USA and Canada Set To Go At It Again

Tonight, friendly rivals USA and Canada will go at it again. This will be the second and final match of the USA's "Celebration Series" against our Northern Neighbors. Since both teams fought to a deadlock the last time around, the desire for a win is there, even though this match is labeled as a "friendly". There's tension between these two rivals, espcially now after their tie, and neither wants to lose to the other. The World Cup runner-ups are going to want to treat their home fans to a win and finish strong against the Canadians (who ducked out in only the group stage of the WWC), especially after their WWC Final loss. Not to mention they probably could have driven Canada to the ground last week if they finished more. Canada on the other hand wants to defeat the USA on their own turf, in their own Celebration Series. Canada likely feels like they have something to prove, especially after being sent home from the WWC so early. Both teams are motivated to win, and both teams want to stay in good form and remain sharp, keeping January's Olympic Qualifiers in mind.

The key for the USA is to tweak that 4-2-3-1 formation, if they're staying with it. I would experiment with Lori Lindsey in the midfield. Put Rapinoe on the left wing and use A-Rod as a substitute. Get more services in to Wambach/Alex Morgan. Krieger is key on that right back position. Her and HaO link up often in a match, and this is crucial for the offense. Cheney and Lloyd need to distribute to middies/forwards, can't lose possession too much. Don't hold onto the ball when you have options. The defense needs to play tight and not get stretched out too much in a counter-attack. Slot Sauerbrunn into a starting position in the defense. Need to watch the gaps. Have either Cheney or Lloyd drop back when Krieger or LePeilbet go forward. Team USA can't be too predictable in their use of the wings. Go through the middle too. Just a few ideas, most are common sense, but I figured I'd share them anyway!


The final Celebration Series match-up between the USA and Canada is going to be aired on ESPN 2, live at 8pm PT, which means that it'll be 11pm ET. The match is being played at Jeld-Wen Field in Portland, Oregon. The capacity of the stadium is around 18,000-22,000. Only obstructed view seating is available, meaning that this macth is likely going to be a sell-out! Get ready to hear the chants and cheers! Portland may just beat out Kansas City's crazy crowd! The atmosphere is sure to be electric, and hopefully the game on the field is too!



So, will the USA come out victorious and win the Celebration Series in front of their home crowd? Or will Canada rain on the USA's parade? We'll have to wait and see until tonight when these two clash.

Denise

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

Mid-September Updates

Hey everyone! We're only about half-way through September and there is a nice bunch of news that has come out in the WoSo World. Let's get started.

Olympic Qualifiers- Asian Qualifying has just finished up, and the two teams who have come out victorious, and will be in London for the 2012 Olympics, are Japan and North Korea. North Korea's qualification has stirred up general unrest and anger among fans. Particularly those of the Australian WNT. North Korea was found guilty for "doping" during the WWC, and therefore were banned from the 2015 WWC. However, many people think it unfair that North Korea was allowed into the Olympics, and that they should have been banned from the tournament as well. The IOC is investigating and reviewing the matter. If North Korea was kicked out of the Olympics, the Aussies would join Japan in London. My opinion is that it would make more sense to punish the North Koreans and have them suffer the consequences more immediately, not 4 years from now. Unfortunately its not my decision. Anyways, I figured I'd give a brief list of the teams going to the Olympics.

Host: England
Asia: Japan and North Korea
Europe: France and Sweden (due to their finish in the WWC)
South America: Brazil and Colombia (due to their finish at the CONMEBOL Women's Championship 2010)
Africa: South Africa and Nigeria/Cameroon (placement based on play-offs)

That leaves only 4 berths to be determined. CONCACAF will produce 2, and Oceania and Africa will be producing one each.


WPS News: I've heard of one more move that was recently reported. Lisa DeVanna will be going to the Brisbane Roar during the WPS off-season. Also, Marta is reported to be in negotiations with a European club. This means she also might be among the likes of players like Seger and Vero, who signed deals overseas and won't be immediately returning to WPS. However there is one more piece of news which is pretty big. Tony DiCicco has backed down as coach of the Boston Breakers. He stated his move was made regarding personal/family reasons. Now Lisa Cole, who coached the team while he was in Germany for the WWC as an analyst, is taking over the role full-time. He will be returning to Connecticut, where he lives with his family, and where he is well-known in the soccer community. There have been talks of league expansion to Connecticut, and maybe he had that in mind.


