Scuffed | USMNT, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America - #310: USA v Japan (U20 Women's World Cup)

Episode Date: August 18, 2022

A pretty sad night in Costa Rica. The U.S. bowed out in the group at the U-20 Women's World Cup. Belz and Tara commiserate, talk through the action, and name their list of 6 players from the team who could some day make national team noise.support Scuffed on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/scuffed Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a video of key moments on the field we discuss on the show, plus all patrons get access to our private Discord server, live call-in shows, and the full catalog of historic recaps we've made: https://www.patreon.com/scuffedAlso, check out Boots on the Ground, our USWNT-focused spinoff podcast headed up by Tara and Vince. They are cooking over there, you can listen here: https://boots-on-the-ground.simplecast.comAnd check out our MERCH, baby. We have better stuff than you might think: https://www.scuffedhq.com/store Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Welcome to the scuff podcast where we talk about U.S. soccer. The U20 women lost three to one to Japan and have bowed out of the U20 World Cup for the second straight cycle in the group stage. How you doing, Tara? I'm doing okay. I'm doing kind of equal parts, disappointed, proud, bothered, angered. at Tracy. All in all, I'm doing okay. I'm reminded of the, of the U-17, I guess you'd call it men's World Cup,

the U-17 Boys World Cup, where Gio Rana was on that team. And they did even, I don't, they didn't win a single game in the group. It did worse than this team. And, you know, nobody's, is anybody really thinking about that anymore? Absolutely not. It's reminding me of 2018, U-20 Women's World Cup, where we also did terribly, but I watched a few of the games, I remember. And it was like, who is this Ashley Sanchez, who is this Sophia Smith, Naomi Germa, and they also failed to get out of their group. So, I mean, for the women, I think it's important to note that we haven't won this tournament.

since 2012. And in between 2012 and today, we have won two senior team World Cups, two true World Cups. So it's not some massive deterrent for the women's program. It's not some huge failure for women's soccer. It ended up truly being about watching some development and learning some players. And I hope that they feel okay because we we did see some bits of excitement and some promising talent. Yes. And now they get to go home. It's not the worst thing in the world.

So, Sophia Smith was on that team, Naomi Germa, Ashley Sanchez. Anybody else who's on the national team now? Who was on that 2018? Not that I can think of, but look at them now.

Naomi Germa is my starter. I am waiting for the minute that she is locked in for the national team. Ashley Sanchez played the most minutes in qualifying out of it, anybody. And Sophia Smith is our leading goal score in WSL. So I mean, like, give us a few years. These girls are going to be okay. Yeah.

Yeah, I like that. We're going to give our six. So you brought up the stat that typically six players from each U20 cycle matriculate to the six. senior national team. We're going to each pick six players that we think we'll do that, right, at the end of the episode? Yeah.

Think when it, keep it in the back of your mind because it's going to be brought back when we get the friend group together again in like five years to see who was right. Yep. Put it on your calendar. Let's do the lineups. Well, we should also mention the U.S. did have a tall task tonight. Japan was the, is the reigning champion, the 20 Women's World Cup.

They beat the Netherlands and Ghana. We had to beat them two to zero unless Ghana, you know, pulled off a result against the Netherlands tonight. The games were simultaneous. The Netherlands was up in the 28th minute, and they never relinquished that lead. They ended up winning 4 to 1. So it was pretty clear, you know,

midway through the first half that we definitely had to beat Japan by two goals. to surpass them in the group and then go on to the knockout stage. So it was always going to be a tough job. A large, large task. And Japan was great. We're going to learn more about that in the coming minutes, but they did a great job. They're a good soccer team for sure. All right, the lineup.

Mia Justice was back in the goal. Lainey Rouse at right back, Emily Mason and Lily Rale. at centerback and Samar Guidry at left back, Talia della Peruta at the 6th as she has been all tournament long, Olivia Moultrie and Corbin Albert at the 8. And then Alyssa Thompson on the right wing, always dangerous. Michelle Cooper at Stryker and Ali Centner at left wing. Any omissions stick out to you there, Tara?

I feel like everybody's just screaming, where is Jaden Chaw? where is jaden shaw i mean like it's a great question i didn't love her in the midfield so if if that meant starting thompson cooper and sitner and shaw would come in for one of the forwards you know later on it was something i would have been okay dealing with it's not ideal by any means but that's not what happened so where is jaden shaw and i mean i i'm not sure if it was was a bad decision considering how she played, but I was surprised Flynn was left off of the starting lineup for this game. Yeah.

