oh canada
GOLD
Japan - no size advantage, no speed advantage, no strength advantage...just superior technical skills and great movement off the ball.
U20 WWC
- Thread starter MakeAPlay
- Start date
Japan - no size advantage, no speed advantage, no strength advantage...just superior technical skills and great movement off the ball.
Phenomenal team chemistry
so how is Japan’s Federation set up? Do these girls play for respective clubs, get selected for Camps, etc like it happens in the US or is thier structure different?
Soccerfan2
GOLD
Yes. Girls play for independent clubs or school academies. Japanese men’s league pro teams all have youth academies and many are starting to have girls youth academies too. Women’s pro league teams have promotion and relegation. There is a lot more corporate sponsorship of soccer in Japan. Kids in Japan that play soccer practice daily all year and specialize young. Just like Japanese academic students who go to night school on top of regular school, Japanese athletes play more organized hours than kids here. Technical proficiency, teamwork, humility and work ethic are valued in every part of Japanese society so it’s no surprise that those values show up on their soccer field too.
Kicknit22
GOLD
A description that cannot and will not be assigned the USA, as long as the people in charge continue to be in charge and persist with current philosophy. Sickening and sad.
Sons of Pitches
SILVER ELITE
Remind me again, if Promotion/Relegation works in every other country in the world, why does it not work in the USA?
End of the Line
SILVER ELITE
Relax. Not to state the obvious, but the WNT is #1 in the world and has been for many years since people first started claiming we're going down in flames to more technical teams. The WNT imposed perhaps the most humiliating beat down in women's soccer history against Japan in the last WC and destroyed them again this year in the ToN Cup. The U20 team, in contrast, was cobbled together with players who've hardly played together and was missing most of its best players who've moved beyond the kiddie pool to the full WNT, prefer to play their full college season, or are named Catarina Macario. Stanford's and UCLA's U20s alone would probably beaten the Japanese U20 team.
The real problem with women's soccer in the US is the hyperbole from parents and fans. When they're not complaining the US sucks because it lacks Japan's rigid structure and discipline, they're complaining the US sucks because it doesn't have Brazil's complete lack of structure and discipline.
The financial structure of US professional leagues (for both men and women) assumes that the leagues will be stable as long as the clubs can afford to keep playing. There is some movement in the lower divisions, but it is based on finances, not success at the game.
oh canada
GOLD
Your hyperbole in the first paragraph diminishes your credibility for the second. Guessing you didn't watch the games but just looked at the box scores? In Tournament of Nations, Japan purposely started/played younger players, including the goalie who will not be the starter come WC. Japan controlled much of both of those games. Home field advantage in ToN too. USA made some good shots/goals and they were good wins in both those games. But there was certainly no "destroying" going on. This is the mindset that sets up future failure. Superiority complex despite reality. USA's #1 ranking is padded by all of the cupcake victories they get over Concacaf countries (sans Canada) and other low-ranked countries. E.g., next game...Chile.
Japan is also known for keeping youth playing small-sided into High School...5v5, 7v7 to emphasize skill/technique. It shows on the pitch.
Any reasonable person (and even most unreasonable) will concede that the World is catching up to USA women. 2019 WC will be Exhibit A.
Last, I will give credit to Ellis for rotating a lot more players through the system and giving caps. Some of it is due to injury but much of it is to get looks at different players; the way it should be for all these friendlies etc. With the depth in the USA, there really shouldn't be players over 30yrs old on the team. There is no Ronaldo or Messi (on the women's or men's side).
End of the Line
SILVER ELITE
Any reasonable person will concede that the US is finally separating itself from the pack for a change. The reality is the US has been doing the catching up for a long time. Before its WC win in 2015, the women hadn't won the WC in 16 years, and only made the finals once. Since winning in 2015, however, the US has lost a single competitive match, in PKs to Sweden in the Olympics, who parked the bus because they could not compete otherwise. The US hasn't lost any games in more than 12 months. And although you say their record is padded because they play cupcakes, this isn't Fox News so you don't get to just make s**t up and pretend it's true. The truth is the US has played every one of the top 8 teams in the world in the last 12 months and is undefeated against them and everyone else, even tinkering with new lineups and personnel. They've played only 1 CONCACAF team besides Canada in 2.5 years (Mexico). If you want cupcakes, though, look at Japan. In the last two years they've played only 6 games against 4 teams in the top eight, with a single win against #8. They've also lost twice to #9 and once to #10. Japan can't beat anyone. It shows on the pitch.
