The consensus among the sages at Bigsoccer seems to be that Cheney, Heath, and O'Hara will be, in some order the top three picks in the Women's Professional Soccer draft. Generally, the prognostications run in about that order, as well.
It very well could be that way.Cheney is a pure striker, and the conventional wisdom in soccer is if a great striker is available, you pull the trigger and get him or her. It is hard to argue with wisdom like that. A fair number of bigsoccer folks have her as the #1 pick.
Tobin Heath is a great attacking midfielder, probably the best in the college game. She reads the game well, she creates, and she can run out of the midfield and score. Word has it in WPS coaching circles is she will go as the #1 pick to the Atlanta team.
My #1 pick, though, would be Kelley O'Hara. Why? Simple, really. KO is every bit as good and dangerous a striker as is Cheney. And she is as good in the attacking midfield as Heath. Throw in the facts that KO can defend. She can win balls. She is what the Dutch call a total footballer. Think Johan Cruyff.
And let's not forget we are talking professional soccer here. If I am a professional coach I want the best soccer player over the best striker, best midfielder, or best whatever for my team. If your team has depth in the midfield, then you tell KO "we'll find you in the box, you just please put the round thing in the back of the net". If you have depth up top, you play KO as withdrawn forward or as an attacking mid. If you have depth both places, you let her run the flanks and let her shred those slow, plodding WPS outside backs. If you need someone to just go in there, run the show and play #10 quarterback for you, well there you go, KO is a player that makes everyone around her better.
Finally, she has got the intangibles. There are a lot of people more soccer-knowledgeble than I am who say no one plays with more heart, with more fire, with more desire. I'm reminded of what Pat Quinn, former coach of the LA Kings hockey team, said in response to a reporter asking about whether the expensive trade he made for Wayne Gretzky was worth it. He responded by recounting a game in which the Kings were down 4-2 with just a few minutes left in the third. Gretzky skated back to the bench after another double-shift and noticed more than a few of his teammates seemed resigned to losing the game. "C'mon guys, we are only two down. We can do this", was Gretzky's exhortation. Sure enough, the Kings pulled it out. Quinn concluded, "How do you put a price tag on THAT?"
Kelley O'Hara was Wayne Gretzky to the Stanford Cardinal. That is the kind of player you draft, no matter who else is available.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
UVA Takes College Cup
Never has egg all over my face tasted so good.
I had written UVA off, but UVA proves me wrong and takes the Men's National Championship in Soccer. It wasn't the prettiest match, a 0-0 draw after regulation and overtime, but PK's are always dramatic, and these were no exception, with UVA prevailing 3-2 from the penalty spot.
Technically speaking, UVA was inferior to Akron, just as they were inferior to Wake Forest in the semi. However, UVA has the best goalkeeper, backline, and defensive midfield in the college game, and this enabled the Cavaliers to neutralize the dangerous attacks of both of those offensive juggernauts.
Some thoughts:
Diego Restrepo, the UVA keeper, ought to turn pro. Now. The guy is that good. A very athletic keeper, reads the game well, excellent positionally, and a clutch shot-stopper.
Jonathan Villanueva played like a true #10 shirt. He was calm on the ball, let the game come to him, and made the great plays when he had to. I don't know if he has the speed and athleticism to succeed in MLS, but I have been wrong about him before, to say the least.
In Friday's semi against Wake Forest, I screamed so loud at both UVA goals that my son said he heard me from the middle of the back yard. My back yard is 4 acres, and mostly wooded. My four year old daughter did not know what to think, so she started crying. She was easily consoled once she was convinced Daddy (yes, I'm "Daddy" now to my two youngest children anyway, "Papa" and "Pop" having for some reason fallen out of favor) was indeed happy. Nontheless Daddy knows to try to keep a bit of a lid on it next time.
So, UVA's national championship stands in stark contrast to the wreckage of my season as a supporter of DC United (crashed, burned, did not make playoffs), Virginia Tech (one of the soccer-minnows of the ACC, devoured by the sharks), the Stanford Women (defeated in College Cup finals), and the USMNT, who did well and qualifed for the World Cup but suffered some potentially catastrophic injuries in the process.
I'll take it.
I had written UVA off, but UVA proves me wrong and takes the Men's National Championship in Soccer. It wasn't the prettiest match, a 0-0 draw after regulation and overtime, but PK's are always dramatic, and these were no exception, with UVA prevailing 3-2 from the penalty spot.
Technically speaking, UVA was inferior to Akron, just as they were inferior to Wake Forest in the semi. However, UVA has the best goalkeeper, backline, and defensive midfield in the college game, and this enabled the Cavaliers to neutralize the dangerous attacks of both of those offensive juggernauts.
Some thoughts:
Diego Restrepo, the UVA keeper, ought to turn pro. Now. The guy is that good. A very athletic keeper, reads the game well, excellent positionally, and a clutch shot-stopper.
Jonathan Villanueva played like a true #10 shirt. He was calm on the ball, let the game come to him, and made the great plays when he had to. I don't know if he has the speed and athleticism to succeed in MLS, but I have been wrong about him before, to say the least.
In Friday's semi against Wake Forest, I screamed so loud at both UVA goals that my son said he heard me from the middle of the back yard. My back yard is 4 acres, and mostly wooded. My four year old daughter did not know what to think, so she started crying. She was easily consoled once she was convinced Daddy (yes, I'm "Daddy" now to my two youngest children anyway, "Papa" and "Pop" having for some reason fallen out of favor) was indeed happy. Nontheless Daddy knows to try to keep a bit of a lid on it next time.
So, UVA's national championship stands in stark contrast to the wreckage of my season as a supporter of DC United (crashed, burned, did not make playoffs), Virginia Tech (one of the soccer-minnows of the ACC, devoured by the sharks), the Stanford Women (defeated in College Cup finals), and the USMNT, who did well and qualifed for the World Cup but suffered some potentially catastrophic injuries in the process.
I'll take it.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Ole-Ole-Ole-Ole, UVA!!! UVA!!!
GREAT win by the UVA men to gain the College Cup final.
Gotta tell ya, I have been a pretty harsh critic of Virginia #10 Jonathan Villanueva over the years, but tonight he was a true #10 shirt and played dazzlingly well. His gorgeous, dribbling run into the box and shot led to the first goal on a rebound.
Then, in golden goal overtime, his lovely, sumptuous, exquisite, sublime, perfectly weighted long ball out of the back to his frontrunner was as nice ball as you will see anywhere, at any level. Ronaldinho could not have hit it any better. Great chip by the striker for the winner.
Wow, way to prove me wrong, UVA.
Gotta tell ya, I have been a pretty harsh critic of Virginia #10 Jonathan Villanueva over the years, but tonight he was a true #10 shirt and played dazzlingly well. His gorgeous, dribbling run into the box and shot led to the first goal on a rebound.
Then, in golden goal overtime, his lovely, sumptuous, exquisite, sublime, perfectly weighted long ball out of the back to his frontrunner was as nice ball as you will see anywhere, at any level. Ronaldinho could not have hit it any better. Great chip by the striker for the winner.
Wow, way to prove me wrong, UVA.
Another Look
Having a 3rd look at SU-UNC final. Will post thoughts while replay in progress.
Kira Maker poor clearance out of back straight to UNC. UNC makes 2 passes, then final ball in for score. Maker gave ball repeatedly to UNC whether pressured or not.
Noyola terrible. Can't hold ball in traffic, passes straight to other team. What few passes went to her team were so slow and lazy they were useless and led to loss of possession. PR was absolutely correct to sub her out. Hate to say it, but she was the worst player on the pitch for either team. Heath and McCann were better AM's, but were no where near good enough. This is why KO, CP, and to a LT had to do the AM's jobs for them in addition to playing as strikers.
28th minute, Noyola out, LT moved back to midfield, Verloo up top.
Stanford overall in 1st half is just terrible. They are a day late and a dollar short to every ball. Not even in the match. If UNC could shoot the score would already be 3-0. UNC is good, but Stanford is so out of it they are making UNC look like Brazil.
37th minute. Sigh. its almost like Kira Maker is TRYING to kick the ball to UNC.
McCann off in favor is Noguiera. MN an improvement.
Levin in for LT. Definite improvement.
2nd half. Stanford playing a bit better, but still cannot keep up with UNC tempo. Just no gas in the tank for the Cardinal. If they had played like this in the NCAA first round they would have been eliminated in the first round. Of that I have no doubt.
Press active, but her first touch is off. Hit a nice long range shot, but over the bar.
Overall Stanford's play in 2nd half is an upgrade for the first half's "terrible" to, I'd say, "almost average". It is now about the level of, saym a 35th-ranked college team.
Red card might have sealed SU's fate, but it is also more than probable that Stanford still would have lost. In this game this Stanford team was a shadow of the team that won 5 games to get to the final.
Maker's distribution in second half every bit as bad as in first half. EVERYTHING she kicked up the field went to UNC. Maker should have been yanked at the end of the first half. Possession was a big enough problem for Stanford, but Maker GAVE them numerous, quality, dangerous possessions.
Unfortunate 2nd yellow for KO. Stanford not in match before red, had it not happened result likely would have been same.
All over but the shouting now.
CP unfortunately clearly offside on apparent late goal. Correct call.
Bottom line, Stanford physically just did not have it in that match. They just didn't.
Kira Maker poor clearance out of back straight to UNC. UNC makes 2 passes, then final ball in for score. Maker gave ball repeatedly to UNC whether pressured or not.
Noyola terrible. Can't hold ball in traffic, passes straight to other team. What few passes went to her team were so slow and lazy they were useless and led to loss of possession. PR was absolutely correct to sub her out. Hate to say it, but she was the worst player on the pitch for either team. Heath and McCann were better AM's, but were no where near good enough. This is why KO, CP, and to a LT had to do the AM's jobs for them in addition to playing as strikers.
28th minute, Noyola out, LT moved back to midfield, Verloo up top.
Stanford overall in 1st half is just terrible. They are a day late and a dollar short to every ball. Not even in the match. If UNC could shoot the score would already be 3-0. UNC is good, but Stanford is so out of it they are making UNC look like Brazil.
37th minute. Sigh. its almost like Kira Maker is TRYING to kick the ball to UNC.
McCann off in favor is Noguiera. MN an improvement.
Levin in for LT. Definite improvement.
2nd half. Stanford playing a bit better, but still cannot keep up with UNC tempo. Just no gas in the tank for the Cardinal. If they had played like this in the NCAA first round they would have been eliminated in the first round. Of that I have no doubt.
Press active, but her first touch is off. Hit a nice long range shot, but over the bar.
Overall Stanford's play in 2nd half is an upgrade for the first half's "terrible" to, I'd say, "almost average". It is now about the level of, saym a 35th-ranked college team.
Red card might have sealed SU's fate, but it is also more than probable that Stanford still would have lost. In this game this Stanford team was a shadow of the team that won 5 games to get to the final.
Maker's distribution in second half every bit as bad as in first half. EVERYTHING she kicked up the field went to UNC. Maker should have been yanked at the end of the first half. Possession was a big enough problem for Stanford, but Maker GAVE them numerous, quality, dangerous possessions.
Unfortunate 2nd yellow for KO. Stanford not in match before red, had it not happened result likely would have been same.
All over but the shouting now.
CP unfortunately clearly offside on apparent late goal. Correct call.
Bottom line, Stanford physically just did not have it in that match. They just didn't.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
OK Herre we go
I watched the Stanford-UNC game last night on the DVR, and here are my thoughts, in no particular order.
This was not the same Stanford team I watched on Friday. Clearly several players were not feeling well. When making a statement like that, the customary rejoinder in sporting circles is "well that is no excuse". What does that really mean, anyway, this stuff about "not an excuse"? I've never really understood that. If nothing is an excuse, why not force injured players to play through any and all injuries all the time? "Hey! Your broken left femur and your torn-to-shreds right anterior cruciate ligament are NOT EXCUSES! Put down those crutches, and get off that bench and get in there, and get me some GOALS! NOW!!!" If a soccer team loses a game because one one of the team buses, the one with all the starters and coaches on it, tragically drives over a cliff killing all aboard an hour before kickoff, is that still not an excuse? I guess not, because the mantra in sports is nothing, nothing, nothing is an excuse. Now I get it. I think.
OK, so a strength-sapping, dehydrating, cognitive fog-inducing stomach flu nagging 4 or 5 of your starters is not an "excuse". I will stipulate to that. But can we at least call it "relevant"?. Several of the Stanford players reportedly came down with some kind of stomach thing after Friday's game. But its not an excuse. But I will call it a reality. This showed especially in the first half, when Stanford was not even in the game. Stanford played better in the second half when they subbed in some apparently healthier bodies, but still it wasn't enough.
The goal. I don't think there was anything the defense or the goalkeeper could do to keep that one out of the back of the net. The perfect, bending, weighted cross was placed perfectly for the onrushing McDonald. It was too far out for Kira Maker to come off her line for. It was placed perfectly between the central defenders. It might be argued that Noquiera was given too much space to make the cross, but bear in mind she made the cross from beyond downtown. The dmids know that high balls from there the defense can clear from danger all day long while eating a ham sandwich. The girl just hit the thing with amazing power and precision. It was just a great play. Every once in a while, in both football and in futbol, a "Hail Mary" finds its mark. It happens.
