!!! I very very much agree with the amount of touches in the box.. sometimes it becomes horrible to watch them pass up a great opportunity because a player took to many touches
It’s v clearly a decided strategy from the coaching staff for us to play with our left back very very high. I’m not against us testing out different ways of compensating for this before the Olympics against Mexico, who have some extremely fun and talented wingers to punish if the shape was poor. We did let up 2 goals in she believes to almost the exact same ball down the left side. Mexico’s press is another great skill of theirs that was a good test. Of course the weather here made that much weaker, 90F vs 55ishF back in February.
nice catch on the fox switch--again, i love learning all these things that seem obvious in hindsight but i don't watch well enough to catch! the subs definitely made an impact. i'm glad jaedyn and korbin seemed on their game yesterday and will hopefully bring that to the games. and i hope croix gets a little more time on tuesday to play in front of her home (club) crowd! imo she looked a little nervous yesterday and gave the ball away too many times for a player of her quality, but it was her first cap, and i'd love to see her play with soph or mal in front of her so she could slot in her through-balls! pretty sure the front line was lynn, trinity, and jaedyn when croix was on and jaedyn was playing further back so...not the ideal frontline for an assist master like croix, though i think trinity stayed on to give her that familiarity. and i'm curious to see if hersfelt and sams get caps next game or if that will have to wait...
Croix looked so nervous, I really felt for her. Hopefully she gets some good time on Tuesday and leaves to Paris feeling more ready if she's called on. I like your thoughts on time with Soph and Mal, I think that's one of the best things about Croix as an alternate, she really could play a few different versions of her game from different positions. For me I absolutely need HH and Sams to get caps, you can't play your first international game in the semi-final of the Olympics (worst case?!).
A total mixed bag yesterday. All three attackers were off their game, but Lavelle was sparking some good transition from build outs and just seems inevitable to make an impact right now. I love the depth on our team, that showed again yesterday. We need to be more comfortable holding possession/switching the field and not trying to force long passes. I think certain players pick the moments to go long better than others. Also, I wonder if we even play on Tuesday. It’s supposed to be 100 degrees in DC 🔥
You've got a great point on the long passes, even on the "better" example I picked it's still effectively a turnover after very little time and a few touches. The heat looked awful yesterday, I can't imagine it getting worse. Thankful the referees were at least sensible about added time but I'm not sure that'll help much.
@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer The long ball is very Chelsea and seems to be is a set play pattern for Emma. Note the similarity between Lily’s perfect long ball to Rodman and Rose’s long ball to Rodman. Rodman is already terrifying but if she had a better left foot she could cut back into the middle and score a lot goals and assist a lot of goals too ( best right wing in America but should still get to the center more to boost her own scoring)
@@glarris1Yeah, that’s the next evolution to Trin’s game. She never really moves much to her left. She needs to develop her left more because she doesn’t always look comfortable cutting inside. She actually rarely does and when she does, not a lot comes out of it.
@@candacelong7643 You’re right. In Spain, Trin would be playing on the left as cutting to the middle to have more options with your strong foot is the plan. I hope Emma tries her there eventually or from time to time. ( Mallory seems to be good with either foot and can combine and score with equal precision). Rodman is a great dribbler and distributer. It would be awesome to unleash her goal scoring potential so she can be an even greater contributor on the pitch.
Mexico continues to up its game. Great to see. I'll be interested to see how much there is a focus on, and capability to pass out from the back. I'm not deep in my knowledge of US goalkeepers. Do they have any who can pinpoint pass from the goal? I agree about the need for one touch passing in forward third.
Passing from the back will be great to keep an eye on, especially what looks they're trying it on. I don't love where any of the US keepers are at distribution wise, Campbell would probably be my favorite but she seems inconsistent with everything else. Having a top 5 keeper with excellent feet would instantly make this team look next level competitive, maybe there's someone in the pipeline!
Nice to see someone not afraid to actually give Korbin Albert some unbiased soccer related positive feedback. She's a baller who clearly has a high soccer IQ.
So not what I'm here for regardless of my own feelings. She's a great player, best thing she can do for herself right now outside of some growing is playing the technical soccer she's capable of and proving why we need her.
@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer This women soccer video is a technical video, not the same as those politically correct video, especially with the woman and the baseball cap. A comment on this video: "Nice to see someone not afraid to actually give Korbin Albert some unbiased soccer related positive feedback. She's a baller who clearly has a high soccer IQ." resonates with mine. Thank you, thank you
While I’m devastated for Cat, I think the domino effect of her absence makes for a more well rounded roster. Before it felt like we had too many 10’s not enough wingers. Now we can have Williams ease the load for our forwards, and we can push Shaw into the backup 10 spot that suits her so much better than inverted winger. And then, taking a true defender like Sams means we have a natural replacement among the three lines with our alternates. Here’s hoping maybe Sams and Hal get a few minutes next game 🤞🏼
I think you're right the roster may have sorted itself out a bit now, it's cleared up who'll be doing what but I'm a little concerned about the "what if" with the alternates. I need Sams and Hal to get some minutes to help me calm my nerves on that.
Great video! Love the analysis of the first half. Team wasn’t even a little comfortable with whatever new system they were trying. Naeher and Horan were both dreadful and the team clearly missed Cat’s full field physicality, ability to play with her back to the goal and magic connector linkage. Second half was way better. Swanson was a better in the front as a sort of 10 making up for Rose ended up having to play deeper to make up for Horan’s lousy, no good day. Rodman was Rodman, and Smith was determined to shoot better (finally). The fans may be down on her but Albert is our best box to box mid and should be starting. Though Lilly is not here by choice, the team’s early struggles made me long for her connector skills. She is either our future #8 or the Netherlands I know Lynn earned the rooster spot but it is insane to me that Emma did not want to destroy teams in the second half by bringing Croix off the bench to team up with Rodman. What a nightmare! Lastly, a word about Shaw. With Cat gone, she is the most physical player, gifted passing, technically exceptional, frighteningly fast player on the team. All finesse upfront is a mistake. Shaw is part of the solution.
