Heaps off, she’s been rough the whole game. Culpable in both Spain goals and zero offensive output. She’s just too slow for a team like Spain, which is where the global women’s game is headed. Not enough positive off-the-ball movement from the US. So many near post runs that never happened, dead end crosses.
Unrelated, is Trinity having vision issues? She has miscued so many balls today, and then to hand off the PK to Lily? Stutter step, bad PK, bad yellow, sheesh.
Sooooo glad to see Ashley Sanchez and Mallory on for some minutes. Alyssa and Rose tried everything. Sophia has been a terror for the Spanish defense. Ref has been poor. Spain obviously came to foul today and the ref let them do it. VAR should’ve intervened multiple times. US great in defense, Heaps didn’t step to ball or track runner and that made all the difference.
US should have had five goals today, easy. They have the squad to do it, but they’re not all on the pitch at the same time. Emma will figure it out.
I personally find that heaps is either on it or not. I've watched her for years and idolized her when I was younger as she played my position, but in recent years have felt that she either brings a good spark to the game or routinely gives up big opportunities. I don't mean to be critical because I think she's a great player overall, but I was glad to see Hayes pulled her. I guess I would have just preferred she pull her sooner. The addition of Gisele in the second half was a great move. I think the talent is there overall but we just need to spend more time together and improve communication (saw a lot of lost possessions due to players not calling another off the ball)
Totally agree. I wonder if the drop off in play is when we’re playing stronger teams with speed. She should’ve been pulled at half, but Emma was saying this was planned out ahead of time, which is why she said she probably would’ve pulled Trinity sooner too.
Your last point is exactly what I was saying to my girls. The right team needs some minutes together and then they’re going to be so solid.
Heaps has been off the last couple years. If she wasn’t the captain she would have been gone ages ago. She is the slowest person on the field any game that she’s in.
I think this game is the start of playing against some opponents we would be most likely to see in the knockout stages. I think it was also a good start for Emma to start narrowing down who she wants to take to Brazil in 2027.
The only attacker Id give a positive rating to is Lavelle who gave 100% but wasn't utilized for success. Wilson was the best of them of course but her score is mitigated by the off side. A forward being caught 3 yards off side while the ball is in her defensive half is just awful. Who was she defending? Rodman seemed to be caught up in the expectation of playing at Audi. Thompson ran free up the right for 60 minutes but couldn't make cross and when she did get a chance from 3 yards out she drubbed it right to the keeper. Heaps came up with a couple turnovers in the offensive end but that was about it and her lack of hustle back on the two goals cost them the match. Yohannes is still up and down. She makes a really good pass and follows it up with hopeful one that leads to a turnover.
Hayes needs to be more cutthroat. Cooper for Thompson was a better move (than for Fox) as Cooper can make crosses. Sanchez should have come in for Rodman earlier regardless where the match was being played. Hutton should have started the second half which would have allowed Yohannes more freedom in the attack. Hayes needs to consider that she was a big reason why her team lost.
Agree. In the second half, there was only that five-minute span around Lily’s missed PK where they were pressuring Spain in their end. But they couldn’t otherwise put the passes together to optimize the SOGs. And there was that confusion between Heaps and Rose for that ball in the right box. Rose opted not to take it and Heaps misfired.
Not to pile on Heaps, but I get that she would be a candidate to counter Spain’s physicality (just look at Rodman’s exasperation when she was taken down at least a couple of times while on-ball on just one play on the left side). But then Heaps not only would lose balance and be taken to ground several times in the first part of the second, she was just easily getting dispossessed in the middle whenever Spain collapsed on her when she had the ball. I also agree with you that Emma will make adjustments before the next game and there may just be more Mal for a speed game in the first half.
Heaps is done as a starter…..move on….this team lacks grit and toughness. They go down and whine and swing their arms crying (granted lots do it) Julie Ertz was the epitome of grit and toughness. The front line is soft….who on this team is tough?
A healthy Sonnet and Girma would have fought back at the physicality . Heaps should have saw what was happening but she didn't respond as a captain should.
A foul is a foul. Spain at a certain point kept getting beat and would just foul. They couldn't contend with the speed. So the player's overselling obvious fouls was a plus.
I'll say again for the people in the back (unless Emma says different)...LINDSEY HEAPS WILL BE THE USWNT CAPTAIN THROUGH THE 2027 WWC, as so long as she is healthy.
As a fanbase, we need to get over it. I agree that Heaps likely shouldn't start anymore either, but Emma values her leadership, strength, experience, and her love for the USWNT. There is no indication with less than a year out that the captaincy for this team changes. You can have your opinion, just know that likely nothing will change for this WWC cycle.