Teresa Noyola might be a Carlos Valderrama against lower-table teams like Oregon State or St. Marys or whoever, but she was invisible in this College Cup. In both games, both the other attacking midfielders did far better than she did. While TN was in, KO had to track back to TN's area to get the ball from Riley or other defenders because who knows where TN was. Levin played better at that position than TN did, and Levin was playing out of her natural positon of forward.
Lindsay Taylor, for the send year in a row, did not have a good College Cup. Like TN, she likes to feast on lesser teams, but when the competion is a national powerhouse in a win or go home situation, she wilts. Because LT was particularly ineffective as a high forward in the UNC game, this allowed UNC to key more on KO and CP.
Kira Maker's problematic distribution in the UCLA game became outright frightful in the UNC game. Kira is a good shot stopper, she is a good positional keeper, but in this Final Four her distribution (punts, goal kicks, throws, free kicks) went STRAIGHT to the other team ALMOST 100% of the time, the whole game. As a matter of fact, if we want to lay some blame for the goal, blame Maker, because UNC's Noquiera got the ball FROM KIRA MAKER. Shortly after UNC's goal, they almost scored again, twice, because Maker kept GIVING THEM the ball on a silver platter IN OR NEAR THE STANFORD HALF. You can't do that against UNC and expect to win. The miracle is that Maker's passing to the other team did not result in a 5-0 blowout. Credit the Cardinal backline for keeping the scoreline respectable.
On the offside calls, who knows. Given the poor camera angles I can't really make a judgment.
KO played like she cared. She played like it was her last college game, because it was. She took some risks, made some necessary professional fouls because the desperate situation called for it, and she got a couple yellow cards. Had more Cardinal players played as hard and cared as much as Kelley did, yeah there would have been more yellows, but maybe Kelley could have gotten by with taking one for the team instead of two, and maybe just maybe the game result might have been different.
UNC is the only team in women's college soccer that has a comprehensive system. Other teams, even great teams like Stanford, employ various situational tactics, and though they do so very well most of the time, it is usually still a conscious, deliberate process. UNC, though, has a system which is drilled into these players so deeply, much of the time they do it unconsciously. They don't have to think about it. I think some coaches need to study and emulate UNC's approach.
Take, for example, the ball-pressure portion of their system. The girls don't even have to think about it. A pass by the other team is made, for example, from a defender to a midfielder. In response, one UNC girl bodies up and pressures the ball immediately, and in a flash another joins in. Other nearby players instantly adjust to clog the passing lanes. Everybody instantly knows what do do, and they do it so well it looks choreographed. When you have the ball against this scheme, your options dry up pretty quickly.
When UNC has the ball, there is nobody in women's soccer better at making off the ball runs. The ball carrier almost always has multiple passing options. It's automatic. It's, shall we say, systematic.
UNC's systematic approach is so ingrained in that program, you can see the same style of play express itself year after year after year. It doesn't matter who is playing, the system remains the same, and it is very effective.
So that's it. The season is in the books, with UNC ranked #1 and Stanford #2. I said before that any of the final four could win the whole thing. And one of them did.
This was not the same Stanford team I watched on Friday. Clearly several players were not feeling well. When making a statement like that, the customary rejoinder in sporting circles is "well that is no excuse". What does that really mean, anyway, this stuff about "not an excuse"? I've never really understood that. If nothing is an excuse, why not force injured players to play through any and all injuries all the time? "Hey! Your broken left femur and your torn-to-shreds right anterior cruciate ligament are NOT EXCUSES! Put down those crutches, and get off that bench and get in there, and get me some GOALS! NOW!!!" If a soccer team loses a game because one one of the team buses, the one with all the starters and coaches on it, tragically drives over a cliff killing all aboard an hour before kickoff, is that still not an excuse? I guess not, because the mantra in sports is nothing, nothing, nothing is an excuse. Now I get it. I think.
OK, so a strength-sapping, dehydrating, cognitive fog-inducing stomach flu nagging 4 or 5 of your starters is not an "excuse". I will stipulate to that. But can we at least call it "relevant"?. Several of the Stanford players reportedly came down with some kind of stomach thing after Friday's game. But its not an excuse. But I will call it a reality. This showed especially in the first half, when Stanford was not even in the game. Stanford played better in the second half when they subbed in some apparently healthier bodies, but still it wasn't enough.
The goal. I don't think there was anything the defense or the goalkeeper could do to keep that one out of the back of the net. The perfect, bending, weighted cross was placed perfectly for the onrushing McDonald. It was too far out for Kira Maker to come off her line for. It was placed perfectly between the central defenders. It might be argued that Noquiera was given too much space to make the cross, but bear in mind she made the cross from beyond downtown. The dmids know that high balls from there the defense can clear from danger all day long while eating a ham sandwich. The girl just hit the thing with amazing power and precision. It was just a great play. Every once in a while, in both football and in futbol, a "Hail Mary" finds its mark. It happens.
Teresa Noyola might be a Carlos Valderrama against lower-table teams like Oregon State or St. Marys or whoever, but she was invisible in this College Cup. In both games, both the other attacking midfielders did far better than she did. While TN was in, KO had to track back to TN's area to get the ball from Riley or other defenders because who knows where TN was. Levin played better at that position than TN did, and Levin was playing out of her natural positon of forward.
Lindsay Taylor, for the send year in a row, did not have a good College Cup. Like TN, she likes to feast on lesser teams, but when the competion is a national powerhouse in a win or go home situation, she wilts. Because LT was particularly ineffective as a high forward in the UNC game, this allowed UNC to key more on KO and CP.
Kira Maker's problematic distribution in the UCLA game became outright frightful in the UNC game. Kira is a good shot stopper, she is a good positional keeper, but in this Final Four her distribution (punts, goal kicks, throws, free kicks) went STRAIGHT to the other team ALMOST 100% of the time, the whole game. As a matter of fact, if we want to lay some blame for the goal, blame Maker, because UNC's Noquiera got the ball FROM KIRA MAKER. Shortly after UNC's goal, they almost scored again, twice, because Maker kept GIVING THEM the ball on a silver platter IN OR NEAR THE STANFORD HALF. You can't do that against UNC and expect to win. The miracle is that Maker's passing to the other team did not result in a 5-0 blowout. Credit the Cardinal backline for keeping the scoreline respectable.
On the offside calls, who knows. Given the poor camera angles I can't really make a judgment.
KO played like she cared. She played like it was her last college game, because it was. She took some risks, made some necessary professional fouls because the desperate situation called for it, and she got a couple yellow cards. Had more Cardinal players played as hard and cared as much as Kelley did, yeah there would have been more yellows, but maybe Kelley could have gotten by with taking one for the team instead of two, and maybe just maybe the game result might have been different.
UNC is the only team in women's college soccer that has a comprehensive system. Other teams, even great teams like Stanford, employ various situational tactics, and though they do so very well most of the time, it is usually still a conscious, deliberate process. UNC, though, has a system which is drilled into these players so deeply, much of the time they do it unconsciously. They don't have to think about it. I think some coaches need to study and emulate UNC's approach.
Take, for example, the ball-pressure portion of their system. The girls don't even have to think about it. A pass by the other team is made, for example, from a defender to a midfielder. In response, one UNC girl bodies up and pressures the ball immediately, and in a flash another joins in. Other nearby players instantly adjust to clog the passing lanes. Everybody instantly knows what do do, and they do it so well it looks choreographed. When you have the ball against this scheme, your options dry up pretty quickly.
When UNC has the ball, there is nobody in women's soccer better at making off the ball runs. The ball carrier almost always has multiple passing options. It's automatic. It's, shall we say, systematic.
UNC's systematic approach is so ingrained in that program, you can see the same style of play express itself year after year after year. It doesn't matter who is playing, the system remains the same, and it is very effective.
So that's it. The season is in the books, with UNC ranked #1 and Stanford #2. I said before that any of the final four could win the whole thing. And one of them did.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Bad News Travels Fast
I have not seen the match yet -- its on my DVR. But of course I know that Stanford fell to UNC yesterday in the College Cup finale.
I have to admit I had a bad feeling going in to the match. The cold in College Station gave way to RAIN and cold. In any field team sport, a wet, sloppy field is a great equalizer. This sport (not to mention this game) is no exception. I'm not even going to talk about the flu, which was a lurking concern in my mind for weeks.
This was overshadowed by the sense of foreboding that NC's strength corresponded exactly to Stanford's weakness. I have written before about how UNC is without peer in the college ranks in its ability to swarm the ball and pressure the ball in twos and threes relentlessly and mecilessly. They do this far better than any college team , and do it as well as any professional team. Though Stanford's poise on the ball in their defensive midfield improved markedly, it apparently was not enough to overcome UNC's strangling pressure. Both coaches attested to this reality in their post game comments.
I nonetheless remain persuaded of two things:
1) Kelley O'Hara has shown herself to be the best soccer player in the country. Through 26 matches, 25 of them consecutive victories, this player has proven beyond doubt that she was the best player (over the whole course of the season) in the country. She led her team and entire the nation in scoring. She made everybody on her team a better player. I have no idea what else she could possibly have done to prove herself. Don't take my word for it, though. I am just an opinionated soccer fan. Ask someone who actually knows something about soccer, starting with every one of the coaches Stanford played against this year, including Anson Dorrance. Actually you don't need to even ask them. Just use that newfangled internet-thingie and look up their post-game quotes.
2) Stanford, despite its loss in the finale and despite its few weaknesses which I have written about, showed itself, over the course of the whole season, to be the best soccer team in the country. They won the PAC-10, which is just about as hard as winning the College Cup. The PAC-10 is the best women's soccer conference in the country. Yes, better than the ACC, I don't care what the season (especially the near-meaningless early season) head-to-head stats say. The ACC does have North Carolina, but the ACC does not have Stanford, UCLA, and USC. Make no mistake, it's nice winning the NCAAs. But lets remember it is a large, single-elimination tournament. The gambling term "crap-shoot" is, at least in part, rightly applied to such tournaments. The best team does not always win in such a scenario.
I have to admit I had a bad feeling going in to the match. The cold in College Station gave way to RAIN and cold. In any field team sport, a wet, sloppy field is a great equalizer. This sport (not to mention this game) is no exception. I'm not even going to talk about the flu, which was a lurking concern in my mind for weeks.
This was overshadowed by the sense of foreboding that NC's strength corresponded exactly to Stanford's weakness. I have written before about how UNC is without peer in the college ranks in its ability to swarm the ball and pressure the ball in twos and threes relentlessly and mecilessly. They do this far better than any college team , and do it as well as any professional team. Though Stanford's poise on the ball in their defensive midfield improved markedly, it apparently was not enough to overcome UNC's strangling pressure. Both coaches attested to this reality in their post game comments.
I nonetheless remain persuaded of two things:
1) Kelley O'Hara has shown herself to be the best soccer player in the country. Through 26 matches, 25 of them consecutive victories, this player has proven beyond doubt that she was the best player (over the whole course of the season) in the country. She led her team and entire the nation in scoring. She made everybody on her team a better player. I have no idea what else she could possibly have done to prove herself. Don't take my word for it, though. I am just an opinionated soccer fan. Ask someone who actually knows something about soccer, starting with every one of the coaches Stanford played against this year, including Anson Dorrance. Actually you don't need to even ask them. Just use that newfangled internet-thingie and look up their post-game quotes.
2) Stanford, despite its loss in the finale and despite its few weaknesses which I have written about, showed itself, over the course of the whole season, to be the best soccer team in the country. They won the PAC-10, which is just about as hard as winning the College Cup. The PAC-10 is the best women's soccer conference in the country. Yes, better than the ACC, I don't care what the season (especially the near-meaningless early season) head-to-head stats say. The ACC does have North Carolina, but the ACC does not have Stanford, UCLA, and USC. Make no mistake, it's nice winning the NCAAs. But lets remember it is a large, single-elimination tournament. The gambling term "crap-shoot" is, at least in part, rightly applied to such tournaments. The best team does not always win in such a scenario.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Random Thoughts on Stanford Game
I'm not sure what is up with Noyola. In the first half, she was ineffective and she got subbed out. She came back in in 2h and was steady, but she was hardly the calming and creative force in midfield she is billed to be.
I fail to understand how the denizens of bigsoccer can be so critical of Ratcliffe. His team is 25-0! Hello! News flash, he might not yet be Guus Hiddink or Anson Dorrance, but I'd say the guy can coach.
Some perspective: 1 Stanford has had, BY FAR, the toughest matches of any of the final 4 teams. 2. In UCLA Stanford was playing a talented, and intense PAC-10 rival. That match was WAR, which is why it was, at times, not the prettiest, free-flowing soccer either team has played. Absolute WAR.
