USA-BRAZIL EXPRESS:
March 10 in San Diego, California
USA 1 Brazil 0. Goal: Horan 45+1.
Att.: 31,528.
Confetti unfurled into the mild Southern California evening, and beneath those tiny shiny strands of paper, the U.S. women’s national team reveled in a new piece of silverware.
On Sunday night, at Snapdragon Stadium, the USA ground out a 1-0 win over Brazil in a disjointed 2024 Gold Cup final that was low on attacking quality but high on atmosphere from the stands. The tournament-winning goal came just before halftime via a Lindsey Horan header at the back post from eight yards out. It was the 29-year-old’s 34th strike for her country.
It is fitting, in some ways, that as the USA attempts to move forward, after a record low point in 2023, it also looks back. The Americans put in a vintage performance of yesteryear against Brazil. As they have throughout the knockout rounds of the 2024 Gold Cup, they handled the occasion better than their opponents. They were full of fight, stiffness and obstinance.
Although Brazil registered more possession, 57%, and total shots, 11, than the USA’s 43% and seven respectively; the South Americans didn’t hit a single shot on target. Having begun with an opening salvo of promising chances around the USA box during the first half, the Brazilians appeared stunned to be going down at the break against the run of play and truly never found themselves beyond the odd set piece.
USA Player Ratings
(1=low; 5=middle; 10=high.)
GOALKEEPER
After her legendary heroics against Canada in the previous match, Alyssa Naeher was given a much-needed night off against Brazil. According to the stats, the USA veteran didn’t have a single save to make in the match. The Selecao peppered shots from around the box, but failed to find the frame. A solid two-handed grab at the near post, from a Yasmim-crossed free kick, unleashed a loud roar from the crowd in the 69th minute.
Player (Club) caps/goals (age)
5
Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars) 102/0 (35)
DEFENDERS
For the third match in succession interim head coach Twila Kilgore started the two former Stanford alums, Naomi Girma and Tierna Davidson, as the USA’s central defenders. The only defensive change from the semifinal against Canada saw Crystal Dunn replace Gotham FC teammate Jenna Nighswinger at left back.
Dunn didn’t take away from the USA’s defensive shape at all. The outside back put in an admirable display without having any standout moments. She was most commonly found playing more narrow in order to push the Brazilian front three wider. Her positioning was strong, and kept the visitors out of the box, and she won key duels against Gabi Portilho.
In the stadium of her club, the San Diego Wave, it was another match where Girma looked completely at home. She marshaled Brazil forward Bia Zaneratto so well that one barely noticed she was on the field for 81 minutes. Girma was brilliant at winning aerial battles and shielding the ball when longer balls flew behind the USA backline.
By Girma’s side, Davidson looked solid. Crosses came in and were dealt with seamlessly. She looked eager to get rid of the ball, clear her lines, rather than try and do anything more creative in possession. That safety first mentality helped to get the narrow win, and lift the silverware.
Emily Fox was a rare outlet on the wings, but she notched the vital assist for Horan’s winning goal by launching a big cross to the back post from the right wing. In the second half, she appeared more shackled and less adventurous, but she never got overwhelmed in defensive duels.
Player (Club) caps/goals (age)
6
Crystal Dunn 143/24 (Gotham FC) (31)
7
Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave) 29/0 (23)
6
Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars) 54/0 (25)
7
Emily Fox (Arsenal, ENG) 44/1 (25)
MIDFIELDERS
The moment of the match hinged on one piece of midfield excellence from Sam Coffey. Her tackle and pre-assist for the Horan goal was sensational. The USA’s defensive midfielder raced to challenge Duda Sampaio at the halfway line, and after quickly securing the ball, she then lasered a cross-field pass to Trinity Rodman, who was breaking away on the right wing.
Despite a couple of 50/50 refereeing calls not going her way, the Thorns midfielder tackled very well on the night. A great mix of tough and technical.
Captain Lindsey Horan buried her header when she needed to and undoubtedly was the USA’s biggest goal threat in the box. It was hard to get touches in the box, and find passing combinations in the half-spaces. Although the Lyon player also struggled to lead the press and force turnovers from the Brazilian centerbacks, she showed a lot of grit to win balls in the midfield and on set pieces.
Korbin Albert’s superb control under pressure in the midfield, spinning in and out of tackles, was almost a metaphor for the USA as a whole. A lot was thrown at her and she didn’t crumble, she stood strong and didn’t make a mistake. A valuable safety valve who could maintain possession and shift around the midfield.
Player (Club) caps/goals (age)
7
Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns) 13/1 (25)
7
Lindsey Horan (Lyon, FRA) 144/34 (29)
6
Korbin Albert (Paris St. Germain, FRA) 7/0 (20)
FORWARDS
A night to forget for the forward line, in particular the starters, who struggled to put Brazil’s back under much real pressure. Fatigue had perhaps set in from the semifinal and hampered the high-press.
There’s no two ways about it, Alex Morgan has had a reinvigorating 2024 Gold Cup. But the two-time World Cup winner looked off the pace in San Diego on Sunday. Clumsy in possession, she misplaced a through ball to Trinity Rodman, on a promising breakaway attack in the first half. Not long after, Morgan mis-controlled a one-on-one against Luciana. And then, having been booked for a pushing foul just after halftime, was lucky not to be sent off in the 59th minute when she collided into Tarciane, who was shielding the ball. Kilgore swiftly removed her seconds after the incident .