Horan not turning up for that game worries me, turnovers and positioning was an issue for her all match. Her and Albert are the two players I really need to be at their best for the Olympics, they're absolutely capable of being the connective tissue. Potentially losing Lily does worry me, there's no way she plays club football here given where she's at now. Hopefully she's just taking time to assess and learn more. She's going to be a nightmare to play, I'd so much rather it's here but she could really be the centerpiece of a dutch team that embraces her. I'm hoping for some Croix/Rodman minutes on Tuesday, the crowd is going to go nuts for that!
@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer Horan was unwatchable. Her first touch was as bad as her positioning and her turnovers. As European coaches migrate here, I believe a few more European league players will head here but we don’t have any equivalent to Champions or UEFA and this is very far from home. Netherlands advantage in recruiting Lilly is the fact that her family is there and that she knows her fellow league players. I hope the Olympics expand to 22 so the world can see Croix in action. 18 is too small.
Also, while there was better movement from the subs I never felt like they were threatening to score. They did well getting forward though. Mexico had gone to their bench heavy as well and the hope is that when we bring on subs and our opponents bring theirs on, we will have the advantage over other teams in the Olympics.
Good analysis. You mention how much better the offense looked with Korbin in for Horan. I think that is still the biggest issue I see - Horan (great on the ball, but...) is just so slow. Her lack of speed just slows down the offense, but also leaves the defense exposed at times, too. A person like Korbin who is so much more mobile just covers so much more ground and facilitates so many more plays. It seems like Hayes is fixed on keeping Horan as the starter, but it seems like her lack of speed/mobility limits the team and holds them back.
Horan's value to me is that when I cut tape, if I go back to the very first play in an offensive sequence, the first pass to initiate the sequence comes from her 75% of the time. But I've always felt she seems to switch off when games don't matter. I think the team can deal with her lack of speed as long as she's creating, but the creating part is essential. If that stays an issue I can see Hayes swapping them out, she doesn't have time to spare feelings.
@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer There might come a time - and sooner than we’d expect - when Emma would have to decide if Horan’s liabilities were more than offsetting her overall quality. I am quite anxious with this scenario because Horan is just recently promoted to captain, and keeping her on the bench would be so awkward for everyone - players, fans and coaching staff!
Appearance of not being very excited, as if there are personal concerns, about the preparations.The Mid-Field was not very good. Do you remember the statement, “we will play with fire”. Not enough evidence that each individual playing strengths were enhanced for team play. Tentative in decision making, and a midfield that was poor. These are all early coaching issues, and warning signs. On multiple occasions, some of the players do appear to be overly cautious, sticking your neck out at their own peril mentality. While playing against a team that never actually qualified to play in the Olympic games. But what a job that their new coach has done for them. The coaching that made Guro Reiten, Erin Cuthbert, Sam Kerr, Lauren James, Sophie Ingle, Ève Périssetn, might all have some things in common. These are all stars. As established international stars, there is a different level of motivation that is required between competitions for them, and for the USWNT. The type that is already predicated on confidence, and self assuredness, and how to share them with team members to properly channel the inner desires for excellence. We are still trying to get to that level. However, when you are with a new coach, still building on your own club resume, to get to the next level of competitive fighting spirits, inundation with drastic changes, and the lack of what appears to be team spirits can be challenging if not daunting. Keep it simple. The Zambians, Racheal Kundananji, Barbra Banda, Grace Chanda all play in the NWSL, and do understand our limits well. Unless, we keep it simple, while applying applicable modifications that fits well, then, we may not get past Zambia. While we are still focused on England, France, Spain and other European elites. The resources and personnel are readily available here with this team to do well, if properly applied. The Gold Cup proved that. The very first half of the Emma Hayes game with the USWNT was in my opinion riddled with player indecisiveness, mistakes, and no team cohesion. That was only in that first half in that game. This most recent friendly game with Mexico, actually had the same issues that now spanned the entire game. It was sad to watch in many aspects. It was even more sad to notice what appeared as some taking deep breaths when the game came to a close. The great soccer players refer to this game as “a beautiful game.” Not what we are somehow getting to see for a few games now. Where the players do not appear to enjoy themselves. Where the players appear to be hesitant to dare to shoot at the goal, and would prefer to pass the ball to the next team member. Bravo to Mexico, and I do believe that more friendly matches should be scheduled between both countries in the future.
Oof, I think it's fair to say the fire wasn't there in this match, especially the midfield. I'm optimistic that Hayes can help build up the midfielders, but for some of them the bad habits are locked in and it gets harder and harder to break out of them the older you get. Your point around motivation speaks to me a lot because I think one of the issues for the US is that many girls grow up dreaming "I want to be a pro soccer player" without any specificity. In Europe you dream of playing for your childhood club, it's a different level of motivation. I think a lot of our players have yet to experience what it means to be embraced as a singular star for their country, like the players you listed. I will never forget hearing the passion in Colombian fans as they screamed for Linda Caicedo at the Gold Cup, it's simply unmatched. The second-guessing of decisions is apparent in a lot of players and the US have never been a team that I've watched play "joyful" football. I'm hoping as they stop overthinking instructions and relax we'll see the joy and creativity they need to be successful. I did catch Lynn Williams with a huge smile on her face chasing a midfielder down, we need more of that. It's a game, it should be fun! I watched some Zambia games and highlights last week, they have the potential to really punish the team. They are so much more than just speed and strength, the cohesiveness in their build-up is really neat. I'm very excited for that match, it'll be fun to watch. More friendlies against Mexico will be great, they get less friendly every time!
