(2) USWNT vs Japan 2.27.2019 / SheBelieves Cup 2019

2.27.2019 | SheBelieves Cup 2019
USA vs Japan
2nd half
***
1st half→ • (1) USWNT vs Japan 2.2...

[@rogerhwerner6997]

How many times has Ellis subed Press and then Press just makes things happen. Hell of last 20 minutes Christen!!

[@matiesmiles59]

Coach knows best

[@dereks66]

@@matiesmiles59 Press and Lloyd should have started that game. Japan is a top 5 team. Coach made a mistake. That won't happen with the new coach.

[@matiesmiles59]

@@dereks66 every coach has a Strategy and Tactics that will work every player in this team knew their role they might have not liked something but heeeey they made one great team... Ellis's record speaks for her mistakes or no mistakes she is a legend 😂. Ps am a Pressy Fan.... Every has its time and season... People's views are different all the Time when it comes to these games coach should do this or do that... We would all just have to have a lil faith on them cause they want to win and a lil grace when they mess up too thwy are humans 😂

[@PiyushKumar-ob5uo]

@@matiesmiles59 000000000

[@matiesmiles59]

@@PiyushKumar-ob5uo take up a career of being the coach 😂😂😂😂. We will always have issues with you. People forget athletes ain’t made of steel... and will not always win.

[@appiahevelyn4646]

I don’t follow soccer but me watching Press is making me addicted to soccer. Go USA🇺🇸!

[@sayansingha8474]

did you check out her goal in this week and last week's matches? Pure Gold!

[@appiahevelyn4646]

I have not check yet, lemme do so.

[@tomi3566]

Did anyone else see that Preath moment 38:11 - 38:48 when heath asked Press if she was okay

[@juliovelarde3690]

Tobin Heath ❤️

[@ruberangulo22]

Divina Cristina press

[@Yinyang314]

the "i love you Christen" @ 39:56 is gold

[@SarfrazKhan-qy9nx]

Why is Christan Press brought in the game so late? Every time she comes in she makes positive contribution. Doesn't Jill Ellis see that ? What is with Carly Lloyd being injected into the game at 83rd. minute ?

[@da8069]

Press's style does not fit into long pass ball style which is dominantly used by uswnt.

[@SarfrazKhan-qy9nx]

I do not know who you are. I disagree with you.

[@alx2025]

Sarfraz Khan I thought Press was left striker

[@ellerajakubowski6635]

Carli Lloyd gets put in late bc Jill Ellis know she can score so when there are down she scores

[@sayansingha8474]

@@ellerajakubowski6635 it would be year 2050 and she would still score right? Press needs to start! Even after the world cup I'm praying she gets the much needed recognition. She is one of the best in the world!

[@veguillar1]

38:11 if this happened in men's soccer there would have been a riot of yellow cards and play acting. Well done women's soccer for moving on and continuing to play the game. Awesome

[@neptunepierre9251]

O

[@yog7815]

Press is just amazing, she is better than perfect😍😍😍😍😍👏👏🏆🏆🏆

[@halflanding1900]

Thanks for this. US obviously dominant but Japan did well to hang in. Such intensity throughout the game from both teams!

[@thangnguyen02]

I like both teams

[@PaulIrving-ho2pk]

It good to see USWNT now playing countries on their level to see how truly good they are the concacaf region is poor standard soccer for USWNT

[@sayalirane8456]

I like the way japan was playing.They played very well.japan should had won this match❤❤

[@quandinh8855]

Japan plays soccer very good!...

[@norsefury74]

Davidson, 2 giveaways resulted in Japan's 2 goals.

[@jungkooksgengar]

okay this may sound really weird but like.. anyone else just really like Lavelle's legs? lol I'm like leg goals sis

[@da8069]

Only Morgan and Press have genuinely dribbling skill against skillful players like Japanese.

[@tomi3566]

And #16

[@purplehazerain8420]

Finally,what kind of story did Rapino and Kumagai talk about? I think Lapino also recognizes Kumagai , who is active in the European champion Lyon.

