Tag: Team USA

  • Women’s World Cup: Team USA is Out

    First of all, we in the States have been spoiled by the legacy of this team. No one wins forever, and that expectation is untenable. It was bound to happen, and there will be a Cup where the USWNT will get bounced in the Group Stage. Maybe even a year when we don’t qualify. All of that is possible.

    The reality is that this is a team in transition. Maybe we were all to hyped up to notice. There was a gulf between the veterans and the rookies. As time goes on, that gap will disappear, and Team USA will return to its top caliber form.

    I was traveling at the time on Sunday, so I only caught the tail end of the match. What I can say with full honesty is that Team USA doesn’t suck: the world is now a more competitive place. They conceded a single goal in the Tournament, and none on Sunday, so defense isn’t the issue. This was a matter of scoring production which Team USA just couldn’t get going. Sweden was USA’s equal and when teams like that meet on big stages, the smallest mistake or opportunity makes all the difference.

    It was heartbreaking, and and all those other clichés, to watch this match. But the die had been cast for this team after the Portugal match, and sometimes in sports you just cannot change your stars no matter how hard you try. But try they did, and this was a good squad. They just met their match. And in sports, you want it be be a challenge. If not, then it becomes predictable, and that’s not fun.

    As for the rest of the Cup; I’m calling Japan v England in the final. Odds are I’ll be wrong about that call. But in my defense, I did get the Team USA one right.

  • Women’s World Cup: Day 13

    It was close to being very “Unlucky #13” today – Team USA was inches away from being eliminated from the Group Stage. Portugal almost had this match, and Team USA looks beatable. There is no sense dancing around it, that target on their backs is very big and very heavy. If it turns out that Sweden is the team that USA faces in the Round of 16, then this could be the end of the Tournament for America.

    I am often wrong when it comes to football, and my predictions are wildly off base. Yet, Team USA did a very slow, grinding slide in their Group Stage. The win against Vietnam was the best match that they played, and even in that, they didn’t seem very aggressive. Everyone knew the Netherlands was going to play them hard, so no one was surprised at the draw. But Portugal should have been a win, and if nothing else, they should have at least got one ball in the back of the net. I’ve watched many big teams in big tournament struggle in the group stage. From what I’ve seen, to be successful in the Knockout Stage, you needed to have corrected your issues in the Group Stage. Hoping that the Group Stage “sacred you straight” never materializes. You need to leave the Group confident, not wounded. Team USA is wounded. And they won’t have Rose Lavelle in the next match due to yellow cards, so that just makes it more challenging.

    That having been said… I’m keeping my eye on Japan and England. They are playing hard, take no prisoners football, and they want it. I’m not giving up on Team USA, but if they do get past Sweden, then they most likely will have to play Japan. So… If I can have a Plan B wish for this Cup; an England Japan final would be pretty cool. Just throwing that out there.

    Anyway, see you on Sunday at 5am.

  • Woman’s World Cup: Day 5

    I am having trouble with the time differences when it comes to the matches. I don’t want to sound like I’m copping out on watching. I try to stay up, but I fall asleep. Or I’ve been sleeping through my alarm. If the match isn’t at 9pm, then odds aren’t good that I will be able to watch live. What I am left with is reading and watching highlights. Not very exciting for me as I did watch all Team USA matches in 2019 and 2015. I am very proud of that fact, and sadly I am not sure I will be able to continue. USA plays Portugal on 8/1 at 3am Eastern. I’m planning on being there but I will have to fight for that one.

    So, what have I seen?

    USA v Vietnam: Seems the consensus about this match was that the USA was rusty, as they should have blown Vietnam out of the water. And that consensus is stupid by the way. 3-0 is a pretty serious drumming, and I get that Group E might come down to the point differential, but only Team USA would get scolded for not scoring enough points. My second take on this match is that Team USA would have had 7 goals is it wasn’t for Vietnam’s goalie, T. Thi Kim Tran. There was only so much Tran could do, and what she did was stop the American’s from rolling all over them.

    England v Haiti: Caught the tail end of this one. I would have thought that England would have scored more, but a win is a win.

    France v Jamaica: This was the second surprise of the tournament, after New Zealand beating Norway. Only saw highlights, and a tie is not a loss for France, but still surprising.

    Germany v Morocco: Don’t mess with Germany. Germany made a loud statement with their 6-0 win that they came to win this Cup.

    Brazil v Panama: And Brazil also made their statement with their 4-0 win, too.

    Columbia v South Korea: Looking forward to this one. I know that these two are not high ranked teams, but South Korea has always been a scrappy team in my eye – fun to watch. Maybe them or Columbia could be the Dark House of the Tournament.

  • Women’s World Cup: Day 1

    It’s been a long time coming, but here we are; The First Day of the Women’s World Cup 2023. I have been looking forward to this, and I am flying solo for the time being, on the Group Stage of the Tournament anyway, as my daughter is off at camp. She’ll be back for the Knock Out stage, and I am looking forward to watching matches with her, but I just need to be patient for that.

    In the meantime, there’s a lot of football to be played!

    And the Tournament has started off with some excitement! New Zealand defeated Norway in an upset. This gave New Zealand their first ever win in the Cup, which is cool and fun. They still have a tough road ahead of them, but hey, enjoy the moment.

    As for the other match of the day, Australia defeated Ireland, which wasn’t a big surprise. Australia is ranked #10 in the world, and they are playing at home for the Tournament, so I’m keeping an eye on them.

    Clearly, I am here supporting Team USA, as they go for their third Cup in a row. Odds are pretty good that they will do it, but I will add that this Cup is the most competitive that I have even seen. England is looking especially good, but I wouldn’t count out Germany or Sweden to have a strong run. Canada is my dark horse pick, and my gut tells me that Japan might surprise people.

    Not that I know anything about football, because if you have read this blog and my football related posts, I’m wrong a good amount of time. Not that it stops me from make more predictions, nor from having a crap ton of fun watching matches!

  • World Cup Dispatch (Update): USA v Wales, and other Stuff

    It’s halftime and Team USA is up 1-0 over Wales. That was a pretty goal by Weah and I am sure it is a huge weight off the team after scoring it. Over the first half of the game, USA has been the more aggressive team, fighting for every ball. I was put off at the start of the match by the Referee, as the two yellow cards he handed out to Dest and McKeennie within two minutes of each other seemed rather heavy handed. Things are looking good, but I will feel a lot better once we get the three points.

    I did feel bad for Senegal going down 0-2 to the Netherlands. I would like to know how those tricky Dutch always produce good teams for such a small nation?

    The other thing I noticed today as I ran errands around the neighborhood – There are no signs that the World Cup is going on. In Cups past, for the Men and the Women, there are signs, bunting, banners, and all sorts of things out on store fronts and in the streets. This time around, there is nothing. I know the timing of the Cup isn’t the best for us in the States, with Thanksgiving and Christmas happening. But still, I was expecting to see something out and about.

    UPDATE:

    That didn’t end the way I wanted it to. Yup, can’t foul Bale in the box; he’ll make you pay. And now Wales is all charged up, and will go out there gunning for Iran. That leaves the Welsh with a point off of us, three off of Iran, and then I see them losing to England, for a total of four points. And USA is also playing for 4 points. They have 1 now, and sadly I don’t think they will beat England. That means it will come down to the final match against Iran, which should be a win. But, this is the Wold Cup, and I can see Iran pulling out a tie for national pride and all of that stuff. The path to the knockout round just got harder for Team USA, but not impossible. They just need to score a ton of goals from here on out.

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