Mason and Flynn were the centerback pairing against Ghana, game we won 3-0. Yeah, I agree. I didn't really like Shaw how Shaw played in the midfield. I thought she kind of disappeared from the game against the Netherlands. But she was also quite good against Ghana, starting on the wing, and then moving back into the midfield as the game went on. So, yeah, I was just a little surprised she didn't start. Didn't think Sintner was terrible, though.

I mean, she was okay in this game. Yeah, okay, and she had a few dangerous moments. I didn't think she was terrible. I think that Trinity buyers earned a start, but I wasn't necessarily surprised she didn't get it. Do you? You really think she earned a start? Yeah, she didn't get it against Ghana.

and she didn't have a full game against Netherlands. I thought she was promising. I thought she was creative. I thought that she brought something that the other attackers necessarily didn't. I mean, she didn't finish any of them, but she was somebody that I would have been excited to see start. Yeah, she was creating, that's for sure. Okay.

And then the Japanese lineup was Shuoba in goal. She was impressive. And this was apparently her first start of the World Cup. Listen, it was their third goalie. She did so good. It was her first start of this tournament. They played two. They have not played the same keeper any of the game.

So this by all means was their third choice or their third goalie. You know, I went into the game being like, all right, we have their third goalie, but she did a great job. She was poised, commanding, looked like a Champions League winner out there. Haruna Tabata, so they did a three centerback formation, whether you call it a 532 or a 3, 5, 2, I guess it doesn't really matter. but it was Haruna Tabata, Rion, Ishikawa, and Ibuki Nagayay across the back three. The wingbacks were Mehoshi Sugisawa on the left, I'm sorry, on the right, and Shinomi Koyama on the left. And the midfield was Ayamu Oyama at the 6, Kokona, Iwasaki, and Aoba, Fujino at the 8.

And then Manaka Matsu Kubo and Yuzuki Yamamoto, on the front line, both technical and flary, especially Matsukubo. She was a problem all night long. And they did rotate some. Japan had a few players on a yellow card. So this wasn't the team that has been playing the entire tournament. Okay. I know I saw, I heard they said there were five changes,

but Matsukubo has been playing the whole tournament, right? Yeah. From what I, from the research I did, definitely. Okay. All right, let's get in the timeline. Perfect, perfect. Okay. Well, let's see how we can make this start.

So the opening three minutes are pretty even, Japan with a bit more possession, but nothing too threatening. We do look a bit disjointed like we have the past two other games. Rouse seems nervous and has cleared two balls in the very first month. which I latched on to because it was like, good God, it's the first minute. But yeah, a bit disjointed, but nothing we haven't seen so far, hoping we can, you know, shake it off a bit. Rouse was, you know, she was really good against Ghana, but I thought tonight, boy, she was, she was of all, on a team that was pretty content to just lump the ball into the mixer.

she was perhaps the most content of all. I mean, I don't know how many long ball she played at the Japanese back line, but it was more than five. Yeah, I noticed it too. She just kept kicking it right in there. And it was surprising because she may be one of our most creative players or maybe one of our most dominating players. And she just wasn't there tonight.

It felt like she was, She, more than some of the other players, really understood the stakes and just weren't up for it. Seventh minute, we get our first real chance of the game. It's Ali Sentner receiving a ball through a Japanese defender. So a little bit of a mistake, but I think it might have been Oyama. And then she cuts another defender at the top of the box looking kind of bright and has one with her left foot that is deflected and wrong foot's Oba. and it's spinning toward the net just inside the near post and Oba recovers, dives to her left, and palms it just wide.

A good play by the Japanese goalkeeper. Yeah, she pushes it just far enough to get it out. And it did feel good that we were attacking. We were hungry and Settner got in there really nicely, I thought. Yeah. But into the eighth minute, we have a good corner from Moultrie. she finds, I believe it was Mason's head, but it goes nowhere. I did want to note, though, that it felt good to see Olivia Moultrie get something from a corner kick.

It's not something we've seen too consistently in Costa Rica these past few games. And, you know, I'm latching on to anything I can just to see some hope here. Yeah, the set pieces weren't. didn't feel threatening from us, basically the whole time. Right. And then into the 10th minute, we had a great buildup, I thought, from Thompson. She's so fast. She beats a few defenders, gets the ball to Motry, and then Motry loses it.

Was that like the top of the box or just inside the box? Yeah, it was at the top of the box? Motry is in the box. Thompson gets it to the top of the box, and then Molry's in the box, and she has three or four defenders on her. She loses it pretty easily. Yeah, she didn't, she had, she was not able to unlock those moments where she was receiving the ball in the middle. I don't want to be too negative here.

