No “traditional” (I’ve been doing this for seven months) Tuesday newsletter because of the holiday later in the week. (Paid subscribers will still get their newsletter on Friday.) Instead, we’re doing two live chats today: first for US-England at 12 PM PT, and then for Brazil-Argentina at 5:30 PM PT. I’ll be in the thread during both games, but like last week, feel free to jump in now and chat among yourselves, too. We are all Dalian Yifang fans now.
What's the best American celebration England could do if they score? Have the CIA initiate a coup in some country with a recently-democratically-elected non-capitalist leader?
Rapinoe is an icon who's scored some huge goals this tournament. Also: Christen Press's first 35 minutes have been better than any 35 Rapinoe's played in France.
You don't need possession to control a game. Controlling space is more important than controlling the ball -- US did that for most of the game against France and have dominated in that regard so far against England.
-Brazil easily marching the ball up to the Argentina penalty area whenever they win possession ... and then just, like, kicking the ball out for a goal kick every time.
-Sergio Aguero, the starting striker for the most intricate-passing club team in the world, turning into Gyasi Zardes every time Messi tries to play a 1-2 with him.
Messi just dropped in as a defensive midfielder, received a pass, played the ball into the final third, then played three one-touch passes to set up a chance for De Paul. Do it if you can, I guess.
Some Messi stuff: five successful dribbles (no one else with more than three), nine attacking-third passes (no one else more than seven), three chances created (no one else more than one). Neither good, nor bad, but he's at least getting on the ball a comparatively significant amount.
I've loved watching Paredes this tournament. He's misplaced, like, five passes in four games but is also seemingly on the verge of getting red-carded at any moment.
I don't know how everyone feels about this, but I am really offended by Richard Keys tweet, specifically his derisiveness toward Dalian Yifang. He asked where Dalian Yifang was.
Well, Dalian Yifang is in DALIAN! It's sort of the fault of an ignorant, arrogant Englishman that he didn't know where a major port city with rich history and a place where Japanese, British(!!!), and Russian colonial history is still present.
I loved that game. I'd much rather madness like that instead of a watered-down version of what we see every weekend. More managers should just say "defend" or "attack" and offer no other advice. In fact, FIFA should limit all coaching to just those two directives. In all seriousness, though, what made that game so compelling -- beyond the atmosphere and the stench of looming death -- was that it was filled with great players trying to figure things out on the fly. The patterns in the club game can often feel systematic of pre-scripted; even if teams haven't practiced the exact attacking moves, they've practiced something similar. In Brazil-Argentina, it was just a ton of on-the-fly problem-solving and in-the-moment individual creativity. Brazil march on; they've lost just one competitive game since the summer of 2016 ad haven't conceded a goal at the Copa America. Argentina, meanwhile, at least put up a fight. They were unfortunate not to score, and they held Brazil to just four shots, but two of them were essentially tap-ins. I'm not sure I'd add that one to the list of tragic Messi losses, though. The game was in Brazil, and Brazil are the best national team in the world.
There are so many incredible players out there, the tactics are fucking nightmarish, the field is terrible, everyone wants to murder each other. Hell yes.
Going up early probably made them more conservative, but they haven't looked cohesive all tournament. Basically, they could get away with the Casemiro-Fernandinho defense when they had Marcelo out there, who passes like Toni Kroos. But now, for as well as Alves has played today, their fullbacks just can't do that. So, Arthur's in there now, but him and Casemiro aren't enough to control a game.
So, basically they have one passer behind four attackers. ThenCasemiro + three defenders, and then Dani Alves who has no range any more. Just doesn't make sense together.
Otamendi's defending on that goal was beautiful. He held his hands behind his back but also dove face-first in the wrong direction to block Firmino's cross.
Can anyone tell me what formation Argentina are playing? It's all very [coach twirls his fingers in the air and flicks his hand toward the center circle without saying anything specific to his players]
-Argentina are undefeated in their last five Copa semis; Brazil are undefeated in their last six.
