Sonnett is very much needed for the sake of amazing versatility. (And imo Emily on the roster is a huge boost for Rose, Mal and Lindsey) However, I hope and pray alternates become part of the roster a-la Tokyo 2021, just 18 players is simply not enough for such intense schedule.
Great point on the chemistry, Sonnett and Lavelle especially have such a good connection. There’s no one with that much flexibility at quality so she certainly would be the more conventional choice!
Your starting 11 is 100% mine. GK and forwards subs is the same. I personally would leave Albert and Macario as alternates, and take Sonnett and Lily instead. Reason being that Sonnett has more chemistry with the team especially with the off the field stuff with Albert, and has always impressed me with her CDM play. Macario plays more like a central forward than an attacking midfield, so if we are taking Morgan and the 3 starters, that is too much redundancy in the attack for me. Gets Lily cap tied, and gives us a different energy and look if we need to chase a game too.
Your changes to the mid/d subs are a suggestion I haven't seen yet, it's a nice idea and balances the adventurous Lily pick with a safer proven option. Plus you don't lose anyone totally on form. I think you may have the best balance of redundancy/backups too - I'd be shocked to see Macario stay home but it's a well balanced roster.
I happen to believe Hayes will go with flexibility, and thus will take Sonnett over Staab (or maybe Krueger)... and similarly, I think we get Dunn because of what we saw in that second game (Dunn moving to LB when a new front line came on) but I really liked seeing how you thought about it.
@@malber2000 I can definitely see that happening, if so I think you're right it'll be Sonnett and Dunn. Those picks follow the same philosophy and would give you the most bang for your buck.
Worth mentioning that Krueger plays CB, too - in fact she started the NWSL season at CB for the Spirit but moved to LB to cover an injury and was so good they couldn't move her back. I think I'd prefer Krueger to Sonnett everywhere on the back line (definitely as outside back, and probably at centerback) but Sonnett does provide that additional coverage of the 6. I find it interesting to look at the depth charts for each position and consider what combination allows you to bring the highest ranked players in each position. ie: LB: Nighswonger, Krueger, Dunn, Sonnett, [Davidson, Staab] RB: Fox, Krueger, Sonnett CB: Girma, Davidson, Staab, Sonnett, Krueger 6: Coffey, Albert, Sonnett, Horan, [Davidson] (Putting [brackets] around people you'd really rather not play there, because even if they played there in college they're likely pretty out of practice.) We actually have a ton of depth at left back, which is something that makes me wonder if you're right about Dunn not making the squad, as much as I'd hate to see that. I'd also hate to see Staab miss out on a trip to the Olympics, but if Sonnett and Krueger can both play CB do we need another dedicated CB? When it's the non-GK position least likely to need a sub? I'm actually a bit concerned about our depth on the forward line. Macario and, if we bring her, Morgan, can both backup Smith at the 9, but on the wing we've only got Shaw and Dunn as backups. Shaw seems so much better centrally than on the wing (Lavelle too, though I know she's been played as a winger) and Dunn was solid but didn't wow me. So I would like to see Williams in consideration again, if she's healthy enough. The forwards are going to need subs the most, and I'd like our subs to be nearly as terrifying as our starters.
Time at CB is just an extra plus then, I feel pretty good about Krueger making this roster. I like your way of assessing best player available, nice to see it laid out like that. Just visually it looks like you lose out the least having Sonnett stay home. I may even swap Davidson and Horan in your 6 list, I just feel like the best parts of Horan's game shuts down when she's there. I think the CB position is least likely to need a tactical and probably injury sub, but recovery is a factor. They have a tough group and if they plan to go far will probably need to give Davidson and Girma some rest before the knockout part. You're probably onto something with the forwards, the depth on paper looks good but what would subs actually look like? What about Nighswonger on the wing? Sort of eschews the rest point though if she's doing double-duty. It's a tough one!
The leadership is a good point I didn't touch on, she's constantly communicating and seems pretty happy to speak up about things others may not. Fantastic trait!
First of all, my best friend watch all your analyses; though I played throughout HS and was a FIFA-certified ref for many years, the game has changed so much since then that we often find ourselves tactically lost. Your segments help us so much! Wasn't in complete agreement with your roster due to the exclusion of one player: SONNETT. Everyone's noted her versatility, airtight defense - she mopped up after Albert so many times in the Korea friendlies, for which we were there, in the front row so had a great vantage point for that - and leadership on the pitch. (Hayes was genuinely running the entire backfield through Sonnett via constant chatter.) No one has noted, however, that her job in most cases is to settle things down, sort things out rather than "spark" the team. For all of her puckish off-pitch mischief, she's great at solidifying a game that's gotten a little too frantic. Love your show!
Wow that FIFA certification is quite the accomplishment! I'm sure that really changes how you watch games too. I took a step away for a very long time so these videos have been great for helping me see new things too. Love your thoughts on Sonnett, there's so much happening on the sidelines that doesn't make it on camera and that I wouldn't have considered. She definitely looked like a calming presence and knowing Hayes was running the backfield through her is a huge deal. I also don't think I picked up any cues to suggest Staab was dishing out instructions in either match. I can't make sense of taking Staab and Sonnett tactically so very curious to see how this plays out, the instructions are a pretty strong indicator to me.
Love the analysis, good graphics and thanks for including in-game clips so we can see all the weird passes. My bubbles prediction is sonnett, macario, albert, morgan, dunn, shaw 😂 emma is gonna go in hard, guns ablazing, red white and blue face war paint screaming at the team to go FASTER 😂 ATTACK
Thank you for sharing that feedback, beyond useful to hear as I'm working to improve the production value of these videos. That's a battle-hardened warzone ready squad, I can see it!
You are amazing with these videos. You are so thorough and detailed, it’s fun to watch. I agree about making an Emily Fox video. She is on another level and so exciting to watch. Thank you for these!
Really helpful feedback thank you, I love getting detailed so it's great to hear that's part of what you like. Fox is getting bumped up the video list!
Finally someone mentioned Emily Fox! From her early days on the team during that brutal/rough start during that WWC 2019 warm-up match in France, January of 2019 to her play now is just astounding. She, more than any other player, has grinded it out and become one of the best backs in the world (I’m talking Lucy bronze quality). To see her develop and get better & better over the years to become a straight up starter and a baller on the USWNT is so satisfying. Glad to see other people notice 👍
Excellent analysis! Agreed with all the selections and your rationale - except (2) names. Sonnett instead of Kruger. Morgan going as alternate only ( in order that there’s ) Space for BOTH Albert and Yohannes! Hayes will be immune to political and marketing pressures to get the best long term results. Her goal is to beat Spain at the next WC!
Thanks for the kind words, I like your shuffling to bring Albert and Yohannes both. Still retains a lot of balance and rotation possibilities. Now immune to political and marketing pressure is music to my ears! I think that alone provides context for some baffling results in the past.
I love the consideration that you would maybe take staab/kreuger instead of sonnett.. I'm not totally sure what decision if I would make if I was Hayes.. and it really does take two players to make it worth replacing her which is tough. I don't know about Cat.. she did not look good and did not even play in the second game... I think her injury is holding her back
Glad you enjoyed the concept, the strategy could be way off but it's another idea to start thinking about how to build out a roster. Cat is definitely a bit of a wildcard right now, I feel like Hayes has a plan for her but I can't tell if she's so critical to the plan that it excuses her not being on form. I'm really curious about that one personally.
Thank you for all your effort toward backing up your points with footage! There are a lot of talking soccer heads that only speak in broad generalizations with no evidence, and they fail to make any meaningful points and leave me feeling like they’ve talked about nothing and I’ve learned nothing. Your videos are quite the opposite in every best way! You’re making me a more informed ⚽️ fan! So thank you! But I do think you deserve some pool time too. 😄
The film never lies! I'm a visual person so glad to hear it's working and helping you get more out of the game. Maybe I need to start doing some work at the pool, that'll be the balance!
I agree with your 11... It might be interesting to do some comparisons of our players vs each other as well as vs some European teams, Spanish, and English, French, for example. The items could be athleticism, technique, and tactical. For example Trinity Rodman in my opinion is 9.5 athlete, 8.0 technique, and 8.0 tactical. The average Spain starter is 8.5 athlete, 9.5 technique and 9.5 tactical awareness. You'd have to define athleticism, technical ability, and tactical understanding/utile. ... I really enjoy your observations.
Oh that would be a good challenge and I think really cool to see a comparison to players from other countries. Appreciate you sharing the feedback, that's a great idea to think about.
Great analysis! Yes, taking AM certainly avoids having to answer the question, "where's Alex Morgan?" that most fans would be asking. However, would she accept being an alternate?
Love that question. No! From my understanding it's kind of miserable being an alternate so it might actually be nicer to tell her someone else will do it and she can stay home to help helm the Wave.
they dropped becky and kelley they need to just rip the bandaid off and get rid of morgan too. she offers almost nothing and doesn't deserve to be there based on how bad her play has been for the past few years on the uswnt. going as an alternate would be awkward bc the media will want to talk to her, and i prefer young players in those roles.
The IOC is ridiculous for the alternates rule. How hard is it for them to expand the roster for players who are literally traveling and training with the team? With that said, the alternates are still important, and I'd bet based on the tournament schedule we will (unfortunately) have to call upon some replacement players.
It's almost like they don't really think about the athletes as people. Certainly wouldn't be shocked to see someone activated from the alternates, I'm not going to speculate though I have terrible luck with foot in mouth syndrome.
I agree with almost all your picks and reasons for them. I think in midfield it's a bit of a toss up between Albert and Yohannes. Yohannes, from what I've seen of her play with Ajax/Champions League and in her run against Korea, is just a gifted passer and surprise scorer. I've also seen that she is really difficult to muscle off the ball - she's a big, strong player. But the other side of that coin is her defense. I think she tends to rely on that size and strength to play defense and is either not effective or gets a foul call. She'll learn - but she's not quite there yet. Not sure Albert is all that much better on defense. On the front line - wow, that's a tough one. Hayes loves Crystal Dunn and with good reason. She is a Swiss army knife. Shaw can play up front, but not sure about her defense and she certainly isn't someone you can plug into the back line if necessary. Strange to even think of not including her on the roster. I'd almost go with Shaw over the current edition of Macario, but that's even stranger to contemplate. That sort of leaves Alex Morgan on the bubble - also strange. The Olympic rule is nuts, frankly, but we have to live with it.
I'm impressed, that's a great summary of Lily's play! Perfect explanation of her style of defense, helps me understand what one of my concerns is better. I don't think Albert is much better on defense but maybe more calm, when it really counts she seems quite poised about choosing her moment. It's quite the predicament with the roster! There's no way someone unexpected and potentially deserving isn't left off - if Dunn comes considering the versatility, maybe it's Alex Morgan that's dropped.
Nice presentation with a lot of good points! If they keep the limit at 18, then this is my wishlist. M. Swanson, S. Smith, T. Rodman, J. Shaw, C. Macario L. Horan, S. Coffey, R. Lavelle, C. Dunn, L. Yohannes N. Girma, T. Davidson, J. Nighswonger, E. Fox, E. Sonnett, C. Kreuger A. Naeher, C. Murphy Alternates: K. Albert, C. Bethune, S. Staab, J. Campbell
Good analysis. I agree with your defensive choices. With the full arrival of Sam Coffey, Sonnett isn't needed anymore for her ability to play the 6 (of course, if Coffey's injury is serious, Sonnett is more likely to go). I feel it's between Albert and Yohannes for a back-up midfield spot, and I wonder if the temptation to bring Yohannes is too great for Hayes not to put her on the squad? Get her tied to the USWNT--and it looks like she can help now. Albert is solid, but doesn't bring much extra. Yohannes has a huge upside. Yes, Morgan has been the face of the team, but she'll be 35 at the Olympics. Alarmingly, she's stopped scoring for club and country. Dunn brings more flexibility, since she can play on any of the lines. I'd keep Morgan home. Being an outsider, Hayes can make her own brave decision based on what she thinks is best for her team.
Your point on Yohannes' upside is really making me rethink it a bit, it's like taking the best player available which usually makes a lot of sense! I'm so curious to see that completion play out. I do like Dunn over Morgan, I'd rather take the extra midfielder but you'd retain some of the flexibility you lost with Sonnett. Alex isn't helping anyone win and Hayes is definitely in the best position to make bold decisions. I feel like she has so far, long may it continue!