Let's, let's keep moving, I guess. Yamamoto crosses it for Matsukobo, Matsukubo in the 14th minute. This is a ball played down the right wing. Yamamoto runs onto it. And her, her ball across is just out of. Matsu Kubo's reach. Pretty dangerous, though, because that's like a foot from being 0.6xG chance. Yeah.

And then almost immediately after Cooper goes down, she was, you know, in a bit of a battle, it wasn't really a foul. Cooper goes down. There's not much to note about it, but it did seem to be a reoccurring injury. She got tight in her leg a few times. you notice throughout the game. I think it was her thigh, but I did want to know it started here in the 15th minute. Okay. Yeah. She had a couple pretty nasty tangles in the late in the second half, or midway through the second half, didn't she? Yeah. And she's just, she's just so strong and

dominating. I mean, she got a few fouls called on her just because of how strong she was. And that might be, that might be wishful thanking, but she's, she's pulling people down with her. And I, I don't really see much choice in it. But, you know, we'll get there. I, um, I do think she had an okay game. It wasn't great, but she's a promising player in my book. For sure. And then, um, once Cooper gets, gets up, she shakes it off. She stays on the field. Uh, next in the 18th minute or around the 18th minute, Oba does really, really well to claim across from Alyssa Thompson after she beats two defenders up the line and hits it across. You know, a broken record here, but she's just so dynamic.

This is a great moment that showed what Thompson can do because she can really break a game open in almost no space. She shimmied past two defenders. She can turn on that speed. and it's just a whole different ballgame. And, you know, it's just so important to remember how young she is. She's in an MLF Next Academy. It's so promising from her.

That means, for those of you who didn't listen to the Ghana Recap, that means she plays on a boys' team. And, yeah, she's like the platonic idea of a classic right wing, you know? Absolutely. Very, very good at crossing. Very hard to stop. All right. There's a good diagonal in the 21st minute from Japan to an overlapping runner.

It's knocked back across the penalty area and Mason heads it down to the top of the box for I think Oiyama to have one. And she skies it. But this is a moment from Mason that I think she will want back. You can't just be nodding across down for an. on rushing opponent to have a shot from the edge of the box. It's got to be a little better than that, I think. And I thought Mason was the best of our centerbacks overall, you know? Yeah, I agree.

She was the best out of the others, but it's not like she was alone there. All we were doing in this first half was turning over balls, via with our heads or with our feet. Yeah, it was, frankly, pretty hard to watch. There just was no possession continuity, no. And some of it was, some of it looked like it was technical, you know, like just the first touch wasn't there or the or the pass was behind the intended receiver. I know that sounds like I'm talking about football, but I'm talking about soccer. I mean, in a much less articulate way, it was just sloppy the entire game.

Yeah, that actually is more articulate. Let's see. I noticed in the 24th minute We got our first good buildup Out of the back Left to right Sort of in and out The kind of passing you want to see

And we get it all We get into the I think with Rouse In the attacking half And then it's just like There's there's just nothing At that point I'm like yes

Finally we got some momentum here Playing soccer And there was just Like nothing Nothing on I think Raus gave it away. Yeah, I mean, I noted the same thing. It was a success because it was just in the 23rd minute and we finally are getting a bit of possession.

But once again, it just doesn't go anywhere. Talk about what happened in the 34th minute a little bit, would you? Because this was foreshadowing. In the 34th minute and chime in where you can because this was foreshadowing like you said, but also had a couple different interesting moving parts throughout it. So Japan gets a 2V1 off of Mason losing the ball, which she's done a few times now. But Mason's getting caught up field, and it results in Matacubo working Lily Real. And getting a shot off that Mason blocks.

I think she gets it off of her leg the first time or off of her shin. and it caused chaos in our box. It was a scramble for the ball. Japan gets another shot off, saved fairly comfortable by Mia Justice. But I was pleased that she went for it there. It looked like it could have been safe, but thank God she did go for it and played it safe. Yeah. What did you think?

Yeah, I thought, I just thought Mason looked a little, like just a little behind the pace of the game. She got the ball poked away from her, you know, back towards the Japanese goal. And then she just, she's got two runners streaming past her. And she doesn't react very quickly, you know. I mean, she reacted. She doesn't. Yeah. She doesn't react very quickly, but also she's got basically no help back there at the time.

And, you know, I'd love to just, you know, bang my head up a bit. But where are her teammates, you know? You mean help in help as? in people to pass the ball to so that she... Yeah, like it just seems like we're all just trying to kick the ball all in the same place. It was frustrating and seemed like, you know, messy again. Yeah, definitely.

