6.15.15
ASN Morning Read: An End and a New Beginning
One United States soccer team lost its way over the weekend while another squad lost a game but maybe won the war. Or at least lives on to keep fighting. Or something. It's Monday; here are some links.
- U.S. U-20s Should Be Proud of World Cup Performance. Yes, they should indeed.
- A post-mortem: It's a process. A long one, that's subject to the whims – the strengths and weaknesses – of whoever happens to be the current coach. One tournament is but a data-point on a trendline continues to curve steadily upward. So don't fret too much about last night. The book on this group of kids isn't even remotely closed, even if the first chapter had an unhappy ending.
- That's remarkable:
Last night's USA-Sweden game is the most-watched soccer match ever on Fox (replacing 2011's Champions League Final with Barcelona and ManU.
— John Ourand (@Ourand_SBJ) June 13, 2015 -
Weird: The United States is now the only team in Women's World Cup history to participate in two scoreless draws. This was also the second scoreless draw at this tournament, tying 1999 for the most in a single tournament.
- Rhapsody for Rapinoe: "It has been a delight to watch Megan Rapinoe take off on angled romps – clearly the most compelling player so far. She is quoted as saying she is doing her Messi impression, but I would compare her more to Cristiano Ronaldo. She’s got more pizzazz than Messi, or you could call it ego. Sometimes Rapinoe holds on to the ball too long, missing a teammate, but then again she scored two goals in the opening victory. There is room for ego in this sport. Rapinoe seems to have a dash of Keyshawn Johnson, the receiver who was heard to say, 'Just give me the damn ball.'"
- A really smart piece on Michael Bradley: "I think, though, his most defining attribute, the one that helps him the most, is one that you can’t measure: his emotional stability on the field."