How anybody can rake the SU backline over the coals is beyond me. The back 4 were GREAT. Yeah, Cheney found some space on her goal, but it was one of the few times ALL NIGHT LONG the best pure striker (yes, she is the best "pure striker" in the country. Kelley O'Hara is the best SOCCER PLAYER in the country) could turn on her defender anywhere near the box. Plus, 99 times out of 100 Kira Maker parries that shot effortlessly over the bar for the save and Stanford gets the shutout.
The dmids were far more poised on the ball than I have ever seen them. Bravo. Pressure the ball a bit better when the other team has it, and they are in good shape.
About the only thing I would tell the Stanford players if I were the coach is to cut down on the number of unforced passes to the other team, especially from the GK position. That is entirely doable.
That, and please lets get our corner kicks more than three feet off the ground.
Otherwise, go out there, play hard and have fun, and bring home the cup.
I fail to understand how the denizens of bigsoccer can be so critical of Ratcliffe. His team is 25-0! Hello! News flash, he might not yet be Guus Hiddink or Anson Dorrance, but I'd say the guy can coach.
Some perspective: 1 Stanford has had, BY FAR, the toughest matches of any of the final 4 teams. 2. In UCLA Stanford was playing a talented, and intense PAC-10 rival. That match was WAR, which is why it was, at times, not the prettiest, free-flowing soccer either team has played. Absolute WAR.
How anybody can rake the SU backline over the coals is beyond me. The back 4 were GREAT. Yeah, Cheney found some space on her goal, but it was one of the few times ALL NIGHT LONG the best pure striker (yes, she is the best "pure striker" in the country. Kelley O'Hara is the best SOCCER PLAYER in the country) could turn on her defender anywhere near the box. Plus, 99 times out of 100 Kira Maker parries that shot effortlessly over the bar for the save and Stanford gets the shutout.
The dmids were far more poised on the ball than I have ever seen them. Bravo. Pressure the ball a bit better when the other team has it, and they are in good shape.
About the only thing I would tell the Stanford players if I were the coach is to cut down on the number of unforced passes to the other team, especially from the GK position. That is entirely doable.
That, and please lets get our corner kicks more than three feet off the ground.
Otherwise, go out there, play hard and have fun, and bring home the cup.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Da-le, Da-le, Da-le Car-di-nal!
That was just a flat-out gripping game between Stanford and UCLA.
Frankly, Stanford struggled until their turning point, which was Kelley O’Hara’s rasping, driven, dipping bomb from downtown for the 1-0 scoreline. KO shifted them into the next gear, and Stanford elevated their game after that.
Lauren Cheney is a great pure striker. Sydney Leroux is frighteningly fast, just a bit raw and a bit unlucky not to have scored.
Christen Press played the role of the classic striker. Some great strikers disappear for long stretches of the game, but then, like lightning come out of nowhere and electrify the match. She got a few touches early in the match, virtually none in the second half, but then finds a little space and smashes home a grass-burner that is too hot for the keep to win the game in OT. Wow.
Stanford’s defensive midfield was light-years better than they were in the Cal game. The backline was great.
I’d say Kira Maker needs to distribute better. Too many of her kicks went straight to blue shirts. I am a little mystified as to why she didn’t stop Cheney’s (admittedly great) shot. It went right by her hand, I thought for sure she would parry it over. It’s possible she lost sight of the ball. Oh, well, that’s soccer.
Bottom line is, like Brazil, Stanford got stronger as the match progressed, especially in the late stages and overtime.
Frankly, Stanford struggled until their turning point, which was Kelley O’Hara’s rasping, driven, dipping bomb from downtown for the 1-0 scoreline. KO shifted them into the next gear, and Stanford elevated their game after that.
Lauren Cheney is a great pure striker. Sydney Leroux is frighteningly fast, just a bit raw and a bit unlucky not to have scored.
Christen Press played the role of the classic striker. Some great strikers disappear for long stretches of the game, but then, like lightning come out of nowhere and electrify the match. She got a few touches early in the match, virtually none in the second half, but then finds a little space and smashes home a grass-burner that is too hot for the keep to win the game in OT. Wow.
Stanford’s defensive midfield was light-years better than they were in the Cal game. The backline was great.
I’d say Kira Maker needs to distribute better. Too many of her kicks went straight to blue shirts. I am a little mystified as to why she didn’t stop Cheney’s (admittedly great) shot. It went right by her hand, I thought for sure she would parry it over. It’s possible she lost sight of the ball. Oh, well, that’s soccer.
Bottom line is, like Brazil, Stanford got stronger as the match progressed, especially in the late stages and overtime.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Meanwhile in the Women's Bracket
Back in college decades ago, I attended a retreat held by a campus Christian organization. After morning studies and lunch the afternoons were free until the evening proceedings. I joined a bunch of guys each afternoon on the basketball court. None of us played college ball, but some of us had played in high school. I was one of the sandlot scrubs.
Some of the girls on the Virginia Tech women’s basketball team were a part of the same organization and in attendance at the retreat. They were joined by some of their friends from the NC State women’s basketball team. One afternoon the lady basketball players came out to the court and said they wanted to take us guys on. We agreed, and the friendly game was on.
Our strategy defensively was to try to keep them outside and at least try to get a hand up when they set up to shoot. We knew if they got some time and space, they would shoot the lights out. Offensively, the idea was all-fast-break, all-the-time. Rebound, outlet the ball to Jeff or Jay, and let them streak the court for layups. We didn’t want a half-court game against them, because they were quick and clever, could steal the ball, and get layups of their own if we were not careful.
Our opponents knew they had to make their shots, and, if not, they had to get some rebounds. The problem was they did miss frequently, or had shots blocked, and they couldn’t get any rebounds. They tried boxing out the tallish scrub in the middle in twos and threes. When that failed, they would get a running start and smash linebacker-like into him, but the problem was they would just bounce off, and he usually got the rebound, fling the ball to a streaking Jeff, who would either layup or lay off to his front-running partner.
The games were not close, but fun was had by all.
I think today such a game would still not be close, but likely the women basketball players would handily defeat a team of male players with similar backgrounds to ours. Major college, major-sport women athletes are now world-class athletes. This is of course true in women’s basketball, but it is even truer at the elite levels of women’s college soccer.
In the NCAA Women’s College Cup you have THE best four teams in the country. All four of these teams play very sound, very technical soccer.
Perennial powerhouse North Carolina is the most cohesive, well-coached team in the country. So they lost three games during the regular season. Who cares, it does not mean beans. There is not a weak or even fundamentally suspect player on the entire squad.
Same deal with Notre Dame. Who cares about the early-season losses? The first three or four, or even FIVE games in the regular season are essentially training matches, since NCAA rules severely limit the amount of organized preseason training teams can conduct. Those games are not very significant indicators of the ability or potential of a team.
UCLA is a quality side with two of the best pure strikers in the country in Lauren Cheney and Sydney Leroux. This is a side that can beat anybody in the country, especially at a neutral venue.
Rounding out the final four we have undefeated and untied Stanford, led by Kelley O’Hara and Christen Press, two of the top scorers in the nation. The thing is they have a list as long as your arm of people who can put the ball in the back of the net. Like the Brazilian National Men’s team, they can even spot you a goal maybe even two and still win it going away.
So, you have four elite teams with great players, who are all extremely well-coached, playing for it all (at, I am relived to say, a neutral venue for a change). This could very well be the best women’s College Cup we have seen in a long time.
Some of the girls on the Virginia Tech women’s basketball team were a part of the same organization and in attendance at the retreat. They were joined by some of their friends from the NC State women’s basketball team. One afternoon the lady basketball players came out to the court and said they wanted to take us guys on. We agreed, and the friendly game was on.
Our strategy defensively was to try to keep them outside and at least try to get a hand up when they set up to shoot. We knew if they got some time and space, they would shoot the lights out. Offensively, the idea was all-fast-break, all-the-time. Rebound, outlet the ball to Jeff or Jay, and let them streak the court for layups. We didn’t want a half-court game against them, because they were quick and clever, could steal the ball, and get layups of their own if we were not careful.
Our opponents knew they had to make their shots, and, if not, they had to get some rebounds. The problem was they did miss frequently, or had shots blocked, and they couldn’t get any rebounds. They tried boxing out the tallish scrub in the middle in twos and threes. When that failed, they would get a running start and smash linebacker-like into him, but the problem was they would just bounce off, and he usually got the rebound, fling the ball to a streaking Jeff, who would either layup or lay off to his front-running partner.
The games were not close, but fun was had by all.
I think today such a game would still not be close, but likely the women basketball players would handily defeat a team of male players with similar backgrounds to ours. Major college, major-sport women athletes are now world-class athletes. This is of course true in women’s basketball, but it is even truer at the elite levels of women’s college soccer.
In the NCAA Women’s College Cup you have THE best four teams in the country. All four of these teams play very sound, very technical soccer.
Perennial powerhouse North Carolina is the most cohesive, well-coached team in the country. So they lost three games during the regular season. Who cares, it does not mean beans. There is not a weak or even fundamentally suspect player on the entire squad.
Same deal with Notre Dame. Who cares about the early-season losses? The first three or four, or even FIVE games in the regular season are essentially training matches, since NCAA rules severely limit the amount of organized preseason training teams can conduct. Those games are not very significant indicators of the ability or potential of a team.
UCLA is a quality side with two of the best pure strikers in the country in Lauren Cheney and Sydney Leroux. This is a side that can beat anybody in the country, especially at a neutral venue.
Rounding out the final four we have undefeated and untied Stanford, led by Kelley O’Hara and Christen Press, two of the top scorers in the nation. The thing is they have a list as long as your arm of people who can put the ball in the back of the net. Like the Brazilian National Men’s team, they can even spot you a goal maybe even two and still win it going away.
So, you have four elite teams with great players, who are all extremely well-coached, playing for it all (at, I am relived to say, a neutral venue for a change). This could very well be the best women’s College Cup we have seen in a long time.
UVA Rolls On
The UVA men's soccer team has made it to the NCAA round of 8 as a result of their 2-0 win against Portland. That makes their 10th shutout in a row.
Next up is uber rival University of Maryland. The tilt is scheduled for this Friday night in the rarefied climes of Charlottesville, Virginia.
I have no idea who is going to win this one. On the one hand, I never count out a side coached by Sasho Cirovsky. Add to that the fact that the Maryland supporters will be present in large and loud numbers.
On the other hand, the boys from Virginia are playing the kind of soccer that wins NCAA championships. It isn't that pretty, it's grind-it-out and get a goal or two and close the other team down.
Whoever wins this match could very well go on to win the whole thing.
Next up is uber rival University of Maryland. The tilt is scheduled for this Friday night in the rarefied climes of Charlottesville, Virginia.
I have no idea who is going to win this one. On the one hand, I never count out a side coached by Sasho Cirovsky. Add to that the fact that the Maryland supporters will be present in large and loud numbers.
On the other hand, the boys from Virginia are playing the kind of soccer that wins NCAA championships. It isn't that pretty, it's grind-it-out and get a goal or two and close the other team down.
Whoever wins this match could very well go on to win the whole thing.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
In the Interest of Full Disclosure
Since I wrote off the UVA men's team a few weeks ago, they have gone on a tear.
They WON the ACC tournament, they have WON their first two games of the NCAAs, the most recent outing being a 5-0 thrashing of Bucknell, with one of UVA's strikers getting a hat trick. They are sitting on a streak of NINE clean sheets in a row.
So much for my prognostication that UVA would do nothing in either tournament, and so much for my judgment that UVA "has no true strikers".
I think I read a liiiiitle too much into their performance in one game, the 1-0 victory in their regular season finale against NC State.
They WON the ACC tournament, they have WON their first two games of the NCAAs, the most recent outing being a 5-0 thrashing of Bucknell, with one of UVA's strikers getting a hat trick. They are sitting on a streak of NINE clean sheets in a row.
So much for my prognostication that UVA would do nothing in either tournament, and so much for my judgment that UVA "has no true strikers".
I think I read a liiiiitle too much into their performance in one game, the 1-0 victory in their regular season finale against NC State.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Boston College Women's Soccer Scouting Snippet
I have seen Boston College play some this season.
One thing the denizens of Bigsocccer might not realize is BC has some great players BUT they are lacking, IMO, in the speed department. BC likely is going to have trouble with SU's pace.
One thing the denizens of Bigsocccer might not realize is BC has some great players BUT they are lacking, IMO, in the speed department. BC likely is going to have trouble with SU's pace.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
A Few Ideas for Stanford
As previously noted, its gets tougher from here, as if it has not already been tough enough.
Not a comprehensive game plan, but the following I believe will be helpful in the SCU match.
Maker does a nice job coming off her line. Occasionally though she is just a hair late. Another half second sooner would be optimal.
Defenders keep it up in terms of keeping your shape. Keep everything outside. Coordinate with the d-mids to pressure the ball in groups. A-mids should help in this regard. Garcimendez needs to man-mark the top opposing striker tight.