And I still would like her to, you know, not get dispossessed carrying the ball just over the half line. But, yeah, I mean, there was no... It didn't seem like there was a lot of exchanging... changing movement between different players to open up space or check to the ball with energy. But I don't know. I've only watched it one time. And I think I'm only going to watch it one time.

I wouldn't recommend anybody go back and rewatch. So I'm glad you're on. But moving past it, we're at the 35 minute or around the 35th minute. Olivia Moultrie, remember she's a pro, ladies and gentlemen. She's back. We get a glimpse of what I've been begging everybody to watch in Portland. She won the ball. She keeps the ball.

We finally have possession. She gets a nice pass in. And we didn't lose the ball immediately. I mean, once again, I'm not going to bring up anything that resulted from it. But it was really, really exciting for me to see Olivia back in the game. There was still hope at this point, definitely, right? I mean, all we needed to do was get two goals. And so any little bit of shift in momentum in our favor, I think was welcome and notable.

Yeah, I was pumped to see it. I mean, Moultry hasn't had the most consistent tournament. She hasn't even had that grade of a tournament. So to see her be able to like step up a bit, get into those duels and win them, I can only see as a win for us. It's a good moment. And I'd like to highlight that for her and for our own sanity. Another decent cross from Gidre in the 45th minutes.

We work it up the wing to her on the left side. It's claimed by Oba on the dive. And then sort of a fitting end to the first half for us is Emily Mason just blasting it, you know, straight to Oba from like 70 yards away. impressive that she can kick the ball that far, but not the kind of soccer. I think we would all like to see from this team, just kicking it to nobody, sort of. So the half comes. Everybody can agree with you on that.

She kicked it directly to the opposing's keeper. It was ridiculous. But we don't need to sit there. We don't need to sit with us feelings. It's half time. And we look exhausted. I'm a little exhausted watching it, but we're still in. in it. I'm hoping we can get buyers on the field and Jaden Shawback sooner rather than later.

I am struggling to think of how else we can open up the game without them. So I'm just all in on Tracy making the right moves and getting these girls onto the field. Yeah. I'm, you know, all of this is, is, I'm ruminating on all of this as we're talking. And I just got to say that in a must-win game where we need two goals, you got to find a way to get Jaden Shaw on the field, especially, especially at the half. I just think you got to do that. We're lucky enough to have two pros right now.

I mean, Portland is top, top of. the NWSL right now and Olivia Moultry gets semi-consistent minutes. That's a huge accomplishment for the U-20 team. Right behind Portland is San Diego Wave and J. J.J. Shaw has played one professional game and she scored in the first game she played and one of the first touches she had. It's outlandish not to play our two pros, especially when we are so lucky to have them and they are doing really, really well in the league. So I'm completely with you there. I don't want to beat up on old Tracy because she, you know, she kind of looks like a Midwestern mom and I love that. I know she's from England, but I'm all about it. But my God, I can't believe she's not starting Jaden Shaw. I can't

believe she rotated so much against Ghana. There were a few major, major hiccups. And I mean, this is a fine time as any, I guess. I did read part of her press conference before the game with Netherlands. So it's our second game. We came out with a win. And she's doing some like generalized pre-game press conference. It's sure, it's sweet. It's nothing too exciting. But she did feel the need to mention that this tournament, the U-20 Women's World Cup, is not just about winning. It's about development. And, you know, on paper, I completely agree with that, especially after seeing the results and trying to find some hope in them. Sure, it's about development. But before your second game, can't you send that message to your team that we want to win? We want to

compete. We want to get out of this group. Let's go for it. And I, looking back at it, find that so troubling. I mean, because it is strictly speaking true, but... I mean, it's completely true, but I mean, like, why can't you fake it a bit? You play the game to win. Come on. Or at least send the message to, you know, the team, the families. We're excited. We're hungry.

Not just, hey, we're going to see who develops nicely in the World Cup. Yeah, you say she looks like a Midwestern mom. And I think of the principal from Matilda. Do you know that, Stuart? Yes, of course I know Matilda. I'm a woman. That's completely right and a little villainous. So I think...

Yeah, do you know the song? If you want to throw the hammer for your country. Oh, wow. This is a whole new light on her. And quite frankly, it tracks. It makes a bit of sense. The principal of Matilda is a pretty terrible person. So I'm not saying Tracy's that.

