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Women's World Cup
Anybody following it besides me?
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I watched Germany beat Canada 2-1. I was hoping Canada would win!
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http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/23/sp...acle.html?_r=1
Anyone want to comment on this article about a coach who's trying to get rid of the lesbians on her team? Here's one response: http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/36/1009788 |
Germany and england both lost today! Tomorrow its USA vs Brazil and Sweden vs Australia. They will be great games.
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Wow. USA advances.
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Way to go, USA!
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I watched as much of the match as I could at the gym today - it was incredible!
The US Team played most of the second half with only 10 players after Rachel Buehler was ousted from the game with a straight red card. It looked like time was running out on the game when Abby Wambach made the header for the equalizing goal (fed to her off a long cross by Rapinoe). Penalty-kick shootouts are a goaltender's worst nightmare, but Hope Solo, who is tremendous in the net, didn't disappoint! What a great game! |
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Of course I was heavily into women's soccer when they won the last world cup back in 1999. I have no idea what's going to happen in the next game nor do I care to predict. But you have to admire the current team's mentality and their sheer physical will of not checking out of the game when they were so overly matched. I hope it will give them a boost in the next game and hopefully the rest of the World Cup. It's so great to see Julie Foudy again even if she is an announcer not a player! She played on the WUSA team the San Diego Spirit. I used to take my kids to those games and had season tickets two years in a row but the league folded. Julie Foudy was so great as a team leader on the World Cup team as well as the on the Spirit and really approachable. Most of the team really did a lot of interacting with the kids who came to the games. What was really nice was there were no drunk annoying fans. It was a really fun environment. |
Frankly I am disappointed in the whole thing. The confusing/bad calls and drama took away from the game.
Also, it just doesnt seem fair that the US team has training facilities of the very highest quality, conditioning coaches, physical trainers, nutritionists, and on and on with the bankrolling of the team - and then to cheer that the USA won because of their fitness. Its like cheering when the NY Yankees beat a tram with no payroll. The Brazil women's team hardly has any support in Brazil because they are women. The team members usually have to live in other countries if they want to play. Marta has to play for Rochester NY. She showed today that she is a passionate player with the skills to back up her fire. How many balls got into the net today past Hope Solo -- two from Marta and three penalty kicks (one of them from Marta). Hmmm 5 goals scored on Hope Solo. So big nationalistic whoop for the USA today. I guess I just need to let go of the outdated idea of a "level playing field" - even if it's a soccer pitch. |
Pretty amazing women athletes out there!
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I agree that the drama and a couple of questionable calls are distracting, but they are part of the game, almost always. No doubt there's some amazing talent on the Brazilian team, but I think it's a little out of line to criticize people who support the US team simply because they have better support. All that aside, I'd say that playing almost half the game short sided does somewhat level the playing field. Hope Solo is widely recognized as one of the best tenders in the sport and, as a former goal tender, I can tell you that penalty kicks are greatly weighted against the goalie, perhaps as evidenced by the fact that Brazil's tender stopped not one (I won't count the one where she illegally came off the line, leading to a re-kick). Also, it is greatly underestimating the role of a goal tender to place their skills solely on blocking balls. Solo has a huge foot and fields the ball from her station beautifully. Personally, as someone who was part of the generation that saw girl's/women's sports begin to be taken more seriously on the scholastic and collegiate level, I look at the fact that the US Women's team is so well backed as a positive advancement. Asking for a global "level playing field" in athletics is a challenging notion, don't you think? It doesn't even exist in men's sports. You can't effectively compare it to professional American sports, either, they're two completely different beasts. Generally speaking, I'm not a "go USA" sort (no nationalistic fervor here), but I have been a long time fan of the women's soccer program, because growing up, that was a dream I had. So to see it realized for others is something I recognize as a hard fought battle being won. |
It was a thrilling game with world-class athletes. My kid (the rabid soccer fan), says those calls will impact the ref's reputation. I'm going to see my first-ever live professional (local) game in August.