D-mids, don't get so rattled. You are some of the best soccer players in the country. Let's be a little more fearless out there. When you pass, strike the ball like you mean it. Don't be afraid to hold the ball a bit. That is why they call you "holding midfielders". Let's do a little holding instead of those premature boots up the flank, OK? When you receive a pass -- move, move, move. Standing around isn't going to lull the other team to sleep. That kind of thing does not work in MLS, where the pro men have made standing around an art form. Move. Make 'em chase you.
One thing you can do when you are short on space -- instead of booting those aimless balls up field, switch fields. Left to right, right to left. If nothing doing, back again or even backpass. Possession is the name of the game. When you are ready to play forward, play to feet. Speed kills, and Stanford almost to a player is faster than just about anybody.
Attacking mids, use your crisp passing to open space. Run at people. If the space closes down, then back pass or square ball. Get the ball to the forwards in the box, or run into the attack out of the midfield if they give you space.
Forwards, get the ball in the box and shoot. Volley it, Hit it with your weak foot. Head it. Bike it. Take your shot the millisecond you get an opening because the seam ain't gonna be there long.
Not a comprehensive game plan, but the following I believe will be helpful in the SCU match.
Maker does a nice job coming off her line. Occasionally though she is just a hair late. Another half second sooner would be optimal.
Defenders keep it up in terms of keeping your shape. Keep everything outside. Coordinate with the d-mids to pressure the ball in groups. A-mids should help in this regard. Garcimendez needs to man-mark the top opposing striker tight.
D-mids, don't get so rattled. You are some of the best soccer players in the country. Let's be a little more fearless out there. When you pass, strike the ball like you mean it. Don't be afraid to hold the ball a bit. That is why they call you "holding midfielders". Let's do a little holding instead of those premature boots up the flank, OK? When you receive a pass -- move, move, move. Standing around isn't going to lull the other team to sleep. That kind of thing does not work in MLS, where the pro men have made standing around an art form. Move. Make 'em chase you.
One thing you can do when you are short on space -- instead of booting those aimless balls up field, switch fields. Left to right, right to left. If nothing doing, back again or even backpass. Possession is the name of the game. When you are ready to play forward, play to feet. Speed kills, and Stanford almost to a player is faster than just about anybody.
Attacking mids, use your crisp passing to open space. Run at people. If the space closes down, then back pass or square ball. Get the ball to the forwards in the box, or run into the attack out of the midfield if they give you space.
Forwards, get the ball in the box and shoot. Volley it, Hit it with your weak foot. Head it. Bike it. Take your shot the millisecond you get an opening because the seam ain't gonna be there long.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Meanwhile, in the Other Brackets
UCLA, being the media darling it is, was once again given an early-round cakewalk. Boise State? San Diego State?
Are you kidding me?
UCLA faces a sterner test in Virginia, and if they get by Virginia, I can't help but to think UCLA will face Portland. So, for the Bruins it gets tougher from here.
In the FSU bracket, we have by and large the usual suspects Notre Dame, Tex A&M and FSU. Seeded UF is out. UND, as always, worries me. They might be surging at the right time.
Then we have the UNC bracket. UNC is faced with rival Maryland. Maryland teams might not always have a corner on elite talent, but you underestimate them at your peril. The UMD - UNC rivalry is real and intense. Throw the records out the window. I still have to think UNC comes out on top, though.
Hold on Lassie, it gets bumpy from here.
(Engineer Scott to Jillian, as he was about take the commandeered Klingon Bird of Prey into the climactic time warp in Star Trek IV)
Are you kidding me?
UCLA faces a sterner test in Virginia, and if they get by Virginia, I can't help but to think UCLA will face Portland. So, for the Bruins it gets tougher from here.
In the FSU bracket, we have by and large the usual suspects Notre Dame, Tex A&M and FSU. Seeded UF is out. UND, as always, worries me. They might be surging at the right time.
Then we have the UNC bracket. UNC is faced with rival Maryland. Maryland teams might not always have a corner on elite talent, but you underestimate them at your peril. The UMD - UNC rivalry is real and intense. Throw the records out the window. I still have to think UNC comes out on top, though.
Hold on Lassie, it gets bumpy from here.
(Engineer Scott to Jillian, as he was about take the commandeered Klingon Bird of Prey into the climactic time warp in Star Trek IV)
Been Tough, Gets Tougher
When I saw the Stanford women's soccer team's draw going into the College Cup, I decided right then and there I was not going to make any public predictions this year.
NAU? I know, not a national powerhouse, but not a bad squad at all. But then, in the round of 32, SU got BYU, which I knew would be very, very tough. BYU has its own national cable channel, so the BYU women are on all the time. Other than not being the fastest team on the planet, they play total football and were apparently unlucky to go down 1-0 in the first minute against Stanford.
So now SU gets Santa Clara, a team that plays every bit as tough as BYU, but has more of a soccer pedigree and probably more soccer-savvy.
By a number of accounts, SU's defensive midfield troubles have continued. Sloppy, lazy passing, getting rattled and booting the ball upfield. Not going to the mattresses for the 40-60 or even 50-50 balls. THAT has GOT TO STOP. I once saw a sign in a baseball dugout (of all places) that said "Hustle Requires No Talent".
[TANGENT ALERT! TANGENT ALERT!!] OK, I brought up baseball. I can't resist going off on a tangent to give it a good slam, inasmuch as I think baseball, as far as watching it goes, has GOT TO be the most boring sport on the face of the earth, next to, say, curling and golf. Yet I suppose, even in a 19th-century, stop-motion, tag-team sport such as baseball hustle may have its utility. One final note -- I did say "boring to watch". I say in all earnestness baseball (and yes, I mean baseball, not its dumbed-down cousin softball) is fun to play. When I was 14, in a sandlot game, I struck out the neighborhood bully, with strike three being the only curve ball I have ever thrown in my life. I had no idea what I was doing, but that ball dipped down and away like nobodies business, causing Mr. Most-likely-to-join-a-motorcycle-gang to whiff by a foot or more. My older brother was the catcher, and witnessed it all. He can vouch for me if I refresh his memory aggressively enough. At that point, I had achieved more than all I had ever wanted to in baseball, so I walked off that field never to play baseball again. [End Tangent]
Anyway, in soccer, simple things like hustle aren't everything, but I would say it is 66% of everything. A great team has to fight for and win loose balls. A great team has to do things as simple as HIT THE BALL HARD when passing it. Why pass the ball slowly when you can pass it fast and crisp? Pass quickly and crisply, and the other team has to work a LOT harder marking and trying to dispossess you,and you create a LOT MORE space for yourself. Stanford D-mids, this means YOU. And, would say, Stanford needs to pressure the ball a lot better.
Perhaps it is time for the Stanford coach to settle on starting his eleven best soccer players from here on out, period. Tell them they are going to be in there unless they get hurt or gassed. Yes, it means some people are going to have to sit. But the fact of the matter is this is the "big dance" and that can only mean one thing:
You dance with the ones that brung ya.
NAU? I know, not a national powerhouse, but not a bad squad at all. But then, in the round of 32, SU got BYU, which I knew would be very, very tough. BYU has its own national cable channel, so the BYU women are on all the time. Other than not being the fastest team on the planet, they play total football and were apparently unlucky to go down 1-0 in the first minute against Stanford.
So now SU gets Santa Clara, a team that plays every bit as tough as BYU, but has more of a soccer pedigree and probably more soccer-savvy.
By a number of accounts, SU's defensive midfield troubles have continued. Sloppy, lazy passing, getting rattled and booting the ball upfield. Not going to the mattresses for the 40-60 or even 50-50 balls. THAT has GOT TO STOP. I once saw a sign in a baseball dugout (of all places) that said "Hustle Requires No Talent".
[TANGENT ALERT! TANGENT ALERT!!] OK, I brought up baseball. I can't resist going off on a tangent to give it a good slam, inasmuch as I think baseball, as far as watching it goes, has GOT TO be the most boring sport on the face of the earth, next to, say, curling and golf. Yet I suppose, even in a 19th-century, stop-motion, tag-team sport such as baseball hustle may have its utility. One final note -- I did say "boring to watch". I say in all earnestness baseball (and yes, I mean baseball, not its dumbed-down cousin softball) is fun to play. When I was 14, in a sandlot game, I struck out the neighborhood bully, with strike three being the only curve ball I have ever thrown in my life. I had no idea what I was doing, but that ball dipped down and away like nobodies business, causing Mr. Most-likely-to-join-a-motorcycle-gang to whiff by a foot or more. My older brother was the catcher, and witnessed it all. He can vouch for me if I refresh his memory aggressively enough. At that point, I had achieved more than all I had ever wanted to in baseball, so I walked off that field never to play baseball again. [End Tangent]
Anyway, in soccer, simple things like hustle aren't everything, but I would say it is 66% of everything. A great team has to fight for and win loose balls. A great team has to do things as simple as HIT THE BALL HARD when passing it. Why pass the ball slowly when you can pass it fast and crisp? Pass quickly and crisply, and the other team has to work a LOT harder marking and trying to dispossess you,and you create a LOT MORE space for yourself. Stanford D-mids, this means YOU. And, would say, Stanford needs to pressure the ball a lot better.
Perhaps it is time for the Stanford coach to settle on starting his eleven best soccer players from here on out, period. Tell them they are going to be in there unless they get hurt or gassed. Yes, it means some people are going to have to sit. But the fact of the matter is this is the "big dance" and that can only mean one thing:
You dance with the ones that brung ya.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Stanford v Cal
I watched the match on DVR yesterday. It wasn't Stanford's best effort, but it was still more than good enough to achieve a 4-1 scoreline against crosstown women's soccer rival Cal.
Much has been said on bigsoccer about the somewhat shakey performance of the Stanford defensive midfield early in the first half. One problem was that once the d-mids won possession, their square, diagonal, and up-passes often were too lazy and slow, many being picked off again by Cal in the middle third. But after 25 minutes or so the defensive midfield began to better emulate the example of the attacking midfield, who were placing nicely paced and weighted passes all game long.
These kinds of lapses ar not entirely surprising, given the youth of Stanford's d-mids and central defense. The thing though is they need to stay crisp back there in the tournament. I think they will.
One more persistent problem against Cal was Stanford's habit of giving Cal's a-mids too much space in the midfield. This led directly to some worrisome Cal counter attacks with through-balls played to feet. It seems Stanford felt they could lay off a bit and give some space, and use their speed to close runners down. This, however, led to a habit of overrunning and thus missed tackles, allowing Cal to repeatedly get behind the d-mids. Fortunately for Stanford, the SU defenders kept their shape very nicely and closed down the threats. It also helped that Cal's frontrunners were not terribly fast.
This, too, is entirely correctable. The SU d-mids need to play tighter on their marks, period.
The only other thing I would say to Stanford defensively is they need to more pateintly build possession through the middle third. There were too many hopeful long balls that bypassed the attacking midfield which only resulted on lost possession. Be smarter with the ball in the back, and don't get so rattled by a little pressure. Again, as the game wore on, things improved in this regard. They need to stay improved.
On the offensive side of the ball, it was the diagonal runs, what few there were, that won the game for Stanford, and almost made it more of a blowout than it was. Though Kelley O'Hara's first goal came not from a diagonal run but from KO being in the right place at the right time and heading a high clearance back toward the goal along an almost equally high arc. The ball flashed just under the crossbar and in, Stanford rejoicing and perhaps Cal bemoaning the almost complete lack of vertical leap ability of their goalkeeper.
The diagonal run was money for KO on the second goal. She tore into the box to run onto a nice cross I think by Quon, and KO's lightning-bolt run was rewarded as she, with authority, smashed a gravity defying, Michael Jordan-esque flying header, expertly targeted for the far corner. You could see the "uh-oh's" in the eyes of the Cal players, but to their credit they had plenty of fight left.
On KO's third goal, the diagonal run again was the dagger. KO slashed into the box to one-time a long ball from the midfield. The Cal keeper once again had to dig the ball out of her net, Cal now realizing it is now all over except the shouting.
Cal did pull one back on a mystery PK call by an otherwise pretty good ref, but a short time later LT hit a bomb from downtown, exploiting the Cal keeper's dual inability to either leap or judge a ball in flight to make it a 4-1 scoreline.
Side notes: Christen Press, in her role running the right flank, was up against a quality left back. Even so, CP turned her inside out a number of times, and could have subsequently made runs deep into the box to earn the choice to either shoot or pass from close range. Most of those times she elected to make the early pass into the box, which proved time and again to be too early.
Verloo is a very good player, but a little raw, as top freshmen tend to be. She was the beneficiary of KO's magnanimity in the second half, with KO forgoing an open net on the right to instead feed Verloo in the middle, who unfortunately sky-ed the sitter. She missed a couple sitters on the day, but hey, it happens.
LT did a very nice job of holding the ball in traffic up high, and laying off to runners to wreak havoc. Several other Stanford players, especially d-mids, would do well to emulate LT's ballholding exploits, which they are entirely capable of doing. They needn't get so rattled under pressure to only boot the ball aimlessly upfield.
The announcers said SU was playing a 4-3-3. Ok, whatever. I hardly saw more than three in the back. Frequently there were just two. And Stanford's forwards and a-mids change roles frequently. The announcers rightly stated that KO is not just a forward but a playmaker who "makes the whole team go". Interesting. It is PRECISELY this kind of player that the US WNT is sorely in need of.
