Soccer

What did we learn from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia at Copa América? – Equalizer Soccer

Published

1 year ago

August 3, 2022

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Jon Austria/The Coloradoan / USA TODAY NETWORK

On Saturday, at 9 p.m. Colombia time, María Laura Fortunato blew her whistle to put an end to the Copa América Femenina, with a familiar result. Brazil, yet again, lifted the trophy in a hard-fought battle against Colombia, including some tough challenges and VAR calls that left some doubts. Brazil won 1-0 via a Debinha penalty kick.

With this, the winners and the hosts qualified for the World Cup and the Olympics, while Argentina (winner of the third-place playoff against Paraguay) will join them in Australia and New Zealand at next year’s World Cup.

How did those teams look during the tournament and what can we expect from them?

Argentina

Let’s go bottom to top and kick off with La Albiceleste. Argentina looked shaky at moments, particularly after a rocky start against Brazil that saw them fall 4-0. However, they found some good foundations: Vanina Correa was reliable as ever on goal, the pair of center backs always got the job done in Aldana Cometti and Agustina Barroso and Yamila Rodríguez found herself in the same wavelength as Estefanía Banini, plus the hard-running Florencia Bonsegundo doing most of the dirty job.

Solid wins against Uruguay (5-0) and Perú (4-0) solidified Portanova’s team towards the semifinal, where they clashed against the hosts, Colombia. Here, the main problems of Argentina were exacerbated: there’s a lack of a solid choice at right back. Neither Julieta Cruz nor Marina Delgado excelled, and Gabriela Chavez (who started this game) found herself losing constantly to Linda Caicedo and ended up seeing a red card. Plus, Argentina struggled to find goals from their No. 9 (both Larroquette and Jaimes ended the tournament with zero goals, while Lonigro got one from the bench), so the hot form from Rodriguez was a key piece in their results.

Against Paraguay, they conceded first from an own goal but La Albirroja gave the ball away and Argentina found chances to equalize and then win, with Rodríguez scoring twice and winning the golden boot.

Upsides: Defensive steadiness, Yamila Rodríguez form.

Downsides: Lack of goals from main strikers, question marks on squad depth.

Colombia

It was a big tournament for the hosts, with high expectations. After looking good against the United States in June friendlies, a lot was expected from Colombia – and they delivered. With almost an unchanged XI each game, Nelson Abadía trusted their front four to make the difference in the games. Catalina Usme was dangerous as ever, Linda Caicedo was a terror for defenses with her dribbles, Leicy Santos gave class and vision while Mayra Ramirez put goals and toughness to her role in the No. 9 role.

They qualified for the semifinals with little problems: a win against Paraguay conceding two goals from set pieces, a little moment of doubt against Ecuador with a goal that forced Abadía to sub-in Ramirez, who was resting, and a very solid performance against Chile winning 4-0 paved the way to secure their ticket to the final round.

Argentina was next and a shift from right to the left side for Caicedo gave nightmares to Gabriela Chavez. A goal from the wunderkind put Colombia in the final.

There, they were probably the only team in South America in ages that tried to play straight up against Brazil (they actually outshot the Canarinha 17 to 11, something that happened for the first time in the last two Copa Américas) and could have had an equalizer but Brazil held on, especially with questionable subs from Abadía, who was heavily criticized for leaving his changes for very late in the game even with good talent at disposal on the bench.

Upsides: Young talent, performances from players like Manuela Venegas and Daniela Montoya.

Downsides: Abadía’s reluctance to make substitutions.

Brazil

And finally, the winners. Pia Sundhage actually broke a record: Brazil was the first team to win this tournament without conceding a single goal in the process. Which speaks about this team.

Without Marta, Cristiane, Formiga, and many more from the old guard, there’s a bit less flair in their style. There’s more balance and a much more needed defensive toughness to this Brazilian team. That doesn’t mean they can’t score or show pretty football, but it’s not their main target anymore. Now it is to win.

Led by five goals from Adriana, Brazil breezed past the group stage, including a gorgeous 12-pass buildup goal before the first minute of the game against Perú. In the semifinals, they showed that new-found grittiness, willingness to go hard on a challenge against Paraguay, and mostly because the game asked for it.

And the same happened against Colombia. They tried to “scare” Brazil with a couple of hard challenges at the start, but they didn’t hide, they fought, even with Angelina going out with an ACL injury. There’s a good balance to this squad and probably we will see a more mature Verdeamarelha in Australia and New Zealand.

Upsides: More maturity, and defensive toughness.

