Well, it was almost the perfect day, almost.
Let me start by sharing how the day started. Not sure if it was just the area I live or if this impacted a wider area of Charter Spectrum customers, but I woke up excited about the game and decided to flip on the pregame show and see what the experts on FOX were saying. Well, that’s weird, the FOX channel on the TV in the bedroom is not working. Maybe it’s a problem with the TV….no….the channel above and below FOX are working, that’s strange. Let me go check a different TV….the kitchen TV—no good, FOX is down. The final shot in the family room….no luck, FOX is down. Only 1 station on the entire cable network is down, and it’s the channel about to broadcast the WORLD CUP FINAL featuring the greatest team ever in the entire world, the US Women’s team, really… no way…that makes no sense at all. Sabotage from the French for beating them, someone at FOX who fell asleep at their desk and forgot to push a button, Russian collusion, China interference….it can’t just be a crazy fluke that this is the only station not working! What the heck!
Thank goodness for Ipads, Fox Now app and Chrome cast. But still, can you really fathom FOX losing their channel until well into the second half of the game. That’s pretty bad, I mean really bad. And Direct TV just dumped FOX, is that somehow related. I digress….the problem was solved and I am watching the game. Whew! Crises avoided.
Women’s World Cup
USA v Netherlands The game itself really did live up to a finals expectation. Quality play on both sides, great shots, great saves, a bit of drama with no score at halftime. A bit of controversy with the first goal. Was that really a PK…I mean as a fan I’ll take it….it was a pretty high boot and it did nmake contact, but if I am Netherlands, that one hurts a bit. Did that really stop a goal scoring chance. Rapino buries it for her 6th goal and third PK conversion of the tournament. And then for me….the moment of the tournament….the single best goal I saw all week. Rose Lavelle with the stunning run, step over, cut back and rocket shot to the side net. For a GK who had stopped about everything including an amazing save on an Alex Morgan rip , she didn’t really get close to stopping this one. Without this goal, lots of talk about a cheap victory on a PK, a hollow win with a controversial goal, but no more. Rose put an end to all that talk very quickly. And then the game broke open. It could have been 4-0 very easily. A few goals certainly left on the pitch from ther to the end. Oh man, how did Dunn not score, how did Heath not score, how did Morgan not score. bit all good, Rose saved the day and the US finished off a well deserved World Cup win. Number 4 for the USWNT and now having won half of the 8 tournaments. The true powerhouse in Women’s soccer for sure. Let’s get right to the highlights.
Some take a ways from the game. The first point is a repeat from the pregame blog, but still pretty relevant.
–The US team just looks better than everyone they play. The ball movement, the physicality, the athleticism, the quality of play….they certainly deserve the #1 spot in the rankings. Offensively, they have players who can break you down in Heath, Rapinoe and Morgan. And then there is Rose Lavelle, who looks like maybe the best midfielder in the world, and is also a Badger (UW Wisconsin graduate). Take a look at these highlights.
–First, people forget about the amazing slide tackle from Dunn to win the ball, and then the vision of Mewis to find Lavelle in midfield, but then it’s all Rose. Amazing, really amazing!!
–Sam Mewis is a beast in midfield. I think she was my second favorite player in the final. Big, fast, physical but with great touch and great vision. What a player.
–The PK, well, honestly, it was a pretty soft PK. A high boot, a dangerous play, and in a different spot on the field, you call a penalty and play on. But in the box that becomes a PK. Didn’t feel right, didn’t feel deserved, but that’s the rules and why you have to defend differently in the box. Again, really happy for the Rose Lavelle goal to eliminate any controversy about a well deserved win.
–Jill Ellis kept attacking! No 5-4-1 and play it safe and defend all game after the goal. And it worked, the USA had chance after chance and did not give up many opportunities.
–Vivianne Miedema. Thank goodness we don’t play against her very often. She has scored like a gazillion goals and has multiple records already at just 22 years old. Wow. So glad she did not get to rip many shots but she looks very dangerous as a striker.
Gold Cup Update
So close. So close. I was really pulling hard for the US Men’s team to get the US double and win the Gold Cup. But—it was just not meant to be. In a game where they had the more dangerous chances and had the best chances to score, they just could not find the net. An early save on Pulisic, a heart breaking miss from Altidore, Arriola with the miss by only a yard, an amazing header off the line after then GK was beat on a header from Jordan Morris. Ugh. How did we not score. And although Mexico had an extended stretch of possession to start the second half, it felt like we were weathering the storm and were suffering a bit, but we were playing thru it. And then just one moment of magic. A steal and back heel pass and a one time shot that went bar down. Oh man. That was a tough one to watch.
The US men had a great tournament, showed well on their first national stage with a new coach and an influx in young talent, but also showed they are still a year or two away from reaching their best. World Cup qualifying is in another year and with that I think these young stars will start to leave their imprint and qualify and maybe even have a deep run in 2022.
—The Mexico high press in the second half caused the US a bunch of problems. They could not keep possession playing short. 1 or 2 passes and then a turnover. That was the story. If they had opted earlier to play deep to a target player, maybe the goal does not develop. Maybe. Mexico was a little better, the US just needed a little different game plan to clear out the half. A little different shape to connect passes. Something.
–If only just one of those amazing chances goes in, then maybe a different result. If just one of the many corners produces a goal, then maybe we win. So many shots, so many chances. Ugh! Here are some highlights.
Copa America Update
Brazil v Peru. We all expected a Brazil win and we got one. The pre-tournament favorite and they played like it. A dominating performance, even playing a man down for the last 20 minutes. Here are highlights of Brazil’s march thru the tourney to the title.