Listen, we were riffing. She is not a villain. She did an okay job. And I am hoping that she doesn't get any full promotions after this run with the U20. Yeah, I can't imagine she'll be getting any promotions. So a lot of action in the second half. 49th minute Cooper gets a yellow on a challenge after a little, a nice little passage of, I mean, slightly promising bit of.

attack that results in sentner kind of weaving down the left channel and then playing a little pass into Cooper in the box. Cooper can't quite get to it, but she does get a Japanese defender's leg, gets a yellow card. And she seems pretty frustrated because she's not getting any service and not even really getting involved in the buildup, which she did against Ghana. You know, she was dropping in and able to cook a little bit. Not tonight. Not tonight at all. Another promising moment in the well later in the 49th minute pretty much when Corbin

Albert slips Cooper in and she's streaming down the left wing and tries to cross it for Thompson who is racing at the Gold Mouth and I did sort of I did sort of get up out of my chair a little bit at that moment when Cooper tried to cross it I think she tried

to put it through the defender's legs but she couldn't she couldn't beat that first defender no I was right there with you I was like knowing how fast Tom can be. I was hoping for a bit more, but it was exciting soccer. Yeah. Then we get a good ball in the, you know, 53rd, 54th minute from Moultrie.

Splits two defenders into the channel for Cooper down the line. And Cooper plays a tap back to the top of the box for Centenor. Yeah. I mean, it's a bit of a mess in Japan's box. It does go to Sentinel. but it finds Talia one way or the other. Talia takes a strong shot, which I did find encouraging

because she hasn't had that many of those in the past few games, but it does go right to the keeper. Yeah, she did hit it well, though. We haven't mentioned Delapuruta much at all yet, and I would say she was right in line with the centerbacks in the sense that her game was sloppy, and there were some there were giveaways,

there were some nervy moments throughout the game. But, you know, plenty of effort and industry. Yeah, I found her to be playing with a bit of fear tonight, which is understandable, but of course, I'd like to see it another way. As Vince likes to say. Yeah. 55th minute goal Japan and it's a it's a sad moment for Lily Real. She takes a heavy touch bringing a ball down from the air in space and then she tries to

kind of dribble through the mistake and then gives it away to Yamamoto sort of just steps over the ball and leaves it behind. Yamamoto picks it up. She and Matsukubo are running into the area. Matsukubo receives it from Yamamoto and then cuts Mason onto her left foot and then takes a shot with her left foot that zips through Gidri's recovering outstretched legs and it's 1-0 Japan beats justice who is definitely leaning to her right expecting the shot to go expecting Matsukubo to take a shot to the left post. Do you think that that was a mistake for Mia? Yeah, I mean, clearly it was, but how did you see it from the goalie's perspective? I always give these goalkeeping matters entirely to Greg Velazquez, but I don't know.

When you hit a shot through the legs of a defender, it's always going to be tough for the goalkeeper, you know? Yeah, yeah, I didn't think it was terrible for Mia by any means. So I just was curious if you, you know, disagreed. Yeah, I didn't think it was terrible. There's probably a little bit of culpability there, but... Because the shot went right down, pretty much right down the middle of the goal, right? Yeah. Yeah, that's how I thought.

And I feel bad for Lily Real. Just... That's going to be a tough feeling. I guess the fact that Japan scored two more goals probably helps a little bit, but... It still was rough, and you could see it on Earth. face. You could feel it in how we start the game right back afterwards. It was tough for all parties.

Lily, you still have your whole life in front of you and lots of soccer to be played. So that's my message to you on the very slim chance that you ever listened to this. Japan's generating chances. Matsukubo dinks it over Mason in a scramble and then cuts in and has another shot that's blocked by Mason falls to Oyama and she ripped one down the middle. Look like Justice had it covered, but Mason blocked that one too. Yeah, and then in the 59th minute, I am standing up. I'm saying, Tracy, lady, where are the subs?

Right? I mean, we're not necessarily playing defeated, but we're nervous. We're nervous. We are frantic, a bit manic, all sorts of synonyms out there. But I'm looking for the subs. we got to get back in this thing. It's not too late. Clinging for some hope. And then I'm a mind reader. 61st minute, we get our subs. Jackson is on for Settner and we get the great Jaden Shaw on for Delapruta. And all of my joy that we're seeing these subs quickly goes out the window because

why is Jaden Shaw on for Talia? Get this girl in an attacking position. please I beg of you. Yeah. And I should say, I meant to say this at the half, but even though I think Shaw should have started, or there has to have to find a way to get around the field at least at half time, I don't know that it would have made a difference. Japan was that much better than us tonight, don't you think? Or do you disagree with me?

No, not at all. I mean, it's foolish to not say that there should have been a way for Jaden Shaw to be on the field. And like I said, I mean, I could have found a way to deal with it if she was going to come in for one of the forwards or somebody who is going to get in an attacking position. That would have have made a lot more sense to me than have her come on for our sole defensive midfielder. I mean, Talia wasn't having a fabulous game, but I personally think she could have seen it through, and it wouldn't have been that much different. I really, really prefer Jaden elsewhere.

