Judging from the response to my comments in Saturday’s bootroom, not too many of you were watching the USWNT take on Japan.
I was, because, hey, footy. Also, I’m not a misogynist. (See, the rest of you weren’t watching because you hate women’s football, and by extension hate women. You’re all terrible people)
Although this was “just” a friendly, it was still a significant chance for coach Pia Sundhage to assess her side, particularly in light of the fact that Japan is ranked #4 in the world. It also allowed her to get a good look at where Hope Solo is in her return from shoulder surgery, since this was the netminder’s first start after that injury.
Importantly, for fashionistas at least, the USWNT debuted their new black kits that will feature in Germany for the 2011 World Cup. As Goal noted, “the away kit features a black bodice and red piping inspired by the beautiful but deadly Black Widow spider. The home kit design is white with black piping and the goalkeeper kit will be worn in night purple, wolf grey and vibrant yellow” (and yes, they made the inevitable Sepp Blatter joke).
Personally, I thought the zippered kits looked terrible, but at least the action on the pitch was of a higher caliber. It’s been noted that Sundhage went with a diamond midfield, which took a bit of adjustment from the players, with the result that Japan dominated the first half-hour of the match.
That ended with a fantastic headed goal from Abby Wambach in the 29th minute, the prolific scorer getting her 118th career goal on a set-piece sent in by defender Ali Krieger. Wambach had perfect form, rising high over the defense and snapping the shot with excellent pace (and kudos to USSoccer for making videos available for embed!):
Wambach turned provider in the 37th minute, sending in a low ball that Amy Rodriguez was able to finish off the post, and after that point the USWNT was in complete control of the match.
Points to note:
1. In the midfield, the maligned Carli Lloyd had a touch of Arsenal to her, alternating between brilliant passing and somewhat pointless dribbling. However, she at least was able to mesh well with Wambach, unlike the nearly-invisible Shannon Boxx, who played what appeared to be traffic-cone defense in the Patrick Vieira role.
2. Hope Solo looked good on the rare occasions when she had to make a save. More importantly, she remains supremely confident in coming out for 50-50 balls, always a concern for a goalkeeper coming back from an upper-body injury. Solo still controls her area well, directing her defense and generally patrolling the box with menace.
3. The USWNT lost Lindsay Tarpley for the 2011 World Cup after the half-time substitute tore her right ACL. Considering that the national side will play Japan again tomorrow, one has to wonder if two matches against the same opponent is a worthwhile use of our preparation time, especially if it results in (albeit unlucky) injuries.
4. Alex Morgan, who subbed on for Tarpley after the injury, continues to look like one of the side’s most dangerous options. The Japanese defense appeared to be very uncomfortable dealing with her pace, a trait that will serve her well against a difficult North Korean side in group play.
@Kid: I wasn’t watching out of protest for Tasha Kai’s exclusion. NO TASHA, NO PEACE!
Tarpley blew the same knee two years ago. No reason that should happen with a good ortho/trainer.
@berg, no good reason except that she is a woman. Unfortunately ACL injuries are more common in Female soccer players than men or any other female sport (learned that from my Ortho). In addition, women are more likely to reinjure the ligament regardless of therapy/sugery etc…. Here is an article from a female ortho in florida “http://www.hughston.com/hha/a_14_4_2.htm” . There is a huge amount of data out there on the subject.
@berg, Oyeoro – interesting you say that. I tore my ACL years ago playing soccer and had surgery. It sounded like someone was cracking their knuckles (and could be heard across the pitch). From what I’ve read, most men have patellar tendon surgery (where they graft some of that tendon and thread it through your knee), but since females have thinner, shorter patellar tendons, they often use a piece of hamstring when reconstructing womens’ knees, as they did with mine. It was threaded through my knee, bolted down, and has been basically bionic since. My ortho told me everything else would blow out before that ACL did again. Long story short – I wonder if she had surgery, or if it was just a partial tear previously and rehabbed. I can feel one of the screws in my leg (it’s close to the surface), so it’s pretty uncomfortable when I fall and land on it, but other than that, absolutely no problems with that knee since.
Oyeoro – fair point, but I stand behind my statement. I’ve blown both my knees due to genetic disposition to do so. In other words, I had narrow cavities for my ACL to run through. The surgeries were eight years apart, but both doctors not only grafted my patellas, they also “widened” my cavities to reduce the chance of popping them again. Basically they shaved the bone down slightly. Maybe there’s a reason they didn’t do that for her, but if they did she should have been fine with proper rehab – whether hamstring or cadaver. If you saw her tear it, it was a somewhat awkward landing from jumping to head the ball – nothing traumatic.
MW – from what I can tell she had surgery on the knee, so that would indicate a complete rupture the first time around.
my buddy got a cadaver ligament in his knee when he popped the acl.
@TFA – always trying to one-up me. go figure.
/actually, dead guy ligaments are quite common. Especially if the ligaments of the person who needs one isn’t long enough or strong enough.
//sometime soon, after a massive coronary, there will be a cadaver who’s “long, strong, and down to get the friction on…” available for medical parts. TSE can’t wait!
i didn’t know they did penile transplants.
@TFA – they do, but you do NOT want to end up like this:
http://on.msnbc.com/iCFAUg
Insane! /don’t worry. Not an Anonsters-esque link.
seriously, you all should read that link – and learn. There are too many wonderfully ridiculous tid-bits in there to post them all.