The losing GK in a 3-0 match is never going to be WOTM but I'm glad I'm not alone in thinking Trần Thị Kim Thanh outperformed more than any single other player on the pitch. A game I hope she's proud of.
Gonna be holding my breath against Netherlands. USWNT midfield is so weird. Makes me nervous.
Edit: Was sad not to see Hina! Looking forward to her getting some action.
Right after Lindsey and Danielle had their theatrical moment I thought to myself she's getting on the end of this corner kick. It was weird. I felt so sure it would happen and then it did. Rose served it well and Lindsey went in powerfully and nailed it. Funny how that happens. A premonition or do I just know the Great Horan?
Watching the halftime show for the England v Denmark game with KK, John Strong, and HAO and they are talking about Keira Walsh (bc looks like she did her ACL in this game, if you didn’t see it)…and KK casually mentions she tried to get Keira Walsh for the Thorns. Nothing else about it, but I appreciate that kind of ambition!
She didn’t say when they tried for her, but I did appreciate they were reaching for a player of that caliber at any point. Most (all?) of her choices have been unambitious during her tenure so it was a pleasant surprise.
Overshadowed in the media by that Olympico for Ireland (which probably wasn't intentional, but still cool), but the best goal in the tournament for me so far. The instantaneous decision making to go for goal instead of squaring it when she saw that space at the near post...then then slamming it home perfectly. Aoba Fujino is a special player at 19. I can barely imagine what her ceiling is...
I've never seen a goal like it before, and I am not sure I'll ever see one again. It was breathtaking. It's not like the Costa Rican keeper played it poorly (by the way, she had a terrific match). Fujino spun the spatial relations of the goal 90 degrees. I mean, how do you bury a ball against the side netting from that angle almost straight on as if you were facing the goal and shooting directly for the back of the net? Astonishing in real time, astonishing on replay.
Right now it is looking like a team I thought could be a contender may not make it out of group stage. Norway! Wow! And in the last match I think both Hegerberg and Hansen were not starting and Hegerberg didn't play, she pulled herself just prior too kickoff.
OT but poor Ferns reverting to form to hand all three to the Filipinas was pretty brutal. But the group is so dire (Norway-Switzerland was an ugly slog…) it’s more a question of who can find a way to lose their way out of contention.
Colombia! My poor Tigers looked utterly hopeless against a side I was certain would go pointless thru the group stage. Not sure if the ROK can find a way back in, but I’m going to bet Colombia to go thru, if just to make the three women with the feathery tiger hats happy.
We’re vacationing up in Victoria this week, and what’s kinda gobsmacking how huge Sinc is here. I kinda get she’s the GOAT, but she’s all over the telly during the Cup shows. She’s got a Subway commercial! It’s ridiculous, but seeing Captain Sinc shooting with a hoagie in one hand is Peak Commercial.
And for the record…that kid Caicedo is the real deal. The goal was as much poor goalkeeping as on her…but the touches on the run-up! Oh, my, she’s as sleek as silk. Lovely, just lovely.
Also, like, the team is in the middle of a sale process! She isn't a part of that business, but if the new owners were wanting to have chats with important members of the FO, they'd have to be delayed until after the WC. With the offseason this club is going to have....I sure home KK is doing her homework on her down time. There are many big contracts up, potentially multiple retirements of important players requiring big replacements, a double expansion draft, and the college draft. And also, Norris' contract was only for a year, I thought? Maybe she's padding her resume and making connections now because, well....she knows something we don't and/or she's checked out. There sure wasn't much effort (and late, at that) put into setting her club up for success in this window before she went on vacation.
I’m usually the one who has to get talked down off the ledge. But I’m kind of gobsmacked at the amount of concern about this.
Again, could this be a huge mistake? Sure!
Or not. We have NO idea what the contract situation is. Who is being scouted, or if anyone is. What is the plan for the off-season or next season, or even if there is a plan, or if LeBlanc is part of it.
We just don’t know.
I’m Eeyore! I get being gloomy!
But I’m kinda not ready to get gloomy about this just because I don’t know enough to be gloomy about.
I'd be more concerned about her being Down Under if there was more evidence of KK doing much beyond making laps around the pitch waving to the crowd when she _is_ here...
