Phil Knight is a huge booster of the University of Oregon. Colors, Green, black and white. Coincidence?
3
Good point. Then they should just call it the Nike Team.
Hmm. 0-0 and penalty kicks, eh?
If Jill Ellis doesn't solve the problems in the midfield during this match with China, the following match with either France or Germany will be their last, unfortunately, assuming they do find a way past China. Crossing my fingers to see better play in the midfield.
Well, not actually. The winners of the semifinals play in the final, and the losers play in the third place match.
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Even though FIFA is more or less shown to be a completely corrupt institution, viewers are supposed to think that everything about the games is on the up and up. Interesting the US is down two starters.
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China has a very good chance to beat the USA, particularly if the USA continues it's anemic attack.
1
I hope America practice smart football and drop the China
1
So it's basically USA's attacking vs China's defence. It only needs an opportunity or two to score a goal. Thus, it's always a 50-50 chance before the match.
Can we expect another decisive bad call in the American's favor by the referee, as with the Columbian goalie being red-carded, or the hand-ball not called, or the corner given to the U.S. after Wambach tipped the ball out, or the Canadian keeper being called for taking too long to get rid of the ball at the 2012 Olympics with the U.S. trailing? It seems to me to happen too frequently to be coincidence. Watch for it against China-- if the game is on the line.
If you believe the red card to the Colombian (not "Columbian") keeper was anything but a no-brainer, you should not expect anyone to take you seriously. (There may be two sides to the question of whether she was in or out of the 18-yard box, but since the ensuing spot kick was missed, that hardly qualifies as "decisive".)
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Hey, Bill, how did you miss the two yellow cards on key U.S. midfielders, well before the Colombian (NOT “Columbian”) keeper was dismissed (an obvious and indisputable red card, by the way)? Those calls will keep crucial U.S. players out of the quarterfinal against China.
And their yellow cards were dubious, unlike the red card on Colombia’s keeper. In “Interpretation of the Laws of the Game and Guidelines for Referees,” the commentary for Law 12, covering fouls, states that a yellow card (a “caution”) must be imposed on a player who plays “in a reckless manner.” The commentary further explains that “reckless” means that the player has “acted with complete disregard to the danger to, or consequences for, his opponent.” The fouls by Lauren Holiday and Megan Rapinoe were not smart, but it strains credulity to imagine them as “reckless” under that definition.
So, even a cursory examination of your petulant fantasies about fixes in favor of the U.S. women show them to be tissue-thin. The U.S. has suffered its share of bad calls in international women’s soccer over the years (to cite just one example, the non-call of an apparent hand ball by Norway just before its winning goal against the U.S. in the 2000 Olympics gold-medal game). We’ve initially complained, of course, but then have moved on, with our eyes to the future. You’re entitled to nurse your grudges if you wish, naturally, but there’s no better way to insure that you’ll just remain stuck in your unhappy past.
— Brian
And their yellow cards were dubious, unlike the red card on Colombia’s keeper. In “Interpretation of the Laws of the Game and Guidelines for Referees,” the commentary for Law 12, covering fouls, states that a yellow card (a “caution”) must be imposed on a player who plays “in a reckless manner.” The commentary further explains that “reckless” means that the player has “acted with complete disregard to the danger to, or consequences for, his opponent.” The fouls by Lauren Holiday and Megan Rapinoe were not smart, but it strains credulity to imagine them as “reckless” under that definition.
So, even a cursory examination of your petulant fantasies about fixes in favor of the U.S. women show them to be tissue-thin. The U.S. has suffered its share of bad calls in international women’s soccer over the years (to cite just one example, the non-call of an apparent hand ball by Norway just before its winning goal against the U.S. in the 2000 Olympics gold-medal game). We’ve initially complained, of course, but then have moved on, with our eyes to the future. You’re entitled to nurse your grudges if you wish, naturally, but there’s no better way to insure that you’ll just remain stuck in your unhappy past.
— Brian
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@Brian, I'm positive that you know that is only one of several causes for a caution. Holiday was more questionably booked in my view, but what was pretty clearly an unnecessary tactical foul to break up a Colombian attack as it started. That's a pretty routine cause for a booking. Rapinoe had committed a number of fouls in the first half, and had been outspoken in dissent both on the fouls committed and in protest of perceived fouls suffered, but not called. Take your choice, dissent or persistent foul play. Two reasons for Rapinoe to be booked.
As poor as the refereeing has been, I think all of the cards were defensible, at the least, and spot on, at most.
As poor as the refereeing has been, I think all of the cards were defensible, at the least, and spot on, at most.
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China's coach should have been banned from the Tournament because of his bad behavior in the game vs New Zealand. Hope the USA gives them a good whooping.
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China's style is to suck the joy out of the game. They took advantage of their one chance against Cameroon and bunkered successfully. It will take top concentration from Solo, Sauerbrunn and Johnston to keep China from carving out any chances. I don't like China's chances of breaking through, and I think the USWNT will create just enough to score one. I think it has little chance of being either a thing of beauty or a joy forever.
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After the way the U.S. played against Columbia, I would not be surprised at all if China beats them.
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I'm surprised that the US has gotten as far they have.
I wasn't aware that Phil Knight was so unpatriotic. Oh wait, most of his production has been overseas for the last 45 years. Never mind.