[@Melii1128]

Thank you so much! ❤️

[@tripsr4kids]

i knew there wud comments about Naeher. every one of the commenters neglects to mention the fact that a.) both goals were preceded by defensive errors (on the first goal, Davidson doesnt clear the ball out of the box but instead kicks it lazily right to the Japanese forward who is standing in the box, 10 feet from goal; on the second goal the defensive line is caught flat by a textbook build-up by Japan), and b.) both shots were taken from within the penalty box - if u cant score while standing in the box (the goal is 11 feet wide) u shudnt be playing at this level. goal keeper shouldnt have any chance if ur shooting from there. in fact for the second goal the shot was taken literally from 3 feet out. you wud have to be a miracle worker to save a shot from that distance. both goals are the fault of the defense not the keeper.. of course theres no mention of any of that in any of these posts blaming Naeher. no real analysis of the game. just belly aching. Naeher is solid keeper. The best we have by far. The US achilles heal is its back line and its defense posture when we dont have the ball. the midfield is slow to transition into defensive formation when we lose the ball. and it is the cause of most of their goals. it trickles down to the back line which is often caught flat-footed and poorly positioned in transition as well. all of this pointing towards coaching errors. not goal keeping errors. Ellis needs to address all of this. or we get smoked in France this summer.

[@talukpalashimuslim]

Thanks Japan

[@j.l.callison1837]

Thanks for posting. It looks to me like Rapino has lost a step. Hate to see her getting old.

[@lucy0039]

The skill from Alex Morgan to get past 4 players at 13:11 is unreal🙌

[@candis75]

thanks for posting ..

[@itseemedtoher8053]

I don't understand the benefit of tied games. Why not have ties go to penalty kicks? It'd make ranking clearer and game endings more dramatic.

[@kazoosc]

I actually think it leads to more dramatic league finishes .. for example, the English Premiere League often has has last day games affecting the table -- winners/losers ( and bottom 3 teams go down to the lower level league for the next season, trading places with that league's top 3 finishers ) 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, 0 points for a loss .. then goal difference for tie-breakers .. no playoffs, no wild cards ( like in the US system ), your place in the table reflects your performance

[@itseemedtoher8053]

@@kazoosc Thanks for taking the time, your reply prompted me to investigate further (which i should have done in the first place). The answers were all interesting, especially the idea that PK deciders would lead to less aggressive playing by weaker teams. Here's one link: www.quora.com/Why-arent-all-ties-in-football-matches-resolved-by-extra-time-and-or-penalty-kicks

[@Archiebald_N]

Uswnt need Horan recovery soon. Julie ertz need her in midfield

[@chrisradovan7642]

You actually think that Horan who is a slower player would help in this game given her poor performances in the first two games of this year. She could not deal with the speed of france and played poorl also do not play well against Spain. What makes you think she could have done anything in this game when she could not do it in the first two games. ust like France, Japan high pressured the person with the ball just like France did and Horan in that game was just ineffective. Even her coach calling her out to play faster. The coach nows that she is slow or he would not have called her out to play faster.

[@Archiebald_N]

Do u know she's MPV she's make 14 goal for thorn n she's playing as midfielder .I don't care what u say. That's only my opinion, like ally Wagner said as commentator in this match

[@baeyzl]

@@chrisradovan7642 ...Yes...yes she most certainly would have. A bench coach barking out instructions, in no way implies the player is incapable of making the corrections. Why shout at all? It doesn't correlate to a player's full ability. It's situational. Is she lightning out there? Of course not, it's not her responsibility. Speed is not her forte. Her footwork, aerial presence, rapid decision making and diligence in tight spaces is. What do you think happens when players face talented competition? The game gets tougher, for everyone. You cannot add the France game into any kind judgement on a player's overall ability. The game was a joke. And a deliberate loss to France for the build up of excitement for the upcoming WC. A pure media stunt. A rookie (Fox) on D, no Ertz, Brian in, no Pino. A 2nd string line up without any subs or changes till the 71st minute, down 3-0. Pff. The Spain game was tight and well fought and in large part due to Horan. The first half was all US possession. Naeher didn't even get an impactful touch till the 36th minute as the US was dominating the middle of the field. Exactly the area Horan covers. They just couldn't finish attacks. Credit to Spain's D. Your loathing for Horan is misplaced.