There has been a lot of debate about whether or not Rose Lavelle is best suited to playing as a wide forward. Her instincts, and skillset, will demand her to cut in rather than attack down the sideline. On the basis of tonight, the verdict is that the Gotham midfielder is better suited to either playing a more advanced central role behind the striker or playing in midfield where she can drive forward and take players on in tighter spaces. She struggled to dictate, or leave a mark, on the final. Zero shots, zero chances created.
Rodman had the best showing of any of the starting forwards, but that’s a low bar. Mostly her steely ability off the ball helped pin back Brazil’s wing backs and her strong mentality was on full display. It was a steadfast defensive showing from the forward. Most importantly, the 21-year-old was not intimidated by her opponents. Rodman physically matched up well against Brazil, and put in many rugged tackles. Very few runs that she made to stretch the field in the attack paid off, but she was heavily involved in the USA goal.
Player (Club) caps/goals (age)
4
Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave) 221/123 (34)
6
Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit) 34/7 (21)
4
Rose Lavelle (Gotham FC) 98/24 (28)
SUBSTITUTES
The USA were crying out for prowess on the wings and in the high press, so it made a lot of sense when Kilgore turned to Lynn Williams at halftime as an alternative to Lavelle.
The 30-year-old almost had a goal for a lovely curling close range finish, but it was rightly called offside. By and large it was a good performance for Williams, who helped keep Brazil at bay with her intensity.
Just before the hour, Sophia Smith came on for Morgan. The Portland Thorns forward’s movement and presence seemed to unsettle the Brazilian backline, who quickly fouled her several times. Given the USA started to get more defensive as the game wore on, this wasn’t a starring night for the nimble striker.
Even as a late replacement for Dunn, in the 86th minute, Casey Krueger made a big impact coming off the bench. A couple of vital clearances in second-half stoppage time were required to snuff out Brazil’s final attempts to score. She appeared well-drilled and focused when defending direct balls into the box. An impressive defensive cameo.
Player (Club) caps/goals (age)
6
Lynn Williams (Gotham FC) 63/18 (30)
5
Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns) 44/15 (23)
6
Casey Krueger (Washington Spirit) 45/0 (33)
5
Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave) 10/5 (19)
5
Midge Purce (Gotham FC) 30/4 (28)
TRIVIA: After her goal tonight, Lindsey Horan has had a goal involvement in four of the five competitive finals that she has appeared in (3 goals, 1 assist).
NOTABLE: After tonight, the USWNT has won 10 consecutive final appearances in a row, that it has competed in. The last final defeat came at the 2011 World Cup, against Japan.
UP NEXT: In April, the USA will head off to Atlanta to take on Japan at the SheBelieves Cup.
March 10 in San Diego, California
USA 1 Brazil 0. Goal: Horan 45+1.
USA — Naeher; Fox, Girma, Davidson, Dunn (Krueger, 86); Coffey (Shaw, 71), Horan, Albert; Rodman (Purce, 71), Morgan (Smith, 59), Lavelle (Williams, 46).
Brazil — Luciana; Antonia, Tarciane, Thais; Adriana, Duda Santos (Yaya, 57), Sampaio (Bianchi, 80), Yasmim; Portinho, Nunes (Geyse, 65), Zaneratto (Debinha, 79).
Yellow cards: USA — Morgan 55. Brazil — none. Red cards: none.
Referee: Melissa Borjas (Honduras). ARs: Shirley Perello (Honduras), Lourdes Noriega (Honduras). 4th official: Odette Hamilton (Jamaica). VAR: Tatiana Guzman (Nicaragua). AVAR: Daneon Parchment (Jamaica).
Att.: 31,528.
Stats:
USA/Brazil
Shots: 7/11
Shots on target: 3/0
Saves: 0/2
Corner Kicks: 4/3
Fouls: 15/8
Offside: 2/3
Possession: 43%/57%
Certainly happy for the win and it was obvious that neither side is fully put together. Next up April.
Truer Words were Never Spoken(Texted)
You all Know what Santi says;
JUST WIN BABY, WIN🥇🏆
Happy for the win too. A gutty performance if not a beautiful one. The team showed spirit and some of the youngsters showed well. I thought Coffey had a very good game and was surprised when she was taken off. Fox did well too but the other high rankings are odd to me. I thought Dunn had a horrible night. She seemed caught out of position quite a bit and her passing was terrible. Same for Girma. Lots of panic balls out of the back to no one in particular.
Lots of strange coaching decisions too. Why not start Shaw? Lavelle is not a wing, she needs to play centrally underneath the strikers. Horan is not a 10. She moves laterally too much and her slow first step and decision making leads to her getting trapped too much. She’s an 8. On this roster she should split time with Albert and Coffey in the double pivot. I think the international game has passed Dunn by and why do they keep playing Smith as a target forward? She is not good with her back to goal. How many times did she turn into pressure and lose possession? Final thing that bugged me was reckless high pressing that let the Brazilian players too easily use our attackers momentum against them to escape pressure and dribble into wide open space.