I could swear that when KK was brought in she said something about having some existing obligations but aside from that she would be all Thorns all the time. I assumed the obligations were to CONCACAF, but maybe it was Fox.
First, I’d she even on the ground there? Im betting a lot of the broadcasters are working remotely.
If she is? Networking with FIFA brass, would be my guess. Scouting, hobnobbing with potential player agents…I’ll bet the WC is the auto show for soccer nobs. Everyone who’s anyone is oozing around, looking to make connections.
And what’s she gonna do here now? The transfer window is closed. The sale? Who the fuck even knows? If the buyers - if there still even ARE buyers - need her input, that’s what conference calls are for.
I’m far from thrilled with her and the Peregrine FO’s work to date. But I totally get why a soccer exec would want to press the flesh at the pro soccer world’s biggest ComicCon.
I believe all the FOX sets are on site, so pretty sure she is there.
Regardless, I can’t think of any other sport where this would be an acceptable thing to do. I hope she’s networking up a storm, but there are plenty of other aspects to being a GM aside from scouting and transfers.....and even then, it’s hardly like scouting occurs from a TV set.
I imagine she feels like a lame duck and I put most of the blame for the general dysfunction on Paulson, but --call me old fashioned-- I just don’t want my team’s general manager taking a midseason break to do television.
If KK is scouting for a new CB? All for it lol....but yeah, there is business that could have been wrapped up here. There are a ton of players out of contract after this season. While most other clubs are renewing contracts (and making new signings), we've done literally nothing all season...
The status of each contract for PTFC (and every other club in NWSL) is listed here:
So, in other words, we have free agency looming on Sinclair, Sauerbruun, and Dunn for sure. Moultrie and Kuikka will be out of contract, as will be Provenzano, Beckman, and Porter.
Would NOT be surprised to see:
Sinc retire
Sauerbruun retire
Kuikka return to Europe or be left unprotected in expansion
The Horan transfer fee be used to help re-sign Moultrie
The Horan transfer fee be used to help re-sign Dunn (if Dunn and Soubrier don't go elsewhere)
Provenzano, Beckman, and Porter left unprotected in expansion
Kling, Kozal, and McGrady also! Up after 2023 but they have an option year…but my understanding is now club and player must agree on the option year. So, that’s three more on top of the ones you already mentioned. That’s still business that could’ve been worked on. It’s like half our starting XI whose contract status is still in the air!
Sinc and Sauerbrunn already had free agency when they resigned for 2023. Crystal will def have it for next season. Also, don’t look now but Soph is up in 2024. I would be getting her to resign a big contract ASAP.
A whole lot of work to do, on top of everything else going on. Pretty nervy considering the off-season is 3.5 months away…
I'd love to think she's looking for under-the-radar talent. There's every chance she's networking for her next gig, tho. At some point, there WILL be a new ownership group.
Whatever she’s doing, it’s not her job....even if she does watch a few young players while on set. There’s not another active GM in any other sport that would be allowed to walk away from her job in the middle of the season to work for a broadcaster.... wonder what the approval process was to get through Davis or whatever shadow government MP is running.
(And even if she is able to do both, the optics succckkk)
As the lowest seed in the tournament, I was happy to see Vietnam hold their own. The last line I saw was US -75000, which is insane. I don’t have fond memories of the Thailand game four years ago. At some point you become the ‘He’s already dead’ kid from The Simpsons. They did luck out with US finishing issues. And the keeper was great, stopping a PK is awesome.
Great to see Sophia take and command the stage so emphatically.
ETA: I swear the announcers said Vietnam was the lowest ranked team in the tourney. But perhaps they just said group. There are lower-ranked teams at the WC.
Something interesting to add to discussions about our stateside Thornies....looks like according to the team's social media, they are practicing at the Nike World headquarters today. A beautiful setting, with really nice grass fields....wondering what the reasoning for that is. Maybe because they're traveling to LA this weekend and will be playing on grass fields, and they're being given an opportunity to adjust to a grass surface ahead of time? Maybe some movement or recognition of the several Thorns players who've spoken out about the turf recently? Either way, nice for them....
I'm not sure why they haven't worked out a contract with Nike to have all of their practices there, especially while a training facility is supposedly in the works and it would be temporary. Can't imagine the fields are used much...