[@baeyzl]

@@chrisradovan7642 ...How lucky are you?...the weekend is coming. I'll rewatch the Spain game and time stamp Horan's successes like the last time you were cluelessly bashing her. You were going off on how she did absolutely nothing and I stamped like 30 plays where she excelled.

[@chrisradovan7642]

@@Archiebald_N Hornan fans seem to always fall back on that same thing to try and convince those who watch her play for the USWNT by using her accomplishments from last years Club team that she was MVP last year and score 14 goals. That was last year in the NWSL and thats in the NWSL not the USWNT. Frankly what she did in the NWSL is good for the NWSL but does nothing for the USWNT when she plays like she did against france and Spain as I remember she was taken out at half time. Watch the France game also and watch how bad she played in that game. In fact the whole team played poorly

[@lovewenzi]

20:21 24:00 tobin

[@chrisradovan7642]

Does anyone here think if Horan was here she would have made a difference in the game after watching how poorly she played in the first two games this year?

[@I_Have_The_Most_Japanese_Music]

I say probably not.

[@justtester_9962]

you mean Lindsay (the walrus) Horan? Those Japanese players would have been running circles around her slow poke ass.

[@bkirstie]

and becky she should put in mewis instead of pugh

[@baeyzl]

@@bkirstie ...Mewis as a forward? She's slower than the much hated Horan (in this thread). Forward positions require speed, midfielders, not so much. As to why Mewis is a midfielder and not an appropriate switch for Pugh. Not without other line changes.

[@bkirstie]

baeyzl lzyead nooooooooooooo. pugh Played midfield, versus Japan so i thought Muse would have been better perhaps. mewis has good speed. horan is definitely slow and she was exposed during the France game. um, i know what is required as a forward. i played on the Junior national field hockey team. i just don’t think she’s given mewis a chance.

[@luisalbertoaguilar2082]

las japonesas para mi las hacen ver amateur a las americanas solo son lindas mujeres y jugadoras buenas en cambio las japonesas que calidad que tienen que temple

[@jeremyh2786]

i thought u were not uploading any USWNT match anymore. Thanks for this, btw. Regrads From Indonesia!

[@baeyzl]

They haven't played in a month. Stay tuned, they play again on Saturday. Hopefully, it will be posted a day or two following.

[@coconutjuicex]

noted

[@ellerajakubowski6635]

coconut juice x keep uploading when they happen again

[@عليالحربي-ط7خ]

ان شاء الله الكاس لي فرنسا 🇫🇷

[@baeyzl]

If the US continues to use Naeher...realistically, the only way they can triumph...is, I know Ellis hates it...but, it is really true...it's a necessity...to use a 4-4-2. That's the only model for victory if Naeher is going to be used. They need to clog the middle of the field to thwart ANY opposing attack. They must keep play in the attacking third to keep the ball away from Naeher. What an amazing liability...staggering

[@peaceharmony4115]

Who do you have in mind for starting goalkeeper for the US team? I've seen you criticize Naeher quite a bit -- and I don't disagree that she sometimes is poorly positioned, or makes poor decisions. So I'd like to know your choice, or choices, for that matter, given that we'll be taking 3 for the WC.

[@netbrsr1]

The Real US goal keeper... Yep HOPE SOLO

[@baeyzl]

@@peaceharmony4115 ...Thanks for showing interest. Haven't we discussed this before? At this point, as Naeher continues to devolve...anyone is a better candidate. However, I don't want Campbell as I believe she was a willing participant in purposefully tanking her debut. No way, no way a keeper just softly walks backwards into her net on corners. Twice! The more I watch it...the more it looks staged. I want Franch in there...and have been screaming for it for what, two years now!? She's finally in camps and yet...still ZERO caps. She would be the next Briana Scurry if actually given the opportunity.

