Posted on 05/13/2019 11:51:40 PM PDT by Berlin_Freeper
Four years is a long time. It’s a long time in almost any avenue of life. But in international soccer? It’s an eternity. Which is why casual fans tuning into the sport for World Cups and World Cups only have a lot of catching up to do.
If you’re reading this, chances are you were one of millions captivated by the U.S. women’s national team in 2015. By the personalities and the patriotism. By the fortitude under pressure and the flair. By the world champions.
And chances are that you, just like the USWNT, are back for more.
But you might not have tracked every step, every kick, every lineup change or every controversy over the past three years and 10 months. So, to help you get caught up, we’ve compiled a handy guide to the U.S. women’s national team in 2019 – recapping the World Cup interim, introducing the new faces, re-introducing the only ones in new places, and much more.
(Excerpt) Read more at sports.yahoo.com ...
Casual PING!
Maybe it’s time for the USA to field an all tranny ‘womens’ team to really show the world what we can do...
I was one of their earliest supporters and been following them for years. Then last year, they decided to make the numbers on the back of their uniform multi-colored in celebration of LGBTQ month. One of their players, a devout Christian by the name of Jaelene Hinkle, refused to suit up with that uniform as it made a political statement that’s against her faith. She was never selected to try out for the team ever since, despite the troubles the team has had filling in her spot on defense. This sort of open discrimination does not sit well with me. They went from being America’s team to being Portland’s LGBTQ team. They made their choice. I haven’t supported them since.
Yes, they went all-out freak show - probably because they thought they’d drum up some support (instead of the zero they had). There is just no way people want to watch a game at half the speed - and half the talent - of men’s soccer (which has its own popularity problem).
IIRC, women’s soccer is in its third re-packaging in less than 20 years. Unlike professional basketball, there is no excess cash to siphon off the men’s league to subsidize them.
I always tell people who don't follow soccer to think of the NCAA men's basketball tournament. The regular season #1 will enter the tournament with the top seed and a big bullseye on its back. More often than not, someone will rise up and knock them off. The winner will have to dodge a bullet or two along the way. You have to be good, and lucky at the right time. The best team often doesn't win single elimination tournaments.
The U.S. team will face a steady diet of opponents who bunker in and try to score on quick counters. The biggest single match key is for the U.S. team to score first. If they can force opponents to come out and play, the U.S. team will usually win. The greatest danger, as in the 2016 Olympics and 2011 World Cup, is playing to a draw and losing on penalties.
And then there's France, which is just flat-out good enough, on any given day, to go out and win 3-1 if the U.S. isn't sharp.
One concern: this U.S. team has shown a tendency to lose leads. Japan equalized twice in the 2011 World Cup (and then won on penalties), and that was extraordinary. This is happening now with some regularity. The other teams are getting better, and the U.S. team no longer has the best goalkeeper in the world. We used to expect shutouts. We no longer do.
This U.S. team is technically better than its predecessors. Ball control and the ability to play out of tight spaces are much improved. The U.S. team used to just go out and out-athlete most opponents. The athletic edge isn't as great as it used to be, as other countries and regions have developed their own professional leagues, but the U.S. players are technically stronger.
That said, the U.S. team still looks a bit ragged. I think Jill Ellis was late in settling on her lineup. 2017 was supposed to be the year of experimentation and new players. The team went into the year expecting to absorb some losses, and it did, and at least we got a definitive thumbs-down on Ellis' dalliance with a three back system. 2018 should have been about locking down the lineup and building cohesion. Instead, Ellis kept bringing in new players and experimenting with new positions. This continued into the beginning of this year.
We're seeing the results now in too many broken connections and missed opportunities, where the unit simply hasn't played enough together to build the kind of instinctive anticipation they need at this level. Rapinoe, Morgan and Heath have played together forever and when they're out there together, it shows; those three can read each other blindfolded. The unit cohesion elsewhere, however, is still not good enough. They're running out of time to fix that.
Fortunately, the other teams have their own problems.
US Women’s soccer team = High School boys varsity
IIRC that happened two years ago and Jaelene Hinkle never made a statement of why she sat on the bench. Last year the word “PRIDE” was removed from the shirts with the player names and only the number was in rainbow colors. So in the second year the agenda was already pushed back.
I will heartily be rooting against this anti American team, coached by a woman who is ‘married’ to another woman and they somehow have a daughter, that boldly stands against the first amendment and religious freedom as evidenced by the fact that the best outside back in the U.S., Jaelene Hinkle, was banished from the team because of her faith in Jesus Christ.
Jaelene Hinkle is a great woman and great American. And not one other player stood up for Jaelene. This team represents the downward spiral of this country and I would advise any parent cheering them on to not be surprised down the road when your son or daughter shares their same depraved values.
Last season Women’s soccer had record levels of attendance.
Do you rage against the players at Little League for running like children?
Jaelene Hinkle was very clear about why she would not wear the gay pride shirts.
Are you seriously saying that only the number being a rainbow should have satisfied her? It is still speaking loud and clear about what this team represents.
You are most welcome sphinx and thank you for the very good summary analysis. It’s definitely going to be a tough competition that people are very much looking forward to.
You are inventing bullcrap. Jaelene Hinkle never stated why she sat on the bench.
She can choose to take the field or not take the field. I am not telling her she should do anything.
ML/NJ
You’ll have to look elsewhere for men.
I take it that you think women shouldn't play sports because men are bigger, faster and stronger?
I don't have any problem cheering for the U.S. women in Olympic skiing, skating, track, gymnastics, swimming, etc. Or in soccer or hockey. Best in class is best in class. I can root for a college football team even though it would be blown out by any professional team. Etc. YMMV.
No, the girls aren't athletically competitive with the boys once puberty hits. So what? Men and women are different. It's liberals who usually have a problem with that. I don't know why it should be an issue for conservatives.
The next big step in women's sports will come if and when girls and women start buying tickets. As long as the women rely on their husbands and boyfriends to buy the tickets, women's sports will languish far behind. The women -- the fans, not the players -- need to take agency if they want women's sports to succeed financially. We probably agree about that.
From my perspective, the U.S. Men's National Team is a struggling, chronically underperforming, second tier team that didn't even qualify for the last World Cup. The USWNT plays for championships. Go USA.
How do they keep the LGTQXYZZY folks away?
ML/NJ
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