-Brazil have taken the most shots (84) and allowed the fewest (24) in the tournament. Alisson has only had to make five saves through four games.
-Coutinho's been involved in more shots than any other player (29: 16 shots, 13 chances created). Next best for these two teams are Roberto Firmino, Sergio Aguero, and Lionel Messi all at just 17.
OK! That was fun; this team plays fun games. I'm coming back at 530 PT for Argentina-Brazil. Thanks for hanging out! And shame on all of you for being afraid of the Central Intelligence Agency!
Should the US be able to dominate games from start to finish? Probably! But they're manipulating these knockout games about as well as they can. Score early, put numbers behind the ball, attack into space, and then destroy the final 5-10 minutes of every match. You need luck to pull that off -- see: the free kick against France, the penalty save and the VAR against England -- but they're playing "winning" soccer as far as that can even be a thing.
This is interesting. Ellis seems to be favoring a bend don't break defense, but it seems like the team looks best when they're trying to control the game as opposed to sitting back and counter.
I thought they were doing that before the first goal, then started to sit back a little more. All anecdotal, but certainly seemed like they had more of the ball early on and they were pushing more. Then seemed to let the foot off the throttle.
It's set up for England to start pushing more aggressively and the US to have even more space to attack into. England have only taken three shots so far; I think the US is in really good shape.
Does anyone else dislike JP Dellacamera on the broadcast as much as I do? It's like his tone and inflection are totally off. It sounds like he's getting really excited for a cross or back pass when his voice inflects. Maybe it's just because I'm at work listening so I'm sensitive to that. But I'll hear him get excited and glance over only to see the defenders knocking it around.
In the men's game, most people would say that the best club team in the world would beat the best national team. Would this still hold for the women's game considering the U.S. just beat France who have six players also starting for Lyon? Or would having players like Ada Hegerberg and Lucy Bronze and having more time to use different tactics flip the result? I guess my question is how big is the gap between the top women's national team and top women's club team?
What's the best American celebration England could do if they score? Have the CIA initiate a coup in some country with a recently-democratically-elected non-capitalist leader?
Not even one like? COWARDS.
Finger Guns... Finger guns the entire bench and they all fall down...
Do the Donald Trump face and hands combo that Alec Baldwin does on SNL
omfg rose lavelle
The American Iniesta
*Messi
Rapinoe is an icon who's scored some huge goals this tournament. Also: Christen Press's first 35 minutes have been better than any 35 Rapinoe's played in France.
Yup
Maybe Jill's not as bad at this as thought
Thank you
That's the ol' "get megged, get hit in the face with a shot, and get red-carded" hattrick for Millie Bright.
If Alisson is hurt, I'm shutting this off and going for a long walk.
You don't need possession to control a game. Controlling space is more important than controlling the ball -- US did that for most of the game against France and have dominated in that regard so far against England.
Two things I've enjoyed this half:
-Brazil easily marching the ball up to the Argentina penalty area whenever they win possession ... and then just, like, kicking the ball out for a goal kick every time.
-Sergio Aguero, the starting striker for the most intricate-passing club team in the world, turning into Gyasi Zardes every time Messi tries to play a 1-2 with him.
The US are so good at milking the clock at the end of games.
WOWWWWWWWWWWWWW
WE MUST BE INTELLECTUALLY CONSISTENT WITH OUR VAR CRITIQUES.
I don't even know what this means.
Is the offsides VAR just someone photoshopping lines on an image like it looks on the broadcast or is it more sophisticated like the goal-line tech?
I don't know for sure, but I'm gonna go with the former.
That goal was not a great moment for Lucy Bronze, England's best player, who lost her mark at the back post.
Sorry. Jill Ellis is God.
Messi just dropped in as a defensive midfielder, received a pass, played the ball into the final third, then played three one-touch passes to set up a chance for De Paul. Do it if you can, I guess.
