|
Post by bangkokbobby on Jun 7, 2015 12:28:50 GMT
Alex Morgan
It’s time again for the greatest event in women’s soccer (or football for the non-Yanks), the Women’s World Cup. I’m not terribly happy about the ladies playing on artificial turf, but these days that’s the least of FIFA’s blunders. Of course, my focus is on the United States Women’s National Team. As a big fan of Hope Solo and Abby Wambach, I’d love to see them go out as champions. I suppose Hope could play another World Cup if she made that decision down the line, but for Abby this is it. The key to their chances, however, might just lie in the health of superstar Alex Morgan. A bruised bone in her knee, which has put her on the shelf recently, leaves the American team’s chances in question. Alex says she will be ready. But athletes and their knees are tricky things. We just watched Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers try to push through knee problems in the NBA Finals, only to have his season end. I respect all the players on the USWNT and they can play well without any one person. But without players like Solo, Wambach or Morgan…there might be that one game where they would miss them. If that game comes in the knockout stage, well…that’s the end. For now, I will focus on the beginning and hope for the best. The beginning for the American women is a group stage match against Australia on June 8th. Also in Group D with the Americans and Australians are Sweden and Nigeria. Oh, and yes, Sweden is coached by former USWNT coach, Pia Sundhage, who guided the Americans to the 2011 WWC runner-up, losing to Japan in the championship match. Her knowledge of the United States squad could give Sundhage an advantage over US coach Jillian Ellis. On the other hand, there might be extra motivation for the Americans to best the coach that left them to go home.
HOPE SOLO
ALEX MORGAN
SYDNEY LEROUX
CHRISTEN PRESS
|
|
|
Post by bangkokbobby on Jun 7, 2015 17:07:17 GMT
Nisa RomyenOf course, my first loyalty is to the United States squad. But right behind them for me is Thailand. I am sitting here listening to the Thai National Anthem be played before Thailand's "War Elephants" take on Norway in the first ever Women's World Cup appearance by the Thai Women's National Team. The War Elephants are ranked 29th in the world. More than likely, they will get the brakes beaten off of them by Norway (11th) and Germany (1st) in Group B. Their best chance at a point is against Ivory Coast (67th). But whatever happens, I am so proud that this traditionally underfunded women's squad from Thailand even made it here. The future is what matters most as their appearance in the WWC has prompted better funding from the Royal Thai Football Federation. Pikul Khueanpat
|
|
|
Post by mr3putt on Jun 7, 2015 17:14:13 GMT
It was no surprise that Edmonton, The City of Champions, would have 50,000+ fans at the Canada vs. China match. I also really enjoyed watching the women's under 20 event in Edmonton several years ago in Edmonton too....they had a promo on tickets and I think they also got close to 50,000 for the final match.
Depending on which teams make it to the finals in Van City....I might attend if I can obtain some cheap tix on CL or scalped tix. I've yet to watch a WhiteCaps game...I've got to get my butt to a game.....even though they have the largest attendance in Canada....and I'd luv to see the Sounders vs. Whitecaps in Seattle where they typically get 65,000+ fans....the largest crowds....that would be amazing. I also have to watch a Seahawks game too.
BKB WTF has happened to Eugene Bouchard? I know she's had a change in agent and coach.....is her no hand shake poor sportsmanship getting back at her? She's the most marketable sports figure...but that must be dropping like a stone because of her poor performance this year.
Yes, Bouchard is quite cocky.