Excellent analysis, and really appreciate the touch-cuts for each player discussed. A couple of points: I understand the angst about Alex, but you’re overlooking several key factors which make her indispensable to this roster. First, as the grande dame, she garners a ton of respect and will help settle the kids. Second, she has a knack for being in the right place at the right time. And anytime she’s in the midfield either defensively or in transition, she is physically stronger than all the other forwards and dominates at winning balls. Plus, she’s just back from injury, if she plays like Gold Cup Alex, she’ll be a key part of our bench attack. As for Macario, she’ll really benefit from one more camp with the team and will shine playing a true 10. For me, that means Korbin doesn’t make the cut. It was hard to see Crystal struggle out there, but to be fair, she was played as a forward and then was transitioned back to defensive back. That’s a lot, even for the amazing Crystal Dunn. Finally, just think about what one more camp will do for Lily. And I’m not at all worried about keeping her with the US team, she’s earning equal pay dollars now. Those paychecks speak for themselves. *Just subscribed, keep up the awesome work 👍
Your point on positioning is a great one. Morgan has a nose for space and especially once the opposition gets really tactically disciplined it takes a lot of in game recognition to know where to be, and crucially, when to be there. I don't actually feel there's a close second for that trait! Love love love the comments on equal pay! It takes a while to see the impact of changes sometimes but that would be a fantastic win to point to. Appreciate your subscription and thanks for sharing these thoughts.
@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer Thanks! I keep telling all my fellow USWNT fans that are jumpy about Lily playing for Netherlands - she earned $8k for each match + $10k for each win. That’s $36k of equal dollar (shared pool) pay! The equal pay fight by the 2010’s generation and the final deal was a game changer - the USWNT is now the ideal, the gold standard for other federations around the world to ascribe to. And we have several current and former players (for example, Sam Mewis) who are active on fifa player associations advocating for and coaching other women’s team leaders around the world. Just imagine if the big men’s teams like Argentina, Brazil, and others adopt similar models pooling their men’s & women’s national team earnings! Anyway, thanks for the awesome analysis…hopefully you can find a way to edit by the pool 😊
Solid roster selections. But if Yohannes is ready to commit, I think Hayes will bring her in the 18 and cap-tie her. If she is not ready to commit, she would be unusable as alternate in case of an injury because using her would cap-tie her. That would be a wasted midfield roster spot. I doubt Hayes would want to do that. I think the ball is really in Lily's court if she wants to go to Paris or not.
That's a great thought about actually activating her, I hadn't considered that. Makes me feel a call up is more likely because I do agree the ball is in her court, USSF can't have watched the last game and be sitting on their hands.
Yup. Good point. Even if she just agrees to go as an alternate it means she’s ok with being cap-tied in the case of injury. She has some huge decisions. Hopefully Hayes is leaving it up to Lily and has at least extended an invite.
@erobinsonii Good points. But remember, 6 of the 7 highest paid female footballers in the world all play for the USWNT. Being the face of US Soccer would be far more lucrative to Lily and her family than playing for the Netherlands. There are 20x more little girls in the US to sell Yohannes jerseys, Nike shoes, and McDonald's hamburgers to. Plus, she can still play in Champions League. And Europe is so stacked, the Netherlands aren't guaranteed to qualify for the Olympics or the World Cup. They didn't qualify for this Olympics. So, Lily and her family will have to make some tough decisions fairly soon.
I’ll keep saying it: Lily is playing for the USWNT, forget about the Netherlands. She’s earning equal pay dollars now, meaning she banked $36k for the last 2 wins. She can play in the European leagues all she wants, but her earnings on the USWNT alone will decide this one, plus US endorsements, fuggedaboutit!
Great work! Love the film study. I learn so much from watching. Keep up the great work. May I suggest a film study topic? Love to see a film study about Emma's overall team strategy to get the ball to our Big 3 - Mal, Soph and Trin.
Suggestions are more than appreciated! Good idea for me to start watching for, I don't feel like I can see a fully fleshed-out strategy there yet so great call to keep an eye on.
My current predictions based on what Emma has said and shown on the field so far: F: Sophia, Trinity, Mal, Jaedyn, Alex (❔) M: Macario, Sam, Horan, Korbin ( 🤮 ), Rose D: Naomi, Jenna, Emily, Tierna, Crystal, Sonnett GK: Alyssa, Casey M Alts: Casey K, Lily, Jane, Andi/Staab I think Emma values versatility more than anything so the more positions someone is able to play the better their chances are on making the 18 player roster because the game turnarounds will be insane. Although, I do hope that FIFA/IOC expand it for the sake of the players. PS: Sam Coffey picking up an injury recently and currently being in a boot could change all of this.
I think your picks look really true to that philosophy of player versatility, could definitely see that being the selection if that's her focus. I'm really trying my best to ignore the Sam Coffey boot until I'm told it's a problem, but yeah that would cause a really big hole, especially if Sonnett isn't on the roster.
Alex Morgan has been slowing down for the last 3 years. It's obvious when she's on, she's slow and ineffective. We saw that during the last game. As soon as she was subbed out, it was a different team. Stop living in the past! @@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer
Oh that's a great point, she's looked so stable especially while they've been rotating through players back there. Huge part of their success right now.
I like your predictions, especially since a lot of predictions have focused on flexibility meaning "can play multiple positions", but I think you have hit on a more important one - tactical flexibility. Sam Staab and Alex Morgan in particular each add a tool to adjust play based on game situation. I don't think Emma considers Sonnett a midfielder, and Staab brings key offensive tools to the CB position. Also, thank you for demonstrating what Emma was talking about in her post-match press conference about how South Korea had adjusted and its impact on the midfield play. She blamed herself and the limited training time and said she was happy with the adjustment after halftime. If you are bored, I would love to see what the changes were after the half.
Thank you, the focus on individual player flexibility has been dominant so I was really hoping to provide a different framework for folks to think through. I really think South Korea did an excellent job adjusting game to game. I feel like they essentially flexed between if the midfield or backline needed an extra person, and then executed a well coordinated press with the extra player. They looked very sound structurally in the first but I'd probably have to watch a few more times to really pick apart what changed in the 2nd beyond Hayes being so annoyed she sent out her dream team.
@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer My impression is that Emma believes her first order of business is defeating the low block. I think she is willing to take her chances with teams trying to run with her team, at least for now. That's why I think your Staab point is so good. She's also talked about the criticality of possession, so I think what's behind her love of European club players in her midfield (and Hal, Kate, Andi and Croix in camp - the Spirit are getting a Spanish makeover).
Busy, you were doing so well matching my list...until the end. Strategically and tactically, you have more options, and better wheels having Dunn as the last player than Morgan. Emma is forward looking, and I love Alex so much, but she has lost a step and a half, maybe two steps. Dunn can play any position except CB and goalie. The real queston is can Alex accept the alternate role, or will she be divisive waiting in the wings.
I like that change of Dunn for Morgan, it give you the best of both worlds strategically and tactically. It definitely feels like time to move on from Morgan and maybe I should've given Emma more credit, she's not going to shy away from tough conversations. Maybe she's such a great coach to be around that Morgan has more interest in being an alternate? So curious to see how this plays out.
Thank you for the detailed analysis…please stay in the dungeon. The US talent pool is so deep; Emma & her team have very hard choices to make. And, …. it is ridiculous that the Olympics only allow 18 players to be rostered.
Thank you, I'm in the dungeon ready for the roster to drop! This has to be the last year with an 18 player roster, it's just too difficult to work with.
With Coffey coming off injured and seen in a boot, even if that was precautionary I think it might mean they need to take a backup dm and the only real option rn is Sonnet. So the more serious that injury is the higher Sonnet’s chances are in my mind. My biggest concern is around any injury to Swanson or Rodman, we really don’t have any natural winger replacements. I’d prefer pushing Jenna up and moving in Kruger, instead of Shaw or Dunn on the wing
Definitely a concern with my list, Albert would be the only backup for Coffey and I don't feel great about her starting in that spot against a few of the teams at the tournament. Good point on the wingers too, if Shaw and Dunn both go there's no backup for Smith. Such a tricky puzzle but I love the idea of pushing Jenna up, good idea to have in the back pocket.
Good stuff. Thank you. As much as I've enjoyed watching Alex over the years, I think Emma Hayes needs to look toward the future and leave her off this roster. I don't think her skill set matches what Hayes is trying to build plus she's lost some pace and touch. I'd bring Macario as a forward even if she might play as a false 9 and I'd love to see Lily make the team.
@@justafan323 I agree. If Dunn is in the 18 or an alternate, it is based on her versatility/history not current form/ability. I certainly don't envy Emma Hayes picking this roster. Hard decision...
@@saintndacity4814 I'm not sure that role can be justified on a small Olympic Roster...especially when there are other very experienced players who can do that (Naeher, Horan, Lavelle). Even player like Swanson, while young, has played for the U.S. in multiple tournaments and can offer leadership/mentorship.
enjoyed the vid. pretty much agree with everybody you picked. agree that Morgan probably goes mostly due to name and fans. only one i question is Shaw. not because i dont think she merits a spot, but if its her or Dunn, who i also believe has looked rough lately, Dunn makes more sense just because of her versatility. Shaw can also play mid but i think shes stronger up front. Dunn has the experience though. its a tough one. good job as usual.
Tough one indeed, two months ago I would've said Dunn for Shaw looked impossible but there's definitely a case to be made. I'm not sure Shaw has 100% carved out a role for herself in this system but we know what Dunn would be asked to do - looking at it agnostic of the player and thinking about roles Dunn makes a lot of sense. Appreciate the thoughts!
Tough calls. I think Emma might go with experience and bring Sonnett and Dunn over Staab and Krueger. If anyone is willing to make the tough call to leave Morgan behind it would be Emma. Also will Emma favor the players she has coached before like Macario and Dunn?
Tough calls indeed. I don't seem Emma favoring the familiar players in terms of playing time, but I can definitely see her feeling more comfortable rostering them. Looking forward to seeing what happens with Morgan, I suppose if Emma doesn't do it now she's only going to have to do it later!
I think they'd be mad to not take Yohannes. You don't want to lose her to the Netherlands. I also think her Euro experience fits well with what Hayes is instilling. Macario has been injured, so not at peak form, so its a hard one. The only rationale I can see for Morgan is experience. I really like Horan in the more midfield role. Horan, Lavelle, Coffey, maybe Macario make for a potent midfield. Its obvious Hayes has been trying to introduce sharper triangle work to hold up the ball in the front 3rd, and with the front 3's speed and connectivity, I'm really interested to see if this is developed enough to take on teams like Spain. My only question is of the backline, and that's primarily as I haven't seen it really threatened yet.
Good perspective on Yohannes, I didn't fully think through the implications of taking her as an alternate and not cap tying her, it just needs to get done while the momentum is there. The triangle looks to be working really well in transition, it's been wild to see someone like Smith genuinely holding up play. I think it'll help but it doesn't look like enough to fully crack Spain. Need to see more passes in the box, need to see better angling to support build up with the 9's back to goal. Questions of the backline are very fair, so glad the team plays Mexico again because they handed out a How-To-Guide on beating the backline.
Excellent analysis, as always. 👏 The only spot where I really disagree is I would take Yohannes over Albert. For me, that's not even a difficult choice. So much more upside with Lily. Morgan seems an easy pick over Dunn at this point, even if she won't see much playing time. And while I hate to leave Sonnet off the active roster, if she's there as an alternate, at least we'll get her positive influence on the plane, in the locker room, etc.
I think you're right there's higher upside with Yohannes, that's classic risk bias right there on my part, worrying more about the downside of Yohannes vs Albert rather than comparing the potential upside. Would love for Hayes to prove me wrong! Sonnett as an alternate I like too, you just know she'd take that role seriously and add a lot of value.
@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer 😂 Alex could’ve been sipping her tea from a restaurant window, as the bus is leaving. To make it this worse though, it looks like everyone on the bus is laughing at Lynn. Brutal. 😄
respectfully disagree. I think Sonnett goes and Dunn also goes because they allow more flexibility elsewhere and Hayes is most familiar with Dunn. Dunn seems to be higher on the defensive depth chart than Kreuger (perpetual bubble player who never quite gets there) and Staab is probably too green. Alternate maybe. I agree morgan is going but it's sort of pathetic that we are still taking her for marketing reasons given how bad her play has been on this team for years. There are a lot of other players who could feature in these ads.
I love some disagreement, it’s great for the growth of the sport! I think your list for who stays over Dunn and Sonnet is pretty spot on, we’ll see. Also would love to see some of the younger players with ad spots. Colgate needs to call Girma.
I'm for sure bringing Shaw, Macario and Yohannes. The remainder is a toss-up. I guess I would go with flexibility Dunn, Sonnett and, uhhh ... Kreuger. No trouble leaving Alex off unless the Olympics were in the US.
