OT: Womens World Cup Greatest Excuse for Loss Ever!

USA 2, N Korea 0

Lauren Cheney got the start at left mid, replacing Megan Rapinoe, who did get in as a sub.  G Hope Solo had to have a painkilling shot in her right shoulder before the game.  82 degrees at game time, though 3/4 or more of the field was in shade.

1' - A seemingly promising start, Lauren Cheney is just outside the box on the left, sends a vertical pass into the box to Abby Wambach and doesn't quite connect.

2' - Give and go in the center of the field, Amy Rodriguez sends a pass back to Carli Lloyd at midfield moves left to find space, Lloyd gets it back to her, she dribbled forward and shoots from 28 yds out.  It goes harmlessly wide right.

10' - Free kick from just over the center line, Lloyd heads it down from 11 yds out, but it has no velocity, and G Hong Myong Hui easily picks it up off the bounce.

11' - Free kick from US end gets headed back and forth, settled by Rodriguez, who passes back to Cheney, who dribbles right and shoots - right at the goalie.

16' - Odd moment.  NK throw in, RB Song Jong Sun takes 10 sec looking for a place to throw the ball - a couple of her teammates are seen moving around, and the ref blows the whistle and comes over to tell her she can't take so long, pointing to her watch.

22' - A US player (can't tell who) dribbles up the right side, cuts to center, passes towards the box.  Wambach? steps over the ball and backheels, and Lloyd has a great chance right at the 18 in the center, but a NK defender slide tackles and blocks the shot, causing her to stumble.  She recovers the ball, takes a weak shot that rolls right to the keeper (this will be a theme of the first half).

29' - Heather O'Reilly passes square to Shannon Boxx at the center line, but it's not on the ground, and Boxx doesn't control it.  Kim Su Gyong starts dribbling up the field, and Boxx pulls her down.  Free kick goes to the right wing, cross deflects off Cheney? and goes all the way through the box to the end line to the right of goal.  No NK was able to get to it, and it gets cleared.  Ian Darke calls it "pretty unconvincing defending" and mentions Rachel Buehler as not being quite sure of her bearings.

34' - Alex Krieger at right midfield, sends a pass up to Rodriguez, who controls it just outside the box, then with a burst of speed dribbles down the side of the box and gets just enough room to cross it in.  NK defender heads it at the 6, but Cheney is at the 18, settles it, and takes a shot, which has some velocity, but is again right at Hong, who knocks it down and grabs it off the bounce.

35' - NK gets the ball after the punt, sends it back to midfield, square pass to the right, then up to Kim, who takes on LePeilbet and beats her.  6 yds from the end line at the side of the box, she crosses it in.   Boxx is tracking back with a NK player, reaches back to get a foot on it, then falls to the turf, perhaps nudged by the NK player.  The ball rolls out past the corner of the 6 yd box into space.  Kim and LePeilbet head for the ball, both slide, but Kim is a little quicker and gets a shot off to the near post.  Boxx, who's only made it to her knees, ducks under the shot, and Hope Solo dives and punches the ball out of bounds.

36' - Cheney, at the left sideline, passes up to Wambach, who passes back to Lloyd making a run up the middle.  She protects the ball from a defender, bumping her off with a shoulder and takes a shot from 24 yds.  It's low, but right at the keeper.

39' - Song at right midfield passes up to F Ra Un Sim at the side of the box.  LePeilbet goes to double.  Ra passes square to Song, who has continued her run up the side.  LePeilbet goes to cover, but gets beat as Song cuts in and heads toward the end line.  She gets inside the box, dribbling all the way to the side of the 6 yd box, where she centers the ball past a diving Solo, who was at the post.  Two NK players were lurking just outside the 6, so there's no one to get a foot on the ball and redirect it for a goal.  It rolls all the way across the face of the goal, and Krieger gets to it and passes it to O'Reilly out of danger.  Phew!

41' - NK center mid sends a deep ball to the right where Kim is all alone at the side.  She threads a pass between two US players to Ra, just outside the box, and Ra passes back as Kim moves to the center.  Kim centers a pass to Yun Hyon Hi, inside the box, and she passes right to Ra who has made a run into the box.  Ra's shot goes past the far post.  Great combination play, bad finish.  Announcer Julie Foudy says the US body language is a little negative.