Lots of work is needed if we hope to beat any of the Euro squads in Paris.
Old Coach; You Scare me, are you my Doppelganger.???
You saw Exactly what I saw..🥸🤓👀👁️( I was Posting during the game; on the Pre-Game Article)
Old Post Recall; from Sweden Loss WC23
Santiago 1314 says:
September 19, 2023 at 5:25 pm
4(5-1) Crystal Dunn
She Continues to Be an “Event Horizon”( I would say Black Hole, but someone would probably accuse me of Racism)
The Ball goes into her and IT NEVER COMES OUT.!!!
Poor 1st Touch that Always requires her to Spend Time and Energy to Recollect the Ball, and in the Meantime, the Next Play in the Rhythm has Been Closed Down and Disappears, and then it’s Battle 1v1 and the Ball ends up Out of Bounds or Kicked Away Aimlessly…
Probably not her Fault as she is NOT Really a Left Back…
Would be interesting to see if her Poor Touch Twitchiness could help in the Attacking Mid Area or at Rt Wing.
She did a Good Job Defensively, as she usually does… Very Hard to get by her.
(-1.???… You Guessed it probably by Now…. NO HAND OVER HEART DURING NATIONAL ANTHEM)
Santiago 1314 says:
September 19, 2023 at 5:25 pm
2- Lyndsey Horan
She didn’t “BOSS THE GAME”
As Frank and I have Pointed Out, She has Plateaued..
Granted, it’s a Pretty High Level, but with her Abilities, She should be able to Put her Foot on the Ball and Bounce People OFF Her, as She Drives to Goal or Holds the Ball to Draw Fouls or Multiple Defenders to her, Thereby Opening Up Other players that she can Dish Off To.
TOTAL FAILURE Today… she had All kinds of Space in that RT Midfield Quadrant that she was Floating in, But Rarely did she Control the game like she Should have. Did make some good Relays out to Fox and Rodman/Williams… Had a Tremendous Shot that I still don’t know how that GK saw it, Much Less Saved It
2024… Got to find some way to keep her on the Field for the Headers… Only thing she Really seems “Good” at anymore…. Abby Wambach Type CF … or McKenNIE #6/8
Maybe we are long lost twins
🧑🤝🧑 Brothas from anotha Motha
YES… YES… YES.!!!! Campeones,,, Campeaones… Ole, Ole, Ole, !!!
TODAY, the USWNT, became the USMNT and Showed HOW TO WIN A TROPHY ON USA SOIL.!!!! 10s for EVERYONE.!!!
Gritty Win with Much Work to Do,
Way to get the job done and Congratulations!! Got up at 1am. Actually glad for the time change in the US as I got to go back to bed before getting up again for work. This is the second player rating by this author and I can say again that I do not agree with the ratings as a whole.
Old Coach, I agree that Coffey was our best player of the evening. She was able to set the tone in the midfield. The worse player IMO was Rodman again. She offers no support on the outside to break pressure, and her passing is just terrible. Again Williams showed why she is a better choice even at age 30. I disagree the Lavelle can’t play on the wing. There was no connectivity in an part of the field so you cannot make this judgement as there was no build-up play . The US continues to misfire and cannot connect any type of passing and playing rhythm regardless of who is on the pitch. This will see us exit the group stage at the Olympics. The European teams will bury us with the constant mistakes in every part of the field.
Brazil was the better team in all other aspects of play with the exception of the goal scoring. Their final third struggle helped us. Much of this can be attributed to the backline bending but not breaking. Old Coach, I think Dunn had a decent game from a defensive standpoint. No one passed decently in this game. I think we could shift to a back 3 line with Girma, Dahlkamper/Davidson and Krieger. We can then play Fox, Nighswonger, or Dunn as wingbacks which will help us immensely in the midfield battle and take the pressure off of Horan. It was blatantly obvious she cannot play on top. I agree she is an 8. Can be another in the double pivot, but I don’t think it is a good fit with no recovery speed. She is not known for her defending. We like to press so why not play a 3-4-3 style in offense?
Lots to Debate here Balla; but I’m only Up for my “Old Man” Pee Break, backatcha Mañanaaaaaaa.!!!
Balla,,, Rodman gonna do, what Rodman gonna do… Get Deep and Turn Defenses… Not many Women’s Players can do that on their own.
Horan can Not play as a #10… But maybe a #9 Target Player.???
Otherwise Double Pivot #6….
It’s GOOD to have her on the Field for Set-Pieces and Late Arrivals in the Box.
Balla; No Problem with your 5 in the back,
How/Who are you lining up in the Mid-Field and Up Front.???
Agree 100% with the idea of three at the back and how it would help our midfield. I think it would also give our defenders more options to hit with short passes out of the final third to maintain control rather than the hopeful passes that they are playing out now. I also don’t understand why our three attacking players run in vertical channels so much. Our wing play is so predictable. Brazil was just dropping off and saying ok, try to beat me down the side, and help came from the middle and stuffed the run.
Brazil had a Very Strange 3 Back Set Up…
Very Wide Spacing of the 3…
It was more like a Sweeper with the CBs almost like Wing Backs.
