USWNT 2021

[alincoln 2371]

18 minutes ago, WBT said:

Yeah and the biggest missed opportunity was the Dutch's poor penalty in the 80th minute.  Good performance for the US to go through though.  I expected this to look like the Sweden game.

Awful foul by O'Hara on that pen BTW.  She is another player that needs to be replaced immediately after the Olympics.  33 year old FBs are a recipe for disaster in the modern game.

[Captain Ron 12874]

On 7/27/2021 at 10:05 PM, Captain Ron said:

Because FIFA doesn't give a shit.

The reason the men is a U23 tournament is because they don't want to dilute the World Cup.

They would need to care about the Women's World Cup for them to care about it being diluted.

 

One other thing I left out - FIFA doesn’t want the Olympics to be a big drag on the clubs, hence the U23 thing too. That is also not extended to the women.

Basically they are making sure they get their money and not the IOC. 

Edited July 30, 2021 by Captain Ron

[Captain Ron 12874]

And after the gold cup last night, of course I wake up to the US being beaten by Canada. 

[TonyTexas 10510]

Now maybe Megan Rapinoe will STFU

[Scary Stranger 1714]

Now maybe Megan Rapinoe will STFU

Yeah. Good luck with that.

[ChickenSandwich 9833]

Does the National team have a large group of high level players that were not featured on this squad?  Or will there be a large drop off/transition when this group moves on?  

[VirginiaLonghorn 4771]

2 hours ago, TonyTexas said:

Now maybe Megan Rapinoe will STFU

Fuck that cunt … not in a traditional way, of course.

[alincoln 2371]

12 minutes ago, ChickenSandwich said:

Does the National team have a large group of high level players that were not featured on this squad?  Or will there be a large drop off/transition when this group moves on?  

Yes but they get no opportunities due to how the USWNT is structured and compensated.  

Lloyd (39), Sauerbrunn (36), Rapinoe (36), Heath (33) and O'Hara (33) should each get a testimonial and never play for the team again.  Morgan and Press should also be on the chopping block.  Rose Lavelle, the purported "young star" of this team, will be 28 when the next World Cup starts.

It will take a few years to reset this team (exact same thing happened in the 2000s when the 99ers held on too long) but the depth of talent in the US is there.   

[yoladu 4093]

unlike the men, the Olympics and the World Cup are the 2 most visible events for the women to market themselves and increase their brand/earning potential. I don't begrudge them for wanting to continue playing internationally for as long as they can, but a lot of these players need to move on.

[alincoln 2371]

The corporate money also wants the stars to remain the stars for obvious reasons.    

[Napoleon 8674]

6 hours ago, TonyTexas said:

Now maybe Megan Rapinoe will STFU

 

3 hours ago, VirginiaLonghorn said:

Fuck that cunt … not in a traditional way, of course.

Preface: I'm sorry that you two have small, malfunctioning penises.

Chapter 1: Equal Pay

I do not feel threatened by a smart woman speaking out for better treatment, so do not feel violent urges to reaffirm my masculinity. That being said I don't agree that the USWNT should be paid the same as the USMNT players, just as...

I don't believe that all musicians should charge the same for a concert ticket and I don't believe that all actors/actresses should be paid the same for each film that they shoot. And I don't believe that female tennis players should be paid the same as male tennis players at Grand Slams as long as the men play best 3 out of 5 and the women play best 2 out of 3, because they are being paid to entertain and the men have to do much more work to be paid the same as the women at the Grand Slams. If they change the Slams so that the two genders play under the same format, then I'm okay with same fees, because the coverage and matches overlap, so it isn't as easy to distinguish who should be paid more.

Chapter 2: The Golden Girls

The USWNT failing was bound to happen as soon as they elected to bring The Golden Girls.
1) You can't run out old players in a tournament.
2) You can't run out old players this time of year in Tokyo.
3) The Olympic tournament had insanely short turnaround times.
4) The Olympic roster is limited to 22 players (with 3 GKs), so one less than a World Cup roster... though better than the 18 player limit originally detailed.

Everything about this year's Olympic soccer tournament said that this was an awful tournament for senior citizens. The only positive about this tournament from a US Soccer perspective was that the #2 & #3 ranked teams in the world wouldn't be in Tokyo due to the way that UEFA selects their Olympic representatives.