USWNT vs. Canada: This Saturday is the first of a two game series that sees the USWNT take on Northern Neighbors and friendly rivals, Canada. These games are set as the USWNT's Celebration Series; a mini-tour if you will, after their tremendous WWC campaign. These matches won't be all celebration - Olympic qualifiers are around the bend, and both teams will want to practice and stay sharp. The first match between these two is on Saturday, September 17th, and will be aired live on FSC at 7pm ET. The 2nd match is on Thrusday, September 22nd, and it will be aired live on ESPN2 at 8pm ET.

That's all for now everyone! See you again soon.

Denise

Some General News in The World of WoSo

Hey guys, since I've finally gotten onto my actual computer, I'm able to update some of you on the happenings and news in the WoSo world!

Retirements- Two Germans have retired. Both Birgit Prinz and Kerstin Garefrekes have hung up their boots. Prinz has retired completely from soccer, while Garefrekes has only chosen to retire from National Team duty. She will continue playing for FFC Frankfurt in Germany. I'm going to be honest, I feel quite bad for Prinz. The 2011 WWC was not a kind swan song for her National Team retirement. And to retire from club football too after such a bad note on the World stage? She didn't deserve that kind of exit. At least a good 2011-12 season with her club could have been a high note/redemption.

Another Lilly- Kristine Lilly has just recently given birth to a baby girl! Congratulations to her! The future of the USWNT is in good hands.


Olympic Qualifiers- Some Olympic Qualifiers have been taking place, and some will be starting rather soon.

Right now, the Asian Qualifiers are taking place. The table is as such:

Japan: 9 pts
North Korea: 7 pts
China PR: 5 pts
Australia: 3 pts
South Korea: 1 pt
Thailand: 0 pts

The top 2 teams will advance. Only Thailand has been eliminated so far.

USWNT action: This month, the USWNT will be facing off against Canada in a double-header. The matches will be played on the 17th and 22nd of September, in Kansas City and Portland, respectively. This is their "Celebration Series", serving somewhat as their post-World Cup tour, featuring the WWC roster. Always love watching the USA-Canada rivalry! I'm expecting the team to schedule possibly a couple more friendlies between the months of October and December, seeing as their Olympic Qualifiers are in mid-late January, and they might want to get some more game-scenario practice in.

WPS News- As I mentioned in my previous post, WPS season 4 is in the works. One of the biggest pieces of news is that the league CEO, Anne-Marie Eileraas, has stepped down from her position, effective September 18th. The league will begin looking for a new one, if they already haven't. Not much was said about her resignation, only that she has done it for family reasons.


Expansion: It seems like some potential areas for expansion are Connecticut and DC. There are interested parties located in the West, however that will have to wait until 2013. That was the projected year for a return of West Coast teams, if there were serious enough talks regarding expansion. Expanding west now wouldn't be the best idea. Airfare from the east to west coast, and vice versa, is a big hit to the budget. The idea is that if enough West coast teams are developed, there would be 2 separate conferences, one for the East and one for the West.


Salary Cap: The league has been discussing a salary cap, but they aren't exactly sure of the model yet, nor if there will actually be one. But its important to ensure players aren't being paid pennies. Also, its important that people don't exceed a budget. Marta's salary alone, for example, is $400,000, according to some reports. The league is thinking of adopting the MLS model, which involves a certain number of players being exempt from the salary cap, while the others on the roster are counted towards the cap. Also, a salary cap ensures that there isn't a monopolizing of all the stars onto one team, particularly one with an owner that has more money, and in the league's eyes, an unfair advantage over others with less money.


