So let’s break things down.

1-Bryane Heaberlin; 17- Olivia Brannon, 3-Cari Roccaro, 5-Kassey Kallman (capt), 19-Stephanie Amack; 16-Sarah Killion (10-Mandy Laddish, 46), 12-Vanessa DiBernardo, 8-Julie Johnston (15-Samantha Mewis, 56); 13-Micaela Capelle, 11-Lindsey Horan (20-Maya Hayes, 46), 7-Kealia Ohai
Subs not used: 18-Abby Smith, ; 4-Crystal Dunn, 2-Mollie Pathman, 6-Morgan Brian, 14-Katie Stengel, 9-Chioma Ubogagu

More DiBernardo? Check. Less Brian? Check. Trying new things and playing better soccer? Check, check. Capelle? Oh man, check. Also, Amack happened. And Swanson left Pathman off, meaning we got to see someone else with the armband (Kallman, who’s been playing the full 90 all through everything this year).

The US played better against Panama than they did in their previous two games. They definitely brought a different energy to the field – perhaps in part as a response to Panama’s energy, but probably also owing to the lineup changes. There was sweet symmetry to the goalscoring, too:

USA – Micaela Capelle
USA – Vanessa DiBernardo
USA – Julie Johnston (Maya Hayes)
USA – Maya Hayes (Samantha Mewis)
USA – Samantha Mewis (Vanessa DiBernardo)
USA – Maya Hayes (Micaela Capelle)

And somehow, that’s made even better given how many shots golden girl Lindsey Horan botched in her 45 minutes of play. It was probably just an off night for her, but things definitely changed on the field once she wasn’t the go-to player. The Americans really pulled it together in the second half. The U-20s are making progress, something we didn’t really see from them last cycle.

Rather than make a wishlist or predictions for the game against Mexico, I’d like to look at an ideal lineup based off the current roster. Perhaps even with some potential subs (although that’s a tricky one, since I’m not a fan of stock subbing).

Bryane Heaberlin; Olivia Brannon, Cari Roccaro, Kassey Kallman (capt), Stephanie Amack; Mandy Laddish, Vanessa DiBernardo, Samantha Mewis; Julie Johnston, Micaela Capelle, Maya Hayes.

• I don’t really have a preference one way or another on my GK options, but building consistency is a good idea. It worked with Henninger and it worked with Naeher. If the US has any chance of facing PKs, I would want someone that I have seen be competent when facing that before.
• I’d like to see this defense handle another threat. Panama was a good start, so why not try them against Mexico? Pathman hasn’t been amazing this tournament, and the only time I notice Dunn is when she isn’t getting back on the defense after an attack.
• Rather than mess with the formation, I figured it’s time to relocate Johnston. Mewis looked good in the second half against Panama, and I think part of that was the change of energy and lineup–but Johnston also has her merits. And I would say let DiBernardo start again, because I’m convinced she brings something positive to the field that we aren’t getting from anyone else right now. So I pushed Johnston forward and left Laddish in. Killion didn’t make an impression on me, and Laddish is more consistent/stable than Brian.
• Ignoring the scorelines (because we can), I think the front line is where the US needs the most change. Especially since they’re going up against Mexico’s Santiago. Capelle was a good choice last game, clearly. Ohai was decent in the first half, but I do think Johnston should stay on the field (just somewhere different), and Hayes will give the US the speed to keep up with Mexico’s determination and energy.
• …which means that, yes, Ohai is on my subbing list, along with Stengel and Brian. Ohai and Stengel can change the attack if any of the starting trio run into finishing issues (like Horan had), and Brian… well, you can’t bench Brian forever. So I’m willing to see whether she’s got anything to add in the second half.

By the way, if it were at all an option, I’d have Dahlkemper in my lineup. And wearing the armband. But she’s not on the roster, so I’ll just have to deal.