Chapter 3: Ageism Is Needed

The problem with the USWNT is that the senior citizens of this squad are 1) National Icons, 2) World Champions, 3) Examples of Perseverance, and 4) Politically Active Leaders. A first time coach could not axe:
-Megan Rapinoe (36, reigning World Cup MVP/2019 Ballon d'Or & LBGTQ icon)
-Carli Lloyd (39 & Depends Spokeswoman)
-Becky Sauerbrunn (36 & Captain), nor...
-Alex Morgan (32, mom, makeup addict, & corporate sponsor little darling)

...and to a lesser extent Tobin Heath (33) & Kelly O'Hara (32), but they should have.

Chapter 4: Looking To A More Diverse Future

This was to be the last hurrah for this group of ladies, before turnover that promises to bring younger legs and (to the regret of corporate America's execs), much more pigment to the USWNT. In the past, darker players were encouraged to look outside the US border for national team possibilities. "Diversity" over the last decade+ was limited to out-of-the-closet lesbians and even those tended to be stereotypically attractive and had long hair, with Abbie Wambach & Megan Rapinoe exceptions regarding long hair/attractive, and an esthetically pleasing and physically-gifted Sydney Leroux being the pigmentally-gifted exception, but she was hoooooot.

The new wave of players will have many darker players, they will have tattoos, and they won't be the corporate darlings that this past batch has been. They will look more like America and less like the suburbs. It won't suddenly be the WNBA, but the team poster will less likely be up on the wall at a BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Porsche, Lexus dealership in the run up to a World Cup or an Olympics.

There is enough talent in the USA to have won this tournament, but without the great play of rugged-looking Alyssa Naeher (33), the USWNT may not have even made it out of the group stage and definitely would not have made it past The Netherlands. The Golden Girls' necks need to be on the chopping block and the roster spots on future teams need to earned, not gifted. Like in men's soccer, the top women need to be playing in Europe.

Chapter 5: Megan Rapinoe

Megan should retire before she is cut. She is an intelligent woman who is looked up to by gays & straights alike and has a future in politics, social activism, and/or coaching, it is absolutely up to her. It is difficult for a player who believes that they can still compete to step away, but unlike Carli Lloyd, Rapinoe doesn't have the physical build to move to the #9 now that she has lost her wheels. Sue Bird needs to have a frank discussion with her about leaving before being kicked out.

Edited August 2, 2021 by Napoleon

[alincoln 2371]

3 of the 4 oldest teams in the tournament made the SFs.  That said, Lloyd and Rapinoe are clearly past it, Heath was injured, and O'Hara and Morgan have lost pace at positions you can't lose a step.  Sauerbrunn remains our best CB which is discouraging.

16 minutes ago, Napoleon said:

In the past, darker players were encouraged to look outside the US border for national team possibilities. "Diversity" over the last decade+ was limited to out-of-the-closet lesbians and even those tended to be stereotypically attractive and had long hair, with Abbie Wambach & Megan Rapinoe exceptions regarding long hair/attractive, and an esthetically pleasing and physically exception Sydney Leroux being the pigmentally-gifted exception, but she was hoooooot.

This is some of the dumbest shit I have read on this board since its inception which is quite an accomplishment.  

[ztejas 43419]

As an athlete I think you are welcome to politick whatever you want. But when it turns into an obvious distraction and potentially winds up costing your country a gold medal you might be there for the wrong reason or should maybe tone it down a bit. 

The preferred alternative is beating ass and then making your voice heard. A la Jesse Owens. Or the ladies after winning the 2019 WC. 

Showing up and making a huge political display then going out and sucking just looks bad. Especially in the Olympics. And you cannot tell me the outside noise had nothing to do with their play on the field. 

[alincoln 2371]

They were far more political in 2019 as they waltzed to the World Cup title.  They were relatively quiet in sucking their way to the bronze medal match in 2021.

[TwiceHorn 31452]

1 hour ago, ztejas said:

The preferred alternative is beating ass and then making your voice heard.  

 

[berlinerbaer 678]

9 hours ago, Napoleon said:

The problem with the USWNT is that the senior citizens of this squad are 1) National Icons, 2) World Champions, 3) Examples of Perseverance, and 4) Politically Active Leaders. A first time coach could not axe:

This reminds me of the controversy Klinsmann got after cutting Donovan leading up to the 2014 WC. But did he replace Donovan with Wondo or Green?

[Napoleon 8674]

Just kind of liked this story and what a nice lady Canada's captain seems to be.

