference best). She earned PAC-12 Defensive Player of the Week (August 17-23) and went on to lead her team to the third round (Sweet 16) of the NCAA College Cup before losing to top-seeded Virginia 2-0. With the loss of Randle, I do expect the younger players to step up and fill that role nicely. Even with a tough schedule early on, with returning defensive players Sammy Jo Prudhomme (GK) and Kayla Mills (PAC-12 DPOY), I still predict USC doing well and once again making an appearance in the College Cup.