Very true, it's the French out there selling tickets! Your trio are definitely playing with some style if they're all on the pitch together, I'd love to see that.
loved this! my predicted roster was almost entirely the same, except with sonnet instead of staab and dunn instead of morgan. i honestly don't see why staab would be there instead of sonnet--sonnet fills the role of not only flexibility but also the "rest" category perfectly as her natural position and the position she plays for club is CB, while she also has tons of other qualities staab doesn't, such as leadership, international experience, and chemistry with her teammates. as for dunn versus morgan, i think that one going to morgan instead of dunn is much more likely than staab instead of sonnet. alex obviously has the leadership and experience etc etc, while i agree that crystal was just...not convincing as a forward. she bettered her argument by scoring her first goal for gotham right after, and that one she did actually have a player to get past, but the defending still wasn't great and a better goalkeeper could've kept it out, imo. as for alex, she returned to club to give another very unconvincing performance. i know she was out for five games, but she still hasn't scored since the challenge cup, and only scoring two open-play goals in all of 2024 (as many as crystal scored in her last two games! though that is of course also misleading lol) doesn't shine a bright light on her current form. of course, alex has more big tournament experience than crystal, but i don't think that's too important given crystal is also very experienced. moreover, dunn has the flexibility morgan does not; not only can she play on both wings as both a forward and fullback, she could also slot into the midfield, and if worst came to worst and you had to choose between crystal dunn and alex morgan to play center-back, you'd probably go for dunn! i don't think we're going to get a decision until after june 23, meaning hayes and the team will have three games from both gotham and wave to look at crystal and alex. if dunn continues her form and proves that the two goals aren't a one-off, i think she'll solidify her place on the team, even if simply because people like jenna sometimes need rest! if morgan gets back to goalscoring ways over the next couple weeks, then i think it gets more interesting. my alternates, then, are the same as in your pool--lily (though i would not be mad if we're wrong and she's flipped with korbin! i think there's definitely a chance, just not a massive one), and then staab and morgan instead of sonnet and dunn, and campbell, who i assume will get it simply because she played vs korea over kingsbury and was at shebelieves & gold cup instead of kingsbury. i do think making alex morgan an alternate will be...tough. people will definitely complain, and it's hard to imagine alex morgan as an alternate. however, i think the uswnt forwards list is stacked, and morgan just does not make an ideal 18-person roster for me. she's neither the first nor second choice striker, and i'd argue not the third--it'd go mal, then soph, then cat (i know she played 10 vs korea but her preferred position + chelsea position is as the nine) for me. yes, she has "experience," but so do other squad members, and keeping players on for experience flopped miserably at the world cup. i know her being an alternate would be weird and some people might imagine that she would prefer to stay home, but alex morgan is a top professional and no way would she say no. she could still bring her knowledge and experience as an alternate, and i think it'd work. i do also find interesting how bad many journalists' predictions are. for example, the very accomplished jeff kassouf put out a prediction three days ago on espn that left casey krueger as an alternate and did not have a forward alternate but instead had olivia moultrie...what? wouldn't she have been called to camp if she was being considered as an alternate? another example: an athletic article after the korea games by fellow experts meg linehan, steph yang, and jeff reuter included crystal dunn in the midfield and left out korbin albert without introducing lily yohannes or any other midfielder. and in their individual predictions, both meg and steph, two of the most experienced uswnt journalists out there, put kingsbury as the alternate goalkeeper when she has not played for the united states since december while campbell got the nod last camp and has been on every 2024 roster. plus, all three of them had lynn williams as an alternate. WHAT? sorry, why do people whose entire careers revolve around the uswnt think that the alternate forward is going to be someone who wasn't called up to the last two camps and has had consistent injury problems this year??? and steph had andi sullivan as an alternate, when she's not played for the uswnt since december...fine, she was a training player last camp, but if she was seriously being considered for alternate, why leave her out for the uncapped hal hershfelt? anyway, those predicted rosters just made me mad because am i just very stupid or are these incredibly knowledgable journalists incredibly unknowledgeable about rosters? who knows.
oh, i already wrote way too much but two more things... first, although i think your predicted starting xi is the best we have based on current form right now, i'm not too sure about rose starting, as weird as that may seem. i think her injury issues hurt her case, while the first game against korea showed how incredible bringing rose on for the last half an hour could be. when you need something to happen and then you bring in the energy and chaos and skill of rose lavelle--total supersub. on that note, i think having lavelle for 30 minutes at the end of each game the entire tournament is much better than rose getting the start the first one or two games and then getting injured. however, the other two options are catmac and jaedyn, and while jaedyn really shined in the position the last couple camps and while cat looked good for chelsea and was exceptional before the injury, neither are really in-form right now. so i guess i more just think that whoever gets that starting #10 role is up in the air rather than a lock for lavelle. or maybe we'll just get constant rotation! the second thing is about the albert vs johannes debate. again, i agree with you that korbin will probably get the nod while lily will be an alternate, even though my heart says lily, most uswnt fans on social media say lily, and so forth. the most obvious reason is that korbin has been here since december and was a core part of the team for the three 2024 camps, especially the gold cup, while lily has played twenty minutes total for the uswnt. that would make it a massive risk to take lily instead, because korbin would likely get significant minutes at the olympics, and if either horan or coffey got injured, she would be first on the list to take their place. as the olympics is many games within very little time and with a very small roster, ensuring you can rely on every player is very important, which lily has clearly not had the opportunity to show. another point i think some people miss is that korbin can play both the 8 and the 6, even if she's better as the 8. we only have one DM on the team. if coffey gets injured, either horan or albert would take her place. lily is not really a 6 and it's far too important of a position to frankly ever play a 16 year old whose weakest trait is defending and often makes very poor tackles, and whose strongest trait is incredible progressive passes...not passes that help control the game. the third option, behind albert and horan, would be coffey, and i don't see lily playing any position other than the 8, nor starting any game, which albert could easily do. BUT us soccer made it clear by hiring a manager that could only come a month before the olympics that emma hayes is here to win the world cup, not win the olympics. in that case, bringing in lily instead of korbin makes a lot of sense. she probably has a higher ceiling, while they NEED to cap-tie her given she soon will become a dutch citizen. i don't think bringing her as an alternate will even be as convincing as some people seem to claim. many players that have been alternates have talked about how horrible the experience was, and alternates don't even get a medal! lily has two other advantages over korbin: one, she's in form while korbin looked pretty bad against korea, and won't have an opportunity to prove herself because they're both on vacation. two: she's not a homophobic and transphobic jerk that liked a post that called an uswnt legend getting injured in her final game a god-given miracle...but to be fair, i don't see any way korbin will not be in the locker room in paris, because if she's not in the roster she'll be an alternate. one last, fairly niche, advantage korbin has over lily: korbin has not (as far as i can tell) gotten a yellow in her entire career. lily has, infamously, gotten herself a tournament suspension due to yellow card accumulation. what i find most interesting about lily's yellows received is that they all have come across her best opponents: her first ever yellow was against twente, ajax's rivals that won the league and actually somewhat won the league in that very game. her second yellow was against bayern munich. her third yellow was against psg. her fourth yellow was against chelsea. her fifth and final yellow as a 16 year old was against psv, the next-best team in the netherlands after twente and ajax. i think that makes it pretty clear that lily is still very young and not yet strong nor experienced enough to play against tougher opponents without going in for a dumb tackle and receiving a yellow. in a tournament with a game every two days and a tiny squad, losing a player to yellow card accumulation is far from ideal. moreover, the olympics unfortunately means the uswnt will be facing those tough opponents lily has struggled against--and, realistically, opponents far tougher than the club teams she has faced. so i don't think she's yet ready. but again, my heart still wants her on that roster anyway!
Fair point on Sonnett over Staab, I'm picturing Staab as more of a like for like replacement for Staab or Girma where she'd be asked to do the exact same things. I have a hard time picturing Sonnett playing the long switch or a line breaking through but no trouble picturing a very necessary last ditch tackle. So maybe if the purpose is rest for the CBs, the more defensive option works better. Got me thinking for sure! Gotham comment made me laugh, exactly what I thought when watching it, "well that's better but not by miles". Dunn over Morgan certainly feels more sensible, the roster looks much more balanced when you think about it per position. Swanson centrally with Dunn wide is a good option, Macario centrally with Dunn on the bench, I don't dislike the idea of Jaedyn being the 3rd backup there if needed (I feel like Smith has cemented her starting spot somehow? I don't even like typing that). I do like your alternate list, nice and balanced but big question for me if Alex would be an alternate. Is that basically a snub? But to your point, she's a professional, she knows it happens. At least if there's a time to have that difficult conversation with Morgan it's now. I call the World Cup roster the All-Jersey team, that squad was built to sell shirts and I'm still not convinced Mr Andonovski wasn't strong armed into it. A lot of the articles and videos in the space are the reason I wanted to do this. I'm a visual person and it's really hard for me to form or change an opinion just based on a paragraph or a podcast, I need to see the film and have some help interpreting it! I also think building out a squad like this requires an understanding of the philosophy behind it and how being picked for these squads work. Putting a different jersey on and playing 11 of the best players from a different country is so ridiculously different to the average club game, I'd imagine it's hard to place value on that experience and being in form without really understanding it. Love Kingsbury and Moultrie but there's 0 chance they're coming - I think you know exactly what you're talking about! Saw the second half of your comment - let's do this! Rose starting, I don't see her playing a full 90 of any game and I think you're right not having her start is best case. My worry is I feel much more secure about her being picked than Albert or Yohannes - that seems really silly when you actually dig into it because who is starting in that spot? And I don't want to see a double pivot as a solution. You may be onto something with constant rotation, if that actually works well it could be a headache to play against. You perfectly explained my thoughts on Albert over Yohannes, another case of probably not enough value on international experience. Lily hasn't even played a full international game, Korbin's helped the team win a tournament. It doesn't feel great sitting on camera saying a player that harbors prejudice against me should be going to the Olympics but I'm sticking to my philosophy of reviewing the film and that's what it says! Especially when you consider the context of the fouls and cards like you pulled out. It felt clear to me when watching it was her compensating for a step-up in opposition quality but really cool to see it all listed out to back it up. I need to read up on the ruleset for the Olympics but yellow card accumulation there would really hurt you. She's such a fantastic talent and needs to be on this team, it's just a case of when and what's the plan for her. If they both go and are able to head into the WWC with major tournament experience, that could really be something. I think any pressure to win here is going to be coming from Hayes internally and the players wanting a redemption arc. I'm here for it!
@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer oh yeah, there's definitely 0 way korbin or lily are ever getting a roster spot or starting over rose, and neither is ever something i'd want! i completely forgot that yellow card rules might be totally different for the olympics, and i can't actually find anything about it! just that in the qualifiers, getting a yellow two matches in a row meant suspensions for the following game, but that might not apply to the actual olympics. hm...
I don't think emma will use Dunn As part of the forwards. She has been defender too long and only dipped a toe back as being a forward which was how Emma coach Dunn way back. Emma loves a multitool which makes Dunn and Sonnett and Albert useful to the team. Macario is in because of being together too long at chelsea. Alex Morgan, for the sponsors and veteran leadership. Shaw is just too good. Think Emma will weigh shaw's form at club too which has been good. On another note, with groans at the packed calendar, player burnout, lack of rotation etc and amidst ACL epidemic, i find it so hypocritical a restriction of 18 players remain rather than increasing it. An easy change (compared to canceling a whole tournament) for the sake of being mindful to these current hot topics and reducing injuries. But alas...feigning concerns one day only to dissipate entirely the next.
The multitool context is useful, definitely gives more weight to that trio. I can also see Morgan and Shaw being picked together because of chemistry so that cements those more too. The calendar right now is nuts, I'm not sure on the nuts and bolts behind opening the roster up to 23 or 25 but you'd think it would be pretty easy and with zero downside. I think we'll see some progress here over the next few years but it's unfortunately probably take players being vocal and vulnerable again.
@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer the player's union Fifpro is suing fifa for plopping in a club world cup in 2026? Ada Hegerberg tweeted about not enough rest between world cup and preseason. Sarina Wiegman and emma hayes spoke about it. Some progress. Do you think it's a vicious cycle of the rhetoric that players want rest time and they play too many minutes vs if you can't handle that many minutes and your form drops then there's plenty to take your place that needs minutes so calendar never changes? Is there a conundrum of players desiring rest periods but never ask the coach to sit them out for a game or decline an international call up (with no injury)?