94 degree heat index in a tune up for the olympics at the two xG metrics i've seen were' about 0.5 Mexico to 1.7-2.0 USA. thats a pretty standard stomp down performance. as much running as Mexico seemingly did, they didn't create anything of note. also not strange to me to see subs come on in that environment and look more fresh than those who started. a very run of the mill tune up match for me with nothing really that would concern beyond some ineffective finishing on multiple great looks in the first half that should have made the score look more lopsided than a 1-0. great coverage as always.
My first instinct was that Mexico xG feels low, but on reflecting, I think they showed good potential build up and a smart attacking strategy, did they really get the shots off they were trying to create? No. So yeah, chance generation was fairly snuffed out. Subs also had the benefit of coming in during a 2nd half where you go back to what you've been doing - Sonnett and Albert were standouts for me, didn't take them a single touch to look settled and ready.
Thanks for the breakdown! I like that you showed one of the most explicable ref decisions I've ever seen without comment (at minute 5) - luckily it didn't make a difference and it's a friendly anyway. The finishing was frustrating but I like how many chances we had yesterday. Lot of problems still on the field, but then what else do you expect from a team full of youngsters with a coach whose only had them for three games? Looking forward to Tuesday's game - I'll be there in person, hope no one gets heat stroke.
Ha the decision to blow the whistle with zero need was so egregious, but she made everything right by not adding on a silly amount of time for the very necessary water breaks so I had to let it go. It's going to be awesome sending-off that many Spirit players at home, hope you have a ton of fun and the heat plays nice!
Emma is still tinkering and I’m okay with that. The girls passing was very choppy in the first half. I just thought it was the heat because it felt AWFUL out there yesterday at RedBull. But onward thing for certain is that they wanted to score early and often. They had like 3-4 dangerous chances within the first 3 minutes. The adjustments and subs changed the tempo. Korbin moves the ball forward, Jaedyn is slipping passes and suddenly Mexico is scrambling. I would love to see a lineup without Lindsey who is a little too slow on the pivot and recovery at times. A quicker transition from defense through our midfield is crucial to how we want to play. I hope we get to see Croix mix it up in there. Mexico’s high press was how they got us with the last time. I was super they were trying it again. Nighswonger is good for offense Kruger is the better defender.
I felt like I could see the heat on tape, I can only imagine sitting through it! That quick transition seems like a piece that's really missing, they seemed a lot better at that against South Korea so by all means tinker away and figure out some other options. Lindsey's speed doesn't normally bother me too much but it was definitely an issue yesterday, I'd love to see Jaedyn pick up some of her minutes.
I agree with you 100 percent! I can't claim to be a soccer nerd but I wish Horan played less. We seem to do well when she is not in the midfield. Just like when Morgan wasnt in on the front line.
@@justafan323I will say Lindsay is out of season so that might be why she looked slower and had her worst game in a while. With that said, more Shaw minutes then. Jaedyn looked good but with both Smith and Swanson out she never could help getting anything going. I’d like to see Smith, Swanson, Rodman, Bethune and Shaw at some point. That seems sooo scary. Personally, I need Smith and Bethune. Not surprising Soph called her a forwards dream to play with 👀
Wait -- before we get into discussing this analysis, I just saw something on your main page that says: "On 2/1/24 Lindsey Horan personally insulted me and the idea for this channel was born." Now what the *heck* is the story behind that? We have to hear it!!
I may have exaggerated a little but this is the article where Horan says American fans aren't smart: www.nytimes.com/athletic/5242921/2024/02/01/lindsey-horan-uswnt-world-cup/ I felt like that wasn't fair, and if there was any accuracy to that statement it's because no one was really trying to teach the game.
@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer She was referring to me, not you. And frankly, I was frustrated, because so much of the TV analysis around the team was the old sports cliches of "wanting it enough", "not enough focus", etc. In fairness to her, she used the example of when she got told how great she played, and she knew that wasn't true at all to someone who knew the game. Of course, she absolutely mangled the message, no doubt the executive coach that Emma Hayes has working with her will improve that in the future. In any regard, thankful for your channel.
@@cr26404 Thank you! I do feel for her, she clearly loves the game and wants to help raise the standards but has a great case of foot in mouth disease. Hopefully I can continue to prove the demand is here and the investment will come.
@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer I'd like to personally thank Horan b/c your anslysis is next level. As one of the previous commentors noted, most of the in-game talk is just a recount of the play on the field and color commentary with very little insight or analysis happening, and the post-game shows are basically highlight reels with very shallow remarks on tactics or stategy. I love that you spend the time to review the film with us, as most of us know "we are not playing well...." I can pick up some of the basic issues - like Nighswonger not getting back fast enough, but you take that to a deeper level, and are improving the way we all are watching the game.. Keep up this great work. It is deeply needed as no one else is doing the job you are doing.