[@baeyzl]

@@netbrsr1 ...she's the GOAT, undoubtedly, but she doesn't play soccer anymore as she's 37 and retired.

[@baeyzl]

@@peaceharmony4115 ...every game over the last year, I've noted Naeher's ineptitudes. Every single game she has more failures than positives. The positives don't add up to much and the negatives are extreme. "Sometimes" is most of the time. An honest guess? 87% failure rate. As in 87% of her touches result in giveaways or goals. If I get bored, I'll begin rewatching every 2018 game available and chart out her touches for you. I don't know, I just need someone to get on the same page about this and see it for what it is...cause the team sure ain't doin' it. It's driving me Nutzo, ha!

[@holokai21]

Never should have had that long storage time.The game was almost done.Tough tie for the USA!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@lovewenzi]

22:54 tobin

[@baeyzl]

16:35 "She uses good strength, but, perhaps not enough pessimism, by her, to go down and draw that penalty. Or ruthlessness, just to release the shot. Cause she was in...or she had a pk on her hands." -Aly cheapshot Wagner 28:21 "Okay [sarcastically], you can call this I suppose." -Aly cheapshot Wagner. When Heath belongs on Wild Kingdom as she looks like she taking down a gazelle. Obvious foul. 29:30 Goal Japan. Tough one, yes, still...the most important focus of a keeper is positioning. Freeze it 29:20, she's in good position. Nakagima (?) moves to her left and Naeher takes some shutter steps to her left (opposite directions). So the ball carrier brought the ball central, in front of goal and for an inexplicable reason, Naeher moves towards the post opening the goal to the attacker. She can't recover. There was no reason to take that jump to her left. Why? The ball wasn't on her left, no player was on her left. She's a spaz and again, does not know where she is on the field. 52:49 Goal Japan. What a clown. Never knew a goal could be so stupid looking. Leave it to Naeher to break the mold for incompetence. Clearly she's standing flat footed as she trips on herself trying to jump start her motion. 52:46 Why is Naeher on her post? Why doesn't she know where she is on the field? Does she not look behind her? It doesn't matter if the play is developing on her right. There is no reason, whatsoever, to be on the post. It takes away half of her range. Plain and flippin' simple. SIMPLE. Goal Keeping 101! She leaves the entire goal wide open for the other runner, who Naeher was completely unaware of. As she doesn't use peripheral vision and plays with blinders on. A little poke shot across the face, by the lead attacker would've scored easily too. She does this all the time. She keeps the ball carrier directly in front of her, no matter where the goal is behind her. She becomes oblivious to her surroundings as she always aligns to the ball. The ball carrier doesn't matter if you're not in front of your goal. The first half was horrid too. Had like, 4 touches and 3 were failures. I'm just amazed every game...how? How? HOW can she even be on this team, in any capacity? She lacks every major skill set to play this supremely important position. The most important position has the worst possible player...it's just maddening. No way the US wins with Naeher. It just can't happen. If Naeher needs to touch the ball...we're done. C'mon D, step it up!!!!!! p.s. she looked like she may have hurt her hand a bit on her drunken flamingo dance. Maybe, she'll have to sit and someone else can edge their way in? We can hope, can't we?

[@eminemele1531]

THANK YOU! What the hell was Naeher doing? Not to mention Dunn, who forgot how to play defense and Tierna, who on the first Japanese goal passed the ball... BACK to Nakajima?! In front on the goal? And then on the second Japanese goal, Dunn doesn't block AGAIN. Why is she still on the field? I just want Sauerbrunn and JJ back. Defense won the fifa in 2015. Why is Ellis fixing it if it isn't broken?