Overseas Moves: For the most part, players have gone over seas on loan in order to keep training and to stay fit and "in the groove of things" so to speak. Here is a list of those traveling overseas (borrowed from Our Game Magazine):

Atlanta Beat
India Trotter - Sweden (Dalsjöfors)
Angela Salem - Finland (Aland)
Katie Bethke - Norway (Arna-Bjørnar)

Boston Breakers
Alyssa Naeher - Germany (Turbine Potsdam)
Niki Cross - Norway (Medkila IL)
Ifeoma Dieke - Cyprus
Aya Sameshima - France
Megan Mischler - Sweden (Östersund)

magicJack
Johanna Rasmussen - Sweden (Kristianstads DFF)
Ashleigh Gunning - Sweden (Eskilstuna United)

Philadelphia Independence
Val Henderson - Sweden (Örebro)
Danesha Adams - Norway (Medkila IL)
Joanna Lohman - Spain (Espanyol)
Lianne Sanderson - Spain (Espanyol)
Veronica Boquete - Russia (Energiya Voronezh)
Holmfridur Magnusdottir - Iceland (Valur)

Sky Blue FC
Karen Bardsley - Sweden (Linkoping)
Carolyn Blank - Sweden (Vittsjo)
Petra Hogewoning - Germany (FCR Duisburg)

Western New York Flash
Caroline Seger - Sweden (Malmo through the fall; begins two-year deal with Tyreso in 2012)
Beverly Goebel - Finland (PK-35)
Becky Edwards - Sweden (Hammarby)
Whitney Engen - Sweden (Tyreso)
Gina Lewandowski - Germany (Frankfurt)

It was brought to the attention of the public that two names (so far) have actually signed contracts for more than just loans. Both Caroline Seger (as noted above) and Veronica Boquete have signed 2-year deals. Seger signed for Tyreso, and Vero signed for Energiya Voronezh. Will other players be making permanent moves, especially if there is a salary cap? We'll have to wait and see.


Thanks for reading, and I'll try and keep everyone updated as the info rolls in! Off-season for the league starts now, but be on the look-out, as international teams will be in action in preparation for Olympic Qualifying (or will be participating IN Olympic Qualifying!)

See you again soon!

Denise

WNY Flash triumphs over Philly Indepndence to Become 2011 WPS Champions

The WNY Flash outlasted the Philadelphia Independence in penalties after a long, hard-fought deadlock to become 2011 WPS Champions


On August 27th, in front of a 10,000+ crowd, the two best teams in WPS faced off in Rochester, in what would be one of the grittiest, hard-fought matches in the history of the WPS post-season. It was Regular season Champs WNY Flash, vs. the Philly Independence. The Flash were favorites to win, as Philly was seen as an underdog, mostly based on the fact that their squad wasn't as "stacked" with stars. Nonetheless, both teams deserved to get where they did, and no one was to be taken lightly. What ensued was a pretty even match from both sides.

The first half was actually quite sloppy. The turn overs were plentiful, and the passing accuracy was just plain dreadful. there was moments of brilliance but for the most part, the first half was more gritty and physical, and not as elegant as some would have hoped. The highlight of the first half was the appearance of the "WPS Squirrel" who ran in circles for a few minutes. The players laughed and watched in awe (and maybe fear, for some). After about 8 minutes total, the stadium's staff captured the critter in a box and took him off the field. Play resumed, and eventually the half ended 0-0.

In the second half, things would change. The game relied much more on actual passing and plays, and in the 62nd minute, after both teams having gone back and forth on attacking efforts, the WNY Flash drew first blood. Sinclair latched onto a flawless ball from Chapman, finished with a half-volley past Barnhart, and celebrated with her teammates. Philly and WNY were pretty even for the rest of the half, with Philly having some extremely close calls. Eventually, in the 87th minute, A-Rod would score. After a shot bounched off the post, a scrambling Harris got up and attempted to get into position in time, but A-Rod slotted it right under her. The game was tied and it went into ET.

