SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums College, Pro & International Soccer US World Cup loss

USSF Academy for the girls would be a wonderful thing if....

1. Some corporate sponsor picked up a good portion of the tab.

2. The soccer geniuses running the show teach our young ladies to play with elan (accent over the "e").

There's a word for you L-E Dude.

Actually, futbol, many of the USWNT have said that the new league will actually hamper the national team because they won't spend nearly as much time together.

kdlsc... it is a numbers game, I believe most any coach would agree that the more you play the better you will get. It will be pretty rare to have the opposite.

Add to that the competition factor, if you have more players vying for a spot you will have improvement.

And lastly as stated in a prior entry... Marta is the player that she is because she most likely grew up playing with boys, which in Brazil by necessity means creative. In the US many frown upon the individualistic approach (male and female) it is this succesful merger of the individual in a team environment that will yield the style the US needs to compete in the world. The women lost because their midfield is "horrible" (note the quotes)the lack of a creative player and an over reliance on Wambach's physicality did them in.

Notice the common thread between men and women?.....MIDFIELD creator the US have none.

Although I will give the women kudos on the goal scoring forwards over the men.

true...paying homage to an old friend of mine.

Problem is that we will probably never, EVER produce a player like Marta. Win at all cost. The coaches know that isn't the way to develop players, but our society and our parents want a W over development. If you don't win, I will go somewhere else that will. The US is a society of team over I. "there is no I in team".
The US can still be successful without playing like Brazil. Italy won a WC playing strong, hard nosed defense and scoring 1 goal. We set ourselves up for this. We play with 3 up top which forces the direct play and loss of possession. It just won't work against the better teams. The only game the US controlled was against Nigeria. They were outplayed in parts or most of every other game.

In watching the US women play in this tournament I saw similarities with the USMNT at their last WC. They were very tentative. They gave the other teams too much space and could not handle pressure when trying to possess the ball. North Korea showed the weakness from the first game. The other teams followed suit. In today's game Norway didn't press and the US easily handled the space and time they had with the ball.

As far as the goal keeper decision and resulting "controversy". I agree with Hope's observation, you don't play a keeper just because they did well against the team 3 years ago. I disagree with her voicing her opinion at that time. But emotional times causes people to react with emotion. And as far as Greg Ryan being gone as a coach - you gotta be kidding, he loses one game and someone's crying for his head? How the heck can Bradley still be coaching - he lost a bunch - in a row!

Ryan favors the 4-3-3. It's direct and counter attacking by nature as is it's "bend but don't break" defense. That would answer several of the above comments.

Now, before we write off women's soccer forever, lets remember this is their first official loss in fifty something games.