@@For_Cruyff_Sake Wow the player's union suing Fifpro is just the kind of thing I was imagining, will read into that some more but hopefully that leads to some progress. Lots of parts to the cycle, quality of the competition increases over the years and there's more talent to take available spots. Add to that more club and international games and it becomes hard to figure out when to realistically take that rest. Players will never self manage this, so they need to be managed appropriately by potentially two systems with different priorities for the player and that makes it even harder to do.
I don't think Morgan is that great of a leader. What did her "leadership" help with in Australia? She's no Pinoe, Wambach or even Lloyd who show up in the biggest games.
Thank you for this! I love your insight. Do you think that Lynn Williams and Becky Saurebrunn will get another call up post Olympics or is there USWNT team time done?
I think sadly they might be done with tournaments. I'd imagine with the impact both of them have had on the game they might get called up for a friendly to say goodbye though.
Always love your analysis, and kudos to you for making a bold albeit unpopular choice to leave Dunn off the 11. She did not look good at the forward spot. Her best days are behind her.
I think all the players playing abroad have an excellent chance of making the cut, it fits with what Hayes has said, better more technically advanced soccer is being played in Europe, USA is now chasing the best teams playing non transitional soccer. I really hope the next generation of USA players coming up will play abroad like Horan,Albert,Macario,Yohanes and Fox . Think how much more creative and tactical Rodman,Smith,Swanson would become playing in Europe.
Would love to see Albert and Yohannes both make it, would be great for the squad long term. Would love to see some sort of academy/loan system to give young NWSL players some time in Europe early and with clubs that have more history of player development.
Agreed undoubtedly, thr starting 11 but agree on Albert after her debacle. Disagree with Macario, she definitely should be on this team. Crystal has never been a winger and it looked it. Fullback or nothing . Shaw should be in the midfield, she's great there & Macario is a false 9. She played there for Lyon & was great.
Macario as a false 9 is tantalizing - I need to watch some Lyon replays. Totally agree Shaw should be in the midfield more, I'm kind of holding out hope that Hayes will have players in the same position up until the Olympics and then make changes, would add a little deception and get some players into their natural position.
Those would be my four - the only wrinkle I wouldn't be stunned by is leaving Dunn off for a younger more defensive option who may gain more from the experience. Gaetino or Hershfelt maybe.
@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer I think it’s unlikely that Hayes leaves Dunn off since she’s so fond of her and she provides versatility. Not even bringing her as an alternate seems unlikely. I think it would come down to if Crystal would want to be
It didn't feel good to say! I should've added the disclaimers: Colorado has weird air, it was raining, she looked bad on D when being asked to do it as a forward. Still feels disrespectful!
I agree with the starting lineup through and through. I feel like we need another CB in for the Olympics and Sam Stabb has done a incredible job. Now, I love lily but I dont think Emma Hayes will take her just because of her age. AM also needs to step up her game. Shes one of my favorite players EVER but she doesn't look dangerous and she isnt scoring. I feel like lynn deserves a spot on this roster. Tbh I would rather take a Lynn Williams as a 9 then Alex Morgna, just based off form. My alternates would be Dunn, Sonnett, Lynn (if shes healthy) and Lily.
Oh quite the point on Williams as a 9, that wasn't even in the realm of things I considered but I like that a lot. My non injury concerns with her are mostly around first-touch and hold-up play but those become a lot less of an issue if she's posted up in front of the net. Cool idea!
I believe an alternate like Lily wouldn't be cap tied unless she was activated and played. That's something I didn't really think through, can Emma Hayes afford to not cap-tie her?
Good stuff. I think Dunn may go ahead of Kreuger, bc flexibility, but also Staab has played some outside back, so there is plenty of flex along that back line.... hmm. Throwing up my hands on that. Staab is a lock, though. I agree on Morgan. I just don't think you leave the face of the franchise at home. She may not do much, but she may not have to. OR she might score the gold-winning goal on a wicked header. Again, throwing up my hands. If it were me i would take Yohannes over Albert, bring Albert as an alternate. I just don't think you're going to take the confidence away from Yohannes between now and the the Olympics. She looks way more comfy than Albert. GO USNWT
That's an interesting idea, I hadn't considered Staab at outside back but that could definitely open the door for Dunn. It's so cool to think about Staab as a lock so quickly, that's what made me feel six defenders was a real option, but your idea is a nice way to take her with five. I can 100% see that Alex Morgan header, it's more of a deflection and probably should've been saved. They don't ask how, they ask how many!
@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer Did Staab play outside back in college? I watched her for five years on the Spirit, and don't remember her playing anything but CB, though I may have missed it if she did it as an emergency backup.
@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer I believe i've seen Staab on the left in the near past. If not then she was covering for someone. I like Krueger but Staab seems a tad more calm and flexible to me. :D on the Morgan header. I don't think she'll have to do much!
the real question you should be asking is why is morgan the "face" of the team when she hasn't done anything in 5 years? they could market others, they just choose not to.
Coffey was one of the first picks in the Thorns/Timbers charity event match draft this week. The match takes place on the 26th. Feel like if it were serious she wouldn’t have been drafted so early. They must expect her to be available
Albert over Yohannes? Maybe, study their season in Europe this year. Not close. I don't think you understand the stakes for the USWNT. Funny, you see so much in Albert.
Maybe I'm overvaluing the experience of playing with the team across multiple tournaments. I can't watch all the games, I watched 6 Ajax games in full and think she looked like an absolute star, my background watching Albert is 90% USWNT so maybe the disconnect is watching in different context!
I don't want Morgan to be in the olympics! I think she's the reason why we keep going lower than all the other teams. Not only that, we keep playing weak teams. If we win against Germany, or Spain, we should go back to where we were.
Very curious to see if she comes, seems very divided on opinion! Really looking forward to seeing us play some great teams. I think Canada has probably been our toughest opponent lately, will be great to see others.
I believe she's showing available and should be playing tonight! Agree with the decision making, some of the reads on coming out are terrible. I feel like this has to be her last major tournament.
BTW I couldn't agree more with your roster except one, I would add Ashley Sanches in 10, remove Rodman and shuffle... The team needs a Messy type player and that's Ashley.
So bummed to hear that but hopefully we start to see more rotation and different players getting their opportunities. I was surprised to see Yohannes and Hershfelt called up for the June camp so that was a win for me!
Here's my problem with your choices....right now both Lavelle, and Horan are players who can give you about one half.....but both suck air by the time the second half rolls around....if you want these two to alternate, than you end up with an extra player to start and if that's the case, then who is your choose......? my choice would be Lily Johannes at #10......also Coffey would be a good choice at the other attacking midfielder, but she"s not as good at #6. (defending midfielder) that position should go to Korbin Albert. she's much better defender than attacker imo....... Up-front, I agree all 3 attackers are OK....but at #9 my choice would be J Shaw....she's much stronger than S Smith...Smith does not have the size, and between the many and tall defenders, she loses leverage fast....no wonder she abandoned her central forward position and went back in order to get herself involved in the attack......J Shaw on the other hand could really thrive at the position due to her superior personal technique, power, with a nose for the goal....these last two games will give us a better understanding what exactly Emma Hayes has up in her head, regarding the starters.....we'll see.....
I'll add to your Horan concerns too, sometimes the effort levels are just low start to finish. For the 10 I'd go Shaw or Macario from my roster but I do agree Yohannes is the strongest choice there. I just don't know if Hayes and US Soccer in general are brave enough to do that. Honestly thinking this through more I think my ideal squad (not necessarily what I expect to see though), drop Morgan for Yohannes. Allows Shaw more time at 9 and Yohannes at 10. Overall would allow a lot more flexibility across the board.
@kssaint6290 Johannes is not a 10. Does not play it for club, will not play it for country; she's a deep-lying playmaker, and if she doesn't play the 8, her second position would be a 6. Horan also plays the full 90 minutes nearly every game for club and country, so she's clearly doing something right. And what Sam Coffey are you watching? Her best skill is interceptions and breaking up attacking play, and her second best skill is her ability to control the speed of the game and be that constant presence from behind. Meaning she's a perfect holding midfielder and would be a very imperfect anything else. Same with Albert, but the opposite--when she plays well, she usually is more on the attacking side of things, and making things happen rather than excelling in defense. And making Shaw the striker is crazy--I think she's played there a couple (??) times for Wave but never for the USWNT and if that ever happens it will be a long, long time. I can't tell if this comment was just intentionally trying to switch around everyone's positions or not...
I just don't get the obsession with Dunn. I have been watching her for years. She is a terrible passer, always has been. Now she is slow and like you showed in your video not that great a defender. I don't care is she can play every position on the pitch, if she isn't good at any of them then what's the point? She sure as hell isn't a forward either.
Dunn somehow seems to be able to just sort of hang out at these games but since I’ve been watching she hasn’t struck me as the type of player that really adds drive to a team. She just sort of plugs a hole most of the time and I don’t think there’s space for that. She’s probably the player I’m most confident in staying home based on film but we’ll see.
Drop Rodman. I don't not understand why they would have Rodman on the roster instead of Williams. Lynn is a much better player and scores significantly more goals. Rodman is useless.
Oh man maybe I should've pulled some film on Lynn to try prove it! I just think Rodman is looking better and better, like it's all finally going right - Rodman just seems like a better teammate to have on the field.
Seriously, what are you smoking? I’m a huge Lynn fan, but truth be told, Lynn doesn’t score on the national team and always feels a step off when playing for country. Rodman might be a work-in-progress but she’s a powerhouse athlete, maybe the best pure athlete on the field and has speed & energy to burn. She’s smart in her positioning and pulls defenders toward her wherever she is on the field. She creates plays by sheer will and makes everyone around her better. I can’t think of a better front line than her, Mal and Soph.
Love the breakdowns! Thanks for making them!
Love hearing that, thank you!
Sonnett is very much needed for the sake of amazing versatility.
(And imo Emily on the roster is a huge boost for Rose, Mal and Lindsey)
However, I hope and pray alternates become part of the roster a-la Tokyo 2021, just 18 players is simply not enough for such intense schedule.
Great point on the chemistry, Sonnett and Lavelle especially have such a good connection. There’s no one with that much flexibility at quality so she certainly would be the more conventional choice!
I'm in the Sonnett needs to be on this roster camp!
But let her be the LAST PLAYER TO SHOOT THE PK!!! She was HOIRIBLE twice missed at CONCACAF W against Brazil and Canada
Great analysis!! It'll be exciting to see what Emma does with this group! I think you're pretty spot on with the starters
Thank you so much, glad to hear you liked this one!
Your starting 11 is 100% mine. GK and forwards subs is the same. I personally would leave Albert and Macario as alternates, and take Sonnett and Lily instead.
Reason being that Sonnett has more chemistry with the team especially with the off the field stuff with Albert, and has always impressed me with her CDM play. Macario plays more like a central forward than an attacking midfield, so if we are taking Morgan and the 3 starters, that is too much redundancy in the attack for me. Gets Lily cap tied, and gives us a different energy and look if we need to chase a game too.
Your changes to the mid/d subs are a suggestion I haven't seen yet, it's a nice idea and balances the adventurous Lily pick with a safer proven option. Plus you don't lose anyone totally on form. I think you may have the best balance of redundancy/backups too - I'd be shocked to see Macario stay home but it's a well balanced roster.
This is an incredible look at how to think about building an 18. Really nice work!
I happen to believe Hayes will go with flexibility, and thus will take Sonnett over Staab (or maybe Krueger)... and similarly, I think we get Dunn because of what we saw in that second game (Dunn moving to LB when a new front line came on) but I really liked seeing how you thought about it.
So glad to hear you enjoyed this!
@@malber2000 I can definitely see that happening, if so I think you're right it'll be Sonnett and Dunn. Those picks follow the same philosophy and would give you the most bang for your buck.
Great work, especially like the graphics! Keep it up!
Glad to hear they were worth putting together, thanks for the feedback!
Love your stuff, always so engaging and interesting ❤
So lovely to hear, thank you
Worth mentioning that Krueger plays CB, too - in fact she started the NWSL season at CB for the Spirit but moved to LB to cover an injury and was so good they couldn't move her back. I think I'd prefer Krueger to Sonnett everywhere on the back line (definitely as outside back, and probably at centerback) but Sonnett does provide that additional coverage of the 6.
I find it interesting to look at the depth charts for each position and consider what combination allows you to bring the highest ranked players in each position. ie:
LB: Nighswonger, Krueger, Dunn, Sonnett, [Davidson, Staab]
RB: Fox, Krueger, Sonnett
CB: Girma, Davidson, Staab, Sonnett, Krueger
6: Coffey, Albert, Sonnett, Horan, [Davidson]
(Putting [brackets] around people you'd really rather not play there, because even if they played there in college they're likely pretty out of practice.)