Canada's soccer captain consoled her American club teammate after the USWNT lost its shot at Olympic gold

Meredith Cash

Mon, August 2, 2021, 5:32 PM

 

 

 

Christine Sinclair wraps club teammate Lindsey Horan (right) in a hug. Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

• The US Women's National Team lost to Canada in their Tokyo Olympics semifinal match.

• Canada is now guaranteed a gold or silver medal, while the USWNT can secure bronze at best.

• Canadian star Christine Sinclair consoled her club teammate, USWNT's Lindsey Horan, after the upset.

• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Canada's women's national soccer team pulled off one of the biggest upsets in its history at the Tokyo Olympics on Monday, besting the US Women's National Team for the first time in upwards of 20 years.

But at the conclusion of the semifinal match, Canadian team captain Christine Sinclair didn't immediately begin celebrating with her squad. Instead, Sinclair - the all-time leading goal scorer (man or woman) in the history of international soccer - made her way across the field to USWNT midfielder Lindsey Horan. The two are teammates on the Portland Thorns, and Sinclair wrapped Horan in a tight hug.

Canada's Christine Sinclair hugs Lindsey Horan of the US Women's National Team. Naomi Baker/Getty Images

Sinclair, who's 38 and serves as the Thorns captain, appears in photos to give an animated pep talk to a visibly distraught Horan. The 27-year-old is a star in her own right, but she struggled when her national team needed her most.

Though Horan has won a World Cup for the United States, she has now gone to the Olympics and fallen short of the gold twice in a row.

Canada's Christine Sinclair comforts USWNT star Lindsey Horan. REUTERS/Edgar Su

The USWNT still has a shot at a bronze medal, though - they'll take on Australia for a spot on the podium Thursday at 4 a.m. ET. If they win, Horan will be one of many American stars on the team to earn their first Olympics hardware, since the USWNT unexpectedly walked away empty-handed from Rio in 2016.

Sinclair, meanwhile, is guaranteed her best-ever result in Tokyo after participating in four Olympic Games over her career. She's twice earned bronze medals - in London and Brazil - but now she'll take home either silver or gold, depending on the result of Thursday's match against Sweden.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/canadas-soccer-captain-consoled-her-223245894.html

Edited August 3, 2021 by Napoleon

[Captain Ron 12874]

18 hours ago, Napoleon said:

 

Preface: I'm sorry that you two have small, malfunctioning penises.

Chapter 1: Equal Pay

I do not feel threatened by a smart woman speaking out for better treatment, so do not feel violent urges to reaffirm my masculinity. That being said I don't agree that the USWNT should be paid the same as the USMNT players, just as...

I don't believe that all musicians should charge the same for a concert ticket and I don't believe that all actors/actresses should be paid the same for each film that they shoot. And I don't believe that female tennis players should be paid the same as male tennis players at Grand Slams as long as the men play best 3 out of 5 and the women play best 2 out of 3, because they are being paid to entertain and the men have to do much more work to be paid the same as the women at the Grand Slams. If they change the Slams so that the two genders play under the same format, then I'm okay with same fees, because the coverage and matches overlap, so it isn't as easy to distinguish who should be paid more.

Chapter 2: The Golden Girls

The USWNT failing was bound to happen as soon as they elected to bring The Golden Girls.
1) You can't run out old players in a tournament.
2) You can't run out old players this time of year in Tokyo.
3) The Olympic tournament had insanely short turnaround times.
4) The Olympic roster is limited to 22 players (with 3 GKs), so one less than a World Cup roster... though better than the 18 player limit originally detailed.

Everything about this year's Olympic soccer tournament said that this was an awful tournament for senior citizens. The only positive about this tournament from a US Soccer perspective was that the #2 & #3 ranked teams in the world wouldn't be in Tokyo due to the way that UEFA selects their Olympic representatives.

Chapter 3: Ageism Is Needed

The problem with the USWNT is that the senior citizens of this squad are 1) National Icons, 2) World Champions, 3) Examples of Perseverance, and 4) Politically Active Leaders. A first time coach could not axe:
-Megan Rapinoe (36, reigning World Cup MVP/2019 Ballon d'Or & LBGTQ icon)
-Carli Lloyd (39 & Depends Spokeswoman)
-Becky Sauerbrunn (36 & Captain), nor...
-Alex Morgan (32, mom, makeup addict, & corporate sponsor little darling)

...and to a lesser extent Tobin Heath (33) & Kelly O'Hara (32), but they should have.

