Shadow Scholar Syndicate: FWM/CA/N 2019--Day Twenty-Six Recap

Your “Syndicate Hangover” is proudly presented by “Perrier”

Your friendly bookie remains more of a San Pellegrino man, but we’ll accord the hosts some respect for their second-rate club soda. Along with La Croix, it’s an acceptable option when the only other alternative happens to be Seltzer Water.

Day 26: Recap

Bookie’s Stats—

Spread: 48-57

Straight up: 63-26-16

Bookie must file without knowing the outcome of the epic Brazil-Argentina encounter. It’s a USA day no matter what. Fucking fantastic football. A very happy birthday to “Heavenspawn” Alex Morgan.

Okay...the "Tea-sipping" celebration was a little weird. You don't have to be English to appreciate a good cup of tea. Your friendly bookie likes an afternoon tea. Let's see if we can't find less spiteful photo.

There we are. Isn't that nice?

Your friendly bookie would also like to remind you that he ALWAYS knew Alyssa Naeher was that damned good. We’ve no reason to ever discuss Hope Solo again. It’s over.

S.S.S. Tactical Breakdown

Your friendly bookie absolutely loves matches like this. It’s wonderful “collapse of Game Theory” stuff. Phil Neville tried to fine-tune matters, but Jill Ellis wasn’t playing that game. After I’m done with this write-up, I’m so dusting off some of my old “John Nash Kriegspiel Nites”. Hell yes. It’s going to be a nerd night.

From a tactical perspective, the USA-England match came down to one manager attempting to make intricate chessboard moves, whilst the other simply entrusted her high-caliber players to let their own system evolve.

Lineup—USA—Match Six (Projected) (5-3-2)

Alex Morgan Tobin Heath

Megan Rapinoe

Sam Mewis Rose Lavelle

Crystal Dunn Julie Ertz Kelley O’Hara

Becky Sauerbrunn Abby Dahlkemper

Alyssa Naeher

Lineup—USA—Match Six (Actual) (4-1-4-1)

Alex Morgan

Christen Press Tobin Heath

Lindsey Horan Rose Lavelle

Crystal Dunn Julie Ertz Kelley O’Hara

Becky Sauerbrunn Abby Dahlkemper

Alyssa Naeher

The early fluid play we witnessed today emanated not from a detailed tactical plan, but rather from an audaciously flexible formation that accorded the players a great deal of freedom in choosing their lines of attack. It’s not at all uncommon to see teams defend using a 4-1-4-1. To stick with it as an attacking strategy demonstrates great confidence in one’s players to coordinate their own rotation.

In the first half, Heath spent a great deal of time on the left whilst Rose Lavelle effectively took over her position. Horan and Press frequently cycled in and out on the left flank. Dunn and O’Hara participated in flank rotation as well. Ertz did press forward on three notable occasions, but mostly straddled the third and fourth axes in a safety role.

One surmises that a general directive about the shape was laid down, but nothing ironclad was communicated. Ertz likely got some instruction with respect to her defensive duties, but the rest were trusted to roam responsibly. Even Ertz was allowed to thrust forward if the tempo dictated.

Much was made of Jill Ellis’s two changes to the lineup, Christen Press for Megan Rapinoe and Lindsey Horan for Sam Mewis. With instruction at a minimum, it’s doubtful that either one of these decisions was truly tactical in nature. Ellis may have desired fresher and slightly more athletic players on the left, but there was no overarching plan in attack.

Tactics were in play later on in the second half once Lavelle’s hamstring necessitated a substitution. Ertz dropped all the way back to the third centerback position and the team reformatted to the projected 5-3-2. From the 65^thminute onward, positioning was more rigid as the USWNT professionally killed off the game.

Ellis clearly didn’t overthink matters in the beginning. Phil Neville played the tactics game from the start. Despite some clever moves, it looks as if there was too much tinkering. Here’s a look at what his plan appeared to be.

Lineup—England—Match Six (4-4-2)

Ellen White Nikita Parris

Beth Mead Rachel Daly

Keira Walsh Jill Scott

Demi Stokes Lucy Bronze

Steph Houghton Millie Bright

Carly Telford

It became apparent over the course of the opening half hour that the major ploy was centralize Nikita Parris and introduce Rachel Daly as the unforeseen threat. Daly had demonstrated some nifty moves in the third group stage match against Japan, buttressed by Jill Scott right of center and Lucy Bronze lurking behind.