Yeah. Maybe as one of the eights, or is that what, that's what she played against the Netherlands, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah, but I mean, it's better than the sex. Yeah. Anything. Well, maybe the thought was we're, you know,

we're just going to be throwing everybody forward. at this point the Netherlands might have been only one goal of Ghana but it might have been

3-1 by this point too I can't remember but we need goals you know like we had to throw caution of the win we needed to beat Japan

by two goals to advance it didn't seem it didn't seem likely at all but you know I guess if the thought was

we're throwing on Shaw because we're just going to sacrifice a defensive midfielder for another attack-minded player. That's fine with me, I think. Yeah, yeah, fine with me, too. You completely talked me into it. Okay, okay. I'm always going to defend Tracy Kevins, you know?

Yeah, your girl. So Cooper, there was a kind of extended break around the 62nd minute when Cooper chases down a long ball. Just another speculative long ball. She gets caught between two defenders. I think her ankle gets caught maybe. Was it her thigh?

Do you think it was her thigh again? That was my assumption. I mean, I don't know 100%, but I saw her like stretching it out a few different times. So I thought something was just going on. Well, and the Japanese goalkeeper kind of gets hurt when she and Simone Jackson collide on the ball. Jackson, you know, reaches out to poke it away.

So there's a long break. And then Oyama and, Yamamoto come off for Hamano and Amano and Micah Hamano. And then Japan scores their second goal. And it's a beaut. A short corner from Fujino to somebody. She gets it back. So from the right side.

And then skips past Simone Jackson and crosses it. And it sails right through the box received by the left wing back Shinomi Koyama on the left. you know, still inside the penalty area, but to the left of the goal. She takes a lovely first touch, I think, with the bottom of her boot to push the ball towards the goal and set herself up to shoot. And then she just hits a world-class goal, top bins, far post. Justice has no chance to zero Japan. Justice has no chance.

It was a phenomenal goal. I'm just repeating what you're saying. But I'm not too upset by it, honestly. I'm just sad for the girls out there. It's friendly reminder to all Japan are the reigning champions. This is a huge opponent. And it was simply a beautiful goal. That's all.

Yeah. You can just got to tip your cap sometimes. And then, interestingly enough, the U.S. scored a goal, right? Pretty soon after that. Yeah. Yeah. Alyssa Thompson whips a corner in. it glances off of Cooper. It crashes near the end post and Simone Jackson tucks it in,

taps it right in, point blank. I'm hoping we shake off some of the dread out there, maybe a lifeline, probably not. But let's see. It's now two to one. And I'm just happy for the girls. I'm happy for Simone Jackson. She gets her goal. It came from Melissa Thompson, who's earned this a few times now, it's good to celebrate getting a goal against such an opponent like Japan. First goal of Japan conceded all tournament. Put it on a T-shirt.

We did the thing. Yeah, I mean, some of the sickos are going to be mad at us if we don't, you know, excoriate the U.S. Soccer Federation for this failure. So we've got to be careful here. We've got to treading it. We've got to walk a thin, I've got to thread the needle. At me, U.S. soccer sickos, I'd wear that t-shirt.

I'm happy. I'm doing okay. Okay, all right. We nearly score another goal in the 78th minute, another good passage of play. We're knocking it around. I say another good passage of play. There are probably like three of those in the game. Yeah, maybe four.

Maybe four. Yeah. Shaw knocks it wide to Thompson, and she kind of chip crosses it. into the six, strokes it in there, and Jackson meets it with her head from a very advantageous position and just can't put it on frame. Right now I'm just loving Simone Jackson. She's trying. She's one of the few people out here who aren't looking deathly exhausted.

So I'm latching on to Jackson and I'm proud of her. Did you feel like we looked exhausted? Early in the first half. I felt like we were so exhausted from the very beginning. Me too. I thought we were just so tired, which, I mean, to be honest, I'm questioning a bit. But yeah, I mean, we weren't at 100%, and I feel like every single person would say that. Maybe it has something to do with the college, you know, the structure of the college game.

I don't know. The Netherlands were up 3-1 at this point, which is starting to be. kind of academic because are we going to be able to score three more goals and come back against Japan? I don't think so. What else happens? No, I don't think so either. But nobody's looking to do all that math.

So in the 81st minute, Rouse gets her second yellow card of the tournament. Who really cares? She did what she had to do. But it's important to know because she did get a bit frustrated there. Got her suck it yellow. It would be some consequences if we were looking to get out of this group, but our fate is sealed a bit here. So I don't really care, but I'm noting it just because it was an indication of, yeah, it was an indication of kind of the attitude out on the field by this point, in my mind. Yeah.