Her position kept changing. They were flipping in and out of a back 3. Almost every time she’s “caught out of position” you’ll notice Girma is quite central. And she’s there long before the play is. It’s intentional. She is not playing as a traditional LB. She sometimes is but they shift out and turn her into a 6
@@heppolo I’m honestly not even sure what that’s supposed to mean. She’s roughly the same speed as Foxy. You can see that when they’re both sprinting back. She just is playing a completely different role. That’s the tradeoff of playing a back 3… you only have 3 on the back line. Nobody seems to be complaining that Coffey isn’t back as fast as Foxy because we all get that midfielders take a little longer to get back because of how time and distance works. Jenna tracks back as quickly or quicker than the other midfielders. I really don’t get the disconnect here. When she’s a midfielder it’s going to take her longer to get back than if she was an outside back. Nobody has the speed to be in 2 places at once. The tradeoff is it’ll take her shorter to get up on offense and to collapse and contest the midfield into defense. To compensate for the loss of a back line player everyone shifts over to the left. Maybe it’s just because she’s an outside back on the roster sheet? I honestly don’t get it. Defenses are built around the understanding that in transition it’ll take a few seconds before the midfielders can drop back to help.
@@kalmenbarkin5708My only concern about Jenna is her size and speed. She requires a bit more support than Foxy or Krueger do so we just need to be aware of that. Teams will look to exploit her side of the field and we need to be prepared. Also, her and Tierna was shaky together. This wasn’t Tierna’s best game.
@@candacelong7643 You are 100% correct. We need Naomi on the side with Jenna and that's not going to happen. You would have to start Naomi and Emily Sonnet and that's going to happen, either (Sonnet's not really fast, either).
I was at the game and noticed that when Jenna went up there was usually communication and you immediately saw Girma go very central and Tierna move right. They were flipping in and out of a back 3 so it’s pretty hard for us watching to tell when she’s supposed to be a 6 vs when she’s supposed to be a LB.
Love hearing how they were communicating, awesome insight because there's just so much detail lost watching on film. I definitely take an educated guess a lot of the time at what players are supposed to be doing but I struggle to think of a really clear issue originating from Jenna in the match.
If I were playing the US, I would definitely counter-press. We looked very shaky when pressured in the back-half. Naeher was awful distributing the ball and the midfielders were slow to come back and show in open areas. Horan and Lavelle love to attack, but often get caught too forward (same with Nighswonger)
Wow that possession is not what I was expecting, they're going to have a problem if teams continue to allow them to hold the ball and just wait for mistakes. 11/17 of the shots are effectively turnovers to me.
Great analysis. The forward line all had an off game. I think we need games like this because they will happen in the Olympics. I think Foudy even said this. Smith, our best striker isn’t always going to be on her best game, can she still help the team? I think her game winning goal was what I needed to see. It would have been easy to check out but she hung in there. I want to see a more aggressive Mal next game. Two shots is not enough. Rodman I just need her to be smarter with her shots. Don’t force it. I know she’s hungry for a goal. She will have her breakthrough
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it. Seeing Smith hang on was big for me, I feel like I've watched a lot of games where she can't solve for the issues she's having but she was a lot more resilient this time. I also loved seeing Hayes have a lot of notes for her after she came off, it struck me as so British, ignoring the goal and telling her everything she needs to work on. You've got a great point on the subs, that's somewhere the US can really challenge teams - I like our depth over almost every team in the tournament.
A USWNT that scored 1 goal in two games against Mexico chose to bring in Korbin Albert (a player who I whole heartedly support) so they could move Lindsey Horan up to the 10 instead of starting Jaedyn Shaw who scored a goal in each of her first 5 USWNT starts (if I remember that correctly)? Emma Hayes really believes in the idea of European club play. That didn't really work for the USMNT recently.
I'm curious to see if things look different at the Olympics. During the costa rica match around 25 minutes in you can see the offensive structure (on Hayes' mini whiteboard) and I think it's asking one of the forwards to act as the 10. I'm wondering if she sticks with that approach or if it's been an experiment. Covering this a bit in my next video, hopefully I can get it out tomorrow.
This women soccer video is a technical video, not the same as those politically correct video, especially with the woman and the baseball cap. A comment on this video: "Nice to see someone not afraid to actually give Korbin Albert some unbiased soccer related positive feedback. She's a baller who clearly has a high soccer IQ." resonates with mine. Thank you, thank you
Horan just seemed to be really too slow to get back. The USWNT is missing a great defensive midfielder like Julie Ertz. That's why going to a back three makes more sense.
@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer thank you! It’s weird because I can’t find you searching the full name, but I was able to find it searching bwws. Weird Patreon search limitation.
I was restricted to watching highlights. I watched US Soccer's highlight clip, all 3:45 of it, and you would have thought we had purely dominated Mexico. THEN I watched the Telemundo coverage, 12:26 or so, and HACHEE MACHEE there were breakdowns in front of Naeher! Repeatedly! Oy. tl;dr - Thank you for the recap, and calming me down a bit. 😁
My new life goal is a cross-over video with you and Sam Mewis. I am learning so much from the two of you.
My reply to this got stuck in the interweb which is sad because I was so excited! This may be my favorite idea ever, she’s fantastic.
!!! I very very much agree with the amount of touches in the box.. sometimes it becomes horrible to watch them pass up a great opportunity because a player took to many touches
Something I'll be watching for them to improve for sure!
It’s v clearly a decided strategy from the coaching staff for us to play with our left back very very high. I’m not against us testing out different ways of compensating for this before the Olympics against Mexico, who have some extremely fun and talented wingers to punish if the shape was poor. We did let up 2 goals in she believes to almost the exact same ball down the left side.
Mexico’s press is another great skill of theirs that was a good test. Of course the weather here made that much weaker, 90F vs 55ishF back in February.
always look forward to your analysis. good stuff.
