OT: USA! USA! USA!
My apologies to those of you who think women's sports suck, or soccer sucks, you can kindly go back to a different thread.
After one of the most amazing, remarkable, unbelievable games in any World Cup ever, the USA advances to the World Cup Semifinals over Brazil, in Penalty Kicks.
USA! USA! USA! America > Referees
Pretty sure it's karma for Brazil, silly girls you'll never win a world cup wearing the men's stars on your kits.
ATTA GIRLS
One of the most irrefutable proofs of the fact that the BALL DON'T LIE in the history of sports.
...PK.
That is such BS.
Even on that choppy .gif, you can see her foot behind the line with the ball in the air! That win was cosmic justice.
The ref did not call this on Hope Solo. The call in on the left back for "encroachment" I am looking through replays to determine the player but they entered the box prior to the kick taking place. By the letter of the law was justified but it is one of the rules that is "never" called the way it was today.
Hope was Yellow carded for then arguing with the official about the call.
Agree the encroachment was the issue, but it was a VERY harsh call. I wonder if the ref was being watchful because the Brazilians went nuts when Lloyd didn't get a yellow for the handball and was trying to appear "balanced".
That Lloyd handball was a red in anything other than a WC elimination and probably still then. It was ten times more a red card than the red card actually handed out, which wasn't a foul at all.
That ref got worked hard by the Brazillians. I agree that none of that happens if Lloyd doesn't reach out for that ball like that. Dear me.
I think that's the upper ceiling on how much I can care about women's sports. It turns out my ceiling for that is quite high.
Yeah, but they didn't call encroachment on Solo, they called it on the field player who went in early. I think it was a fine call considering the ball rebounded in the direction of the USA player who had illegally entered the box. If the save went the other way or out of bounds, they may not have called it.
And we can be sure they didn't call it on Solo because the assistant referee (who's responsible for goalie encroachment) did not signal the encroachment and was in fact backing into her normal position after the save to continue with play.
The announcers made it seem like they called it on Solo. Either way, giving another penalty kick for that situation seems absurd. Even if the player was offsides, she didn't affect the outcome of the kick.
If you want to see encroachment, look no further than Brazil's keeper on the first PK, she was five feet off the line when the kick came. A solid call by the refs on that PK.
I watch lots of soccer and seen lots of PKs, but I have not seen encroachment called so closely like that. You make a good point about the deflection going to the side of the encroachment. I wonder if it would have been called if the encroachment was on the opposite side.
that gif doesn't capture the actual infraction that caused the re-kick. one of the US players just off-screen to the right stepped into the box early. hope solo didn't do anything wrong there
I will never see a better soccer match, guarenteed.
One of the most spectacular comebacks I've ever seen. Just outstanding.
Cheers, ladies.
I stopped watching the game when the girl was laying down by the goal. After the Ghana game years ago I have no interest in watching a team piss away the clock pretending to be hurt. Needless to say it was a regrettable decision. USA!!!!
By far the funniest part of the game. If anyone has a video of it, it's hilarious.
Girl gets taken off on a stretcher, wasting like 3 or 4 minutes. As soon as the stretcher is on the sidelines, she gets up and runs away. Then comes back on the field on the next whistle
...to Wambach:
That was one of the most beautiful and perfect passes I have ever seen. The ball just hung in the air long enough to clear the keeper's hands. I couldn't believe it!
...photo.
...angle.
just enough to get over the defender and outstretch hands of GK to Wambach. Just beautiful.
That may be the only good pass that Rapinoe have made all game long. Her set pieces were terrible, bombed it over players to grass.
....Rapinoe connected on 5/10 crosses while the rest of the team was 0/18. Now, except for the Wambach goal, the rest of the 4 crosses were probably on set pieces so I suppose that's not so impressive after all.
That's just false. She put in some great crosses from dead balls. There was another one toward the end ot the game that should have been headed home.
WOO!
USA? USA!
Semifinals again. Fire up the oil, let's make some fries!
Redundant video
Disregard
...winning PK.
There's nothing off topic about Amurica.
The US Men's team made me a believer last year with their spurt of magic against Algeria, but the US Women's team just topped that. I can't believe I didn't see that game from the beginning; in honor of them I will rewatch it tonight at midnight. Also, feel free to cover as much of the remainder of the women's World Cup you want to Brian.
the most obvious fake injury I have ever seen. and I'm glad we shoved it back down her throat.
She did get a yellow for that, and we got enough stoppage time to score the equalizer.
Karma Bitches!
Hope says
+10000 for the Flight of the Conchords reference
ESPN is showing the end of the women's 1999 World Cup Final USA vs China. It's about to go into extra time.
Just have to say did anybody else see the man repin' the Michigan athletics shirt in the crowd. Nice to see some rep on the world stage in Germany. GO BLUE!
http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/not-ot-ot-look-michigan-flag-today
Wherever you go, Go Blue.
Was it Lloyd Brady?
Anyone have a pic
Verlandish is hurling another gem (and again needs run support), and there's a beautiful Block M along the first baseline. Can see it best in the pitcher close-ups
oh, there's a run.
I think this game shows their confidence. They didn't just play man down for half the match. They played man down while controlling the game against arguebly the top, or previously thought top, team. They only allowed a few flashes from Brazil after going a man down, and the American women showed how much better their level of fitness was. There was no way Brazil deserved to win that game no matter how hard the refs tried to give it to them. This a superior performance that has to put them as the favorite from here on. On a side note, i'm very happy for Wambach. She has been in need of a good goal for the last few games. Way to go girls absolutely stunning performance.
Headline: Abby Wambach gives USA great head.
... tasteless, I know.
Poetic Justice.