RD Welch

U-20 USWNT: CONCACAF Championship Playing Time (Group Stage)

After watching the first three USA group stage matches in the 2012 CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship, where head coach Steve Swanson has generously employed his full roster, I was curious to see how his use of his roster compares to past U-20 USWNT coaches in previous CONCACAF Championships.

As it turns out, Swanson’s usage of his roster is the most liberal since since 2006, when Tim Schulz (edit: it’s Schulz, no “t”) helmed the U-20 USWNT. Compared to the past two head coaches, Jill Ellis (2010) and Tony DiCicco (2008), Swanson has rested more starters: 8 starters from the first match did not play in either the second or third match, compared to 4 or less for Ellis (3) and DiCicco (4). Swanson has also used more players: all 20 on the roster, in fact, compared to 18 out of 20 for both Ellis and DiCicco. In 2006, Schulz also rested 8 first match starters during the group stage and used his entire roster.

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USWNT: 2012 Algarve Cup Playing Time

At this year’s Algarve Cup, Alex Morgan led the USWNT in playing time, as she was on the pitch for all but 13 minutes over 4 matches. Sydney Leroux had just 51 minutes of playing time, while defender Whitney Engen did not play at all. Eleven players had at least 180 minutes (equivalent of 2 full matches) of playing time while three more had at least 135 minutes (equivalent of 1.5 full matches).
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U-23 USWNT: La Manga 2012 Playing Time

The USA’s Under-23 Women’s National Team competed in a mini-tournament at La Manga, Spain from February 26th to March 1st versus their U-23 cohorts from Sweden, England, and Norway. The USA defeated Sweden 2-0, lost to England 2-1, and defeated Norway 5-0. Goalkeeper Bianca Henninger was injured during the first-half of the opening match and did not play the rest of the tournament. Continue reading “U-23 USWNT: La Manga 2012 Playing Time”

The Dreaded 6-6-6-0 Round-Robin Group Scenario

In a four-team single round-robin schedule, a team that wins its first two matches is not guaranteed a top-two spot in the group under the rules typically used by FIFA and CONCACAF. There is a scenario where three teams in a group can win two matches each and lose a match each, resulting in the points being 6-6-6-0. Continue reading “The Dreaded 6-6-6-0 Round-Robin Group Scenario”

CONCACAF WU-20: Group B Preview (U-20 USWNT)

The USA’s Under-20 Women’s National Team formally kicks off its quest for the 2012 FIFA Women’s Under-20 World Cup, today, in Panama, as it takes on Guatemala. The U-20 USWNT’s other two group stage opponents, Cuba and Panama, also play today. Continue reading “CONCACAF WU-20: Group B Preview (U-20 USWNT)”

CONCACAF WU-20: Match Day 1 Recap (Group A)

The 2012 CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship kicked off in Panama, yesterday, with everything going to plan except for the late start of the first match. Group A played yesterday, with favorites Canada and Mexico both winning their matches versus Haiti and Jamaica, respectively. Continue reading “CONCACAF WU-20: Match Day 1 Recap (Group A)”

CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship: Group A Preview

Assuming the U-20 USWNT make it out of Group B in the CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship (which is a very safe assumption), Group A will contain at least one knock-out stage opponent, and probably two. The two most likely knock-out stage opponents from Group A are Canada and Mexico. The other two teams in the group are Haiti and Jamaica. Continue reading “CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship: Group A Preview”

Canada U-20 WNT Final Roster (CONCACAF 2012)

On Wednesday (correction: not Monday), Canada announced their final 20-player roster for the 2012 CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship. The U-20 team had been in camp for two weeks with 22 players (canadasoccer.com). Eighteen of the twenty-two players attend American universities. I have listed the final roster below, adding hyperlinks to the players’ team bios, where available. The two players cut from the roster are Rachelle Beanlands ( University of Maryland) and Erin Uchacz (Oregon State).
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U-20 USWNT: Player Profiles and My Take on the Starting Line-Up (CONCACAF 2012)

The U-20 USWNT takes to the field this Friday, in Panama. But, who will start for the United States? That is the guessing game that die-hard fans will be playing until about an hour before kick-off, which is when the actual roster has to be submitted to a match official.

This series of articles is my best educated guess about who will be the go-to starters for the USA in the 2012 CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship. Continue reading “U-20 USWNT: Player Profiles and My Take on the Starting Line-Up (CONCACAF 2012)”

U-20 USWNT: Goalkeepers (CONCACAF 2012)

The U-20 USWNT has two goalkeepers on its 20-player roster for the CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship in Panama: Bryane Heaberlin, who has committed to and already enrolled at UNC (Chapel Hill); and Abby Smith (older rosters may list her as “Abagail”), a high school senior who has officially committed to the University of Texas. Continue reading “U-20 USWNT: Goalkeepers (CONCACAF 2012)”