OT - Soccer: Women's World Cup Germany 2011 Day 10 Recap
Edit: Subject changed to Day 10 Recap, which is below. Was Day 9 Recap.
The major games are between teams that haven't looked so good (England, Germany) and teams that have looked like machines (Japan, France). Will the former be able to find their forms? How will the latter do against better competition?
England 2, Japan 0
9' - Eng throw in from deep right sideline to head of Jill Scott, who flicks it on deeper into the box. Ellen White shoots from 4 yds, deflected wide right for corner.
15' - F Karen Carney sends a long ball from left midfield on Eng side of center up to White, who gets behind her defender. The ball bounces high about 30 yds out, and "Els Bells" hits it as it comes down, maybe waist-high+ and 24 yds out, before the left D can come over, lobbing it into the upper right, beyond the reach of a backpedaling, leaping Ayumi Kaihori. GOOOOOOOOLLLLLLL! First blood to England, and Japan is trailing for the first time in the tournament.
35' - Jpn free kick from 35 yds out, taken quickly as Eng is trying to organize a wall and a player is wide open on the right wing. She crosses from the side of the box 12 yds from the end line. MF Kozue Ando has position to the right of D Alex Scott, but Scott is able to jump over her and head the ball down parallel to the goal, and D Sophie Bradley is there to clear it out.
36' - Jpn wins ball at midfield, passes up to right wing, where ? dribbles in and shoots (crosses?) from just outside the box, 11 yds from the end line. One Jpn player, well marked, is making a run to the six; but the ball hits the outside of the net at the near post. Goal kick.
38' - F Jess Clarke sends a cross into the box from left midfield, 30 yds out. Els Bells takes a bicycle-type kick from 13 yds, and Kaihori has to step to the side and leap to get a hand on it. It hits the crossbar on the way up before landing on top of the net.
40' - Jpn pressure around the top of the box, partially relieved a couple times, but Jpn MFs find someone to pass it up to each time. Finally Ando, dribbling back out of the box in the center, finds MF Aya Miyama open on the left wing. She crosses it in, and a diving G Karen Bardsley pushes it out of the six yd box. It goes to D Yukari Kinga at the top of the box, but she boots a FG from 16 yds.
Halftime
Mexico is doing what they can, getting 2 goals in the first half to 0 for NZ. But they need Japan's offense to get going in a major way, and Japan is 0-9-1 when trailing at the half.
US News: Heather O'Reilly still held out of training with a tight groin. Abby Wambach has her Achilles flare up again (bothered her earlier in the year), also sits out. Megan Rapinoe will get the start if O'Reilly can't go. Will Alex Morgan also get a start?
49' - Jpn free kick from right midfield, 38 yds out. Miyama crosses to center, it arcs over a defender in the middle of the box and amazingly drops in at the 6. F Yuki Nagasato gets behind Bradley, who has stepped away from the ball's path to shield a different (and the wrong) Jpn player (or perhaps she thought Nagasato was still behind her), reaches and gets a foot on it, but it's wide right.
58' - Jpn strings togethers 8 passes from their goalie, up the right side to Eng side, Nagasato? dribbles into center, passes left, and one more pass left to Miyama, open at the left of the box. She runs down near the end line at the side of the 6 yd box and crosses it in. D Casey Stoney slides and clears it out as Nagasato was making a near post run. WTF??? Ref calls it a goal kick. (Bet on England, did you?) Jeering whistles.
65' - Eng cross to high center of box, where F Rachel Yankey knocks it down & ahead to the left with a foot, past the defense, and has the speed to catch up to it. Kaihori comes out and dives for it, but Yankey pops it over her from the corner of the six. GOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLL!!!! 2-0 England.
Group B Final Thoughts
England continued the quality of play they had in the second half comeback against NZ and win the group. Japan had initial trouble with Eng defense, but managed to get pressure by getting a player behind the Eng midfield and in front of the back line, then passing around the box. They just couldn't finish, though. And that means DOOM. Jpn led in shots 14 to Eng 10, but shots on goal were 3 to 4. Jpn had 7 corners, Eng 3, Jpn had 55% possession.
Mexico 2, NZ 2
Mex got multiple goals for the first time, but then gave up two in the second half. Perhaps disheartened by hearing of Eng's lead? The Football Ferns were perhaps unlucky to have lost to Eng on a late goal, but they have improved, scoring four goals this tournament compared to one prior.
