Megan Rapinoe celebrates the US 3-1 win. She scored twice. (Getty Images)
Neil W. Blackmon
Day three of the Women’s World Cup brought us the tournament’s best game thus far, two great performances from African sides generating two strong nominations for tournament darling, a challenge to the defending champions and the debut of the US Women’s National Team. Here are four thoughts on a four match day.
The Americans were dire for an hour, but found a way to win, as they often do.
For an hour, you wondered what Jill Ellis was writing in her notebook. Notes on WH Auden? Thoughts on how Kafka’s notion that what is right is often not what is acceptable applies to starting Abby Wambach? Slam poetry? Plans to help Miami deal with the impending doom of seal level rise? How could she remain so calm given the product on the field?
The Americans were outnumbered in the midfield zones and had largely removed two of their best playmakers, Carli Lloyd and Lauren Holiday from the game, as it is difficult to orchestrate much in attack when you are outnumbered and constantly chasing to cover space. They had scored a fluke of a goal, when Megan Rapinoe’s twirled shot heading nowhere near the net hit an Australian defender and went in, but otherwise had been overrun in the midfield and stretched in defense, an overambitious Julie Johnston gambling too often and leaving a great but often isolated Becky Sauerbrunn to cover with fullback help that was tough to find.
The Americans were unquestionably tied thanks to the heroics of Hope Solo. Seemingly impervious to the sandstorm of news regarding her domestic violence arrest at home, Solo again showed why she is the best goalkeeper in the world Monday night. Her save on Emily Van Egmond early was sensational, as the ball was swerving away from her and hit with pace. Her save later in the half, on Samantha Kerr’s hard and low effort, which she parried away with her left hand, was even better.
Carli Lloyd, Solo’s roommate in Canada, told ESPN that Solo seems “more focused” than in recent years following the match. If so, that’s amazing. There’s a Barry Bonds-like quality to Solo, in her ability to perform at peak levels despite deafening allegations and innuendo off the field. In a way, given that it was a co-author of the Bonds expose Game of Shadows who broke the ESPN Outside the Lines story, maybe that comparison is fitting. Nonetheless, it was her play and a tremendous emergency tackle by Becky Sauerbrunn early in the second half that kept the Yanks in the game.
After that, the US got its feet under it, passing and moving the ball better, before the individual of three players won the game.
First, Rapinoe won a ball from Solo and then chipped the ball over three Australian defenders to Sydney Leroux, streaking down the left flank.
Second, Leroux, who reminds you of an elite NFL running back in that she often looks stronger, faster and more difficult to mark as a game goes on, bulled her way past an Aussie defender and delivered a ball to a diagonally cutting Christen Press, who, like a true number nine, had halted her run to carve out space, leaving Clare Polkinghorne’s CB replacement in her wake. Press then finished across her body at the far post- not an easy thing to do- but one a talented pure striker can do. Why Press doesn’t play the #9 for the US is a conversation we may have for years following this tournament. Or maybe not. But she used her talent to put the Americans ahead last night.
Finally, Rapinoe put the game away with a brilliant slaloming run and strike that made you understand why you have to tolerate her tendency to be a ball-stopper. She’s good to kill two to three nice attacks or build-ups a game by deflating the ball and challenging defenders when she ought to keep moving, but she does that because she wins those battles at a much higher rate than most players in the world. And last night, when she won the last one, it made the Americans safe on an evening they probably shouldn’t have been.
But that’s what the US does. They find a way. There remain, of course, a ton of issues with this team as championship contenders. But for today, they lead a group many tabbed them not to win.
Francisca Ordega celebrates Nigeria’s equalizer against Sweden. (getty images)
Cameroon and Nigeria were terrific in the wake of Cote D’Ivore’s troubling loss to Germany. These were two great performances and give this World Cup a darling or two.
Cameroon scored three times in a nine minute stretch to rout Ecuador 6-0 in a game that featured three penalty kick goals. Gaëlle Enganamouit had a hat trick for 53rd-ranked Cameroon, who delivered the type of World Cup performance we often hope we’ll get from the Indomitable Lions but rarely do. The win obviously creates a good deal of goal differential padding for Cameroon in a soft Group C, but more important, it makes some history. The six goal margin is the largest margin of victory for an African nation in a men’s or women’s World Cup. No matter what happens to Enow Ngachu’s side from here, they’ve made a historic memory, and done so in the rich footballing nation’s first Women’s World Cup match. There was so much going on at the tournament yesterday this was lost a bit.
Nigeria, playing Sweden, clearly a far better opponent than Cameroon saw in Ecuador, played in what will be the standard-bearer for match of the tournament. Francisca Ordega lifted the Nigerians to a draw in the 87th minute when she slotted a ball past goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl’s legs, leading to the touching image of Super Falcon manager Edwin Okon falling to his knees and kissing the ground.
https://twitter.com/AllWorldCups/status/608026569035141122
The result was no fluke, either.
The Nigerians troubled the fifth-ranked Swedes, coached by former USWNT manager Pia Sundhage, throughout, largely controlling the run of play in the match. Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala was clearly the best player on the pitch for either team, terrorizing the Swedes in the channels throughout the first half and asking question after question of a defense many rate among the best in the world. Indeed, Sweden’s Nilla Fischer is regarded almost universally as one of the top two defenders on the planet, and she had a miserable day. Here’s an image of her being turned by Nigeria’s Ngozi Okobi on one of the Nigerian goals, courtesy of Richard Farley’s twitter account (@richardfarley).
