Women’s Olympic soccer
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Anonymous
Dunn’s pass was brilliant. Rodman’s shot was well struck, but I’m not sure I’d say brilliant, she was looking down the whole time after cutting back. Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good, and that shot was lucky. |
Anonymous
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There are players who are more consistent but not as dynamic. They never do anything really great but also never do anything really bad. A team full of consistently decent players (Japan?) keeps games close because they don’t make a lot of mistakes, but can have trouble scoring because they don’t have someone to make the spectacular play.
I would argue that a team needs to have a couple of “wildcards” who are capable of the occasional spectacular play, and to get that you have to accept their occasional bad plays. We see this trade off in lots of team sports. A nfl team will have a speedster deep threat but they can’t block well. Basketball has players who can’t score but can play great defense. It’s all part of finding the right mix of puzzle pieces to make a team work. |
Anonymous
| Rodman is remarkably like her father. Dennis was the best athlete on the floor - no one wanted to play against him - but at the same time he was not the best player. Trinity is such a great athlete she is going to have her moments. Lots of upside for her as she can develop the skill side of her game. |
Anonymous
It’s a good analogy. His defense and rebounding was elite, but he was a liability on offense. Like really bad. It worked because he was part of teams where other players with offensive skills complemented him. I want the USWNT to be a team of players who are elite at one or two things, not a bunch of players who are all decent at everything but not great at anything. |
Anonymous
If it was any other player in the world, you’d be gushing about how she took it down beautifully, cut it back to her weak foot, and hit a perfect shot, but because it’s Rodman, you say it’s luck. You’re pathetic. |
Anonymous
That’s quite an assumption. Half of Rapinoes screamers were like that too. I certainly didn’t gush about her. The USWNT is missing a true, dependable goal scorer. To anoint Rodman based on that shot is silly, especially considering the rest of that match. Rewatch it, every Japanese attack came from her pinching into the middle and opening up a giant hole on the wing. If Sophia had made the same shot, I’d say the same thing about the shot. If Swanson, Lynn, Horan etc…all the same thing. Great pass in, great handling, deft cut back to create space. Blind, but well struck ball that made the top bin. Even Rodman said she didn’t see it. She got lucky. Many many many goals are lucky. She had a rebound earlier in the tournament that was lucky. There is no personal attack on calling it lucky and blind. It was the 105th minute….i just don’t get why people can’t take the critique of Rodman, but everyone seems fine dumping on the rest of the team (and Coach) for the lack of offense. Rodman was part of that lack of offense! |
Anonymous
Wow you do not understand the game at all. Calling that highly technical is criminal. There is not another player with in 10 yards of her and she still messed up the first touch and had to stop to collect the ball! Go watch the Spanish forwards if you want to see highly technical play. Rodman would not have made that play in the first 90’. The only reason she could make the play was because the Japanese players were exhausted. Watch the play in the first 1/2 the Japanese defenders would have put her offsides but they were exhausted and beat up by this point in the game. The pass is nothing special. Service to a wide open wing position. Rodman’s first touch was bad. The ball jumps up off her foot and almost hits her arm. She has to stop AND LOOK DOWN TO GAIN CONTROL OF THE BALL(that is not technically skilled). She gets lucky with the bounce and it lands after hitting her side. The defender is so tired she falls down leave her wide open to shoot. The defender’s legs were shot. Substitution and overtime is very important. Hayes did it masterfully. Rodman first shot was in the 90’ minute. She had an impact after wearing down the Japanese. All the US forward are comfortable running at goal. If they are stopped from running to goal they become very uncomfortable. Hayes has them playing to their strengths but there are still major weakness. Rodman is not a technical player. She is speed, very high motor, strength and very good when running at goal. Her technical skill are lacking when viewed against her peers. |
Anonymous
What the hell are you talking about. The pass was nothing special. You see 5-8 in every game. It’s a pass to space and there was no one around her. The first touch was horrendous and very luck. It could have ended up any where- 6 feet behind her, over the end line, off her hand, to the defender, etc. Rodman had to stop and look down lot get the ball after it bounce off the side of her chest. If the defender had not fallen down she would have gotten the ball. All of Rodman forward movement was stopped and she was flat footed. It was a lucky play made in over time where the player fumbled around with the ball. |
Anonymous
I disagree. I’m not a Crystal Dunn stan, because I think sometimes she puts the back line in really tough spots because she overruns opponents attacks in the middle third, something she used to be able to make up for with speed, and she is still fast, but not as fast as she once was. All of that said, the vision she had for Rodman, who wasn’t committed to the run (all match Rodman had intermittently been late on attack), but had the space and wing to take the ball and either cross it for an attack, or try to make a play. The ball was placed perfectly. Rodman under-ran it, but caught it with a deft touch. But yes, she had to settle it, was looking down, made her cut, and struck it well, shaped it well, and got lucky. Dunn’s vision was outstanding, and her placement was perfect. Otherwise the, yes tired, Japanese would have shut it down. Rodman actually is one of the worst wingers at ball handling, that is based on analysis stats - she frequently mishandles balls, and is often disposed. And she is way behind her position peers at goals. That said, her crosses into the penalty area are a strength for her. Dunn saw the opportunity, the team made the run, Horan was there for a cleanup header, but Rodman blindly made the individual play, and capitalized on it. If Dunn had been off by a foot, that ball would have either run OB, or Rodman would have been disposed. |
Anonymous
| How tedious and smug you are. You sound ridiculous. |
Anonymous
No kidding. Over analysis to the extreme. Is this mansplaining a soccer thing or men watching women’s sports thing? |
Anonymous
Mansplaining….yes, because debate and discussion by men is disregarded based on gender…brilliant dismissal. |
Anonymous
Yes. Both can be true. This dude is a twat. Likely just started watching the EPL because Oasis told him Man City rocks. We all know the type. |
Anonymous
Look I like Dunn a lot. She was the one who was forced to cover for Rapinoe in 2019. She sacrificed her game for the team and Rapinoe’s lack of defense. Dunn would have scored a hell of a lot of goals and had a huge impact on the game as a forward vs playing defense. I think if she had been a white player it would not have happened. The ball should have been a little more outside knowing Rodman’s struggles with her touch but the pass was there. There was a lot of space outside and the ball placement brought the defender back in. A player should never wait on a runner. You pass the ball when you see the space. That means the pass comes first not the run. If you wait on the runner it will be too late. As soon as a runner starts the run the defense reacts. You never will convince me that Rodman had a good touch and showed technical skill on that play. The touch was bad but she got lucky with it. A technical player does not “settle it” and come to a complete stop while looking for the ball. Rodman only had one option because of her bad first touch. If the defender had not fallen down because her legs were shot Rodman’s settling it would have allowed the defender to close, make contact and most likely take the ball. It is a speed of play issue. Not every player needs to be technical. She is a strong, physical, athletic player with speed. She tracked back and did a lot of defensive work all game. It was a late goal in OT against tired defenders. Good for her but it is not a display of great first touch and technical brilliance. |
Anonymous
Well at least the poster watched the game and enjoys soccer unlike 95% of the USWNT fans. |