The ET in this game was some of the most exciting periods of ET I have ever seen. I was on the edge of my seat, hoping it went to penalties (I love seeing penalty shoot outs!), and also, I felt that it was the only way to settle a game like this. They were so well-matched. I know penalties are a terrible way to lose/win, because it doesn't merit how you've played. But that was kind of the reason why I wanted penalties. Both teams played so evenly, I didn't want one to triumph over the other in that regard. It just wouldn't feel fair. I figured in this case, it was best to pull it down to penalties. Anyway, the ET was nerve-wracking. Both teams got dangerously close to goal, and in fact I got most of my family to actually get into it with me. The craziest part was the final corner kick before penalties. It was a Flash corner, and after Marta delivered it, Seger connected. It was about a foot away from bouncing in when Barnhart managed to push it out in the nick of time. After the final play, the game went to penalties.

I'll admit I wanted the Flash to win, but I would have been ok with either team wining. However, I favored the Flash all the way through, and especially wanted my favorite GK, Harris, to do well. The penalty shoot out was even more nerve-wracking than the ET! Every player from each team scored on their turn. Although, both Barnhart and Ashlyn had close calls on a save. The final kicker for Philly, Laura Del Rio, went up. She shot the ball to her right. Ashlyn Harris dove for the ball, made contact, and knocked it away from goal. She got up and ran towards her teammates in what will be a memorable celebration and moment in the history of WPS Championships. What a way to win the game.


Ashlyn Harris, Coast Guard GK of the Year, celebrates after blocking Del Rio's shot. Her save won the game for the Flash, making them 2011 WPS Champs


It was a wonderful conclusion to a wonderful season. As I always say, it seems like it gets better every year. Just when I thought last season couldn't be topped, Year 3 proved me wrong. Despite the loss of some players for a length of time due to the WWC, the season was marvelous, and the return of the WWC players made it that much sweeter. The future looks bright at this point for the league. Increased interest and attendance numbers bode well for the WPS. I expect we'll be treated to another fantastic season in Year 4. But first, there is an off-season to get through! There are talks of expansion, salary caps, etc, and let's not forget we'll likely witness some crazy trades and transfers! Also, the draft(s) will be taking place as well. As we say so long and "thank you" to season 3, we look forward to season 4. I promise that next season I will try my best to cover it better! I fell quite a bit short this year. New season, clean slate! It'll be here before you know! I'll be sure to keep up with off-season events though!


Thanks everyone for reading!

Denise

WPS News

There is a ton to catch up on, especially since I've been gone for quite a while. In fact, I never even covered it this year! My sole focus was on WWC 2011, and I as away from the blog altogether after the Final, so I haven't done ANY WPS Week Reviews, no posts on the Play-offs, NOTHING! So disappointing. And now we're at the end of the season. The Final is just 4 days away. (Watch, I'll cover WPS a ton after the season's over...) So anyway, let's get down to business. Some quick recaps of the play-offs.

WPS First Round: MagicJack vs. Boston Breakers- MJ won 3-1, and it honestly should have been by more. Abby Wambach scored in the 5th minute on a rebound off of Huffman's shot. Later, Keelin winters of Boston equalized. MJ was knocking on the door, but they could not finish many of their chances. Huffman would eventually get fouled in the penalty box, and so a penalty was awarded to MJ. Wambach did what she does best and coolly slotted it away. Afterwards, Press fired down the 18 yard box, lured the keeper, turned back, chipped it towards the open goal and Rapinoe headed it in. MJ advanced to the Super Semifinals after a dominating and convincing display. Rapinoe and Huffman were on beast mode the whole game, and the same should be said for Abby. Rookie Press gave Naeher trouble all game, and the Boxx-Schmidt combo held down the midfield pretty well.


WPS Super-Semifinals: MagicJack vs. Philly Independence- This game proved to be quite an unlucky one for MJ. Philly started off better, but then MJ picked up the pace and started playing better. The 2nd half is when all the scoring happened. Only minutes after the opening whistle for the 2nd half, Kai scored, catching Loyden off guard and in a bad position. Now MJ, who had developed a good pace and finished the first half with the upper hand, was in a hole. Its not good to be down like that right after the 2nd half begins. So with some lost confidence, and lost concentration, MJ began their efforts to come back. MJ attacked constantly, and was playing better than Philly who employed what seemed to be an 11-man-defense at times. They were just unlucky. Between hitting posts and crossbars, it seems the team couldn't buy a goal. Later in the second half, A-Rod would score one from what looked to be 20-25 yards out (judging from memory), catching Loyden with her pants down yet again. 2-0 was the final score, and MJ was out of play-offs. Philly would be meeting up WNY Flash in the WPS Championship Final. This is sounding a lot like last year's FCGP vs. Philly, isn't it? Anyways, the Super Semi was lost by MJ because of fatigue (having to play that previous match) and a lack of finishing. Also, let it be noted that Philly's goals came off of 2 GK errors. Both the same one: bad positioning. Philly scored on the chances they had to. MJ couldn't. That's why Philly will be facing WNY.


