Women's World Cup - 2019

[candrew]

I’ve been watching the women’s game for many years and I think the quality has improved immensely.

+1

I would add that if FIFA would drag itself into the 21st century and commit a more proportionate share of its resources to the women's game in general, the quality of play and players' technical skills would improve exponentially beyond its current state. Regions like Latin America and the African continent are especially underserved in this respect.

 

[target2019]

Soccer is so cruel. The favorite does not always get the favorable result.
One more half...

 

[candrew]

U.S. advances

.....by the skin of their teeth.

 

[Corporateburnout]

With the depth of the US team I was surprised to see this lineup and late subs by Ellis. I think Horan, Mewis and Lavelle should be in the middle and Ertz should be in the back instead of Sauerbrunn. Ellis should have substituted Morgan earlier as she was ineffective

 

[candrew]

With the depth of the US team I was surprised to see this lineup and late subs by Ellis. I think Horan, Mewis and Lavelle should be in the middle and Ertz should be in the back instead of Sauerbrunn. Ellis should have substituted Morgan earlier as she was ineffective

I want to know what in the hell GK Alyssa Naeher was thinking in playing the ball to Dahlkemper, who was facing the goal and with an opponent only a yard or two behind her back? Naeher had both O'hara and Sauerbrunn wide open on her right flank where she could have played that ball safely.

Naeher also looked shaky early on when having to play the ball with her feet. This was her first real test in the WC. Naeher needs to be much better for the U.S. to advance.

 

[gerntz]

I thought Lavelle was the leader & glue today.

 

[Corporateburnout]

I want to know what in the hell GK Alyssa Naeher was thinking in playing the ball to Dahlkemper, who was facing the goal and with an opponent only a yard or two behind her back? Naeher had both O'hara and Sauerbrunn wide open on her right flank where she could have played that ball safely.

It was actually Sauerbrunn who lost the ball and not Dahlkemper. Naeher should not have played to ball to her but Sauerbrunn who is an experienced player should have done better with the ball. She took full responsibility after the match.

 

[gerntz]

+1

I would add that if FIFA would drag itself into the 21st century and commit a more proportionate share of its resources to the women's game in general, the quality of play and players' technical skills would improve exponentially beyond its current state. Regions like Latin America and the African continent are especially underserved in this respect.

How much of the money in international soccer is controlled by FIFA & handed out to the men's and/or women's game? I thought the countries more than not funded themselves. As for Latin America, they manage to field great men's teams, so I'd think something other than FIFA money is not letting their female teams rise to the top. Most African countries have so many problems that, imo, all of FIFA's money wouldn't much help women's teams there.

 

[candrew]

It was actually Sauerbrunn who lost the ball and not Dahlkemper. Naeher should not have played to ball to her but Sauerbrunn who is an experienced player should have done better with the ball. She took full responsibility after the match.

I stand corrected. Thank you. Nice of Sauerbrunn to take full responsibility on behalf of a very poor decision by her GK.

 

[candrew]

How much of the money in international soccer is controlled by FIFA & handed out to the men's and/or women's game? I thought the countries more than not funded themselves. As for Latin America, they manage to field great men's teams, so I'd think something other than FIFA money is not letting their female teams rise to the top. Most African countries have so many problems that, imo, all of FIFA's money wouldn't much help women's teams there.

Actually, FIFA pulls some very large purse strings.

https://thinkprogress.org/fifa-sexism-womens-soccer-world-cup-pay-gap-15f87f13d2b0/

"Infantino really, really wants everyone to believe that he thinks investing in women’s football is important. At the Women’s Convention on Friday, Infantino boasted that FIFA was paying women’s teams $50 million this World Cup. Technically, that is true! This year, in addition to the $30 million prize money, FIFA awarded $11.5 million to the 24 women’s teams to use for training camps and tournament preparation, and another $8.5 million to clubs who are releasing players for the event.