Along with having Wing Backs.
Not sure, who was Playing their actual CBs… as their “Front” 5 was a Cluster Fa Yuk….
Agree with the lack of connectivity and how that doesn’t fare well for Lavelle. Put her on Brazil and she could play wide, but for me, on this team, we need her in the 10 position. I don’t see anybody else able to do this and I’m not willing to bet on Macario as of yet.
I’m Gonna have to start watching more of Chelsea…
Now with Macario “Healthy” and Emma going to be USA Coach,
It might be worth it.???
I don’t see Macario as a #10… Maybe a False #9… But, let’s see what Emma is doing with her Right Now… Should be a Seemless Transition for those 2.
I like her as a false 9 with Lavelle as a 10
Watched the Chelsea @ Everton FA Cup QTR Final… Marcario scored the only Goal on a “Tap-In” from Rt Wing Crossing into the Center…
Emma had her as Left Forward in a Two Front, with Lauren James as the #10….3 Backs.. kinda a 3-4-1-2… It was a Struggle to Watch… Not much Talent from either Team… And Chelsea is Supposed to be one of the Top Teams !?!?!?(Kerr Out with ACL)
If all else fails, score an Abby goal to spackle over the cracks, throw some confetti and hope our next magic wand (Macario) is ready by the World Cup. Nats won (yay), played poorly most of the tournament (boo).
BINGO R2
I’m baffled by all the praise for Coffey. She was consistently late to tackles and was very lucky not to pick up a yellow card for P.I. If you’re late to tackles, it’s because the speed of play is too fast for you.
Conversely, I’m baffled that a commenter above thought Rodman had a terrible game. She had a very strong two-way game, tracking back to win tackles, and she posed some problems for the Brazilian defense. If her running mates up front had matched her performance, we may have seen more chances.
Good point by R2Dad about Macario. If she returns to form, this team could be truly outstanding.
Hey Beau,
I will debate this one with you. If you want a one dimensional player, then Rodman is for you. She has a lack of touch and her passing is a negative. If you mean posing a threat by kicking the ball over everyones’ head to run after it, than she is your thoroughbred. She did not and does not connect passes. I watched her live at the WC and it is the same issue. She was better at tracking back this game, but this is not always the case. If Swanson is back, then Rodman is coming off the bench. I think Williams plays smarter and is not beaten so easily defensively. She connected far more passes than Rodman in less time in both this game and with Canada in those terrible conditions.
Coffey was not always late, a lot of 50/50 balls. Her tenacity in the center made it much more difficult for Brazil to create better chances. I think many of the early calls against her were incorrect. She was good at being a disruptor which is one of the main jobs of the #6.
If Macario comes back to form, I would have to sit Horan. I would rather have Lavelle on to combine with Macario and have interchanging 8s and 10s with these two. Much quicker in the run of play as well.
Yeah Beau,,, I “Was” in Agreement with you about Coffey, until the Last 2 Games… She has “Upped” her Reading of the Game, to be a “Constructive Destructive” Force… Albert is the one that I am Struggling with… Too much of a Light Weight #8 Box-to-Box(I guess), that Never gets Forward.
If you are going to play a Double #6, then Sonnet is Better alongside Coffey.
As for Rodman: She is the “Face”(Marketing) of the Future/Present…
She is the Highest Paid Player(Young Player) in the League.!!! WHY.???
Because she is the Daughter of Dennis Rodman…
No One can turn away from a Train Wreck.!!!(Just waiting for some Tats and Body Rings)….
And to expect her to play Tiki-Taka, is a Waste of Talent… You going to make Mbappe and Vini Jr play Tiki-Taka.!?!?!?
Coach to the Strength of YOUR PLAYERS, Not to YOUR DESIRE.!!!
(Especially with a National Team… It’s Not like you can bring Bonmati, into the USA Team)
To Elaborate on Rodman;
She can do what Few Can… Get Behind Defenses
Run FAST. Stop Quick… Not many Women can do that.(Did Brazil have ONE FAST Player…. NO)
She Got Deep to the End-Line… Drew 2 Defenders to her;(Giving Slo-pok Horan time to get into the Box)
Dropped a pass to Foxy and BOOM… Game OVER.!!!
I’ll take that ALL DAY over Tiki-Taka … Square Ball across the Top of the 18… (But that just ME, nowadays)
Santi, you really have it out for Tiki-Taka, 🙂 especially when you saw your team Real Madrid got their butts beat so badly against Manchester City last year.
Regardless of Tiki-Taka or Niki-Nooki, if its successful don’t knock it 🙂 🙂 🙂
That wasn’t MY REAL, It was Somebody elses.. jajaja
This Year thou… We gonna Win it all… (Probably Not)
But next year we get Mbappe and Davies
then Haaland…
Can you imagine**Vini=Haaland=Mbappe
***********Camavinga=Touchmani=Valverde
**************Davies=Rudiger=Militao= ???
Santi, Haaland and Mbappi together that won’t fit. They are too similar.
I’m not so Worried about Mbappe and Haaland…
One likes to Run out Wide on the Left…Mbappe
and the other likes to be in the Box to Finish.
The REAL Conflict will be between Vini Jr and Mbappe.