Germany 4, France 2
BOOM! Gebankt! (Bench'd!) I may have made that up, as mein klein Wörterbuch doesn't show a verb translation under "bench," so I took the noun and fudged the rest. Anyway, F Birgit Prinz sits, for the first time since 95.
25' - Ger free kick from left midfield, 45 yds out. Babett Peter sends it far post for Kerstin Garefrekes, who heads it from 7 yds to upper left. GOOOOOOLLLLLL! Poor marking by 6'2" D Wendie Renard, not even running hard with the 5'10" Garefrekes, who's so dangerous in the air. Renard actually has the height to do something about it, had she only kept up.
32' - Initial Ger attack turned back, ball cleared to midfield. MF Simone Laudehr gets the ball near the left sideline 36 yds out, dribbles in, then pushes the ball past the defender and runs down the left wing, crossing from 10 yds out. Grings is in the center of the box and heads it into the far side of the net from 8 yds. GOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLL!! Announcer Ian Darke thinks G Berangere Sapowicz should have had it (she reacts a little late, and the ball is past her outstretched hand). Poor marking again as the French D surrenders another goal.
46' - Camille Abily and Marie-Laure Delie sub in for France.
55' - Delie shoots right at G Nadine Angerer.
56' - Fr corner kick at right. Delie heads it in from the 6 at the near post. GOOOOOOOOLLLLL!!! Ger was zone defending, only man-marking the 6'2" Renard. D'ach!
59' - Renard makes a great slide tackle, but WTF yellow card?! She absolutely got the ball. Ref you suck!! Free kick from 22 yds, Grings drives a low shot to the left corner, which Sapowicz dives over to save.
65' - Pass comes to Grings, just inside the right corner of the box. Renard slides at it, but misses. Grings turns to face goal as another D comes over and passes to an open Bajramaj making a run. Sapowicz comes out, Bajramaj pokes ball to the right past the keeper as Sapowicz dives with her hands to the right (other side), and she can only trip Bajramaj with her leg. Fr D pokes ball away, as it was rolling towards the goal. Straight red card on Sapowicz (she'll miss the quarters, too).
68' - G Celine de Ville comes in for MF Eugenie le Sommer (as Fr must lose a player) and has to face a penalty shot right away. Grings puts it in the right side. GOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLL!!! 3-1 Germany.
Group A Final Thoughts
I thought it was game over, didn't watch the rest. France did get a goal off a corner in 72', but got no closer, with Germany getting the last goal in 89', which Grings assisted on. Analyst Tony DiCicco thought France's coach let them down by saying this game didn't matter. Yes, in the sense that they're in the quarters, but why would you say that? Your team is running on all cylinders, leads the group, and is about to face the defending world champs. Why not keep the momentum going? I say start Abily and Delie; France was flat in the first half and didn't get going till they subbed in at the half.
Germany had 14 shots, 9 on goal, to France's 9 and 5. Corners even at 5, and Germany had 54% of possession.
Nigeria 1, Canada 0
These teams were already eliminated, but at least Nigeria gets to go home with a win, while Canada lost all three games.
A & B Quaterfinal Match-ups
By winning their group England avoids Germany and gets France, Sat at noon EDT. If England continues to kick well-placed long balls and crosses, and France doesn't mark any better, they could reach the semis. France probably won't be affected by the goalie switch, as they didn't lose a star, and de Ville has 43 caps. It remains to be seen if France can turn their momentum around, but at least they won't be facing Germany for a while. By losing Japan now has to face Germany, Sat at 2:45 EDT, and I expect their tournament to be over.
Prinz didn't play at all, not even as a sub, and Germany won. Have we seen the last of her on the field? Grings got two goals and an assist, taking advantage of the PT.
Wednesday Group D & C Finals
Group D has the early (noon EDT) matches, with Australia vs Norway being key. I think the Matildas have been playing a bit better, so Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi! Group C games are at 2:45 EDT, with USA vs Sweden for the group. Win or tie to avoid Brazil, who should win D. Go Red White & Blue!!!
I don't watch much soccer or know anything about the women's side of things. As someone who apparently knows more than I, do you think the US has a legitimate shot at winning the World Cup this time around?
While the US isn't quite as hyped this year as we have been in some years past, we're certainly one of the heavyweights and a Cup for us would be a surprise to no one. The other favorites are Germany and Brazil.