Some Messi stuff: five successful dribbles (no one else with more than three), nine attacking-third passes (no one else more than seven), three chances created (no one else more than one). Neither good, nor bad, but he's at least getting on the ball a comparatively significant amount.
I've loved watching Paredes this tournament. He's misplaced, like, five passes in four games but is also seemingly on the verge of getting red-carded at any moment.
World-class swing-miss-and-call-for-a-penalty from Ellen White.
Or maybe not! Her heel got clipped.
I'll quote myself here: "Perfect switch, perfect cross, perfect finish."
Remind me why Horan wasn't starting? That pass was worthy of a chef's kiss.
Does Cameroon have a word for schadenfruede?
I don't know how everyone feels about this, but I am really offended by Richard Keys tweet, specifically his derisiveness toward Dalian Yifang. He asked where Dalian Yifang was.
Well, Dalian Yifang is in DALIAN! It's sort of the fault of an ignorant, arrogant Englishman that he didn't know where a major port city with rich history and a place where Japanese, British(!!!), and Russian colonial history is still present.
I think the bigger question here is why ignorant, arrogant Englishmen like Richard Keys are still relevant in the first place?
That's it for today, all. We'll do more of these soon. Thanks, as always, for reading and for following along.
I loved that game. I'd much rather madness like that instead of a watered-down version of what we see every weekend. More managers should just say "defend" or "attack" and offer no other advice. In fact, FIFA should limit all coaching to just those two directives. In all seriousness, though, what made that game so compelling -- beyond the atmosphere and the stench of looming death -- was that it was filled with great players trying to figure things out on the fly. The patterns in the club game can often feel systematic of pre-scripted; even if teams haven't practiced the exact attacking moves, they've practiced something similar. In Brazil-Argentina, it was just a ton of on-the-fly problem-solving and in-the-moment individual creativity. Brazil march on; they've lost just one competitive game since the summer of 2016 ad haven't conceded a goal at the Copa America. Argentina, meanwhile, at least put up a fight. They were unfortunate not to score, and they held Brazil to just four shots, but two of them were essentially tap-ins. I'm not sure I'd add that one to the list of tragic Messi losses, though. The game was in Brazil, and Brazil are the best national team in the world.
Oh hey, a Dybala sighting.
Is there a tactical reason he doesn't play, or is because he's not friends with GM Messi?
Yeah I remember he said like 2 years ago that he doesn't play well with Messi
because they play the same position but it seems like a solvable problem!
Not to be "this game" guy, but THIS GAME.
There are so many incredible players out there, the tactics are fucking nightmarish, the field is terrible, everyone wants to murder each other. Hell yes.
I expected clownish tactics from Argentina but I thought tite was supposed to be a solid tactician -why do you think Brazil is so disjointed?
Going up early probably made them more conservative, but they haven't looked cohesive all tournament. Basically, they could get away with the Casemiro-Fernandinho defense when they had Marcelo out there, who passes like Toni Kroos. But now, for as well as Alves has played today, their fullbacks just can't do that. So, Arthur's in there now, but him and Casemiro aren't enough to control a game.
So, basically they have one passer behind four attackers. ThenCasemiro + three defenders, and then Dani Alves who has no range any more. Just doesn't make sense together.
They need to just bury Juan Foyth's body in the penalty area. RIP.
Argentina really seem like they're gonna score if nothing changes for Brazil.
Commentator curse strikes again!
This is a not-at-all impressive performance from Brazil, especially considering that they're, you know, playing at home.
Brazil have still only taken one shot. This is so dumb.
Otamendi's defending on that goal was beautiful. He held his hands behind his back but also dove face-first in the wrong direction to block Firmino's cross.
Can anyone tell me what formation Argentina are playing? It's all very [coach twirls his fingers in the air and flicks his hand toward the center circle without saying anything specific to his players]
Daniel Freaking Alves is 36 years old.