:)
@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer deleted most of my post because i dont want to be so negative towards this team. appreciate the reply though. 😀
@@T.R.75 All good I get the same way too, edited my comments for positive vibes
nice catch on the fox switch--again, i love learning all these things that seem obvious in hindsight but i don't watch well enough to catch! the subs definitely made an impact. i'm glad jaedyn and korbin seemed on their game yesterday and will hopefully bring that to the games. and i hope croix gets a little more time on tuesday to play in front of her home (club) crowd! imo she looked a little nervous yesterday and gave the ball away too many times for a player of her quality, but it was her first cap, and i'd love to see her play with soph or mal in front of her so she could slot in her through-balls! pretty sure the front line was lynn, trinity, and jaedyn when croix was on and jaedyn was playing further back so...not the ideal frontline for an assist master like croix, though i think trinity stayed on to give her that familiarity. and i'm curious to see if hersfelt and sams get caps next game or if that will have to wait...
Croix looked so nervous, I really felt for her. Hopefully she gets some good time on Tuesday and leaves to Paris feeling more ready if she's called on. I like your thoughts on time with Soph and Mal, I think that's one of the best things about Croix as an alternate, she really could play a few different versions of her game from different positions. For me I absolutely need HH and Sams to get caps, you can't play your first international game in the semi-final of the Olympics (worst case?!).
A total mixed bag yesterday. All three attackers were off their game, but Lavelle was sparking some good transition from build outs and just seems inevitable to make an impact right now. I love the depth on our team, that showed again yesterday. We need to be more comfortable holding possession/switching the field and not trying to force long passes. I think certain players pick the moments to go long better than others.
Also, I wonder if we even play on Tuesday. It’s supposed to be 100 degrees in DC 🔥
You've got a great point on the long passes, even on the "better" example I picked it's still effectively a turnover after very little time and a few touches. The heat looked awful yesterday, I can't imagine it getting worse. Thankful the referees were at least sensible about added time but I'm not sure that'll help much.
@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer The long ball is very Chelsea and seems to be is a set play pattern for Emma. Note the similarity between Lily’s perfect long ball to Rodman and Rose’s long ball to Rodman. Rodman is already terrifying but if she had a better left foot she could cut back into the middle and score a lot goals and assist a lot of goals too ( best right wing in America but should still get to the center more to boost her own scoring)
@@glarris1Yeah, that’s the next evolution to Trin’s game. She never really moves much to her left. She needs to develop her left more because she doesn’t always look comfortable cutting inside. She actually rarely does and when she does, not a lot comes out of it.
@@candacelong7643 You’re right. In Spain, Trin would be playing on the left as cutting to the middle to have more options with your strong foot is the plan. I hope Emma tries her there eventually or from time to time. ( Mallory seems to be good with either foot and can combine and score with equal precision). Rodman is a great dribbler and distributer. It would be awesome to unleash her goal scoring potential so she can be an even greater contributor on the pitch.
@@glarris1 Oh that's a great catch, very similar ball into the same space!
Mexico continues to up its game. Great to see. I'll be interested to see how much there is a focus on, and capability to pass out from the back. I'm not deep in my knowledge of US goalkeepers. Do they have any who can pinpoint pass from the goal? I agree about the need for one touch passing in forward third.
Passing from the back will be great to keep an eye on, especially what looks they're trying it on.
I don't love where any of the US keepers are at distribution wise, Campbell would probably be my favorite but she seems inconsistent with everything else. Having a top 5 keeper with excellent feet would instantly make this team look next level competitive, maybe there's someone in the pipeline!
Great analysis. Much thanks.
Nice to see someone not afraid to actually give Korbin Albert some unbiased soccer related positive feedback. She's a baller who clearly has a high soccer IQ.
So not what I'm here for regardless of my own feelings. She's a great player, best thing she can do for herself right now outside of some growing is playing the technical soccer she's capable of and proving why we need her.
@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer This women soccer video is a technical video, not the same as those politically correct video, especially with the woman and the baseball cap.
A comment on this video: "Nice to see someone not afraid to actually give Korbin Albert some unbiased soccer related positive feedback. She's a baller who clearly has a high soccer IQ." resonates with mine.
Thank you, thank you
@@minhsp3 Glad to hear that! Peace and love over everything else
While I’m devastated for Cat, I think the domino effect of her absence makes for a more well rounded roster. Before it felt like we had too many 10’s not enough wingers.
Now we can have Williams ease the load for our forwards, and we can push Shaw into the backup 10 spot that suits her so much better than inverted winger.
And then, taking a true defender like Sams means we have a natural replacement among the three lines with our alternates.
Here’s hoping maybe Sams and Hal get a few minutes next game 🤞🏼
I think you're right the roster may have sorted itself out a bit now, it's cleared up who'll be doing what but I'm a little concerned about the "what if" with the alternates. I need Sams and Hal to get some minutes to help me calm my nerves on that.
@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer Naomi Girma might sit this one out and Sam Coffey will probably only play the first half. I would play Sams and Hershfelt.
@@erobinsonii Oh that would be perfect, hoping for that
Thank you for your insightful observations
You're welcome, I love putting these together
Great video! Love the analysis of the first half. Team wasn’t even a little comfortable with whatever new system they were trying. Naeher and Horan were both dreadful and the team clearly missed Cat’s full field physicality, ability to play with her back to the goal and magic connector linkage.
Second half was way better. Swanson was a better in the front as a sort of 10 making up for Rose ended up having to play deeper to make up for Horan’s lousy, no good day. Rodman was Rodman, and Smith was determined to shoot better (finally). The fans may be down on her but Albert is our best box to box mid and should be starting. Though Lilly is not here by choice, the team’s early struggles made me long for her connector skills. She is either our future #8 or the Netherlands
I know Lynn earned the rooster spot but it is insane to me that Emma did not want to destroy teams in the second half by bringing Croix off the bench to team up with Rodman. What a nightmare!