Considering they are ranked number 1 in the world, I would say they have a good shot at winning it all, but it wont be easy if they have to play Germany or Brazil.
I expect the semifinalists to be the US, Germany and Brazil (and somebody else, because there needs to be one more). If these teams continue to win, we avoid Brazil in the quarters (see you in the Finals?) and get Germany in the semis. It will be no easy task to beat Germany in their country, and maybe they're finally going to get on a roll with their multigoal win over France. They've won the last two World Cups, when we've come in third. We have a shot, but it looks like a more difficult road than Brazil's. But winning the World Cup will be even sweeter if we have to climb over both Germany and Brazil to get it.
...first. USA needs to beat or tie SWE today to (probably) avoid BRA in the quarters. Not a given, especially with Abby Wambach and Heather O'Reilly nursing injuries and Wambach needing to avoid a second yellow.
[Edit: GrantWahl Wambach to start for USA vs Sweden. Rapinoe in lineup for O'Reilly (groin injury). #WWC]
Grr Solo getting lit up. 2-0.
:(
I wouldn't say Solo is getting lit up considering one goal was a penalty kick (which she almost miraculously saved) and one goal was a deflection off a set piece that she had no chance on.
Anyway, Amy Rodriguez leaving the game makes me sad.
Point taken.
Looks like USA will play Brazil next.
Just finished watching the US v Sweden match on replay. They sure didn't look sharp.
Shit.
Sweden 2, USA 1
Well, not the result I expected. But that's soccer. Props to Sweden - they needed a win to win the group, and that's what they got. F Josefine Öqvist was inserted into the starting lineup, and along with F Lotta Schelin, the speedy tandem would give the US defense fits. Megan Rapinoe, who just turned 26 on Tuesday, got the start at RMF in place of Heather O'Reilly. F Abby Wambach started, sore heel and all, and due to the way the game went, did not get subbed out.
6' - LB Amy LePeilbet throw-in from left sideline, 24 yds from end line, goes to LMF Lauren Cheney, posting up just insdie the corner of the box. She steps to the 18 to get the ball as it comes it, then turns it immediately upfield, getting a step on her defender, who was trying to reach in with a foot. She shoots from 16 yds off the endline, right to G Hedvig Lindahl, who knocks it down to herself.
6' - Early instance of some poor play on the backline. Swe MF? to the right of the circle on US side chips ball upfield 15 yds. RCB Christie Rampone steps up and misses the ball. Swe MF? either dummies or taps it ahead to Öqvist, who's on the inside of LCB Rachel Buehler. She dribbles the ball forward to the center of the 18, but Buehler is holding her up, and she pushes back. RB Ali Krieger comes over to cut her off, and Öqvist sends a square ball to the left, where MF Therese Sjogran has made a run. Just then there's a whistle, and Öqvist is called for the foul. Very lucky break, as Sjogran would have been in all alone. Announcer Julie Foudy says that easily could have been a no-call, as both players were battling. Possibly Öqvist's arm over the left shoulder of Buehler caused the ref to make the call.
7' - MF Carli Lloyd steps up at right midfield to get the ball, deflected after an attempted Swe clearance. She dribbles forward into space and shoots from 28 yds out. It's well wide left. Crowd shot, Chancellor Merkel is there, along with the German team, doing some scouting.
7' - Goal kick is deflected the wrong way off Lloyd's head inside the circle, and ball goes over the backline. Schelin beats them, catching up to the ball just after it crosses the 18. She shoots, and G Hope Solo, who is at the 6, makes a foot save. Foudy says we didn't see on camera that Solo had been headed back to her goal and had to turn around quickly to get set and make the save.
13'- LePeilbet at the left sideline sends the ball up to F Amy Rodriguez. She turns and dribbles upfield to the center, then passes up to F Abby Wambach, who's making a right-to-left run across the 18 in the center. She shoots from 12 yds, low to the left corner. Lindahl gets down to save.
14-5' - Swe pass from left side of circle goes to Schelin, who taps it to MF Lisa Dahlkvist, who's open just to her left. Dahlkvist dribbles forward and shoots from 30. It deflects of Buehler?/Rampone? down and behind. Schelin continues her post-pass run upfield and is in behind the D. LePeilbet gets over and fouls her insdie the box. Penalty kick and yellow card. Solo does her best to delay, getting water, taking her glove off to drink, taking her time putting it back on. But eventually Dahlkvist gets to shoot, and she puts it into the upper left side, just past the outstretched fingertips of Solo, who had guessed correctly. GOOOOLLLLL!