[@baeyzl]

@@eminemele1531 ...She doesn't "do" anything...she breathes. Yes, it was a bit sloppy on Dunn and Davidson's part. To be fair, Davidson did not intentionally pass it back to Japan. She was trying for a quick outlet pass back to Dunn to have her carry it around the wing and up field. If she kept it closer to the back line, laterally, it would have been a calm, cool move. The 2nd goal, sometimes you need to tip your hat to the opposition. That was a heck of a pass and first touch that kept the attacker inside of Dunn and a step ahead. Playing from a behind position, she couldn't tackle. A Pk would've been called in lightning fashion. She actually made a smart move after the initial whiff, though...not following the ball and diverting her chase to cover the WIDE OPEN net Naeher left in her wake. Sure Japan got through the defense twice in this game, but, the defensive line also kept Japan from scoring opportunities for 85 minutes. That's quite a feat as Japan is talented. Both Dunn and Davidson deserve credit for that defending. And shouldn't be thrown off the train for a miscue. I'm going after Naeher as she makes the same mistakes over and over and over and over again. Dunn and Davidson are brilliant more often than not...Naeher never is. A competent keeper is paramount to actual victory and continued domination. When something slips through, which will always happen...she needs to be focused and in proper position to clean it up. She wasn't and didn't. She never is. The only thing a keeper needs or even can do, while they wait for the play to come to them...is always be in correct positioning. 99 out of 100 times...that is 6-8 feet OFF the post, at least. If you're on the post...it always leaves 16 FEET of uncoverable real estate open to all. From a standstill, Naeher could only cover 8 feet in a diving motion. Did you delete your own, other comment about Franch?... "This comment was spot on, and ironic bc Ellis put Franch in vs England (which just ended)." ...I couldn't find on which thread it should be attached to. Please don't tell me the score as I won't see it till the game is posted. If it will be posted. I don't watch television. How'd she do though? Without giving away too much ;) . Thanks!

[@taylors1974]

THANK YOU!! I font know what the hell is Naeher doing? She doesn't deserve the number 1 spot, I am just being honest. Ashlyn Harris is one of if not the best goalkeeper in my opinion. There is no reason for her to be number 2 behind this dimwit

[@eminemele1531]

@@baeyzl When I played soccer I played defense and don't really know any goalie things, but I think Franch did her best. I prefer Ashlyn Harris and would have liked to see her in but Naeher wouldn't have done any better.

[@jamiecollins8610]

baeyzl lzyead four months later... eat your words

[@vincentgallagher7562]

Where is Mana Iwabuchi? Why wasn't Yamashita in the goal?

[@baybarsedturner2]

Both at home. They're either injured or Japan are so keen to try out new players that they've essentially brought along their B team.

[@jeromechiu]

@@baybarsedturner2 Neither of them is injured. Several key players were chosen for the pre-season training camp and then dropped, viz. Sugasawa, Tanaka, Ueki, Nagano, Miyazawa, and Kitamura. Mizuho Sakaguchi, Miyake, and Yamashita were included in the preparatory training sessions in Japan, but are not part of the squad that travelled to the States. Iwabuchi was included in NONE of the training camps / sessions mentioned above. The whole thing is extremely baffling.

[@k-matsu]

The squad taken to the US is very young, based around the teams that won the U-16 and then U-20 World Cups. Iwabuchi will be back based on overall talent, I suspect. But Takakura-san is building a TEAM (based mainly on a younger generation), and the individuals are not as important as the team cohesion. Players like Ogu and Ikejiri (both made debuts as subs, then started against Brasil) are examples of the players who will soon take over as the core members. And anyway, even if Mana was available, she wouldve struggled to have done any better than Hasegawa, Kobayashi and Momiki have performed at this tornament

[@jeromechiu]