Lastly, a word about Shaw. With Cat gone, she is the most physical player, gifted passing, technically exceptional, frighteningly fast player on the team. All finesse upfront is a mistake. Shaw is part of the solution.
Horan not turning up for that game worries me, turnovers and positioning was an issue for her all match. Her and Albert are the two players I really need to be at their best for the Olympics, they're absolutely capable of being the connective tissue.
Potentially losing Lily does worry me, there's no way she plays club football here given where she's at now. Hopefully she's just taking time to assess and learn more. She's going to be a nightmare to play, I'd so much rather it's here but she could really be the centerpiece of a dutch team that embraces her.
I'm hoping for some Croix/Rodman minutes on Tuesday, the crowd is going to go nuts for that!
@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer Horan was unwatchable. Her first touch was as bad as her positioning and her turnovers. As European coaches migrate here, I believe a few more European league players will head here but we don’t have any equivalent to Champions or UEFA and this is very far from home. Netherlands advantage in recruiting Lilly is the fact that her family is there and that she knows her fellow league players. I hope the Olympics expand to 22 so the world can see Croix in action. 18 is too small.
Also, while there was better movement from the subs I never felt like they were threatening to score. They did well getting forward though. Mexico had gone to their bench heavy as well and the hope is that when we bring on subs and our opponents bring theirs on, we will have the advantage over other teams in the Olympics.
Paris might also be quite hot this summer.
I guess it's time to move summer soccer tournaments to Greenland/Alaska 😢
I vote Alaska although I'd probably get distracted by the scenery!
Good analysis. You mention how much better the offense looked with Korbin in for Horan. I think that is still the biggest issue I see - Horan (great on the ball, but...) is just so slow. Her lack of speed just slows down the offense, but also leaves the defense exposed at times, too. A person like Korbin who is so much more mobile just covers so much more ground and facilitates so many more plays. It seems like Hayes is fixed on keeping Horan as the starter, but it seems like her lack of speed/mobility limits the team and holds them back.
Horan's value to me is that when I cut tape, if I go back to the very first play in an offensive sequence, the first pass to initiate the sequence comes from her 75% of the time. But I've always felt she seems to switch off when games don't matter. I think the team can deal with her lack of speed as long as she's creating, but the creating part is essential. If that stays an issue I can see Hayes swapping them out, she doesn't have time to spare feelings.
@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer
There might come a time - and sooner than we’d expect - when Emma would have to decide if Horan’s liabilities were more than offsetting her overall quality. I am quite anxious with this scenario because Horan is just recently promoted to captain, and keeping her on the bench would be so awkward for everyone - players, fans and coaching staff!
Love this! Thanks!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Appearance of not being very excited, as if there are personal concerns, about the preparations.The Mid-Field was not very good. Do you remember the statement, “we will play with fire”. Not enough evidence that each individual playing strengths were enhanced for team play. Tentative in decision making, and a midfield that was poor. These are all early coaching issues, and warning signs.
On multiple occasions, some of the players do appear to be overly cautious, sticking your neck out at their own peril mentality. While playing against a team that never actually qualified to play in the Olympic games. But what a job that their new coach has done for them.
The coaching that made Guro Reiten, Erin Cuthbert, Sam Kerr, Lauren James, Sophie Ingle, Ève Périssetn, might all have some things in common. These are all stars. As established international stars, there is a different level of motivation that is required between competitions for them, and for the USWNT. The type that is already predicated on confidence, and self assuredness, and how to share them with team members to properly channel the inner desires for excellence. We are still trying to get to that level.
However, when you are with a new coach, still building on your own club resume, to get to the next level of competitive fighting spirits, inundation with drastic changes, and the lack of what appears to be team spirits can be challenging if not daunting. Keep it simple. The Zambians, Racheal Kundananji, Barbra Banda, Grace Chanda all play in the NWSL, and do understand our limits well. Unless, we keep it simple, while applying applicable modifications that fits well, then, we may not get past Zambia. While we are still focused on England, France, Spain and other European elites. The resources and personnel are readily available here with this team to do well, if properly applied. The Gold Cup proved that.
The very first half of the Emma Hayes game with the USWNT was in my opinion riddled with player indecisiveness, mistakes, and no team cohesion. That was only in that first half in that game. This most recent friendly game with Mexico, actually had the same issues that now spanned the entire game. It was sad to watch in many aspects. It was even more sad to notice what appeared as some taking deep breaths when the game came to a close. The great soccer players refer to this game as “a beautiful game.” Not what we are somehow getting to see for a few games now. Where the players do not appear to enjoy themselves. Where the players appear to be hesitant to dare to shoot at the goal, and would prefer to pass the ball to the next team member. Bravo to Mexico, and I do believe that more friendly matches should be scheduled between both countries in the future.
Oof, I think it's fair to say the fire wasn't there in this match, especially the midfield. I'm optimistic that Hayes can help build up the midfielders, but for some of them the bad habits are locked in and it gets harder and harder to break out of them the older you get.
Your point around motivation speaks to me a lot because I think one of the issues for the US is that many girls grow up dreaming "I want to be a pro soccer player" without any specificity. In Europe you dream of playing for your childhood club, it's a different level of motivation. I think a lot of our players have yet to experience what it means to be embraced as a singular star for their country, like the players you listed. I will never forget hearing the passion in Colombian fans as they screamed for Linda Caicedo at the Gold Cup, it's simply unmatched.
The second-guessing of decisions is apparent in a lot of players and the US have never been a team that I've watched play "joyful" football. I'm hoping as they stop overthinking instructions and relax we'll see the joy and creativity they need to be successful. I did catch Lynn Williams with a huge smile on her face chasing a midfielder down, we need more of that. It's a game, it should be fun!