We actually have a ton of depth at left back, which is something that makes me wonder if you're right about Dunn not making the squad, as much as I'd hate to see that. I'd also hate to see Staab miss out on a trip to the Olympics, but if Sonnett and Krueger can both play CB do we need another dedicated CB? When it's the non-GK position least likely to need a sub?
I'm actually a bit concerned about our depth on the forward line. Macario and, if we bring her, Morgan, can both backup Smith at the 9, but on the wing we've only got Shaw and Dunn as backups. Shaw seems so much better centrally than on the wing (Lavelle too, though I know she's been played as a winger) and Dunn was solid but didn't wow me. So I would like to see Williams in consideration again, if she's healthy enough. The forwards are going to need subs the most, and I'd like our subs to be nearly as terrifying as our starters.
Time at CB is just an extra plus then, I feel pretty good about Krueger making this roster. I like your way of assessing best player available, nice to see it laid out like that. Just visually it looks like you lose out the least having Sonnett stay home. I may even swap Davidson and Horan in your 6 list, I just feel like the best parts of Horan's game shuts down when she's there.
I think the CB position is least likely to need a tactical and probably injury sub, but recovery is a factor. They have a tough group and if they plan to go far will probably need to give Davidson and Girma some rest before the knockout part.
You're probably onto something with the forwards, the depth on paper looks good but what would subs actually look like? What about Nighswonger on the wing? Sort of eschews the rest point though if she's doing double-duty. It's a tough one!
Love the analysis. I still like Sonnett - though it’s been awhile I thought she really sparked the team at the Sweden World Cup game.
The leadership is a good point I didn't touch on, she's constantly communicating and seems pretty happy to speak up about things others may not. Fantastic trait!
First of all, my best friend watch all your analyses; though I played throughout HS and was a FIFA-certified ref for many years, the game has changed so much since then that we often find ourselves tactically lost. Your segments help us so much! Wasn't in complete agreement with your roster due to the exclusion of one player: SONNETT. Everyone's noted her versatility, airtight defense - she mopped up after Albert so many times in the Korea friendlies, for which we were there, in the front row so had a great vantage point for that - and leadership on the pitch. (Hayes was genuinely running the entire backfield through Sonnett via constant chatter.) No one has noted, however, that her job in most cases is to settle things down, sort things out rather than "spark" the team. For all of her puckish off-pitch mischief, she's great at solidifying a game that's gotten a little too frantic. Love your show!
Wow that FIFA certification is quite the accomplishment! I'm sure that really changes how you watch games too. I took a step away for a very long time so these videos have been great for helping me see new things too.
Love your thoughts on Sonnett, there's so much happening on the sidelines that doesn't make it on camera and that I wouldn't have considered. She definitely looked like a calming presence and knowing Hayes was running the backfield through her is a huge deal. I also don't think I picked up any cues to suggest Staab was dishing out instructions in either match. I can't make sense of taking Staab and Sonnett tactically so very curious to see how this plays out, the instructions are a pretty strong indicator to me.
Love the analysis, good graphics and thanks for including in-game clips so we can see all the weird passes. My bubbles prediction is sonnett, macario, albert, morgan, dunn, shaw 😂 emma is gonna go in hard, guns ablazing, red white and blue face war paint screaming at the team to go FASTER 😂 ATTACK
Thank you for sharing that feedback, beyond useful to hear as I'm working to improve the production value of these videos. That's a battle-hardened warzone ready squad, I can see it!
You are amazing with these videos. You are so thorough and detailed, it’s fun to watch. I agree about making an Emily Fox video. She is on another level and so exciting to watch. Thank you for these!
Really helpful feedback thank you, I love getting detailed so it's great to hear that's part of what you like. Fox is getting bumped up the video list!
Finally someone mentioned Emily Fox! From her early days on the team during that brutal/rough start during that WWC 2019 warm-up match in France, January of 2019 to her play now is just astounding. She, more than any other player, has grinded it out and become one of the best backs in the world (I’m talking Lucy bronze quality). To see her develop and get better & better over the years to become a straight up starter and a baller on the USWNT is so satisfying. Glad to see other people notice 👍
Excellent analysis! Agreed with all the selections and your rationale - except (2) names.
Sonnett instead of Kruger.
Morgan going as alternate only ( in order that there’s )
Space for BOTH Albert and Yohannes!
Hayes will be immune to political and marketing pressures to get the best long term results. Her goal is to beat Spain at the next WC!
Thanks for the kind words, I like your shuffling to bring Albert and Yohannes both. Still retains a lot of balance and rotation possibilities.
Now immune to political and marketing pressure is music to my ears! I think that alone provides context for some baffling results in the past.
I love the consideration that you would maybe take staab/kreuger instead of sonnett.. I'm not totally sure what decision if I would make if I was Hayes.. and it really does take two players to make it worth replacing her which is tough.
I don't know about Cat.. she did not look good and did not even play in the second game... I think her injury is holding her back
Glad you enjoyed the concept, the strategy could be way off but it's another idea to start thinking about how to build out a roster. Cat is definitely a bit of a wildcard right now, I feel like Hayes has a plan for her but I can't tell if she's so critical to the plan that it excuses her not being on form. I'm really curious about that one personally.
Excellent work! I think you nailed it!
Thank you!
Thank you for all your effort toward backing up your points with footage! There are a lot of talking soccer heads that only speak in broad generalizations with no evidence, and they fail to make any meaningful points and leave me feeling like they’ve talked about nothing and I’ve learned nothing. Your videos are quite the opposite in every best way! You’re making me a more informed ⚽️ fan! So thank you! But I do think you deserve some pool time too. 😄
The film never lies! I'm a visual person so glad to hear it's working and helping you get more out of the game. Maybe I need to start doing some work at the pool, that'll be the balance!
Well, I am going to say:
If Hayes leaves Morgan home, I’m ok with that!
I wish she would take Yohannes to the Olympic !
⚽️🇺🇸👍🤩
I'm leaning this way too, she's so fun to watch. Might be a superstar at a future World Cup with some big tournament experience behind her!
I agree with your 11... It might be interesting to do some comparisons of our players vs each other as well as vs some European teams, Spanish, and English, French, for example. The items could be athleticism, technique, and tactical.
For example Trinity Rodman in my opinion is 9.5 athlete, 8.0 technique, and 8.0 tactical. The average Spain starter is 8.5 athlete, 9.5 technique and 9.5 tactical awareness. You'd have to define athleticism, technical ability, and tactical understanding/utile. ... I really enjoy your observations.
Oh that would be a good challenge and I think really cool to see a comparison to players from other countries. Appreciate you sharing the feedback, that's a great idea to think about.
Good technical analysis. Agree with Staub, Albert, Yohannes, Macario, Alpert, Morgan, Shaw, and Kruger choices.
Thank you! Looking forward to seeing the roster.
Great analysis! Yes, taking AM certainly avoids having to answer the question, "where's Alex Morgan?" that most fans would be asking. However, would she accept being an alternate?
Love that question. No! From my understanding it's kind of miserable being an alternate so it might actually be nicer to tell her someone else will do it and she can stay home to help helm the Wave.
they dropped becky and kelley they need to just rip the bandaid off and get rid of morgan too. she offers almost nothing and doesn't deserve to be there based on how bad her play has been for the past few years on the uswnt. going as an alternate would be awkward bc the media will want to talk to her, and i prefer young players in those roles.
Good stuff! 👍🏽 Also Yohannes reminds me of a young Paul Pogba. She doesn't run, she strides.
That is a great comp! Somehow much more elegant when she does it
The IOC is ridiculous for the alternates rule. How hard is it for them to expand the roster for players who are literally traveling and training with the team? With that said, the alternates are still important, and I'd bet based on the tournament schedule we will (unfortunately) have to call upon some replacement players.
It's almost like they don't really think about the athletes as people. Certainly wouldn't be shocked to see someone activated from the alternates, I'm not going to speculate though I have terrible luck with foot in mouth syndrome.
I agree with almost all your picks and reasons for them. I think in midfield it's a bit of a toss up between Albert and Yohannes. Yohannes, from what I've seen of her play with Ajax/Champions League and in her run against Korea, is just a gifted passer and surprise scorer. I've also seen that she is really difficult to muscle off the ball - she's a big, strong player. But the other side of that coin is her defense. I think she tends to rely on that size and strength to play defense and is either not effective or gets a foul call. She'll learn - but she's not quite there yet. Not sure Albert is all that much better on defense. On the front line - wow, that's a tough one. Hayes loves Crystal Dunn and with good reason. She is a Swiss army knife. Shaw can play up front, but not sure about her defense and she certainly isn't someone you can plug into the back line if necessary. Strange to even think of not including her on the roster. I'd almost go with Shaw over the current edition of Macario, but that's even stranger to contemplate. That sort of leaves Alex Morgan on the bubble - also strange. The Olympic rule is nuts, frankly, but we have to live with it.
I'm impressed, that's a great summary of Lily's play! Perfect explanation of her style of defense, helps me understand what one of my concerns is better. I don't think Albert is much better on defense but maybe more calm, when it really counts she seems quite poised about choosing her moment.
It's quite the predicament with the roster! There's no way someone unexpected and potentially deserving isn't left off - if Dunn comes considering the versatility, maybe it's Alex Morgan that's dropped.
Nice presentation with a lot of good points! If they keep the limit at 18, then this is my wishlist.
M. Swanson, S. Smith, T. Rodman, J. Shaw, C. Macario
L. Horan, S. Coffey, R. Lavelle, C. Dunn, L. Yohannes
N. Girma, T. Davidson, J. Nighswonger, E. Fox, E. Sonnett, C. Kreuger
A. Naeher, C. Murphy
Alternates: K. Albert, C. Bethune, S. Staab, J. Campbell
Oh I like Bethune as an alternate a lot, good idea to start getting her more integrated. It’s a nice balanced roster, I could see it.
Good analysis. I agree with your defensive choices. With the full arrival of Sam Coffey, Sonnett isn't needed anymore for her ability to play the 6 (of course, if Coffey's injury is serious, Sonnett is more likely to go).
I feel it's between Albert and Yohannes for a back-up midfield spot, and I wonder if the temptation to bring Yohannes is too great for Hayes not to put her on the squad? Get her tied to the USWNT--and it looks like she can help now. Albert is solid, but doesn't bring much extra. Yohannes has a huge upside.
Yes, Morgan has been the face of the team, but she'll be 35 at the Olympics. Alarmingly, she's stopped scoring for club and country. Dunn brings more flexibility, since she can play on any of the lines. I'd keep Morgan home. Being an outsider, Hayes can make her own brave decision based on what she thinks is best for her team.
Your point on Yohannes' upside is really making me rethink it a bit, it's like taking the best player available which usually makes a lot of sense! I'm so curious to see that completion play out.
I do like Dunn over Morgan, I'd rather take the extra midfielder but you'd retain some of the flexibility you lost with Sonnett. Alex isn't helping anyone win and Hayes is definitely in the best position to make bold decisions. I feel like she has so far, long may it continue!
I’m so worried if Yohannes isn’t picked up for the 18 roster she will not stick with the USWNT 😔
I'm starting to think that's a real concern here! Hoping to be proved wrong and see her go on the 18.
Excellent analysis, and really appreciate the touch-cuts for each player discussed. A couple of points: I understand the angst about Alex, but you’re overlooking several key factors which make her indispensable to this roster. First, as the grande dame, she garners a ton of respect and will help settle the kids. Second, she has a knack for being in the right place at the right time. And anytime she’s in the midfield either defensively or in transition, she is physically stronger than all the other forwards and dominates at winning balls. Plus, she’s just back from injury, if she plays like Gold Cup Alex, she’ll be a key part of our bench attack. As for Macario, she’ll really benefit from one more camp with the team and will shine playing a true 10. For me, that means Korbin doesn’t make the cut. It was hard to see Crystal struggle out there, but to be fair, she was played as a forward and then was transitioned back to defensive back. That’s a lot, even for the amazing Crystal Dunn. Finally, just think about what one more camp will do for Lily. And I’m not at all worried about keeping her with the US team, she’s earning equal pay dollars now. Those paychecks speak for themselves. *Just subscribed, keep up the awesome work 👍
Your point on positioning is a great one. Morgan has a nose for space and especially once the opposition gets really tactically disciplined it takes a lot of in game recognition to know where to be, and crucially, when to be there. I don't actually feel there's a close second for that trait!
Love love love the comments on equal pay! It takes a while to see the impact of changes sometimes but that would be a fantastic win to point to. Appreciate your subscription and thanks for sharing these thoughts.
