What to do, USA?

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Permalink Reply by Brittany Lake on August 6, 2008 at 2:50pm

the biggest thing that needs to happen is communication on all aspects of play, from Solo to the defenders and moving the ball up the field effectively. Also, balls need to be played on the ground much more, there was way too many out of control balls that fowards simply could not catch up to or get a good foot on.

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Permalink Reply by Shobha Kondragunta on August 6, 2008 at 3:01pm

Absolutely no long balls. I thought we were getting away from that nonsense under Pia. Long balls only when you are down and time is running out. Not when there is no pressure and there are other options to create an offense. Who needs to step up? Shannon Box. She is experienced and should be leading on the field. She had a terrible game. She and Carly Lloyd didn't coordinate and work off of each other. Yes, Hope Solo needs to dictate from behind. The first goal today against Norway was due to lack of communication. Hopefully, they win big against Japan to boost their confidence. It is pretty shaken after today.

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Permalink Reply by Jason on August 6, 2008 at 3:18pm

I would love to see the US change the formation up a bit and also get Tarpley and O'Reilly into more creative, offensive positions on the field. Once they find the right combination, they should be tough to beat.

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Permalink Reply by Alyse LaHue on August 6, 2008 at 5:59pm

I would like to see them a little more aggressive in the attacking third. At times they seemed almost hesitant to shoot, or hesitant to make a run. I have no idea what that was about. I think they got rattled after the first 2 goals and didn't fully recover.

I expect them to be extremely focused now.. because they have to.

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Permalink Reply by NICK on August 6, 2008 at 7:41pm

BEIJING 90210

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Permalink Reply by Karyn Lush on August 6, 2008 at 7:50pm

Here's something totally random that I just stumbled upon - The USSF shield was missing from the team's uniforms today.

http://thenperiod.wordpress.com/2008/08/06/usa-women-fall-to-norway...

Perhaps they should put it back on their unis and their mojo will return :)

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Permalink Reply by Elaine Sun on August 6, 2008 at 8:47pm

Karyn Lush said:

Here's something totally random that I just stumbled upon - The USSF shield was missing from the team's uniforms today.

http://thenperiod.wordpress.com/2008/08/06/usa-women-fall-to-norway...

Perhaps they should put it back on their unis and their mojo will return :)

I have an answer to that! I know Team Canada's Olympics uniforms took forever to get proper approval, but basically all national sport bodies' logos cannot be on any uniforms while the national Olympic organization's logo could be included. It's a pretty big deal, supposedly.

And, yes, I agree...uniforms we all know so well look a tad "odd" without them!

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Permalink Reply by Alyse LaHue on August 6, 2008 at 9:38pm

Wow, nice catch! That is really strange to see them in a uniform like that. It looks like they play for Team Nike! (which they kind of do, but you know what i mean!)

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Permalink Reply by StarCityFan on August 6, 2008 at 10:40pm

The bottom line is that they just need to play better. They've all done better than they did against Norway: play more calmly, use the entire field, play for possession, don't send hopeful balls thirty yards downfield. Fortunately, they're in a fairly weak group and should be able to beat New Zealand and Japan and get into the knockout round. Unfortunately, at that point they'll probably have to play the winner of the "Group of Death", either Brazil or Germany. So they might not only not medal, they might well not make it to the semifinals.

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Permalink Reply by Pott Rocks on August 7, 2008 at 8:02am

they don't have to do anything but play the game they know. RELAX. THE WORLD IS WATCHING. SHOW THEM WHY YOUR CHAMPIONS.

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Permalink Reply by A.K. Minnick on August 7, 2008 at 9:23am

They were clearly off their game. I don't pretend to know why, but I can guess it had something to do with Wambach's absence. They have to get their heads around using the entire team and not just firing it up to Wambach. They can do it! They are outstanding athletes. Go, USA!!

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Permalink Reply by Shobha Kondragunta on August 7, 2008 at 10:37am

They are outstanding athletes - that is the problem. U.S. relies on athleticism than skills. Starting from youth players, if we emphasize on skills early on and not pick only players who are fast and strong, we would do well in soccer. The thinking is "you can teach skills to fast players but not teach how to be fast to a skilled player" Unless we get out of that thinking mode, we can never compete at international level. U.S. did fine until now only because other countries did not invest in women's soccer. Now they do, we are no longer on the top anymore

A.K. Minnick said:

They were clearly off their game. I don't pretend to know why, but I can guess it had something to do with Wambach's absence. They have to get their heads around using the entire team and not just firing it up to Wambach. They can do it! They are outstanding athletes. Go, USA!!

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