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Post by geddyleeridesagain on Aug 7, 2023 22:33:14 GMT -5
I'm currently pulling for the Matilda's. I'm honestly fine with anyone. Either the most fun team in the tournament (Japan) wins its second World Cup, or we get a first-time champion. Edit: also, didn't you put some money on Australia? I thought that you had, so that gives extra rooting incentive. I did! +1,000 the day before the tournament started.
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Post by jayj79 on Aug 7, 2023 22:57:50 GMT -5
Perhaps the English players were being a little extra solicitous after one of their own stomped a Nigerian player for a straight red? Nigeria had a player red-carded for a dangerous tackle of a Canadian player, then a Nigerian player is victim of a dangerous/malicious play by an English player. Karma?
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Post by bbg95 on Aug 7, 2023 23:03:15 GMT -5
I haven't seen France play yet, so I think I'll get up early to catch them. 5 AM is just late enough to not wreck my sleep schedule.
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Post by bbg95 on Aug 7, 2023 23:20:38 GMT -5
I was looking for this video earlier, but Fox finally put it up this morning. This really shows how impressive Musovic's positioning was.
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Post by bbg95 on Aug 8, 2023 6:33:23 GMT -5
Colombia defeated Jamaica 1-0, and France is all over Morocco, up 3-0 in the first half.
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Post by bbg95 on Aug 8, 2023 8:31:36 GMT -5
https://www.instagram.com/p/CvrzV2HNOIv France looked good, though Morocco's defense was quite poor on all four goals. I think Japan and France are the favorites to come out of their sides of the bracket, though I do wonder what a better defensive team can to against France (Morocco got outscored 10-0 by Germany and France).
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Post by donut on Aug 8, 2023 10:58:22 GMT -5
Perhaps the English players were being a little extra solicitous after one of their own stomped a Nigerian player for a straight red? Nigeria had a player red-carded for a dangerous tackle of a Canadian player, then a Nigerian player is victim of a dangerous/malicious play by an English player. Karma? Isn't that like, reverse karma?
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Post by zarsta on Aug 8, 2023 17:00:19 GMT -5
Had to watch on a 1.5 hour delay last night, so stayed away from internet spoilers until this morning. Colombia vs Jamaica - in the first half it felt like someone was on the ground in pain every two minutes, very chippy, like both teams were trying establish themselves physically as early as possible. Colombia's goal was a beauty. Jamaica left Bunny Shaw quite isolated up front for most of the game, though they did have some good chances. I only watched the first half of France vs Morocco, needed sleep and just watched highlights of second half this morning. Morocco's GK reverted back to the poor decision making of the Germany game (she'd been very good since then), so it fell apart quite quickly once France had that first goal. Not just the GK though, unmarked players in the box so overall a rough defensive line performance for Morocco, and France punished them for it.
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Post by bbg95 on Aug 9, 2023 12:14:20 GMT -5
I thought this article was pretty dead on about the USWNT's issues (even if he thinks college football is somehow messing up the soccer pipeline).
There are some easy fixes like firing the coach and not wasting roster spots on people who are washed up. But the bigger issue is that Europe (and South America too, at least on the men's side) just has a superior development system for soccer players. We have like 100 years of evidence on the men's side to show that, so I think it was inevitable that Europe would eventually catch and surpass us, and the only question was when. I also think other countries that don't have much of a chance on the men's side may put more of their resources into their women (I think this is already happening). They can look at the previous eight women's World Cups and note that six were won by countries that have never been serious men's contenders, so why not them? The US should still contend to win the Women's World Cup in four years, maybe even be the favorite. But I would be surprised if they're still the favorite in 40 years.
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Post by bbg95 on Aug 9, 2023 12:34:19 GMT -5
Now, that the quarterfinals are set, here are the updated odds from DraftKings to win the tournament:
England +275 Spain +300 Japan +450 France +500 Australia +850 Netherlands +1100 Sweden +1100 Colombia +2800
I'm surprised that England is still the favorite after they squeaked by Nigeria and with Lauren James out for possibly the rest of the tournament. Then again, they've only allowed one goal and may have the best coach. Maybe they can win the way Canada won gold in men's hockey in Sochi (0.5 GAA).