@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer Thanks! I keep telling all my fellow USWNT fans that are jumpy about Lily playing for Netherlands - she earned $8k for each match + $10k for each win. That’s $36k of equal dollar (shared pool) pay! The equal pay fight by the 2010’s generation and the final deal was a game changer - the USWNT is now the ideal, the gold standard for other federations around the world to ascribe to. And we have several current and former players (for example, Sam Mewis) who are active on fifa player associations advocating for and coaching other women’s team leaders around the world. Just imagine if the big men’s teams like Argentina, Brazil, and others adopt similar models pooling their men’s & women’s national team earnings! Anyway, thanks for the awesome analysis…hopefully you can find a way to edit by the pool 😊
Solid roster selections. But if Yohannes is ready to commit, I think Hayes will bring her in the 18 and cap-tie her. If she is not ready to commit, she would be unusable as alternate in case of an injury because using her would cap-tie her. That would be a wasted midfield roster spot. I doubt Hayes would want to do that. I think the ball is really in Lily's court if she wants to go to Paris or not.
That's a great thought about actually activating her, I hadn't considered that. Makes me feel a call up is more likely because I do agree the ball is in her court, USSF can't have watched the last game and be sitting on their hands.
@@erobinsonii Think it's more a question of whether she feels more comfortable with the U.S. or the Dutch national team members.
Yup. Good point. Even if she just agrees to go as an alternate it means she’s ok with being cap-tied in the case of injury. She has some huge decisions. Hopefully Hayes is leaving it up to Lily and has at least extended an invite.
@erobinsonii Good points. But remember, 6 of the 7 highest paid female footballers in the world all play for the USWNT. Being the face of US Soccer would be far more lucrative to Lily and her family than playing for the Netherlands. There are 20x more little girls in the US to sell Yohannes jerseys, Nike shoes, and McDonald's hamburgers to. Plus, she can still play in Champions League. And Europe is so stacked, the Netherlands aren't guaranteed to qualify for the Olympics or the World Cup. They didn't qualify for this Olympics. So, Lily and her family will have to make some tough decisions fairly soon.
I’ll keep saying it: Lily is playing for the USWNT, forget about the Netherlands. She’s earning equal pay dollars now, meaning she banked $36k for the last 2 wins. She can play in the European leagues all she wants, but her earnings on the USWNT alone will decide this one, plus US endorsements, fuggedaboutit!
Great work! Love the film study. I learn so much from watching. Keep up the great work. May I suggest a film study topic? Love to see a film study about Emma's overall team strategy to get the ball to our Big 3 - Mal, Soph and Trin.
Suggestions are more than appreciated! Good idea for me to start watching for, I don't feel like I can see a fully fleshed-out strategy there yet so great call to keep an eye on.
@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer Thanks for the reply. I'll keep watching.
My current predictions based on what Emma has said and shown on the field so far:
F: Sophia, Trinity, Mal, Jaedyn, Alex (❔)
M: Macario, Sam, Horan, Korbin ( 🤮 ), Rose
D: Naomi, Jenna, Emily, Tierna, Crystal, Sonnett
GK: Alyssa, Casey M
Alts: Casey K, Lily, Jane, Andi/Staab
I think Emma values versatility more than anything so the more positions someone is able to play the better their chances are on making the 18 player roster because the game turnarounds will be insane. Although, I do hope that FIFA/IOC expand it for the sake of the players.
PS: Sam Coffey picking up an injury recently and currently being in a boot could change all of this.
I think your picks look really true to that philosophy of player versatility, could definitely see that being the selection if that's her focus. I'm really trying my best to ignore the Sam Coffey boot until I'm told it's a problem, but yeah that would cause a really big hole, especially if Sonnett isn't on the roster.
Alex Morgan should 1000% NOT be on the Olympic roster. She’s not in form at all and has been given way too many chance’s.
If she'd played any worse I'd be confident she wasn't going! It is wild she's still part of this conversation
@erobinsonii Morgan has contributed nothing for a while now. Including a player just because you like them is not how you win tournaments.
Alex Morgan has been slowing down for the last 3 years. It's obvious when she's on, she's slow and ineffective. We saw that during the last game. As soon as she was subbed out, it was a different team. Stop living in the past! @@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer
@@erobinsoniithis is the culture that kills the success on the field.
Sonnett on Gotham has been a defensive powerhouse imho.
Oh that's a great point, she's looked so stable especially while they've been rotating through players back there. Huge part of their success right now.
I like your predictions, especially since a lot of predictions have focused on flexibility meaning "can play multiple positions", but I think you have hit on a more important one - tactical flexibility. Sam Staab and Alex Morgan in particular each add a tool to adjust play based on game situation. I don't think Emma considers Sonnett a midfielder, and Staab brings key offensive tools to the CB position.
Also, thank you for demonstrating what Emma was talking about in her post-match press conference about how South Korea had adjusted and its impact on the midfield play. She blamed herself and the limited training time and said she was happy with the adjustment after halftime. If you are bored, I would love to see what the changes were after the half.
Thank you, the focus on individual player flexibility has been dominant so I was really hoping to provide a different framework for folks to think through.
I really think South Korea did an excellent job adjusting game to game. I feel like they essentially flexed between if the midfield or backline needed an extra person, and then executed a well coordinated press with the extra player. They looked very sound structurally in the first but I'd probably have to watch a few more times to really pick apart what changed in the 2nd beyond Hayes being so annoyed she sent out her dream team.
@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer My impression is that Emma believes her first order of business is defeating the low block. I think she is willing to take her chances with teams trying to run with her team, at least for now. That's why I think your Staab point is so good. She's also talked about the criticality of possession, so I think what's behind her love of European club players in her midfield (and Hal, Kate, Andi and Croix in camp - the Spirit are getting a Spanish makeover).
Busy, you were doing so well matching my list...until the end. Strategically and tactically, you have more options, and better wheels having Dunn as the last player than Morgan.
Emma is forward looking, and I love Alex so much, but she has lost a step and a half, maybe two steps. Dunn can play any position except CB and goalie. The real queston is can Alex accept the alternate role, or will she be divisive waiting in the wings.
I like that change of Dunn for Morgan, it give you the best of both worlds strategically and tactically. It definitely feels like time to move on from Morgan and maybe I should've given Emma more credit, she's not going to shy away from tough conversations. Maybe she's such a great coach to be around that Morgan has more interest in being an alternate? So curious to see how this plays out.
Thank you for the detailed analysis…please stay in the dungeon. The US talent pool is so deep; Emma & her team have very hard choices to make. And, …. it is ridiculous that the Olympics only allow 18 players to be rostered.
Thank you, I'm in the dungeon ready for the roster to drop! This has to be the last year with an 18 player roster, it's just too difficult to work with.
With Coffey coming off injured and seen in a boot, even if that was precautionary I think it might mean they need to take a backup dm and the only real option rn is Sonnet. So the more serious that injury is the higher Sonnet’s chances are in my mind.
My biggest concern is around any injury to Swanson or Rodman, we really don’t have any natural winger replacements. I’d prefer pushing Jenna up and moving in Kruger, instead of Shaw or Dunn on the wing
Definitely a concern with my list, Albert would be the only backup for Coffey and I don't feel great about her starting in that spot against a few of the teams at the tournament. Good point on the wingers too, if Shaw and Dunn both go there's no backup for Smith. Such a tricky puzzle but I love the idea of pushing Jenna up, good idea to have in the back pocket.
Good stuff. Thank you. As much as I've enjoyed watching Alex over the years, I think Emma Hayes needs to look toward the future and leave her off this roster. I don't think her skill set matches what Hayes is trying to build plus she's lost some pace and touch. I'd bring Macario as a forward even if she might play as a false 9 and I'd love to see Lily make the team.
Thanks for checking this out. Lovely simple diplomatic way to put Alex's situation, time to think about the future.
I would argue the same holds true for Dunn w/regard to pace and touch on both offense and defense
@@justafan323 I agree. If Dunn is in the 18 or an alternate, it is based on her versatility/history not current form/ability.
I certainly don't envy Emma Hayes picking this roster. Hard decision...
I'm an Alex fan, but more of a USWNT fan. So I hope Alex can play the elder StatesWoman role and support the youth on the team
@@saintndacity4814 I'm not sure that role can be justified on a small Olympic Roster...especially when there are other very experienced players who can do that (Naeher, Horan, Lavelle). Even player like Swanson, while young, has played for the U.S. in multiple tournaments and can offer leadership/mentorship.
enjoyed the vid. pretty much agree with everybody you picked. agree that Morgan probably goes mostly due to name and fans. only one i question is Shaw. not because i dont think she merits a spot, but if its her or Dunn, who i also believe has looked rough lately, Dunn makes more sense just because of her versatility. Shaw can also play mid but i think shes stronger up front. Dunn has the experience though. its a tough one. good job as usual.
Tough one indeed, two months ago I would've said Dunn for Shaw looked impossible but there's definitely a case to be made. I'm not sure Shaw has 100% carved out a role for herself in this system but we know what Dunn would be asked to do - looking at it agnostic of the player and thinking about roles Dunn makes a lot of sense. Appreciate the thoughts!
The breakdown is awesome love this, but I have to think versatility, so your taking Sonnett leaving Staab, or you leaving Dunn off and take Staab
Could definitely see that, Staab was probably my most out there pick and Dunn or Sonnett in places makes sense. Excited to see.
Tough calls. I think Emma might go with experience and bring Sonnett and Dunn over Staab and Krueger. If anyone is willing to make the tough call to leave Morgan behind it would be Emma. Also will Emma favor the players she has coached before like Macario and Dunn?
Tough calls indeed. I don't seem Emma favoring the familiar players in terms of playing time, but I can definitely see her feeling more comfortable rostering them. Looking forward to seeing what happens with Morgan, I suppose if Emma doesn't do it now she's only going to have to do it later!
I think they'd be mad to not take Yohannes. You don't want to lose her to the Netherlands. I also think her Euro experience fits well with what Hayes is instilling. Macario has been injured, so not at peak form, so its a hard one. The only rationale I can see for Morgan is experience. I really like Horan in the more midfield role. Horan, Lavelle, Coffey, maybe Macario make for a potent midfield. Its obvious Hayes has been trying to introduce sharper triangle work to hold up the ball in the front 3rd, and with the front 3's speed and connectivity, I'm really interested to see if this is developed enough to take on teams like Spain. My only question is of the backline, and that's primarily as I haven't seen it really threatened yet.
Good perspective on Yohannes, I didn't fully think through the implications of taking her as an alternate and not cap tying her, it just needs to get done while the momentum is there.
The triangle looks to be working really well in transition, it's been wild to see someone like Smith genuinely holding up play. I think it'll help but it doesn't look like enough to fully crack Spain. Need to see more passes in the box, need to see better angling to support build up with the 9's back to goal. Questions of the backline are very fair, so glad the team plays Mexico again because they handed out a How-To-Guide on beating the backline.
morgan's experience didn't help much at the world cup.
Excellent analysis, as always. 👏 The only spot where I really disagree is I would take Yohannes over Albert. For me, that's not even a difficult choice. So much more upside with Lily. Morgan seems an easy pick over Dunn at this point, even if she won't see much playing time. And while I hate to leave Sonnet off the active roster, if she's there as an alternate, at least we'll get her positive influence on the plane, in the locker room, etc.
I think you're right there's higher upside with Yohannes, that's classic risk bias right there on my part, worrying more about the downside of Yohannes vs Albert rather than comparing the potential upside. Would love for Hayes to prove me wrong! Sonnett as an alternate I like too, you just know she'd take that role seriously and add a lot of value.
dunn has scored more goals than morgan this year and plays multiple roles and is better for emma's system than morgan. morgan offers nothing.
Thanks! It's not easy to find a spot for Yohannes, but I'd love to see her get an opportunity sooner than later. I wish the WWC was next year!
Now that is a tournament I can pretty much guarantee we'll see her at thankfully!
That is definitely the starting 11. You didn’t have to do Lynn like that in the thumbnail though, trying to get on the bus! 😄
Poor Lynn. I wanted a photo of Alex but this one with Lynn waving for a corner worked too well!
@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer
😂 Alex could’ve been sipping her tea from a restaurant window, as the bus is leaving. To make it this worse though, it looks like everyone on the bus is laughing at Lynn. Brutal. 😄
@@TomF18 Fantastic!! That would've been such a good hommage ❤ I'm going to need your ideas for the next one, clearly you've got vision.
respectfully disagree. I think Sonnett goes and Dunn also goes because they allow more flexibility elsewhere and Hayes is most familiar with Dunn. Dunn seems to be higher on the defensive depth chart than Kreuger (perpetual bubble player who never quite gets there) and Staab is probably too green. Alternate maybe. I agree morgan is going but it's sort of pathetic that we are still taking her for marketing reasons given how bad her play has been on this team for years. There are a lot of other players who could feature in these ads.