Ahh, of course. Shame on me for assuming good intent lol. I guess it's nice they let the Thorns take the grass rather than Tigres, although it benefits Tigres to have a practice on the surface they'll be playing on.
One last bit of Canadiana from the True North of TV; the CBC coverage leading up to the Eire match tomorrow is the Demonization of Katie McCabe. Apparently the Ireland back is a sort of bog-running Diego Chara (one of the websites that follows her is called something like #didkatiemccabegetayellowcardtoday) and the Canadian pundits make it sound like she’s gonna show up with a razor in her boot.
I freakin love Katie McCabe- Super talented and a fantastic leader, but yeah, she’s brutal: Plays with a certain type of aggression right on the edge in a very Chara-esque manner. Usually goes right up to the line without crossing it.
(she also plays for Arsenal and plays with her shirt tucked in, which are both appealing to me specifically)
It's actually quite frustrating because the discourse about McCabe always fails to recognize how talented she is, and how versatile she is. And honestly, like, the thing I'll say about McCabe is she definitely goes in hard but she knows what the line is. She's not a Bianca St. Georges, for example.
Andonovski is continuing Ellis's approach to the roster: choose the best attackers; defensive ability is a nice bonus. (The exception is one stay-at-home CB, who's there for her defense, usually Sauerbrunn, but now Girma) I was sorry to see Coffey left off the roster, but DeMelo is a strong choice. I would've been pissed if Sam had lost out to Kornieck.
I think also, you have to cut Andonovski a little slack because of injuries; not only new shockers like Swanson, but also Sauerbrunn, Mewis, Macario, Press being out for longer than expected. And I don't buy the frequent comment that Ertz has picked up right where she left off. She's playing well, considering, but IMO she's not close to her peak. We'll have to see whether she's able to complete her comeback during the tournament.
I haven't been on twitter much, but I did see Houston just signed the captain of the Austrian national team. Don't know anything about her, except that she's a midfielder.
She came in at 60' or 70', but she really looked rusty and hesitant to get into tackles or any physical play. Looked a bit unsure most of the game. Hope she isn't being rushed back...I know she's got a ton of pressure on her to carry that CR team, but MCL sprains aren't something you wanna rush back.
Hina also had some nice footwork here and there, but I can't help but think she looked a little timid and subdued. Could be her playing as a wingback (not the best for her skillset imo), but she doesn't look like the confident Hina I'm used to seeing in Portland. Still though, Japan, what fun to watch!
The losing GK in a 3-0 match is never going to be WOTM but I'm glad I'm not alone in thinking Trần Thị Kim Thanh outperformed more than any single other player on the pitch. A game I hope she's proud of.
Gonna be holding my breath against Netherlands. USWNT midfield is so weird. Makes me nervous.
Edit: Was sad not to see Hina! Looking forward to her getting some action.
Definitely a special talent!
Absolutely. She was so quick off her feet, explosive, and flat-out courageous. She patrolled her area, and then some!
Hard to argue w/o her efforts that game is easily 6-0. Had herself a day.
Right after Lindsey and Danielle had their theatrical moment I thought to myself she's getting on the end of this corner kick. It was weird. I felt so sure it would happen and then it did. Rose served it well and Lindsey went in powerfully and nailed it. Funny how that happens. A premonition or do I just know the Great Horan?
Some players have an ability to channel anger in that way. Nadim has it too.
Watching the halftime show for the England v Denmark game with KK, John Strong, and HAO and they are talking about Keira Walsh (bc looks like she did her ACL in this game, if you didn’t see it)…and KK casually mentions she tried to get Keira Walsh for the Thorns. Nothing else about it, but I appreciate that kind of ambition!
Thank you! I wasn't sure if I heard that correctly. Love the fact that KK is going for it.
She didn’t say when they tried for her, but I did appreciate they were reaching for a player of that caliber at any point. Most (all?) of her choices have been unambitious during her tenure so it was a pleasant surprise.
Fujino's goal was all kinds of crazy spectacular good.
Overshadowed in the media by that Olympico for Ireland (which probably wasn't intentional, but still cool), but the best goal in the tournament for me so far. The instantaneous decision making to go for goal instead of squaring it when she saw that space at the near post...then then slamming it home perfectly. Aoba Fujino is a special player at 19. I can barely imagine what her ceiling is...
