Women’s World Cup

[Anonymous]

ITS COMING HOME!!!!
ITS COMING HOME!!!!!!
ENGLAND WILL WIN THE WORLD CUP!! Y'all don't even care or know that there a World Cup going on, LET US WIN THIS ONE!!! I bet the King will give us a holiday!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At the end of the day, it’s a lack of quality that is the problem…and has been a problem, even when the results were there. It’s the same issue on the men’s side and with MLS - unbelievable that there were knuckleheads who thought Messi would struggle in MLS. We desperately need better development and a stronger technical focus from youth to the highest levels.

Yeah - Let's make little youth factories funded by the taxpayers and call it free.

Or you have a better idea?

Yeah, that post is asking for taxpayer funding - nice reading comprehension.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow! This morning's matches were nail-biters. I don't think anyone envisioned Germany getting bounced this early, especially when you looked at the strength of the group based on rankings. Now Germany, Brazil, and Canada are all out - Morocco, Jamaica, and South Africa move on. Watching the German women's tears and utter disbelief at this outcome should make US fans appreciate the fact that their team was able to make it through.

The images of the Moroccan players and coaches watching the end of the Germany game and then celebrating their remarkable achievement were incredible. I was crying right along with them, just as I did yesterday watching the Reggae Girls celebrate their own history-making advancement to the knockout round. All of this is what makes the WC so special.

Incredible final day of group matches. I can't think of many sporting events that rival the drama of the last group games of World Cups. What a day for Morocco in the same year that their men's team made history. First ever Arab nation to qualify for the women's WC goes through at the expense of one of the top teams in the world, who they had lost to by 6 goals in the first game. But they beat Korea and Colombia and Germany couldn't. A bit lucky against Colombia but they defended well and looked dangerous on the break. The draw ended up working out well for them as it's always easier to play the top team in the group in the last game.

Hard to pinpoint what went so wrong for Germany. Apparently there were lots of injuries so some of their best players have been playing out of position. But no team is ever at its ideal full strength through a WC, making it as much a test of a team's depth as it is of quality. Clearly, their finishing and combination play in the attacking third weren't good enough in the last 2 games. An awful year for German soccer, with the women, then men and the Under-21 men all falling at the group stage of world cups. I (and many Germans I am told) wonder whether in turning their teams (both women and men at all levels) into attack-minded units with highly technical players, they have somehow lost their defensive mojo.

The fate of Germany, Brazil and Canada also helps add some perspective to the US team's showing so far. This is not the women's game of the 1990s or even 2000s, when the top teams would sail through the group stage. The gaps between national teams have closed dramatically as the game has gone global (most teams have at least a few players playing for top clubs with players from the top teams). This is the way it goes in the men's WC and it's fantastic to see the women's game go in that direction. Clear proof of the extent of growth of the sport worldwide. Soccer fans like us love it. This also means that top teams and their fans need to adjust their expectations. Put aside the arrogance of expecting to win, stop incessantly talking about the irrelevant past (thereby increasing the pressure on your players), and celebrate the hard-earned successes. For all you know, what you interpret as your team not playing as well as their predecessors could just be that the opponents are playing much better. And stop insulting other teams (such as US should "rest" players because Portugal is not a good team).

The US haven't been playing too well, but to give credit where it's due, the defense has held firm as a team, with just 1 goal conceded so far and few shots on their goal. Defense is not just the CBs, it's the team as a whole and shows the commitment and organization of players. Teams that defend well can go far in the knockout stages of a tournament like this. This has been proved over and over again in the men's tournament, and as the quality of teams converge in the women's game, it will be true for this WC as well.

These two posts are excellent. I couldn’t agree more. Hopefully some of the people who come on here to tear down the USWNT, rip into the federation, the players, or how the US develops its future USWNT players, etc etc will remember that three of the top 10 women’s teams failed to get out of the group stage, and that one of them - Germany - has a rich tradition of excellence in women’s soccer and is regularly included as an example in that argument about how “European development of female youth players is superior to the US.” As the Germans just showed us by failing to advance from one of the easier groups in this World Cup, the gap is closing between the historic powers and the rest of the world, and there is no “one way” to achieve success for a women’s national team. How else to explain minnows with no funding or development to speak of - like Morocco, Jamaica, South Africa and Nigeria - advancing at the expense of countries like Germany, Canada, etc etc. There are no simple or “one size fits all” answers that explain why each of these nations succeeded, or failed, in this WC.

Agree!!! We should be celebrating the rise of so many women's teams. I'd be a lot happier if the US were playing like we know they can and should (and honestly they are getting terrible coaching) but it's so awesome to see these other women's programs catch up to the big dawgs.

US can take some credit for some of the success of these teams as many players have dual citizenship and train in the US and play for US colleges. I think it’s something we can be very proud of!!!!