One of them is going to have to Play on the Right…
That would put Rodrygo, Ibraham, Endrick on the Bench.
Next Conflict will be: Who Sits in the Midfield.???
Gonna have Camavinga, Touchemani, Valverde, Bellingham, Kroos…
ah… What Problems to have.!?!?!?
Albert had an up-and-down tournament but I’m ok with that because she’s only 20. I want her to have these experiences at the Gold Cup and She Believes. Let’s give her some reps and see what she can do. The experience might pay off. I remember Sonnet being overwhelmed when she first started playing at this level.
Sonnet was Pretty Useless, until they Switched to the Double Pivot in the Last World Cup…
I Doubt she can Play anywhere Else…
I guess the Question is… Can Coffey hold down the #6 by herself, (Like Ertz) or are we going to always have to have here “Paired Up” in a “Relationship” with Albert or Horan or Sonnet(who ain’t no Spring Chicken anymore.)
In a nutshell, several things stood out for me…ONE, our players are useless when pressured man to man, when given no time to technically execute a counter action. The Brazilians took advantage of our MAJOR weakspot .
Our whole BACKLINE is CLUELESS and at a loss when pressured very quickly. Dunn and Girma showed their lack of quick thinking and LACK of ball handling skills in small spaces when giving no time when pressured by the Brazilians…
Fox , Girma felt so UNCOMFORTABLE having the ball and didn’t know what to do. For example Girma first 3 ball touches contributed to ball loss.
Our BACKLINE never had problems before, historically speaking, for we were so much better and we put so much pressure on the opponents giving us plenty of space and time in the back with the ball…This gave a FALSE impression of how good our backfield for it has never been so technically challenged like it was in this game….
Tactically as a result, Horan was forced to run around and move so much ,going against the grain of her game, going all the way back to try and help out the defenders, it totally got her out of her game, spend way too much energy she posing any threat. Can you imagine Ertz ,what a horror show this would have been for her, for this would have been out of her league…
Likewise, Rodman came all the way back to help out , even Morgan did…I never seen so many of our own attackers come so far back to try and help out. As a result it reduced any of our attacking options downfield.. Realize when you have players like Rodman, Morgan, Smith,etc players who need space and time to run to be effective, coming back all the way in areas where there is no space and time, then you’re in deep doodoo. It tells me, players like that apparently lack the intelligence to understand where there own strengths lie.
NOTE ,the difference with the Brazilians and us, they love being in small spaces and they love to perform their technical executions in situations where there is no time and space. We on the other hand our at a loss, we become claustrophobic, not knowing what to do as compared to Brazilians who are so comfortable with the ball…
NEXT POST…
Frank, “They Love Small Spaces”… But WE Love to RUN.!!!
Score was 1-0 USA,
We get the Trophy🏆and the Medals, with Champ on them🥇
AND THE PRIZE MONEY💵💸💰
(any one find out yet, what the “Cash Out” Is.???🤑🤑🤑🤑)
It became a 1v1 Battle and we WON…
“American Exceptionalism” Took Over and Brazil Collapsed.
Nobody gonna remember in 5 Years, (Much less 5 Minutes)… How it Looked…
I remember how Uruguay won the 1930 World Cup… (NO I DON’t… Nobody Does.!!!) (How about the 1957 Stanley Cup Final.!?!?!?..Nah)
The only Losing Team that is Remembered; Is our Beloved Holland of 1974.🥲😰😭
We won not because of running but do to a header and lousy defense…That has nothing to do with exceptionalism…But you’re right our Beloved Holland of ’74 and Brazil of ’82 and Hungarians of ’54 were remembered
I remember Brazil 82 and 86… Things of Beauty… But, No one else does…
Not, like Holland 74….. Hungary 54.???… I had Forgotten all about them… Like Brazil 1950….
Santi, I sometimes watch the old videos…Did you watch what Maradona said about the dutch ’74 team. Watch his body expressions…Cruyff later stated that this was the best soccer ,displayed.
Diego Maradona on the Best Team Ever.mp4 Youtube
While your at it ,check this out…He is one of the technical coaches for Ajax youth… His behind the foot shot and hit it the first time off the crossbar…In dutch he stated what he’s going to do
Vanenburg schiet achter standbeen kratje van latje! Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxIMC7uIhYk
I said it before and I’ll say it again, Morgan didn’t belong on the team at all. There are forwards that were left off the roster that were better than her. She scored against very inferior opponents and one was a PK. Her hold up play was horrible and her distribution to her wingers never materialized. She was very lucky not to be sent off also. When will this coaching staff get it in their heads her best days are behind her. Their insistence on playing her only says they have no confidence in the pool at their disposal.
Morgan only belongs on this team, when she is Paired with Shaw,
They have a Good Understanding… because they Play Club together in San Diego…(The BUZZ Word now from all the “Lady” Analysts on TV/uTube is “RELATIONSHIP”){It’s Really very SEXIST to say that certain Women, can only play well, if they have a Good “Relationship” with a Certain Player on the Team, I guess to the Exclusion of ALL other Players and their Relationships)
I though that was one of Twitla’s Mistakes to Start the Game…
But, Just to Prove their Point…. Morgan without Shaw is Useless…
Lavelle at Left Wing is Useless… It’s like, the way we ALL Complained for Years about Ggg, using Reyna as a Wing, instead of a #10.