Chapter 4: Looking To A More Diverse Future

This was to be the last hurrah for this group of ladies, before turnover that promises to bring younger legs and (to the regret of corporate America's execs), much more pigment to the USWNT. In the past, darker players were encouraged to look outside the US border for national team possibilities. "Diversity" over the last decade+ was limited to out-of-the-closet lesbians and even those tended to be stereotypically attractive and had long hair, with Abbie Wambach & Megan Rapinoe exceptions regarding long hair/attractive, and an esthetically pleasing and physically-gifted Sydney Leroux being the pigmentally-gifted exception, but she was hoooooot.

The new wave of players will have many darker players, they will have tattoos, and they won't be the corporate darlings that this past batch has been. They will look more like America and less like the suburbs. It won't suddenly be the WNBA, but the team poster will less likely be up on the wall at a BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Porsche, Lexus dealership in the run up to a World Cup or an Olympics.

There is enough talent in the USA to have won this tournament, but without the great play of rugged-looking Alyssa Naeher (33), the USWNT may not have even made it out of the group stage and definitely would not have made it past The Netherlands. The Golden Girls' necks need to be on the chopping block and the roster spots on future teams need to earned, not gifted. Like in men's soccer, the top women need to be playing in Europe.

Chapter 5: Megan Rapinoe

Megan should retire before she is cut. She is an intelligent woman who is looked up to by gays & straights alike and has a future in politics, social activism, and/or coaching, it is absolutely up to her. It is difficult for a player who believes that they can still compete to step away, but unlike Carli Lloyd, Rapinoe doesn't have the physical build to move to the #9 now that she has lost her wheels. Sue Bird needs to have a frank discussion with her about leaving before being kicked out.

 

Some yes, some no, some dumb. I don't disagree that the team absolutely has the right to take up whatever causes they want. I also think their causes are in the right here.

 

15 hours ago, ztejas said:

As an athlete I think you are welcome to politick whatever you want. But when it turns into an obvious distraction and potentially winds up costing your country a gold medal you might be there for the wrong reason or should maybe tone it down a bit. 

The preferred alternative is beating ass and then making your voice heard. A la Jesse Owens. Or the ladies after winning the 2019 WC. 

Showing up and making a huge political display then going out and sucking just looks bad. Especially in the Olympics. And you cannot tell me the outside noise had nothing to do with their play on the field. 

I would agree with others, this team didn't fail because of distraction, they failed because age is catching up with them and other teams (as assembled here) are right there with them.

I also think that this team has enough skins on their wall that they can do/say what they want. So they lost in the semis and can only get the Bronze. Yeah, I guess those two back to back World Cup wins are just chopped liver.

 

Anyway - disappointing to see them not take Gold this year, this generation of players has done a lot both on and off the field. They might still do a lot off the field in the future.

And hopefully the future generation of players continue this success.

[Captain Ron 12874]

7 hours ago, Napoleon said:

Just kind of liked this story and what a nice lady Canada's captain seems to be.

Canada's soccer captain consoled her American club teammate after the USWNT lost its shot at Olympic gold

Meredith Cash

Mon, August 2, 2021, 5:32 PM

 

 

 

Christine Sinclair wraps club teammate Lindsey Horan (right) in a hug. Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

• The US Women's National Team lost to Canada in their Tokyo Olympics semifinal match.

• Canada is now guaranteed a gold or silver medal, while the USWNT can secure bronze at best.

• Canadian star Christine Sinclair consoled her club teammate, USWNT's Lindsey Horan, after the upset.

• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Canada's women's national soccer team pulled off one of the biggest upsets in its history at the Tokyo Olympics on Monday, besting the US Women's National Team for the first time in upwards of 20 years.

But at the conclusion of the semifinal match, Canadian team captain Christine Sinclair didn't immediately begin celebrating with her squad. Instead, Sinclair - the all-time leading goal scorer (man or woman) in the history of international soccer - made her way across the field to USWNT midfielder Lindsey Horan. The two are teammates on the Portland Thorns, and Sinclair wrapped Horan in a tight hug.

Canada's Christine Sinclair hugs Lindsey Horan of the US Women's National Team. Naomi Baker/Getty Images

Sinclair, who's 38 and serves as the Thorns captain, appears in photos to give an animated pep talk to a visibly distraught Horan. The 27-year-old is a star in her own right, but she struggled when her national team needed her most.