Cal is not UCLA or UNC, but Cal is a quality side with some dangerous, tenacious players. For Stanford, this was a win over a quality side, and an arch-rival to boot.
Much has been said on bigsoccer about the somewhat shakey performance of the Stanford defensive midfield early in the first half. One problem was that once the d-mids won possession, their square, diagonal, and up-passes often were too lazy and slow, many being picked off again by Cal in the middle third. But after 25 minutes or so the defensive midfield began to better emulate the example of the attacking midfield, who were placing nicely paced and weighted passes all game long.
These kinds of lapses ar not entirely surprising, given the youth of Stanford's d-mids and central defense. The thing though is they need to stay crisp back there in the tournament. I think they will.
One more persistent problem against Cal was Stanford's habit of giving Cal's a-mids too much space in the midfield. This led directly to some worrisome Cal counter attacks with through-balls played to feet. It seems Stanford felt they could lay off a bit and give some space, and use their speed to close runners down. This, however, led to a habit of overrunning and thus missed tackles, allowing Cal to repeatedly get behind the d-mids. Fortunately for Stanford, the SU defenders kept their shape very nicely and closed down the threats. It also helped that Cal's frontrunners were not terribly fast.
This, too, is entirely correctable. The SU d-mids need to play tighter on their marks, period.
The only other thing I would say to Stanford defensively is they need to more pateintly build possession through the middle third. There were too many hopeful long balls that bypassed the attacking midfield which only resulted on lost possession. Be smarter with the ball in the back, and don't get so rattled by a little pressure. Again, as the game wore on, things improved in this regard. They need to stay improved.
On the offensive side of the ball, it was the diagonal runs, what few there were, that won the game for Stanford, and almost made it more of a blowout than it was. Though Kelley O'Hara's first goal came not from a diagonal run but from KO being in the right place at the right time and heading a high clearance back toward the goal along an almost equally high arc. The ball flashed just under the crossbar and in, Stanford rejoicing and perhaps Cal bemoaning the almost complete lack of vertical leap ability of their goalkeeper.
The diagonal run was money for KO on the second goal. She tore into the box to run onto a nice cross I think by Quon, and KO's lightning-bolt run was rewarded as she, with authority, smashed a gravity defying, Michael Jordan-esque flying header, expertly targeted for the far corner. You could see the "uh-oh's" in the eyes of the Cal players, but to their credit they had plenty of fight left.
On KO's third goal, the diagonal run again was the dagger. KO slashed into the box to one-time a long ball from the midfield. The Cal keeper once again had to dig the ball out of her net, Cal now realizing it is now all over except the shouting.
Cal did pull one back on a mystery PK call by an otherwise pretty good ref, but a short time later LT hit a bomb from downtown, exploiting the Cal keeper's dual inability to either leap or judge a ball in flight to make it a 4-1 scoreline.
Side notes: Christen Press, in her role running the right flank, was up against a quality left back. Even so, CP turned her inside out a number of times, and could have subsequently made runs deep into the box to earn the choice to either shoot or pass from close range. Most of those times she elected to make the early pass into the box, which proved time and again to be too early.
Verloo is a very good player, but a little raw, as top freshmen tend to be. She was the beneficiary of KO's magnanimity in the second half, with KO forgoing an open net on the right to instead feed Verloo in the middle, who unfortunately sky-ed the sitter. She missed a couple sitters on the day, but hey, it happens.
LT did a very nice job of holding the ball in traffic up high, and laying off to runners to wreak havoc. Several other Stanford players, especially d-mids, would do well to emulate LT's ballholding exploits, which they are entirely capable of doing. They needn't get so rattled under pressure to only boot the ball aimlessly upfield.
The announcers said SU was playing a 4-3-3. Ok, whatever. I hardly saw more than three in the back. Frequently there were just two. And Stanford's forwards and a-mids change roles frequently. The announcers rightly stated that KO is not just a forward but a playmaker who "makes the whole team go". Interesting. It is PRECISELY this kind of player that the US WNT is sorely in need of.
Cal is not UCLA or UNC, but Cal is a quality side with some dangerous, tenacious players. For Stanford, this was a win over a quality side, and an arch-rival to boot.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Thoughts on Thoughts
DC United evaluating whether to keep coach Tommy Soehn. Whatever they decide is fine by me. All I want is, with a handful of exceptions, an entire roster of new players.
Tommy saw the writing on the wall and stepped down. I wish him the best, and I think he will land the coaching gig at another MLS team. Now DCU needs some players. And a coach. I am a little busy these days, so DCU should probably pick someone else, thanks.
UVA men ranked #10. Methinks that is a tad high. ACC tourney will likely bring that to light. I hope to get down to Charlottesville for their finale against NC State. UVA probably has one of the the finest college soccer facilities in the nation. Admission price is very low, soccer is good, and atmosphere is great.
I went down to UVA-land and saw them play NC State. UVA is overrated, probably about 8 positions too high. They have some good midfielders, they play nice team defense, but they have no pure strikers. The flanks are not involved enough, ESPECIALLY for what appeared to be a 3-5-2. #23 was dazzling for the first 15 minutes, then disappeared for the rest of the match. I seriously thinking about offering any willing UVA forward or A-mid, or *anybody* $20 to make a diagonal run. I saw only ONE all night.
The #7 shirt for NC State is the real deal. Dazzling dribbling skills, silky touch on the ball, and very clever. The problem is the rest of their team is not that good, and they had trouble getting him the ball. Most puzzlingly, NC State went down 1-0 in the first half, but played like they were *UP* 1-0 until very late into the 2nd half. State's game plan was clearly lacking.
UVA is not going to do anything this year in either the ACCs or the College Cup.
My strategy "How to beat Stanford" has failed a number of Stanford opponents in recent games. I therefore officially have no idea as to how to beat the SU women's soccer team. Except maybe to bunker 11 people behind the ball and try to get them to fire blanks from range. Problem is, give up corners or deep set pieces and all bets are off.
My ideas for beating Stanford certainly are lacking, but Cal's stratagem of talking smack about SU to the press before the game makes me look like a genius. That takes some doing, I assure you.
Many people, even some among their faithful, are writing off this year's UNC women's team. Fuggedaboudit. They will win the ACCs, which they have done *19 out of the last 21 times* the thing has been played. They will be in the Final Four. If two or three things go wrong against them, they win, regardless of opponent.
Cough-cough. They win the ACC. Again. UNC will top one of the NCAA brackets, and they will be in the Final Four, and I would not be surprised to see them in the final game. They could have lost three more games in the regular season than they did, and likely right now I'd be saying the same thing.
The conventional wisdom says "the level of play in MLS is much higher now than in the early years." Oh, really? Then how to explain the almost universal agreement that the 1998 DC United team was, by far, the best MLS team ever assembled? Or riddle me this -- why are 80% of MLS games so poorly, boringly played? Or tell me, grasshoppah, where are the Etcheverrys, Cienfuegos, Novaks, Valderramas, (young) Morenos, Diaz Arces, Lassiters? Now we have Barros Schellotto, Shalrie Joseph, and David Beckham. Great players, but there are too few of them. MLS, on balance, has treaded water or even declined a bit in the overall level of play department since its inception.
The level of play in the playoffs has ranged from average to awful. It is time for that league to get some more quality players.
Chelsea and Barcelona play soccer that is simply dazzling.Lionel Messi is quite possibly the best soccer player the world has ever seen. 'Nuff said.Didier Drogba is probably the best pure striker in the game today, and one of the best ever.
And Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead. (Line from the 70's. Sorry.)
Somebody on bigsoccer said so-and-so is a "better target forward" than Kelley O'Hara. Man, stuff like that gets my goat. News Flash: Target forward is just one of many KO roles. She can defend. I can count on one had the number of college forwards who can defend. She can create out of the midfield. She has a silky touch on the ball and can run at defenders with the ball at her feet. She can torch you along the endline. She strikes the ball soundly, with power and accuracy, and doesn't take an hour to settle the ball first. She makes her whole team go. Oh, and she does do that "target forward" thing of running onto long balls out of the back, blowing by her marker, and burying the round thing in the back of the ol' onion bag better than anyone in the college game. If all she had to do was be a "target forward" she could probably do that while eating a ham sandwich and a bag of chips. A word to the wise at any WPS team -- draft this player, put the number 10 shirt on her back and tell her, "This is your team. Do whatever you need to/want to to Make it Go." Then make room in the trophy case.
"Target forward". Give me a break.
Heh-heh-heh. Hats never should have gone out of style. :-)
My analysis of the SU-CAl match coming soon.
Tommy saw the writing on the wall and stepped down. I wish him the best, and I think he will land the coaching gig at another MLS team. Now DCU needs some players. And a coach. I am a little busy these days, so DCU should probably pick someone else, thanks.
UVA men ranked #10. Methinks that is a tad high. ACC tourney will likely bring that to light. I hope to get down to Charlottesville for their finale against NC State. UVA probably has one of the the finest college soccer facilities in the nation. Admission price is very low, soccer is good, and atmosphere is great.
I went down to UVA-land and saw them play NC State. UVA is overrated, probably about 8 positions too high. They have some good midfielders, they play nice team defense, but they have no pure strikers. The flanks are not involved enough, ESPECIALLY for what appeared to be a 3-5-2. #23 was dazzling for the first 15 minutes, then disappeared for the rest of the match. I seriously thinking about offering any willing UVA forward or A-mid, or *anybody* $20 to make a diagonal run. I saw only ONE all night.
The #7 shirt for NC State is the real deal. Dazzling dribbling skills, silky touch on the ball, and very clever. The problem is the rest of their team is not that good, and they had trouble getting him the ball. Most puzzlingly, NC State went down 1-0 in the first half, but played like they were *UP* 1-0 until very late into the 2nd half. State's game plan was clearly lacking.
UVA is not going to do anything this year in either the ACCs or the College Cup.
My strategy "How to beat Stanford" has failed a number of Stanford opponents in recent games. I therefore officially have no idea as to how to beat the SU women's soccer team. Except maybe to bunker 11 people behind the ball and try to get them to fire blanks from range. Problem is, give up corners or deep set pieces and all bets are off.
My ideas for beating Stanford certainly are lacking, but Cal's stratagem of talking smack about SU to the press before the game makes me look like a genius. That takes some doing, I assure you.
Many people, even some among their faithful, are writing off this year's UNC women's team. Fuggedaboudit. They will win the ACCs, which they have done *19 out of the last 21 times* the thing has been played. They will be in the Final Four. If two or three things go wrong against them, they win, regardless of opponent.
Cough-cough. They win the ACC. Again. UNC will top one of the NCAA brackets, and they will be in the Final Four, and I would not be surprised to see them in the final game. They could have lost three more games in the regular season than they did, and likely right now I'd be saying the same thing.
The conventional wisdom says "the level of play in MLS is much higher now than in the early years." Oh, really? Then how to explain the almost universal agreement that the 1998 DC United team was, by far, the best MLS team ever assembled? Or riddle me this -- why are 80% of MLS games so poorly, boringly played? Or tell me, grasshoppah, where are the Etcheverrys, Cienfuegos, Novaks, Valderramas, (young) Morenos, Diaz Arces, Lassiters? Now we have Barros Schellotto, Shalrie Joseph, and David Beckham. Great players, but there are too few of them. MLS, on balance, has treaded water or even declined a bit in the overall level of play department since its inception.
The level of play in the playoffs has ranged from average to awful. It is time for that league to get some more quality players.
Chelsea and Barcelona play soccer that is simply dazzling.Lionel Messi is quite possibly the best soccer player the world has ever seen. 'Nuff said.Didier Drogba is probably the best pure striker in the game today, and one of the best ever.
And Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead. (Line from the 70's. Sorry.)
Somebody on bigsoccer said so-and-so is a "better target forward" than Kelley O'Hara. Man, stuff like that gets my goat. News Flash: Target forward is just one of many KO roles. She can defend. I can count on one had the number of college forwards who can defend. She can create out of the midfield. She has a silky touch on the ball and can run at defenders with the ball at her feet. She can torch you along the endline. She strikes the ball soundly, with power and accuracy, and doesn't take an hour to settle the ball first. She makes her whole team go. Oh, and she does do that "target forward" thing of running onto long balls out of the back, blowing by her marker, and burying the round thing in the back of the ol' onion bag better than anyone in the college game. If all she had to do was be a "target forward" she could probably do that while eating a ham sandwich and a bag of chips. A word to the wise at any WPS team -- draft this player, put the number 10 shirt on her back and tell her, "This is your team. Do whatever you need to/want to to Make it Go." Then make room in the trophy case.
"Target forward". Give me a break.
Heh-heh-heh. Hats never should have gone out of style. :-)
My analysis of the SU-CAl match coming soon.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
I'm gonna take things one thought at a time today.
DC United evaluating whether to keep coach Tommy Soehn. Whatever they decide is fine by me. All I want is, with a handful of exceptions, an entire roster of new players.