I've never seen a goal like it before, and I am not sure I'll ever see one again. It was breathtaking. It's not like the Costa Rican keeper played it poorly (by the way, she had a terrific match). Fujino spun the spatial relations of the goal 90 degrees. I mean, how do you bury a ball against the side netting from that angle almost straight on as if you were facing the goal and shooting directly for the back of the net? Astonishing in real time, astonishing on replay.
Right now it is looking like a team I thought could be a contender may not make it out of group stage. Norway! Wow! And in the last match I think both Hegerberg and Hansen were not starting and Hegerberg didn't play, she pulled herself just prior too kickoff.
Theoretically an "easy" group...shows how deep this tournament is, despite having more teams (32) than ever.
OT but poor Ferns reverting to form to hand all three to the Filipinas was pretty brutal. But the group is so dire (Norway-Switzerland was an ugly slog…) it’s more a question of who can find a way to lose their way out of contention.
Colombia! My poor Tigers looked utterly hopeless against a side I was certain would go pointless thru the group stage. Not sure if the ROK can find a way back in, but I’m going to bet Colombia to go thru, if just to make the three women with the feathery tiger hats happy.
We’re vacationing up in Victoria this week, and what’s kinda gobsmacking how huge Sinc is here. I kinda get she’s the GOAT, but she’s all over the telly during the Cup shows. She’s got a Subway commercial! It’s ridiculous, but seeing Captain Sinc shooting with a hoagie in one hand is Peak Commercial.
And for the record…that kid Caicedo is the real deal. The goal was as much poor goalkeeping as on her…but the touches on the run-up! Oh, my, she’s as sleek as silk. Lovely, just lovely.
She’s legit. Just glides around the field. Crazy how this is her third WC in one year!
Well, she IS from Burnaby, after all. Plus, there's only like 17 people in the entire country, and they all live about 4 minutes from the border.
Be sure to swing by every Tim Horton's you see and don't stop drinking Iced Capps until you leave the country.
I knew she was there but seeing KK on the fox broadcast for the WC pisses me off to an unreasonable degree.
You have a (pretty important!) job and it’s the middle of your team’s season! WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE??
Also, like, the team is in the middle of a sale process! She isn't a part of that business, but if the new owners were wanting to have chats with important members of the FO, they'd have to be delayed until after the WC. With the offseason this club is going to have....I sure home KK is doing her homework on her down time. There are many big contracts up, potentially multiple retirements of important players requiring big replacements, a double expansion draft, and the college draft. And also, Norris' contract was only for a year, I thought? Maybe she's padding her resume and making connections now because, well....she knows something we don't and/or she's checked out. There sure wasn't much effort (and late, at that) put into setting her club up for success in this window before she went on vacation.
Nadine is there as well doing events lol.
We know, literally, nothing.
I’m usually the one who has to get talked down off the ledge. But I’m kind of gobsmacked at the amount of concern about this.
Again, could this be a huge mistake? Sure!
Or not. We have NO idea what the contract situation is. Who is being scouted, or if anyone is. What is the plan for the off-season or next season, or even if there is a plan, or if LeBlanc is part of it.
We just don’t know.
I’m Eeyore! I get being gloomy!
But I’m kinda not ready to get gloomy about this just because I don’t know enough to be gloomy about.
Not gonna talk ya off the ledge. Asking if there is more room up there.
I'd be more concerned about her being Down Under if there was more evidence of KK doing much beyond making laps around the pitch waving to the crowd when she _is_ here...
I could swear that when KK was brought in she said something about having some existing obligations but aside from that she would be all Thorns all the time. I assumed the obligations were to CONCACAF, but maybe it was Fox.
First, I’d she even on the ground there? Im betting a lot of the broadcasters are working remotely.
If she is? Networking with FIFA brass, would be my guess. Scouting, hobnobbing with potential player agents…I’ll bet the WC is the auto show for soccer nobs. Everyone who’s anyone is oozing around, looking to make connections.
And what’s she gonna do here now? The transfer window is closed. The sale? Who the fuck even knows? If the buyers - if there still even ARE buyers - need her input, that’s what conference calls are for.
I’m far from thrilled with her and the Peregrine FO’s work to date. But I totally get why a soccer exec would want to press the flesh at the pro soccer world’s biggest ComicCon.
I believe all the FOX sets are on site, so pretty sure she is there.