Though Horan has won a World Cup for the United States, she has now gone to the Olympics and fallen short of the gold twice in a row.

Canada's Christine Sinclair comforts USWNT star Lindsey Horan. REUTERS/Edgar Su

The USWNT still has a shot at a bronze medal, though - they'll take on Australia for a spot on the podium Thursday at 4 a.m. ET. If they win, Horan will be one of many American stars on the team to earn their first Olympics hardware, since the USWNT unexpectedly walked away empty-handed from Rio in 2016.

Sinclair, meanwhile, is guaranteed her best-ever result in Tokyo after participating in four Olympic Games over her career. She's twice earned bronze medals - in London and Brazil - but now she'll take home either silver or gold, depending on the result of Thursday's match against Sweden.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/canadas-soccer-captain-consoled-her-223245894.html

 

It's very interesting when viewing players in the spotlight of sport, it is easy to make them the hero or villain. And in many cases it depends on which  team you root for. Sinclair for much of the past decade has been seen as "the bad guy" for US soccer fans, much like Marta for almost 20 years. Good on her for peeling back some of this shroud we watch sports in and let us see the person she is. 

[alincoln 2371]

Well they won the bronze but the result really raised more questions than it answered.

Sauerbrunn (the team's best defender), Lloyd and Rapinoe (the team's best finishers) have played their last major tournament.  O'Hara and Heath should also be done at the international level, although they will try to hang on.  Naeher is 33 but may be able to make it through another cycle.

In any event, the back 4 needs to be completely rebuilt outside of Dunn.  O'Hara, Davidson and Dahlkemper were all shit this tournament and the backup GK is not international quality.  The MF should be OK for the next cycle with Horan, Lavelle, Mewis and Ertz young enough to continue playing at a high level.  The forwards also need revamped with Heath, Rapinoe, Lloyd and Morgan all well past their prime.  

They really need to move on from Vlatko and bring in a killer who will dig through the pool for solutions.  This was a golden generation but it is over.

[Napoleon 8674]

I think that Kristie could do better, but love is blind...

USWNT's Kristie Mewis and Australia's Sam Kerr Confirm Romance After Sharing Sweet Moment in Tokyo

Maria Pasquini

Mon, August 9, 2021, 12:35 PM

 

Kristie Mewis #6 of United States embraces Sam Kerr #2 of Australia

Zhizhao Wu/Getty Sam Kerr and Kristie Mewis

Team USA's Kristie Mewis and Australian Sam Kerr have made their relationship Instagram official.

The athletes previously sparked romance rumors on Thursday as their teams faced off against each other in the bronze medal match at the Tokyo Olympics. After the American squad picked up their first-ever Olympic bronze, beating the Australians 4-3, Mewis shared a touching moment with Kerr, sitting down on the field with the Australian captain to give her a comforting hug.

Three days later, the couple went public with their romance, with Kerr posting a loved-up shot of the pair sharing a kiss, captioning it with a red heart emoji.

https://www.instagram.com/samanthakerr20/

After responding to the post with a pair of romantic emojis, Kerr jokingly replied, "oh, wait till I'm gone to send this?"

Mewis also shared a snap of the couple cuddling up together on her Instagram Story.

Even before the Tokyo Games, fans noticed the pair sending each other flirty messages on Instagram.

Kristie Mewis/Instagram Sam Kerr and Kristie Mewis

"Keen on one in particular," Mewis commented on one recent photograph of Kerr's before going on to joke in another message, "Oops sorry that was the hacker."

The Australian athlete was previously in a relationship with fellow American soccer player Nikki Stanton, according to The Daily Telegraph.

 

Kristie Mewis #6 of Team United States hugs Sam Kerr #2 of Team Australia

Francois Nel/Getty Sam Kerr and Kristie Mewis

RELATED: Megan Rapinoe Gives 'Amazing' Fiancée Sue Bird a Sweet Kiss After WNBA Star Wins Her Fifth Olympic Gold

With their big win in Tokyo, Team USA captured its sixth Olympic medal overall, continuing their lead on the list of all-time women's Olympic soccer medals along with four golds and one silver.

No other nation has won multiple golds in women's soccer at the Games (Beijing, London, Rio and Tokyo).