UVA men ranked #10. Methinks that is a tad high. ACC tourney will likely bring that to light. I hope to get down to Charlottesville for their finale against NC State. UVA probably has one of the the finest college soccer facilities in the nation. Admission price is very low, soccer is good, and atmosphere is great.
My strategy "How to beat Stanford" has failed a number of Stanford opponents in recent games. I therefore officially have no idea as to how to beat the SU women's soccer team. Except maybe to bunker 11 people behind the ball and try to get them to fire blanks from range. Problem is, give up corners or deep set pieces and all bets are off.
Many people, even some among their faithful, are writing off this year's UNC women's team. Fuggedaboudit. They will win the ACCs, which they have done *19 out of the last 21 times* the thing has been played. They will be in the Final Four. If two or three things go wrong against them, they win, regardless of opponent.
The conventional wisdom says "the level of play in MLS is much higher now than in the early years." Oh, really? Then how to explain the almost universal agreement that the 1998 DC United team was, by far, the best MLS team ever assembled? Or riddle me this -- why are 80% of MLS games so poorly, boringly played? Or tell me, grasshoppah, where are the Etcheverrys, Cienfuegos, Novaks, Valderramas, (young) Morenos, Diaz Arces, Lassiters? Now we have Barros Schellotto, Shalrie Joseph, and David Beckham. Great players, but there are too few of them. MLS, on balance, has treaded water or even declined a bit in the overall level of play department since its inception.
Chelsea and Barcelona play soccer that is simply dazzling.
Lionel Messi is quite possibly the best soccer player the world has ever seen. 'Nuff said.
Didier Drogba is probably the best pure striker in the game today, and one of the best ever.
I really like European soccer, especially EPL and Primera, but I just have no real emotional connection to any of those teams. I don't live in Europe. But I do tune in for the soccer.
Somebody on bigsoccer said so-and-so is a "better target forward" than Kelley O'Hara. Man, stuff like that gets my goat. News Flash: Target forward is just one of many KO roles. She can defend. I can count on one had the number of college forwards who can defend. She can create out of the midfield. She has a silky touch on the ball and can run at defenders with the ball at her feet. She can torch you along the endline. She strikes the ball soundly, with power and accuracy, and doesn't take an hour to settle the ball first. She makes her whole team go. Oh, and she does do that "target forward" thing of running onto long balls out of the back, blowing by her marker, and burying the round thing in the back of the ol' onion bag better than anyone in the college game. If all she had to do was be a "target forward" she could probably do that while eating a ham sandwich and a bag of chips. A word to the wise at any WPS team -- draft this player, put the number 10 shirt on her back and tell her, "This is your team. Do whatever you need to/want to to Make it Go." Then make room in the trophy case.
"Target forward". Give me a break.
DC United evaluating whether to keep coach Tommy Soehn. Whatever they decide is fine by me. All I want is, with a handful of exceptions, an entire roster of new players.
UVA men ranked #10. Methinks that is a tad high. ACC tourney will likely bring that to light. I hope to get down to Charlottesville for their finale against NC State. UVA probably has one of the the finest college soccer facilities in the nation. Admission price is very low, soccer is good, and atmosphere is great.
My strategy "How to beat Stanford" has failed a number of Stanford opponents in recent games. I therefore officially have no idea as to how to beat the SU women's soccer team. Except maybe to bunker 11 people behind the ball and try to get them to fire blanks from range. Problem is, give up corners or deep set pieces and all bets are off.
Many people, even some among their faithful, are writing off this year's UNC women's team. Fuggedaboudit. They will win the ACCs, which they have done *19 out of the last 21 times* the thing has been played. They will be in the Final Four. If two or three things go wrong against them, they win, regardless of opponent.
The conventional wisdom says "the level of play in MLS is much higher now than in the early years." Oh, really? Then how to explain the almost universal agreement that the 1998 DC United team was, by far, the best MLS team ever assembled? Or riddle me this -- why are 80% of MLS games so poorly, boringly played? Or tell me, grasshoppah, where are the Etcheverrys, Cienfuegos, Novaks, Valderramas, (young) Morenos, Diaz Arces, Lassiters? Now we have Barros Schellotto, Shalrie Joseph, and David Beckham. Great players, but there are too few of them. MLS, on balance, has treaded water or even declined a bit in the overall level of play department since its inception.
Chelsea and Barcelona play soccer that is simply dazzling.
Lionel Messi is quite possibly the best soccer player the world has ever seen. 'Nuff said.
Didier Drogba is probably the best pure striker in the game today, and one of the best ever.
I really like European soccer, especially EPL and Primera, but I just have no real emotional connection to any of those teams. I don't live in Europe. But I do tune in for the soccer.
Somebody on bigsoccer said so-and-so is a "better target forward" than Kelley O'Hara. Man, stuff like that gets my goat. News Flash: Target forward is just one of many KO roles. She can defend. I can count on one had the number of college forwards who can defend. She can create out of the midfield. She has a silky touch on the ball and can run at defenders with the ball at her feet. She can torch you along the endline. She strikes the ball soundly, with power and accuracy, and doesn't take an hour to settle the ball first. She makes her whole team go. Oh, and she does do that "target forward" thing of running onto long balls out of the back, blowing by her marker, and burying the round thing in the back of the ol' onion bag better than anyone in the college game. If all she had to do was be a "target forward" she could probably do that while eating a ham sandwich and a bag of chips. A word to the wise at any WPS team -- draft this player, put the number 10 shirt on her back and tell her, "This is your team. Do whatever you need to/want to to Make it Go." Then make room in the trophy case.
"Target forward". Give me a break.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Correct Call
Again, in soccer, THERE IS NO "HALO" AROUND THE GOALKEEPER. If he gets creamed on a 50-50 ball. SO BE IT. I really wonder if there is a youth referee anywhere in North America that understands that. Probably not. This ref, refreshingly, got it right.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
The Two Towers
This has been a rough year for me as a soccer fan.
DC United, as I wrote previously, gambling that old legs would still have some magic, lost the gamble big-time and are all but out of the MLS playoffs. The Virginia Tech men, having lost their coach due to apparent recruiting violations, is floundering somewhere in the middle of the ACC.
The UVA men are doing their usual "we are a pretty good soccer team" thing. The US Men have qualified, and that is great, but have suffered some serious, some would say catastrophic, injuries in the process. Thus the victory may yet prove to be Pyrrhic.
On the "Plus" side, though, are the Stanford women, who over the weekend knocked off powerhouses USC and UCLA by 4-0 and 2-0 scores, respectively. USC is a fine team, maybe not as fine as their tradition would dictate, but a national power nonetheless. They could not withstand the relentless, multi-dimensional onslaught (engineered by the two Maradonas, Kelley O'Hara and Christen Press) that Stanford rained down on them. This victory put Stanford firmly in what I call the "scary-good category".
Two days later, Stanford faced UCLA, a team that is entirely capable of beating any team in the country. Throw out their early season lop-sided loss to UNC. The first three games in any college soccer teams schedule, men or women, are essentially preseason games, due to very limited preseason practice time. UCLA is, top-to-bottom, an outstanding soccer team, and they have the best pure striker in the country in Lauren Cheney.
Well, #1 Stanford handed them a 2-0 loss. This game was, to be sure, an epic battle, UCLA almost putting 1 or 2 goals in the back of Stanford's net. But, unlike Stanford's Final Four match last fall, it was Stanford that got the breaks this time. This time, the round thing went across that lonely white line for the Cardinal, causing digits on the scoreboard to change in their favor.
So, it would seem, there are two towers rising above the rest in women's D1 college soccer. One has long stood in the rarefied climes of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The gaze of its flaming eye must surely be fixed on the other -- one rapidly rising and already imposing, on a farm in Palo Alto, California.
DC United, as I wrote previously, gambling that old legs would still have some magic, lost the gamble big-time and are all but out of the MLS playoffs. The Virginia Tech men, having lost their coach due to apparent recruiting violations, is floundering somewhere in the middle of the ACC.
The UVA men are doing their usual "we are a pretty good soccer team" thing. The US Men have qualified, and that is great, but have suffered some serious, some would say catastrophic, injuries in the process. Thus the victory may yet prove to be Pyrrhic.
On the "Plus" side, though, are the Stanford women, who over the weekend knocked off powerhouses USC and UCLA by 4-0 and 2-0 scores, respectively. USC is a fine team, maybe not as fine as their tradition would dictate, but a national power nonetheless. They could not withstand the relentless, multi-dimensional onslaught (engineered by the two Maradonas, Kelley O'Hara and Christen Press) that Stanford rained down on them. This victory put Stanford firmly in what I call the "scary-good category".
Two days later, Stanford faced UCLA, a team that is entirely capable of beating any team in the country. Throw out their early season lop-sided loss to UNC. The first three games in any college soccer teams schedule, men or women, are essentially preseason games, due to very limited preseason practice time. UCLA is, top-to-bottom, an outstanding soccer team, and they have the best pure striker in the country in Lauren Cheney.
Well, #1 Stanford handed them a 2-0 loss. This game was, to be sure, an epic battle, UCLA almost putting 1 or 2 goals in the back of Stanford's net. But, unlike Stanford's Final Four match last fall, it was Stanford that got the breaks this time. This time, the round thing went across that lonely white line for the Cardinal, causing digits on the scoreboard to change in their favor.
So, it would seem, there are two towers rising above the rest in women's D1 college soccer. One has long stood in the rarefied climes of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The gaze of its flaming eye must surely be fixed on the other -- one rapidly rising and already imposing, on a farm in Palo Alto, California.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
How to Beat Stanford
I really don't like taking such a point of view on teams I like, but I thought I would try it.
If I were the coach of a team opposing Stanford, what strategy would I have my players execute in order to win? Well, here are the keys, as I see them.
1) Have my two best man-marking d-mids tag-team shadow KO. Cover her like a wet blanket. Deny her the ball. Force her to retreat well into her defensive half to get the ball. When one member of the d-mid tag-team gets tired, and she surely will, sub her out and bring in the other half of the tag-team to keep fresh legs out there. The thing about college soccer is you can be subbed out and then come back in the next half. That means KO will be marked by effectively 4 sets of fresh legs through the course of the game. Allowing KO to line up against an isloated defender to run onto early balls out of midfield or the back MUST BE AVOIDED AT ALL COSTS (within the bounds of sporsmanship). she will GET THE ball AND SHE will BURY IT. an-marking by the d-mid will allow the defender to back off a few paces.
2) If job #1 gets done, that means part, and I emphasize the word PART of job 2 is done, and job #2 is what to do about Christen Press. CP, if I have interpreted the film correcly, is more service-dependent and a bit more of a pure forward than is KO. If you deny KO the ball, that is less service for CP. However, CP can run out of the midfield with the ball at her feet, take on defenders and score. She will have to be zone-pressured. You can't man-mark everybody. WATCH OUT for her diagonal runs. MF's will have track back, and centerbacks will have to step up. Or be eviscerated.
3) Try to force SU's other striker into long range shots. Force everything wide, and NO CLEARANCES UP THE MIDDLE. Get them out, out, out of bounds, into the upper deck or into the next county if you have to.
4) Offensively. Play fast, play to feet, and run, run, run at the central defense. There are seams to be found for the diligent, assuming you can keep the ball.
5) HOWEVER -- play too much of a south-north game and you are toast. Playing too direct means giviong Stanford too much possession. If there is no place to go, then play a back or square ball. But for Pete's sake keep the ball or you will be sorry. Switch the POA, play back all the way to the keeper if need be, but keep the ball.
If I were the coach of a team opposing Stanford, what strategy would I have my players execute in order to win? Well, here are the keys, as I see them.
1) Have my two best man-marking d-mids tag-team shadow KO. Cover her like a wet blanket. Deny her the ball. Force her to retreat well into her defensive half to get the ball. When one member of the d-mid tag-team gets tired, and she surely will, sub her out and bring in the other half of the tag-team to keep fresh legs out there. The thing about college soccer is you can be subbed out and then come back in the next half. That means KO will be marked by effectively 4 sets of fresh legs through the course of the game. Allowing KO to line up against an isloated defender to run onto early balls out of midfield or the back MUST BE AVOIDED AT ALL COSTS (within the bounds of sporsmanship). she will GET THE ball AND SHE will BURY IT. an-marking by the d-mid will allow the defender to back off a few paces.
2) If job #1 gets done, that means part, and I emphasize the word PART of job 2 is done, and job #2 is what to do about Christen Press. CP, if I have interpreted the film correcly, is more service-dependent and a bit more of a pure forward than is KO. If you deny KO the ball, that is less service for CP. However, CP can run out of the midfield with the ball at her feet, take on defenders and score. She will have to be zone-pressured. You can't man-mark everybody. WATCH OUT for her diagonal runs. MF's will have track back, and centerbacks will have to step up. Or be eviscerated.
3) Try to force SU's other striker into long range shots. Force everything wide, and NO CLEARANCES UP THE MIDDLE. Get them out, out, out of bounds, into the upper deck or into the next county if you have to.
4) Offensively. Play fast, play to feet, and run, run, run at the central defense. There are seams to be found for the diligent, assuming you can keep the ball.
