Tough Road Ahead Now For U.S. Women

2008-09-10T06:59:18-04:00

2008-08-07T03:03:19-04:00

2008-09-10T06:38:32-04:00

2008-08-07T15:07:30-04:00

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nelsonorange71

No City 116259

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/grant_wahl/09/28/us.brazil/index.html 2428671

2008-08-07T15:02:40-04:00

uscsmitty

Oxnard 465999

Possession oriented soccer should work with the skill players the US has, but Pia has got to get them to use the system even in the games when they are behind. This is her job. One loss, even though USSF gave Ryan only one loss, should not give her require her to be replaced. Solo needs to take the bulk of the responsibility for both goals in the 1st game. 1st goal - poor or late decision making. 2nd goal - she is responsible for telling her back line what to do. If she did and Kate did not hear the commnts she needs to be louder. Notice the lack of comments from Scurry along the lines of "I would have made those saves". She is a class lady! 2428606

2008-08-07T12:04:18-04:00

soccerDad

Perkasie 464562

First the injury. There was no need to play Brazil twice... Second I still feel she should keep her job. Third US Soccer has a problem because we pick one or the other and don't look at what Brazil and Germany do. They have skill AND athletes. We seem to pick one or the other. Be greedy do both. Fourth, there is going to be an Academy system for the girls. I was told by our club coaches it has going to happen soon. Go USA 2425544

2008-08-07T11:06:36-04:00

873

chapmaja@yahoo.com

Pinckney 14192

First, they should bring the coach back, UNLESS they totally and completely flop out of the Olympics. If they don't win a game, she is gone. If they advance to the QF's and play respectable in that game, then bring her back. What we can't have is a repeat of the Fiasco at the World Cup with the coach. As for the development of players. US Soccer deserves a lot of the blame. They are trying to improve the men's game which I understand, however they are doing it instead of with the women's program involved, as a completely separate program that is hurting the women's program. Why can't they have a US Soccer Developmental Academy for the women's side as well. Another factor that is hurting the USA is the fall of the women's pro league. 2424002

2008-08-07T10:57:05-04:00

socalsoccerdad

Canyon Country 465253

I think you hit the nail on the head with your comment about lack of development in women's soccer. US Soccer has gone ahead on the boy's side with the US Soccer Development Academy to develop top men's teams in the next 10 years, with no equivalent for girls. Therefore, we are still depending on the Club system to develop the girls. Being involved in club soccer for the last 10 years, it is clear this will not get the job done. Too many things at the club level are determined by money and internal politics. Player selection for the ODP and National teams (the current development method) does not even identify better players not at the club level. Until US Soccer addresses this situation and builds a larger pool of players in the development system, I am afraid we will continue to trickle out players that can compete and make a difference at the world class level. 2423763

2008-08-07T04:45:27-04:00

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thehemogoblin

The University of 43416

I definitely think that it's not Sundhage's fault that one of the top three women soccer players got injured. Give her another year. 2421421

ON THE TRAIN TO TIANJIN, China -- Four women’s soccer thoughts on the day after the U.S.’s 2-0 Olympic opener loss to Norway: • The U.S. is looking at a nasty quarterfinal showdown. The Americans’ uninspired defeat shouldn’t keep them from reaching the knockout rounds (which they’d have to be truly terrible to miss, considering eight of the 12 teams here survive the first round), but if the U.S. finishes second behind Norway in Group G it will almost surely meet tournament favorites Germany or Brazil in the quarters. This Olympics had looked like the all-time sweetheart draw for the U.S., which by winning its easy-on-paper group (Norway, Japan, New Zealand) would almost surely have avoided meeting Brazil and Germany until the gold-medal game. Now all that’s out the window. • Boy, the U.S. reverted to bad soccer quickly last night. The more I think about it, the more I realize that the U.S.’s reversion to ugly long-ball “attacks” against Norway was more troubling than giving up the two goals themselves. The Americans have talked big all year about their new possession-oriented short-passing game (i.e., real soccer, real skills), but as soon as they went down against Norway they started booming balls downfield again. Here are my notes from one five-minute stretch in the first half: Lloyd weak 40-yard shot. (****?); O’Reilly long-ball to no one; Tarpley long-ball to no one. U.S. coach Pia Sundhage had admitted to me that she was concerned about whether her players would revert to their bad old habits if they fell behind in a game, and that’s exactly what happened. • Not having Abby Wambach was a killer. I had a debate with my pal Beau Dure from USA Today in the mixed zone after the game. Beau thought Wambach wouldn’t have made any difference in the score of the game, but I disagreed: Natasha Kai wasn’t able to convert some good chances in front of the goal, chances that Wambach might have pounced on, and surprise starter Angela Hucles wasn’t a factor up front. Second-half sub Amy Rodriguez unbalanced the Norwegian defense on a couple occasions and deserves a start on Saturday against Japan, but nobody in this U.S. offense has Wambach’s fearsome presence. Without her this U.S. team looks like a middle-of-the-pack outfit, a damning indictment of a U.S. development system that isn’t producing game-changers on the world stage anymore. • Should Sundhage’s coaching future be decided by this tournament? Wambach’s injury has left Sundhage in a tough spot. The U.S. coach has a one-year contract for a reason: her future will almost certainly be determined by how the Americans fare in these Olympics. But would it really be the best thing for the U.S. women’s program to bring in a third head coach in three years? Sundhage has the right ideas--the U.S. needs to start playing good soccer and value skills in addition to raw athleticism. What’s more, she appears to have the players’ respect and brings a valuable outsider’s perspective to U.S. Soccer as the team’s first non-American head coach. She’s not faultless, of course: after nine months of preparation the U.S. players admitted they weren’t ready for the first 10 minutes of the Norway game, and part of the blame for that has to go on Sundhage. Still, should a freak injury to Wambach be the main factor that determines the coach’s fate? I’m not so sure, and I’d like to hear the name of any coaching candidate that would be a better option moving forward. What do you think? Do the U.S. women have a chance to come back and win a medal in this tournament? What would you do with Sundhage if you were U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati? Post your comments below, and check back for my next Olympic dispatch from China.   1304 http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/194/315/thumb/wahl_grant.jpg 11 MD

Grant Wahl

Baltimore 194615