I watched some Zambia games and highlights last week, they have the potential to really punish the team. They are so much more than just speed and strength, the cohesiveness in their build-up is really neat. I'm very excited for that match, it'll be fun to watch.
More friendlies against Mexico will be great, they get less friendly every time!
94 degree heat index in a tune up for the olympics at the two xG metrics i've seen were' about 0.5 Mexico to 1.7-2.0 USA. thats a pretty standard stomp down performance.
as much running as Mexico seemingly did, they didn't create anything of note. also not strange to me to see subs come on in that environment and look more fresh than those who started. a very run of the mill tune up match for me with nothing really that would concern beyond some ineffective finishing on multiple great looks in the first half that should have made the score look more lopsided than a 1-0.
great coverage as always.
My first instinct was that Mexico xG feels low, but on reflecting, I think they showed good potential build up and a smart attacking strategy, did they really get the shots off they were trying to create? No. So yeah, chance generation was fairly snuffed out.
Subs also had the benefit of coming in during a 2nd half where you go back to what you've been doing - Sonnett and Albert were standouts for me, didn't take them a single touch to look settled and ready.
Thanks for the breakdown! I like that you showed one of the most explicable ref decisions I've ever seen without comment (at minute 5) - luckily it didn't make a difference and it's a friendly anyway.
The finishing was frustrating but I like how many chances we had yesterday. Lot of problems still on the field, but then what else do you expect from a team full of youngsters with a coach whose only had them for three games?
Looking forward to Tuesday's game - I'll be there in person, hope no one gets heat stroke.
Ha the decision to blow the whistle with zero need was so egregious, but she made everything right by not adding on a silly amount of time for the very necessary water breaks so I had to let it go. It's going to be awesome sending-off that many Spirit players at home, hope you have a ton of fun and the heat plays nice!
Emma is still tinkering and I’m okay with that. The girls passing was very choppy in the first half. I just thought it was the heat because it felt AWFUL out there yesterday at RedBull.
But onward thing for certain is that they wanted to score early and often. They had like 3-4 dangerous chances within the first 3 minutes. The adjustments and subs changed the tempo. Korbin moves the ball forward, Jaedyn is slipping passes and suddenly Mexico is scrambling. I would love to see a lineup without Lindsey who is a little too slow on the pivot and recovery at times. A quicker transition from defense through our midfield is crucial to how we want to play. I hope we get to see Croix mix it up in there. Mexico’s high press was how they got us with the last time. I was super they were trying it again.
Nighswonger is good for offense Kruger is the better defender.
I felt like I could see the heat on tape, I can only imagine sitting through it! That quick transition seems like a piece that's really missing, they seemed a lot better at that against South Korea so by all means tinker away and figure out some other options. Lindsey's speed doesn't normally bother me too much but it was definitely an issue yesterday, I'd love to see Jaedyn pick up some of her minutes.
I agree with you 100 percent! I can't claim to be a soccer nerd but I wish Horan played less. We seem to do well when she is not in the midfield. Just like when Morgan wasnt in on the front line.
@@justafan323I will say Lindsay is out of season so that might be why she looked slower and had her worst game in a while. With that said, more Shaw minutes then. Jaedyn looked good but with both Smith and Swanson out she never could help getting anything going. I’d like to see Smith, Swanson, Rodman, Bethune and Shaw at some point. That seems sooo scary. Personally, I need Smith and Bethune. Not surprising Soph called her a forwards dream to play with 👀
Wait -- before we get into discussing this analysis, I just saw something on your main page that says: "On 2/1/24 Lindsey Horan personally insulted me and the idea for this channel was born." Now what the *heck* is the story behind that? We have to hear it!!
Lindsey horan called usa fans “not smart” in an interview with meg linenhan.
I may have exaggerated a little but this is the article where Horan says American fans aren't smart: www.nytimes.com/athletic/5242921/2024/02/01/lindsey-horan-uswnt-world-cup/
I felt like that wasn't fair, and if there was any accuracy to that statement it's because no one was really trying to teach the game.
@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer She was referring to me, not you. And frankly, I was frustrated, because so much of the TV analysis around the team was the old sports cliches of "wanting it enough", "not enough focus", etc. In fairness to her, she used the example of when she got told how great she played, and she knew that wasn't true at all to someone who knew the game. Of course, she absolutely mangled the message, no doubt the executive coach that Emma Hayes has working with her will improve that in the future.
In any regard, thankful for your channel.
@@cr26404 Thank you! I do feel for her, she clearly loves the game and wants to help raise the standards but has a great case of foot in mouth disease. Hopefully I can continue to prove the demand is here and the investment will come.
@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer I'd like to personally thank Horan b/c your anslysis is next level. As one of the previous commentors noted, most of the in-game talk is just a recount of the play on the field and color commentary with very little insight or analysis happening, and the post-game shows are basically highlight reels with very shallow remarks on tactics or stategy. I love that you spend the time to review the film with us, as most of us know "we are not playing well...." I can pick up some of the basic issues - like Nighswonger not getting back fast enough, but you take that to a deeper level, and are improving the way we all are watching the game.. Keep up this great work. It is deeply needed as no one else is doing the job you are doing.
Nice analysis!
Nighswonger was frequently caught out of position.
Her position kept changing.
They were flipping in and out of a back 3.
Almost every time she’s “caught out of position” you’ll notice Girma is quite central. And she’s there long before the play is. It’s intentional. She is not playing as a traditional LB. She sometimes is but they shift out and turn her into a 6
@@kalmenbarkin5708 I have noticed the shift in position, but it feels like sometimes she lacked speed to track back when necessary.