However, what Infantino didn’t mention was that if you look at the $50 million figure, the inequity gets even more extreme. Because for the 2018 men’s World Cup, FIFA allocated $48 million for preparation costs, and gave $209 million to clubs that sent players to the tournament. That means, the total FIFA paid out for the 2018 World Cup was $657 million — $607 million more than the $50 million figure Infantino is so proud to be giving the women in France.

These disparities trickle down, reinforcing an imbalance that has perpetuated for decades. Federations are much more likely to invest in the men’s national teams, because qualifying for the men’s World Cup is so much more lucrative. And women’s national teams continue to struggle even after making it to World Cups, because the financial incentives are so low."

There are other disparities, i.e. when FIFA scheduled matches to be played on artificial surfaces in the 2015 Women's World Cup. That would be a no-go in the men's game. FIFA's decision to use this WWC as a sort of laboratory for the expanded use of VAR without previous testing in lower-level professional leagues would have been a no-go for the men's game. FIFA permitted the Copa America and CONCACAF Gold Cup to schedule their tournament finals on the same day as the WWC final.

 

[target2019]

Morgan especially was a non-factor on Monday, only really managing to get fouled (over and over again; five times on the day, most of any player). She was visibly struggling to run after balls even 10 yards ahead of her, probably a side effect of the knock she picked up against Sweden, but also of the physical defending employed by Spain on Monday.

https://deadspin.com/what-was-jill-ellis-doing-1835811960

I'll re-watch the second half before saying much. My impressions during the game was that Morgan needs a better first touch on long passes, and seems lacking as the play becomes more physical.

 

[candrew]

https://deadspin.com/what-was-jill-ellis-doing-1835811960

I'll re-watch the second half before saying much. My impressions during the game was that Morgan needs a better first touch on long passes, and seems lacking as the play becomes more physical.

IMO, the Hungarian referee seemed to struggle (ignore?) a pattern of fouls by Spain on not only Morgan, but also a collection of fouls by Irene Paredes. Paredes was finally booked in the 85' for persistent infringement and there should have also been a caution on the 5th foul on Alex Morgan for the same.

Contrast that with the weak booking that Rapinoe received in the first half for an inadvertent hand to the face of an opponent as she was turning on a ball. A free-kick and a good ass-chewing by the referee would have been sufficient, IMO.

 

[gerntz]

Actually, FIFA pulls some very large purse strings.

https://thinkprogress.org/fifa-sexism-womens-soccer-world-cup-pay-gap-15f87f13d2b0/

"Infantino really, really wants everyone to believe that he thinks investing in women’s football is important. At the Women’s Convention on Friday, Infantino boasted that FIFA was paying women’s teams $50 million this World Cup. Technically, that is true! This year, in addition to the $30 million prize money, FIFA awarded $11.5 million to the 24 women’s teams to use for training camps and tournament preparation, and another $8.5 million to clubs who are releasing players for the event.

However, what Infantino didn’t mention was that if you look at the $50 million figure, the inequity gets even more extreme. Because for the 2018 men’s World Cup, FIFA allocated $48 million for preparation costs, and gave $209 million to clubs that sent players to the tournament. That means, the total FIFA paid out for the 2018 World Cup was $657 million — $607 million more than the $50 million figure Infantino is so proud to be giving the women in France.

These disparities trickle down, reinforcing an imbalance that has perpetuated for decades. Federations are much more likely to invest in the men’s national teams, because qualifying for the men’s World Cup is so much more lucrative. And women’s national teams continue to struggle even after making it to World Cups, because the financial incentives are so low."

There are other disparities, i.e. when FIFA scheduled matches to be played on artificial surfaces in the 2015 Women's World Cup. That would be a no-go in the men's game. FIFA's decision to use this WWC as a sort of laboratory for the expanded use of VAR without previous testing in lower-level professional leagues would have been a no-go for the men's game. FIFA permitted the Copa America and CONCACAF Gold Cup to schedule their tournament finals on the same day as the WWC final.

