Key occasions
41 minutes: This is an extended test. After an interminable wait, the referee is summoned to search for herself.
Fox analyst Joe Machnik says the query is whether or not the defender made contact with the ball first after which the foot. The defender didn’t wipe out Rodman by any means.
I believe the tiebreaker right here is that it’s the USA; subsequently, a penalty might be awarded.
39 minutes: Dunn intercepts at midfield, and we’re again the opposite method. Rodman as soon as once more works her magic on the flank, stepping into the field, and … she falls. Was {that a} foul? Well, in contrast to a number of the different calls we’ve seen right here, there was not less than some contact. VAR is checking.
37 minutes: Ertz returns after being checked out on the sideline.
Vietnam will get inside 30 yards of the US objective for the primary time. They then press Girma, a strong however inexperienced middle again, and drive goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher to the touch the ball for what I imagine is the primary time. It’s not a lot of an assault, but it surely’s one thing.
35 minutes: Off the free kick, Ertz tries a clumsy header, and the ball truly bounces again up into her personal head. She stays down. The ref doesn’t blow the whistle. The US doesn’t play the ball out to are likely to their participant. Concussion-safety advocate Taylor Twellman is unquestionably screaming at his TV someplace.
34 minutes: Smith tries the Maradona-esque 360 and wins a nook kick.
Meanwhile in Miami, Messi and Busquets have entered the sport. Might be capable to catch the final quarter-hour of that sport when this one’s at halftime.
32 minutes: Neil Dee writes to tell me that the participant who flicked the ball to Smith on the objective was Alex Morgan, by which case I retract what I mentioned about Morgan having a quiet sport to this point.
31 minutes: Vietnam tries to press Dunn, however a participant falls, and we return the opposite method. Long ball forward to Ertz, who’s making a harmful foray ahead. It’s solely partially cleared, and Horan is ready to shoot. Wide.
29 minutes: And one other change for Morgan … scratch that, she’s offside.
Back to keepaway we go. Ertz then goes lengthy for Horan – nicely noticed between the 2 veteran teammates, however Horan can’t get shot out of it.
28 minutes: CHANCE for Alex Morgan, timing a run very nicely however not settling a go from DeMelo in addition to she would’ve preferred. She nonetheless will get off a shot, but it surely rolls extensive of the far publish.
26 minutes: It’s an prolonged spell of keepaway. To say the US can afford to be affected person is an understatement.
23 minutes: Halfway by means of the half, and it’s what you’d count on. Vietnam can’t get the ball into the US third. They’ve accomplished 28 passes to the USA’s 92, in response to Fifa’s stats. The US girls have been barely disjointed, comprehensible given all of the injury-prompted modifications to the lineup this yr, however they’ve bought one and compelled save as nicely.
22 minutes: Free kick US, and the ref desires it retaken so she will be able to cease and have a phrase with a Vietnamese participant or two.
Mary Waltz: “I noticed you are particularly aware of the international football disease of diving, flopping. In the NBA when it became a pandemic of flopping, see Vlade Divac, the league began reviewing flops post game and started fining egregious offenders on a rising scale. Didn’t eliminate the disease but it did cut it down.”
Vlade made some humorous commercials. Maybe I’ll dig one up at halftime.
More possession for the US, and Alex Morgan, who has been quiet up to now, has a contact.
20 minutes: Trinity Rodman is dominating on the appropriate attacking flank. Another good cross from her lands on the ft of DeMelo, however the national-team beginner can’t get sufficient on it.
Huynh Nhu has apparently realized that this ref buys minimal-contact fouls if you happen to hit the bottom, and he or she attracts a free kick. As a really, very low-level ref myself, I don’t wish to criticize, however this can be a very, very low bar fo a “foul.”
And guess who simply performed in one other harmful ball?
18 minutes: Hello to Peter Oh: “What is the design of the USA shirt called? Half-hearted Jackson Pollock? Fountain pen accident?”
I do know I shouldn’t like that shirt, however I do. Of course, I preferred the denim stars of the 1994 males’s shirt, so I’ve no style.
17 minutes: So, after conceding a objective, will we see Vietnam press extra? We won’t.
Horan tries to attract one other foul. To quote Luther Mahoney, “Who … are … you … fooling?”
GOAL! USA 1-0 Vietnam (Smith 15)
Maybe don’t play so deep, as a result of the midfield simply carved them up.
It’s a superb flick by an unidentified US midfielder as a result of Fox (the community, not the defender) couldn’t see who it was, and the motion occurs too quick within the replay.
Then it’s a easy however well-taken end by the younger Sophia Smith.
14 minutes: Aly Wagner factors out that Vietnam is enjoying deep. Like, actually deep.
11 minutes: The referee awards a nook to the US however appropriately modifications the decision. The ball clearly got here off Horan.
Vietnam performs ahead however solely so far as Ertz, who has demonstrated time and time once more, within the middle of the backline or the midfield, that she will not be somebody who lets play get previous her simply.
10 minutes: Crystal Dunn has the ball in area, which is unquestionably not one thing Vietnam desires to see. She’s a left again who has performed practically all over the place on the sector and is a nifty attacker.
Long possession for the US results in a wayward cross from Fox.
8 minutes: A few good moments for Vietnam in midfield, displaying some possession abilities. Hoang works alongside the sideline and will get dumped to the grass for her efforts.
DeMelo tries to attract a name, however she’s not as adept at promoting minimal contact as Horan was a couple of minutes in the past.
7 minutes: CHANCE for Horan, and it’s nicely saved by Tran. The ball was in Rodman’s neighborhood and popped free for the onrushing US midfielder.