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/uswnts-kristie-mewis-australias-sam-173523479.html

 

#AmericasTeam

 

Edited August 9, 2021 by Napoleon

[Deej 76759]

So 1980's.

 

[Captain Ron 12874]

Since we’re on basketball memes. 

[ztejas 43419]

On 8/3/2021 at 7:15 AM, Captain Ron said:

I would agree with others, this team didn't fail because of distraction, they failed because age is catching up with them and other teams (as assembled here) are right there with them.

I also think that this team has enough skins on their wall that they can do/say what they want. So they lost in the semis and can only get the Bronze. Yeah, I guess those two back to back World Cup wins are just chopped liver.

Catching up way late so I apologize. I don't see our women's soccer team as that much less prestigious than the men's or women's basketball. They should win the world cup and gold medal every time. Other countries shouldn't be "catching up with us" since the reverse is happening in men's soccer. We should only be getting more dominant as soccer culture progresses in this country - despite females around the world having increasing access to sports opportunities growing up. The organization got complacent, the posturing followed by the 3-0 opening ass kicking set the tone and while getting to the podium is nice that shouldn't be our standard. 

It was a great generation. I watched both back to back WC ass kickings and they were awesome. But I guess, ultimately, I'd prefer they run out of gas and take bronze rather than posture a bit before running out of gas and taking bronze. 

And that isn't me having a small penis or being sexist or being against their politics - it's simply how I view athletic competition. You are representing your nation. Your duty is to to do that to the best of your abilities. Especially in the Olympics. It's why I had a huge problem with Zach Lavine doing a show off dunk after we won gold. That isn't what we are here to do. We are here to excel - and excel while displaying class. 

I also don't think their cause is extremely admirable. Your sport isn't that popular. It's why you aren't paid well. It has nothing to do with your gender. Go check Serena Williams or Naomi Osaka's bank accounts.

If they come up short - that's fine. But this was a messy, distracted run and saying otherwise seems naive to me. If you want a platform and to have your voice heard go dominate. No one pays attention to losers. Whether that's right or wrong that's just the world we live in. 

Edited August 12, 2021 by ztejas

[Captain Ron 12874]

1 hour ago, ztejas said:

They should win the world cup and gold medal every time.

But they don't. And while MAYBE you can cite distractions (more on this in a sec) now, what about all the World Cups we didn't win in the 00's? I'm not sure we had distractions then.

1 hour ago, ztejas said:

But this was a messy, distracted run and saying otherwise seems naïve to me.

This is where I disagree. The 2019 WC run this team had was 100x more vocal than this. They basically were taunting our president on the field. This was literally days after some back and forth between Rapinoe and Trump.

They were in the throws of their legal battle with US Soccer and literally joked about using their legal docs as confetti when they had their parade.

I'm not saying that nothing is going on now, but comparing these two tournaments, this was relatively quiet when it came to "distractions." Sure, some documentary that was watched by 10s of people came out. But I didn't hear much talking.

When it came tourney time, the team was old and it was exposed as such.

[ztejas 43419]

13 minutes ago, Captain Ron said:

This is where I disagree. The 2019 WC run this team had was 100x more vocal than this. They basically were taunting our president on the field. This was literally days after some back and forth between Rapinoe and Trump.

Yeah but they kicked fucking ass that run. I feel like you're missing a huge part of my point. 

[Napoleon 8674]

11 minutes ago, ztejas said:

Yeah but they kicked fucking ass that run. I feel like you're missing a huge part of my point. 

This was about an old squad be selected by a rookie coach who was never going to cull the 30+ year-olds going into a tournament with two rest days between games played in a virtual steam bath after having a bunch of scrimmages against inferior teams (México).

Too many 🚩🚩🚩🚩 to win the tournament even if there wasn’t a legal battle for money. 

USWNT needs to have their top players play in Europe and they need to select a younger squad for tournaments, Olympics much more so than World Cups. 

And never playing a summer tournament again In Tokyo or Singapore or Qatar will also be helpful. 

Without that keeper, they wouldn’t have medaled. They may not have even made it out of the group.

[alincoln 2371]

14 minutes ago, Napoleon said:

This was about an old squad be selected by a rookie coach who was never going to cull the 30+ year-olds going into a tournament with two rest days between games played in a virtual steam bath after having a bunch of scrimmages against inferior teams (México).

Too many 🚩🚩🚩🚩 to win the tournament even if there wasn’t a legal battle for money. 

