The Official 2011 FIFA Womens World Cup Thread

[GTOJOE]

Caught that last bit of the USA vs France game today. France have much better footwork than USA but they can't finish the job. USA operates in traditional USA way of just go hard and fast straight down the middle. Doesn't usually pay off in the game of soccer but it did for them LOL.

[IPD]

Caught that last bit of the USA vs France game today. France have much better footwork than USA but they can't finish the job. USA operates in traditional USA way of just go hard and fast straight down the middle. Doesn't usually pay off in the game of soccer but it did for them LOL.

you should have watched the first half. france was completely different in the 1st half; and the USA was totally dominating. it was about the time that rapinoe subbed in that you could see a VISIBLE difference in how the USA was playing. and let's face it, they had MINIMUM rest coming off that brutally punishing game against brazil. when you're used to running 90 minutes of a game; and you end up going to 123 minutes--it tires you out. even in peak physical shape, 100% recuperation in 2 days is asking a lot. subs, who didn't play the full 123, were better rested & able to "bring the fire" back into the team.

fwiw, france probably has only marginally better footwork. the USA is much better at passing & controlling--and you could see this also when france played sweden yesterday (and lost) in the 3rd place game. france is MUCH weaker on defense than the USA too. we have the best goalie. we also have rampone back there--and let's face it, she's got a LOT of game left in her. did you see the play where there wasn't anyone forward to pass the ball to, so she ran essentially the full length of the field to get in scoring position? yeah...most defenders won't do that.

team USA doesn't usually exploit the middle; they run the length of the field--WIDE. they're not the most accurate with passing (japan probably is the best i've seen in this tournament), but they're fairly accurate when it counts. we also attack with MUCH more aggression than pretty much anyone else, and it always seems that the USA is on top of loose balls quicker than any other team.

i think the key to today's game is the USA utilizing its aggression, its height advantage, and its heart.

p.s.
i think kozue ando is cute.

[GTOJOE]

I was too busy to pay attention to names or even what they look like lol. Was watching it while trying to get my son to sleep while he screamed his little head off.

[IPD]

kickoff in 25 min! if you're not watching, you're unamerican!

[jessecain1]

why just not watch the only proper football......American

[IPD]

why just not watch the only proper football......American

choke yourself

[93STLTH]

They need to stop hitting the posts!!

[IPD]

well that was a very disappoiting result. there were a LOT of chances today. several shots were on goal & bounced off. lucky was clearly against us; as it seemed to be in the sweden game. it WAS there, we could have had it--we just couldn't get the finish. worse, at two different poitns in the game, we had a 1 goal lead with 10 min left....and we let it go.

japan is going to be VERY hard pressed to replicate this performance. sawa is clearly the force behind that team.

a very exciting cup, and i loved it! can't wait for the next one!

[2fnloud]

Thanks for bring the Womens World cup up on the forum, I would of never watched it other wise.

[IPD]

you're welcome, steve. i hope at least some of the 3sgto members have come to a new-found appreciation for watching the world cup. soccer gets a very undeserved bad-rap by many, many people here in the US. today's final (even though we lost) is an example of how great soccer can be. even with the loss, the US had its best finish of the last 3 cups; and we've still never finished lower than 3rd. tomorrow, we will likely still be ranked #1 in the world--and with ample justification.