Our other Championship team

With this depth of talent, we might see Garrett employ an A-team, B-team system much like what the Blazers are using this year. I'm assuming that he would want to keep his defense together for cohesion, so each of these two sub-teams would consist of two forwards, two wings, and an attacking midfielder. Using this concept, he would play his A-team for the first 20-25 minutes or each half before gradually subbing in his B-team which would play the remaining minutes. This would spread the PT around and keep fresh legs on the pitch for the entire game.

Along these lines, I've noticed that UCLA and North Carolina are much more liberal with their substitutions than Portland has been. This probably reflects their overall depth of talent. The Tarheels also use a different keeper for each half.

That sounds like what UNC does.

Excuse me, I have to go puke....

I love this topic. Here it is two weeks till Christmas and we are already deep into debating next season's lineup. Welsome to the endless season courtesy of Pilot Nation!

Getting back to the excellent U-20 photos that were posted: The USA players are all smiles, while the North Koreans look like someone scuttled their secret nuclear program.

purple haze wrote:
Getting back to the excellent U-20 photos that were posted: The USA players are all smiles, while the North Koreans look like someone scuttled their secret nuclear program.

Haha.

Well, second place is never enviable position. Let me remind you of the USA team's reaction to placing second in the CONCACAF qualifiers


http://www.pilotnation.net/women-s-soccer-f7/canada-beats-u-20-s-in-final-t959.htm#5542

In North Korea's case, maybe somebody DID shoot their dog.

First place, is so important when you get that far. USA had the best team in Russia in 2006 (even the locals said so) but they ran into some unfamiliar gamesmanship from the Chinese in the semi and could not get a score in the first half. The Chinese played for over time and PKs the whole second half and got what they wanted. The Chinese girls were dropping like flies with the cramps and were receiving acupuncture on the side lines. Never seen that before. It was kind of a disgrace the China coach actually made a public apology to FIFA for the stalling tactics, but China won the PKs and went on to lose to Korea in the final.

The US was so heartbroken they cried for days and couldn't get their emotions together and lost to Brazil in the third place game. Koreans have alot at stake in terms of political pressure. I don't even want to think what awaited them back home.

I know this topic came up page or two back, but I haven't been to the site in a few days. Concerning Megan taking the corner kicks. I ran into the Rapinoes at a basketball game at PSU a couple of weeks ago and I asked them why with her jumping ability, Megan wasn't on the receiving end of those kicks. Rachel said because no one on the team could deliver a corner kick as well as Megan. She said making a good corner kick is harder than it looks and that Megan's skills were put to better use for the team as the kicker rather than receiver. Rachel is sharp, I hope we see her back on the bench next year in a coaching capacity.

A_Fan wrote:I know this topic came up page or two back, but I haven't been to the site in a few days. Concerning Megan taking the corner kicks. I ran into the Rapinoes at a basketball game at PSU a couple of weeks ago and I asked them why with her jumping ability, Megan wasn't on the receiving end of those kicks. Rachel said because no one on the team could deliver a corner kick as well as Megan. She said making a good corner kick is harder than it looks and that Megan's skills were put to better use for the team as the kicker rather than receiver. Rachel is sharp, I hope we see her back on the bench next year in a coaching capacity.

As evidenced by the first goal against James Madison. Shannon Mac was a great example of this: the best corner kickers can get the ball from the corner to their target spot really fast. The offense has a better idea where the ball's going than the defense; and the quicker the ball gets there, the less time the defense has to react. The goal against JMU showed just how it's supposed to work. Whether it's a corner or a free kick, especially from the side, the principle is the same. I've been wondering, too -- it has seemed to me that the Pilots scored more goals off corner kicks this year than I can remember them even coming close to in prior years. But I really have no idea. Anyone have any stats? Probably would require someone to look at all the play-by-plays from this and earlier years.

I always remember Justi Baumgardt as a terrific corner kicker. She could just place it on a dime!

This thread is derailed and halfway to bean town so I'll jump on. The most logical corner kicker to me would be Charney. Her pace was close or as good as Megan. Plus she is not tall so you wouldn't lose her height around the goal. Plus with no pressure on the ball I have a feeling she would be very accurate.

SoreKnees wrote:I always remember Justi Baumgardt as a terrific corner kicker. She could just place it on a dime!

Justi's corner kicks were fabulous. I don't think I've seen a Pilot player since (man or woman) who had corners like hers.

I have to go with Auto on corner kicks. I think Charney has the chance to be a really good/great choice for corner and free kicks.

It will be interesting to see if any of the freshmen have that kind of leg with accuracy.

A nice little article about the U-20s featuring Keelin as the centerpiece...

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=605471&sec=us&root=us&cc=5901

It offers an explaination as to why Michelle wasn't featured as much and as to why she didn't see as many minutes as one would expect, but my favorite has to be the closing quote:

Until then, for all the magic of the U-20 World Cup, one story's global ending is another's local beginning: "I, along with my Portland teammates Elli Reed and Michelle Enyeart, now know exactly what it takes to be champions," Winters said. "We have won a World Championship, but now we want to win a national championship with our team at Portland."

It will be interesting to see which of these U20 players make it to the national team. My money is on Keelin.

I can't see Kristine Lily playing another World Cup. There just might be an opening for a midfielder.

Aly Wagner will also be getting up in years (relatively speaking) by the next World Cup, and has been slowed by an injury that limited her in the Olympics. This might open another midfield spot on the WNT.