stitchface

Anyone involved in youth sports can attest to the absurdity of the pressure adults put on children. it's a sad situation.

The term GOAT is ridiculous. In any case, she can still be the best ever and not be able to compete. It's her choice.

France, Germany, Argentina all go out at group stage of olympics while Japan, South Korea, Ivory Coast advance. Good for the game in my opinion.

She said it's hard going in there and being the "head star" but yet she has goats printed into her leotards. Also pulling out of the all-around to focus on her mental health. but yet rip to her shreds! She owes us.

it's an essentially meaningless game played two games (?) after the previous game? I didn't watch it but it sounded pretty drab. The USWNT is starting to look like the mens team four years ago - old and unmotivated by young challengers.

back to the olympics, with the US quite possibly runner-up in group G, what is the mentality for Netherlands and Brazil who are tied at top of Group F? If you win the group, you get the US. If you get second, you likely get Canada.

Where do we think Canada is with their top squad? I think they're solidly third in the region talent-wise, but I'm not sure they "know how to win in concacaf" yet. They're sort of where the US was in the early aughts before we started beating pretty much everyone at home, including Mexico, consistently. If they can start holding home court consistently in qualifying, and getting draws/regular wins against the riff raff on the road, there is no reason they can't be the new, second tier power in the region going forward. I just don't know if they are there yet mentally. The MLS arm of US Soccer coverage is always very rah-rah, and I think they overhype the Canadian MNT because it's a huge market for them, and I also think they extend way too much credit to their league guys (Kellyn Acosta for example), when evaluating play, but I liked this about Roldan: https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/three-takeaways-from-usmnt-s-tense-gold-cup-quarterfinal-win-over-jamaica Roldan does this for Seattle, every game. He's a huge part of their consistency/dynasty. He is so smart adjusting tactically without needing active coaching that he can watch the flow of the game, and make his own adjustments to use the defensive shape to his team's advantage. It's subtle and rarely wows you, but he knows how to disrupt defensive shape and unbalance the opposing team mid-game. GGG is a complex tactical coach, sometime too complex for short international windows, but players like Roldan being able to execute his tactics become super valuable as role players. while I don't know much about Roldan, the type of player described here is hugely undervalued in soccer.

I thought Busio was outstanding the last 20 minutes or so - the difference in the game for me. I think it showed his composure. Acosta is terrible. the announcers were talking him up but I was terrified every time he had the ball. Nice for Hoppe - he's a bit out of control but sure plays hard.

Really? I find it really boring - maybe because I don't understand it.

got a tip to watch qatar-El Salvador - what an entertaining game!

I mean there are teams named after sock colors. Not to mention the Philadelphia Phillies (what is that?), Utah Jazz, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, and so on. Plus Washington is playing two seasons as Washington Football Team. Just about any choice people were going to say “uhhh that’s stupid” and then will get used to it within a couple of years. Plus reactionary racists like Rich Lowry would have been angry unless they changed it to some other term punching down on a marginalized minority group. well, the lakers were from minnesota and the jazz from new orleans so maybe those aren't that dumb? I think knickerbocker has some historical deal but really, who cares?

won't he be the starter?

Earlier in the year he came out of the pen and more recently he’s been a starter. He’s always performed better as a starter than out of the pen through his entire career. Could it simply be that he’s more comfortable as a starter? Whether it be routine, how he warms up, how he prepares for the batters he’ll face, whatever, there could be all sorts of reasons why he’s a better pitcher as a starter. more repetitions=better command?

Imagine a PK as it works now, one guy in the box to strike it, keeper on the line, 20 other players outside the box. When the ref blows the whistle, all 22 players are live and can cut off the shot if the taker is too slow, charge down the shot angle, or be a passing option. I'd keep the rule about the taker not touching the ball consecutively. The net result is that takers are now taking those shots a lot faster to avoid losing angle or getting caught from a field player. That 1) looks more like real soccer than the current format of dancing up to the ball and stutter stepping to try and trick a keeper into committing 2) would lower the success rate, which in turn lowers the incentive to try to get a PK and the consequences of a borderline PK call. ah, now I get it!

Basically, you know how at the moment the a PK is kicked, the ball is live and any player can rush in to make a play? Make that the rule for when the ref blows the whistle to take the kick, with a caveat the taker can’t dribble. My hope would be throw ins would be faster and more like open play, you have more of the field accessible to make runs into, and you don’t create a game of head tennis with a short pass. Yes near the corners you’d see more structure, but that happens to a fair extent now. So, they can take the kick as fast as they want from where the foul occurred and the defense can be in the box? Like an indirect?

hard to tell if it was really that bad . . . statistically, doesn't look like a 3-0 loss. but, your point is valid. now that I watched this, it wasn't that bad. Definitely Sweden deserved to win but my biggest takeaway was that Julie Ertz is really really good. The game turned when she came on but Sweden scored their second off the corner and that kind of made things difficult. Still, I thought the team looked like themselves much more in the second half.

hard to tell if it was really that bad . . . statistically, doesn't look like a 3-0 loss. but, your point is valid.

1. by extra time, you mean added time? I would like to see that eliminated along with the ref being the only person with knowledge of time remaining. Also, the whole arbitrary don't stop while a team is attacking. 3. Problem is it isn't a power play - at least not like in hockey. It's just 5 minutes where one team bunkers. I don't follow your penalties scenario but intrigued by the concept. Interesting on throw ins too - I guess I find set plays boring (and they take forever) so not really interested in every ball out of play becoming a set play.

forgot kick-ins - dislike, though I do agree that throw-ins are too much of a toss-up - at least at lower levels.

So, thoughts on the proposed rule changes? 1. 30 minute halves with clock stoppages. Unsure on this one but I think I am in favor provided the clock stoppages are well managed. I think average playing time in a half is currently something like 27 minutes so this will actually increase the action. Plus it discourages time wasting. I think transparency on the time remaining would be good for everyone instead of the nonsense with added time and only the ref knows how much time is left. And run the clock backward for crying out loud - we have some good things here in the US and that's one of them. 2. Unlimited subs. Dislike. Not sure how it will play but hopefully still if you sub out, you are out for good. Do not need specialization in soccer. I think 5 is enough subs and more just advantages the larger clubs more unless they really restrict the roster. 3. Yellow card 5 minute sin bin. I think this does need change but this isn't the right thing or at least not enough. Most teams will shrug off playing short for 5 minutes though I suppose it hurts if you are behind. I would like to see an orange card where a player is sent off and the team can replace them after 15 or 20 minutes - would result in fewer "ruined" games. Players can't return and still get suspended. Reds still an option. Things I'd like to see: orange cards for grabbing people or fouling people from behind - tactical fouls. Tactical fouls suck and suppress scoring. Yellow isn't severe enough. Change the rule on penalties - too many stupid penalties for things that happen out wide. Maybe change the size of the box? Handling in wide areas is particularly stupid when it results in a penalty. Doesn't hockey have a rule for when penalty shots are awarded based on chance of scoring rather than where it happens? You could do something like that, which would also eliminate deliberate fouls just outside the box.

Play a team that isn't very good?

great. but still trade him.

I think you have to trade Rizzo. He is a piece teams would love to add. Then you sign him back.

monorail! What's that word? Monorail!

much better last night! Stupid penalty costs them the tiebreaker. Dike looked good and Zardes looked motivated! I think Berhalter has taken the right approach in a large player pool and no guaranteed spots.