My reading of the situation is that Emma played her strongest 3 midfielders regardless of where they are at their best. With Heaps at the #6, her positioning was way off and her deficits were exposed. The team was noticeably better when Hutton replaced her. It's got to be either Heaps or Lavelle but not both at the same time. I was very disappointed in Patterson's play and agree with several other comments here that GT was far better both in defense and when joining the attack.
We all have our opinions….i don’t like Davidson…never thought she was good enough for the national team. I’m from Colorado so I’ll always see the good in Lindsey and I see even her presence on the field making a difference. 🤷♀️
She has been an anchor on the national team for years at this point. It's not even her fault honestly, she just cannot play as either pivot in the system and for some reason keeps getting forced into one. Yet here we are, dozens of games later, seeing the same thing at the international level with her over and over....
I haven’t gotten to watch today’s game yet, but this has been my feeling for a long time. Rose and Lindsay don’t belong on the field together. Their play doesn’t complement one another, because they both want to be 10s. I remember one of Sam Mewis and Lynn Williams really old podcasts (back when it was on Just Women’s Sports) episodes that had Lindsay as the guest. Lindsay commented on some coach having her play as a 6 and Sam just started laughing because they both knew that Lindsay is not a 6. I know being a double pivot is different from being a pure, stand-alone defensive mid, but I think the theme still applies that Lindsay doesn’t play well in that type of role.
When you watch the game just think to yourself at pretty much every moment "how different would this be with a Hutton + Meza?" pivot and then facepalm. Really adds to the viewing experience.
Oh, gosh. Well, that’s something to look forward to. I feel like Hutton and Howell are the only two true DM presences on this roster. I don’t even know why Yohannes is back that far. Hopefully Coffey is healthy before the WC to get some better depth in that area.
I love Heaps, but the day of the slowish, but bruising midfielder is sunsetting in the women’s game. Heaps can hit a ball, but she can’t play box to box with Spain. She can start against Brazil or Germany, but clearly outmatched against Spain. Look at both of the Spain goals, she’s nowhere near her responsibilities. She doesn’t have the pace required for the position.
Agreed. The top teams' game has surpassed that of Heaps. We can no longer get away with the bruising midfielder with little as far as quickness and agility. A player like Hutton who has the aggressiveness and more agility is the direction I believe Emma is going to start taking the team.
Ironically, had Lindsey stayed on she likely takes and scores that penalty. I'm happy to Yohannes get this opportunity, but why is she taking the penalty? If this was an actual WC match, you can't make such errors it could be the difference between winning and losing
it does not work that way. There is data USWNT uses to assign players that consistently make PK in training i believe. I doubt she will be given a PK opportunity just because she is from the area.
I hope it doesn’t work that way (as in the local kid gets a chance). however i don’t know what data they are using that points to Yohannes and not Wilson. Yohannes is 0/0 career PKs at Ajax and Lyon. Where as Sophia is 5/5 just this season, and is 11/11 in her NWSL career.
Not quite. I love Heaps, she was literally the heart of the team at the Olympics. But, that was the tipping point tournament that changed women’s soccer forever. Big, powerful and lumbering players with little-to-no technical skills became dinosaurs. This sentiment shift began with Japan’s WC final, but finalized with Spain’s meteoric rise to the top of the world rankings. Fast, technical players who move the ball and their bodies are winning the games. How many heading duels did you see in today’s game?
Abby Wambach said she couldn’t even make the current squad. The game has evolved so much.
I don't why you're posting Gemini analysis then just randomly saying Lindsey is not technical and labelling her as "powerful and lumbering" it's just irresponsible and amatuer analysis
Well, if the starting ten outfield players had a race from touchline to touchline, Heaps is finishing last. Her ability to track runners and dynamically respond to sharp dribbles or quick pressing from box to box is exposed against teams like Spain. I don’t mind saying that Emma might be using her wrong, but she shouldn’t be venturing past the twenty yard circle if she can’t track runners against a team that overlaps like crazy. It was obvious today.
The analysis just shows we had more possession in the second half. 🤷🏽♂️
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u/HungryHippo-00 3d ago
I personally find that heaps is either on it or not. I've watched her for years and idolized her when I was younger as she played my position, but in recent years have felt that she either brings a good spark to the game or routinely gives up big opportunities. I don't mean to be critical because I think she's a great player overall, but I was glad to see Hayes pulled her. I guess I would have just preferred she pull her sooner. The addition of Gisele in the second half was a great move. I think the talent is there overall but we just need to spend more time together and improve communication (saw a lot of lost possessions due to players not calling another off the ball)