Ngozi Okobi’s turn was one of the many tough things that happened to NIlla Fischer yesterday.
Fischer was caught out on the Nigerian equalizer as well, a stunning turn of events for a lockdown CB and one that asks questions of Sweden’s fitness entering the tournament. Fischer was clearly cramping after Nigeria tied the game at two, and Pia Sundhage, with one substitution remaining, could have substituted her. She did not. By the time the Super Falcons equalized,Pia Sundhage had run out of substitutions. One may argue that because of Fischer’s world class status, it was unlikely Sundhage would have removed Fischer unless she couldn’t go on, and that’s a reasonable take. But Fischer certainly contributed to Sweden earning only a draw yesterday.
Meanwhile, Nigeria may rue the two set piece goals they gave up in the first half of a game where they were dictating most the proceedings. Had they defended with more organization and concentration, they may have won the match and sent Group D into utter disarray. As it stands, they’ll have to settle for respect, and a chance to get out of this group if they can get a result against a desperate Australia next.
Nigeria-Australia will be a game of loud desperation for the Matildas.
First, credit where it’s due.
For sixty minutes, the Australians had the better of the United States. The Americans, not unlike the Swedes, were outplayed and fortunate to be tied. Australia was faster than the United States, exploited the Americans midfield thanks to 3 v 2’s and 4 v 2’s, and were much sharper in their passing and link-up play. Were it not for Hope Solo’s spectacular goalkeeping and a remarkable emergency tackle by Becky Sauerbrunn, the US would have been behind. So credit the Australians for developing technical players and playing together in an organized and coherent tactical system.
The positives for the Matildas, who were playing without two starters including captain Clare Polkinghorne, make a bit of the post-match optimism from the Aussie press justifiable.
But only a bit of it. Soccer, after all, is a ninety minute game and bossing the United States for sixty minutes doesn’t matter much when you lose by two goals and end the evening last in your group. More on the Yanks at the bottom, but the reality here is that the Australians couldn’t continue to trouble the Americans in the second half and appeared defeated after Christen Press put the Yanks ahead 2-1.
Lisa De Vanna’s blazing runs between the American central defense slowed a step in half number two, both because the US became familiar with the angles she was taking (diagonal from the right flank!!!) and because Julie Johnston played narrower with Becky Sauerbrunn in the second half to prevent the Yanks from being split down the middle.
Samantha Kerr, denied cruelly by Solo in half one, was relatively quiet in half two. Michelle Heyman never got things going in the second half, and Emily Van Egmond, the dynamic 21 year old who shoulders so much of the creative burden in the Australian midfield, looked out of ideas, especially when the Matlidas fell behind.
The Americans deserve a great deal of credit for that. The “never say die and grit and grind” attributes so often attributed to the less-technical and talented US men apply in spades to the women as well, and the ability to find a result has been an attribute of the women’s teams since at least the 2011 World Cup. As the rest of the world has caught up, the Americans still understand winning, and they still have the technical brilliance to make winning plays.
Finding ways to win separates champions from good sides, and the Australians need to learn that as they continue to develop. The Aussies looked slow on to defend the counter on occasion last night, a tendency that could haunt them against the Super Falcons in their next game. And while they will remain fast, Nigeria collectively are a faster side than the United States, neutralizing to an extent a typically large Aussie advantage. Should Australia’s technical ability and organization carry the day against a Nigerian defense that so often appears disorganized and lost? Yes, probably. But it isn’t a great matchup for Australia and desperate teams often play tight. We shall see.
Ayi Miyama’s penalty kick was all that separated Japan from Switzerland in a game that was a tale of two halves.
Japan were challenged and despite an impressive first half, fortunate to claim all three points.
Yes, Japan were overwhelmingly better than World Cup debutant Switzerland in the opening half. They were incisive in their passes, looked as if they could have scored two or three goals, and shut the Swiss attack down, both with greater possession and with clean, smart defensive tackling and astute positioning. By the time Ayi Miyama put the Japanese ahead on a penalty kick in the 30th minute, she’d had two or three good looks and could have had more.
What was eye-opening, however, was the second half. The World Cup champs seemed content to absorb Swiss pressure and wait for their breaks, but didn’t drop the defensive line much lower to accomplish that end. Further, in the only group stage match likely to challenge them, Japan seemed altogether content to win 1-0, a sin by no means but surprising given the natural inclination of a competitor to want to show their best against the best.
The Swiss should have equalized, in fairness, first in the 55th minute when Ramona Bachmann, who troubled the Nadeshiko defense all evening long, blew through four defenders and around goalkeeper Erina Yamane before being eaten by the FIFA turf monsters and missing an open net. Bachmann had another glorious chance on a sitter in stoppage time after some deft work by substitute Cinzia Zehnder, but fired over Yamane, who was beat had the shot been on frame.
Japan’s precision passing and ball-handling was sloppy and error prone in the second half, and the Swiss should have taken advantage. Perhaps they even deserved to. It was a good debut for Switzerland, in the end, and one that likely sees them well-situated to weather the demands of Group C.
Neil W. Blackmon is Co-Founder of The Yanks Are Coming. He can be reached at nwblackmon@gmail.com and you can follow him on Twitter at @nwblackmon.