@@heppolo I’m honestly not even sure what that’s supposed to mean. She’s roughly the same speed as Foxy. You can see that when they’re both sprinting back. She just is playing a completely different role.
That’s the tradeoff of playing a back 3… you only have 3 on the back line. Nobody seems to be complaining that Coffey isn’t back as fast as Foxy because we all get that midfielders take a little longer to get back because of how time and distance works. Jenna tracks back as quickly or quicker than the other midfielders.
I really don’t get the disconnect here. When she’s a midfielder it’s going to take her longer to get back than if she was an outside back. Nobody has the speed to be in 2 places at once. The tradeoff is it’ll take her shorter to get up on offense and to collapse and contest the midfield into defense. To compensate for the loss of a back line player everyone shifts over to the left.
Maybe it’s just because she’s an outside back on the roster sheet? I honestly don’t get it. Defenses are built around the understanding that in transition it’ll take a few seconds before the midfielders can drop back to help.
@@kalmenbarkin5708My only concern about Jenna is her size and speed. She requires a bit more support than Foxy or Krueger do so we just need to be aware of that. Teams will look to exploit her side of the field and we need to be prepared. Also, her and Tierna was shaky together. This wasn’t Tierna’s best game.
@@candacelong7643 You are 100% correct. We need Naomi on the side with Jenna and that's not going to happen. You would have to start Naomi and Emily Sonnet and that's going to happen, either (Sonnet's not really fast, either).
I was at the game and noticed that when Jenna went up there was usually communication and you immediately saw Girma go very central and Tierna move right.
They were flipping in and out of a back 3 so it’s pretty hard for us watching to tell when she’s supposed to be a 6 vs when she’s supposed to be a LB.
Love hearing how they were communicating, awesome insight because there's just so much detail lost watching on film. I definitely take an educated guess a lot of the time at what players are supposed to be doing but I struggle to think of a really clear issue originating from Jenna in the match.
Thank you! Very interesting 🤩
So glad to hear you liked this :)
If I were playing the US, I would definitely counter-press. We looked very shaky when pressured in the back-half. Naeher was awful distributing the ball and the midfielders were slow to come back and show in open areas. Horan and Lavelle love to attack, but often get caught too forward (same with Nighswonger)
71% possession, 17 shots, 6 shots on goal and 1 goal (in the last 2 matches against Mexico, all together). 🤔
Wow that possession is not what I was expecting, they're going to have a problem if teams continue to allow them to hold the ball and just wait for mistakes. 11/17 of the shots are effectively turnovers to me.
Great analysis. The forward line all had an off game. I think we need games like this because they will happen in the Olympics. I think Foudy even said this. Smith, our best striker isn’t always going to be on her best game, can she still help the team? I think her game winning goal was what I needed to see. It would have been easy to check out but she hung in there. I want to see a more aggressive Mal next game. Two shots is not enough. Rodman I just need her to be smarter with her shots. Don’t force it. I know she’s hungry for a goal. She will have her breakthrough
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it. Seeing Smith hang on was big for me, I feel like I've watched a lot of games where she can't solve for the issues she's having but she was a lot more resilient this time. I also loved seeing Hayes have a lot of notes for her after she came off, it struck me as so British, ignoring the goal and telling her everything she needs to work on.
You've got a great point on the subs, that's somewhere the US can really challenge teams - I like our depth over almost every team in the tournament.
A USWNT that scored 1 goal in two games against Mexico chose to bring in Korbin Albert (a player who I whole heartedly support) so they could move Lindsey Horan up to the 10 instead of starting Jaedyn Shaw who scored a goal in each of her first 5 USWNT starts (if I remember that correctly)? Emma Hayes really believes in the idea of European club play. That didn't really work for the USMNT recently.
I'm curious to see if things look different at the Olympics. During the costa rica match around 25 minutes in you can see the offensive structure (on Hayes' mini whiteboard) and I think it's asking one of the forwards to act as the 10. I'm wondering if she sticks with that approach or if it's been an experiment. Covering this a bit in my next video, hopefully I can get it out tomorrow.
@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer 👍
This women soccer video is a technical video, not the same as those politically correct video, especially with the woman and the baseball cap.
A comment on this video: "Nice to see someone not afraid to actually give Korbin Albert some unbiased soccer related positive feedback. She's a baller who clearly has a high soccer IQ." resonates with mine.
Thank you, thank you
Oops I replied elsewhere but I like closing the loop on these! Glad to hear it, peace and love over everything else
Horan just seemed to be really too slow to get back. The USWNT is missing a great defensive midfielder like Julie Ertz. That's why going to a back three makes more sense.
I’m not finding you on Patreon, are you on there yet?
You know it would've been smart to put in the description :) thank you
www.patreon.com/BWWS
@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer thank you! It’s weird because I can’t find you searching the full name, but I was able to find it searching bwws. Weird Patreon search limitation.
@@criticaloptimist I might be able to fix that, thanks for letting me know
@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer heck yeah SEO! lol glad I can help!
Mexico's three players away from being very good
Maybe two! I loved it, can't wait to see more of them, will be watching the players in the Summer Cup closely
I was restricted to watching highlights. I watched US Soccer's highlight clip, all 3:45 of it, and you would have thought we had purely dominated Mexico. THEN I watched the Telemundo coverage, 12:26 or so, and HACHEE MACHEE there were breakdowns in front of Naeher! Repeatedly! Oy.
tl;dr - Thank you for the recap, and calming me down a bit. 😁
Wow that US soccer video is egregious, I suppose they didn't want to specify it was just their highlights! Glad you enjoyed it.