USA Reach Deadlock Against Canada

Hey everyone! Happy monday! Here today to discuss Saturday's match-up that featured our one and only USA, against our friendly rivals, Canada.

Before we even go into the match itself, let's discuss some key features that played a role in the game, before it even started. As many people had known, Christine Sinclair, Canada's star striker, would not be available during the game (nor will she be for the next match on Thursday) because she needed to take some time off to rest and "be fresh" for the Olympic Qualifiers (which are coming rather soon). This meant that Canada would be without their main goal-scoring force up front, so they had to rely on some other players to get the job done. On the USA's side, the change had to do not so much with players, but with formation. Instead of employing a standard 4-4-2, Pia opted for a 4-2-3-1. Cheney and Lloyd played as holding midfielders, whereas Rapinoe, O'Reilly, and A-Rod played as more of an attacking/offensive middie force, with O'Reilly and A-Rod on the wings, and Rapinoe working more as distributor in the middle. Now let's talk about the match.


The first half of the match was mostly in favor of the USA. They had most of the possession, and the passing was executed well for the most part. There were some turn overs, but I think overall, the passing accuracy and rhythm of attack was fluid and flowing quite nicely. The first goal came in the 10th minute, when a cross was unleashed into the box; Wambach latched onto it and took a shot from about 6 yards out. However, one of the defenders came sliding in and blocked the ball with her hand/arm. The ref called for a penalty, and Wambach converted for the USA to make it 1-0. Play was pretty back and forth from there. USA had most of the possession, and kept winning the ball from Canada who were making careless turn overs. There was an established rhythm. The USA came close to goal, but as always, had problems finishing. Right before half-time, Canada took advantage of a huge opening in the USA's defense, and sent Tancredi racing towards goal. As the defenders rushed back, Tancredi blasted a shot, and Hope Solo was hung out to dry. The ball slipped past and went in. The score was tied 1-1 going into the second half. The second half started and it was pretty much the same game. However some changes were made. Tobin Heath was put on for Rapinoe, Barnhart for Solo, and Sauerbrunn for Buehler. Heath had moments of brilliance, Barnie did well in goal, and honestly, I think Sauerbrunn proved once again why she should start, no offnse to Buehler. The game continued as it had, USA with more possession, Canada with counter-attacks. The midfield for the USA got a little less solid. There were more turn overs, and while it still maintained a good passing game, it wasn't as good as with the first half bunch. Canada's defense continued to keep the USA at bay, and the USA still failed to finish. Wambach was brought out, and Morgan was put it. With the many chances she had, she could not finish. Until the dying minutes the USA attacked and looked strong. I thought they would get a late goal. But this was not the case. The ref blew the whistle and it ended 1-1; not the kind of result the USA wanted coming off their World Cup performance. However, one thing to note was that the attendance at Livestrong Park exceeded 16,000 people. It was a sell-out (or near sell-out at least), and I gotta say, I was impressed with their energy. They cheered the whole game. I heard chants, drums, boos, cheers - the atmosphere was definitely electric. And they were LOUD. Sounded like all 16,000+ fans were in on the chants. It was great to hear, and to see. That's at least one good positive to draw from the match. Its going to be hard for Portland to top that!

My analysis of player performance and formation change:

It seemed like the formation worked for some, yet didn't fit well with others. I have always preferred a 4-4-2, since I am not at all fond of "lone striker" formations. A-Rod did decently on the wings and I feel she is more effective there. She didn't get many good crosses off but I feel that playing as a winger is a better fit. She was able to maneuver well on the wings at times. Plus her speed is better utilized when running up to aid the attack, rather than running up to receive service. It causes the ball to reach the offense faster. This skill isn't utilized when she is waiting for the ball in a striker position. Breakaways were effective and quick when she was a choice on the wing. As for Rapinoe, I feel she did pretty well in the center midfield. She was a good distributor and was able to maneuver and gain possession. However, I think she needs space to be creative. She went out on the wings a few times. That's where she's the best I think. HaO worked well in the formation. HaO was HaO, she ran the whole game and created havoc on the wings. Lloyd in midfield showed moments of brilliance. In fact, she won a lot of balls and gained possession quite often. However, that was all kind of forgotten when witnessing her utterly frustrating turn overs. Either she just flat out gave it away or had it stolen. Even worse, she has a habit of holding onto the ball way too long, and it was making me angry because there were at least 2 good passing options whenever she would unecessairly hold possession. I'd say a fair performance by Carli. I prefer Lori Lindsey. Why don't they start her? I think she'd fit well in this formation. Cheney, I feel like she didn't do so well. I saw her losing the ball a lot. She's a great player, but she had an off night. Better as a partner striker maybe. And the whole lone striker thing? Did not like it one bit. Both Wambach and Morgan had fair performances. Not stellar, just fair. Wambach looked a bit off, might be partly due to the fact that she didn't receive the ball as much as she should have been. Morgan got a few good chances (more than Wambach I think) but blew them. I think having 2 strikers is more beneficial. One creates space for the other, and with 2 strikers they're able to link up. If you're the one target striker it becomes difficult to do much. However, maybe the reason the strikers didn't do so well was because Canada's defense was so effective. Back to midfield, sub Tobin Heath was ok, I don't think she did all that well however. Maybe things would have been different if Boxx started in there somewhere. As for defense, they weren't affected by the formation too much, but one note is that Sauerbrunn fits better into the defense in my opinion. Buehler is a good player, but I think Sauerbrunn should start. The defense did quite well overall, save for one or 2 plays where they got caught with their pants down (one of those occasions being the Canada goal). I think the formation has the potential to be a successful experiment, it just needs to be tweaked a bit. I'm curious to see what Pia does with the line-up on Thursday.


Alright everyone, the next match is on Thursday, September 22nd! I made a mistake with the time announcement last week for you guys. The game is at 8pm PT. So that means all of you East Coasters out there, the game is on at 11pm for us! Yes, 11pm ET, quite a late game! So correct your calendars, write it in your planners, do whatever you need to do! Just make sure you realize its at 11! Hopefully the USA will can it in this one. They're going to have make sure to bring their finishing ability to Portland!

Thanks for reading! See you again after Thursday's match!

Denise