42' - Kim gets a pass at the right sideline and brings it up, heading towards the endline and closer to the box.  LePeilbet defending.  Kim fakes a cut left and gets enough room to take a last dribble towards the end line and cross it in.  Yun made a run into the 6 yd box and redirects the ball from 4 yds out.  Solo makes the save.

43' - US counterattack:  Lloyd? running from the US end up the right sends a pass to Rodriguez at the sideline.  She is heading towards the end line but at 18 yds cuts inside and beats her defender.  She runs into the box and at the corner of the 6 centers a pass.  Unfortunately, it's just a bit too far in front of Wambach, who was moving diagonally back from left to center.  She reaches but can't get a foot on it.

Stoppage time - Lloyd has a free kick at left midfield, curls it into the box, but it's ahead of all the US players (Buehler was closest and leapt for it, but it was over her), bounces behind the NK defense, and Hong grabs it.  Off the punt players leap for it, it bounces NK's way, and Yun takes a shot from 32 yds.  Solo gets over easily and saves.  Halftime.

Holy crap, that didn't look like the #1 team!
Well, there are a lot of players who are making their World Cup debut, so perhaps it was first game jitters.

The US didn't maintain possession very well.
True, but NK plays very compact, so Coach Pia Sundhage had told them to stretch NK both vertically and horizontally.  Sending long balls doesn't always work.  Getting wide did generate some opportunites.

ARGH left back getting burned déjà vu!
I feel you (er, me?).  Fortunately no goals.  Solo was sharp, didn't seem bothered by her shoulder.  What is a bit odd is that LePeilbet was supposed to be a better defender that Stephanie Cox (though on her club team she plays in central D, not left back).  Also Cheney was a somewhat surprising selection for starting left mid, when Megan Rapinoe had been playing there.  Coach Sundhage will have something to say in the locker room about her getting back to help LePeilbet.

What's with all the shots right at the goalie?
The US certainly didn't challenge Hong, but at least Cheney was getting a number of shots, showing it wasn't a bad decision to start her.

LOL.  About to start the second half, Ian Darke calls Dresden "boiling hot."  For an Englishman, perhaps 82 is.  Normal for a Michigan summer, probably cool for those further south.

47' - Lloyd wins the ball in the US side of midfield, dribbles forward.  Just before crossing the center line she passes up to Wambach? at the upper edge of the circle.  She is dispossessed by a NK slide tackle, but the ball goes up 10 yds to the right.  Rodriguez cuts back to the ball and makes a nice pass to Cheney making a run up the middle.  Cheney takes a dribble and shoots low - yes, you guessed it - right at the goalie.

48' - Odd sub by NK.  F Yun comes off for defender Paek Sol Hui, who goes to LB, and the LB goes up.  Foudy later speculates it might be Paek can better keep up with the speedy O'Reilly and Rodriguez attacking from the right.

49' - US free kick is cleared back to midfield, where Christie Rampone sends a high lob to the left side of the box.  As a NK defender leaps, Boxx comes across from the left leaping for it.  They might have sandwiched the ball between their heads, and it drops to the center, right in Boxx's path.  She sends a shot over the net.

50' - O'Reilly at the right sideline sends a cross into the left side of the box.  It goes over a leaping US player, bounces, and Cheney leaps up to stop it with her stomach.  She comes down and just after the ball bounces, she hits it down, and it bounces past a couple of NK defenders and once more before a diving Hong grabs it.  Not directly at her this time, but Cheney was stretching for the ball, and the bounces robbed it of velocity, so Hong didn't have to extend on her dive.

51' - LePeilbet sends a pass up the left side.  Rodriguez is quick enough to get to it and shield it from a NK player.  She drives end line and centers to Wambach 9 yds out, whose first touch isn't ideal.  The ball does go by a defender to the left corner of the 6 yd box, where she slides to get a shot, beating two defenders to the ball.  But it goes high.

54' - Lightning strikes!  Lloyd sends a long pass from the US side of midfield to the left.  Wambach chases it down 6 yds from the end line.  She fakes a cross, defender buys it and leaps as she cuts it back.  She crosses from the side of the box to Cheney, who was at the 6 in the center and backed down the line (to the right) to get away from her defender.  She leaps and heads it back across the goal to the far post.  Hong has no chance.