Regardless, I can’t think of any other sport where this would be an acceptable thing to do. I hope she’s networking up a storm, but there are plenty of other aspects to being a GM aside from scouting and transfers.....and even then, it’s hardly like scouting occurs from a TV set.
I imagine she feels like a lame duck and I put most of the blame for the general dysfunction on Paulson, but --call me old fashioned-- I just don’t want my team’s general manager taking a midseason break to do television.
It's the Do Lung Bridge scene from "Apocalypse Now," which explains so much about organizational leadership:
"Who's the commanding officer here?"
"Ain't you?"
If the FO business gets done? She can, in the immortal words of Timon the Meetkat, put on a grass skirt and do the hula for all it matters.
Is she fucking up? Sure, maybe, who knows? Wake me when we start looking like Chicago. That’ll be hard proof.
spot on.
No, her and Nadine are both definitely there....
If KK is scouting for a new CB? All for it lol....but yeah, there is business that could have been wrapped up here. There are a ton of players out of contract after this season. While most other clubs are renewing contracts (and making new signings), we've done literally nothing all season...
The status of each contract for PTFC (and every other club in NWSL) is listed here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1C-J_G5JRJxBbAaU0UtHOkmb4kt4QgJBY3aWfJ60n4Vo/edit#gid=548937126
So, in other words, we have free agency looming on Sinclair, Sauerbruun, and Dunn for sure. Moultrie and Kuikka will be out of contract, as will be Provenzano, Beckman, and Porter.
Would NOT be surprised to see:
Sinc retire
Sauerbruun retire
Kuikka return to Europe or be left unprotected in expansion
The Horan transfer fee be used to help re-sign Moultrie
The Horan transfer fee be used to help re-sign Dunn (if Dunn and Soubrier don't go elsewhere)
Provenzano, Beckman, and Porter left unprotected in expansion
Kling, Kozal, and McGrady also! Up after 2023 but they have an option year…but my understanding is now club and player must agree on the option year. So, that’s three more on top of the ones you already mentioned. That’s still business that could’ve been worked on. It’s like half our starting XI whose contract status is still in the air!
Sinc and Sauerbrunn already had free agency when they resigned for 2023. Crystal will def have it for next season. Also, don’t look now but Soph is up in 2024. I would be getting her to resign a big contract ASAP.
A whole lot of work to do, on top of everything else going on. Pretty nervy considering the off-season is 3.5 months away…
Again…if LeBlanc needs to discuss contracts with a player’s agent…that’s what cell phones are for.
But you don’t get the opportunity to schmooze FTF with all the WoSo FIFA brass except every four years. I’m not surprised she took it.
I'd love to think she's looking for under-the-radar talent. There's every chance she's networking for her next gig, tho. At some point, there WILL be a new ownership group.
Whatever she’s doing, it’s not her job....even if she does watch a few young players while on set. There’s not another active GM in any other sport that would be allowed to walk away from her job in the middle of the season to work for a broadcaster.... wonder what the approval process was to get through Davis or whatever shadow government MP is running.
(And even if she is able to do both, the optics succckkk)
Do you want to make a trade?
https://media.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExbnNvcmt0ZGE3ZTQ0bmV4YTk0YTAyYzFzeWV6NHZ0NHhqdTk0eTg0biZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/l41lUJ1YoZB1lHVPG/giphy.gif
Do you want to trade Sophia Smith for a bag of pretzels?
https://media.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExbnNvcmt0ZGE3ZTQ0bmV4YTk0YTAyYzFzeWV6NHZ0NHhqdTk0eTg0biZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/l41lUJ1YoZB1lHVPG/giphy.gif
Wait!!! Oh crap!!! Can I undo it???
https://media.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExcGJlNmc4b2g0cjFreHd3YXg3c3kwYnp6d2h5MHByaHg1ZG5pMDB1dCZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/xULW8N9O5WD32L5052/giphy.gif
As the lowest seed in the tournament, I was happy to see Vietnam hold their own. The last line I saw was US -75000, which is insane. I don’t have fond memories of the Thailand game four years ago. At some point you become the ‘He’s already dead’ kid from The Simpsons. They did luck out with US finishing issues. And the keeper was great, stopping a PK is awesome.
Great to see Sophia take and command the stage so emphatically.
