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| Friday, November 1, 2002 18:27 EST |
Variation on a theme
By Marc Connolly
[ESPN.com]
At first glance, it's the same old juggernaut. The names are the same: Mia Hamm. Kristine Lilly. Julie Foudy. Brandi Chastain. Joy Fawcett. And so on. And so on.
Midfielder Aly Wagner has added a dangerous dimension to the U.S. attack. |
But closer examination of this year's version of the U.S. Women's National Team will uncover a side with a different look than the one that stole everyone's hearts in the summer of '99.
Don't look at the recent 3-0 victories over Mexico and Trinidad & Tobago in the Gold Cup and deem them to have less firepower. It's simply not the case.
Great goalkeeping was actually on display in both matches, and at least three offside calls against T & T that would have resulted in goals were laughable. It's been a complete cat-and-mouse display thus far.
The explosive nature that this team's offense has been known for since Michelle Akers started her reign of terror in 1985 is still there.
Mia Hamm and Tiffeny Milbrett may have already reached their peak, but the WUSA has clearly helped the all-around games of Cindy Parlow and Shannon MacMillan. There's more depth behind them off the bench than ever, as well, including an exciting 17-year-old high school player named Heather O'Reilly.
Where the team's new-look comes from is in the midfield and on defense. There's not only tremendous versatility there that has resulted from a deeper talent pool and the influx of a few fabulous young players, but also a much less rigid system that was in place during the late '90s under Tony DiCicco.
Don't get me wrong, DiCicco was the perfect coach for the job, combining a strong soccer knowledge and background with a deep understanding of how to motivate the world's number one team before even the most meaningless of matches and create an environment where jealousies never came into play. It was all about teamwork under DiCicco, and what a finely-tuned machine it was.
But DiCicco opted for a style of play that was more set-in-stone, where players were held to a certain area on the field and expected to do their job there. What April Heinrichs has done is give her players more freedom on the pitch, as has been witnessed this past week in the Gold Cup.
For one, the midfielders are interchangeable right now. When they are in a 4-3-3, there are times when Julie Foudy, Kristine Lilly and Tiffany Roberts have all been in a central role, sometimes in tandem.
Foudy is strong as both a central player and on the right side, but probably most effective in a defensive role playing as link between the offense and defense.
When she plays such a position, it's in a 3-4-3 with Lilly on the left and Roberts (for the time being, at least) on the right side.
Where this side really takes on a new dimension is the player who lines up in front of Foudy as the offensive center midfielder - Santa Clara senior Aly Wagner.
Wagner may still be a college player and only 22 years of age, but her game possesses a maturity and savvy that has hardly ever been seen within the college ranks.
She is a true playmaker - someone who can switch fields on a dime, hit through balls to her forwards with precision and change the entire game with one quick flick of the ball.
Wagner also is strong in tight spaces with the ability to magically escape from two or three players to start and attack. And when she has a scoring opportunity herself, consider it finished, as she did against Mexico when she took a pass from Lilly and rocketed a one-timer from 19 yards out into the left corner to get the U.S. on the board.
By the time the World Cup comes around next September, Wagner may be one of the two or three most important players to the U.S. side.
Defensively, you can see that Heinrichs has told her outside backs to push up the flanks whenever they can.
Kate Sobrero, playing wide right these days with Chastain in the central defense with Fawcett, has been creeping up her side throughout the Gold Cup and giving opposing midfielders fits with her speed and size.
But where this philosophy has really seemed to pay off is on the left side with Cat Riddick, who has been remarkable.
The University of North Carolina junior has been involved in the offense and has linked well with Lilly on the left side. She's not shy, either, as was seen when she launched a shot from approximately 35 yards out against T & T that rattled the crossbar after goalkeeper Lisa Jo Ramkissoon barely got a glove on it.
What remains to be seen is whether moving Chastain to the middle is the right move.
From a defensive standpoint, there probably isn't a lot to lose, as a Chastain and Fawcett partnership is not one that opposing strikers will want to face. Both players are strong in the air, tough on the ball, fast and have more experience than any two defenders in the world.
Where it may hurt is on the offensive side of things, as Chastain played left back the way Roberto Carlos does for Brazil and Real Madrid. That is, she pushes the envelope time and time again with forays through the midfield and is a steady force in the team's attack.
One of the strongest players in the air you'll find in any nation, Chastain has always been a presence as a pinched-up player on the weak side when balls are crossed from the right flank. Having her aerial game in effect on just dead balls might be a factor when playing either a China or a Norway.
That's one of the many position decisions that Coach Heinrichs will have to work out as the team progresses through qualifying and starts doing the heavy preparations next spring.
But as of the moment, there is no need for anyone to doubt this U.S. side or to whisper that it has too many thirty-somethings.
Marc Connolly covers soccer for ESPN.com. He can be reached at shaketiller10@yahoo.com.
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