Miscellaneous league news: Higher Attendances- As its been noted, WPS attendances have seen a massive improvement. A few stadiums have seen sell-outs (WNY's stadium reached a 15,000 capacity for their match against MJ- highest attendance in league history. MJ's FAU stadium reached a 3,000 sell-out [not bad for a team only getting around 500 each game previous to WWC]) And other stadiums have reached high attendances in general (Philly had a near sell-out with somewhere in the 4-5,000's, Sky Blue reached its second highest attendance at 5,065 [I was there], and Boston reached a 6,000 or so attendance). These numbers bode well for the league. But they need to capitalize on the new-found interest and keep these people interested going into next season.

Dan Borislow vs. WPS- Shortly after the WWC, a statement was released by WPS saying Dan would be taking legal action against them. It was said that WPS wanted to terminate his franchise. It was not made clear when, since Dan claims they wanted to do it in June, while the league maintains they stated they wanted to terminate it at the end of the season. The league's reasons for doing so was based on his breaches of the league's contracts and inability to follow the rules. Dan felt like he did nothing wrong and invested too much money to get booted in the middle of the season. The 2 have settled their differences and put the lawsuit to rest. However, this is only temporary, as I feel the situation is sure to heat up once again, in the off-season.

WPS Championship Final: WNY Flash vs. Philly Independence- You do not wanna miss this one folks! The game is on Saturday, coverage starting at 3:30 pm ET. This is sure to be a great match. WNY and Philly are 1st and 2nd in the league regular season table, respectively. There is a pre-game, and they'll likely be showing some background on the teams, as well as their Top 10 Goals of the Season segment. I'm so excited for the match, because it all comes down to these two teams, but I'm also very sad, because it means that after that game, we have to wait until April for more WPS action!

Really hope that you accept my apologies of not being around! I plan to be more diligent with the blog. I will be doing a post on the Championship Final most likely. Thanks for reading! By the way, maybe when I feel better about the WWC and its not such a sensitive topic, I'll give you all the recaps you deserve. Anyway, the WPS Final is in 4 days, an off-season full of happenings (Please be GOOD happenings) is upon us, and Olympic qualifiers are just around the corner. The blog will be buzzing again, you'll see!

Denise

Disappearing Act And Quick Recap

Hey all. I look back at the time I spent away from the blog, and I feel nothing but complete disappointment. However, I think its safe to say that after the WWC Final, featuring our beloved USWNT and Japan...I needed a little mental holiday. Talking about the match is STILL a touchy subject for me, and I'm sure this is the case with many other fans, maybe even some of you currently reading. But as college is about to swing back into session, its back to business. Also, now that I have an iPhone, I feel like I'm at a computer only once a month, whereas pre-iPhone, I'd be here at least once every week. So, as I've told you all many times, I apologize. You've been good to me and have actually read my posts, and you've showed interest, but I was just too lazy and I regret it. This time I'm seriously going to try and be consistent. I love to write about the sport but I've been so caught up in my vacations etc. to even report on the stuff. I have been keeping up with all the info, but I should have been writing about it. My last post left off at the Semi-Finals. So, to do the WWC some justice without getting cold sweats myself, here's a quick recap.

Semifinal: USA vs. France- A great game, although admittedly, France played better for quite some time. We capitalized early, but France eventually equalized. Later in the match, Wambach pulled another rescue with a header off a corner kick. It was Abby doing what she does best. The USA went on to be finalists.