And … by no means thoughts, none of that formally occurred. Offside name? Seems unlikely. Foul?
5 minutes: Nor does Vietnam’s set-piece taking encourage confidence. Emily Fox will get the ball along with her arm, however the free kick at midfield lands in a thicket of US gamers.
4 minutes: Horan expertly dives and will get a name for an additional free kick probability. Andi Sullivan takes it nicely, enjoying it to Ertz to flick on. Was somebody alleged to run on to it? In any case – Vietnam’s set-piece protection doesn’t encourage confidence.
2 minutes: They carry out the stretcher for Rodman, who declines it. Unless she hit her head, she’s going to be again in.
Free kick that the US tries to take rapidly, and Vietnam will get in the way in which. You’re actually not supposed to try this, they tells us refs.
Ball performed ahead to Horan, however a number of flicks of the ball end in no shot, and he or she was most likely offside anyway.
Kickoff
The referee is Bouchra Karboubi, who toys with everybody by letting a couple of seconds elapse after the PA-system countdown.
And just some seconds in, Trinity Rodman is down in ache after falling backwards whereas difficult with Tran.
Anthem time, and for individuals who scrutinize each participant to loss of life, notice that Lindsey Horan (the captain) was the one one visibly singing alongside. I’m extra fearful about Alyssa Naeher, who seemed like she was in some misery.
Vietnamese gamers and followers cheerily sing together with their anthem.
This is somewhat somber entrance music, isn’t it? I really feel like a Marvel character is dying.
Meanwhile in Miami, Messi is sedentary.
First half. Still on the bench.
David Anstaett checks in from barely nearer to New Zealand than I’m: “Ready to watch in Maui, Hawaii. Do we know Rose’s timetable? Is she expected to get some minutes today? Making a first appearance since April against the Netherlands seems like jumping into the deep end.”
That’s level, and I’m certain she’ll get a couple of minutes if in any respect doable.
Good night to Mary Waltz: “Beau, greetings from California. It’s a great night for Football. The US will win but their will not be a 13-0, nor a 20-nil outcome tonight. Spain had 45 shots on goal but only scored 3 goals, I envision a few more goals but a similar match. Instead of watching the Horrid Fox pre game nationalistic agit prop(I love our team but gawd Fox over does the USA vs the world crap) I am watching Messi’s new vacation team play Cruz Azul until the USA match starts.”
I’ll say the US nets six.
One Vietnam objective wouldn’t utterly shock me, given the dearth of time the US defenders have performed collectively. If the USWNT was opening in opposition to, say, the Netherlands, that could possibly be an issue. But they’ll doubtless be settled by the point the video games really matter.
Kurt Perleberg asks: “If the USWNT can win group E can they defeat Italy Sweden Spain & Australia/Brazil/England to win their third consecutive FIFA Women’s World Cup?”
Yes. They can. But they won’t.
Most oddsmakers have them round +225 or +250, which is greater than 2-1 in opposition to. Those are one of the best odds for any group within the match. The drawback is that there are such a lot of groups that may win it.
Vietnam lineup
GK: Thi Kim Tranh Tran
D: Thi Thu Thuong Luong, Thi The Tran, Thi Loan Hoang, Thi Diem My Le, Thi Thu Thao Tran
M: Thi Tuyet Dung Nguyen, Thi Hai Linh Tran, Thi Thao Thai, Thi Bich Thuy Nguyen
F: Huynh Nhu
US lineup
Stunner in midfield – Savannah DeMelo, a shock inclusion on the roster given her grand complete of zero appearances for the group, begins.
Julie Ertz, who fought her method again into form to make this roster, is listed at protection.
GK: Alyssa Naeher
D: Crystal Dunn, Julie Ertz, Naomi Girma, Emily Fox
M: Andi Sullivan, Lindsey Horan, Savannah DeMelo
F: Trinity Rodman, Alex Morgan, Sophia Smith
Rose Lavelle is working her method again into health. Megan Rapinoe is slated for a supersub function, in case you had been questioning.
Carli Lloyd, commenting on Fox, expressed some envy over the fits the US girls wore to the sport.
Personally, I hold anticipating the gamers to inform me that the closest emergency exit could be behind me.
Preamble
Last evening, I opened by saying we had been a possible upset. Nigeria had the firepower and the expertise to compete with Canada. That turned out to be the case, which I point out as a result of I don’t at all times get my predictions proper.
Tonight?
We’re not a possible upset right here. Anything lower than a five-goal win could be a shocker. The greatest suspense on this sport could be whether or not the US manages to indicate some restraint in its celebrations this time round, in contrast to the sport in opposition to Thailand final time round.
That’s not me indulging in a uncommon little bit of American conceitedness. Eventually, we’ll have a 32-team Women’s World Cup with extra parity than we have now now. We’re not there but.
Can we level to something that offers Vietnam an opportunity at making a sport of it? Yes. Let’s level to Minh Chien Tu’s group information:
“Vietnam will play on the counterattack. The strength of this side is that they possess a pair of fast wingers in Tuyet Dung and Thanh Nha, and an agile striker who is also a good finisher, Huynh Nhu.”
And the US has fullbacks who aren’t that younger any extra.
So … perhaps?
We interrupt right here with breaking information …
Fox’s on-site crew introduced out a furry native animal, meaning to have it choose a winner of the World Cup by hopping towards both “USA” or “The World.”
It did neither.
It stayed the place it was.
And pooped.
On that notice – how’s everybody doing this tremendous summer time/winter day/evening?
Beau might be right here shortly. In the meantime right here’s Jeff Kassouf’s lookahead to the USWNT’s opening match in opposition to Vietnam.
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