Olympics 2012, in Londontown

* Brandi Chastain got the memo and reverted to cheerleading instead of providing analysis. Blatently cheering for a US-Japan rematch, calling US players by their first names, etc.

* Hey Hope: One thing about soccer hasn't changed since Chastain played: You give up three, and you played horrible defense. You come off the post on a corner, that's horribe defense. You give it away in your 1/3 for a clear breakaway, that's hgorrible defense. You don't mark the opposition's best player and give her two goals on headers, that's horrible defense.

* Handball call was legit. Defender clearly raised arm away from her body to deflect the ball, which was on the second touch, not the original shot. Indirect, questionable, except we don't know how many times Canada goalie had been warned that she was taking far too long to get ridf of the ball. She did that many times throughout the match.

* No handball on Rapinoe. Easy call. Her arm was clearly at her side.

* I often question Sundhage's coaching acumen. Big wins against Honduras, etc., are meaningless, Last three games US played that mattered, a lucky win over Italy in a qualifier. a should-have loss to Brazil, a did lose game to Japan, a lucky win over Canada, not playing Rapinoe for long stretches of the 2011 World Cup when she was clearly the best or second-best player on the team. Questions must be asked but they won't because of the media love affair with all things USWNT.

 

Someone just tweeted, "If that ref had been at the War of 1812, we'd be a State"

 

Eh, there have been some 1-0 and 0-0 duds, too. This game was awesome. Probably made a lot of new soccer fans in both countries.

I really wonder how much Canada will have left, physically as well as emotionally, for the bronze medal match against France. I realize it's not gold, but winning any sort of medal would be a nice accomplishment for Canada here.

 

UPDATE

NBC sports network will re-air the women's soccer game after the live men's basketball game TONIGHT. Sometime around 7 p.m. ET I would guess.

 

Only works for US residents.

 

If that is what playing like a girl is, I wish the men's game would take note and play like girls. That was a great show of heart, skill and toughness on both sides. The delay of game call was absolute garbage but what a game.

 

Really? I'm sorry. Is www.ctvolympics.ca streaming? (sorry, I don't know)

 

As to whether or not the indirect should have been called, that's up the ref. The keeper was holding the ball way too long on most occasions. I was even yelling "six seconds" at one point before the call was ever made.

 

Of course it is up to the ref. That should never, ever be called in a game like this.

 

I've never seen it call, ever.

 

If the goalie had been warned about it (and I don't know if she had, but I'd suspect so) then the call should be made no matter what time of the game. Not calling it is just as influential on the game as calling it. The ref "decides the game" either way.

If the goalie hadn't been warned about it and was called, then she has the right to be pissed - on something that's subjective like that, the refs almost always lay down a line in the sand with a few warnings. But if she'd been warned, the she got what was coming to her by trying to pull it in the game's waning moments.

I've seen it called every once in a blue moon, almost always in a one-goal game against the winning team that had been trying to kill clock.

 

This. I hate to say it, but a lot of times these days men play like robots. No soul. No heart. Just for the damn paycheck.