|
|
|
Post by bangkokbobby on Jun 7, 2015 17:26:22 GMT
It was no surprise that Edmonton, The City of Champions, would have 50,000+ fans at the Canada vs. China match. I also really enjoyed watching the women's under 20 event in Edmonton several years ago in Edmonton too....they had a promo on tickets and I think they also got close to 50,000 for the final match. Depending on which teams make it to the finals in Van City....I might attend if I can obtain some cheap tix on CL or scalped tix. I've yet to watch a WhiteCaps game...I've got to get my butt to a game.....even though they have the largest attendance in Canada....and I'd luv to see the Sounders vs. Whitecaps in Seattle where they typically get 65,000+ fans....the largest crowds....that would be amazing. I also have to watch a Seahawks game too. BKB WTF has happened to Eugene Bouchard? I know she's had a change in agent and coach.....is her no hand shake poor sportsmanship getting back at her? She's the most marketable sports figure...but that must be dropping like a stone because of her poor performance this year. Yes, Bouchard is quite cocky. Yes, let me answer that in just a second...first I need to get HF's attention I APOLOGIZE, I MEANT TO PUT THIS IN THE 19TH HOLE SECTION, NOT THE NEWS BAG...CAN YOU MOVE THIS THREAD TO THE CORRECT PLACE, HAPPY FAN? SORRY, I WAS HALF ASLEEP WHEN I STARTED THIS AND MADE A MISTAKE. Ok, so Genie...I honestly have no problem with her cockiness...and she is cocky...so long as that cockiness is still respectful...refusing to shake hands at Fed Cup...especially a team event like Fed Cup...was disappointing...she claims, oh I don't want to wish my opponent luck...some say that shows her strong will...her strength of mind, but to me it shows weakness...being stubborn is not strength of mind...to me, a flexible, adaptive mind shows strength...you can shake hands and mentally make it mean anything you want...the art of war is the art of deception...she acts the way she plays...stubborn and unchanging...but people have figured out her style...it happened to Wozniacki after she was #1...the field figures you out and you have to constantly add to your game...it's not good enough just to do one thing over and over unless you are Maria Sharapova and strong enough to have only one gameplan...but no matter what she does off the court, on the court Eugenie is no Sharapova...not yet...and with each loss, she loses confidence...whether she admits it or not...getting waxed in the Wimbledon final last year I think took her confidence down a bit...then she got waxed again in the first round of Rogers Cup...changing coaches was also a big deal...with a player as stubborn as Genie, you need the right coach and Nick Saviano seemed to be a good fit.
|
|
|
Post by mr3putt on Jun 7, 2015 19:15:08 GMT
BKB Thx for you analysis of EB....I don't follow tennis enough to understand a pros' profile or style. Are you watching FOX's coverage....I didn't know that they built some infrastructure downtown....it's by the Olympic cauldron. As you can see from the back drop...Van City is a gorgeous city....I live near the bottom of the mountains in the background.
Who is the attractive blonde in the main telecast team in Vancouver? How about the blonde covering Ottawa?
|
|
|
Post by bangkokbobby on Jun 8, 2015 0:58:25 GMT
BKB Thx for you analysis of EB....I don't follow tennis enough to understand a pros' profile or style. Are you watching FOX's coverage....I didn't know that they built some infrastructure downtown....it's by the Olympic cauldron. As you can see from the back drop...Van City is a gorgeous city....I live near the bottom of the mountains in the background. Who is the attractive blonde in the main telecast team in Vancouver? How about the blonde covering Ottawa? Sorry, I was too busy with tears in my eyes to notice who the telecast team was...except Monica Gonzalez, the one with dark hair...former player. TRINE RONNING
As I suspected, Thailand was rudely welcomed to their first ever Women's World Cup with a 4-0 loss to Norway. But I remain proud of the Thai women no matter how they do. They simply have a lot of work to do in the coming years to hopefully one day be a more competitive team. At least they did better than the Ivory Coast, which was walloped by Germany 10-0 in the second worst Women's World Cup result ever. It was 5-0 at half time. Heck, it was 5-0 by the 35th minute. Thailand has to play Ivory Coast in their group. That is their opportunity to play a winnable game.