But let’s build up to that. Starting XI:

18-Abby Smith, ; 4-Crystal Dunn, 17-Olivia Brannon, 5-Kassey Kallman, 2-Mollie Pathman (capt.); 15-Samantha Mewis, 6-Morgan Brian, 10-Mandy Laddish; 20-Maya Hayes, 14-Katie Stengel, 9-Chioma Ubogagu

Awesome! Remember my wish list? So the prized striker (Horan) didn’t start, but both Hayes and Ubogagu did. Brannon and Laddish both started! DiBernardo played a full half. Two of three subs affected the game, so we’ll call that smart enough for now. Two points that weren’t addressed at all: Johnston did not play and Brian played the full 90.

Here’s the thing. Swanson seems like he is legitimately willing to change personnel when things aren’t working. But there doesn’t seem to be anything he can do about improving the US players’ passing. Pretty atrocious stuff last night. It’s hard to say whether that’s a familiarity/chemistry issue or something else. Maybe the kids just don’t care–I could see that being the case. For all but ten minutes of the game, the US players looked like they were doing a chore rather than something they purportedly enjoy. There was no urgency.

Comparatively, Panama and Guatemala followed up the USA’s disappointing win with an incredibly spirited battle. The hosts emerged victorious with a 3-1, hard-fought win. Panama might have what it takes to give this unmotivated US team the inspiration to play.

Here’s what I could stand to see from the US vs Panama:

• More DiBernardo. She looked like she actually wanted to be on the field and brought new energy in both games. Couldn’t hurt to start her, given the first half performances so far.
• Less Brian. We’re seeing some bad Lloyd habits out there.
• Some desire to try new things and play better soccer. Stop squandering tournament experience.
• Um, Micaela Capelle? Didn’t we take the minimum requirement 1 Bronco/1 Pilot to Panama?

I even have a starting XI wishlist!

• Heaberlin/Smith; Brannon, Kallman, Roccaro, Pathman; Johnston, Laddish, and Mewis; DiBernardo, Horan, Ubogagu/Hayes.

This is assuming Swanson is married to keeping Kallman and Pathman in the starting lineup. (He seems to be.) But it’s also hoping that he realizes Brian needs a timeout or something, because she definitely isn’t hitting her potential on the field.

Here were his starters on Friday:

1-Bryane Heaberlin; 4-Crystal Dunn, 3-Cari Roccaro, 5-Kassey Kallman, 2-Mollie Pathman (capt.); 15-Samantha Mewis, 6-Morgan Brian, 8-Julie Johnston; 11-Lindsey Horan, 14-Katie Stengel, 7-Kealia Ohai

Not inspiring at all. Just looking at the XI before they stepped on the field, it was obvious that the US had gone with the size advantage. Entirely unnecessary against the usually smaller teams of CONCACAF, particularly given the overkill of Horan and Stengel up front. This lineup was a tank–very big and not a lot of speed.

In the first half, we saw the same runs over and over again, not a lot of movement off the ball, “first game nerves,” and no one at the far post. Throughout the game, we saw fluidity, but clearly a lot of players weren’t settled into their roles.

A couple key points on individual players:

• The Morgan Brian that we saw was UVA Morgan Brian. Pretty good, but more of an individual player than a team player. She is better when she’s a team player.
• Julie Johnston clearly wasn’t secure in her position. It looked like more of a “knowing your role” issue than anything else. But her goal was lovely and I think that she would be more effective with different personnel around her.