I love some disagreement, it’s great for the growth of the sport! I think your list for who stays over Dunn and Sonnet is pretty spot on, we’ll see. Also would love to see some of the younger players with ad spots. Colgate needs to call Girma.
@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer and Crest would do well to sign up Shaw! ❤
I'm for sure bringing Shaw, Macario and Yohannes. The remainder is a toss-up. I guess I would go with flexibility Dunn, Sonnett and, uhhh ... Kreuger. No trouble leaving Alex off unless the Olympics were in the US.
Very true, it's the French out there selling tickets! Your trio are definitely playing with some style if they're all on the pitch together, I'd love to see that.
This roster is 100% spot on. No way would i take Dunn and Sonnet at the expense of Staab and Kreuger, no way!
Staab and Krueger have been looking good since too! Would love to see it happen.
loved this! my predicted roster was almost entirely the same, except with sonnet instead of staab and dunn instead of morgan.
i honestly don't see why staab would be there instead of sonnet--sonnet fills the role of not only flexibility but also the "rest" category perfectly as her natural position and the position she plays for club is CB, while she also has tons of other qualities staab doesn't, such as leadership, international experience, and chemistry with her teammates.
as for dunn versus morgan, i think that one going to morgan instead of dunn is much more likely than staab instead of sonnet. alex obviously has the leadership and experience etc etc, while i agree that crystal was just...not convincing as a forward. she bettered her argument by scoring her first goal for gotham right after, and that one she did actually have a player to get past, but the defending still wasn't great and a better goalkeeper could've kept it out, imo. as for alex, she returned to club to give another very unconvincing performance. i know she was out for five games, but she still hasn't scored since the challenge cup, and only scoring two open-play goals in all of 2024 (as many as crystal scored in her last two games! though that is of course also misleading lol) doesn't shine a bright light on her current form. of course, alex has more big tournament experience than crystal, but i don't think that's too important given crystal is also very experienced. moreover, dunn has the flexibility morgan does not; not only can she play on both wings as both a forward and fullback, she could also slot into the midfield, and if worst came to worst and you had to choose between crystal dunn and alex morgan to play center-back, you'd probably go for dunn!
i don't think we're going to get a decision until after june 23, meaning hayes and the team will have three games from both gotham and wave to look at crystal and alex. if dunn continues her form and proves that the two goals aren't a one-off, i think she'll solidify her place on the team, even if simply because people like jenna sometimes need rest! if morgan gets back to goalscoring ways over the next couple weeks, then i think it gets more interesting.
my alternates, then, are the same as in your pool--lily (though i would not be mad if we're wrong and she's flipped with korbin! i think there's definitely a chance, just not a massive one), and then staab and morgan instead of sonnet and dunn, and campbell, who i assume will get it simply because she played vs korea over kingsbury and was at shebelieves & gold cup instead of kingsbury. i do think making alex morgan an alternate will be...tough. people will definitely complain, and it's hard to imagine alex morgan as an alternate. however, i think the uswnt forwards list is stacked, and morgan just does not make an ideal 18-person roster for me. she's neither the first nor second choice striker, and i'd argue not the third--it'd go mal, then soph, then cat (i know she played 10 vs korea but her preferred position + chelsea position is as the nine) for me. yes, she has "experience," but so do other squad members, and keeping players on for experience flopped miserably at the world cup. i know her being an alternate would be weird and some people might imagine that she would prefer to stay home, but alex morgan is a top professional and no way would she say no. she could still bring her knowledge and experience as an alternate, and i think it'd work.
i do also find interesting how bad many journalists' predictions are. for example, the very accomplished jeff kassouf put out a prediction three days ago on espn that left casey krueger as an alternate and did not have a forward alternate but instead had olivia moultrie...what? wouldn't she have been called to camp if she was being considered as an alternate? another example: an athletic article after the korea games by fellow experts meg linehan, steph yang, and jeff reuter included crystal dunn in the midfield and left out korbin albert without introducing lily yohannes or any other midfielder. and in their individual predictions, both meg and steph, two of the most experienced uswnt journalists out there, put kingsbury as the alternate goalkeeper when she has not played for the united states since december while campbell got the nod last camp and has been on every 2024 roster. plus, all three of them had lynn williams as an alternate. WHAT? sorry, why do people whose entire careers revolve around the uswnt think that the alternate forward is going to be someone who wasn't called up to the last two camps and has had consistent injury problems this year??? and steph had andi sullivan as an alternate, when she's not played for the uswnt since december...fine, she was a training player last camp, but if she was seriously being considered for alternate, why leave her out for the uncapped hal hershfelt? anyway, those predicted rosters just made me mad because am i just very stupid or are these incredibly knowledgable journalists incredibly unknowledgeable about rosters? who knows.
oh, i already wrote way too much but two more things...
first, although i think your predicted starting xi is the best we have based on current form right now, i'm not too sure about rose starting, as weird as that may seem. i think her injury issues hurt her case, while the first game against korea showed how incredible bringing rose on for the last half an hour could be. when you need something to happen and then you bring in the energy and chaos and skill of rose lavelle--total supersub. on that note, i think having lavelle for 30 minutes at the end of each game the entire tournament is much better than rose getting the start the first one or two games and then getting injured. however, the other two options are catmac and jaedyn, and while jaedyn really shined in the position the last couple camps and while cat looked good for chelsea and was exceptional before the injury, neither are really in-form right now. so i guess i more just think that whoever gets that starting #10 role is up in the air rather than a lock for lavelle. or maybe we'll just get constant rotation!
the second thing is about the albert vs johannes debate. again, i agree with you that korbin will probably get the nod while lily will be an alternate, even though my heart says lily, most uswnt fans on social media say lily, and so forth. the most obvious reason is that korbin has been here since december and was a core part of the team for the three 2024 camps, especially the gold cup, while lily has played twenty minutes total for the uswnt. that would make it a massive risk to take lily instead, because korbin would likely get significant minutes at the olympics, and if either horan or coffey got injured, she would be first on the list to take their place. as the olympics is many games within very little time and with a very small roster, ensuring you can rely on every player is very important, which lily has clearly not had the opportunity to show. another point i think some people miss is that korbin can play both the 8 and the 6, even if she's better as the 8. we only have one DM on the team. if coffey gets injured, either horan or albert would take her place. lily is not really a 6 and it's far too important of a position to frankly ever play a 16 year old whose weakest trait is defending and often makes very poor tackles, and whose strongest trait is incredible progressive passes...not passes that help control the game. the third option, behind albert and horan, would be coffey, and i don't see lily playing any position other than the 8, nor starting any game, which albert could easily do. BUT us soccer made it clear by hiring a manager that could only come a month before the olympics that emma hayes is here to win the world cup, not win the olympics. in that case, bringing in lily instead of korbin makes a lot of sense. she probably has a higher ceiling, while they NEED to cap-tie her given she soon will become a dutch citizen. i don't think bringing her as an alternate will even be as convincing as some people seem to claim. many players that have been alternates have talked about how horrible the experience was, and alternates don't even get a medal! lily has two other advantages over korbin: one, she's in form while korbin looked pretty bad against korea, and won't have an opportunity to prove herself because they're both on vacation. two: she's not a homophobic and transphobic jerk that liked a post that called an uswnt legend getting injured in her final game a god-given miracle...but to be fair, i don't see any way korbin will not be in the locker room in paris, because if she's not in the roster she'll be an alternate. one last, fairly niche, advantage korbin has over lily: korbin has not (as far as i can tell) gotten a yellow in her entire career. lily has, infamously, gotten herself a tournament suspension due to yellow card accumulation. what i find most interesting about lily's yellows received is that they all have come across her best opponents: her first ever yellow was against twente, ajax's rivals that won the league and actually somewhat won the league in that very game. her second yellow was against bayern munich. her third yellow was against psg. her fourth yellow was against chelsea. her fifth and final yellow as a 16 year old was against psv, the next-best team in the netherlands after twente and ajax. i think that makes it pretty clear that lily is still very young and not yet strong nor experienced enough to play against tougher opponents without going in for a dumb tackle and receiving a yellow. in a tournament with a game every two days and a tiny squad, losing a player to yellow card accumulation is far from ideal. moreover, the olympics unfortunately means the uswnt will be facing those tough opponents lily has struggled against--and, realistically, opponents far tougher than the club teams she has faced. so i don't think she's yet ready. but again, my heart still wants her on that roster anyway!
Fair point on Sonnett over Staab, I'm picturing Staab as more of a like for like replacement for Staab or Girma where she'd be asked to do the exact same things. I have a hard time picturing Sonnett playing the long switch or a line breaking through but no trouble picturing a very necessary last ditch tackle. So maybe if the purpose is rest for the CBs, the more defensive option works better. Got me thinking for sure!
Gotham comment made me laugh, exactly what I thought when watching it, "well that's better but not by miles". Dunn over Morgan certainly feels more sensible, the roster looks much more balanced when you think about it per position. Swanson centrally with Dunn wide is a good option, Macario centrally with Dunn on the bench, I don't dislike the idea of Jaedyn being the 3rd backup there if needed (I feel like Smith has cemented her starting spot somehow? I don't even like typing that). I do like your alternate list, nice and balanced but big question for me if Alex would be an alternate. Is that basically a snub? But to your point, she's a professional, she knows it happens. At least if there's a time to have that difficult conversation with Morgan it's now. I call the World Cup roster the All-Jersey team, that squad was built to sell shirts and I'm still not convinced Mr Andonovski wasn't strong armed into it.
A lot of the articles and videos in the space are the reason I wanted to do this. I'm a visual person and it's really hard for me to form or change an opinion just based on a paragraph or a podcast, I need to see the film and have some help interpreting it! I also think building out a squad like this requires an understanding of the philosophy behind it and how being picked for these squads work. Putting a different jersey on and playing 11 of the best players from a different country is so ridiculously different to the average club game, I'd imagine it's hard to place value on that experience and being in form without really understanding it. Love Kingsbury and Moultrie but there's 0 chance they're coming - I think you know exactly what you're talking about!
Saw the second half of your comment - let's do this!
Rose starting, I don't see her playing a full 90 of any game and I think you're right not having her start is best case. My worry is I feel much more secure about her being picked than Albert or Yohannes - that seems really silly when you actually dig into it because who is starting in that spot? And I don't want to see a double pivot as a solution. You may be onto something with constant rotation, if that actually works well it could be a headache to play against.
You perfectly explained my thoughts on Albert over Yohannes, another case of probably not enough value on international experience. Lily hasn't even played a full international game, Korbin's helped the team win a tournament. It doesn't feel great sitting on camera saying a player that harbors prejudice against me should be going to the Olympics but I'm sticking to my philosophy of reviewing the film and that's what it says! Especially when you consider the context of the fouls and cards like you pulled out. It felt clear to me when watching it was her compensating for a step-up in opposition quality but really cool to see it all listed out to back it up. I need to read up on the ruleset for the Olympics but yellow card accumulation there would really hurt you. She's such a fantastic talent and needs to be on this team, it's just a case of when and what's the plan for her. If they both go and are able to head into the WWC with major tournament experience, that could really be something. I think any pressure to win here is going to be coming from Hayes internally and the players wanting a redemption arc. I'm here for it!
@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer oh yeah, there's definitely 0 way korbin or lily are ever getting a roster spot or starting over rose, and neither is ever something i'd want!
i completely forgot that yellow card rules might be totally different for the olympics, and i can't actually find anything about it! just that in the qualifiers, getting a yellow two matches in a row meant suspensions for the following game, but that might not apply to the actual olympics. hm...
@@waterthecan Lol we ran into the same issue googling. I'd imagine the same rules per stage then, it shouldn't be this hard to check though!
PLEASE do an Emily fox video 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
I’m convinced!
I don't think emma will use Dunn As part of the forwards. She has been defender too long and only dipped a toe back as being a forward which was how Emma coach Dunn way back. Emma loves a multitool which makes Dunn and Sonnett and Albert useful to the team. Macario is in because of being together too long at chelsea. Alex Morgan, for the sponsors and veteran leadership. Shaw is just too good. Think Emma will weigh shaw's form at club too which has been good.
