US Defeats North Korea in FIFA Women’s World Cup 2-0

Yanks Take Down Young North Koreans 2-0.

Writer Jerrod Roh will provide coverage, analysis, and opinion for the 2011 Women’s World Cup for IMSoccer News. He has attended the last 3 men’s World Cups in South Korea, Germany, and South Africa as well as the 2003 Women’s World Cup in the U.S. He is a self-described fan, student, and teacher of the game.

Pia’s Move Pays Dividends

Head Coach Pia Sundhage pulled the right string again.  Pia inserted Lauren Cheney at the left midfield spot as a starter in her 4-4-2, and the rest of the world now must take note. Cheney’s goal in the 54^th minute was the game winner in a 2-0 opening victory over a young, talented North Korea squad Tuesday evening in Dresden, Germany. The result puts the Americans on top of Group C with 3pts and a +2 goal differential. Sweden defeated Colombia 1-0 earlier in the day to earn 3pts as well.

Cheney’s play was much more impactful than just the game winner. Her ability to cover ground and combine with teammates was evident throughout. She worked hard defensively and her mobility on that end of things was just as important. But to most, it was her mobility in the attack that was noticeable. She flashed wide but also ran inside frequently – both underneath the forwards and beyond them on occasion. She worked hard to put herself in scoring positions in and around the box. She led the team with 5 shots, all on goal. The game winner was a serve from Abby Wambach from deep on the left flank. Cheney adjusted her positioning by fading to the far post as Wambach worked to get space to serve. Abby’s serve was excellent and Cheney headed the ball back in the direction it came from to beat the goalkeeper.

System Change?
In some ways, Cheney’s insertion changed our system of play for the better. As stated in my last preview article, I wondered if we were in the right formation with the personnel we were putting on the field. It is my experience to build or adjust your system of play so that you can get your top players on the field together while still highlighting their strengths. I also questioned our left side along with our central midfield choices for this system. Cheney’s mobility helped clog and destroy in the center and took some heat off of center midfielders Carli Lloyd and Shannon Boxx. But hopefully viewers can see there is still a problem there with those two in there together. Cheney also was able to get higher up the field and went central with her positioning frequently. This caused mobility and a dynamic in the front line with Wambach and Rodriguez that eventually led to North Korean breakdowns. It gave us a 3-forward look MANY times and gave us an extra number in the box early for finishing opportunities.

For those critical of a place for the 3-forward system on a stage of this magnitude in the modern game, I would simply point to the South Korean men in 2002. They played a 3-4-3 against what I believe we would all agree was an incredibly talented field of teams. It takes courage to play this way on such a stage against such opponents. The Koreans attacked and defended relentlessly throughout the tournament, and found themselves advancing to the semifinal, by far their best showing. After observing the African teams this past men’s World Cup in South Africa, I felt they were all missing an opportunity and playing too tight and reserved. The Koreans in 2002 were a model for how to play. They were not trying to simply advance. They were trying to WIN. I, for one, like that. The Africans were being managed tightly and conservatively. African teams who have shown well in the past have had a relaxed flair that only they can play. Coaches managed it out of them in 2010. I felt bad for the African teams. In the first African World Cup, we should have seen that flair embraced and enhanced. Instead it was squashed. Sad….

Cheney’s activity often left our left side a bit vacated defensively in transition. Our defensive center mid and our back line have to be able to absorb that pressure if we are to win. Against the North Koreans, Amy LePeilbet was a bit isolated as our left back against a dangerous Korean flank player and failed a few times to stop her. She will have to be better going forward and those around her can shift better to cover her.

Pia Adjustment
Our first half was not good. Hope Solo was forced into 5 saves, 2 of which were more than routine. North Korea had more of the play. Our team looked nervous and disjointed, giving the ball away when we should not have been. Hopefully, all of that is gone now with the first game jitters. If we play like that against better teams, they will pounce on our fragility and we will be punished.

I am sure Pia had a few words to say to get the group in a more relaxed and positive mind set to get them focused on what they needed to do. In addition to our poor possession in the first half, our other attacking players were not as mobile as Cheney in the first half. If they had been playing off of her mobility better, then others would have been getting more shots and looks around the goal.

It was clear that Pia instructed Wambach to make high and wide runs on our left side to counter Cheney’s runs in from the left and to stretch the Korean back line better and put the Korean right back under pressure. We found penetration with that combination of runs frequently in the 2^nd half and others in our attack were playing off that sequence as well.

Report Card

GK – Hope Solo – A minus – Hope was solid. She was ready for everything and distributed well.

CB – Christie Rampone – B – Her play was very good, covering space with pace. I would have wanted her leadership to bring a more calming presence to the back line in the first half and it did not as her fellow backs were very nervous. Help them Christie!

CB – Rachel Buehler – C minus – This is the best I could give her. She scored a good goal, staying active around the ball on her own knockdown in the box on a set piece. But she gave the ball away over 50% of the time. Her decisions were poor and she was clearly nervous. Her cover of her left back was lacking at times also. These things will need to get sorted or she will be exposed by the top teams. Maybe scoring the late goal will help her relax and play better as the tournament proceeds.

RB – Ali Krieger – B plus – She played well defensively. She may have been beaten to a ball a couple times or cut a couple times, but she was never completely beaten down that side. She connected with teammates OK, but did not get forward enough to engage in the attack.