17' - Rapinoe, deep on the right wing, passes back to D Ali Krieger, who crosses all the over the box. LePeilbet gets to it on the left wing and dribbles endline past a defender. She passes back to MF Lauren Cheney, who shoots as the ball crosses into the box, 16 yds from the end line. It's a low shot but wide left.
20' - Ball passed from right to left across the back line, then LePeilbet sends a long ball up to Cheney at the left sideline, 10 yds from center. She sends a long ball up the sideline to F Amy Rodriguez, who's open. Rodriguez's cross from the left wing is deflected up by a defender. Swe MF? slides to get a foot on the ball, 26 yds from goal, but deflects it high in the air into the box. Wambach chests the ball while shielding a defender on her back. Falling, she lays a pass off to Cheney, who shoots from 17 yds. It's just wide left. Foudy thinks Rodriguez would have done better to try to take on the defender and get into the box, going end line, rather than cross to Wambach, who was the only other US player up there and marked by the two center Ds.
21' - US free kick from right midfield headed out from the top of the box, right to Cheney, just outside it in the arc. She settles the ball and shoots from 19 yds, but it's just over the bar.
29' - US corner from the right goes to back post, where MF Shannon Boxx heads it down, but it misses the net.
30' - Swe throw-in from right midfield back to D Annica Svensson, back to the thrower, square to Svensson who's made a run upfield. She cuts the ball to the outside of LePeilbet, who turns, and then back in as Cheney has come to double. Pass goes to Öqvist, who's inside the box a few yards central of the right corner. Ball deflects outside the box past LePeilbet, who has come back to double. Though Öqvist is behind LePeilbet, she gets to the ball first, pushing it towards the corner. She turns upfield and sends a low cross to the 6, where Schelin is making a run. Rampone slides and gets to it, and the ball deflects off Schelin's foot for a goal kick.
32' - LePeilbet sends a long ball from left midfield, 18 yds on the US side of center. It bounces behind the Swe back line, 32 yds out. Rodriguez is chasing after it with a D Charlotte Rohlin, whom she shields to her left. When the ball comes down she lets it bounce, then sends a lob that's over Lindahl, who's come off her line, but it hits the top of the crossbar.
35' - Long ball sent from left midfield on Swe side of center. Buehler steps up to intercept but misses, and behind her Sjogran gets the ball. Her first touch isn't great, but she manages to shield it from Buehler, who tries to make up for her mistake. Unfortunately, she's behind Sjogran and eventually trips her up. MF Nilla Fischer takes the free kick, 29 yds out. The ball deflects off LePeilbet, who's just to the right of the wall (a Swe player had been inbetween and ducked out before the kick), and drips into the left side of goal, away from where Solo was moving. GOOOLLLL!! BOOM! Bork'd! Sometimes there are weird bounces in soccer, and this was not in our favor. US team huddles up as Wambach talks..
41' - US free kick to the left of the circle. Rampone kicks it deep into the box. Swe player heads it out of a mass of players at the six, and it drops just outside the six, where Lloyd lunges at it, poking it with a toe. Lindahl gets her hands up to save, and the D clears it out of the box.
43' - US works the ball up through midfield and up to Cheney just outside the box. She dribbles to center, defenders are there, forcing her to turn back. She passes back on the right to Rapinoe, who shoots from 28 yds out. It's a hard, low shot, but well wide left.
46' - The lovely, the talented Alex Morgan subs in for Amy Rodriguez.
50' - After ball is cleared out from Swe end, Schelin's back pass misses the mark, and LePeilbet passes up to MF Shannon Boxx. She dribbles past a Swe MF and with a bit of space, takes a shot from 36 yds out. It's a hard shot that dips to the left post. Landahl is there, but the ball bounces out of her grasp down the end line. She scrambles and falls on it just outside the six-yd box before Wambach can get to it.
51' - Rapinoe at right sideline centers to Cheney, who shoots from 21 yds. Well over the bar.
53' - US strings together 11 passes from Krieger on the right, up and back through midfield, then over to the left, and ball is centered to Lloyd. She can't turn upfield, getting bumped by a defender. She dribbles to center and shoots from 27 yds. Another FG. I know she can score from long range, but it's a low percentage shot, especially against a 5'10" keeper (i.e. not one of those short ones). If you're not shooting on frame, then maybe it's time to keep passing the ball around, maintaining possession, while trying to work towards a better shot.