The problem with the Brazilians and that was the problem at times with Barcelona team, as Cruyff once stated ,that good skilled players get to comfortable and laid back with the ball and as a result make slight mistakes in their passing, like in the back line which can cause problems. And that happened with Brazil ,for they made a few lackadaisical errors, giving the ball away in their own third when it didn’t have to be. That was basically the only time the US were dangerous, not because of great attacking offense and play….
The Brazilians have this DNA in them that makes them first want to take someone on, challenge them…This is why they are so good in small spaces ,technically… You would after having watched this game think coaches/trainers, the licensed NITWITS, with half a brain and those who are involved with DAs in player development would use this PARTICULAR aspect of Brazilian DNA to improve the SKILL level of our players.
Tell their players to invite 1v1 battles and then pass even though you had a better option of passing to an open man or space…This is what ‘street soccer’ or pickup soccer is all about where the youth went through this stage of ‘try taking the ball away from me’…This is where you establish confidence with the ball in the early stages…
Our youth today, skip this important stage of development and are told to pass it, quick, look for open man, run into space, which all sounds logical but when you’re dealing with youth you’re dealing with DEVELOPMENT, particular stages of development that need to be first learned FIRST. That means THROW OUT these classroom, professionals theories of soccer.
This game further shows that we need to change our backline and replace it first of all with a sweeper/libero. The tall Brazilian in the backline played the Libero who skills were better than any of our attackers, She could go anywhere and not be bothered with a 1v1 challenge, she had a Presence. It was nice to see that type of soccer in the backfield. It shows how antiquated Girma, Dunn, Fox were back there…All the Brazilian defenders had good 1v1 ball skills and were so comfortable on the ball. Basically it was a game of Skill vs Power and Athleticism, and the sooner we get away from the latter the better…
Yes Frank, I think it was the First Time, I have EVER seen a Brazilian Team(Men or Women) play with a Sweeper… Loved it… It will be interesting to see if they Continue with it… Could Revolutionize the Women’s Game.(Back-to-The-Future)
Santi, this game has been ruined by with 2 centerbacks, 2 stiffs rather . How I yearn for the days when we a creative sweeper again. I’m afraid the current crop of coaches have not been trained or familiar enough in how to play sweeper. There is no excuse for us not to play with a sweeper for we have plenty of horses to help out…
SO TRUE, FRANK
On the DNA thing; IF, we Say that Brazil has a “Certain” DNA (a Good One, for Futbol We can All Agree) … Can’t we say Conversely that USA “HAS A DNA” Also.??? Maybe Not so Good Technically… BUT, VERY GOOD ATHLETICALLY AND COMPETITIVELY.!!!… SO, YOU CAN’T CHANGE YOUR DNA,( UN-Less you Start Chopping OFF Body Parts){And That’s a Whole Nother Discussion on the Future Evolution (“De-Evolution”)of the Women’s Game}
Santi, DNA is the closest that I can call it. What I didn’t say with evolution of play is that you can add things to the DNA. For example, Cruyff added to the dutch way of playing ,meaning he added new aspects to the dutch DNA of playing…Look at Omar Sivori of Argentina ,then look at Maradona and Messi’s style and see how that has added to the Argentinian’s DNA….
Maybe the next step in USWNT evolution is the emergence of decent ball-playing defenders? Futsal isn’t the same as pick-up soccer but similar enough at the youth level.
Possession, possession, possession. Passing accuracy, passing accuracy, passing accuracy. The USWNT lagged Brazil in these categories, typical of their performance against the stronger women’s teams. They won on sheer aggressiveness and physicality. To be at the top in the world again, passing accuracy, sound trapping and movement off the ball need to improve a lot.
I am NOT Convinced of that Ben,
I think that if we are Playing at Home…
“American Exceptionalism”… Athleticism, TWITCH, Home Field Crowd can Win it all… Not sure if we will WIN or get back on Top anywhere else,
But seeing as All the World Cups are Coming Here… Why Re-Invent the Wheel.
Your Key Phrase; “THEY WON” … Nobody Gonna remember HOW.!!!
As I read some of the comments ,it is basically all about we should have tried this player or that player or this one is too old, we need more youth…That is all fine and dandy ONCE we have a style a set way of playing and we need to fine tune it. But instead, it is all about ‘personnel’ changes, that’s not going to do it.
We can change all the personnel you want but it WON’T change our style of play , our lack of technical skills when placed under pressure, our inadequacies dealing with small spaces , our Confidence on the ball….THE ELEMENTS WILL STILL BE THERE….. We have to change certain things and that begins with changing how we play in our BACKLINE. We have to get rid of players in the backline who are TOO one-dimensional. For example, put in an Albert, Lavelle, Coffey in the backline which adds to an attacking style of play.
Do we really need attacking backs when we have the likes of a Rodman, Williams ,or Smith on the wings….When you have a set up like this than Horan can become much more useful with her abilities for than we have much better ball possession….
As far as I can see this is not going to happen with the new coach coming because they all copy the standards of how to play ,for they are all afraid to be different in case it doesn’t work out…
We Do have a STYLE… an American Style… Balls to the Walls..
