By CAITLIN MURRAY
In case anyone on the U.S. Women’s National Team forgot why Marta is regarded the best player in the world, they got a harsh reminder Sunday.
Marta, the five-time FIFA Player of the Year winner, single-handedly led Brazil back from a 2-0 deficit over the USWNT at the International Tournament of Brasilia with a hat trick to win, 3-2.
Sunday’s match marked the USWNT’s first loss since a pair of upsets at this spring’s Algarve Cup, which led to former coach Tom Sermanni being fired. The loss is Jill Ellis’ first since she took over as the U.S. coach after going 13 games unbeaten.
Marta was a one-woman show, showing flashes of brazen individual brilliance to score three unanswered goals and shock the Americans at National Stadium Mane Garrinch. In the 56th minute, she equalized by running two-thirds of the field herself, dancing though the American defense and firing a blast from 15 yards past Hope Solo.
The Americans started strong, scoring both their goals inside 10 minutes, first with a Carli Lloyd tap-in and then a beautiful Megan Rapinoe floater from the flank outside the 18-yard box.
But Marta returned fire 10 minutes later. Poliana threaded a brilliant pass through the American back line to Marta, who shook off defender Megan Klingenberg and buried the ball past Solo.
The go-ahead goal came in the 65th minute, with a precise Marta strike with only a couple inches to spare along the right post.
Forward Christen Press nearly equalized seconds before the final whistle, tapping the ball around a defender for an opening, but her shot bounced off the far post.
With the “Group of Death” on the horizon for the USWNT at next summer’s World Cup, an early match-up against Brazil could await the Americans if they don’t win their group — a prospect that certainly puts pressure on the USWNT after Sunday’s result.
Ellis continued to slot players in atypical positions — Abby Wambach started in a central role in the midfield behind Sydney Leroux up top, who was flanked by Tobin Heath and Megan Rapinoe in a 4-3-3.
Lori Chalupny, a veteran player that had been out of the USWNT picture since 2009 due to concerns over concussions, started at left back and played 30 minutes.
Coming off a disappointing draw to China days ago – usually an easier opponent for the Americans — the USWNT is now a longshot to win the tournament in Brazil.
Next up, they face Argentina on Wednesday at 4:20 pm ET. The match will not be broadcast in the U.S. but will likely be streamed by BandSports.
Here are the highlights:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zy0hRF5_2WE
Guys, you guys need to understand one thing. The victories that the United States had against Brazil, were based on the fitness of his players. The Brazilian skills is unquestionably superior to the American. The problem of women’s football in Brazil is primarily discrimination, as to a while ago you said that football was for “sissys” here in Brazil women who play football are called “Sapatão” (Big Shoe,lesbians) so many skilled girls not venture to come to be called that way.
The players I see have American origins of the colleges and middle-class families.
They have all care, good nutrition from childhood, while Brazilian most come from the slums and poor communities in Brazil. Had poor diet from birth, which causes health problems, physical and dental problems for life.
So you won important matches on Brazil. Most games simply on physical strength, usually in the second game time or in overtime when Brazilian already could not but run.
You do not see that?
hopefully these issues that are being revealed now will help mold the squad for the World Cup and illuminate some of the moves that need to be made
Holiday is the best player on the team and needs to be utilized accordingly
Wambach can still be used in the right matchups and also be the super sub so she doesn’t need to be 90 minute able all the time; she’s always looked like she’s running in sand, nothing new there
a tie to China a couple days ago… now a loss..
based on Gulati’s logic (if he ever made any sense) it is time to fire Ellis….
I didn’t like the Ellis hire to appease the wishes of the veterans. The only hope this team has at the WC is if Alex Morgan can return to health and have a phenomenal run of form, otherwise we might not even get out of the Quarters.
I thought todays line up was completely experimental, initially a 4-3-3 with Wambach as a center half beneath Syd and Heath and Rapinoe on the wings. Ellis still trying to find a way to keep Wambach in the starting line up…Wambach is well past it right now…she’s running in sand out there. Formation morphed into a more comfortable 4-4-2 with Wambach and Syd up top. Holiday trying to cover at Dmid…total midfield mess.
Marta was excellent but you’re playing very poor team defense if you let one player slalom through multiple players. Her second goal was very poor from Rampone, who looked to have the speed to close the shooting angle, but pulled up short at the last second. Marta took the opportunities very well…not many players can punish you that severely when given small windows of opportunity.
Ellis is tactically out of her depth…game management is uninspiring…this is heading to a bad place.
Agreed, WNT is no hope. Same result will be at WC in Canada. Coaches do not dare to promote young players. I predicted couple months ago, that WNT will fail if they keep the current squad and same line up.
I fear this is exactly the kind of results we will see from an Ellis coached team. I never liked her selection and I don’t much like her management of the team or player selection.
I don’t know if Tom would have done any better but I do know he got the boot after a poor showing in Portugal. I think a tie vs China and a loss to Brazil is a very poor showing so far. If we don’t get a win vs Argentina, I wonder if Sunil will have the guts to show Ellis the door too?