Thanks.
- The grass thing has already being rectified.
- There were 32 WC teams in 2018, not just 24 as in WWC, so would expect marginally higher expenses from that.
- Shouldn't clubs be paid for their at risk players? I'd think yes. Otherwise, FIFA can do without.
- So if FIFA gave more to each country, why would they spend it on women's soccer vs. just more on men's? FIFA & soccer corruption is rampant.

 

[gerntz]

Soccer is so cruel. The favorite does not always get the favorable result.
One more half...

In which sports isn't that true?

 

[candrew]

Thanks.
- The grass thing has already being rectified.
- There were 32 WC teams in 2018, not just 24 as in WWC, so would expect marginally higher expenses from that.
- Shouldn't clubs be paid for their at risk players? I'd think yes. Otherwise, FIFA can do without.
- So if FIFA gave more to each country, why would they spend it on women's soccer vs. just more on men's? FIFA & soccer corruption is rampant.

Setting the FIFA corruption issue aside, the fact remains that football's governing bodies - including USSF - have been slow walking their support for the women's game.

 

[target2019]

Spain worked very hard on their back line to deprive attackers of even small areas of space. There were 18 fouls called on Spain, 4 on uswnt. Morgan stock is going down each match. I'd like to see mewis up front, with ertz behind her.

 

[NameRedacted]

The problem with teams that are out of control is serious injury to the opposing teams. The stamping on the leg of the England captain in the dying moments of the game could have been a career ending injury yet the Cameroon captain was shouting and screaming at her as she lay on the ground.


I’ve been watching the women’s game for many years and I think the quality has improved immensely. You should not be comparing them to PL and CL games where the players earn absolutely enormous sums of money. Women in England were effectively banned from playing football until 1971.

https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/jpwee3/throwback-thursday-womens-football-banned-by-the-fa

Dick Kerr's ladies - that brings back memories. It's a works team for a company called Dick Kerr's (of course). My dad used to work there as a steel dresser from the 50's through the 80's. It used to be about 1/4 mile from where I grew up. At some point it got bought out by GEC and no longer exists now, I think.


Lancashire has a very strong tradition of ladies football. I used to go to school in a town called Ingol. They had a team called Ingol Belles that several of the girls from school used to play for. They were renowned for their chant - "Ingol Belles! Ingol Belles! Ingol all the way."

 

[NameRedacted]

Actually, FIFA pulls some very large purse strings.

https://thinkprogress.org/fifa-sexism-womens-soccer-world-cup-pay-gap-15f87f13d2b0/

"Infantino really, really wants everyone to believe that he thinks investing in women’s football is important. At the Women’s Convention on Friday, Infantino boasted that FIFA was paying women’s teams $50 million this World Cup. Technically, that is true! This year, in addition to the $30 million prize money, FIFA awarded $11.5 million to the 24 women’s teams to use for training camps and tournament preparation, and another $8.5 million to clubs who are releasing players for the event.

However, what Infantino didn’t mention was that if you look at the $50 million figure, the inequity gets even more extreme. Because for the 2018 men’s World Cup, FIFA allocated $48 million for preparation costs, and gave $209 million to clubs that sent players to the tournament. That means, the total FIFA paid out for the 2018 World Cup was $657 million — $607 million more than the $50 million figure Infantino is so proud to be giving the women in France.

These disparities trickle down, reinforcing an imbalance that has perpetuated for decades. Federations are much more likely to invest in the men’s national teams, because qualifying for the men’s World Cup is so much more lucrative. And women’s national teams continue to struggle even after making it to World Cups, because the financial incentives are so low."