Daniel Alves just breaking the Argentina defense down and then dropping off a no-look pass. International soccer is so dumb -- and so good.
Only took eight minutes for the first referee-swarm to occur.
All right! This game is going to be an absolute mess -- can't wait to see how. Abel has a nice rundown of each team for the curious: https://twitter.com/BundesPL/status/1146012900743622657
Some other notes, courtesy of StatsZone:
-Argentina are undefeated in their last five Copa semis; Brazil are undefeated in their last six.
-Brazil have taken the most shots (84) and allowed the fewest (24) in the tournament. Alisson has only had to make five saves through four games.
-Coutinho's been involved in more shots than any other player (29: 16 shots, 13 chances created). Next best for these two teams are Roberto Firmino, Sergio Aguero, and Lionel Messi all at just 17.
OK! That was fun; this team plays fun games. I'm coming back at 530 PT for Argentina-Brazil. Thanks for hanging out! And shame on all of you for being afraid of the Central Intelligence Agency!
If you’re not back we will know what happened.
Should the US be able to dominate games from start to finish? Probably! But they're manipulating these knockout games about as well as they can. Score early, put numbers behind the ball, attack into space, and then destroy the final 5-10 minutes of every match. You need luck to pull that off -- see: the free kick against France, the penalty save and the VAR against England -- but they're playing "winning" soccer as far as that can even be a thing.
There have been three total shots this half. Given the scoreline and the stakes ... that is crazy!
Horan is just incredible in the air. USWNT hitting every goal-kick toward her.
She's 3 for 15 in aerial duels this game lol. Don't trust your eyes, people!
Story of the first half: England had 57 percent of the ball, but completed ZERO passes into the box and only attempted three. The US? Eleven for 23.
This is interesting. Ellis seems to be favoring a bend don't break defense, but it seems like the team looks best when they're trying to control the game as opposed to sitting back and counter.
When have we seen them try to control a game?
I thought they were doing that before the first goal, then started to sit back a little more. All anecdotal, but certainly seemed like they had more of the ball early on and they were pushing more. Then seemed to let the foot off the throttle.
Do you think this holds for the 2nd half, both possession and lack of chances?
It's set up for England to start pushing more aggressively and the US to have even more space to attack into. England have only taken three shots so far; I think the US is in really good shape.
Crossing is good now. https://twitter.com/BassTunedToRed/status/1146137960343097344
The ref should've ended the game after this, imo. Like the snitch or whatever it's called in the children's wizard books everyone loves ... https://twitter.com/mike_sell/status/1146133319010177024
Perfect switch, perfect cross, perfect finish.
I wonder if all the early goals are part of a strategy or just due to the USWNT being both really good and really lucky. https://twitter.com/OptaJack/status/1146135320481730561
US odds to advance dropped from -275 to -250 when the Rapinoe news hit. Interesting.
Important note: No one knows anything re: why Rapinoe isn't starting.
Well maybe Jill
Does anyone else dislike JP Dellacamera on the broadcast as much as I do? It's like his tone and inflection are totally off. It sounds like he's getting really excited for a cross or back pass when his voice inflects. Maybe it's just because I'm at work listening so I'm sensitive to that. But I'll hear him get excited and glance over only to see the defenders knocking it around.
Good morning! https://twitter.com/rwohan/status/1146097745893003264
Morgan's going to need a month-long ice bath after this tournament
Even more reason after that tackle.
In the men's game, most people would say that the best club team in the world would beat the best national team. Would this still hold for the women's game considering the U.S. just beat France who have six players also starting for Lyon? Or would having players like Ada Hegerberg and Lucy Bronze and having more time to use different tactics flip the result? I guess my question is how big is the gap between the top women's national team and top women's club team?
Similarly, how many goats do you think you could get for this Argentina roster, and are they in the best interest of the club?
To get rid of the manager, you have to attach goats. So, it'd net of zero goats, unfortunately.
BALL DON'T LIE