Keira Walsh and Beth Mead had done excellent work together in the first match against Scotland. They linked up together impressively in today’s encounter as well in the sequence that led to Ellen White’s equalizer in the 19^th. Apart from that play, and of course Walsh’s blistering effort in the first half that Alyssa Naeher did very well to save, the attack didn’t produce much with Parris in that high central role.

Parris often drifted right in an attempt to find some space. That happened to be the only time the Lionesses looked threatening. Scott and Walsh did very well in midfield, but the search for the final target proved to be too confusing. Daly, Mead, Walsh, and Scott couldn’t figure out who to serve on the end of some nice runs. Despite some wonderful work from Walsh and Scott, it’s clear that Ellen White was fractionally offside on her disallowed goal.

The English Lionesses can certifiably be proud of their performance. It is nevertheless the American girls who receive some very high marks. Sam Mewis and Carli Lloyd factored in. Despite fourteen minutes on the pitch, Ali Krieger really didn’t.

Grades—USA—Match Six

Alyssa Naeher	A+
Alex Morgan	A+
Tobin Heath	A+
Rose Lavelle	A+
Becky Sauerbrunn	A+
Abby Dahlkemper	A+
Kelley O’Hara	A+
Lindsey Horan	A
Christen Press	A
Carli Lloyd	A
Crystal Dunn	B+
Sam Mewis	B
Julie Ertz	B-

The USWNT turned in an epic performance. There’s very little criticism to offer. Ertz and Mewis might have been a bit more intelligent in their forward runs and Dunn had a bad tackle or two. Otherwise, it was basically flawless.

Some may say that Sauerbrunn should shoulder some responsibility for that late defensive breach, but I can find no fault with her. Scott’s first-time pass was simply unbeatable. Regarding the penalty awarded after her challenge on Ellen White, I’m not quite certain what to say. Having watched the replay multiple times, it seems obvious that it’s actually White who initiates contact with Sauerbrunn as she strides. Go figure.

Truly amazing grace on display today from both Heath and Lavelle. I’ve likened the latter to a gliding figure skater. Great to see her back in form. O’Hara has been sensational all tournament long. To think that I posited that she may be fatigued shows how little I know.

The U.S. Women have now defeated the competition’s most formidable opponent. While there remains one more match to be played, and the 2011 final against Japan illustrates that there are no guarantees in tournament football, prospects for a fourth star being sewn onto the USWNT Crest appear highly likely.

AMERICA….FUCK YEAH!

....I still like tea! Think I'll have a spot of tea now. As a matter of fact, I think I'll go fetch my copy of Douglas Adam's "The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul" and imbibe on some Earl Grey. Tally ho!

“Riffs of the Day”—Day Twenty-Six

Reader: The Ayew brothers look pretty good up front to me.

Vicey: Grrr…when 42-M is right, he’s right. He’s often right. I’m often dead wrong. It happens.

Reader: It’s Alex Morgan’s “Dirty-Thirty”!

Vicey: ….I don’t really have anything to add to this. Throw “dirty” and “Alex Morgan” into the same sentence and your mind’s pure serenity is breached.

Reader: Did she have to do a “tea-party celebration”?

Vicey: I was wondering about that myself, 33-M. Seems a little antiquated. Oh well. So long as she’s not making Michelle Bachman “crazy-eyes” I suppose there’s no harm in it.

Reader: Millie Bright has a nice rack. What’s up with the rest of these girls?

Vicey: We discussed the “hunch-back sports bras” in the Day Sixteen Recap, 65-M. Male footballers actually wear them as well these days. I don’t know what the technical term for them is, but you have to take into account that most of these girls are wearing what we might term “chest protectors” that diminish and pauperize what otherwise what may be fine….er… protrusions.

The fact the Millie Bright truncating equipment doesn’t significantly pare down said protrusions tells you…look…you know what it tells you. I think we’ve given this topic more than enough coverage. Your friendly bookie actually doesn’t really care about a woman’s bra size. I’ve actually had two girlfriends that insisted on getting plastic tits even though I genuinely liked them better just the way they were. Glad I broke up with those girls. They were vain ditzes.

Reader: I bet you Megan Rapinoe isn’t hurt.

Vicey: Bookie isn’t accepting that wager, 11-M. I’m with you all the way. She’s not injured. Jill Ellis dropped her Birget-Prinz-style. You can see it in her face.

Reader: Rachel Daly is pulling on Rose Lavelle’s shorts in the way I want to.

Vicey: Bwahahahahahaha..and ZING, 23-M!

DAY TWENTY-SEVEN—PREVIEW

Sweden vs. the Netherlands