US Olympic Performance

I can't believe that Angela Hucles is the leading scorer in the Olympic games. She is terrible. Her story about being a squad player for years and now suddenly, under Pia, becoming our main offensive weapon because she finally got the chance to play it bogus. Yeah, she has four goals, but seriously, the two against Japan in the semi's were a gift. Obviously, Abby is our #1, but she's out for a while. I watched the last tune-up game vs Brazil, as well as most of every game in the Olympics and every player on the field works harder than Hucles, especially A-Rod. That girl busts her butt from whistle to whistle. She doesn't give up on balls destined for the end line, pressures every defender and forced a few key turnovers late in that Brazil tune-up. Going back to World Cup qualifying, I have been terrified of Natasha Kai. Maybe it's the pace she plays at that prevents her from going a full 90min, but the entire dynamic of the team changes when she comes on the field. Usually subbing in for Tarpley and pushing Hucles out to the left, Kai and A-Rod work extremely well together...both have speed, intensity, confidence, and a nose for goal. Hucles just stands around. Watch her after she turns the ball over. She'll stand there. A-Rod, Kai, and especially Abby, would never be caught dead giving up on a play like Hucles does.

There was one sequence in the Brazil tune up by Abby that truly separates her from every other striker, men's and women's, in the world, and it's an example that A-Rod and Kai have learned from while Hucles is still trying to figure out how to take an effective corner. Abby was fouled just left of center about 25yds out while trying to split two Brazilian defenders. She took the free kick and sent it into the 10th row. After turning and jogging back up field, she realized the goal kick was played short to a defender on the American's left. Abby, being the closest American, turned and defended, but in doing so, the ball became free and lead to a 4 v 3 Brazilian counter. From just outside Brazil's 18, Abby out-ran everyone on the field to make the decisive header to clear a cross at the top of our 18. Hucles hasn't run that much in 5 games combined. Anyway, I hope she has a more inspired performance against Brazil on Thursday.

Speaking of Thursday, Hope Solo has probably been dreaming about this game since before the whistle blew to start the WC semi-final. I can't imagine a game with more self-imposed pressure than this one. This is her chance to prove everyone right and her coach wrong. If she fails, then her image is going to take a huge hit. Coaches and managers are trusted to know everything about their players, even the things the players don't know about themselves. Did I agree with benching Solo for Scurry, no, and there's never going to be a way to tell the outcome had she started, but if she gets lit up for 2, 3, or 4 goals and we lose, well, that's a different story. The first real chance Brazil gets will dictate the rest of the game. Brazil, in my opinion, should come out firing and test her early and often. If they can put one in, questions of confidence are gonna start to creep in, but if she saves them, then I expect the US to walk away with Gold. The back four, especially on the outsides, has been very solid, but Boxx and Lloyd in the middle are gonna need to help lock down the middle a little more than they have been to cover any late runs or runs from the mid-field as well as preventing any slicing through balls.