@@k-matsu Let me elaborate on what I find baffling. Let's start with central midfield. Takakura-san seems to be constantly experimenting with many different combinations in central midfield, and to some extent I understand why. In the 2018 Asian Cup, her first-choice was Sakaguchi + Utsugi -- very experienced but aging, and seem too slow against pacey opponents. Addressing THAT, she has had many choices to choose from. Her 2014 U17 winning team had Sugita + Nagano in central midfield, and the team won 6 out of 6 en route to the U17 World Cup. Her 2015 U19 Asian Cup winning team and 2016 U20 World Cup team (without Shimizu and Kobayashi due to injuries) had Miura + Sugita in central midfield (Nagano was young enough to stay in the U17 set-up, so she did). The 2018 U20 winning team had Nagano + Hayashi in central midfield. In the meantime, she had tried various combinations involving Nakasato, Ariyoshi, Ichise, Sumida, Masuya, Miura, Nagano, etc. throughout 2018, overlooking Sugita even during the time Sakaguchi was out with her serious injury. in the 2019 pre-season training camp, things seemed to have shaped up nicely, and it LOOKED LIKE she had settled on Utsugi, Miura, Sugita, and Nagano in central midfield -- all very logical -- Utsugi with her experience and athleticism, plus Miura, Sugita, and Nagano from her successful age-group teams. AND THEN she announced the squad for SheBelieves Cup, which overlooks Nagano (totally baffling!) but includes Sakaguchi in the training sessions IN JAPAN without taking her to USA, and almost out of the blue includes Matsubara in the squad. The central midfield pairing against USA was Matsubara + Sugita, and to their credits both played well within the tactical design of the game, i.e. Matsubara is the tall version of Nakasato who takes up the "water carrier" defensive duties while Sugita is the regista of the team. Now the question is: What is Takakura-san thinking? And do the girls know what she is thinking? Does THIS mean that Nagano is already out of the equation? I certainly hope not! The most likely reason behind choosing Ikejiri and Oga is that Takakura-san has been tracking their progress for a long time. This coming season both of them are turning fully professional, and both are likely to enjoy extended runs as starters in their respective teams, and thus the call-up. Both played well in the two games we've seen so far. But "taking over as core members" on THIS basis? I am not so sure. If Takakura-san wants her centre forwards to be combative, energetic and full of running, then the top 3 should be Kobayashi, Ueki, and Ikejiri. The trouble is: whom then should she drop? Tanaka, who was MVP and highest goal scorer in the league last year? Iwabuchi? Surely that's unimaginable! Yokoyama and/or Sugasawa, who BOTH have been scoring match-winning goals in important matches for the national team? Attacking midfield, on the other hand, seems more settled. Nakajima and Hasegawa are certainties. Momiki, with her goal-scoring form in addition to her reliable link-up play, should be safe as well. So we are left with the choices of Endo or Miyazawa. I hope both get selected; but if so, one forward would have to make way. Would THAT happen? More settled still is the right side of defence: Shimizu as first choice and Miyagawa as back-up. Central defence is less settled. Kumagai, of course, will be in as Captain. Who will be her first choice partner? Minami is tall, fast, and fearless -- I hope she at least makes the squad. Ichise has been reliable and was first choice in the Asian Cup, so it looks like she will be in as well. Oga is tall, fast, and the wild card. Would Takakura-san settle with 3 in the centre, knowing that Sameshima could stand in when needed, and use the space for an additional forward? If so, which of Minami, Ichise, Oga, and Miyake would she drop? The left-back position is the least certain. Sameshima is still the first choice but she can't play every match in a 7-match run within one month. Who will be her back-up? Ariyoshi is also experienced, but just as old. She is generally reliable but the way she got skinned by Tobin Heath for USA's first goal gave me a heart attack, and will likely give me further heart attacks when we see Geyse or Cascarino or Parris running at her. Takakura-san tried Kitagawa for a while and then dropped her. She chose Kitamura for the training camp and then dropped her for the trip to USA. She tried Moeno Sakaguchi for a while but then played her in midfield against Brazil in the last game. The bold choice, for me, is to go for youth and choose Kitamura; but she'll play in the 2nd-tier with Cerezo Osaka in the coming season, which some people perceive as a disadvantage. Then again, Nagano will play in the 2nd-tier as well, while Ikejiri played well enough in the 3rd-tier last season and has been rewarded with a call-up. Perhaps we'll never know until the dust finally settles, when it finally HAS to settle. In conclusion: it is NOT whether Takakura-san chooses or drops certain individuals that worries me, even if she HAS dropped Iwabuchi, Sugasawa, Tanaka, Ueki, Nagano, Miyazawa, Kitamura, Yamashita, and Ikeda for the trip to USA, but WHEN we'll see a settled squad with only 3 months now before the World Cup.