I did see the games. When you say "Japan controlled much of both of those games", what you really mean is they had a lot of meaningless possession that accomplished absolutely nothing and will never win games against superior competition like the US, or any top 10 team apparently. We should definitely not do what Japan is doing.
oh canada
GOLD
You're new to this board, so ok, trying to make a big splash, I get it. Here's a dose of reality:
March 4 2017 - loss
March 7 2017 - loss
July 27 2017 - loss
Nov. 9 2017 - draw (to Canada)
Mar 4 2018 - draw
July 29 2018 - draw
But I guess the wins in between against Russia, China, Korea, Mexico, Denmark and Romania make you feel indestructible. USA will be favored to win WC 2019, and they should be...but it will be the most difficult WC to win ever. Only snotty teenagers or elderly curmudgeons would argue that point. Does the shoe fit?
End of the Line
SILVER ELITE
Aw, did incontrovertible facts get in the way of your narrative, so now you need to resort to personal attacks? Your shtick might work with the kiddies in your classroom, but I'm not impressed.
In response to your question, I'm neither. I'm just a guy who appreciates the WNT and understands the sky isn't falling. You're a guy who thinks the U.S. should model itself after a team that hasn't beaten a major soccer power (U.S., France, Germany), or even Canada in a non-friendly, in more than 7 years and is 4-15-2 overall against the top 12 since the U.S. handed their asses to them in the WC, with their "signature" victory one win (compared to 3 losses) against #8 Australia. Japan couldn't even qualify for the Olympics because #17 China was too strong for them.
I'd say you should stick to teaching math, but apparently numbers and logic are too much for you. You should teach philosophy instead. "If the US destroys Japan but I'm in the forest, do all of those goals make a sound when they hit the back of the net"? How about "I think, therefore I am...going to pretend Japan didn't lose to the Netherlands 6-2 earlier this year"?
oh canada
GOLD
My last retort...I'm bored by your prose. Since you rang the school bell, clearly a kindergarten teacher passed you along to the first grade and ignored your inability to connect the dots. Because I appreciated how the Japan U20s played the past couple weeks with wonderful skill and fantastic off-the-ball movement (any impartial lover of the game would see the same), then "I am a guy who thinks the U.S. should model itself after Japan". Um, no. Reread the thread. 1.....2.....3......4 Descartes could connect them. Betcha can't color within the lines either. Allez!
This is a good article. Sorry if it was posted elsewhere but just read this today.
https://www.starsandstripesfc.com/2...0-womens-world-cup-symptom-bigger-ynt-problem
eastbaysoccer
GOLD
http://breakingthelines.com/opinion-pieces/why-usas-youth-development-continues-to-stagnate/
More bad news for US soccer. The entire staff should be gutted.
More bad news for US soccer. The entire staff should be gutted.
Could not have said it any better. We definitely have a systemic problem here.
The portion of the article that focused on the wrong players is the key to all of this.
Pointing back to a Coaching issue, starting with the Technical Director. The USSF has a history of forgiving failure and/or promoting those that do.
eastbaysoccer
GOLD
The US population is upwards of 300 million people and we have not produced a top 5 player in the world ever? That’s staggering.
Reasons- poor develoment and our best skilled males are playing other sports line baseball, lacrosse, football, basketball, etc.
On the woman’s side the rest of the world is finally getting interested womens soccer. We are already seeing the world catch up. Soon our women will be middle of the pack like our men.
You want to get better? Have your kid trained in Europe or Latin America from ages 13 to 17.
Reasons- poor develoment and our best skilled males are playing other sports line baseball, lacrosse, football, basketball, etc.
On the woman’s side the rest of the world is finally getting interested womens soccer. We are already seeing the world catch up. Soon our women will be middle of the pack like our men.
You want to get better? Have your kid trained in Europe or Latin America from ages 13 to 17.
And they did it again with the U-17’s. Who woulda thought that you’d have 2 concacaf teams in the semis and the USA would not be one of them. I only saw one player that had excellent touch, skill, and confidence with the ball at her feet (#20 with the frizzy hair).