LB – Amy LePeilbet – C – If this is the best we have, then we could be in trouble against the better teams.  If you factor in that Buehler scored a goal, I actually think LePeilbet played better than Buehler overall. Without the goal, Buehler would have gotten a D grade. LePeilbet was on an island against the other team’s best 1v1 attacker.  We were lucky to not have conceded a goal from one of these endline runs on her side. She still has to do better in shutting that kind of attacking personality down and can do better with connecting in the attack. With a super nervous Buehler as the cover on her side and with Cheney running wild in the attack half the time, LePeilbet was in a tough spot. She did OK, but can and must do better.

DMF – Shannon Boxx – C minus – Boxxy was just average. I don’t know how much more we can expect from a player who lacks the pace to cover the space defensively.  If we gave her someone more athletic to direct some busy work around her, then that would be a different story. North Korea owned the middle in the 1^st half. Boxxy needs to work hard to connect all parts of the team in the attack too, even when the opposition has you out-numbered and out-paced.

AMF – Carli Lloyd – F – I like Carli, I really do. Again, she is just not right for a 2-player center midfield. She struggled to cover the ground defensively – again. Her ability to connect against the Koreans was poor. Her choices to shoot around the box with her purse when she is off balance were terrible. Keep the ball! Share the ball with the other weapons around you in the box. I don’t mind a player who is looking to score, but this is the U.S. National Team. Carli has a great shot when balanced, but wasted shots have no place at this level.

RMF – Heather O’Reilly – B – The North Koreans clearly game-planned for Heather. She still kept them honest a few times. I am sure looking back Heather would want to have a greater impact, but their worry over her pace to get endline opened up some other things for the U.S. attack. She worked hard defensively as usual and was part of the reason that the Koreans were not able to find much penetration on that side.

LMF – Lauren Cheney – A – Lauren was awesome! She would have gotten an A plus, but her service on corner kicks was inconsistent to say the least. She played with the confidence and energy of past American attackers. Keep it up Lauren! A pleasure to watch!

F – Amy Rodriguez – B minus – Amy created some good things and was mobile with purpose for the majority of the game. She just can do a bit better with her chances to finish and her final passes. She wasted a couple of shots also when she was off balance.

F – Abby Wambach – B minus – Abby fought hard and once Pia gave her more definition for the 2^nd half (or maybe it was greater freedom), she was a greater part of the attack. I would just expect a player of her experience to find the ball more before that instruction was given. In her defense, the team had no rhythm in the first half, so her trying to time a run to connect with teammates was difficult and her lack of involvement was not all her fault.  She had her golden opportunity for a goal in the 2^nd half and was unlucky when it went off the bar. She earned us a few free kicks as usual, and that is always going to cause stress for an opponent like North Korea who lacks size.

RMF – Megan Rapinoe – A – First she handled being pulled from the starting line-up very professionally and maybe that is why she was chosen instead of Lloyd to get Cheney on the field. Maybe the coaches knew Lloyd would flip out and that Megan would not and they did not want to have major drama on such a big stage. This is all speculation of course. But Megan handled it very well and showed in her limited minutes that she can contribute by doing everything one might want from a wide midfield position. She was active and aggressive – fun to watch. Were there a couple mistakes? Sure, but mistakes when playing with great energy to make something happen are tolerable. She will be key moving forward.

F – Alex Morgan – B – Alex was part of the attack for a couple decent chances at goal and served the ball for Abby’s near miss header. She can handle more minutes. Pia and the veterans just have to be ready to see some minutes go away for others so that this youngster can start putting her stamp on this team. The immediate future of this team will be better if Alex gets on the field more as the tournament moves on.

Going Forward
If we continue to play Lloyd and Boxx in the middle together, we will cause too much stress for our back line to handle against the better teams. I still think Cheney is the answer to move inside. She plays that position for her WPS team. We can continue to experiment with that left midfield/forward position. Young forwards Alex Morgan and Kelley O’Hara both have the tools to give a greater threat in the attack from that spot. They won’t connect as well as Cheney or Megan Rapinoe, but they will be dangerous and cause havoc defensively. Rapinoe is still a great option out there too. She did well on the right side with the few minutes Pia gave her towards the end of the match after being pulled in the starting line-up for Cheney. We will need more than 11 players to navigate this tournament and adjusting the line-up for match-ups and proper rest will be important to the quest of hoisting the trophy on July 17.

Cheney might be the women’s team version of Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey. Those two guys play as wide midfielders, forwards, and center midfielders sometimes throughout a match and certainly throughout a major tournament for the U.S. men. Bob Bradley uses them where he needs them most based off match-ups and rest for his group. Cheney can be that player for the women.

Jerrod Roh

Jerrod Roh has served as an assistant coach for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers Women’s Soccer Team since 2007. He’s also served as a Goalkeeping Staff coach for the US Soccer Region 2 ODP since 2005. Prior to coming to Minnesota, Roh spent three seasons at the University of Kentucky, serving as the top assistant while coaching the goalkeepers and serving as the program’s recruiting coordinator. Roh attended Kansas State University and graduated in 1995. He was a three-year starter for the Wildcats. He holds a masters in business administration from Western Carolina. Currently he is coaching the U15 girls team for Eden Prairie Soccer Club.

Jerrod wrote a 3-part preview of the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Those can be found here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.