Edit: this tournament feels wide open. The only champion that would surprise me is Colombia.
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Post by mervinswerved on Aug 9, 2023 12:55:18 GMT -5
I thought this article was pretty dead on about the USWNT's issues (even if he thinks college football is somehow messing up the soccer pipeline). There are some easy fixes like firing the coach and not wasting roster spots on people who are washed up. But the bigger issue is that Europe (and South America too, at least on the men's side) just has a superior development system for soccer players. We have like 100 years of evidence on the men's side to show that, so I think it was inevitable that Europe would eventually catch and surpass us, and the only question was when. I also think other countries that don't have much of a chance on the men's side may put more of their resources into their women (I think this is already happening). They can look at the previous eight women's World Cups and note that six were won by countries that have never been serious men's contenders, so why not them? The US should still contend to win the Women's World Cup in four years, maybe even be the favorite. But I would be surprised if they're still the favorite in 40 years. I think it's a strange argument from Kassouf. The team grinding their way to a title in 2023 would be papering over all the systemic flaws? I suppose, but it would also be an unprecedented third-straight world cup title. There's value in that, I think. I do think the development system is a mess and the USWNT (and USA Volleyball, for that matter) succeed in spite of it in some ways, but in other ways, it's great for getting enormous numbers of girls into the sport. The USA is a very large and very rich country and that means it doesn't need the same solutions some other nations might. College soccer is bad for professional development- nobody knows that more than people in American soccer. That's why the best men haven't been in the college game for a while now. Of the 26 players on the 2022 roster, only seven played in college and the three who played big minutes (Turner, Ream, and Zimmerman) were some of the best performers. Not surprising the seven are mostly defenders and goalkeepers, positions which mature and peak later in their careers. Kassouf is saying the best players are still going to college while mentioning several American women who didn't actually play in college. Horan, Rodman, Smith, Swanson, and Thompson played a collective two years in college. I think that shift is already happening in women's soccer, it's just that the generation who all played in the NCAA was still part of this roster, for better or worse. They definitely need to get better and do more to professionalize the youth side of things. My biggest worry, though, is NWSL itself. I don't think it's going to attract the best players from other countries like they thought when it started. What Barca, Real Madrid, the German clubs, and the WSL are doing is really something. I don't know what the pay looks like over there, but the big clubs seem to be taking it seriously and that's going to hurt our senior players in the medium to long run. Furthermore, if USWNT players are still tied to NWSL I think it gives them an out from seeking the best professional competition. There's no surprise that once the USA men produced a generation that went to Europe early you started seeing big transfer fees for those players to end up in Serie A, the Bundesliga, and the Premier League. Jurgen was wrong about a long of things, but he was right that American men needed to seek their fortunes overseas if they wanted to be top players. tl;dr the teeth gnashing and finger pointing is pretty typical when a generation cycle crashes at a world cup and that's a good thing. Problems need to be fixed, future is bright, all of that.
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Post by bbg95 on Aug 9, 2023 17:00:38 GMT -5
I thought this article was pretty dead on about the USWNT's issues (even if he thinks college football is somehow messing up the soccer pipeline). There are some easy fixes like firing the coach and not wasting roster spots on people who are washed up. But the bigger issue is that Europe (and South America too, at least on the men's side) just has a superior development system for soccer players. We have like 100 years of evidence on the men's side to show that, so I think it was inevitable that Europe would eventually catch and surpass us, and the only question was when. I also think other countries that don't have much of a chance on the men's side may put more of their resources into their women (I think this is already happening). They can look at the previous eight women's World Cups and note that six were won by countries that have never been serious men's contenders, so why not them? The US should still contend to win the Women's World Cup in four years, maybe even be the favorite. But I would be surprised if they're still the favorite in 40 years. I think it's a strange argument from Kassouf. The team grinding their way to a title in 2023 would be papering over all the systemic flaws? I suppose, but it would also be an unprecedented third-straight world cup title. There's value in that, I think. I do think the development system is a mess and the USWNT (and USA Volleyball, for that matter) succeed in spite of it in some ways, but in other ways, it's great for getting enormous numbers of girls into the sport. The USA is a very large and very rich country and that means it doesn't need the same solutions some other nations might. College soccer is bad for professional