USWNT needs to have their top players play in Europe and they need to select a younger squad for tournaments, Olympics much more so than World Cups. 

And never playing a summer tournament again In Tokyo or Singapore or Qatar will also be helpful. 

Without that keeper, they wouldn’t have medaled. They may not have even made it out of the group.

Pretty much this.  The player pool needs to be expanded significantly ASAP or the next world cup could be ugly for the USWNT.      

[Napoleon 8674]

4 hours ago, alincoln said:

Pretty much this.  The player pool needs to be expanded significantly ASAP or the next world cup could be ugly for the USWNT.      

A couple of things:

1) Winning a Women's (or men's at the moment) World Cup requires playing one more match than winning an Olympic Gold Medal and yet...
World Cup = 4 1/2 weeks
Olympics = 2 1/2 weeks

The turnaround is insane.

2) FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 is in Australia & New Zealand. (It will be a winter World Cup.)

Old people will not be melting in the heat in 2023. Brisbane is Australia's farthest north (closest to the Equator) location and it won't be like Tokyo in July/August or Manaus, Foraleza, Natal, Recife, BR (M WC 2014).

If anything, this World Cup will see socks over the knees and long-sleeved kits. Maybe even headbands that keep the ears warm. It could be pretty fucking frigid... which is much better for old ladies.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_FIFA_Women's_World_Cup

[shadow_operative 15932]

is there a 2022 version of this thread? because some girl for USA just scored an absolute beauty. 

 

 

 

Edited February 24, 2022 by shadow_operative

[shadow_operative 15932]

lol the same chick just scored another golazo. beautiful chip over the keeper and into the side netting. 

[ztejas 43419]

Yeah idk we could start a 2022 one I guess. Might make more sense to just keep one thread rolling. 

Interested to see what the new gen looks like. We were too old and too bitchy in Tokyo. Need to rebuild. 

[shadow_operative 15932]

 

 

[ztejas 43419]

1 minute ago, shadow_operative said:

 

 

Yeah that's fucking filth. 

[Napoleon 8674]

That girl from Brazil has two goals and finally an American girl scored. 
 

…though she may have been offsides.

[The dozens of fans go semi-wild… 🤷‍♂️]

Edited February 24, 2022 by Napoleon

[ztejas 43419]

3 minutes ago, Napoleon said:

That girl from Brazil has two goals and finally an American girl scored. 

They're all wearing the same shirt. 

[alincoln 2371]

She's lived here since she was 12.  

 

[Napoleon 8674]

20 minutes ago, alincoln said:

She's lived here since she was 12.  

 

Correct!

And she’s been gone for a year.

One only need read her Wiki page to know the basics.

Funniest bullshit in her wiki bio under Personal Life:

”Despite declaring herself a fan of Marta, Macario stated that her favorite soccer player is American former forward Mia Hamm.”

Translation:

Despite growing up idolizing arguably the best female player ever, Marta, who like her was Brazilian and was in her prime during her Catrina’s youth in Brazil and afterwards…

…Catarina and NIKE would like soccer moms across the United States to believe that her favorite soccer player is the same as those soccer moms, Mia Hamm…

Despite Mia being retired practically Catalina’s entire life, and definitely was gone from the game for nearly a decade before Catarina arrived in the USA, not speaking a word of English.

The USMNT is constantly recruiting foreign players to improve the squad, but at least they don’t have the kids say that Landon Donovan or Claudio Reyna is their favorite player.

Edited February 24, 2022 by Napoleon

[alincoln 2371]

Massive emojis, an edit and opinion masquerading as fact.  Are you a teenage girl?

[alincoln 2371]

In her own words (definitely a Nike marketing ploy though):

That mentality allowed me to thrive on the pitch, but the thing is ... the games end, right? You still have to go home and sit with that. You can gain grit and determination from abuse, but I also needed role models. Female role models.

In Brazil, there was Marta, of course, and I could see my own experiences reflected in hers, but I was like, “O.K., who else is there?”

So, that’s when my dad went to Google and typed the words: best women’s soccer player ever.

And, right there on the screen, up popped Mia Hamm.

The ’99ers did their thing the year I was born, and Hamm had retired not so long after, so we missed watching that generation live. But thanks to YouTube, my dad and I became addicted to watching video after video. We watched everything. We studied her game but also the way the crowd reacted to her.

We saw entire stadiums full of people, screaming, “Mia! Mia!”