Well, were it not sealed at that point, it was definitely sealed in the 80, I guess, 85th minute when Japan scores their third. It's a ball played into Micahamano and she kind of receives it between the centerbacks in the box, not marked very closely. The ball pops up. She pops the ball up as she kind of gets into a scuffle for the the head of Haruna Tabada, who heads it in over Mia Justice, a very, like a very well-placed header, too, and a nice little piece of skill from Humano to create something as she's going down. And that's it. 3-1.

Yeah, we're done. Everyone out on the field is done. I, again, am deciding that Mia Justice deserves defending. It was a great goal. All of them have been great goals. I'm again, you know, just ready for the thing to be over. It was frustrating. The loss of the Netherlands, which was 3 to 0, felt like an unkind scoreline to us.

I thought a bit of variance here and there, a set piece, a Galasso from distance, a penalty. and so that was frustrating in its own way, but this felt much more comprehensive. Like we got spanked, basically. I completely agree. Netherlands was much more of an equal, I thought. You know, ignore the scoreline, but the game never felt like it was out of our control.

And this game, we just weren't up for it. There's nothing else to say. Our coach didn't set us up for success. The players weren't, you know, athletically ready for it, I guess I would say. They looked exhausted. I'm sure Costa Rica is very, very warm. And, you know, we were not the better team. We did not deserve to move ahead.

It was all in all, a poor game. But again, I mean, I found successes out of it. I thought that there were players worthy of speaking about and worthy of following for their next phase. Yes. It's just it wasn't in the cards for us this World Cup. Nope. And that's, you know, I think we should probably as a podcast return to the question of the future of the women's national team. But I don't feel qualified to make a bunch of statements about that based on this U-20 World Cup.

right now. But we can. You do? I don't feel I'm absolutely not qualified, but I still feel the need to say, you know, what I brought up earlier, we haven't won the U20 Women's World Cup since 2012, and we still win senior World Cups afterwards. We saw the past U20 team fail just like. Just like today's U-20 team.

And we know superstars from that 2018-20-19 cycle. Yeah. We know players that are going to be with us for a decade, at least. I mean, really, really dynamic, exciting. Youth are coming into the senior national team for the women's side with Sophia Smith, with Ashley Sanchez, with Germa. And, you know, they failed. to make it out of their group and their U20 tournament.

I'm not sweating. We have some promising talent. We didn't take this tournament seriously. That's on U.S. soccer. That's on Tracy. I don't really feel like that's on the players. Okay. Let's give our six players each who we think will make the leap to the senior

women's national team. Why don't you go first? Why don't you go first and we'll alternate. If we have any duplicates, we just have to live with that. Well, we're going to have duplicates. Yes. So let's get it out of the way. We have Moultry and Shaw.

They're pros. Are you going to say Moultry or Shaw don't make it? I'm already upset with you. Are you going to say that? I thought about leaving Moultry off the list, but I couldn't think of anybody to replace her. Okay. All right. I retract my upsetness.

We have Moultry and Shaw. And then my next player is Cooper. And I mean, from what I've seen, she's playing very well at Duke. And I loved her physicality. And I loved her, you know, just hunger for the ball. I think she's going to grow into being a great attacker. And comparing her to, you know, our Mow Pughes, our Sophia Smith. are Alex Morgans, our cats.

I do see a world where she can make that move. And I'm excited to keep track of her till then. Yeah. Maybe we should do it in how we rank the six that we have. And likely, do you have that ranking in mind? Is it like Sean Moultrie 1-2? Shaw-Multry 1-2. and then, you know, completely forget I said Cooper because she's not next.

My number three is Alyssa Thompson. My girl, love her for life. We have four of the same people on our list of six. I wonder if we go six for six on this. Okay. So who's your number four? Next up, next up for number four, I would say, I would say Michelle Cooper.

Okay. For all the reasons I listed before, again, I am getting defensive, which is outlandish of me. She didn't have the greatest World Cup. She had one goal. It was perfectly good. But I see a lot of promise in her. And I think that she's different than like a Sophia Smith, who is going to have a long, long life in the senior team. So I see her just being able to make that jump in the next few years.

Once she's done with her schooling. I see a little back to gold promise with her, you know, ability to... She's large. She's a big presence in the box. I mean, she's everything we're constantly fighting about for the men's World Cup. What does that striker look like? So I think... How dare you bring up to Men's World Cup?

I mean, geez, how can I not? How can I not? But she's something that I feel the senior team will be lacking. And, you know, I'm wildly confident in that pick right now. I just talked to myself, even further into it. Okay, so she's number four, and then number five is... Rouse. Lily Rouse, she's my number five.