Now positions and subbing:

• The Did Not Play list is concerning. Why didn’t Brannon and Laddish start, much less play? Assuming it wasn’t injury or health issues (Laddish did look tired in the US Soccer interview), these two should have been on the pitch. Brannon might have been able to ground Brian, and Laddish could have replaced Brian (or Johnston) entirely, providing the midfield with an engine.
• The fact that Swanson pulled the golden child Morgan Brian is hugely encouraging. First of all: she is the golden child. Most US coaches won’t pull that player unless she’s injured. Not only that, but she is one of his college players; where’s the favoritism? But she needed to be pulled and he actually pulled her. Good for Swanson, good for the team, and over time, could be good for Brian.
• Not only that, but the fact that Swanson pulled Brian instead of Julie Johnston (who would have been the “easy” choice to replace) means the man gets bonus points. Johnston can be a really great, solid player. She made some mistakes–but Swanson left her in. So he has confidence in what she can build up to. And that is great.
• Pulling Ohai and Stengel (despite Stengel’s goal) was also a pretty smart move. I haven’t seen smart subbing from a US coach in a while, so the fact that he put in impact subs with enough time for them to make a difference is awesome.

Adding speed on the attack totally changed the complexion of the US team. The team the US fielded in the first half looked more 2010 U-20 than 2010 U-17. Talented but coasting, comparatively boring. That’s a character that won’t serve them well in the long run. Swanson clearly wasn’t satisfied with it either.

What I would like to see tonight:

• Start either Ubogagu or Hayes. Or go entirely for speed over size; Cuba is tiny.
• Minutes for Brannon and Laddish (again, given that they are healthy).
• Limited time for Brian or don’t start her at all.
• More minutes for DiBernardo.
• Try Johnston in a different position. Kind of suspicious of her positioning in the midfield.
• Man, maybe just mess a little with the backline. (I know is this asking for a lot, but what happens if you don’t start Crystal Dunn?)
• More smart subs! That was fun.

New episode before I take off for Chicago this week. U-20s, Algarve Cup and domestic leagues are discussed. Shownotes are below le jump.

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2008 is complicated in that this is the only cycle that we have any real perspective on what went on behind the scenes with the U-20s. (See also: DiCicco’s lengthy report on that.) Setting aside from DiCicco’s own role in the team dynamic, let’s take note of a few/couple things:

• Kelley O’Hara and Casey Nogueira who were veterans from the 2006 campaign and ultimately cut from the squad after qualifiers.
• Captain Keelin: Keelin Winters, a solid presence in the midfield, captained the US team.
• Key losses: The US didn’t come out on top at qualifiers; the Americans took second place behind the Canadians. The US also lost a game in World Cup group play, dropping their final group match 0-2 to China (who didn’t advance).
• Key wins: 3-0 win over England in the WC quarterfinals, 1-0 over Germany in the semis, and 2-1 over North Korea for the title.
• Match coverage: 2008 was the first cycle in which we could watch all of the CONCACAF qualifiers and all of the World Cup matches.

Perhaps the best way to learn lessons from 2008 is to set it alongside 2010. There isn’t much need for rehashing the whole roster. This isn’t a group that had a U-17 World Cup, and the lack of PR/media coverage back home meant these players weren’t getting (as) much ego-stroking. Eliminating the 2006 holdovers trimmed the excess attitude from the forward line and ensured that that wasn’t going to infect the leadership roles as well.

The 2008s won when it counted–they also suffered losses when they would have plenty of opportunity to learn from the mistakes. In fact, they even experimented with the lineup when they could afford to. The loss to China in group play saw a US rotation that was fairly different from its norm. Negative results created added emphasis and flaws were fixed. Positive results, like 2010 U-20s had, just don’t drive home the need for change.

Losses can be key in building a successful team. Look at Notre Dame’s championship season in 2010. That was a team that stumbled a lot in the regular season and turned things around when it counted. That was a team that also had a somewhat different makeup from preceding years (perhaps less singular star power) and some solid core leadership that had been to plenty of Final Fours and lost. They didn’t coast through the 2010 season, and they had the added boost of something bigger than “just” a title to work for. Reportedly, the whole team bought into this mentality–as a team.