Now the US Womens Team is Playing just like the US Mens Team.
Must be in the CBA.!!! Jajaja
Does anyone Really think that these Exceptional Athletes WANT to be “Taught” and “Forced” into playing Tiki-Taka Straight Jacket Soccer.???
Probably too late to “Teach” any of the Players… The Die is Cast…
That is the Current Problem… Too much “In-Betweeners”
Coach to the Players you have and Their Strengths… even Ggg is Starting to figure it out, and give up on “Positional Play”
Hit the Gaps… Press the other team into their own Third and Play Off THEIR Mistakes.!!! K.I.S.S. (Keep it Simple Stupid)
Congrats on the win, but unattractive soccer. I thought we fared better when the game devolved into a big melee.
Dang… That Trophy is Unattractive…
Let’s Give it Back, for Losing on Style Points.
We do Fare better in a Melee…
Do you think the Problem to playing Attractive is Technical, Tactical or Cultural.???
And is Any of that Correctable by English Coach Emma.???
The coach did what she had to do and scored. Good for her. Not so sure about anything else. The game was entertaining mostly for the high stake, but without the Cup it would have provided more fodder for the “never soccer” crowd. Unattractive soccer on TV teaches yet another generation of kids mediocrity. I guess its all of them Santi.
Yup,,, It’s all of them…
Do you think Emma can Fix it.???
She could start the healing but, unfortunately, as I’ve learned, its not on her to-do list.
The sheer amount of our passes that were bouncing instead of on the ground was maddening.
I liked how this tournament started, with the coach playing lots of young players but as the team got closer to the final the more the team reverted to vets. This was a huge mistake. The missed opportunity to play the youngsters in all of these games is going to hurt the team this Summer. The chance to develop them in pressure situations was lost. Disappointed.
Great analysis above – but miss
the main point – sky was falling for all of you after 0-2 to MX. USA wins? Main reason? Emma Hayes. She was the right choice. Reminds me of Jill Ellis – fearless – self-assured – quiet – dynamic. Well done!
Sky still falling, nothing has changed. USA/Canada waterpolo match told us nothing, USA/Brazil told us Nats are toothless without Macario in attack as they just bypassed midfield at every turn. Hayes will help, but the squad is the squad. She isn’t going to make them good in tight spaces. Spain/France/Japan will still shred USA if they can even get out of the group stage of the next WC.
France, More like USA than Not.
USA more like Sweden, tha Not..
España Woman is Unique, Based on Farça Tiki-Taka, like the Men’s Team of 2010 was … But, even Time has Passed the Men By … Same will happen to the Women. Golden Generations, Come and Go… Golden “Tactics” Also… W-M… Brazil Samba… ClockWork Orange… Sweeper … “Flat Four” of AC Milan… Tiki-Taka… I still like to think it’s the About the Players… Puskas-DiStefano-Pele-Cruyff-Beckenbauer-Baresi-Xavi-Messi…. And Then Throw-In the Occasional “Curve Ball” like Maradonna and CR7, Now Mbappe.
We still have the “She Believes” Cup in April… and a Couple Practice games before the Olympics.
Hopefully “Nighty” will be the Starting Left Back,
and Hopefully Macario will be “Ready” …
2 Goals for Chelsea in her 1st two games back.
First, I liked the use of the complete roster throughout. Don’t agree with the amount of minutes being given to certain players but, it was good to see the roster utilized. Morgan has become a reactionary player. Probably because of 34 year old legs but, day late and dollar short most of the time. Thought Fox was the best player on the field last night. Know the technical liabilities are going to be exposed by the best European teams. Getting Macario and Swanson back would be very helpful.
In total agreement with this statement
The mentality and tenacity of the US team was the difference. A lot of Brazil’s possession was amongst their back line, and our high pressure led to some costly Brazilian errors (the offside goal being an example). They were skillful in the back, but ball possession in the back is not where you win games. I do wish our forwards would anticipate the Brazilian defenders faking one way then going the other (when their backs were to us); take a risk (yes, our forwards will look foolish a few times, but that’s worth the cost of stripping them of the ball when our forwards guess right). I thought the US did well with getting Brazil to cough up the ball and go for a swift counterattack (I though Coffey did this well). While Brazil had more possession, we were more dangerous.
While Horan’s goal was excellent, how she got essentially a free header from that spot was beyond me. There was a Brazilian defender theoretically there to mark her, who did nothing.
I hadn’t seen the Brazilian women’s team in a long time; I was surprised at how tall their back line was (and baffled as to why the kept hitting balls to our forwards to go against them in the air). I was also perplexed as to why Brazil played most of its corners short, given the height they could bring to the box.
While I think given the speed of our wings, playing through balls behind the Brazilian defense is an effective strategy, I was disappointed with how may times we just kicked the ball down the field (or out of bounds) instead of hitting it to someone. Williams has good speed, but her passes were often off the mark.
All in all, not a comfortable win, but a good one.
Yes Kent,
I think the Days of “Comfortable” wins is Over.
As for “Just Kicking Balls down the Field”
The Players are Caught “In-Between”
Everyone wants to play Tiki-Taka… It’s the “IN” thing…
We Don’t have the Techniques or Mentality to Play this way.
