by Kunle Demuren
I will be covering the 2011 Women's World Cup; this match review is part of that coverage.
I can unequivocally say that this was the most thrilling game I have ever seen an American team play in, and it was even one of the most thrilling games I have ever watched (and mind you, I watched the 2005 Champions League final). The USA’s victory by winning a penalty shootout 5-3 (after drawing 2-2 in extra time: more on that part below) had everything a good drama needs: suspense, injustice, more injustice, a few villains, (I will refrain from making the obvious pun here about the USA’s goalkeeper), and some heroes. I’ll get to that goal soon enough, but first, some quick hit thoughts from the game.
- We might as well get this out of the way. Jacqui Melksham and her crew had the worst refereeing performance I have ever seen (yes, worse than Howard Webb at any Liverpool-Man United match). She missed what should have been a second yellow for Carli Lloyd, sent off Rachel Buehler for a 50-50 challenge, wrongfully disallowed a penalty save (if FIFA is to be believed, it was for Hope Solo coming off of her line, which she didn’t), failed to book a Brazilian player for deliberate handball in the US’s box, failed to book Erika for the most blatant attempt at time-wasting I’ve ever seen (Correction: Apparently she did. The point still stands.), missed a few other relatively minor calls, and generally looked extremely shaky. Even the assistants got in on the act, one refusing to call a handball literally no more than a yard away from her (thankfully, Melksham was able to see at least that). Shocking refereeing in games involving the US was one aspect that I would have hoped the women’s game wouldn’t emulate.
- It is said by many that Marta is one of the few female players who would have a chance to play well with men. On Sunday, she showed that she (and several of her teammates) also managed to pick up some of the worst aspects of men’s soccer. From diving to incessant complaining to the referee after legitimate decisions to a frankly cynical faked injury in an attempt to waste time, they did not cover themselves in glory, especially in a tournament that has refreshingly been mostly free of those sorts of things. Marta did score a brilliant go-ahead goal in extra time, but from seeing her and the Brazilian women play for the first time, I (and the crowd in Germany, from the sound of it) was less than impressed with their attitude.
- The most poignant image, I think, resulting from this game was Hope Solo and Abby Wambach embracing after the final whistle. As fans of the US women might recall, Solo was benched by former coach Greg Ryan four years ago for the semifinal of the 2007 World Cup against Brazil, even after not conceding a goal in her previous three games. When the US were beaten 4-0, Solo gave an interview that appeared to criticize Brianna Scurry, the veteran keeper who replaced her, and she was effectively banished from the team. There’s been a lot of column inches written about how women are less forgiving of such things, etc., but it is notable that Wambach was quoted in several articles being critical of Solo, so it was nice that both of them had such crucial roles in driving the USA to this win (Solo made several big saves, including one on poor Daiane's penalty during the shootout) and that they can be seen to have publicly set aside their differences.
Now, of course, that moment. There are so many things that made the USA’s equalizer special. (If you haven’t seen it yet, here it is.) The fact that Megan Rapinoe’s delivery was in exactly the right place, after she’d misplaced a lot of her set-piece deliveries earlier when it seemed that that was the only way the US was going to score. The fact that Abby Wambach had missed a lot of chances in the previous loss to Sweden. The fact that the goal came in stoppage time, time that might not have been added on had the Brazilians not tried to waste as much time as possible. The fact that Ian Darke was the play-by-play commentator again, as he was for the men’s dramatic (but not quite as dramatic as this) victory against Algeria, and he made a great call (Julie Foudy’s performance, on the other hand, should serve as a reminder that great ex-players often don’t make great color commentators). It really was a Chastain-esque moment that can hopefully spark even more interest not just in the women’s game in the US, but soccer in general. After the men’s humiliation in the Gold Cup final by Mexico, it was excellent for US soccer to get such an amazing victory against one of the world’s best teams, and one of their biggest rivals as well. Landon Donovan’s goal against Algeria is diminished somewhat by the fact that the US failed to progress any further in the tournament; the women’s team will need to at least win today and make the final to make this victory really meaningful. Still, it was a great moment for the beautiful game in this country, and especially for a very successful team to get the recognition it deserves from the American public.
One correction: Melksham did show Erica a yellow card once she sprinted back onto the pitch. Doesn't detract from the awfulness of her overall performance, of course, but by that point I think even she had seen enough from the Brazilians.
ReplyDeleteGreat points, can't wait for the semifinal to start!