Lest we forget, the 2010 calendar year also included a U-17 Women’s World Cup.  I won’t bother breaking it down for the US fans. The Practice Field does a great job of that already. (As an added bonus, ussoccer.com suddenly wants you to think they were along for the heartbreaking ride.) So for my purposes, once you’re familiar with the results, all you need here is the roster:

GOALKEEPERS (3): Bryane Heaberlin (North Carolina), Abby Smith (Texas), Caroline Stanley (Missouri, USC)
DEFENDERS (5): Olivia Brannon (Virginia), Abby Dahlkemper (UCLA), Jaelene Hinkle (Texas Tech), Laura Liedle (Stanford), Cari Roccaro (Notre Dame)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Morgan Brian (Virginia), Kaysie Clark (Missouri), Alexandra Doll (Stanford), Isabel Farrell (Washington), Cassandra Pecht (Duke), Kaili Torres (Virginia), Clarissa Wedemeyer (Texas)
FORWARDS (5): Jennifer Gonzalez (Long Beach State), Lindsey Horan (North Carolina), Havana Solaun (Florida), Taylor Smith (Florida State), Ashley Spivey (Maryland)
[A/N: Schools listed are the players' current commitments, so far as I know.]

In the past year, there were all sorts of changes in the US women’s program that affect the youth progression. Ellis and Heinrichs are (supposedly) not coaching but merely overseeing player development. Randy Waldrum (Notre Dame) is in charge of the U-23s, Steve Swanson (Virginia) is coaching the U-20s, and Albertin Montoya is coaching the U-17s.  Highlight Steve Swanson, whose time at UVA bears no resemblance to Ellis’ time with UCLA. Here is the group he is working with in Panama:

GOALKEEPERS: Bryane Heaberlin (North Carolina), Abby Smith (Texas)
DEFENDERS: Stephanie Amack (Mustang Blast), Olivia Brannon (Virginia) Crystal Dunn (North Carolina), Kassey Kallman (Florida State), Mollie Pathman (Duke), Cari Roccaro (Notre Dame)
MIDFIELDERS: Morgan Brian (Virginia), Vanessa DiBernardo (Illinois), Julie Johnston (Santa Clara), Sarah Killion (UCLA), Mandy Laddish (Notre Dame), Sam Mewis (UCLA)
FORWARDS: Micaela Capelle (Portland), Maya Hayes (Penn State), Lindsey Horan (North Carolina), Kealia Ohai (North Carolina), Katie Stengel (Wake Forest), Chi Ubogagu (Stanford)

• UVA players on the roster for the UVA coach: 2; Morgan Brian and Olivia Brannon, leaving off the third from 2010 (Kaili Torres)
• Carryover from 2010 U-20s: 4.5; Crystal Dunn, Mollie Pathman, Sam Mewis, Maya Hayes, and Bryane Heaberlin.
• Carryover from 2010 U-17s: 6; Bryane Heaberlin, Abby Smith, Olivia Brannon, Cari Roccaro, Morgan Brian, Lindsey Horan.
• Carryover from 2008 U-17s: You think I’m joking? 4; Crystal Dunn, Morgan Brian, Mandy Laddish, Sam Mewis.
• 2008 U-17s that didn’t miss a beat: 2; Crystal Dunn and Sam Mewis both played in 2008 with the U-17s, 2010 with the U-20s, and now for the third time in 2012.

Even though we’ve seen this trend with issues of too much carryover/experience as a problem with the YNTs, this is a team that could break the pattern. This is a team that is built on the backs of kids that know what loss feels like. The carryover from U-17s ran into PKs and bad luck, and the carryover from U-20s ran into complacency and poor decision-making.

So far, the armband has been on Duke’s Mollie Pathman, who was a last-minute addition to the 2010 U-20s and a key part of Duke’s successful 2011 season. This means leadership is back in the midfield with a solid player who isn’t tied to the coach. (Morgan Brian, a captain with the 2010 U-17s and attention-getting player at UVA, would have been a very problematic choice.)