development- nobody knows that more than people in American soccer. That's why the best men haven't been in the college game for a while now. Of the 26 players on the 2022 roster, only seven played in college and the three who played big minutes (Turner, Ream, and Zimmerman) were some of the best performers. Not surprising the seven are mostly defenders and goalkeepers, positions which mature and peak later in their careers. Kassouf is saying the best players are still going to college while mentioning several American women who didn't actually play in college. Horan, Rodman, Smith, Swanson, and Thompson played a collective two years in college. I think that shift is already happening in women's soccer, it's just that the generation who all played in the NCAA was still part of this roster, for better or worse. They definitely need to get better and do more to professionalize the youth side of things. My biggest worry, though, is NWSL itself. I don't think it's going to attract the best players from other countries like they thought when it started. What Barca, Real Madrid, the German clubs, and the WSL are doing is really something. I don't know what the pay looks like over there, but the big clubs seem to be taking it seriously and that's going to hurt our senior players in the medium to long run. Furthermore, if USWNT players are still tied to NWSL I think it gives them an out from seeking the best professional competition. There's no surprise that once the USA men produced a generation that went to Europe early you started seeing big transfer fees for those players to end up in Serie A, the Bundesliga, and the Premier League. Jurgen was wrong about a long of things, but he was right that American men needed to seek their fortunes overseas if they wanted to be top players. tl;dr the teeth gnashing and finger pointing is pretty typical when a generation cycle crashes at a world cup and that's a good thing. Problems need to be fixed, future is bright, all of that. So I think you make a lot of reasonable points. I'm less optimistic about the long-term future than I think you are. I think the biggest issue is actually cultural. I read a comment the other day on the US soccer subreddit from a Dutch poster. The way he described the soccer culture in the Netherlands sounds like an amazing way (almost a soccer utopia) to develop top-quality soccer players on both the men's and women's side. I would imagine that it's similar (likely not the exact same system, but the cultural importance of the sport) in most of the other European powers. And it's just something that I don't think the US will ever have because soccer is in seventh place in this country behind the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and both NCAA football and men's basketball. The US may have a lot of people and money, but it's hard to compete with other wealthy countries that are that focused on a sport we tune in for maybe a few weeks a summer. This is why we have never been a serious contender on the men's side, and I doubt we likely ever will be. Title IX and the college system gave the US a big advantage early on when most of the traditional soccer powers were not investing in their women. But that has changed. As I said earlier, once the European powers started taking their women's programs seriously, it was only a matter of time before they rose to the top.
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Post by mervinswerved on Aug 9, 2023 17:32:47 GMT -5
I think it's a strange argument from Kassouf. The team grinding their way to a title in 2023 would be papering over all the systemic flaws? I suppose, but it would also be an unprecedented third-straight world cup title. There's value in that, I think. I do think the development system is a mess and the USWNT (and USA Volleyball, for that matter) succeed in spite of it in some ways, but in other ways, it's great for getting enormous numbers of girls into the sport. The USA is a very large and very rich country and that means it doesn't need the same solutions some other nations might. College soccer is bad for professional development- nobody knows that more than people in American soccer. That's why the best men haven't been in the college game for a while now. Of the 26 players on the 2022 roster, only seven played in college and the three who played big minutes (Turner, Ream, and Zimmerman) were some of the best performers. Not surprising the seven are mostly defenders and goalkeepers, positions which mature and peak later in their careers. Kassouf is saying the best players are still going to college while mentioning several American women who didn't actually play in college. Horan, Rodman, Smith, Swanson, and Thompson played a collective two years in college. I think that shift is already happening in women's soccer, it's just that the generation who all played in the NCAA was still part of this roster, for better or worse. They definitely need to get better and do more to professionalize the youth side of things. My biggest worry, though, is NWSL itself. I don't think it's going to attract the best players from other countries like they thought when it started. What Barca, Real Madrid, the German clubs, and the WSL are doing is really something. I don't know what the pay looks like over there, but the big clubs seem to be taking it seriously and that's going to hurt our senior players in the medium to long run. Furthermore, if USWNT players are still tied to NWSL I think it gives them an out from seeking the best professional competition. There's no surprise that once the USA men produced a generation that went to Europe early you started seeing big transfer fees