5) HOWEVER -- play too much of a south-north game and you are toast. Playing too direct means giviong Stanford too much possession. If there is no place to go, then play a back or square ball. But for Pete's sake keep the ball or you will be sorry. Switch the POA, play back all the way to the keeper if need be, but keep the ball.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
USA Qualifies
I remember all too well being a soccer fan in the 1970's and 80's.
The US Men's National soccer team had no hope, zero, zilch, nada, of qualifying for the World Cup. They could beat neither the minnows who made it or the ones who didn't. For most of that time the US Team was composed of a sort of college-all star team. Sounds nice, but the college game back then, other than Indiana and a few other suspects, was a sports backwater that attracted few quality athletes.
And so, over those decades, we were on the outside looking in. Even by 1990, things were not much different. The US side found itself in Port of Spain, facing a favored Trinidad and Tobago side. But Paul Caligiuri's "shot heard round the world" secured a 1-0 win for the US boys and their first trip to the World Cup since 1950. You read that right. five-zero. The 1990 World Cup would be the US's first in *40 years*.
This past Saturday night, the US team came away from San Pedro Sula, Honduras, with a hard-fought, difficult and improbable 3-2 away victory which has secured their passage to a sixth consecutive World Cup.
Some observations on the game:
1) Landon Donovan has gone from being a very effective, slashing forward to a truer #10 shirt, creative attacking midfielder. His lovely, perfectly paced and perfectly placed through-ball to Conor Casey could not hacve been better executed by Lionel Messi, Maradona, or even Pele himself. You can't do it any better than that, and it was Donovan who did it.
2) Landon's curling free kick over the wall and into the uper corner of the net further secures his postion as a multidimensional attacking player.
3) Youth referees take note. Conor Casey's headed goal in which he collided with the goalkeeper AFTER he headed the ball was a COMPLETELY legit goal. I wish I had a nickel for every time I saw a play like that whistled a foul on the offensive player, especially in youth leagues out of the mistaken belief the goalkeeper is sacrosanct, and the play must be whistled dead every time the goalkeeper is within ten feet of the ball. Youth officials, just because a player is a goalkeeper does not mean they have a divine right to get the ball just because they are near the ball and they want it. If a goalkeeper gets creamed on a true 50-50 ball, SO BE IT. The goalkeeer is just another player, one who happens to be able to use his hands.
4) Conor Casey can score if he gets service. Many of our other strikers fail to score even with good service.
The US Men's National soccer team had no hope, zero, zilch, nada, of qualifying for the World Cup. They could beat neither the minnows who made it or the ones who didn't. For most of that time the US Team was composed of a sort of college-all star team. Sounds nice, but the college game back then, other than Indiana and a few other suspects, was a sports backwater that attracted few quality athletes.
And so, over those decades, we were on the outside looking in. Even by 1990, things were not much different. The US side found itself in Port of Spain, facing a favored Trinidad and Tobago side. But Paul Caligiuri's "shot heard round the world" secured a 1-0 win for the US boys and their first trip to the World Cup since 1950. You read that right. five-zero. The 1990 World Cup would be the US's first in *40 years*.
This past Saturday night, the US team came away from San Pedro Sula, Honduras, with a hard-fought, difficult and improbable 3-2 away victory which has secured their passage to a sixth consecutive World Cup.
Some observations on the game:
1) Landon Donovan has gone from being a very effective, slashing forward to a truer #10 shirt, creative attacking midfielder. His lovely, perfectly paced and perfectly placed through-ball to Conor Casey could not hacve been better executed by Lionel Messi, Maradona, or even Pele himself. You can't do it any better than that, and it was Donovan who did it.
2) Landon's curling free kick over the wall and into the uper corner of the net further secures his postion as a multidimensional attacking player.
3) Youth referees take note. Conor Casey's headed goal in which he collided with the goalkeeper AFTER he headed the ball was a COMPLETELY legit goal. I wish I had a nickel for every time I saw a play like that whistled a foul on the offensive player, especially in youth leagues out of the mistaken belief the goalkeeper is sacrosanct, and the play must be whistled dead every time the goalkeeper is within ten feet of the ball. Youth officials, just because a player is a goalkeeper does not mean they have a divine right to get the ball just because they are near the ball and they want it. If a goalkeeper gets creamed on a true 50-50 ball, SO BE IT. The goalkeeer is just another player, one who happens to be able to use his hands.
4) Conor Casey can score if he gets service. Many of our other strikers fail to score even with good service.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
DC United: What Happens in Vegas...
Now how does the rest of that go?
This MLS season, which, with 2 games remaining, IS OVER FOR DC UNITED, my friends, despite there being a remote mathematical possibility of DCU still making the playoffs.
Posters on bigsoccer.com are screaming for the coach's head.
But I don't think it is as much the coach as it is the players. The fact is, the DCU front office -- of which yes, the coach is a part, at least in terms of player acquisition decisions -- gambled on several of the big players, and unfortunately the gamble did not pay off.
They gambled that Jaime Moreno would still have some pace to combine with his incredible vision and skills. Didn't pan out.
They gambled that Gomez had one more year left in the tank. He didn't.
They gambled that stalwart Ben Olsen would have something to contribute once he healed from his foot injury. That's a negatory, good buddy..
They betted, reasonably, tht Fred would still have some Brazilian spark. Sadly, nada.
They wagered that Quaranta would do something other than run up and down the field and make clever backpasses, punctuated with the occasional cross into the upper deck. Snake eyes.
They also doubled down on Burch at right back, and Janicki in the middle. Throw in the fluid goalkeeper situation, and our Vegas triumvirate Got. Royally. Skunked.
So, DC United fans, the season is over. Likely the offseason will see the naming of a new coach. But if it does not also see a wholesale changeover of the roster, well, didn't Mama always say "Don't play the ponies"?
This MLS season, which, with 2 games remaining, IS OVER FOR DC UNITED, my friends, despite there being a remote mathematical possibility of DCU still making the playoffs.
Posters on bigsoccer.com are screaming for the coach's head.
But I don't think it is as much the coach as it is the players. The fact is, the DCU front office -- of which yes, the coach is a part, at least in terms of player acquisition decisions -- gambled on several of the big players, and unfortunately the gamble did not pay off.
They gambled that Jaime Moreno would still have some pace to combine with his incredible vision and skills. Didn't pan out.
They gambled that Gomez had one more year left in the tank. He didn't.
They gambled that stalwart Ben Olsen would have something to contribute once he healed from his foot injury. That's a negatory, good buddy..
They betted, reasonably, tht Fred would still have some Brazilian spark. Sadly, nada.
They wagered that Quaranta would do something other than run up and down the field and make clever backpasses, punctuated with the occasional cross into the upper deck. Snake eyes.
They also doubled down on Burch at right back, and Janicki in the middle. Throw in the fluid goalkeeper situation, and our Vegas triumvirate Got. Royally. Skunked.
So, DC United fans, the season is over. Likely the offseason will see the naming of a new coach. But if it does not also see a wholesale changeover of the roster, well, didn't Mama always say "Don't play the ponies"?
Monday, October 5, 2009
Stanford: Weapons Free
The Stanford Womens' soccer team (11-0) retakes the #1 spot in the SoccerAmerica poll, and rightly so.
This is a team that plays at a very high technical and tactical level, and they play very fast, a rarity in college soccer. Stanford is loaded with strikers and attacking mids who know how to put the ball in the back of the net.
If Stanford has a weak spot, it is in the central defense. But I use the term, "weak" in a relative sense. Stanford has plenty of shutouts this season, the central defense can't be too bad.
The Brazil National mens' team is not known to be a defensive fortress, but they win plenty of games. Stanford, like Brazil, has a phalanx of top strikers, and they have the two best attacking midfielders in the country in Kelley O'Hara and Christen Press. Both are, for some reason, listed as forwards. Really they play as a blend of forward/attacking mid. They take turns quarterbacking the team, and they score plenty of goals.
The nice thing is other players are making better runs off the ball than last season, leveraging the creative vision of the two Maradonas. All this makes for a multi-dimensional attack and more than adequate defense that can beat anybody.
All that said, I would not be too quick to gloat about UNC's loss to Va Tech. UNC is extremely good. From the top starter to the last player on the reserve bench, UNC has players who are very fast, very athletic, very soccer-smart, and have a high level of mastery of individual and team soccer fundamentals. They are a team that plays excellent positional football, read passing lanes very, very well, and it goes without saying they are extremely well coached. Their highly efficient, swarming team defense all over the field is something truly wondrous to behold.
Bottom line, these are the two best teams in the country right now.
This is a team that plays at a very high technical and tactical level, and they play very fast, a rarity in college soccer. Stanford is loaded with strikers and attacking mids who know how to put the ball in the back of the net.
If Stanford has a weak spot, it is in the central defense. But I use the term, "weak" in a relative sense. Stanford has plenty of shutouts this season, the central defense can't be too bad.
The Brazil National mens' team is not known to be a defensive fortress, but they win plenty of games. Stanford, like Brazil, has a phalanx of top strikers, and they have the two best attacking midfielders in the country in Kelley O'Hara and Christen Press. Both are, for some reason, listed as forwards. Really they play as a blend of forward/attacking mid. They take turns quarterbacking the team, and they score plenty of goals.
The nice thing is other players are making better runs off the ball than last season, leveraging the creative vision of the two Maradonas. All this makes for a multi-dimensional attack and more than adequate defense that can beat anybody.
All that said, I would not be too quick to gloat about UNC's loss to Va Tech. UNC is extremely good. From the top starter to the last player on the reserve bench, UNC has players who are very fast, very athletic, very soccer-smart, and have a high level of mastery of individual and team soccer fundamentals. They are a team that plays excellent positional football, read passing lanes very, very well, and it goes without saying they are extremely well coached. Their highly efficient, swarming team defense all over the field is something truly wondrous to behold.
Bottom line, these are the two best teams in the country right now.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
The Beautiful Game
Soccer, calcio, futbol, football, futebol... though it has many names, soccer is one game and it is *the* one game that binds virtually all the cultures of the world. I think that is really neat.
I really liked this video. Though I take exception to a word used about 2/3 of the way in, I think the video captures well how soccer brings people together. I like that.
In my own life, I remember some years ago stopping for lunch while on a family trip. There were some Hispanic guys in the restaurant parking lot who were taking a lunch break from their construction jobs and kicking a ball around the lot. My boys and I joined in, though we didn't speak their language. We kicked it around with them for a few minutes, then we shook hands, bid them goodbye and I gave them Spanish-language Gospel tracts.
A few years later found us vacationing on the beach. My boys and I kicked it around on the beach with some Jamaican guys one day that week. One of the Jamaicans said I "had a nice touch" on the ball. Oooh I liked hearing that even though I really have the typical American "cinderblock" touch -- he was just being nice.
Another day we saw some Brazilian guys playing a game which was a combination of beach soccer and four-square. I asked if I could join in. Even though those guys have more soccer ability in their toenail clippings than I do in my entire body, they let me play. I was torched numerous times, but fun was had by all.
I really liked this video. Though I take exception to a word used about 2/3 of the way in, I think the video captures well how soccer brings people together. I like that.
In my own life, I remember some years ago stopping for lunch while on a family trip. There were some Hispanic guys in the restaurant parking lot who were taking a lunch break from their construction jobs and kicking a ball around the lot. My boys and I joined in, though we didn't speak their language. We kicked it around with them for a few minutes, then we shook hands, bid them goodbye and I gave them Spanish-language Gospel tracts.
A few years later found us vacationing on the beach. My boys and I kicked it around on the beach with some Jamaican guys one day that week. One of the Jamaicans said I "had a nice touch" on the ball. Oooh I liked hearing that even though I really have the typical American "cinderblock" touch -- he was just being nice.
Another day we saw some Brazilian guys playing a game which was a combination of beach soccer and four-square. I asked if I could join in. Even though those guys have more soccer ability in their toenail clippings than I do in my entire body, they let me play. I was torched numerous times, but fun was had by all.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Yikes.
When I "get together with the guys" to play soccer, I usually play right back. When I do, I usually end up with a sore neck because I have to resort to the "wooden Indian" approach to defending, so my neck gets sore watching strikers run by me and score.
I hate to see what this kid would do to my statuesque defending. I would probably get relegated from right back to "left out".
I hate to see what this kid would do to my statuesque defending. I would probably get relegated from right back to "left out".
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
It's Hardly a First...
... but I could be wrong about the Beckham thing. Apparently AC Milan offered a mere $3 million transfer fee to MLS/LA Galaxy for Beckham's continued services at the San Siro. MLS basically told AC Milan to put up or shut up by last Friday's deadine with a real offer. AC Milan didn't. Friday came and went, and the MLS and LAG bigwigs who would need to sign off on any deal promptly went on vacation. All of this of course could be negotiating brinksmanship, but right now I would say there is better than even odds Beckham will still be playing in LA after his loan to AC Milan expires as scheduled in March.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Dos a Cero!!!
My thoughts about last night's USA-Mexico match.