With US teams, there is never a lack of winning mentality, but there is often a lack of understanding loss–a.k.a. what’s at stake. Even if you question whether the carryover from the troublesome 2010 U-20s could taint the team, I think that the loss suffered by the 2010 U-17s is more than enough to offset the weight of individual expectations. The 2012 U-20s could benefit from letting 2010 shape their team culture into something strong enough to rival even the 2008 campaign.

This is not to say that I am totally satisfied with the current roster, or to say that I think this team is going all the way. But they do have great potential if they draw on their unique ingredients as an American team.

So, some questions for the US at qualifiers:

• Can they uncover enough of their flaws in qualifiers to improve as individuals and a team as a whole?
• Related: can Swanson correct course?
• Related to that: who is really at the reigns, at the staff level? (Do I not want to know?)
• What is the character of this team?
• Related: will everyone buy into that?
• What will PR do now that Sam and Kristie Mewis aren’t on the same team?
• Morgan Brian – are we going to see USA Morgan Brian or UVA Morgan Brian?
• Ashlyn Harris Bryane Heaberlin?

Think of the U-20s in terms of music. If the 2006 group can be called the “rock stars” that went to Russia, then 2008 was the indie sensation that went to Chile, and 2010 was the pop stars that went to Germany — and ultimately found themselves lip syncing in front of sold-out crowds.

Kids these days, right?

Before we talk about what kind of music 2012 could be making, let’s look back at that incredibly disappointing U-20 cycle of 2010. We could talk their manager’s (Head Coach Jill Ellis’) line-up and subbing decisions to death, but with someone new at the helm in 2012, my focus right now is on the players.

The 2010 journey really starts back in 2008, with the inaugural U-17 Women’s World Cup in New Zealand. This was a very special group, as US Soccer gave them preferential coverage over the U-20 team. In fact, the 2008 U-17s were given nearly the same treatment as the 2006 U-20s. Let’s extrapolate: we know that the 2008 U-20s were neglected by US Soccer in more areas than just media coverage, and we know that the 2006 U-20s were spoiled by US Soccer in more areas than just media coverage — so let’s assume it was much the same for the 2008 U-17s, since we know they were definitely treated better than the 2008 U-20s.

Now, let’s look at that 2008 U-17 Women’s World Cup roster:

GOALKEEPERS (3): Alexa Gaul, Jennifer Pettigrew, Taylor Vancil
DEFENDERS (6): Amber Brooks, Cloee Colohan, Crystal Dunn, Alexis Harris, Rachel Quon, Julia Roberts
MIDFIELDERS (8): Kate Bennett, Morgan Brian, Elizabeth Eddy, Olivia Klei, Mandy Laddish, Kristie Mewis, Samantha Mewis, Erika Tymrak
FORWARDS (4): Tani Costa Hayley Brock, Vicki DiMartino, Samantha Johnson, Courtney Verloo

Flash forward to 2010. The majority of these kids are U-20 eligible. Given that Ellis is back at the helm (after abandoning the 2008 U-20s, who ultimately won their World Cup in spite of US Soccer) and given that US Soccer decided they could invest some energy in covering the U-20s again, let’s look at the 2010 CONCACAF Championship team:

GOALKEEPERS (2): Bianca Henninger, Taylor Vancil
DEFENDERS (6): Amber Brooks, Vicki DiMartino, Crystal Dunn, Kendall Johnson, Toni Pressley, Rachel Quon
MIDFIELDERS (8): Zakiya Bywaters, Elizabeth Eddy, Kristie Mewis, Samantha Mewis, Christine Nairn, Teresa Noyola, Jenna Richmond, Casey Short
FORWARDS (4): Maya Hayes, Sydney Leroux, Morgan Marlborough, Tiffany McCarty

Highlight the eight carryovers from the 2008 U-17s: Amber Brooks, Vicki DiMartino, Crystal Dunn, Elizabeth Eddy, Kristie Mewis, Sam Mewis, Rachel Quon, and Taylor Vancil. But wait! We also have two 2008 U-20s: Christine Nairn and Sydney Leroux.

