Awards and Honors: Wambach Named FIFA Women’s Player Of The Year

All the drama and anticipation of the FIFA Ballon d’Or gala is finally over.  Despite the ridiculous shunning of Christine Sinclair from an award that was arguably hers, a still deserving candidate was selected today in Abby Wambach.  Now all that Wambach is missing from her trophy case is a WWC title.  Wambach will have the opportunity for an amazing narrative heading into Canada in 2015.  Should the USWNT add another star to the jersey in Canada, Wambach could end her career having done it all, just as her mentor, Mia Hamm, did with her career.

An Elite Club: Wambach is only the second American to win the award, and is the first non-consecutive winner.

The final standings for the women’s Ballon d’Or were: 1. Abby Wambach (USA)  2. Marta (BRA) 3. Alex Morgan (USA) 4. Homare Sawa (JPN) 5. Christine Sinclair (CAN) 6. Carli Lloyd (USA) 7. Camille Abily (FRA) 8. Aya Miyama (JPN) 9. Miho Fukumoto (JPN) 10. Megan Rapinoe (USA)

Of course, to win the award Wambach had to receive the highest percent of total votes.  Votes come from three main groups: national team captains, national team coaches, and media members.  Each country with a FIFA team gets one vote per group.  An interesting note is that many of these teams know little of the players they are voting for, except for name recognition.  This leads to an astonishing breakdown* of votes within the groups and overall.

Captains’ Votes:

Abby Wambach lead the captain’s votes, as well as all other groups, with a total of 5.68 percent.  Second place here went to Marta. This may seem surprising as Alex Morgan was considered the favorite to win the award.  Even more surprising is that Morgan didn’t even finish third in the Captains votes.  That place went to last year’s winner Homare Sawa.

To explain this its important to look at the countries Marta and Sawa are receiving votes from.  Among others, Marta recieved votes from Albania, Comoros, Suriname, and Tajikistan. Sawa recieved votes from countries such as Vanuatu, Kyrgyzstan, and Mauritius.  To say that those votes were not recieved simply because of name recognition, or in the case of Sawa, carry over from the last year, would be insane.

Also interesting are the ballots of each candidates’ home country captain.  US captain Christie Rampone voted Alex Morgan number one, and filled out the rest of her ballot with US team members Abby Wambach and Megan Rapinoe.  Japan captain and candidate Aya Miyama did the same, voting for team members Homare Sawa and Miho Fukumoto.  In the case of Christine Sinclair and Marta, they were both their country’s captain and lone candidate, neither one voted for their self.

Coaches’ Votes:

When comparing the coaches’ votes to the captains’ votes I expected to find a decent amount of continuity in vote percentages.  However, while 1st, 2nd, and 3rd were the same combination of Wambach, Marta, and Sawa, Alex Morgan drops to 5th in the coaches percent totals.  4th astonishingly goes to Japanese goalkeeper Miho Fukumoto, who placed no better than 7th in the other two polls.

Coaches also didn’t vote for their players which was seen in the captain’s polls.  With the exception of Canada’s John Herdman and USA’s Jill Ellis, no other coach gave one of their players a first place vote.

Another drop in the coaches polls was Christine Sinclair.  While she placed 5th in the captains’ vote, Sinclair fell to 7th in the coaches, the lowest she placed in any of the polls.

Media Votes:

The media poll is where thing really get interesting.  Abby Wambach totaled her highest vote percentage in this category with 8.06 percent, but the second place finished in the group was not Marta or Sawa.  Second place went to the USA’s Carli Lloyd, who had 4.63 percent of the votes.  Alex Morgan and Christine Sinclair tied for 3rd in the group with 4.17 percent.

Looking at all the vote totals it seems that there is really no consistency within the countries when it comes to their votes, or even consistency within the groups themselves.  This relates back to the issue of name recognition.  I question whether Christine Sinclair would have won even if FIFA hadn’t snuffed her out of a chance.

Overall, the Ballon d’Or went to a more than deserving candidate.  However, I do hope that in the future, voters for the award are more knowledgable of the candidates.  I’m not sure this job falls to FIFA, but rather to the voters themselves.  I think the issue of basing the vote off of name recognition has contributed to the repetitive nature of the award.  As I stated earlier, this year marks the first time there has not been a repeat winner of the women’s Ballon d’Or.  Perhaps Wambach can put up another impressive performance and get the streak back on track, but until then there is lots of soccer to be played.