There are other disparities, i.e. when FIFA scheduled matches to be played on artificial surfaces in the 2015 Women's World Cup. That would be a no-go in the men's game. FIFA's decision to use this WWC as a sort of laboratory for the expanded use of VAR without previous testing in lower-level professional leagues would have been a no-go for the men's game. FIFA permitted the Copa America and CONCACAF Gold Cup to schedule their tournament finals on the same day as the WWC final.

I don't accept that FIFA is to blame for this.



The reason there is so little money in the women's game compared to the men's is because no one is paying huge sums for TV rights. The PL rights for 3 years for just the UK sold for about £5bn. That doesn't include the international rights. Most of that money goes to the clubs who spend it on players wages and transfer fees (or in the case of my team, Man U, waste it on players wages and blow it on transfer fees).


I have no idea how much was paid for the rights to the WSL. I tried googling it but gave up after 10 minutes or so. It's nowhere near £5bn though.


Once Women's football becomes popular on TV you'll see the standard rise dramatically.

 

[NameRedacted]

IMO, the Hungarian referee seemed to struggle (ignore?) a pattern of fouls by Spain on not only Morgan, but also a collection of fouls by Irene Paredes. Paredes was finally booked in the 85' for persistent infringement and there should have also been a caution on the 5th foul on Alex Morgan for the same.

Contrast that with the weak booking that Rapinoe received in the first half for an inadvertent hand to the face of an opponent as she was turning on a ball. A free-kick and a good ass-chewing by the referee would have been sufficient, IMO.

I agree with the first paragraph but I don't think that foul by Rapinoe was inadvertent. Looked sneakily deliberate to me on the replay.

 

[triangle]

https://www.socceramerica.com/publi...aign=21647&hashid=pTdCZmC_fq6rQuHbQS_-qyZDWXo

"It might be said that the 2019 World Cup has been slow to start. It’s certainly not slow to stop when the Video Assistant Referee gets involved. In tonight’s third group game between France and Nigeria it took a full six minutes between Ngozi Ebere’s foul on Viviane Asseyi and the resultant penalty being scored. If FIFA was looking for a way to kill soccer dead, they’ve found the perfect solution."

+1

Even without delay this is my problem with soccer. It seems the "scoring" used to determine which team is better is broken IMO (or rather the rules controlling regular play which dictates the scoring opportunities is far from optimal). There are too many 1-nil games or otherwise low scoring games. Making any penalty situation more important in determining the winner than the regular play on the field.

 

[candrew]

I don't accept that FIFA is to blame for this.

The reason there is so little money in the women's game compared to the men's is because no one is paying huge sums for TV rights. The PL rights for 3 years for just the UK sold for about £5bn. That doesn't include the international rights. Most of that money goes to the clubs who spend it on players wages and transfer fees (or in the case of my team, Man U, waste it on players wages and blow it on transfer fees).

I have no idea how much was paid for the rights to the WSL. I tried googling it but gave up after 10 minutes or so. It's nowhere near £5bn though.

Once Women's football becomes popular on TV you'll see the standard rise dramatically.

Is FIFA entirely to blame? Of course not. Does FIFA need to do more in terms of committing not only more of its resources to the women's game but also bringing pressure to bear on football's governing bodies (UEFA, Conmebol, CONCACAF, etc.) that are under its umbrella to do the same? Absolutely.

From 2012 to 2017, for example, European soccer associations more than doubled their spending on women's teams. From about 50 million euros to nearly 112 million. I'm going to take a wild guess and suggest that although UEFA spending doubled during that time, it is a paltry sum relative to the amount of financial resources that are committed to the men's game. The popularity of women's football will improve proportionate with continued improvements in the quality of play. Perhaps UEFA and other associations could share a bit more of those revenues with their respective women's programs.

Continued improvements in the quality of play in the women's game won't happen in a vacuum. Access to better trainers to better fitness instructors, to strength coaches along with specialists in particular coaching areas (like GK trainers) on a wider level will help bring about a better quality. That takes $$.

