W Soccer: Sophia Smith named to USWNT training camp team

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RE: W Soccer: Sophia Smith named to USWNT training camp team - ColoradoTree - 01-16-2020

(01-16-2020, 12:41 PM)Farm93 Wrote:
(01-16-2020, 12:16 PM)teejers1 Wrote: Is Rapinoe all that, or a little long in the tooth?
When watching the WC last time, I thought Press looked better - more speed, pushed the action more, etc. - throughout the tourney.

Give me the Youth Movement and Smith (and yes, I'm biased pro-Stanford).

P.S. For same reason, I agree with you re: Lloyd, though she might be the definition of "gamer."
I thought the USWNT had more or less declared they would try to bring in some younger players now as they transition to 2023 prep. It is always a hard topic to discuss, but the USWNT was older than most in the 2019 World Cup. As they say...Father time is undefeated.

It will be hard. It will be political. Not sure if Sophia Smith needs to be part of the youth movement in 2020. I would expect that the 2023 team will have several players that were not part of the 2019 effort, and a few Stanford players will likely be part of that new generation.

Using the 2020 Olympics to start that transition is an option. It is also possible to let this current great group to have one last high profile tournament together.

Given the short turnaround between the World Cup and the Olympics, there's usually not much in the way of roster change between a World Cup and an Olympics. The changes tend to happen after the Olympics, when players look up and see three years before the next major international tournament.

Like I wrote earlier in this thread, it can totally happen, and it has happened--e.g., Dunn, Pugh, Long, and Horan joining the 2016 Olympic team. But we saw a ridiculous number of retirements/pregnancies/injuries after the World Cup then, and we're just not seeing that now. (No one has retired from last year's title team, and only Morgan is pregnant, as far as I know.)

I'd expect to see more of a youth movement after the Olympics. After all, by the time of the 2023 World Cup, Lloyd would be 41, Sauerbrunn 38, and several other mainstays 35 or older.

VG, agreed with what you wrote about Rapinoe/Lloyd, but I still think Vlatko will find it impossible to leave off the reigning Ballon d'Or winner. It's not an easy task to settle on the forward group, and I don't envy him that.

RE: W Soccer: Sophia Smith named to USWNT training camp team - ColoradoTree - 01-17-2020

The 20-player Olympic qualifying roster is out--to be clear, this is not the final Olympic roster, just the qualifying roster for the tournament coming up on Jan. 28-Feb. 9--and Sophia Smith isn't on it. The forwards who are: Carli Lloyd, Tobin Heath, Megan Rapinoe, Christen Press, Jessica McDonald, and Lynn Williams. No Mallory Pugh, either! You have to figure either McDonald or Williams doesn't make the final Olympic roster, and if Morgan is back healthy, then both of them are off. To be honest, I figured we'd see Smith make this roster, and then be one of the final cuts. The decision to leave early still makes financial and soccer sense if she's deemed a USWNT player for the upcoming NWSL season, though, and I think she will be. Plus, she should be back on the 23-player She Believes Cup roster, and she may get a chance to show her stuff there and convince Vlatko she's ready.

And in a bigger surprise, Tierna Davidson isn't on it. The defenders who are: Kelley O'Hara, Crystal Dunn, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Abby Dahlkemper as the four starters, and then Emily Sonnett and Ali Krieger as the reserves. I'm stunned by that. There are four outside backs and just two center backs in that group. I'd assumed Krieger didn't have a shot, and I'll still be surprised to see her make the final roster. With Davidson's ability to play both center back and outside back, I figured she was a shoo-in given the shrunken roster size. But she did suffer a nasty ankle sprain at the end of the fall, so Vlatko may not think she's quite ready yet. I don't think she's done as far as the Olympics are concerned, since there's still the She Believes Cup in March. It just might have been too much to count on giving her significant minutes in these qualifying matches. Assuming she continues to heal up, she'll be on the Olympic roster. Having two spare outside backs might be O'Hara injury insurance, too.

In the midfielders, Andi Sullivan makes it along with Julie Ertz, Rose Lavelle, Lindsey Horan, and Sam Mewis. As I guessed, Sullivan beat out Morgan Brian and Allie Long for the spot, and I think this group is pretty well set for Tokyo, barring injury. Congrats to Andi!