*Vote percentage breakdown can be found here: http://www.fifa.com/ballondor/live/index.html?intcmp=newsreader_news_box_1

Reacts and Recaps: Women’s Olympic Soccer Medalists

When I sat down this morning to write a post, I had planned on writing my thoughts on FIFA’s lack of actions towards Melissa Tancredi.  In fact, I had even written out the whole post and had it ready to publish.  However, when I was watching those women’s soccer teams step up on the podium and receive their medals this afternoon, I realized that should not be the focus of this tournament.  We should be celebrating the accomplishments of those players, and the quality soccer they played, not nitpicking the refereeing or talking about FIFA’s various investigations.  So I scrapped the other article.  Call me a romanticist if you want, but I just didn’t think that article had a place in today’s celebrations.

BRONZE MEDALISTS – Canada Women’s National Team

The strides this team has made since last summers Women’s World Cup are unmatched.  This team didn’t make it out of group stage and was destroyed by the France 4-0. Yes, the same France team they beat 1-0 for the bronze medal.  Take into account the mindset that takes.  They lose a heartbreaker to the US, and after 120 minutes of physically grueling soccer they have to play the same team that embarrassed them a year ago.  John Herdman may consistently put his foot in his mouth, but the man can coach.  Women’s soccer in Canada is at a level it has never been at before, and with the Women’s World Cup heading there in 2015, the potential is endless.

“See The Rise”: The CanWNT have definitely risen over the past year, earning their first ever medal in Women’s soccer.

Standout Player:  Who else but the golden boot winner Christine Sinclair.  Six goals in six games for Sinclair, including an amazing hat trick at the theatre of dreams.  Sinclair has scored the most goals of any player against Hope Solo, which is no small feat, and has moved herself past Abby Wambach for second place on the all time international goals scored list, trailing only the legendary Mia Hamm.  Christine Sinclair is a legend in her own right, and as ex-USWNT member Kate Markgraf put it: “Everything is right in the world when Sinclair gets a medal.”

Captain Canada: An emotional Christine Sinclair celebrates her team’s win over France.

SILVER MEDALISTS – Japan Women’s National Team

The Nadeshiko were looking to be the first team to win the World Cup and follow that up with Olympic gold.  Sadly for them, it still stands that no team has accomplished that feat.  Not to diminish Japan’s silver medal.  In a sport that has been dominated internationally by Germany and Brazil (and the US of course) they have stepped up and shown that they aren’t just some Cinderella story.  Two top two finishes in major tournaments is no joke.  The nation of Japan is noticing too, and the women’s game is gaining a lot of momentum.  Japan’s lady footballers didn’t have the same class seats as the men’s team on the way over, but that seems sure to change on their plane home.

Flying High: The Japanese’s sides silver medal is the team’s first ever Olympic medal in Women’s soccer.

Standout Player:  It has to be Yuki Ogimi.  Ogimi and the rest of Japan were disappointed with her World Cup performance, despite the World Cup title to her name.  The forward took the criticism as fuel for this Olympic games, and came out on fire.  She lead the team with three goals and that tied her for fourth place on the tournament’s list of top women’s scorers.  Its safe to say that Ogimi has more than exceeded expectations with her play this Olympics, and she deserves recognition.

The Nadeshiko Way: With her performance this Olympics, Ogimi was a huge factor in Japan’s appearance in the final.

GOLD MEDALISTS – United States Women’s National Soccer Team

Not only did the USWNT get their redemption, they captivated a nation once again.  Over 2 million viewers watched their epic semifinal agains Canada, and today over 80,000 filled the seats of Wembley, a place where women’s soccer was once banned, to watch the rematch of last year’s World Cup final.  No team has provided as much excitement as the USWNT over the past year.  Once their medal had been won, they brought out the champions t-shirts which read: “Greatness Has Been Found.”  However I would argue that greatness was never lost, today it was simply proven, or rather reaffirmed by the number one women’s soccer team in the world.

Dreaming In Gold: The USWNT are the three-peat champions of women’s Olympic soccer.

Standout Player: The woman, the myth, the legend.  Abby Wambach.  The emotional leader of the USWNT said she started training as soon as she stepped off the podium in Germany, and it showed.  Wambach finished the tournament second on the leading goal scorers list with five goals, and scored in every game but the final (she probably would have scored had Carli Lloyd not headed the ball at the last moment).  Despite her age or injuries, the forward continues to be a rock for the USWNT, and now that the despair of last summer is behind her, who knows what she can do next.