But, we are Going to Try and Force the Square Peg, into the Round Whole…
Hence, Players are going to be Caught Running in Opposite Directions of Passes and Passes going into Wrong Direction of Players…
If we had taken Herdman as Coach from Canada, … Immediately upon Firing Vlad, we would have a Coach, who can Take a “Pigs Ear and Turn it into a Purse”…
I haven’t seen any USA u17 or u20s Defenders or Gks, that can Play Tiki-Taka out of the Back… So Emma is going to try and Fix “THAT”.???
“THAT” can only be Fixed by Club/Youth Coaches over MANY Years of Development or by “Street Soccer/Futsal” over MANY YEARS…
Ain’t Gonna Happen in the USA.!!!
Play/Coach to the Strengths of Your Talent Pool; (Technique, Tactics, Fitness, Psychology).. Culture; (American Exceptionalism)
Santi, we don’t have the mentality and technique to play Tiki-Taka or Nicki-Nooki…. But what we can do is to begin to improve our passing game, in all variations, and that includes accuracy ,under pressure and various way of passing the ball…the last one is probably the most difficult since we lack good technical coaches for I hardly ever see an outside of the foot pass, backspins ,toe curves and what not…
I think we have players in this country with this ability, we just have to get coaches who value it at the national level. If we start promoting these type of players more will develop behind them.
Olddie… We NOT going to get our NBA players to play Tiki-Taka… Maybe the Hispanics, We were All about “Developing” the “Inner City” kids… Now we have 8 Starting players on the Men’s Team… And we want to throw them Out, because they Don’t Tiki-Taka.???… Jedi-Richards-mRob-Dest-Adams-McKennie-Weah-Balo(Steffen if he can get his S hite together) It took us 40 years to get here… Women are Catching up Too… Dunn, Shaw, Smith, Marcario, Rodman, … Grima sorta Counts
Old Coach, yes ,we have players like any other country has the players. But we have to have coaches and trainers to be able to teach it . It’s not about national team coaches valuing it for if we train it from the beginning where it should start then it doesn’t matter whether the national team coaches value it or not for they can only work with the product they are given. And besides if players are developed more in line with Tiki Taka ( a term I don’t like using) than it stands that the national team coaches are also part of this development…
Santi,
I am not advocating to play tiki-taka possession. I am just asking to be able to make 4 or 5 consecutive passes to break pressure, switch the field and attack. We cannot do this…..we did not do it at the WC, we have not been doing it against better opponents who can press us. Players have these skill sets now to be able to shield, pass, move in space, create space, etc. This is basic soccer. In this game all Brazil did was mark man to man and we just played long ball as we had no balls to try and connect passes. This has to get figured out quickly. Don’t want to hear waiting on Emma Hayes. It is about as clear as it can be. I completely agree the comfortable days are over, but doing nothing about it to move forward is criminal.
Yup Balla… the Man-to-Man Really made a Melee of the Game…
It Hurt them, as Much as Us… We Couldn’t get away from them,
But they Couldn’t get away from us. And they had “All” the Skill.
I have always felt that a M-t-M Defense should Break Down Tiki-Taka and Then you Counter on the Stolen Passes… Not sure why No one seems to Try that.???
Speaking of shielding, since when are you allowed to shield when, you aren’t the one on the ball. Saw this three times in the last 2 matches. It wasn’t just interfering it, was blatant.
I saw this too and I’m seeing it more all over the place, especially when a second defender comes over a sets a pick. How is that not called?
The “Picks” are Really becoming BLATANT on the Corner Kicks… I wonder when FIFA gonna Start Cracking Down on this…
Can’t someone just stand in one spot and not move? Do they need to be a certain distance away from whoever runs into them for it to be ok? I’m unclear on this.
Sofar I’ve seen this in Women soccer (reffing), never in men…Maybe it is due to poor quality of reffing on the women side
Philip,,, Been awhile since I Reffed.. but, the Way i Remember it… ANY Player, Who is NOT in Playing Distance of the Ball, Can NOT interfere in the Movement of another Player…
So, “Picks” are NOT allowed.
I Stand to be Corrected by a Current Ref.
Chelsea did that to beat the Barcelona Xavi, Iniesta, Ronaldinho team. They manhandled Barca, with Mourinho at the helm and Makélélé and Terry as the bouncers. This was 2005 Champions League and the beginning of the waning of tiki taka (IMHO).
Not 2005, maybe 2015
You are Correct Philip,,, I forgot about “The Special One”
He also beat Farca, in the Semi’s, the Year he won with Inter Milan.
I Remember more of a Bunker/Counter,,, Maybe I can find those Games in UTube… Thanks.
Reminder… I am Advocating for “The Special One” to be Appointed Coach for USA around Jan. of 2025 … His Proven Track Record over First 1.5 years Coaching a Team is IMPRESSIVE… then the Magic Wears OFF.
(I could see the Appointment occurring after Summer of 2024, IF we have a Ggg Meltdown… 2 years are probably OK, as it’s a National Team{Intermitten Conact} and Not a Club team{Daily Contact}, where his “ACT” starts to Back-Fire)