Downsides: Is a question mark about how much of a measure this tournament is for Brazil, Angelina’s injury.

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Soccer

Tori Penso reflects on historic selection as first American to referee a World Cup final – Equalizer Soccer

Published

17 hours ago

September 27, 2023

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Photo: Richard Callis / SPP

In a sold-out stadium at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Final, Tori Penso stood alone at the monitor. The center referee was called over by VAR to review a possible handball by England in the second half where Spain was already up by a goal.

“The stadium was silent. A pin could drop and I would have heard it. All the eyes were on me, all the cameras were all on me, and two billion people are watching this moment and they’re all anxious to see what’s going to happen,” Penso told The Equalizer.

Although Penso has made many decisions over her career, which has spanned USL, NWSL and MLS, this would be unlike any other. Not only was it a World Cup, but she would have to announce her decision to the arena of over 75,000 passionate fans.

After making her decision, Penso took an extra moment at the monitor practicing what she would say, walked back onto the field, took a breath, and announced to the world her decision: PENALTY.

For Penso, announcing VAR decisions live is a welcomed change which allows referees to provide clarity and improve the in-stadium experience, but she sees another, more intriguing reason to continue to employ the practice.

“It adds a little drama and a little theater. We are in the entertainment business at the end of the day,” Penso said. “Who doesn’t love a little drama?”

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Soccer

Why Bay FC’s global search led to a familiar name for its first coach – Equalizer Soccer

Published

22 hours ago

September 27, 2023

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Albertin Montoya, right, will lead Bay FC in 2024. (Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports)

When Albertin Montoya took over as interim coach of the Washington Spirit last year, both parties were clear: the relationship was only temporary. As highly regarded as Montoya is as a coach, he and his family have been based in the San Francisco Bay Area for decades. That was home. Plus, he was the longstanding technical director of a storied youth club there.

Coaching the Spirit, however, reminded Montoya of what he loved about the professional game that he had been part of in two previous leagues and two prior decades.

“I got the bug,” Montoya told The Equalizer this week. Now, he can put that feeling to good use.

On Wednesday, Montoya was named the first head coach of Bay FC, the San Jose, California-based National Women’s Soccer League expansion team slated to begin play in 2024. Montoya emerged from a long list of roughly 40 names “from every continent, from every type of background,” Bay FC general manager Lucy Rushton said, and a group of three finalists. In the end, the coach with deep, local ties was deemed the best fit by Rushton & Co for his tactical views and his ability to build culture and character within a team.

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Soccer

Megan Rapinoe was perfectly imperfect – Equalizer Soccer

Published

3 days ago

September 25, 2023

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Monday marks the first day of the United States women’s national team without Megan Rapinoe. It remains weird to type that, let alone accept it, perhaps because Rapinoe is not really gone.

In literal terms, the talented forward is still playing – for her club, OL Reign. She has at least a few weeks left in her professional career to chase one of the few things she has not won: a National Women’s Soccer League Championship title. Winning that and paying back a club that shaped so much of her career, would be a perfect way to call time on a career. As Rapinoe has said, however, there are no perfect endings, exemplified by her missed penalty in the shootout with Sweden at the 2023 World Cup.

Rapinoe called time on a 17-year career with the United States on Sunday, ending a career that bridged generations of what was indisputably the best team on earth during her era. Summarizing Rapinoe’s entire career is a futile effort. Rapinoe’s list of on-field accomplishments runs the gambit from two World Cup titles, a Golden Ball, world’s best player, and an Olympic gold medal. Then, there is everything else that Rapinoe stood for away from soccer. Rapinoe is most proud of her off-field accomplishments “by a mile,” she said on Saturday.

Rapinoe was a vocal advocate for equality, gay and trans rights, and racial injustice. She put her career on the line for those things — literally, in 2016, when she knelt during the national anthem in solidarity with former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick and his protests against racism and police violence. U.S. Soccer soon made a (later retracted) rule requiring all players and staff to stand for the anthem, and Rapinoe went without several call-ups during that period. Even three years later, her decision to take on President Donald Trump — and his loyal supporters — in the public light carried life-changing implications.

None of that deterred Rapinoe from standing for what she felt was just. Ahead of her final game in a U.S. jersey, Rapinoe reminisced about a lesson her mom taught her and twin sister, Rachael, in their early teens as they began finding success in soccer and gaining popularity among their peers.

“I think it’s just kind of my worldview that you have a responsibility to use whatever talent you have or whatever way you can to make the world a better place in some kind of way,” Rapinoe said.

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