“I can rest assured that the rest of my life won’t be spent in nightmare status.” – Abby Wambach

After an amazing tournament hopes are that the women’s game can continue to grow.  Yesterday plans for a new women’s soccer league for 2013 were announced, and with the momentum the game is gaining the future looks positive.  Who is ready for Canada 2015?

Game On: Women’s Soccer Semifinals Preview

Hello again!  What a day of soccer yesterday was.  Four teams eliminated and the final four are left.  I’m going to follow the same structure as my article on the quarterfinals:  some basic info, players to watch, and who will win it.  This time I’m hoping to give a little more info since there is only two games to cover and not four, which can be a little overwhelming.  Here we go!

Game 1: France vs Japan, 11AM Central Time

In the quarterfinals, Japan ousted the Samba Queens with basically no problems.  The looked sharp and their coaches plan of tying to not travel seems to have worked in their favor.  Not only did they face a down and out Brazil team, that’s a whole other article waiting to happen, but they get to play France instead of the US, which is exactly what they wanted.  That being said, I wouldn’t overlook this France team.  After being beat by the US in comeback style, they took a page out of their opponents book with a comeback 2-1 win over Sweden in their quarterfinal game.  France has a lot of speed at every position, and a lot of momentum coming from that win.  Both teams are poised to win this one.

Players to watch:

France’s Laura Georges has been a spark for this team both offensively and defensively, much like Stephanie Houghton was for Great Britain during their tournament run.  Georges has done things a bit differently though, really making her impact on set pieces such a corners.  When you look at the height differential Japan has with most teams, it’s obviously one of their weaknesses, that’s exactly where Georges can take advantage.  The 5’7” defender will be able to get on the end of France’s corners and put it into the net, as she did against Sweden to tie up the game.  As a central defender, Georges must shut down Japan’s precision passing for France to win.  Things are looking good in that department, as the French defense has only been scored on once in the last 294 minutes of play.   Georges has had a lot to do with that stat.

More than a defender: Laura Georges has scored twice in the last three matches, helping France lock up a semifinal spot.

On the other side of the pitch, Japan’s Yuki Ogimi has shown herself as an entirely different player after her self-proclaimed disappointing Women’s World Cup.  The striker was involved in both of Japan’s goals against Brazil, scoring one and assisting on the other.  Ogimi has been relatively quiet so far this tournament, but she turned her game on when it mattered most.  This is why she could be a huge factor come Monday.  With Japan’s passing oriented game, Ogimi is usually plays a holding forward to move the ball up the field.  But once her job there is done, she can release and get into the box for a cross or a ricochet from another teammate’s shot.  France’s keeper Bouhaddi was strong last game, but she has been known to make massive mistakes in a crowded box.  Look for Ogimi to capitalize on those mistakes to put her team in the final.

Don’t call it a comeback: Ogimi was disappointed with her showing in the Women’s World Cup, but she seems to be back on the right track after Friday’s win.

Who wins: France.  Call it an upset pick it you wish, but the main reason I see France winning is that their bench is much better than Japan’s.  When you’re in a high level tournament with so many games close together, the bench is the difference.  France has Eugenie Le Sommer and Camille Abily coming off the bench currently, while on some other squads they would be starting without question.  France also didn’t even utilize sub Laure Boulleau in their last game.  Look for the French speed to overtake Japan’s possession oriented style, and book their spot in the finals.

Game 2: Canada vs USA, 1:45PM Central Time

This game is going to be absolutely amazing.  These teams are familiar with each other, having played two games already this year.  One was a 4-0 win by the US at CONCACAF Olympic qualifiers, and the other a 2-1 win by the US in their Olympic send-off match.  The US has had some pretty ugly wins leading up to this game, but they deservedly earned their spot into the finals after their 2-0 win over an up and coming New Zealand squad.  As far as the Canadian squad goes, I’m not sure there is a team out there right now with more momentum and belief than this team.  They have absolutely bought into what John Herdman has been saying the past year and it shows.  Should both teams play up to the hype, the fireworks will fly in this game.