[@k-matsu]

@@jeromechiu You make a lot of good points, and youre hardly the first to question Takakura-san's strategy (and particularly, her lack of "loyalty" to individual players). But the thing is . . . .Japan is really spoiled for choice at the moment, so individual skill is not as big a concern as "team chemistry" (as the match against Brazil should clearly demonstrate). With a few "core" exceptions (ie the likes of Haasegawa, Yokoyama, Yamane, etc) I think most of the players that went to the USA for this tournament fall into one of two categories: - Talented but aging and facing the risk of being dropped, or - Young and promising but still not experienced or consistent enough to have a lock on being called up for the World Cup. To me, this makes perfect sense. It suggests that Takakura already is 80% sure of who she will take, and wants all the borderline choices to get one last chance to prove that they deserve the honour (and lets face it, at least a dozen "deserving" candidates are going to have to be left out). I dont worry so much about the squad being "settled", since nearly all of these girls have played with one another for years, in one capacity or other. The key is to build a squad that is highly motivated, and keeping the selection unclear helps to keep that motivation high. The way that she threw some of her youngest prospects (ie Oga and Ikejiri) in at the deep end, not only as subs against USA but also man-marking Brazilian key players, is exactly the way to find out how much internal fire and self-confidence a youngster has. A second thing to remember is that (at least from my own humble perspective) Takakura-san seems to be less concerned about this immediate 2019 title as she is about building a legacy as "the greatest women's coach ever". Maybe that is harsh in implying a selfish motive, but lets face it . . . she has every quality (and more than enough raw material) to dominate the women's game (especially in Asia) for the next decade or even more. If I were in her shoes, I would be building a young team that can finish in the top four this time around, then win everything in sight for the next eight years. Dont forget, the 2020 Olympics is going to be far more of a "big deal" to Japanese fans than this year's World Cup. Looking at the number of top prospects that are U-22 at the moment, I can understand exactly what Takakura-san is doing.

[@jxajimenez6112]

38:00

[@taylors1974]

The team needs Krieger back on defense, she is a beast, and Jill Ellis is stupid not to have her on the team, and needs Ashlyn Harris or literally ANYONE else in goal because Naeher is ALWAYS in the wrong spot, clueless as to where she is, and allowing sloppy goals. This team needs it's star power back or we are going to keep losing.

[@sportsprincess5988]

There was nothing she could have done about those goals. Not even Harris. They were well struck. Goalkeepers aren’t gonna be able to save every shot. Also it’s not a major tournament they are playing. The she believes Cup just a tournament to keep the players active.

[@rachelkessinger2295]

0:52 Alex Morgan is EASILY the best player in the world, at least the best forward. She cut hard and made an excellent run to near post which she knew would either be an easy goal if one defender followed her but since she drew triple coverage it left Rapinoe wide TF open in the box.

[@corneliasberuat9718]

Rachel Kessinger, you have to watch every game tobin's played, then you'll admit that tobin is the best playmaker than alex

[@diedregroenewald9673]

😊😊☺☺

[@evil_chief_gaming5792]

Can they stop with the drums

[@socorromorales3077]

En este partido Morgan ya estaba tronada, ya está vieja.

[@markrogers8388]

That last goal for Japan was gifted to them. I like Abby Dahlkemper, but this once she watched the ball pass near her three times, as other players moved toward the Japanese defense. Too passive on the last time, and her opponent dinked the ball into space. I know your defense will be fluid-and get stretched out of shape. From the advantage of hindsight, she seems a little non-committal on that series.

[@marianadepaiva8575]

She was marking her side, it was Davidson that was not on her post as the left center back, which is where the goal was scored from. If she were in position she would have probably blocked the Japanese player.

[@unc9927]

5mJ

[@carlosdelacarrera5350]

que toque de balón JAPON!!, por otro lado, que mediocre USA!!

[@nzlemming]

That was some mediocre officiating, IMHO.

[@伊東登-g7w]

山根を下ろせ