56' - Long ball from NK defense is headed back by Krieger, but it goes to Ri Ye Gyong at midfield, 38 yds out.  She settles it, dribbles forward down the center of the field and shoots from 24 yds.  Rising shot skips off the top of the crossbar.  US midfield didn't get back to slow her up, and neither center back stepped up on her.

58' - Ri sends a diagonal pass from central midfield to the right corner of the box.  NK player is double teamed, but she pops the ball between them to Kim, who pokes it foward, right to Boxx, whose weak kick knocks the ball right back.  Kim centers a short pass to Ri, who shoots from 20 yds.  It's a roller to the right corner which Solo easily picks up.

60' - Rampone takes a free kick from left midfield.  NK defender heads it down.  Cheney 16 yds out in the center, turns around and sticks a foot out to settle the ball.  O'Reilly steps up to take a shot from 20 yds; it goes wide left.

65' - Cheney chases down a ball on the left wing and just keeps it in play (it's on the line, but not over).  She passes back to LePeilbet, who sends a long cross from left midfield to Wambach, who's unmarked at the 6, just to the right of goal.  Nearby defender paying more attention to the ball.  Wambach heads it down, it bounces up from the turf off the goalie's hands then off the crossbar and back onto the field, where the goalies gets it.  So close!

76' - US corner from the left cleared to the right by NK header.  Krieger rushes up, gets to the ball and pushes it forward.  She takes a shot from the wing which hits the crossbar.  It bounces, then Rachel Buehler gets a head on it, popping it up and back to center.  Lloyd with her back to goal attempts to turn and shoot, but it's blocked and rolls away towards the 18.  Buehler, who had dropped back, slides in with a hook shot that finds the lower left corner past the outstretched arms of a diving Hong.  Lightning strikes twice!

Other stuff happens, but it ends USA 2, NK 0.

USA! USA!! USA!!!
Yes, our evil capitalist scientists have a machine that controls the weather.  MWA HA HAA HAAA!

Um, what?!
I mean, US pressure early in the second half finally resulted in a goal.  Possession was a little better after that, though it only ended with the US at 53%.  The US had 19 shots, 12 on goal, to NK's 13 shots, 7 on goal.  Then after a corner, NK couldn't organize their D, clearly suffering from the aftereffects of greatzotitis.

OK, whatever.
If you can't stand the heat, stay out of Germany?  The US reacted better to a loose ball and put it in the back of the net for the 2nd goal.

Final Thoughts
This US team often starts slowly, and combined with possible first game jitters, it made for a shaky first half.  Also, NK was pretty good with their passing at times, and their speedy players were able to get around LePeilbet more than once, but they didn't have someone to finish.  Sundhage made halftime adjustments and doubleteams on the wing mostly held NK in check (no free runs down the wing and into the box).  I'm slightly concerned about central mid with Lloyd and especially holding mid Boxx getting caught upfield.  A better team could exploit the space behind midfield and in front of the defense.  We can't be giving up runs all the way to just outside the box.  Solo was sharp on some first half saves, not really challenged on the rest.  Foudy reported she's going to get a shot in her shoulder before every game, but it didn't seem to be an issue.

Next up is Columbia on Sat at noon EDT.  Columbia lost 1-0 to Sweden (I don't think I'm going to have a recap).  Hopefully we get a win, and Sweden doesn't, or at least we maintain our GD lead.

AND they have a bigger stadium than us!

I realize that the first half yesterday wasn't that great relative to their own standards. 

Notwithstanding that, US women's football is slick and technically sound (moreso than the men IMHE).  I was very impressed. 

Are we sure they weren't struck by lightning?

If they were (and hospitalized) then that is a valid reason for the loss.

I just want my athletes and their coaches to be amusing, and this fits the bill. Bravo, North Korean Women's Soccer Coach Who Must Desperately Try To Save Face Or Face An Uncertain Fate. Bravo.

Does anyone know what happened to the men's coach after that world cub debacle? I remember them being ridiculed in public for a few hours and heard rumors that he ended up in a labor camp or something but never really confirmed anything.

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