Again, call off the dogs. I know she didn't have the greatest game, but she's dynamic, she's clever, she's creative, she's innovative. She will be able to make that jump from college ball to an NWSL team rather easily, I feel. I would love to know when, like, Like where in the draft she gets caught in because I think she'd be a top 10 in my mind.

Okay. Do you think she has the athleticism, like the speed? Not today, but I think that's something that we saw a promise from. I think that's something that she can work on. And I just think that her build equals that speed. Like what she has shown thus far, I think that she. can continue to build on it. The clips that I've seen, you know, she's not the most consistent, but when she gets there, she's absolutely dynamic, fire, whatever you want to say. Yeah.

She's, she is like you said at the beginning of the show, quite a creative player. And then who's your sixth? Albert. Albert, I picked because I think that the national team will be looking for, more defensive options. The women's national team is always hard to put a finger on when it comes to, you know, the switching of the guard, the new generation. When do people exit this team? Yeah. It's like one of the worst conversations to get into, but we will need more players like her. So I see her, you know, getting in, it may not be the quickest.

It may not be for a bit, but I do see her as somebody who gets in. Yeah, she's going to have to go pay her dues and NWSL for a while, won't she? Yeah. Okay. I have a lot of the same, four of the same. Shaw is my number one. Thompson's my number two. I think she just has such a clear role

and like just offers so much value in that role that the likelihood of her making a national team impact is high. And then my next one is Mia Justice. Mostly because I like the way she argued with the ref in the middle of the second half. And because she's the U.S. soccer royalty. Did you see who her cousin is?

No. Oh my gosh. Moment of silence because U.S. Soccer put out a video way too late into this tournament, introducing Mia Justice as Tim Howard's cousin. Oh, really? Tim Howard's cousin. What are we doing? Why would we ever not play Tim Howard's cousin?

We are so silly. We are so dumb. Why did they not put that video out earlier? That would have made people so excited. I'm telling you, we're just a bunch of goofs. We're still feeling our way here. Next for me is Emily Mason. I think she's going to be a good centerback.

She didn't have a great game tonight. Frankly, nobody did tonight, not Corbyn-Albert. Maybe Alyssa Thompson sort of escapes the negativity a little bit. tonight but for the most part everybody was not great so i just i think the there's a there's a chance she'll be a good centerback and make her way into the national team and then then i've got olivia moultrie i know that you're gonna you think i'm crazy for putting her down that low but i don't know i just didn't see it this tournament not not not to the not to the hype but i'll i promise I'll watch some Portland Thorns and reserve my judgment until I've done true research.

It's not really judgment. I want you to reserve. I just think you deserve to watch Portland Thorns. I think you deserve to see her true potential. That's all. Okay. Well, I do, I thank you. I do deserve that.

And my last one is Michelle Cooper. Cool. I mean, we're close enough. Yeah, pretty close. A couple years. I think that I'm filled with regret. I did not list Mia Justice. I absolutely agree.

She'll be in my runners-up. And, you know, it's quite frankly kind of dumb to bring this up in regards to, you know, this episode. But Alyssa Thompson's little sister, Jazeel, she, too signed with Nike as the youngest high school athlete. She, too, is already already signed or already committed to Stanford. I feel like the Thompson sisters

could knock out any one of our other players. And I look forward to seeing if that's correct. You know that energy that Sophia Smith and Malpue have to just get stuck in? They're athletic and they're stuck in. I get a little bit of the, that vibe with Thompson too, you know? Yeah, and I just can't wait to see more of her.

I am going to have to find a way to watch Stanford games, I guess. But, you know, I can be patient. And one last thing on Jaden Shaw for me is that she didn't play great against the Netherlands in the midfield. But even in that game, when you see her on the ball, she just sort of, sends off a signal of quality, you know? Like she's going to be hard to take. It's going to be hard to take the ball from her no matter who you are.

And she's going to find ideas and execute them. Wish we could have seen more of her tonight. It wasn't there tonight. But again, I apologize for being a broken record. But anyone listening to this still, come watch Jaden Chal play in the pros with me. watch her San Diego Wave games they're going to be great

Adam watch the San Diego Wave games with me they're going to be great I'll try I think I think it's worth it yeah well it's definitely worth it thank you Tara for

you know for being such a pleasant and healthy person in the Discord too my pleasure we said we were going to make this a short episode and we sure haven't done that. But that's okay. And you can

cut it into oblivion. It doesn't matter. We had a good, we had a good chat. We did. Well, thanks, uh, everybody for listening. We'll see ya.