My college coach, Hank Steinbrecher (of US Soccer fame) used to tell us, "Boys, the mark of a good team is to play poorly and still win." I could not help but remember those words (which I have used frequently during my coaching career) last night while watching the USWNT defest Australia 3-1. In the first half, the US looked disorganized, lost, tactically unaware, and generally pretty much useless. But we hung on, and Hope Solo made 3 huge saves to keep us in the game. Remember, in some of my earlier Blogs I have stated that in order to win a game, the GK needs to make all of the routine saves cleanly and efficiently, and then make 2 or 3 saves that "you're not supposed to make"--and we win the game. Remember that? Well......that's exactly what Solo did last night. She kept the US "in the game" and gave US a chance to win. Good job Hope!
But we did not play well. And Jill Ellis will need to fix and fine tune things as Group play continues. The great part about Group play is that once you have 3 full points, some of the pressure comes off and you can concentrate on 'fine tuning the engine'. I think the US win was exactly what we needed. I think that from here on out in the Group, we will win; and be in an excellent position come the knock-out rounds. Continued 'Good Luck, Ladies!'
The USMNT gears up for a Friendly International v Germany tomorrow night. It will be interesting to watch how Klinsmann's young team responds after that great win v Holland. Looking forward to watching that match as well.
And of course, I will be watching the Stanley Cup Final where Tampa Bay is up on Chicago 2 games to 1. That is turning into a real good series.
Always fun to watch good Goalkeeping--regardless of the sport. If the game has goals, study the 'keepers.
May the ground beneath your dive be soft. May the other team hit every ball straight at you. May your goalposts be 3 feet wide.
All the Best--EV
But we did not play well. And Jill Ellis will need to fix and fine tune things as Group play continues. The great part about Group play is that once you have 3 full points, some of the pressure comes off and you can concentrate on 'fine tuning the engine'. I think the US win was exactly what we needed. I think that from here on out in the Group, we will win; and be in an excellent position come the knock-out rounds. Continued 'Good Luck, Ladies!'
The USMNT gears up for a Friendly International v Germany tomorrow night. It will be interesting to watch how Klinsmann's young team responds after that great win v Holland. Looking forward to watching that match as well.
And of course, I will be watching the Stanley Cup Final where Tampa Bay is up on Chicago 2 games to 1. That is turning into a real good series.
Always fun to watch good Goalkeeping--regardless of the sport. If the game has goals, study the 'keepers.
May the ground beneath your dive be soft. May the other team hit every ball straight at you. May your goalposts be 3 feet wide.
All the Best--EV