QF 2: Les Bleues v La Résistance

[Janik]

Yay diving! Proper world cup now!

Bigger stakes, innit?

[Hot Pepsi]

I understand the reasoning, and Jill Ellis may be replaced should the US lose, but I don't think there would be any structural changes made in the US.

Rory Smith of the NYT said a lot of smart things on the Second Captains podcast today, most importantly for me about how the US dominance in women's soccer is seriously under threat by European nations getting their programs together, and how much of that is down to our still persisting with collegiate soccer. Obviously the women's professional game in the US, where there's even less money and stability than in MLS, isn't ready to set up academies bringing in kids still in middle school and getting them on a path to becoming professionals after high school, so NCAA soccer is even more important for women than it is for men. And that's been fine for a long time, but with more European clubs starting to spend money on their women's teams, it looks like it's just a matter of time where it starts to look like men's professional soccer where Europe is the absolute pinnacle, and all of the other talented players from around the world are hoping to go there.

That's what I said upthread. Or maybe a different thread. He stole it from me! (unlikely).

Because of Title IX and the need to balance out all the scholarships that go to football (85 at the FBS level, less than that, but still a lot, at the FCS level) there are more scholarships available for women. Women's soccer gets 14 and men's get 9.9. Not many - perhaps no - men's soccer players get a full-ride. And, because of Title IX, there are a lot fewer men's D1 teams than women's teams. And because there are so many teams handing out scholarship money to so many players, the level of competition is a bit diluted relative to the men's side, let alone what it would be if it were a professionalized set-up and the top young players were all playing in the systems of top club teams.

And they play too few matches overall and yet too many in a short time in the fall. So it promotes injuries while not promoting game-experience very much. There are proposals to change that, but they're not going anywhere.

It's good for keeping schools in compliance with Title IX. It's good for convincing parents to spend a shit ton of money on travel teams etc in the hopes their daughter gets a college scholarship (no, the math on that does not work out). It's good for coaches who make a big chunk of their wages running summer camps and clinics. And its very good for all the players who are good enough to get a D1 scholarship but not good enough to play for the national team or a pro team.

But it's neither good for the development of pros nor is it particularly good for attracting fans.

[Incandenza]

Dunn is not handling Diani very well.

[Janik]

She did literally handle her a few minutes ago. As in man-handle. If Diani had flopped a yellow card was pretty likely.

[Janik]

Oof! Wrong sport, O'Hara. Would have been good on the rink...

[Patrick Thistle]

Mrs Thistle says it doesn't feel quite right supporting France. Nevertheless...

[delicatemoth]

Janik, I had absolutely no idea. I hardly ever hear BBC commentary (I watch streams, and when I can I go for commentary in a language I don't understand, and I usually listen to music at a level where I can hear the crowd but not the commentators) and it didn't occur to me that Pearce would still be anyone's choice to commentate anything. My ideal commentator would restrict themselves to very softly announcing goals, sendings off, substitutions and possibly penalties, and the half time analysis would consist of a single camera locked onto the pitch while the groundspeople poke it with their forks.

tl;dr - most matches I've watched so far have been from Dutch or possibly Belgian telly and I had just forgottem Pearce existed

[Patrick Thistle]

Has Hope Solo dressed for a film premiere?

[Incandenza]

Oof! Wrong sport, O'Hara. Would have been good on the rink...

Absolutely perfect pick if this was basketball

[Janik]

After the explosive first 15, the game has got more cagey. Mostly because the US can sit back, absorb and look to hit on the counter. Neither 'keeper has a serious save to make since it there been a clear cut chance.

[Janik]

Rachel Brown-Finnis "I never feel sorry for Bouhhadi!"

Anyone know if something specific is being referenced there?

[ursus arctos]

She shut England out in the group stages in 2015 and I believe had already done that before.

I'm not aware of any real beef, though.

[Nocturnal Submission]

Camera focuses on the dignitaries, including Infantino and Collina. "The bigwigs are here tonight," says Pearce, probably not realising that he'd cracked a funny.

[Incandenza]

Best be ready, England

[Kevin S]

That'll do it. Really nice move.

[Incandenza]

Tobin Heath makes things happen

[Patrick Thistle]

Well there you go. Can't see France coming back now

[Kevin S]

Best be ready, England

The odds and expectations before the tournament were all suggesting that England would lose the semi final to the US. Expectations have been met now, anything else is a bonus.

[Patrick Thistle]

Wendy Renard isn't doing her reputation any favours

[Patrick Thistle]

Flip. That was a marginal offside.

Yay! Delphine!

[Incandenza]

Damn offside, what a move that was

[Incandenza]

Uhh...that was offside?

[San Bernardhinault]

US look particularly good when they're ahead and they're exploiting gaps. This has been an enjoyable match so far, helped by there not being any VAR crap, including that bad offside on the non-goal just now.

[Patrick Thistle]

HEADER!

[Incandenza]

Oh boy...