NORWAY d. Thailand 4-0
GERMANY d. Ivory Coast 10-0
|
|
|
Post by bangkokbobby on Jun 9, 2015 4:55:23 GMT
more pics on my blog: Hope Solo, Megan Rapinoe, Christen Press Star As United States Wins Opening Match 3-1 Against Australia At 2015 Women’s World CupHope SoloWith controversy and court proceedings swirling around her off the pitch, Hope Solo continues to be as great a goalkeeper as ever on it. Although she gave up a goal, which was on a shot she could have done little about, in the United States Women’s National Team’s 3-1 victory over Australia in their opening match of the 2015 Women’s World Cup, Hope made a couple of brilliant early saves on shot attempts that could have put the Americans in a 2 goal deficit at halftime instead of being tied 1-1. The defense was especially ragged early, often out of position or slow to react. Those saves by Solo gave the U.S. a chance to settle down defensively, which they did. But moving forward, they will need to be a lot better throughout games from beginning to finish if they are to contend for the championship. Meanwhile, as the defense was coming together, the Americans received an offensive punch from Megan Repinoe with 2 goals and Christen Press with her first ever Women’s World Cup goal off a terrific crossing pass from Sydney Leroux. If the U.S. squad only has a limited Alex Morgan, who subbed in late in the 79th minute, then they will need players like Rapinoe, Leroux and Press to step up as they did in the opening game. USA d. Australia 3-1 MEGAN RAPINOE HOPE SOLO CHRISTEN PRESS
|
|
|
Post by mr3putt on Jun 9, 2015 5:18:20 GMT
Soccer is not popular in North America...never mind women's soccer....I've been pleasantly surprised with the attendance at these games.
I enjoyed seeing Nigeria, as big underdogs, tie Sweden.
|
|
|
Post by mr3putt on Jun 9, 2015 5:22:23 GMT
Sydney Laroux is a traitor....lol.
Grace Park also attended HS in Arizona....but she didn't play under the Yank flag.
|
|
|
Post by bangkokbobby on Jun 9, 2015 5:37:53 GMT
Sydney Laroux is a traitor....lol. Grace Park also attended HS in Arizona....but she didn't play under the Yank flag. Sydney reminds me of the Song Sisters in golf. Sydney with American and Canadian parentage. Song Wongluekiets with Thai and South Korean heritage. Sydney played for Canada on junior squads before switching loyalties to America. Aree and Naree played as juniors under the Thai flag before instead choosing their father's South Korean heritage. I remember being a bit disappointed in Aree and Naree...not because what I or anybody else thinks should matter, they can do whatever they want...it was just that at that time when Aree and Naree were on the scene, there were not a lot of good Thai players like today while there was an abundance of great Korean players...in other words, I felt South Korea didn't need them like Thailand did.
|
|
|
Post by bangkokbobby on Jun 11, 2015 2:06:17 GMT
Somebody asked about the artificial turf controversy over on mylpga so I thought I'd also post my thoughts here too: There are several issues that players have brought up concerning the Women's World Cup being played on artificial turf. One is the greater chances of "turf burn". Clearly, skinned limbs and injuries happen on grass as well. But players claim with essentially a plastic surface with rubber filler increases those injuries. USA squad member Sydney Leroux posted a picture of how her legs looked after playing a game on turf in 2013. So did Samantha Kerr of Australia: So that's one issue. Another is that while it's always hotter on the playing surface than in the atmosphere, temperatures on plastic turf can be far higher. Surface temperature of the artificial turf for Canada's opening match was said to be 120 F (49 C). Also, see that black stuff behind Megan Rapinoe's shoes scraping across the turf? That's not dirt. It's "crumb rubber", basically old ground up tires, that some say are a potenital health hazard for those who play on it long term. They are like small rubber pellets that often get into players' mouths and noses. Finally, FIFA doesn't have the men play their World Cup on artificial turf, so for many of the women's players it's also a question of gender equity. Here's a surface that almost none of them prefer over grass, many don't want to play on, hurts their limbs when sliding more than grass, could be a health hazard and isn't good enough for the men for their World Cup...yet FIFA forces the women to play on it (and the Canadian Federation is culpable too). And don't be fooled by anything they say as an excuse or whatever they say "experts" claim about artificial turf safety...this is ALL ABOUT MONEY. It's cheaper to maintain artificial fields. And that's sad. FIFA, a cash making, bribe taking, money machine has basically decided to produce the WWC on the cheap. I have heard FIFA will not have artificial turf WWC in the future. Sounds like either the criticism became loud enough....or maybe they are desperate for some good press right now so they are reversing course. But let me say I heard that as a rumor...I haven't read anywhere that they have pledged going forward to play on natural grass. So we'll see.
|
|
|
Post by mr3putt on Jun 11, 2015 4:15:58 GMT
BKB Just like women's golf...not much fanfare for women's soccer neither in North America. If not for myself and the Irish guy in Rusty's Playhouse...you'd be talking to yourself in your soccer threads.