That’s a very powerful image for a young girl — even one sitting in Brazil, in front of the computer.

It wasn’t just her though. It was the whole USWNT team across generations: Abby Wambach, Hope Solo, Megan Rapinoe — these amazing, badass women — that the whole nation was getting behind. They could be themselves, represent what they wanted, stand up for what they believed in, and the crowd loved them for it.

The team was playing on another level and setting the bar in women’s soccer. 

From as early as 10, I knew that this was where I needed to be. And so did my parents.

When I turned 12, I wouldn’t be allowed to play with the boys anymore. To avoid the risk of my talent ending up completely buried and, most importantly, to give my brother and me a better education and a better future, my family decided to take this incredible leap of faith.

I can’t pretend it all happened overnight, just like that, but America became our collective goal.

While my dad researched the best locations for me and my brother in this brand new world, it was decided that my mom would stay behind to provide for us — even if Brazilian reals couldn’t compare to dollars.

So, because of a dream that started with shooting drills with my dad and watching Mia on YouTube, we moved 5,000 miles away, to a new home, a new language, a new everything.

[Braff Zacklin 13560]

The Era of Athletic Imperialism continues.

[Captain Ron 12874]

1 hour ago, Napoleon said:

The USMNT is constantly recruiting foreign players to improve the squad, but at least they don’t have the kids say that Landon Donovan or Claudio Reyna is their favorite player.

 

That's because literally NO ONE would ever say that Donovan was their favorite player. Don't act like this sentence somehow helps your argument.

[Napoleon 8674]

1) I didn’t read that fairytale before making my post. 
2) It still sounds like total horse shit. 

It’s difficult to believe that the best soccer player ever wasn’t even the captain of their own team. Oh, but there were so many videos of her playing 12 to 15 years ago… oh, maybe not. 

It sounds like what simple American minds would want to hear to become fans of hers.

I think that it sounds ridiculous. I’m not even sure Mia Hamm was the best player on her teams back then, but she was the main scorer for a while against a world of shitty players, so she racked up numbers. Yeah team! Glad we made the Brazilian girl American a year ago before she left to play in France. 

[UDontKnow 10444]

1 hour ago, Captain Ron said:

 

That's because literally NO ONE would ever say that Donovan was their favorite player. Don't act like this sentence somehow helps your argument.

Donovan was my favorite USMNT player. He was far from perfect, but I think he was the best USMNT player of that generation. Yes, even better than Clint Dempsey who let his EPL success get to his head when he would lie on the pitch waiting for the call that would never come refusing to run back to play defense. 

[alincoln 2371]

43 minutes ago, Napoleon said:

1) I didn’t read that fairytale before making my post. 
2) It still sounds like total horse shit. 

It’s difficult to believe that the best soccer player ever wasn’t even the captain of their own team. Oh, but there were so many videos of her playing 12 to 15 years ago… oh, maybe not. 

It sounds like what simple American minds would want to hear to become fans of hers.

I think that it sounds ridiculous. I’m not even sure Mia Hamm was the best player on her teams back then, but she was the main scorer for a while against a world of shitty players, so she racked up numbers. Yeah team! Glad we made the Brazilian girl American a year ago before she left to play in France. 

Forgive me, but I'll choose to defer to Macario's own thoughtful explanation of her motivations and inspirations over the deranged, deluded, bitter and conspiratorial rantings of a message board poster who possesses only superficial knowledge of the history of women's soccer.

[Braff Zacklin 13560]

12 minutes ago, alincoln said:

Forgive me, but I'll choose to defer to Macario's own thoughtful explanation of her motivations and inspirations over the deranged, deluded, bitter and conspiratorial rantings of a message board poster who possesses only superficial knowledge of the history of women's soccer.

I would only go so far as to call them cynical.

[MonkeyDoughnut 10233]

Fairness argument aside, men basically agreed to give up a bunch of money to make this happen. If it grows the game I think it is a win for soccer in America in the long run.

[alincoln 2371]

This will only further encourage USWNT players to maintain a death grip on their USWNT positions to the detriment of the progression of the team.

 

 

[WBT 20562]

Yeah but going to pay per game rather than giving team members yearly contracts should make it easier for the coaches to move on I would hope.

Anyway, good for the men subsidizing the women's team I guess.

[Braff Zacklin 13560]

If this pay cut in any way causes the USMNT to lose out on up-and-coming prospects, I will forever boycott the USWNT.