 

[Chuckanut]

Even without delay this is my problem with soccer. It seems the "scoring" used to determine which team is better is broken IMO (or rather the rules controlling regular play which dictates the scoring opportunities is far from optimal). There are too many 1-nil games or otherwise low scoring games. Making any penalty situation more important in determining the winner than the regular play on the field.

+1

Or one bad call by a ref that results in a point change.

 

[Dtail]

+1

Or one bad call by a ref that results in a point change.

+2
Not a huge soccer fan, but the general very low scoring games is just not as exciting to me.
2 examples of other sports.
Baseball - a 1-0 score in baseball can be changed in an instant, but still exciting to see a pitcher's duel in the meantime. Many theoretical scoring opportunities.
Hockey - even in a low scoring game, there are usually many great save opportunities and scoring chances. How many great saves does a soccer goalie make in a typical game?

Nothing personal @Candrew and others - just some thoughts.

 

[candrew]

+2
Not a huge soccer fan, but the general very low scoring games is just not as exciting to me.
2 examples of other sports.
Baseball - a 1-0 score in baseball can be changed in an instant, but still exciting to see a pitcher's duel in the meantime. Many theoretical scoring opportunities.
Hockey - even in a low scoring game, there are usually many great save opportunities and scoring chances. How many great saves does a soccer goalie make in a typical game?

Nothing personal @Candrew and others - just some thoughts.

No offense taken here, @Dtail! Hey, I'm glad you joined in on this thread. Yours are often repeated criticisms by many Americans. Yes, football (soccer) can seem a tedious game featuring long stretches of what appears to be uneventful play punctuated with rare moments of scoring. Or in some cases, no scoring at all.

I get it. I'm an American that grew up in the Detroit area among Eastern European and Middle East immigrants. Football is their game. It's the world's game and it became my game too. I played footie in my younger days and then took up the whistle in my late 20's. Football has given me and my family so many great experiences and memories. It was a privilege for me to travel about the country for many years as a licensed USSF referee. During that time I came to know countless players, coaches, trainers and referee brethren - many from other nations throughout the world - that are my life long friends. Our two sons, now in their late 30's, played as well (God I'm so thankful they didn't take up baseball or American football!). Our two grandsons play and our granddaughter is just now beginning. It's a part of why I'm passionate about the women's game.

In short, I feel as though I owe a debt to the game that I can never hope to repay for the incredible experiences it has given me and my family. I don't expect anyone else to understand it or share that same passion. Our USWNT is the crown jewel of American soccer and they are trying to repeat as World Cup champions. All I ask of my fellow Americans is that for a brief month to please root on our side.

 

[Dtail]

No offense taken here, @Dtail! Hey, I'm glad you joined in on this thread. Yours are often repeated criticisms by many Americans. Yes, football (soccer) can seem a tedious game featuring long stretches of what appears to be uneventful play punctuated with rare moments of scoring. Or in some cases, no scoring at all.

I get it. I'm an American that grew up in the Detroit area among Eastern European and Middle East immigrants. Football is their game. It's the world's game and it became my game too. I played footie in my younger days and then took up the whistle in my late 20's. Football has given me and my family so many great experiences and memories. It was a privilege for me to travel about the country for many years as a licensed USSF referee. During that time I came to know countless players, coaches, trainers and referee brethren - many from other nations throughout the world - that are my life long friends. Our two sons, now in their late 30's, played as well (God I'm so thankful they didn't take up baseball or American football!). Our two grandsons play and our granddaughter is just now beginning. It's a part of why I'm passionate about the women's game.

In short, I feel as though I owe a debt to the game that I can never hope to repay for the incredible experiences it has given me and my family. I don't expect anyone else to understand it or share that same passion. Our USWNT is the crown jewel of American soccer and they are trying to repeat as World Cup champions. All I ask of my fellow Americans is that for a brief month to please root on our side.

Appreciate the response. Yes I am rooting all the way for the USA women's team.