PP with the long post above. Couldn't agree more with this poster. US can take a lot of credit for the development of the game worldwide. Not just for the pipeline of players in colleges and clubs here who end up playing for many different countries, but also for our women being the "pioneers" of soccer in many ways. In the country I am originally from, little girls like my cousins grew up loving and playing soccer, but seeing no future in it because noone seemed to care and any attempt to promote women's soccer would be shouted down by hordes of beer-swilling misogynists with exclusive claim to football fanhood. This is changing so quickly, and the generations of proud, athletic, badass American players (along with an increasing number from other countries) have a lot to do with that. US women and our system, along with Title IX, have been important for the growth of women's soccer worldwide. This means we won't win so often any more and must get better, but so many ways we can be proud.

Love this! The American women have much to be proud of 🙂

How typical. Americans taking credit for other’s success.

[Anonymous]

Title IX made Women’s soccer what it is today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:ITS COMING HOME!!!!
ITS COMING HOME!!!!!!
ENGLAND WILL WIN THE WORLD CUP!! Y'all don't even care or know that they're a World Cup going on, LET US WIN THIS ONE!!! I bet the King will give us a holiday!!!!

Home? England has never won this event.

[Anonymous]

Brazil, Germany, China, Canada and Italy have all crashed out Seems like the expansion to 32 has been a success

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At the end of the day, it’s a lack of quality that is the problem…and has been a problem, even when the results were there. It’s the same issue on the men’s side and with MLS - unbelievable that there were knuckleheads who thought Messi would struggle in MLS. We desperately need better development and a stronger technical focus from youth to the highest levels.

Yeah - Let's make little youth factories funded by the taxpayers and call it free.

Or you have a better idea?

Yeah, that post is asking for taxpayer funding - nice reading comprehension.

So who is goig to pay for all this great youth development?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At the end of the day, it’s a lack of quality that is the problem…and has been a problem, even when the results were there. It’s the same issue on the men’s side and with MLS - unbelievable that there were knuckleheads who thought Messi would struggle in MLS. We desperately need better development and a stronger technical focus from youth to the highest levels.

Yeah - Let's make little youth factories funded by the taxpayers and call it free.

Or you have a better idea?

Yeah, that post is asking for taxpayer funding - nice reading comprehension.

So who is goig to pay for all this great youth development?

Whether it’s taxes or whether it’s pay to play, the answer is the same … you and me.

Btw China doesn’t have pay to play, has over a billion people and well … they are no soccer juggernaut. It is culture that drives sports success. The country’s love of a sport makes them great in it. It’s why Jamaica is so good at sprinting, why we are so good at Basketball, why the same group of countries rule international soccer, etc. Yes, money and large population help … but not just that. If the US had adopted soccer 100 years ago to the same degree we’d adopted baseball, football, and b-ball … we would be the best in the world for men and women. But we didn’t, so we’re not (men never and women, not anymore). Just the way it is.

[Anonymous]

Our pay for play system has huge gaps in development- 12 years to 18 years, lacks the coaching and system incentives needed to develop players in that age group. After u13 there is very little movement of players. The majority of players quit the sport. The US basically selected on aggression and athleticism at u9 and never goes beyond that. The coaching reflects this. Development is just beginning at u12.

Cognitive Stage (Ages: 12 – 16). This stage involves assimilation of concepts for the player.

The coach teaches the game through concepts and fundamentals in order for the player to make good decisions and have criteria/standards of the game. Europe is better than the United States during this stage because the methodology and content are much richer than in the United States. The player receives more and better information and can make better decisions because he/she understands the game (composed of time, space and deception). This stage is about coaching and development. In the US this stage just putters out in the pay to play system with college as the end goal. In the US the game is really dumbed down. By u14 the teams get locked in and u15 and up it’s about college(traveling, showcases, etc).

Competitive Stage (ages 16 – 18)

Once the player identity (what kind of player I am) and understands the game(concepts and fundamentals of soccer) have been developed then he/she is ready to express everything in a competitive environment.
This stage consists of competing with and against different styles of games through all the universal fundamentals of games that the player has learned.

In Europe the degree of competitiveness is very high. In the USA there is no environment where the player can be exposed to a real level of competitiveness between the ages of 16-18.


A final note is on coaching. In the USA, a lot of emphases is placed on training soccer through repetition and repetition of movements. This is not how the game is actually played. The player needs to apply learned concepts and game habits with and without the ball in a game type of environment not by repetition of technical actions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our pay for play system has huge gaps in development- 12 years to 18 years, lacks the coaching and system incentives needed to develop players in that age group. After u13 there is very little movement of players. The majority of players quit the sport. The US basically selected on aggression and athleticism at u9 and never goes beyond that. The coaching reflects this. Development is just beginning at u12.

Cognitive Stage (Ages: 12 – 16). This stage involves assimilation of concepts for the player.

