Backline vet Rampone sports the armband for the States...
The starting line-ups out shortly.
Pia Sundhage’s crew is about to take on North Korea in their inaugural World Cup game.
Will Lauren Cheney get the nod up front or out wide?
Can the US contain speedster Kim Kyong Hwa?
Grab your pretzels and beer. It’s go time for the ladies.
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Posted by Maura Gladys on 2011/06/28 at 8:51 AM
Lineups are out. Lauren Cheney gets the start over Megan Rapinoe. She’ll likely pinch in to the middle to provide more support to Wambach and hit Heather O’Reilly on the right wing.
Other big news of the day, Hope Solo let the entire world know that she’s taking painkillers and doesn’t have full extension of her right arm.
Posted by Free Beer Movement on 2011/06/28 at 9:02 AM
Anyone having problems with their ESPN3 stream you can watch the match legally at FIFA.com: http://www.fifa.com/womensworldcup/video/live/index.html/index.html
Posted by Cornelius on 2011/06/28 at 10:20 AM
Neither site is working for me right now. ESPN3 won’t load and FIFA gives me an error message that I’m not in an area which is allowed to see the game live.
Posted by Tony Danza Army on 2011/06/28 at 9:27 AM
Cheers for the commentary. At work and gutted that I can’t catch our ladies live.
Posted by matthewsf on 2011/06/28 at 9:31 AM
US looking pretty solid in the early going but wasting service up the field.
Posted by Andy_4Lakes on 2011/06/28 at 9:46 AM
US seems to be having some trouble in the center of the pitch. would like to see them work the wings more.
Posted by Maura Gladys on 2011/06/28 at 9:59 AM
It almost seems like North Korea is getting better quality chances. North Korea’s defense is forcing the U.S. to take easy shots
Posted by matthewsf on 2011/06/28 at 10:05 AM
US ladies getting stretched a bit as they try to 1vs1 or go direct over-the-top.
Since they’re playing more of 4-3-3, they’re getting caught a little up the field, with gaps. US defense has to come out more and you’re seeing bad match-ups in space.
USWNT will be fine if they slow the pace, check to the CMs more with small square and back passes.
Posted by kaya on 2011/06/28 at 10:24 AM
well this is starting to look a little more like it. seemed like we were avoiding taking any initiative in the 1st half.
Posted by Andy_4Lakes on 2011/06/28 at 10:27 AM
goal!
Posted by Maura Gladys on 2011/06/28 at 10:30 AM
Abby Wambach’s inside cut really made that goal. Gave her enough space to place a nice cross
Posted by Andy_4Lakes on 2011/06/28 at 10:31 AM
Way too many careless giveaways.
Posted by kaya on 2011/06/28 at 10:31 AM
I’m still not crazy about a lot of the first touches, but that was a sweet combo to finally give Cheney a goal. Since then, the US is looking sloppy on defense, however.
Posted by Paula on 2011/06/28 at 10:32 AM
Aw hell … GameCast is down too …
Posted by Andy_4Lakes on 2011/06/28 at 10:35 AM
livefootballstream.net
Posted by kaya on 2011/06/28 at 10:50 AM
Scrappy, but I’ll take it. Ian Darke is apparently unaware that 2-0 leads can be dangerous…
Posted by matthewsf on 2011/06/28 at 11:02 AM
You shouldn’t have said that Kaya — we have data to prove otherwise tomorrow.:>
Posted by kaya on 2011/06/28 at 1:10 PM
Looking forward to it.
In thinking back about that post where readers posted their favorite announcers’ axioms, I only now realized the HOF is gone. I really think that article deserves some kind of permanent place on TSG =)
Posted by kaya on 2011/06/28 at 10:50 AM
What’s up with Wambach? Just an off day?
Posted by Maura Gladys on 2011/06/28 at 10:52 AM
Wambach has struggle scoring a little bit as of late. She has just one goal this year, and had a few chances today that when he was really on her game, could have gone in. I have a feeling that once she gets that first goal, she’ll start to put them in in bunches.
Posted by matthewsf on 2011/06/28 at 10:56 AM
Good hold-up play from her, but she doesn’t look particularly threatening in possession when she has got it, no?
Posted by Maura Gladys on 2011/06/28 at 10:59 AM
Yeah, she’s been struggling to connect. A lot of that might be frustration and mentally finding her groove
Posted by kaya on 2011/06/28 at 11:03 AM
Yeah, my thought was that in general, she’s just not on it like I’m used to seeing.
Posted by kaya on 2011/06/28 at 11:05 AM
OK, I know she’s trying to make me eat my words, but I still think Standard Abby Wambach puts that in her self.
Posted by Maura Gladys on 2011/06/28 at 11:06 AM
Definitely agreed. That shot was way too soft.
Posted by Johninho on 2011/06/28 at 11:25 AM
It’s because they don’t get her the rock. She needs to go Roonaldo upside this thing and drop back into MF and get it until her mids pull a clue.
As you can see, when she started to do this, she set up Cheney’s opener, and then hit the woodwork.
Posted by Andy_4Lakes on 2011/06/28 at 11:10 AM
So what was the ruling on the disallowed goal?
Posted by kaya on 2011/06/28 at 11:12 AM
Foul on the keeper.
Posted by Maura Gladys on 2011/06/28 at 11:13 AM
I believe it was a foul on Rapinoe. From what Ian Darke said, anytime a goalkeeper has a hand on the ball, you can’t go after it. So, although the North Korea goalkeeper didn’t have possession, and Rapinoe hit it cleanly, it was technically a foul.
Posted by Andy_4Lakes on 2011/06/28 at 11:19 AM
Thanks. The Eurosport broadcasters were saying that should have been a goal. Saying that the keeper did not have possession therefore attacker had a right to it.
Posted by kaya on 2011/06/28 at 11:27 AM
I wonder if that goal would’ve been allowed in a men’s game tbh. I suppose it’s also a matter of interpretation by the ref.
Posted by Crotalus on 2011/06/28 at 11:40 AM
Wasn’t Mexico’s equalizer a similar situation? If I remember right, Howard had a hand on the ball and it was kicked away from him.
Posted by Paula on 2011/06/28 at 12:50 PM
News to me … seriously? I thought that was allowed …
Posted by kaya on 2011/06/28 at 12:59 PM
I think that’s my point and Crotalus’ as well.
Posted by Mike on 2011/06/28 at 2:09 PM
from Fifa’s Interpretations of the Laws of The Game…
(go to Fifa.com and look up Law of The Game)
A goalkeeper is considered to be in control of the ball:
• while the ball is between his hands or between his hand and any surface
(e.g. ground, own body)
• while holding the ball in his outstretched open hand
• while in the act of bouncing it on the ground or tossing it into the air
Posted by Antonio H. on 2011/06/28 at 11:27 AM
You know you could alwats watch the matches in spanish…..
Posted by kaya on 2011/06/28 at 1:00 PM
Was that a total non-sequitur or am I missing something? =)
Posted by kaya on 2011/06/28 at 1:04 PM
OK, I see, I think you’re referring to the espn3.com comments. My guess is that folks only had access to a computer, no tv. I’m still dreaming of the day where I log into allsoccergamesonyourcomputer.com and tell comcast where they can shove it (except for the niggling detail that they are my isp, too.)