3 Pilots are SA MVP's

Sophie, Michelle and Danielle all made the SA MVP list.


Portland, Stanford, and UNC each had 2 first team selections and 1 second team selection.

We get 2 back next year!

SOCCER AMERICA MVPS FIRST TEAM
G Kristin Olsen, USC, Sr.
F Lauren Cheney, UCLA, Sr.
D Whitney Engen, North Carolina, Sr.
F Michelle Enyeart, Portland, Sr.
M Tobin Heath, North Carolina, Sr.
F Melissa Henderson, Notre Dame, Soph.
D Blakely Mattern, South Carolina, Sr.
F Tiffany McCarty, Florida State, Soph.
F Kelley O'Hara, Stanford, Sr.
F Christen Press, Stanford, Jr.
M Sophie Schmidt, Portland, Jr.

SOCCER AMERICA MVPS SECOND TEAM
G Jillian Mastroianni, Boston College, Soph.
D Jordan Angeli, Santa Clara, Sr.
M Mandi Back, Dayton, Sr.
D Becky Edwards, Florida State, Sr.
F Kaley Fountain, Wake Forest, Sr.
F Danielle Foxhoven, Portland, Soph.
F Sydney Leroux, UCLA, Soph.
F Casey Nogueira, North Carolina, Sr.
D Ali Riley, Stanford, Sr.
F Jasmyne Spencer, Maryland, Soph.
D Brittany Taylor, Connecticut, Sr.

I see those teams are running the standard 2-2-6 and 4-1-5 formations.... Bold.

DaTruRochin wrote:I see those teams are running the standard 2-2-6 and 4-1-5 formations.... Bold.

And of course, Sophie spent half the year at forward, so it could be 2-1-7...

It really is indicative of how lame some of these publications are that they can't figure out how to recognize a legitmate number of defenders.

It's part of the game: indeed, many top coaches will tell you that the game is built upon strong defense.

If they don't know enough about the game to assess quality defensive players then it calls into question anything else they say about the game.

Watch a game like UP v Cal and see how Alex Morgan - fresh of a starring role in the U20 world cup - got totally shut down by Cloee (and MichO). Brilliant.

Harry Redknapp wrote:It really is indicative of how lame some of these publications are that they can't figure out how to recognize a legitmate number of defenders.

It's part of the game: indeed, many top coaches will tell you that the game is built upon strong defense.

If they don't know enough about the game to assess quality defensive players then it calls into question anything else they say about the game.

Watch a game like UP v Cal and see how Alex Morgan - fresh of a starring role in the U20 world cup - got totally shut down by Cloee (and MichO). Brilliant.

I couldn't agree more, but unless or until we start to publish defensive statistics, the vast majority of voters in these polls (who don't get to watch more than a couple of teams play regularly) can only go by the statistical summary of the game: wins, goals and assists, and saves. The defenders that get attention for team of the week are usually those who push forward and find their way onto the scoresheet, or goalkeepers who make a phenomenal number of saves.

I know that the Europeans do a much better job of documenting games statistically. Do they have any defensive metrics other than simple game ratings that could be imported?

Haha not only that, but 3 mids total?? Uhhhhh.... I guess the forwards have to dictate tempo and initiate the offense themselves....

As for defensive ratings, I have a couple fantasy EPL teams, and one through yahoo UK compiles everything from passing percentage, to total tackles won, balls lost, breakaways shut down... and I really like the Champs League and International matches where they use cameras to track the total mileage during the games.

And of course they record time of possession, SOG % and the more standard stats.