Players to watch:

Jonelle Filigno has seemingly come out of nowhere for team Canada.  The speedy forward had an amazing half volley goal for Canada in their quarterfinal against Great Britain.  Filigno kept the pressure up on the Great Britain defense all game and never allowed them to settle into a rhythm.  Also, with so much attention on the always dangerous Christine Sinclair and the current goal scoring machine Melissa Tancredi, there’s going to be a lot more field for Filigno to work with.  This should provide an interesting matchup with a USWNT defense that usually tries to posses out of the back.  They may be forced to just clear more balls with the pressure from Filigno, and that could disrupt the entire US squad.

Force to be reckoned with: Filigno has hassled defenses all tournament long with her speed.

If you thought picking a player to watch for on the Canada side was hard, try picking one from the USWNT.  That being said, I did pick one and it’s today’s birthday girl, Kelley O’Hara.  Has the ex-forward scored any goals this tourament? No, she hasn’t, but the newly turned defender has played some amazing defense.  She leads the tournament with 23 tackles and is part of the solid defensive core that hasn’t allowed a goal in 344 minutes.  O’Hara also helped start off Sydney LeRoux’s first Olympic goal, a must see, so even if she isn’t scoring goals she is involved in the plays leading up to it.

Dual threat: The newly turned defender has thrived in her role and leads the tournament in tackles.

Who wins: USA.  It’s going to be one heck of a fight put up by Canada, but so far the US has given no reasons for people to expect anything but a gold medal from them.  The key here is if the US defense can keep up the intensity they have had the past three games.  If they can shut down the three headed monster of Sinclair, Tancredi, and Filigno then the US will have no problem winning this game.  Look for the US offense to overcome the Canadian defense early, and make their way to the gold medal match.

There you have it! On my quarterfinal picks I was actually three out of four, so hopefully I can go two for two on these picks.  Make sure to tune in and watch on Monday, its going to be a great day of soccer!

Game On: Women’s Soccer Quarterfinals Preview

The final eight have been decided, and quarterfinal play for the women’s Olympic soccer tournament will start August 3rd.  So, to tide all you fans over until then, I figured a quarterfinals preview couldn’t hurt. In each preview I’ll give a little info, identify a key player for each team, and who I think will win (of course). Here we go!

Game 1: Sweden vs France, 6:00AM Central Time

A rematch of the crazy 3rd place game in last summer’s Women’s World Cup, only this time I expect a different outcome.  Sweden has had a better record after all three group games, but they have not played better soccer.  France came out early and jumped to a 2-0 lead on the USWNT, a score that would probably hold against any other team, including the Swedes. France has had great play from their forwards and can really push on the average Sweden defense.  Sweden will look to pounce on the mistakes that France makes, but I think those will be minimal in this upcoming game.

Players to look out for:

From Sweden it has to be Caroline Seger.  Segs has been almost invisible this tournament, yet Sweden has still performed well in all three of their games.  Imagine if Seger comes in and really makes an impact, it could be devastating for France.

Difference maker? Caroline Seger has been quiet so far in the tournament.

For the opposing French squad, the player to watch is Marie-Laure Delie.  The 24 year old has come out and played well, scoring in two of France’s three games. Delie is fast and great on the ball.  If she doesn’t have an open shot, she can pass it to one of France’s many other offensive weapons.

Dangerous Weapon: Delie has scored the most goals for her team, and the third most in the tournament, with two.

Who wins: France. They are better at most skill positions and Sweden’s lack of midfield really has me concerned. Look for France’s speed to carry them into the semis.

Game 2: USA vs New Zealand, 8:30AM Central Time

After going undefeated in the group stage for the first time, the US has set themselves up with perhaps the easiest draw in the quarterfinals.  However, I wouldn’t sleep on this New Zealand team, as they gave the USA some trouble in a friendly earlier this year.  The USWNT has a lot of momentum heading into this game, and after that comeback against France their confidence has to be through the roof. Even with all these factors, their game against North Korea was less than stellar.  Its probably fortunate that they played a lack luster New Zealand squad that has really struggled this tourament. They got lucky with their group draw, which essentially lifted them into the quarters.

Players to look out for:

On the New Zealand team, the player to watch is going to be the former Womens Professional Soccer player Ali Riley.  The defender is going to be key in holding down the stellar US attack, and she likes to get up and help out offensively.  If she’s on her game, a cross could find Hannah Wilkinson in the box, or maybe bounce around and give Sarah Gregorius a chance.

Best offense is a good defense: Ali Riley is a defender that can be a serious offensive threat.