The goalkeepers are the same as at the World Cup: Alyssa Naeher, Ashlyn Harris, and Adrianna Franch. Our own Jane Campbell appears to be a clear #4, but after this Olympic cycle, she should move up to #3 with Harris moving on. It's a near certainty that we won't take three keepers to the Olympics, so if I had to guess, I'd say Harris doesn't end up making the final roster.

https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2020/01/andonovski-names-20-player-roster-for-2020-concacaf-womens-olympic-qualifying

So, in the end, it's three Stanford players on the roster: O'Hara, Press, and Sullivan. I'd figured four with Davidson, and I still feel good about that for the actual Olympic roster. It'll be interesting to see how many minutes McDonald and Williams get in the qualifying matches to see if they're there purely as established NWSL goalscorers who Vlatko felt he could count on in a surprisingly tight match. Recall that the NWSL season starts in April, so Smith still has a chance if she (1) does well at the She Believes Cup, (2) and comes out firing in the NWSL.

RE: W Soccer: Sophia Smith named to USWNT training camp team - Treefence - 01-17-2020

ColoradoTree beat me too it. Sad to see Smith, Davidson, and Campbell not on the roster, but still 3 alums is solid.

RE: W Soccer: Sophia Smith named to USWNT training camp team - ColoradoTree - 01-17-2020

(01-17-2020, 09:34 AM)Treefence Wrote: ColoradoTree beat me too it. Sad to see Smith, Davidson, and Campbell not on the roster, but still 3 alums is solid.

I still think Davidson has a good shot, though. Just gotta get that ankle right, and one would assume she'd be right back in the mix. Four outside backs and just two center backs doesn't make a ton of sense, so bringing a CB who can play outside is an obvious play. (That said, Sonnett was a CB in college and at club level, and it was Jill Ellis who moved her outside, so Sonnett might be that player.) If either Dahlkemper or Sauerbrunn gets injured, you might be moving Ertz back there, and that leaves an already smallish MF group even more shorthanded.

I'd be surprised if Krieger makes the final Olympic roster. And while it's unfortunate for the newly married couple, I think her wife (Ashlyn Harris) joins her in being left off the final roster.

RE: W Soccer: Sophia Smith named to USWNT training camp team - Treefence - 01-17-2020

With Smith officially moving on next year and the recruiting class announced, anyone want to take a shot at our starting 11 for next year? I think a lot of the spots are pretty well set, but there are definitely some openings. I'll give my roster below, this is assuming a traditional 4/3/3 formation, with a more attacking look from the midfield. I'll do my best to keep the formation visual correct, though I'm not sure how the formatting will come out: The numbers will be the traditional position numbers (I.E. 9 is a striker)

11: Catarina Macario 9: Madison Haley 7: Civana Kuhlmann

10: Maya Doms 8: Astrid Wheeler

6: Belle Briede

3: Kennedy Wesley 5: Naomi Girma 4: Madison Ayson 2: Kiki Pickett

1: Katie Meyer

Notes: I'm moving Macario back to forward, though she played most of last year at midfield. That could change depending on depth at both spots. Obviously these things can be fluid and she can switch back and forth. At right wing I could see Abbey Greubel ahead of Kuhlmann, but that could be an interesting position battle. I think Doms earned a starting roll at midfield, she was great as the season went on. Wheeler is a freshman, but clearly our top recruit and should be able to contribute right away. If she isn't quite a starter early, then maybe Greubel tries the left wing and Macario stays at midfield? Belle Briede was our holding midfielder most of last year and will likely keep her position. At defense Girma and Pickett are locks as starters, they are two of the best in the country. Wesley started slow, but got better as the year went on, I think this year she should lock herself in there. The center back position next to Girma is a brobdingnagian question mark for me. We don't have an elite recruit coming in, and we don't have anyone else with great starting experience that I know of. That should be another good competition, that could extend through the season.

RE: W Soccer: Sophia Smith named to USWNT training camp team - BobK - 01-23-2020

https://www.justwomenssports.com/reads/interview-sophia-smith

Interesting story on why Smith went pro

RE: W Soccer: Sophia Smith named to USWNT training camp team - ColoradoTree - 01-23-2020

And while she's not on the USWNT Olympic qualifying tournament roster, I believe she's still in camp with all the players who are, so she's still getting her chance to show what she can do. The upside is that these group stage games (against Haiti, Costa Rica, and Panama) won't tell Vlatko much about how good his team is, so if, say, Lynn Williams or Jessica McDonald scores a couple of goals against an overmatched opponent, it shouldn't matter too much to Vlatko in setting the final Olympic roster, so it shouldn't set Smith back too much. If I'm Vlatko, I'm far more interested in how players look in training (where Smith will get similar looks to those two) and the likely final against Canada (in which McDonald and Williams are unlikely to feature anyway, since our starting XI will be out there for most of that one). The downside, of course, is she won't be able to prove what she can do in those games, and even those lopsided group games are still opportunities to develop a sense of timing with the other players and better understand their tendencies.

