If your read our earlier article about the United States Women's National Soccer team, you would know that we strongly criticized a few of their players. These players were Abby Wombach and Meagan Rapinoe. We said that neither one of these players had enough pace to put any real pressure on the opposing teams. Well we must admit we were wrong. We are now believers in those two ladies.
For the second match in a row Abby Wombach saved an out played United States team from the brink of losing . The first one coming in possibly the best soccer game ever played by men or women, against Brazil in the quarterfinals. The United States women had been playing a man down for over 55 minutes when Abby soared in the air to tie the game at 2-2 in the 122nd minute of the game. This is the latest goal scored in World Cup history. The United States women went on to win that game with the help of Hope Solo's outstanding goalkeeping. Now it must be stated that the ball that Wombach received to score that miraculous goal was served to her by Meagan Rapinoe. She entered late in the game and at the time we thought it was a bad substitution. Were we wrong. She served a brilliant cross that was right on target. Abby finished off that brilliant cross by heading it squarely into the back of the net.
The second time Wombach lifted the American women to a win, put them in the finals of the 2011 World Cup. The American women were being outplayed, after they went ahead early from a beautiful goal from Lauren Chaney, by a French team this time. It was a late corner kick that was served to the back post by Chaney, that Wombach leaped over her defender to finish the header in the back of the net again. It must be noted that Rapinoe came in late in this game as well and had a huge impact playing on the outside. Chaney moved to play more central to make room for Rapinoe after Carlie Lloyd was taken out of the game. Her play has been a little off the last two games.
In the Finals on Sunday versus Japan the United States team will again need Rapinoe and Wombach to play extraordinary in order to come away victorious. The Americans have been outplayed since the last game of their group play, which they lost to Sweden. Now we know that they have grinded and willed their way to victories in the quarterfinals (Brazil) and the semifinals (France) but eventually playing like that, spending so much emotion and energy into each of those games will catch up with them. They will have to be the better team on Sunday to actually win this World Cup.
Japan with its precision team passing and the ability to hold possession throughout most of a game, is just the type of team that can give the United States squad problems. Japan is led by their star mid fielder Homare Sawa who is playing in her 5th and final World Cup. Sawa has the highest pass completion percentage by an individual player in the tournament at 82.4 percent. The Unites States mid field will have to find her and keep pressure on her. They cannot afford to let her lose and find the speedy Japanese players making runs on the outside.
The United States will have to improve their mid field play if they are going to have a chance to win on Sunday. Shannon Box and Carlie Lloyd haven't had the best of games lately. Chaney did fine when she was moved to center mid field to make room for Rapinoe coming of the bench. The problem with that is Chaney is a forward at heart and tends to get caught to high in the attack. Alex Morgan should get the start over Amy Rodriguez in our opinion. We are huge A-Rod fans but Morgan has produced more with less time, so she should get the start.
Again the back line of the United States will be tested by the precision passing and the speed of the Japanese players. The move to play Rampone more on the left side to help Lepeilbet was a great tactical move by coach Sundhagen.
Hope Solo will have to improve her play against Japan. In the game against France she made some really big saves but also made a few mental mistakes that Solo doesn't usually make. The first mistake was her positioning on France's goal by Bompastor. She was to far right, even with the French player making a run into the box. That is the second time her positioning has cost a goal in our opinion. The first one was the Marta goal in the quarterfinals, that should have been an easy save with better positioning. The second mistake she made in the France game was on a pass back that she was suppose to clear. She got wrong footed and sent the ball straight to the French player Necib. Luckily Necib was off target with her shot. Solo will improve we are sure of that, she is the biggest advantage the United States has every time they take the pitch.
The United States must be careful with Japan for another reason. They are a team playing with the support of an entire country behind them. They are playing for their entire country, rallying after their disaster that left Japan needing aide from everyone worldwide. That makes Japan a very dangerous team.
Lets go USA finish this story!!
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