56' - Ball goes back and forth in midfield. "After the ping pong," says announcer Ian Darke, Ali Krieger gets it to the right of the circle and has room to dribble upfield. She passes to the right wing, where Rapinoe gets it and nutmegs D Sara Thunebro, getting to the side of the box. She crosses with some velocity but it's too close to Lindahl, who punches it high and out of the box. Boxx is there at the arc, dribbles left to get some room, and shoots from 21 yds, high and wide left.
57' - Swe works it up through center and the left side, D to MF Fischer, out left to Schelin, who centers back to Fischer, unmarked as she moved up the field, and she shoots from 21 yds, wide right.
59' - Stephanie Cox in at LB for LePeilbet. While Cox is more of an attacking option, Foudy thinks a sub at midfield would be better for offense.
60' - Foul and yellow card for Fischer. Free kick from about 30 yds, Rapinoe rolls ball to Lloyd, who shoots. This one's on frame, a hard shot at the center of the goal. Lindahl catches it too close to her body, and the ball bounces up off her chest. Not behind her, though, and she picks it up off the bounce before any US player can get there.
66' - US right corner kick. Cheney kicks an arching ball to the back of the 6 yd box. Lloyd, Wambach and some Swedes are there leaping for it, and Wambach has the height and finally gets a GOOOOOOOLLLLLLL (first of the World Cup, second this year). Replay shows the ball actually deflected off her shoulder.
67' - Cox throws it in from left wing, gets ball back and takes it deep down the side. She crosses it in and Cheney is there inside the six, but her header goes over the net.
70' - Kelly O'Hara gets her first appearance, coming in for Megan Rapinoe at RMF.
86' - Cox throw in from left wing to Cheney, posting up just inside the box. She settles the ball then turns and beats her defender end line. She takes another dribble then crosses it. O'Hara is alone in the center and volleys it, but it goes wide right. After the game Brandy Chastain says that should have been a diving header.
Group C Final Thoughts
Mama said there'd be days like this. A fluky goal ended up being the winner. The back line showed vulnerability to speed up the middle as well as around LB. When they're pulled up near center, a long ball over the top could see a speedy forward get in on goal. Also lucky not to get burned attempting the offsides trap, as Julie Foudy pointed out a couple offside calls that replay showed to be onside. Tony DiCicco suggested Rampone might need to shift from RCB to LCB in order to get some more speed to that side. He also tooted his own horn while criticizing Coach Sundhage, saying she liked to take center backs (LePeilbet) and turn them into left backs, whereas he liked to take forwards (fellow analyst Brandy Chastain) and turn them into left backs, because they'd be more comfortable coming forward.
Stats
USA 20 shots, 6 on goal, to 9 and 5. 3 corners while giving up 6 to Sweden. US 53% possession.
Quarterfinal in Dresden Sun 11:30AM EDT
With their first loss ever in the group stage, the US comes in second and gets Brazil, which won their group and finished by beating Equatorial Guinea 3-0. They will need to figure out how to tighten up their D, because, hey, Marta is pretty fast and shifty. The midfield needs to keep possession rather than taking a ton of long-range shots and send better service to the forwards. Abby Wambach played the whole game and had 34 touches, the lowest of all the 90-min players. That's just sad. Get her the damn ball, especially now that she's scored. I hope O'Reilly will be fit, because they'll need her speed and ability to go at players. Brazil's defense hasn't really been tested.
Well, my expectations fall a bit short of reality, as only one of US and Brazil is going to the semis. We didn't want to face them this early, but I don't know that they wanted to face us this early either. With only one tune-up game, Brazil was kind of tuning up in the group stage. And, as analyst Brandy Chastain said, the quarterfinals can be the very nerve-wracking, as you're facing elimination for the first time. Instead of getting Germany in the quarters and Brazil in the finals, we get Brazil in the quarters and hopefully .... As Coach Sundhage said, "We're taking a different road."
Australia 2, Norway 1
Scoreless first half. Norway struck first in 56' with Elise Thorsnes getting the goal. But the Matildas strike right back, Kyah Simon in 57'. Simon also got the winner in 87' off a header. Needing only a tie, the Matildas get another win and keep their momentum, getting to face Sweden Sun @ 7AM EDT. They're improved, but I don't think they're good enough to beat Sweden.