The Soccer Thread (Version 13) — Winter World Cup Edition

Lloyd comes across as over the top and bitter because the rest of the veterans couldn't stand her whiny ass when they played with her.

Meanwhile South Africa about to make history with a great goal during the...11 MINUTES...of extra time.

 

US could have played South Africa in the knockout. Instead, fucked around for three matches, found out, and will now lose 2-1 to Sweden. Bank it.

 

It’s the coach. He clearly struggles to get the team to play up to a standard. Steve Kerr is Mr. Fuzzy in pressers but he digs into and motivates the Warriors in private settings. The USWNT coach seems to think his job is to say good job, good effort. It’s not.

 

3-1 loss to Sweden.

 

I can't really think of a good USWNT coach. The coaching has always been rather basic, but they won on being far more talented than their opponents. That gap has closed significantly as the sport has grown. It's kind of where Brazil is on the men's side.

 

How do you know what the USWNT coach is like in private settings?

Look, the team hasn't played well. I chalk it up to several factors - a generational shift as the second championship generation ages out, injuries to top players and the rest of the world starting to catch up to the US.

 

We need to move Ertz into the midfield and use another CB. We're getting killed in the midfield. We couldn't string together three passes against Portugal, and Lavelle, while the catalyst for many of the attacks we did have, insists on trying to dribble out of every issue she encounters.

The midfielders never reposition themselves to receive passes. We don't appear to value possession and only try to hit runners going straight ahead, and all the attack comes up the left side.

Andonovski appears clueless. It will take a miracle (an early goal) to keep us in the tournament for another game.

 

All true! But I wonder if Andonovski feels hamstrung by the players he took. Not having Swanson and Mewis seems to loom large. Lavelle and Rapinoe don't appear to be 100-percent.

 

This is the kind of criticism that is worth tuning in for, not “tHeY lOoK tOo HaPpY”

 

This is good: The USWNT’s problems, explained

 

Failures begin with the youth program. Weren't we saying the same thing when the USMNT didn't qualify in 2018?

 

The pay-to-play model is why the US lags in developing soccer players. That and youth coaches who drill the creativity out of players.