for those players to end up in Serie A, the Bundesliga, and the Premier League. Jurgen was wrong about a long of things, but he was right that American men needed to seek their fortunes overseas if they wanted to be top players. tl;dr the teeth gnashing and finger pointing is pretty typical when a generation cycle crashes at a world cup and that's a good thing. Problems need to be fixed, future is bright, all of that. So I think you make a lot of reasonable points. I'm less optimistic about the long-term future than I think you are. I think the biggest issue is actually cultural. I read a comment the other day on the US soccer subreddit from a Dutch poster. The way he described the soccer culture in the Netherlands sounds like an amazing way (almost a soccer utopia) to develop top-quality soccer players on both the men's and women's side. I would imagine that it's similar (likely not the exact same system, but the cultural importance of the sport) in most of the other European powers. And it's just something that I don't think the US will ever have because soccer is in seventh place in this country behind the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and both NCAA football and men's basketball. The US may have a lot of people and money, but it's hard to compete with other wealthy countries that are that focused on a sport we tune in for maybe a few weeks a summer. This is why we have never been a serious contender on the men's side, and I doubt we likely ever will be. Title IX and the college system gave the US a big advantage early on when most of the traditional soccer powers were not investing in their women. But that has changed. As I said earlier, once the European powers started taking their women's programs seriously, it was only a matter of time before they rose to the top. On the contrary, I'm 39 and I firmly believe our men will win a world cup in my lifetime. They have come light years in the last couple decades and I wouldn't be shocked to see them make a semifinal in 2026.
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Post by bbg95 on Aug 9, 2023 20:49:12 GMT -5
So I think you make a lot of reasonable points. I'm less optimistic about the long-term future than I think you are. I think the biggest issue is actually cultural. I read a comment the other day on the US soccer subreddit from a Dutch poster. The way he described the soccer culture in the Netherlands sounds like an amazing way (almost a soccer utopia) to develop top-quality soccer players on both the men's and women's side. I would imagine that it's similar (likely not the exact same system, but the cultural importance of the sport) in most of the other European powers. And it's just something that I don't think the US will ever have because soccer is in seventh place in this country behind the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and both NCAA football and men's basketball. The US may have a lot of people and money, but it's hard to compete with other wealthy countries that are that focused on a sport we tune in for maybe a few weeks a summer. This is why we have never been a serious contender on the men's side, and I doubt we likely ever will be. Title IX and the college system gave the US a big advantage early on when most of the traditional soccer powers were not investing in their women. But that has changed. As I said earlier, once the European powers started taking their women's programs seriously, it was only a matter of time before they rose to the top. On the contrary, I'm 39 and I firmly believe our men will win a world cup in my lifetime. They have come light years in the last couple decades and I wouldn't be shocked to see them make a semifinal in 2026. We're almost exactly the same age. It's not happening in my lifetime or yours. They failed to even qualify for the World Cup in 2018 despite a very easy confederation and were thoroughly outclassed by the Netherlands in 2022. Even a semifinal at home is unlikely in my view. They might be light years ahead of where they used to be, but they're still light years behind the truly elite teams of the world. And I think the expansion of the World Cup won't help. A champion now needs to win five knockout matches in a row. I think very few countries are actually capable of doing that. There's a reason why only eight countries have ever won the World Cup despite the popularity of soccer across the world. The only non-champion who I think will likely do it is the Netherlands. Edit: I don't want to spend too much time on men's soccer, since this thread is about the Women's World Cup. So I'll just make one more point here. The US men have exactly one knockout win at the World Cup in its entire history. And their lone win was when they lucked into the best possible opponent in Mexico, a team they have more experience playing against than just about anyone else. But they're going to win five straight knockout matches? Okay.
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Post by bbg95 on Aug 9, 2023 21:00:02 GMT -5
I'm amused at some of the takes of the American soccer media, who have to be some of the most myopic people on the planet. According to some, well, yahoo at Yahoo, the reason Europe caught up to the USWNT is because we "let" them do it, not because they are superior at soccer development. I'm also amused at the takes that the US was "better" than Sweden, as if the goalkeeper isn't a member of the team. I mean, Sweden won their group, while we were lucky to not get eliminated by Portugal. Their keeper was good enough that we couldn't score. And they were better in penalties. But sure.
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