Now filter out the keepers. Goalkeepers are outliers in these discussions, because by virtue of having only one on the field at a time and at most three on the roster, they become a minority and function differently. (Also because Vancil’s career has been rather unusual and somewhat confusing so far.)

In fact, isolate the forwards. These are strikers, goal scorers. There is a certain mentality to that, and a certain amount of ego. As nice and humble players can be, as good as they are at talking to the media and public, you can see that they have to embody self-confidence and a competitive attacking spirit to succeed on the field.

Some players are able to balance this forward mentality with other responsibilities. Some aren’t. I think we saw this in the conversion of DiMartino to the backline. That was an even worse fit for her than it is for Kelley O’Hara right now.

Some players don’t need to balance. We saw this in Leroux, who stayed at her forward position, was given a leadership role, and retained 2008’s star status under her college and U-20 coach, Ellis.

The 2010 qualifiers were, on paper, successful. The US cruised through to the title. The Americans hoisted the trophy, praises were sung, and everyone went home happy. This is exactly what was expected of any US team.

Watching these games revealed some flaws in the US approach that could stand to be fixed; there was plenty of time before the U-20 World Cup. In camps and games that we were unable to see, the U-20s continued to perform, and even had a helpful stumble or two that they promised to learn from.

So here is the 2010 U-20 Women’s World Cup squad:

GOALKEEPERS (3): Adrianna Franch (Oklahoma State; Salina, Kan.), Bryane Heaberlin (Clearwater Chargers; St. Petersburg, Fla.), Bianca Henninger (Santa Clara; Los Gatos, Calif.)
DEFENDERS (5): Sade Ayinde (Maryland; North Bellmore, N.Y.) Mollie Pathman, Crystal Dunn (North Carolina; Rockville Centre, N.Y.), Kendall Johnson (Portland; Portland, Ore.), Toni Pressley (Florida State; Melbourne, Fla.), Rachel Quon (Stanford; Lake Forrest, Ill.)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Amber Brooks (North Carolina; New Hope, Pa.), Zakiya Bywaters (UCLA; Las Vegas, Nev.), Kristie Mewis (Boston College; Hanson, Mass.), Samantha Mewis (Scorpions SC; Hanson, Mass.), Christine Nairn (Penn State; Bowie, Md.), Teresa Noyola (Stanford; Palo Alto, Calif.), Jenna Richmond (UCLA; Centreville, Va.), Casey Short (Florida State; Naperville, Ill.)
FORWARDS (5): Vicki DiMartino (Boston College; Massapequa, N.Y.), Maya Hayes (Penn State; West Orange, N.J.), Sydney Leroux (UCLA; Phoenix, Ariz.), Tiffany McCarty (Florida State; Laurel, Md.) Meg Morris, Courtney Verloo (Stanford; Tualatin, Ore.)

• UCLA players on the U-20 squad for the UCLA coaches: 4; Bywaters, S. Mewis, Richmond, Leroux. All forwards and midfielders.
• Players retained from qualifiers: 1 goalkeeper, all 6 defenders (with 2 moved to other positions), 7 of 8 midfielders, and essentially all of the forwards, although McCarty would be replaced for medical reasons.
• Late addition from the 2008 U-17s: Courtney Verloo, who admitted to struggling after the 2008 cycle and in her freshman year at Stanford, which would explain her absence from the CONCACAF roster.
• Carryover from the 2010 U-17s: Bryane Heaberlin (the new Ashlyn Harris).
• 2008 U-17s that didn’t miss a beat: (so to speak) 6; Dunn, Brooks, DiMartino, K. Mewis, S. Mewis, and Quon.
• Christine Nairn and Sydney Leroux, two players in senior/leadership positions

So, what did we see from this 2010 team in their World Cup? A great keeper, a decent enough backline, not enough Teresa Noyola, a whole lot of Kristie Mewis’ ability to save the team on the field, and very little adjustment when it was sorely needed. Arguably, a culture of entitlement that bred stubborn complacency and caused the US to struggle despite the talent level and past success.