On another note, with groans at the packed calendar, player burnout, lack of rotation etc and amidst ACL epidemic, i find it so hypocritical a restriction of 18 players remain rather than increasing it. An easy change (compared to canceling a whole tournament) for the sake of being mindful to these current hot topics and reducing injuries. But alas...feigning concerns one day only to dissipate entirely the next.
The multitool context is useful, definitely gives more weight to that trio. I can also see Morgan and Shaw being picked together because of chemistry so that cements those more too.
The calendar right now is nuts, I'm not sure on the nuts and bolts behind opening the roster up to 23 or 25 but you'd think it would be pretty easy and with zero downside. I think we'll see some progress here over the next few years but it's unfortunately probably take players being vocal and vulnerable again.
@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer the player's union Fifpro is suing fifa for plopping in a club world cup in 2026? Ada Hegerberg tweeted about not enough rest between world cup and preseason. Sarina Wiegman and emma hayes spoke about it. Some progress. Do you think it's a vicious cycle of the rhetoric that players want rest time and they play too many minutes vs if you can't handle that many minutes and your form drops then there's plenty to take your place that needs minutes so calendar never changes? Is there a conundrum of players desiring rest periods but never ask the coach to sit them out for a game or decline an international call up (with no injury)?
@@For_Cruyff_Sake Wow the player's union suing Fifpro is just the kind of thing I was imagining, will read into that some more but hopefully that leads to some progress. Lots of parts to the cycle, quality of the competition increases over the years and there's more talent to take available spots. Add to that more club and international games and it becomes hard to figure out when to realistically take that rest. Players will never self manage this, so they need to be managed appropriately by potentially two systems with different priorities for the player and that makes it even harder to do.
I don't think Morgan is that great of a leader. What did her "leadership" help with in Australia? She's no Pinoe, Wambach or even Lloyd who show up in the biggest games.
Please do a video on Emily Fox!!
Done! That's all the convincing I needed.
Woo! 🎉
Yes! That's must-see YT!
@@erobinsonii Thank you thank you! Adding to my Fox watch list.
Thank you for this! I love your insight. Do you think that Lynn Williams and Becky Saurebrunn will get another call up post Olympics or is there USWNT team time done?
I think sadly they might be done with tournaments. I'd imagine with the impact both of them have had on the game they might get called up for a friendly to say goodbye though.
Always love your analysis, and kudos to you for making a bold albeit unpopular choice to leave Dunn off the 11. She did not look good at the forward spot. Her best days are behind her.
I think all the players playing abroad have an excellent chance of making the cut, it fits with what Hayes has said, better more technically advanced soccer is being played in Europe, USA is now chasing the best teams playing non transitional soccer. I really hope the next generation of USA players coming up will play abroad like Horan,Albert,Macario,Yohanes and Fox . Think how much more creative and tactical Rodman,Smith,Swanson would become playing in Europe.
@@erobinsonii Totally agree, but until that time, safe travels.
Would love to see Albert and Yohannes both make it, would be great for the squad long term. Would love to see some sort of academy/loan system to give young NWSL players some time in Europe early and with clubs that have more history of player development.
good choices.
Thanks, looking forward to seeing what Emma does
good job
Thank you!
Agreed undoubtedly, thr starting 11 but agree on Albert after her debacle. Disagree with Macario, she definitely should be on this team. Crystal has never been a winger and it looked it. Fullback or nothing . Shaw should be in the midfield, she's great there & Macario is a false 9. She played there for Lyon & was great.
Macario as a false 9 is tantalizing - I need to watch some Lyon replays. Totally agree Shaw should be in the midfield more, I'm kind of holding out hope that Hayes will have players in the same position up until the Olympics and then make changes, would add a little deception and get some players into their natural position.
Thanks! Excellent analysis. So I assume your alternates then are Sonnett, Yohannes, Dunn & Campbell?
Those would be my four - the only wrinkle I wouldn't be stunned by is leaving Dunn off for a younger more defensive option who may gain more from the experience. Gaetino or Hershfelt maybe.
@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer I think it’s unlikely that Hayes leaves Dunn off since she’s so fond of her and she provides versatility. Not even bringing her as an alternate seems unlikely. I think it would come down to if Crystal would want to be
This is the first time in my life I've heard of Crystal Dunn's defense being a question mark 😂
It didn't feel good to say! I should've added the disclaimers: Colorado has weird air, it was raining, she looked bad on D when being asked to do it as a forward. Still feels disrespectful!
Wow! You got most of the players right!
Isn't Naeher still out with an injury?
I agree with the starting lineup through and through. I feel like we need another CB in for the Olympics and Sam Stabb has done a incredible job. Now, I love lily but I dont think Emma Hayes will take her just because of her age. AM also needs to step up her game. Shes one of my favorite players EVER but she doesn't look dangerous and she isnt scoring. I feel like lynn deserves a spot on this roster. Tbh I would rather take a Lynn Williams as a 9 then Alex Morgna, just based off form. My alternates would be Dunn, Sonnett, Lynn (if shes healthy) and Lily.
Oh quite the point on Williams as a 9, that wasn't even in the realm of things I considered but I like that a lot. My non injury concerns with her are mostly around first-touch and hold-up play but those become a lot less of an issue if she's posted up in front of the net. Cool idea!
If a player comes as an alternate to the olympics are they cap tied to the US? Or do they have to actually play?
I believe an alternate like Lily wouldn't be cap tied unless she was activated and played. That's something I didn't really think through, can Emma Hayes afford to not cap-tie her?
@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer No she can’t! That would be short sighted - stupid even. And uncharacteristic for Emma Hayes.
Good stuff. I think Dunn may go ahead of Kreuger, bc flexibility, but also Staab has played some outside back, so there is plenty of flex along that back line.... hmm. Throwing up my hands on that. Staab is a lock, though. I agree on Morgan. I just don't think you leave the face of the franchise at home. She may not do much, but she may not have to. OR she might score the gold-winning goal on a wicked header. Again, throwing up my hands. If it were me i would take Yohannes over Albert, bring Albert as an alternate. I just don't think you're going to take the confidence away from Yohannes between now and the the Olympics. She looks way more comfy than Albert. GO USNWT
That's an interesting idea, I hadn't considered Staab at outside back but that could definitely open the door for Dunn. It's so cool to think about Staab as a lock so quickly, that's what made me feel six defenders was a real option, but your idea is a nice way to take her with five.
I can 100% see that Alex Morgan header, it's more of a deflection and probably should've been saved. They don't ask how, they ask how many!
@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer Did Staab play outside back in college? I watched her for five years on the Spirit, and don't remember her playing anything but CB, though I may have missed it if she did it as an emergency backup.
@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer I believe i've seen Staab on the left in the near past. If not then she was covering for someone. I like Krueger but Staab seems a tad more calm and flexible to me. :D on the Morgan header. I don't think she'll have to do much!
the real question you should be asking is why is morgan the "face" of the team when she hasn't done anything in 5 years? they could market others, they just choose not to.
Also isn’t Sam Coffey injured?
I did see the boot but I’m optimistic it won’t be an issue in a few weeks. That would definitely cause a hole
Coffey was one of the first picks in the Thorns/Timbers charity event match draft this week. The match takes place on the 26th. Feel like if it were serious she wouldn’t have been drafted so early. They must expect her to be available
Albert over Yohannes? Maybe, study their season in Europe this year. Not close. I don't think you understand the stakes for the USWNT. Funny, you see so much in Albert.
Maybe I'm overvaluing the experience of playing with the team across multiple tournaments. I can't watch all the games, I watched 6 Ajax games in full and think she looked like an absolute star, my background watching Albert is 90% USWNT so maybe the disconnect is watching in different context!
I have macario as backup to Sofi smith and Dunn for Krueger this now leaves room for Yohannes
I like it! I can picture the type of ball Macario is getting from Rodman and putting in the net.
Remember they played Korea
Very true, they looked better for a good portion of the 2nd game. Rain in the 2nd maybe a factor too.
I don't want Morgan to be in the olympics! I think she's the reason why we keep going lower than all the other teams. Not only that, we keep playing weak teams. If we win against Germany, or Spain, we should go back to where we were.
Very curious to see if she comes, seems very divided on opinion! Really looking forward to seeing us play some great teams. I think Canada has probably been our toughest opponent lately, will be great to see others.
I want to like Naeher, but she tends to make some bad decisions and doesn't have the reach. Just my opinion.
I believe she's showing available and should be playing tonight! Agree with the decision making, some of the reads on coming out are terrible. I feel like this has to be her last major tournament.
We are sooo disappointed in how the US is picking and developing players, it's just pathetic. So difficult to remain engaged...
BTW I couldn't agree more with your roster except one, I would add Ashley Sanches in 10, remove Rodman and shuffle...
The team needs a Messy type player and that's Ashley.
So bummed to hear that but hopefully we start to see more rotation and different players getting their opportunities. I was surprised to see Yohannes and Hershfelt called up for the June camp so that was a win for me!
@min2oly lol every team needs someone to stir stuff up at the right time. She’s fun to watch and has looked so good with the Courage
@@min2oly the Sanchez ship has sailed; she will never wear "the shirt' for USWNT.
@@erobinsonii most people (as you say)... are wrong most of the time - that's a fact
Here's my problem with your choices....right now both Lavelle, and Horan are players who can give you about one half.....but both suck air by the time the second half rolls around....if you want these two to alternate, than you end up with an extra player to start and if that's the case, then who is your choose......? my choice would be Lily Johannes at #10......also Coffey would be a good choice at the other attacking midfielder, but she"s not as good at #6. (defending midfielder) that position should go to Korbin Albert. she's much better defender than attacker imo.......
Up-front, I agree all 3 attackers are OK....but at #9 my choice would be J Shaw....she's much stronger than S Smith...Smith does not have the size, and between the many and tall defenders, she loses leverage fast....no wonder she abandoned her central forward position and went back in order to get herself involved in the attack......J Shaw on the other hand could really thrive at the position due to her superior personal technique, power, with a nose for the goal....these last two games will give us a better understanding what exactly Emma Hayes has up in her head, regarding the starters.....we'll see.....
I'll add to your Horan concerns too, sometimes the effort levels are just low start to finish. For the 10 I'd go Shaw or Macario from my roster but I do agree Yohannes is the strongest choice there. I just don't know if Hayes and US Soccer in general are brave enough to do that.
Honestly thinking this through more I think my ideal squad (not necessarily what I expect to see though), drop Morgan for Yohannes. Allows Shaw more time at 9 and Yohannes at 10. Overall would allow a lot more flexibility across the board.
@kssaint6290 Johannes is not a 10. Does not play it for club, will not play it for country; she's a deep-lying playmaker, and if she doesn't play the 8, her second position would be a 6. Horan also plays the full 90 minutes nearly every game for club and country, so she's clearly doing something right. And what Sam Coffey are you watching? Her best skill is interceptions and breaking up attacking play, and her second best skill is her ability to control the speed of the game and be that constant presence from behind. Meaning she's a perfect holding midfielder and would be a very imperfect anything else. Same with Albert, but the opposite--when she plays well, she usually is more on the attacking side of things, and making things happen rather than excelling in defense. And making Shaw the striker is crazy--I think she's played there a couple (??) times for Wave but never for the USWNT and if that ever happens it will be a long, long time. I can't tell if this comment was just intentionally trying to switch around everyone's positions or not...
I just don't get the obsession with Dunn. I have been watching her for years. She is a terrible passer, always has been. Now she is slow and like you showed in your video not that great a defender. I don't care is she can play every position on the pitch, if she isn't good at any of them then what's the point? She sure as hell isn't a forward either.
Dunn somehow seems to be able to just sort of hang out at these games but since I’ve been watching she hasn’t struck me as the type of player that really adds drive to a team. She just sort of plugs a hole most of the time and I don’t think there’s space for that. She’s probably the player I’m most confident in staying home based on film but we’ll see.
Well I hope you are right. It would be a shame if she takes a roster spot away from Staa
Crystal Dunn
Drop Rodman. I don't not understand why they would have Rodman on the roster instead of Williams. Lynn is a much better player and scores significantly more goals. Rodman is useless.
Oh man maybe I should've pulled some film on Lynn to try prove it! I just think Rodman is looking better and better, like it's all finally going right - Rodman just seems like a better teammate to have on the field.
Seriously, what are you smoking? I’m a huge Lynn fan, but truth be told, Lynn doesn’t score on the national team and always feels a step off when playing for country. Rodman might be a work-in-progress but she’s a powerhouse athlete, maybe the best pure athlete on the field and has speed & energy to burn. She’s smart in her positioning and pulls defenders toward her wherever she is on the field. She creates plays by sheer will and makes everyone around her better. I can’t think of a better front line than her, Mal and Soph.