U17 girls looked like a Silverlakes team throwin' up low % shots from anywhere v. Spain

I agree with so much of what has been posted here, and I don't see it changing until the top-level youth players are training with professional teams. There is just too much at stake for the clubs to force an emphasis on team play over the individual. In addition to NC-Stanford, the UCLA- Penn State game last night is another example. UCLA's attacking players kept trying to take the PSU defenders 1v1, and even 1v3 at times, and it was just wasted opportunities.
I disagree. PS had their entire team in their own third of the field defending. UCLA tried to pass endlessly throughout and it became impossible. There was no room to work with and move. What's left 1v1's, shots from outside (which were continuously blocked), and crosses.
 
I disagree. PS had their entire team in their own third of the field defending. UCLA tried to pass endlessly throughout and it became impossible. There was no room to work with and move. What's left 1v1's, shots from outside (which were continuously blocked), and crosses.
Called a "low block".... Nothing new here...
 
I was just watching Stanford vs NC and this play here is a good example of ball hogging and bad decisions. Why in the world did she not pass the ball to her wide opened teammate for the easy tap in:
Love the kickball right after the sequence you mentioned šŸ˜‚
 
Have you ever heard a US youth soccer coach talk about soccer as a game of odds/percentages? What are the odds of successfully advancing the ball (and maintaining possession) by dribbling in to traffic versus passing the ball? For the matter, have your ever heard a US coach talk about soccer primarily being a decision making sport? Of course, you need the skills to execute your decision, but if your making low percentage success decisions it doesn't matter how skilled your are in most cases. This applies to decisions made both on and off the ball. I don't think Soccer IQ is even on most coaches top 5 list.
No, never, they encourage shot taking- bad shots, horrible shots, impossible odds shots, low percentage shots all the time- almost like too much machismo.... No bueno
 
I disagree. PS had their entire team in their own third of the field defending. UCLA tried to pass endlessly throughout and it became impossible. There was no room to work with and move. What's left 1v1's, shots from outside (which were continuously blocked), and crosses.
I don't know, when Sunshine Fontes came in they got more opportunities inside the box.
 
Semi-pro kickball.....
editing your comment. passing like a rec team. Easily could have been 3 or 4 - 0.


So many elements lacking. Offensive over dribbling. Defense is an afterthought. Game is 11 players not one or three (at best) involved.

Taught my DD to never clear up the central channel when she was 7v7.

So Sad........
 
editing your comment. passing like a rec team. Easily could have been 3 or 4 - 0.


So many elements lacking. Offensive over dribbling. Defense is an afterthought. Game is 11 players not one or three (at best) involved.

Taught my DD to never clear up the central channel when she was 7v7.

So Sad........
Could have easily been 3 or 4 null. Way too much overdribbling. I saw Barcenas having a hard time connecting passes. Barcenas & Ascanio playing desperate over dribbling not finding the passes. If those 2 playmakers can't connect balls the whole team will struggle. Fuller also a no show. Defensively very bad lacking fundamentals. Why would you give away a goal like that... Soccer 101 you don't head the ball out like that from the box. Defensively these girls are not fundamentally sound. Offensively they do not play together... It's basically watching your typical direct ball athletic USA team go vs u15 teenage boys. Those N. Korean women move like teenage boys. All very technical and agile. Just goes to show that soccer is an interesting sport when you are tactically sound with the right core group of players that work together for the common cause.
 
editing your comment. passing like a rec team. Easily could have been 3 or 4 - 0.


So many elements lacking. Offensive over dribbling. Defense is an afterthought. Game is 11 players not one or three (at best) involved.

Taught my DD to never clear up the central channel when she was 7v7.

So Sad........
Same ole, same ole'....
 
Could have easily been 3 or 4 null. Way too much overdribbling. I saw Barcenas having a hard time connecting passes. Barcenas & Ascanio playing desperate over dribbling not finding the passes. If those 2 playmakers can't connect balls the whole team will struggle. Fuller also a no show. Defensively very bad lacking fundamentals. Why would you give away a goal like that... Soccer 101 you don't head the ball out like that from the box. Defensively these girls are not fundamentally sound. Offensively they do not play together... It's basically watching your typical direct ball athletic USA team go vs u15 teenage boys. Those N. Korean women move like teenage boys. All very technical and agile. Just goes to show that soccer is an interesting sport when you are tactically sound with the right core group of players that work together for the common cause.
I wouldn't blame the defender. Defenders are taught to head the ball back in direction from where ball came from. That goal was just a great one-time strike from the North Korean player (even more amazing if that was weak foot)
 
Could have easily been 3 or 4 null. Way too much overdribbling. I saw Barcenas having a hard time connecting passes. Barcenas & Ascanio playing desperate over dribbling not finding the passes. If those 2 playmakers can't connect balls the whole team will struggle. Fuller also a no show. Defensively very bad lacking fundamentals. Why would you give away a goal like that... Soccer 101 you don't head the ball out like that from the box. Defensively these girls are not fundamentally sound. Offensively they do not play together... It's basically watching your typical direct ball athletic USA team go vs u15 teenage boys. Those N. Korean women move like teenage boys. All very technical and agile. Just goes to show that soccer is an interesting sport when you are tactically sound with the right core group of players that work together for the common cause.

Agree with many of the points mentioned here. In US, we like and follow "flashy" players. We see evidence of that in many of our sports including Basketball, American Football, and now also in Soccer. During the competitive tryouts, players need to stand out with their Maradona turns and break-ankle type of dribbles to wow and leave hard impressions to get noticed and selected.

Keeping a ball, making timely passes, off-the-ball movements, occupying & defending spaces, and doing all the important yet underappreciated tasks are not recognized here in US. And this can be boring than players that are often taking on 1v1 and breaking ankles. So we end up with more of these types of flashy players in the overall rosters in USYNT and USWNT. Yes, being "flashy" sells with TV audience and advertisers. But this does not translate well in the World Cup type of competitions in the recent year because other countries have all caught up and now playing more team soccer at the highest level.

I think NWSL is starting to recognize this phenomenon at the professional level too. Many of the teams may still have some of the flashy US players in the attack, but they are now starting to scout and recruit from countries like Spain and Japan for the high soccer team IQ type of players in the midfields.
 
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