In my next post, I’ll talk about how 2008 and 2010 (both U-20s and U-17s) could be used in interpreting 2012′s U-20 campaign, which could wind up being much less of a disaster than we foreshadowed for their pop star predecessors.

What?: Screening of ‘Kicking It‘, Susan Koch’s 2008 documentary about the Homeless World Cup. Proceeds go to benefit the Homeless World Cup.

When?: Saturday, February 25. Doors open at 3pm, film starts at 4pm

Where?: Buckley Center Auditorium, University of Portland campus (directions)

How much?: FREE, but a $5 donation at the door would be appreciated.

I’m sold! What else?: There will be a raffle after the screening. Prizes include soccer swag signed by the venerable Portland Timbers and also the U.S. Women’s National Team.

Former University of Portland goalkeeper, current University of Portland coach, former Chicago Red Star and Boston Breaker and friend of the show Kelsey Davis is holding this event. If you are in Portland this weekend, you should go. If you go, send us a pic (crossconference@gmail.com) and you might win a fabulous prize!

If you’re not in Portland, you can also watch the movie on Netflix while drinking a Dale’s Pale Ale.

Well done, girls.

We are back because we have opinions and you need to hear them. Show notes are below!

FIRST THINGS FIRST: Kelsey Davis is holding a benefit documentary screening of “Kicking It,” a film made for the HWC on FEBRUARY 25th in BC Auditorium on campus at the University of Portland. Doors open at 3pm, film is at 4pm. The event is FREE with a suggested $5 donation at the door. A raffle will be held after the documentary screening, raffle tickets will be sold at the door.

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WPS

• This is for a different episode.
• WPSL Elite

USWNT v NZL

• Entire game available for streaming from USSoccer.com
• The NZ players don’t get enough credit.
• Ali Riley
• Jenny Bindon
• Hannah freakin’ Wilkinson
• On the “Herdman got too much credit” topic — Canadian players get TOO much credit and the coaches get too much blame?
• Is this a topic for another episode?
• The passing game was not working for the US at all.
• Missed PK at the beginning
• The end was just the USA running around and attacking
• The “US Mentality” strikes again – they have it, other teams don’t.
• Tragedy. Regardless of whether those goals were in or not.

US U-17s in Florida

• Two wins over Germany (2-0 and 1-0)
• Two yellows (one each game) on Morgan Andrews Andrews Morgan
• All the Morgans

US U-20s in La Manga – The rain in Spain falls mainly on the Swiss.

• 100-0 vs Switzerland (might as well be)
• Goals by Julie Johnston, Kealia Ohai (2), Lindsey Horan (3), Morgan Brian, Sam Mewis (2), Chioma Ubogagu
• 1-0 vs Germany (Horan)
• Very late goal
• German coach concurs with Swiss, that the US team has superior fitness
• This is not news
• 2-0 vs Norway (Ohai, Ubogagu)
• Very early goals
• Interesting note: alternated GKs for Switzerland and Germany
• Another interesting note: Duke’s Mollie Pathman (played in 2010 WC) captained

Upcoming YNT biz

• March 1-11, CONCACAF qualifiers
• Watch the webcasts :D

Call it a comeback! And then tell all your friends. Please?

We return with a fan favorite, Kelsey Davis. Kelsey spent this past fall as an assistant coach for the Portland Pilots.

The Pilots had a rough year. Or, rather, I had a rough year with them. They eventually did me proud though, and my heart was made glad to talk to Kelsey about it.

Links:
-Kelsey’s first appearance on our show
-Kelsey’s coaching profile
-@daviskelsey

-Music: “My Gun” by The Rubens

Find us on Twitter or email us: crossconference@gmail.com

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