RE: W Soccer: Sophia Smith named to USWNT training camp team - ColoradoTree - 02-11-2020

So, now that WCQ has come and gone, we can assess Smith's roster chances. Now, she'll probably be back in the mix for the She Believes Cup with those expanded rosters, but if the hope here was for Williams or McDonald to not get much playing time or to not impress when they did get on the field, that's all out the window.

Williams was good. She started the final against Canada, had two assists, and scored a screamer of her own, so she figured into all three goals. In the semi against Mexico (which was the one that mattered, since winning it clinched an Olympic berth and losing it meant you were out), Vlatko went with what seems to be our current first-choice XI, so Williams started on the bench, but she came on in the 68th minute after we went up 3-0.

For her part, McDonald stayed on the bench for the key match against Mexico. She started against Canada (in what seemed like a "screw you guys, we can beat you with our B lineup" kinda move), but was subbed off in the 62nd minute when we were trying to inject some life and get an insurance goal; Rapinoe came on for her. McDonald scored a couple of times in the group stage, but so did Williams, and Williams had more assists.

I think Lynn Williams just played her way onto the Olympic roster, though. She's been delivering in NWSL for years, she finally got her chance at the USWNT lineup, and she's seized the opportunity. With Press, Heath, Rapinoe, and Lloyd also locks, then I just don't see a path for Smith after the tournament Williams just had. And Alex Morgan still says she's going to try and come back and make the team, so if she seems ready and match fit, then she's awfully tough to leave off, too. (I don't doubt her ability to come back and be ready to contribute, but with the pre-Olympic calendar, there just aren't a lot of opportunities for Morgan to work her way back into match fitness for a full 90 minutes. So whether you'd rather have Morgan for 30 minutes a game or Williams for 90 may factor in. Of course, if they're going to be subs either way, then maybe it doesn't matter and you have Morgan in the 2015-Wambach-style "late impact sub" role.)

Of course, immediately after the Olympics, you might see some retirements. Lloyd won't be on the next World Cup roster, so whether she retires right after the Olympics or whether she sticks around for some farewell friendlies or some such, the future doesn't include her. I don't think Rapinoe or McDonald will be, either. Press and Heath might have one more cycle in them. But inside of a year, expect Smith to be solidly on the USWNT roster. Just not yet.

RE: W Soccer: Sophia Smith named to USWNT training camp team - ColoradoTree - 02-11-2020

For her part, Andi Sullivan didn't play against Canada or Mexico in the matches that really mattered. In the group stage, she didn't play against Costa Rica or Haiti, but she did start and play the full 90 minutes against Panama.

I'd assumed the group of midfielders was pretty set, though. Hard to imagine you'd feel comfortable going to Tokyo with just Ertz, Lavelle, Horan, and Mewis. They're great, of course, but an injury means you're screwed. Sullivan makes a lot of sense as primarily a backup to Ertz who can also effectively back up anywhere else in the midfield. I still feel good about her inclusion, but staying on the bench for 4 out of 5 games isn't exactly ideal.

And thinking about Tierna Davidson, here's what we saw from the defenders' usage in this tournament. Against Mexico--again, the game that really mattered--the first-choice back line (Dunn, Sauerbrunn, Dahlkemper, O'Hara) played the full 90 minutes. Against Canada, Sauerbrunn and O'Hara (the starters who you'd be most concerned about from an injury/wear and tear perspective) were on the bench, while O'Hara came on when it was a 2-0 lead to help lock it down. Dunn and Dahlkemper still started and were joined by Krieger as a center back and Sonnett as an outside back.

Against Costa Rica, Sauerbrunn sat again, Sonnett, Dahlkemper, and Krieger played the full 90, while O'Hara came on for Dunn in the 55th. Against Panama, O'Hara sat the full 90, Sonnett, Krieger, and Sauerbrunn played the full 90, and Dahlkemper came on for Dunn in the 62nd. Against Haiti, Krieger sat the full 90, Dunn, Dahlkemper, and Sauerbrunn played the full 90, and Sonnett came on for O'Hara in the 81st.

In other words, the first-choice back line seems clear, but both Sonnett and Krieger got long looks at this qualifying tournament. Maybe a healthy Davidson is ahead of them, but I just don't know. Next year, she's absolutely ahead of Krieger, at least. But right now? Not so clear. I tend to think Krieger is the easiest defender to leave off, but we'll see.

RE: W Soccer: Sophia Smith named to USWNT training camp team - oldalum - 02-11-2020

I think Krieger actually played herself off of the team, but that may be just wishful thinking on my part.

RE: W Soccer: Sophia Smith named to USWNT training camp team - ColoradoTree - 02-12-2020

(02-11-2020, 03:18 PM)oldalum Wrote: I think Krieger actually played herself off of the team, but that may be just wishful thinking on my part.