ETA: I swear the announcers said Vietnam was the lowest ranked team in the tourney. But perhaps they just said group. There are lower-ranked teams at the WC.
Canada won 2-1 this morning. Sinc subbed on after halftime. Interesting.
Did not watch but see that Fleming played, which must have helped the squad focus. Evidently Ireland played really well and POTM Was McCabe per BBC.
Canada had 62% possession but shots on target was 7-6, essentially dead even.
Rocky is coming in after some endline wizardry by Hina.
Something interesting to add to discussions about our stateside Thornies....looks like according to the team's social media, they are practicing at the Nike World headquarters today. A beautiful setting, with really nice grass fields....wondering what the reasoning for that is. Maybe because they're traveling to LA this weekend and will be playing on grass fields, and they're being given an opportunity to adjust to a grass surface ahead of time? Maybe some movement or recognition of the several Thorns players who've spoken out about the turf recently? Either way, nice for them....
I'm not sure why they haven't worked out a contract with Nike to have all of their practices there, especially while a training facility is supposedly in the works and it would be temporary. Can't imagine the fields are used much...
https://twitter.com/RyanTClarke/status/1683914207111282688 Clarke says it's because Tigres UANL are at PP today.
Ahh, of course. Shame on me for assuming good intent lol. I guess it's nice they let the Thorns take the grass rather than Tigres, although it benefits Tigres to have a practice on the surface they'll be playing on.
"Nice lawn youse got dere. Be a shame if somethin' happened to it."
--Becky, throwing "the look"
One last bit of Canadiana from the True North of TV; the CBC coverage leading up to the Eire match tomorrow is the Demonization of Katie McCabe. Apparently the Ireland back is a sort of bog-running Diego Chara (one of the websites that follows her is called something like #didkatiemccabegetayellowcardtoday) and the Canadian pundits make it sound like she’s gonna show up with a razor in her boot.
Should be fun.
I freakin love Katie McCabe- Super talented and a fantastic leader, but yeah, she’s brutal: Plays with a certain type of aggression right on the edge in a very Chara-esque manner. Usually goes right up to the line without crossing it.
(she also plays for Arsenal and plays with her shirt tucked in, which are both appealing to me specifically)
It's actually quite frustrating because the discourse about McCabe always fails to recognize how talented she is, and how versatile she is. And honestly, like, the thing I'll say about McCabe is she definitely goes in hard but she knows what the line is. She's not a Bianca St. Georges, for example.
Andonovski is continuing Ellis's approach to the roster: choose the best attackers; defensive ability is a nice bonus. (The exception is one stay-at-home CB, who's there for her defense, usually Sauerbrunn, but now Girma) I was sorry to see Coffey left off the roster, but DeMelo is a strong choice. I would've been pissed if Sam had lost out to Kornieck.
I think also, you have to cut Andonovski a little slack because of injuries; not only new shockers like Swanson, but also Sauerbrunn, Mewis, Macario, Press being out for longer than expected. And I don't buy the frequent comment that Ertz has picked up right where she left off. She's playing well, considering, but IMO she's not close to her peak. We'll have to see whether she's able to complete her comeback during the tournament.
The NWSL secondary trade window has now closed (I believe it’s 6pm ET)
Here’s some important other dates in the second half of the season:
https://twitter.com/tayvincent6/status/1684332576369184768/photo/1
I haven't been on twitter much, but I did see Houston just signed the captain of the Austrian national team. Don't know anything about her, except that she's a midfielder.
Weird that Rodriguez is still out for CRC.
Sugita-senshu in at LW for the Nadeshiko.
She came in at 60' or 70', but she really looked rusty and hesitant to get into tackles or any physical play. Looked a bit unsure most of the game. Hope she isn't being rushed back...I know she's got a ton of pressure on her to carry that CR team, but MCL sprains aren't something you wanna rush back.
Hina also had some nice footwork here and there, but I can't help but think she looked a little timid and subdued. Could be her playing as a wingback (not the best for her skillset imo), but she doesn't look like the confident Hina I'm used to seeing in Portland. Still though, Japan, what fun to watch!
Rion Ishikawa not in the lineup at all after staring in Japan's back three v Zambia. Odd...I wonder if she picked up a knock?
Vietnam had not even a hint of offense. We won't know how good the USWNT is until the Netherlands match.