On the other side of the pitch its hard to just pick one player to watch out for, which is a problem many teams would gladly welcome.  For the US, I think the player to watch is Lauren Cheney.  She’s playing a bit of a new role on the field as a more defensive center mid.  Cheney really stepped up in today’s game against North Korea, but she needs to continue to play at that level, especially with Shannon Boxx’s hamstring injury still lingering.

Disappearing act? Cheney has the ability to play well, but it has rarely showed in this Olympics tournament.

Who wins: USA. Hardly a shocking outcome in this game as the US is just a much better squad in every facet.  Look for the US to have some solid possession, and to finish on their set pieces.

Game 3: Brazil vs Japan, 11:00AM Central Time

It is rare to see a matchup of such high caliber teams this early in a tournament.  This matchup is very interesting simply because the team’s playing styles are so incredibly different.  Japan has a very clean cut passing approach, while everyone knows about the samba girls from Brazil. Adding another factor into this game is the recent news that Japan tied their last group game with South Africa, on the coaches instruction. This game could be the most intriguing quarterfinal matchup.

Players to look out for:

Could it be anyone but Marta for Brazil?  The team’s leading lady is going to be slicing and dicing all game long.  The only question is how well she can unite her team of individuals.  Yes, her distribution to teammates helps, but that remained to be seen in today’s loss to Great Britain.  Marta needs to not only work hard on the field, but bring the team together off of it.

Leader of the pack? Marta looks to hold together the talented players on team Brazil.

Aya Miyama, the team captain, is the player to watch for Japan.  After the reports of Japan’s thrown tie, Japan’s hunger in this tournament is definitely questionable. Who else but the captain must get the team ready for their next, and quite possibly toughest game. Being a midfielder, Miyama is going to be an important factor in slowing down the Brazilian attack, and starting the offense.

Trust the captain? Miyama is responsible for exactly half of Japan’s offense this tournament, a measly two goals.

Who wins: Brazil. I went back and forth on this one for awhile, and really this game is a toss up. What makes me choose Brazil is that Japan just hasn’t impressed me this tournament.  They’ve been a bit flat and their intentions in the tie against South Africa is raising some red flags for me. Brazil on the other hand has played with at least some passion, even if they haven’t looked great. Look for the Brazilians to pounce on Japan’s rare mistakes and win this one.

Game 4: Great Britain vs Canada, 1:30PM Central Time

This has the potential to be the best game of the day.  Both teams come in with some momentum, GB with a huge win at Wembley and Canada with an intense comeback tie, and the fireworks could definitely fly as the two top goal scorers of the tournament will be on the field.  Canada comes in as the clear underdog, but don’t ever count out Christine Sinclair, who will leave every last bit on the field.  It should be an interesting matchup between Sinclar and the Great Britain defense, who handled the Brazilian flair rather well.  Expect a ton of intensity in this game, as two very gutsy teams face off.

Players to look out for:

For team Great Britain surprise star Stephanie Houghton is the player to watch. The stellar outside defender, with a potential game saving slide tackle in the box today, has also been GB’s main source of offense this tournament with three goals in three games. Houghton has seemingly come out of nowhere and it should be interesting to see if she can keep up this amazing performance.

Firepower: The outside defender has scored three of Great Britain’s five goals this tournament.

When you think of players to watch for on Canada, your mind obviously goes to the unstoppable Christine Sinclair.  But you shouldn’t pass over my player to look out for, Melissa Tancredi.  The Tanc was huge in today’s tie against Sweden, scoring both of their goals.  And it hasn’t just been today that Tancredi has been a factor, she is the leading scorer in the tournament with four goals in three games.  With all of the attention on Sinclair, the furious forward can take advantage of her extra space and punish the opposing squad.

The Tanc: Tancredi has been huge for team Canada, and is the leading goal scorer in the tournament.

Who wins: Canada. This is what I like to call my upset pick.  In all reality, my mind sees Great Britain coming in and just picking Canada apart with the amazing passing they have had so far, but after the hustle Canada showed being down 2-0 to Sweden I just have to pick them to win.  Look for the offense of Canada to carry them this game. Sinclair, Tancredi, Filigno, and Matheson just to name a few can without a doubt score some goals and put Canada into the next round.

That’s what I have for all of the quarterfinals games! Should be interesting to see how horrendously incorrect (or correct if I am lucky) I was come game day. When the semis are set, I will do another preview of those two games. Game on world!

What do you think? Do you agree with the predictions? Who are the players to watch? Comment below!