She wasn't great against Canada, that's for sure. It'll be interesting to see the roster decisions around the She Believes Cup early next month. If Davidson's back healthy, her ability to play a better brand of CB than Krieger showed should give her a great chance.

You've got your starting 4, and then you bring Davidson primarily as a backup CB who can play outside if necessary and Sonnett primarily as a backup outside back who can play inside if necessary. There. Done. You're welcome, Vlatko.

RE: W Soccer: Sophia Smith named to USWNT training camp team - ColoradoTree - 02-17-2020

OK, well, Sophia Smith definitely isn't making the Olympic roster now. US Soccer just announced the SheBelieves Cup training camp roster, and she's not on it. Only one forward not on the Olympic Qualifying roster is on there, and it's Mallory Pugh.

Just one more midfielder, too, but here there's a surprising bit of good news--it's Stanford's own Jordan DiBiasi!

And one more goalkeeper--our own Jane Campbell!

Three additional defenders added to the roster from qualifying, suggesting Vlatko isn't settled on his options there--Tierna Davidson (welcome back!), Margaret Purce, and Casey Short. Again, I think the starting four of Dunn-Sauerbrunn-Dahlkemper-O'Hara is well-established, so this should be setting off major alarm bells for Emily Sonnett and Ali Krieger. I think 6 defenders make the final roster, so it will be fierce competition for those last two spots.

There's zero chance (absent injuries) that either Campbell or DiBiasi make the Olympic roster, but it's still a great sign for future World Cup cycles that they're being included now. And that's DiBiasi making the roster over World Cup winners Morgan Brian and Allie Long, suggesting Vlatko has seen about all he needs to see from those two (and that they're highly unlikely to be called back in given the good, young group we have at midfield).

So, that's a 26-player roster with 6 former Cardinal on it. I'll take it!

Sakibomb25 - Sakibomb25 - 02-17-2020

Do you think Smith should still have left school early, given the USWNT situation?

RE: W Soccer: Sophia Smith named to USWNT training camp team - oldalum - 02-17-2020

I think she wanted to play in the NWSL over another college season, which will probably help her develop faster than she could at Stanford. I hope the decision was not based on making the USWNT immediately, that was not going to happen based on the players ahead of her in the forward position.

RE: W Soccer: Sophia Smith named to USWNT training camp team - ColoradoTree - 02-18-2020

(02-17-2020, 09:43 PM)oldalum Wrote: I think she wanted to play in the NWSL over another college season, which will probably help her develop faster than she could at Stanford. I hope the decision was not based on making the USWNT immediately, that was not going to happen based on the players ahead of her in the forward position.

Yeah, I assume she did this knowing (1) she'd be the first pick, and (2) she wouldn't make the Olympic roster absent a few injuries, but (3) she'd have a leg up in a forward group without Lloyd or maybe Rapinoe after the Olympics.

Financially, I don't think it's the soundest decision for her, but if the extra year of NWSL means she's a more established USWNT player for longer? Then it makes sense. It's going to be hard to find time to come back to finish the degree, though, unless she waits until she's all the way done playing soccer. With the NWSL calendar, the spring, summer, and autumn quarters are out, and winter quarter is going to run up against the standard January USWNT camp and January friendlies, prepping for the SheBelieves Cup in February/March, doing Olympic qualifying every four years. The reality is that despite what she and Tierna say about coming back to finish their degrees, it's going to be very difficult to find the time to spend a few months in a row on campus until their playing careers are over.

RE: W Soccer: Sophia Smith named to USWNT training camp team - oldalum - 02-19-2020

(02-18-2020, 11:31 AM)ColoradoTree Wrote: despite what she and Tierna say about coming back to finish their degrees, it's going to be very difficult to find the time to spend a few months in a row on campus until their playing careers are over.

That's fine, they can come back when they're done playing and help coach up the team while they're here, a la Casey Jacobsen!

Jacobsen returns to Stanford

RE: W Soccer: Sophia Smith named to USWNT training camp team - ColoradoTree - 02-20-2020

The list of NWSL "allocated players" (meaning those players whose salaries are subsidized by either the U.S. or Canadian federation) came out, and Tierna Davidson is added to the list for this year, but Sophia Smith is not. Not a brobdingnagian shock, as I believe Mallory Pugh is the only player who was an allocated player her rookie season. Another sign that while Smith is a future star in this league and for the USWNT, she's not quite there yet. The surprises to me were Lynn Williams and Andi Sullivan being left off the list, when I think both of them are favored to make the Olympic roster over some players who are still allocated (like Allie Long and Morgan Brian, most notably).