Final: USA vs. Japan- I can already tell I'm going to have a problem even just writing a quick description. To be honest, after that game was the worst I had ever felt. Anyway, the game was absolutely splendid, when looking at the way each team conducted themselves, and played. It was an excellent advertisement for the Women's game. It was beautiful, passing accuracy, talent, organization, it was everything you'd want in a great soccer game. I feel the USA played the better match however. And I'm not even being biased. I can admit the USA was not the better team against France for some stretches of time in the Semis. I can honestly say the USA played better against Japan. We had more chances throughout the whole game, and we had more possession and attacking. We just couldn't finish. And it came to haunt us. Morgan scored our first goal to put us ahead. It looked like we were in the clear to win the WWC, as there were only 10 minutes left about, maybe 15. But then a defensive error led to Japan's equalizer, and ET. In ET, Wambach once again came up big, and scored a clutch header. The USA was 2-5 minutes from lifting the trophy, to becoming Champions after their long, hard journey. But Japan again equalized, forcing it into penalties. Boxx kicked first. She was blocked. Lloyd kicked, she missed. Tobin kicked, she was blocked. Only Abby got her penalty in. Hope made one save. Japan won. In the most cruel way to go, the USA lost the trophy, which they probably could practically feel in their hands. I cried for a good 20 minutes after the match. It just sucked. It sucked really bad. Especially after the USA's journey. It was incredible. Almost not qualifying for WWC, struggling to make it, struggling with consistency before the WWC, enduring criticisms, then to proving everyone wrong, making the greatest comeback of all time, to reaching the Final. They were going to be THE team. It was going to be THEIR year. The trophy was going to be in THEIR hands. But it all vanished. And it wasn't even like we got blown out like 3-0. We HAD IT. We played better. We dominated. We just couldn't finish early on. And we couldn't hold the lead with 2 minutes to go. I still think we deserved that cup. I still think it was our year. With the way we played, the stuff we pulled off...I don't know, I look back, and I think that's what pains me so much. We were 2 minutes from that podium, and it slipped from our grasp. It was almost stolen. It was literally heartbreaking to see the USWNT utterly crushed and devastated from the loss. And it pained me to see Japan lifting that cup on the podium while the USWNT stood on the field, watching what could have been theirs, what was going to be theirs if they held on for 2 more minutes. Credit to Japan though, who played a fantastic tournament and were good sportswomen all the way through. Its just...soccer didn't award the best team that day. As many people said...something bigger was pulling for Japan. This is my honest opinion: Both teams won that day. Think about it...Japan needed that win to bring hope and morale to their devastated country. We needed to make a legacy of our own, apart from 99.
We needed to bring interest to the sport in the USA. In my opinion, we did both. We may not have won, but in the fans' eyes, The USA were Champions. After that Brazil game, where they displayed such heart and faith and determination, they won over the hearts of so many people. It really felt like the whole country was behind the team, for the first time since 99. Everyone will remember the heroics of Solo, Wambach, Morgan and Rapinoe...everyone will remember the tenacity of the entire team, really. This team, and their World Cup run, has and will, go down in history. They may not have won the cup, but they didn't have to. They left their own legacy behind. Its not always about winning a trophy. It would have been a more fitting end to their journey, and I feel like it would have done them justice, unlike a devastating loss, but I beleive everything happens for a reason. They gained so many fans, and the whole country got behind them. They showed the World how talented they are, and how inspiring they are. Their determination, fighting spirit, and hard work won everyone over. They showed everyone what they're all about. Interest here in the states spiked, and WPS felt the effects with numerous sell-outs at games. General rising in attendance has come to the league. They accomplished their goal without getting the WWC, and they had a hero's welcome upon their arrival. I think the loss was undeserved, and that their run, and their legacy deserved nothing less than to end with them as World Champions, holding the WWC 2011 trophy, but sometimes you have to think that maybe it wasn't meant to be. Ending it on penalties is the worst. It can literally go either way. It was Japan's year, sure, but it was ours too. They just happened to bring the trophy home to their country. That's the only difference.


Next post will deal with WPS. I know I haven't covered that at all either. All the news is coming up next. Sorry again for the huge delay.

Denise