The coach teaches the game through concepts and fundamentals in order for the player to make good decisions and have criteria/standards of the game. Europe is better than the United States during this stage because the methodology and content are much richer than in the United States. The player receives more and better information and can make better decisions because he/she understands the game (composed of time, space and deception). This stage is about coaching and development. In the US this stage just putters out in the pay to play system with college as the end goal. In the US the game is really dumbed down. By u14 the teams get locked in and u15 and up it’s about college(traveling, showcases, etc).

Competitive Stage (ages 16 – 18)

Once the player identity (what kind of player I am) and understands the game(concepts and fundamentals of soccer) have been developed then he/she is ready to express everything in a competitive environment.
This stage consists of competing with and against different styles of games through all the universal fundamentals of games that the player has learned.

In Europe the degree of competitiveness is very high. In the USA there is no environment where the player can be exposed to a real level of competitiveness between the ages of 16-18.


A final note is on coaching. In the USA, a lot of emphases is placed on training soccer through repetition and repetition of movements. This is not how the game is actually played. The player needs to apply learned concepts and game habits with and without the ball in a game type of environment not by repetition of technical actions.

So who is going to pay for this. Anyone?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our pay for play system has huge gaps in development- 12 years to 18 years, lacks the coaching and system incentives needed to develop players in that age group. After u13 there is very little movement of players. The majority of players quit the sport. The US basically selected on aggression and athleticism at u9 and never goes beyond that. The coaching reflects this. Development is just beginning at u12.

Cognitive Stage (Ages: 12 – 16). This stage involves assimilation of concepts for the player.

The coach teaches the game through concepts and fundamentals in order for the player to make good decisions and have criteria/standards of the game. Europe is better than the United States during this stage because the methodology and content are much richer than in the United States. The player receives more and better information and can make better decisions because he/she understands the game (composed of time, space and deception). This stage is about coaching and development. In the US this stage just putters out in the pay to play system with college as the end goal. In the US the game is really dumbed down. By u14 the teams get locked in and u15 and up it’s about college(traveling, showcases, etc).

Competitive Stage (ages 16 – 18)

Once the player identity (what kind of player I am) and understands the game(concepts and fundamentals of soccer) have been developed then he/she is ready to express everything in a competitive environment.
This stage consists of competing with and against different styles of games through all the universal fundamentals of games that the player has learned.

In Europe the degree of competitiveness is very high. In the USA there is no environment where the player can be exposed to a real level of competitiveness between the ages of 16-18.


A final note is on coaching. In the USA, a lot of emphases is placed on training soccer through repetition and repetition of movements. This is not how the game is actually played. The player needs to apply learned concepts and game habits with and without the ball in a game type of environment not by repetition of technical actions.

So who is going to pay for this. Anyone?

Pro clubs pay for it. It is changing a little in MLS. Some clubs are really investing in developing players because of the transfer money. It is not so much the big transfer(15-20 million) but the smaller ones(3-8 million). The European clubs will readily pay 2-5 million for a promising player. DC United is not one of those clubs.
The women do not have this. NWSL has 12 teams. They do not have the transfer incentive to develop players.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At the end of the day, it’s a lack of quality that is the problem…and has been a problem, even when the results were there. It’s the same issue on the men’s side and with MLS - unbelievable that there were knuckleheads who thought Messi would struggle in MLS. We desperately need better development and a stronger technical focus from youth to the highest levels.

Yeah - Let's make little youth factories funded by the taxpayers and call it free.

Or you have a better idea?

There is some room for innovation here. Taxpayers pay for charter schools that have all types of of models and goals, why couldn't someone have SEED school type residential model, where kids are getting their education and playing a ton of soccer development outside of tradtional academic curriculum

[Anonymous]

In England, football is played in the schools. That’s where much development occurs. We have largely ignored our schools as a resource for development, leaning on clubs that are naturally pay to play. Yes, the Europeans and South Americans have academies, but it starts on the schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At the end of the day, it’s a lack of quality that is the problem…and has been a problem, even when the results were there. It’s the same issue on the men’s side and with MLS - unbelievable that there were knuckleheads who thought Messi would struggle in MLS. We desperately need better development and a stronger technical focus from youth to the highest levels.

Yeah - Let's make little youth factories funded by the taxpayers and call it free.

Or you have a better idea?

Yeah, that post is asking for taxpayer funding - nice reading comprehension.

So who is goig to pay for all this great youth development?

It’s a poor man’s game everywhere else in the world yet they all do a better job developing players than pay to play US club system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At the end of the day, it’s a lack of quality that is the problem…and has been a problem, even when the results were there. It’s the same issue on the men’s side and with MLS - unbelievable that there were knuckleheads who thought Messi would struggle in MLS. We desperately need better development and a stronger technical focus from youth to the highest levels.

Yeah - Let's make little youth factories funded by the taxpayers and call it free.

Or you have a better idea?

Yeah, that post is asking for taxpayer funding - nice reading comprehension.

So who is goig to pay for all this great youth development?

It’s a poor man’s game everywhere else in the world yet they all do a better job developing players than pay to play US club system.

So free development via charity? Sounds good to me