I'm generally soccer naive....so is the Women's World Cup reliant on the success of the World Cup...similar to...if not for the USO....the USWO would not be playing for a $4M purse.
So unless the women's can self sustain attention and a ROI...should they really be complaining on what surface they play? Yes, I heard about this complaint many times....but then again...it's hosted in Canada...so it's in our news.
|
|
|
Post by centurion on Jun 12, 2015 0:57:07 GMT
Celebrate tonight, Bobby. I hope everyone in Thailand is have a terrific morning after they won their first ever World Cup match.
I've been watching as much as I can. That China match was amazing, and this Thailand team is really scrappy. Ivory Coast has been beating the crap out of them physically, and they kept getting back up. I wonder how they stack against Germany. A win sends them to the next round.
|
|
|
Post by bangkokbobby on Jun 12, 2015 2:26:10 GMT
Celebrate tonight, Bobby. I hope everyone in Thailand is have a terrific morning after they won their first ever World Cup match. I've been watching as much as I can. That China match was amazing, and this Thailand team is really scrappy. Ivory Coast has been beating the crap out of them physically, and they kept getting back up. I wonder how they stack against Germany. A win sends them to the next round. Thailand's Orathai Srimanee scores her second goal of the game vs Ivory Coast
This was the best day watching women's soccer for me since Abby Wambach saved the day for the USA against Brazil in stoppage time (sending the match to a deciding pk stage) at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. Thailand earned their first points ever in a Women's World Cup match by edging the Ivory Coast, 3-2. The star of the game for the War Elephants was midfielder Orathai Srimanee, who scored twice including a nice header in first half stoppage time that needed a Hawkeye review for confirmation. Srimanee went out of the game in the 74th minute, appearing to cramp. A minute later her replacement, Thatta Chawong, scored on another header.
Ok, all of that said...I believe in fair play so I have to admit this. On Thailand's first goal, it looked like maybe 3 players were offside. And the goal by Chawong also looked like the referees again missed an offside by Thailand. Ivory Coast also missed a point blank open net in the first half stoppage time. So if someone were to make a case that Ivory Coast should have won, I won't argue with that assertion. I'll just say that in the end, they didn't. Thailand did. And with Germany up next, smarting from a tie with Norway, this was the match the War Elephants needed to get their first ever points...and they did.
THAILAND d. Ivory Coast 3-2
|
|
|
Post by bangkokbobby on Jun 13, 2015 14:49:40 GMT
more pics and video on my blog: Team USA Plays To 0-0 Tie Against Sweden In Group D Match At 2015 Women’s World CupHedvig Lindahl of Sweden denies Team USAIn a grudge match against former USWNT coach Pia Sundhage, Team USA was forced to settle for a 0-0 tie in Group D play at the 2015 Women’s World Cup. After giving up 3 goals to Nigeria, Swedish goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl bounced back with a strong effort to deny the American squad on several goal opportunities. Coach Sundhage doesn’t hold her tongue, giving the USA some extra motivation with comments this past year about Carli Lloyd, Abby Wambach and controversial goalkeeper Hope Solo. Once again, Solo was solid in goal (with a little assistance) and Wambach did give a spark when she subbed in for emerging star Cristen Press late in the second half. However, the best save of the game for the Americans was by Meghan Klingenberg, heading off a shot that would have won the match for Sweden. It was a good move by Solo to hold Klingenberg in position in goal on that play with a crowded box. Swedish goalkeeper Lindahl was named Player of the Match, but that save by Klingenberg to me was the play of the match. It kept Team USA in the lead in Group D at 4 points. But there is all to play for against Nigeria (1 pt) on Tuesday. Australia (3 pts) will take on Sweden (2 pts) in the other Group D match. The USA, thanks to their defense with Hope Solo (and Klingenberg) does have the only positive goal differential in Group D. UNITED STATES ties Sweden, 0-0
|
|