I first started watching the US Men's National soccer team way back in the 1970's. Back then, we were a minnow among minnows. The team was composed of college players, and as bad as much of US College soccer is now, US college soccer was a podunk backwater back then. The team was lucky to get the ball, much less get a sniff at goal. We now have a team that can play with any team in the world, including the winners of the 2006 World Cup, Italy. And now we regularly beat Mexico everywhere except for at the Azteca in Mexico City, where even mighty Brazil loses. We beat Mexico last night. It feels good.
That said, we did get a little lucky. Mexico missed a couple sitters early on. I wish I had a dollar for every time one of our midfielders passed the ball under little or no pressure to a Mexico player. Our crosses were, in a word, wretched.
The first US goal, on a corner kick, was a nice goal but you have to admit it was a high, floating corner that defenses usually have little trouble dealing with. Donovan gets a head on it banging it back into the scrum, where another header on goal results in a rebound and a fat, beach-ball sitter for Bradley to bury. Mexico does seem to have some trouble with the US physical presence in the box.
The second US goal, in the 90th minute, was the result of Bradley getting a lot of space in the middle of the attacking third owing in part to the fact that Mexico was more than preoccupied with Donovan, keeping 2 or 3 players near him in the US attacking zone. Bradly waltzes up and has a go from 25 yards, and the low, driven shot skips under the Mexican keeper and into the back of the net. It was a bit of a soft goal from the keeper's perspective, but not the howler some make it out to be. The keeper got there laterally, but could't get down far enough once he got over and the ball skips under him.
But the result was really sealed before that late goal, with Rafa Marquez being sent off for a late high challenge on US goalkeeper Tim Howard. The straight red was harsh. At most it should have been a yellow. But the red was given, and off Marquez went.
As for the players, Tim Howard did some good (albeit lucky a time or two) shot-stoppng and controlled his box well. Our central defenders, Onyewu and Bocanegra, were solid. Frankie Hejduk defended well and did an overall good job getting up the right flank and getting the ball to our mids. He was lucky, though, not to get carded for at least one of his studs- up, two-footed tackles. Yeah, he got the ball first, but most refs will be pretty quick to show you some yellow for those. Pearce was steady on the left, but not very effective carrying the ball forward.
In the midfield, I hate to say it but Beasley looks like he has lost a step. He was an offensive threat, though, and he was unafraid to run at people. Sacha Kljestan I thought had an off night. Not much impact. Clint Dempsey looked out of sorts, though he did get a threatening shot off that their keeper did well to stop. He played like he was jet-lagged overall. Michael Bradley, what can you say. Two goals. Man of the Match. Landon Donovan made things go and kept multiple Mexican defenders busy all night. We should note Bradley scored his second because Donovan charges up the left side with the ball, and draws four, count 'em FOUR Mexican defenders. He lays off to Bradley, who has ten yards to charge up, wind up, and let go with a rasping shot that flashes under the lunging Keep for the brace and 2-0 scoreline.
Brian Ching, the lone striker up front, was not very effective. He drew a couple deep fouls, which was good, but I thought he should have been subbed out at the half. He was visibly gassed by the hour mark. He was totally spent when he finally was subbed out late for Jozy Altidore, who played very well in his few minutes.
A nice win against our biggest rival on the continent. It feels good. The soda, the wings, and the nachos tasted all the better for it. Clearly the US is a deserved favorite to qualify for the Word Cup. But lets not get carried away. Unless we get a whole lot better with our possession game, we are looking at an early exit from the WC group stage. You pass the ball to the other team as much as the US did tonight against a world powerhouse team like Spain, Italy, Germany, or Brazil, and you are looking at getting shredded for 4, 5, or 6 goals.
But that is then, this is now.
Dos a cero. I like the sound of that.
I first started watching the US Men's National soccer team way back in the 1970's. Back then, we were a minnow among minnows. The team was composed of college players, and as bad as much of US College soccer is now, US college soccer was a podunk backwater back then. The team was lucky to get the ball, much less get a sniff at goal. We now have a team that can play with any team in the world, including the winners of the 2006 World Cup, Italy. And now we regularly beat Mexico everywhere except for at the Azteca in Mexico City, where even mighty Brazil loses. We beat Mexico last night. It feels good.
That said, we did get a little lucky. Mexico missed a couple sitters early on. I wish I had a dollar for every time one of our midfielders passed the ball under little or no pressure to a Mexico player. Our crosses were, in a word, wretched.
The first US goal, on a corner kick, was a nice goal but you have to admit it was a high, floating corner that defenses usually have little trouble dealing with. Donovan gets a head on it banging it back into the scrum, where another header on goal results in a rebound and a fat, beach-ball sitter for Bradley to bury. Mexico does seem to have some trouble with the US physical presence in the box.
The second US goal, in the 90th minute, was the result of Bradley getting a lot of space in the middle of the attacking third owing in part to the fact that Mexico was more than preoccupied with Donovan, keeping 2 or 3 players near him in the US attacking zone. Bradly waltzes up and has a go from 25 yards, and the low, driven shot skips under the Mexican keeper and into the back of the net. It was a bit of a soft goal from the keeper's perspective, but not the howler some make it out to be. The keeper got there laterally, but could't get down far enough once he got over and the ball skips under him.
But the result was really sealed before that late goal, with Rafa Marquez being sent off for a late high challenge on US goalkeeper Tim Howard. The straight red was harsh. At most it should have been a yellow. But the red was given, and off Marquez went.
As for the players, Tim Howard did some good (albeit lucky a time or two) shot-stoppng and controlled his box well. Our central defenders, Onyewu and Bocanegra, were solid. Frankie Hejduk defended well and did an overall good job getting up the right flank and getting the ball to our mids. He was lucky, though, not to get carded for at least one of his studs- up, two-footed tackles. Yeah, he got the ball first, but most refs will be pretty quick to show you some yellow for those. Pearce was steady on the left, but not very effective carrying the ball forward.
In the midfield, I hate to say it but Beasley looks like he has lost a step. He was an offensive threat, though, and he was unafraid to run at people. Sacha Kljestan I thought had an off night. Not much impact. Clint Dempsey looked out of sorts, though he did get a threatening shot off that their keeper did well to stop. He played like he was jet-lagged overall. Michael Bradley, what can you say. Two goals. Man of the Match. Landon Donovan made things go and kept multiple Mexican defenders busy all night. We should note Bradley scored his second because Donovan charges up the left side with the ball, and draws four, count 'em FOUR Mexican defenders. He lays off to Bradley, who has ten yards to charge up, wind up, and let go with a rasping shot that flashes under the lunging Keep for the brace and 2-0 scoreline.
Brian Ching, the lone striker up front, was not very effective. He drew a couple deep fouls, which was good, but I thought he should have been subbed out at the half. He was visibly gassed by the hour mark. He was totally spent when he finally was subbed out late for Jozy Altidore, who played very well in his few minutes.
A nice win against our biggest rival on the continent. It feels good. The soda, the wings, and the nachos tasted all the better for it. Clearly the US is a deserved favorite to qualify for the Word Cup. But lets not get carried away. Unless we get a whole lot better with our possession game, we are looking at an early exit from the WC group stage. You pass the ball to the other team as much as the US did tonight against a world powerhouse team like Spain, Italy, Germany, or Brazil, and you are looking at getting shredded for 4, 5, or 6 goals.
But that is then, this is now.
Dos a cero. I like the sound of that.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Feb 11, 2009: The Real Super Bowl
USA-Mexico in Columbus, baby. I am so there. (Via satellite, that is). Here are some fond replays from previous "Super Bowls".
Oh, on that first goal, that silky, curling, outside-of-the-boot early-ball assist by Clint Mathis was just exquisite. Soccer is the only sport in the world called "the beautiful game". Lovely, sumptuous, gorgeous passes like that, culminating in a riveting run and goal are just captivating.
Then there is this one.
Beeeeeeeeeasly!
Oh, and how about this one.
Landon turns on the jets. Gotta love it.
Oh, on that first goal, that silky, curling, outside-of-the-boot early-ball assist by Clint Mathis was just exquisite. Soccer is the only sport in the world called "the beautiful game". Lovely, sumptuous, gorgeous passes like that, culminating in a riveting run and goal are just captivating.
Then there is this one.
Beeeeeeeeeasly!
Oh, and how about this one.
Landon turns on the jets. Gotta love it.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
Beckham Gone for Good
It doesn't matter what the contract says. David Beckham is staying with AC Milan, case closed. He is obviously happy there. He is playing well, and playing on a team loaded with international soccer superstars. He knows he does not have much time left to play at such a high level, so Beckham coming back to the woeful LA Galaxy for even 6 months just to send pinpoint crosses in to forwards who have no idea how to finish them, or, perhaps, to get hurt, is out of the question.
Some say MLS should hold out for a $15-20 transfer fee. Ain't gonna happen. MLS will be told they are getting $8-10 million and they better be happy with that or else they quite possibly will get nothing.
But it is not likely to come down to that. Bruce Arena can see the handwriting on the wall. Il Bruce knows he needs to fix his porous backline, and he needs bodies and the money to pay them to do that.
Beckham cannot afford to waste any more time with the dreadful Galaxy or, I hate to say, the mediocre level of play in MLS. And the Galaxy/MLS cannot afford to lose the chance to re-sign Beckham later when he is done in Europe for good.
So Beckham goes, MLS gets some kind of face-saving transfer fee, and hopefully the Galaxy will at least become competitive.
Some say MLS should hold out for a $15-20 transfer fee. Ain't gonna happen. MLS will be told they are getting $8-10 million and they better be happy with that or else they quite possibly will get nothing.
But it is not likely to come down to that. Bruce Arena can see the handwriting on the wall. Il Bruce knows he needs to fix his porous backline, and he needs bodies and the money to pay them to do that.
Beckham cannot afford to waste any more time with the dreadful Galaxy or, I hate to say, the mediocre level of play in MLS. And the Galaxy/MLS cannot afford to lose the chance to re-sign Beckham later when he is done in Europe for good.
So Beckham goes, MLS gets some kind of face-saving transfer fee, and hopefully the Galaxy will at least become competitive.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Holes in the Stanford Backline
Well, from everything I can read, the Stanford ladies are looking at losing 2 starting defenders and bringing back 2 experienced defenders. Thus Stanford are likely going to have to throw two freshmen out there; that is assuming they are going with four in the back.
They probably have the midfield to go with three in the back. That actually may be the best solution, since with they are so loaded in the attack SU could very well be the Gretzkey-era Edmonton Oilers (or, the Lemieux-era Pittsburgh Penuins) of the PAC come soccer season. That is to say, SU's best defense (accent on second syllable, we are talking soccer here) may be its offense. Winning 5-2, 6-3, and 4-0 worked fine for those hockey teams as they sauntered their way to multiple Stanley Cups. So Stanford, go ahead and plan to score 5 and 6 goals a game, and let the defense take care of itself. Oh, that also works for a certain South American selecao that shall remain nameless. I reall think SU can do this. They are loaded with lethal strikers and a-mids who link well together. And ther freshman strikers are no longer so green.
Remember, though, in a 3-back, 5-man midfield, you need speed AND endurance on the wings. Those wingers need to join the attack, get crosses in, run at people. They also need to get back and cover those flanks. That means being able to run fast and run fast tirelessly all day long. Fortunately, with the liberal college subsitution rules, the endurance part shoud be less of a problem.
SU may indeed *have* to rely on this strategy if even one of their experienced defenders goes down with an injury.
I have no problem with winning 6-5.
They probably have the midfield to go with three in the back. That actually may be the best solution, since with they are so loaded in the attack SU could very well be the Gretzkey-era Edmonton Oilers (or, the Lemieux-era Pittsburgh Penuins) of the PAC come soccer season. That is to say, SU's best defense (accent on second syllable, we are talking soccer here) may be its offense. Winning 5-2, 6-3, and 4-0 worked fine for those hockey teams as they sauntered their way to multiple Stanley Cups. So Stanford, go ahead and plan to score 5 and 6 goals a game, and let the defense take care of itself. Oh, that also works for a certain South American selecao that shall remain nameless. I reall think SU can do this. They are loaded with lethal strikers and a-mids who link well together. And ther freshman strikers are no longer so green.
Remember, though, in a 3-back, 5-man midfield, you need speed AND endurance on the wings. Those wingers need to join the attack, get crosses in, run at people. They also need to get back and cover those flanks. That means being able to run fast and run fast tirelessly all day long. Fortunately, with the liberal college subsitution rules, the endurance part shoud be less of a problem.
SU may indeed *have* to rely on this strategy if even one of their experienced defenders goes down with an injury.
I have no problem with winning 6-5.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
All I can say is...
WOW.
And WOW again.
My friends, Lionel Messi is the real deal. And Barca is scary they are so good.
And WOW again.
My friends, Lionel Messi is the real deal. And Barca is scary they are so good.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
I Like 'em, too
Jaime Moreno's picks for his all-time DCU best XI.
I hate Roman numerals, though. 'XI' means "eleven".
I hate Roman numerals, though. 'XI' means "eleven".
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