The U.S. Women’s National Team approaches the end of 2016 much like they began it: in dominant fashion.
Christen Press led the way as the USWNT continued their incredible 2016, a year that has seen them lose just once to Sweden in penalties during the Olympics (though officially listed as a draw, leaving them unbeaten in 2016). In their penultimate match, Press netted a first-half hat trick, scoring in the eighth, 34th, and 38th minutes.
Press also assisted Tobin Heath on her 10th minute goal, while Morgan Brian added one in the 25th. Laura Rus put Romania on the board in the 34th minute, but the USWNT took a massive 5-1 lead into the midway break.
It would get no better for Romania in the second half, as Alex Morgan would enter as a sub and score in the 52nd and 75th minutes, before a Romanian own goal in the 92nd would finalize the scoreline at 8-1 in favor of the USWNT.
The USWNT closes out their 2016 season against Romania once again on Sunday, seeking just their third unbeaten year in their history, following 2006 and 2013.
The gal who keeps jumping off the field at me is Lindsay Horan. She was, oddly, wearing jersey #9 last night but she’s actually a CAM. Despite her size – she’s about 5’9″, and I have no idea of her weight but I’d guess at least close to 160, she’s definitely on the zaftig side, whatever – she’s just exceptional and the thing that stands out is her technical skill. She uses her size and comparably immense strength extremely well and can bully you, leverage you off, and hold the ball up just by using her, uhm, ample butt to sort of bounce the defender away, but then she turns into a ballerina, kind of prancing around with shocking light-footedness and touch with the ball, and she can deliver these deft slick passes into windows the size of a postage stamp, and she’s a step ahead in terms of her ability to find space and read the game. Oh, and she can drive. Her-touch-and-turn is ballerina-like and then it’s like watching a Mack truck rumble at very high speed right down the center of the field, and opponents do not exactly line up to get in her way.
Definitely not the same sort of player as Carli Lloyd but she could assuredly be a worthy successor, and as usual when she was in there I thought she was the best player on the field, and by a good bit.
Yeah Lindsay Horan is a solid mid-fielder and she could definitely fit on one side or the other of
Carli Lloyd. What the USWNT needs is someone who can score on free kicks and take a decent corner. These short corners leading to nothing are driving me crazy. And hopefully by now, coach Jill Ellis has learned that Alex Morgan does not know how to properly take a PK. It only cost the USWNT the Olympics. Alex telegraphs where she is going to put the kick and all the GK has to do
is move down the line before the kick and wait for the ball to get there. At the Olympic’s the proper approach would have been to have any prospective PK people beat Hope Solo 3 times in a row before allowing them to take a PK in a match under ANY circumstances. A PK should be an 80%
proposition for the kicker.
And BTW, that girl from Stanford that they are trying out looked AWFUL. In the 2nd match vs Romania, every touch of the ball was a disaster for her. Send her back to the Farm!!!!