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Coming from one of the countries that the US Women's team beat, embarrassingly so, I am familiar with the uneven playing field. Men teams here get what little resources the country has to offer, and they are scarce, and the women's team is seen as a joke. They have to practice in empty fields, have very little government and corporate support and are basically on their own. What little equipment they get is second or third grade, and forget about any training facilities. I see them running on our crowded streets as their means of "training". What we do have is plenty of raw talent, as does Brazil, but as has been demonstrated, that is not always enough. Having said that, as a fan, a global one at that, I admire the skills and talent of any team, most particularly the US team which is also my other home team. I admire the fantastic show put on by both teams and I admire the fact that women, especially in Latin American countries, are getting a shot at a sport that is predominately men dominated. Kudos to all! From the age of 12 on to my early 20s, I was an avid soccer player and in the states I was considered a pretty good player. Not so for much because I had awesome skills, but because I was one of a handful women players at the time. I am more than thrilled to see the sport get this international exposure and can only hope that it continues to grow and provide us with some wonderful plays, such as the goal in the video i posted. Bad calls are always part of the equation, and to fall back on those after the fact it is to me the easiest and most used way of excusing the other team's loss. It happens in every sport, it happens in any gender. It is predictable and frankly not a very good argument. I am looking forward to an exciting final! |
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Economic disparity is an unfortunate aspect of global competition, and thankfully doesn't seem to dampen effort and heart. It's also fortunate that - limited though it may be - the opportunity exists for these women to play on professional teams where they can receive exposure to that intense level of competition, as well as training resources. |
On to the Final!
Team USA beat France, 3 - 1.
"...the heroics belonged to Abby Wambach, the star forward for Team USA, who came through in the clutch for the second straight match. This time the four-time Soccer Athlete of the Year winner scored off a corner kick by Lauren Cheney to break a 1-1 tie that seemed to break the French team's spirits." And then, once again, down to the penalty kicks, where Hope Solo (again) held the line. Looking forward to Sunday's match against Japan or Sweden! |
Yep, I'm a huge football fan (started another general thread a while back if anyone is ever interested in talking football regardless of competition/team/league etc.) and I've been following nearly every game.
France really need to deal with their goaltender situation, and just goes to show how a goaltender can either save a team's ass (as was the case with Hope Solo and the US) or screw them over (Sapowicz and Deville for France). France outplayed the US for the majority of the game, spent most of the game attacking the American net and quite frankly if it weren't for Hope Solo (and Abby Wambachs rediscovered heroics at the end of the game...though without Solo they wouldn't have had a chance by that point to begin with) the Americans would have been screwed. I really don't understand what Bini was thinking when he put Sapowicz as a starting keeper with Deville as back up. He should have just stole a keeper from Olympique Lyonnais considering over half the players play there anyway and as damn successful, too. It's frustrating given how far this team could have gone. Along with Japan they are the best passing team in these championships, among the most athletic and technical. To have that screwed up by a poor goalkeeping decision is rather annoying. Anyways, hopefully they can solve that problem by the time the Olympics role around because that team was one of the most entertaining to watch. On that note, congrats to Sweden today. Hammerström's goal was quite possibly the goal of the tournament, imo. Schelin played great football as usual against her Lyon teammates. But again, France really need to solve those goaltending issues. Quick fast. Will watch tomorrow's game as well...but I have to say I really hate the way North American media covers Asian teams in any sporting event. They seem compelled to always go on about the "heart" of North American teams/athletes as a winning factor (in this case the US), and always portray any other teams (particularly Asian) as lacking "heart." Japan have done something no other Japanese team has done before, and they've done it only shortly after disaster struck their entire nation. To say they lack "heart," to me, is an insult to their skill, but of course North American media always seem dead set on portraying Asian national teams/athletes as robotic carbon copies of one another, programmed from an early age. Anyways, I've really enjoyed seeing the rise of Japan in these games. Along with France they've been the best as far as technique, but unlike France they don't have a weak link in goal or anywhere else. Their passes are right on, they don't panic and give up the ball easily under pressure, they can finish well and they've got great athleticism. I'd also love to see Sawa win a World Cup. |
I am very excited! Not as well versed as so many others with this sport- but I am learing a lot during this competition. Of course I am going to root for the USA team- but if Japan wins that is OK by me. Might be a boost for japan after all that the country has been going through.
Sometimes I think a whole lot has changed for women athletes and support for their sports.... then... reality sets in. |
Whoops! I thought the US was playing Japan- it is Germany!
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