I agree, I never thought she was a good choice, and the results or lack of results, are starting to make that more apparent. She doesn’t seem to know what her teams strengths are and how to get the most out of her players.
I wish we had a player with half the finishing abilities as Marta ….. On the men’s side
1.kling is not World Cup tram material
2. Ramp one needs to move on. Why didn’t she slide to try and block Marta’s 2nd goal. Buehler would have
3. The young kids. Mewis. Morgan Brian are not WC team material wait until after
4. Holiday so much better at AM than Llyod. Llyod is too selfish ans rarely has assists. Llyod if she wasn’t so selfish would be great at DM since she’s more physical
5…………..the team is doomed without Alex Morgan. Even without a true collaborative midfield alex makes stuff out of nothing.
I would assume that we won’t be rolling out that lineup in the World Cup, so I would like to see us develop some consistency in the lineup (something it feels like we haven’t had in over a year). Secondly, while Marta certainly has power in her finishing, the last two goals, especially the game winner, could (should?) have been saved by Mrs. Solo. She won’t get pulled, but I think she cost us a result today.
….. And there I is. The “they didn’t win this game,we gave it to them” post. It never fails to appear when we lose. God forbid we accept the other team was better and congratulate them.
We’re a classy goup fore sure.
Brian said:
– US needs a more consistent lineup
– Solo could have done better on a couple goals
This is called analysis which is what you do to improve and the purpose behind friendly games. No one said Brazil didn’t deserve to win today and you’re making a rather big deal out of what is basically a practice game.
Thanks bml, as you stated I wasn’t taking anything away from Brazil’s efforts, simply that we should have done better. I am actually becoming increasingly concerned about our consistency (hence the lineup comment), and would like to see us down to a smaller number of players involved in the lineups.
“She won’t get pulled, but I think she cost us a result today.”
Solo didn’t cost us a game. The best female player in the world did. Don’t be so insecure to recognize greatness even if it’s to our expense. It’s called class.
I agree with the sentiment in general, but you don’t watch much soccer if you don’t think that was a poor effort by Solo, especially on the last goal. It looked like an effort a youth keeper would make. The second one was pretty weak as well.
Guys, you guys need to understand one thing. The victories that the United States had against Brazil, were based on the fitness of his players. The Brazilian skills is unquestionably superior to the American. The problem of women’s football in Brazil is primarily discrimination, as to a while ago you said that football was for “sissys” here in Brazil women who play football are called “Sapatão” (Big Shoe,lesbians) so many skilled girls not venture to come to be called that way.
The players I see have American origins of the colleges and middle-class families.
They have all care, good nutrition from childhood, while Brazilian most come from the slums and poor communities in Brazil. Had poor diet from birth, which causes health problems, physical and dental problems for life.
So you won important matches on Brazil. Most games simply on physical strength, usually in the second game time or in overtime when Brazilian already could not but run.
You do not see that?
My comment didn’t say anything about the skill level of the field players. I was simply talking about Solo’s inability to stop the last two goals. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to be seeing.
I had the same reaction to the last two goals. She should have saved one of them, probably the last one.
Somebody needs to get the USSF to do its job. It was bad enough that they agreed to go to a tournament where US fans couldn’t watch the games but then when a link (albeit not theirs) does become available they tell nobody. I had to hear it from a facebook comment on their page. One would think that the most important thing a federation can do vis a vis their fans would be to, you know, tell people where they can catch the game.
USSF isn’t gonna share a link to a stream that is, for all intensive purposes, illegal. (Also, the Brazilian Football Federation holds the rights to the broadcasting and from what I’ve heard made no attempt to sell them to anyone.)
It wan’t illegal I don’t think it was the network website but I’m no lawyer. What is unconscionable is that the Feds agreed to participate in a tournament without bothering to think of the fans. We’re supposedly the #1 team in the world so you’d think they could have arranged for a link. How lazy is that?
AlexH,
I am a lawyer, actually. While I do see you point of view, USSF cannot do anything if they do not own the broadcast rights. Generally, the tournament hosts/organizers own the broadcast rights. If they will/did not sell the US rights (or could not come to an agreement with the USSF or US entity), then that’s that. If that was the case, I would still no problem with the USWNT participating in a tournament against quality opposition (China and Brazil).
Not “all intensive purposes”; rather, “all intents and purposes.”
The d0uchey spellinggrammar nazis are at it again – do you feel better now?
There was nothing denigrating about what (s)he said. (S)He just corrected the poster in a non-abusive matter (he was actually very nice about it). Now, if you want to be the a-hole who bristles at being corrected, you can go sit in the corner with the other insecure people in the world — it can you missed it, I WAS being abusive and denigrating.
*in case you missed
— see I corrected myself
The Band Esportes stream is the legal one.
1) Why is Abbey playing 90 min. She is just too slow!
2) Kling did good when she played lesser teams, but need O’Hara back!
3) Love Holiday but she is not a DM!
4) Not sure about Loyd, yes she scores but anyone can if your in the right place at the right time!
5) last but not least, Where is Harris?