Thanks for the lovely words. Totally agree there could be big things for HH, really curious to see if she gets playing time and how much. I think Staab being used as a backup that start sas a more offensive option when needed might be the idea behind the callup. Glad to see the rotation for sure.

Thanks for checking it out.

I got you! If my videos can prevent just one text to an ex I've succeeded.

@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer you’re doing god’s work!

Appreciate the kind feedback!

I wasn't expecting to love watching Chicago but between Staab and Swanson they were generating so many different types of chances, it was great.

@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer Those two and Lorne Donaldson are the only reasons I'm following Chicago closely this season lol

Thanks for sharing that great feedback. I so want to cover the final but I have a very long list of videos I've started and not finished so I'm going to try stay focused! What a game though, about 15 minutes in I had this big moment realizing how far the game has come. I just could not believe I was able to turn on the tv and watch a women's game of that quality. Fantastic game, Bonmati is inevitable.

@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer Totally understandable. I'm looking forward to whatever you put out next. As a neutral, I enjoyed watching the final so much! I hoped it would be interesting for 90 mins and it really delivered. Bonmati is truly something else, but I'd like to shout out Bronze who I thought had a great game. She gets a lot of hate, but imo she's been solid both in the final and in the 2nd leg of the semis. Finally, I'm incredibly happy that Alexia got to have her big moment because she's had a really tough time with the ACL recovery and it was obvious how much it meant to her. I'm a sucker for those emotional moments. I started following women's football only recently (wc23) and it's been an incredibly exciting and interesting experience, but I can only imagine how it feels to see its growth to people who have followed it longer.

@@RunawayForce I'm English by birth so familiar with Bronze but more used to seeing her play for country. Love her, she makes a difficult job look so effortless most of the time. I suppose the criticism is probably around decision making at times (aka my wc23 dreams being crushed), but that's the price of the admission!

@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer yep, that final wasn't one of her brightest moments and she's had a couple of mistakes playing for Barca, too. It seems to me like she's a bit of a high risk-high reward player nowadays. Nevertheless, I really like it when players "redeem" themselves and remind the fans/critics why they are in the position to compete with some of the best. It'll be really interesting to see who will take that RB role once Bronze retires from the NT, because Sarina almost never rotates her.

Wow there's really something there! I feel like I can start to see it showing up on film in the way the structures and patterns emerge. And generally very young names on the rest of the team list.

Wow indeed. Amazing call out @erobinsonii. Coaching matters enormously. 😢

You're so welcome!

Thanks for the lovely words Michael, I'm hoping to prove out there's real demand for this before I eventually get yelled at for screen ripping all the footage! Agree HH could so easily play both roles, I like her as a 6 because she's solid and fearless defensively. Fantastically high percentage passer too but the only failed passes I found were the odd forward pass in the air where it caught her foot wrong. It's nitpicking but I think she's a really natural 6 and the 8 might be something she's coached into.

@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer She does seem to have some of that Jule Ertz 'bite' that's been missing for a while. Or should I say that Shannon Boxx 'bite', since you made a nice comparison there. The other thing I like about HH at the 6 is her speed and acceleration, much better in comparison to either Sam Coffey or Andi Sullivan.

@@michaelt6218 Oh great call on the speed! We see it so much going the other way but it's a lovely quality for HH to bring to the D.

It's totally mesmerizing, just beautiful footwork.

So happy to hear that!

Great point on the minutes. HH looked so comfortable even during her first NWSL game, she may already be there to some extent. Will be great to try get a read on it.

You’re welcome, this was so fun to put together

The surprise is one of my favorite traits, it shows so much maturity already to know how to disguise her intentions.

Yes! Her and the team are just so much fun to watch

Glad you enjoyed it!

My gut feel is it's not the end for her but I thought she was around 24-25 which adds a wrinkle. Defenders can take a while to develop because the position is so based on experience and where I think she really needs improvement is her decision making, specifically judgment calls (when does she step, when does she look for a breakout pass). If that starts clicking she could easily be back but we'll see.

Thank you for watching!

You and me both, she's a joy to watch.

I can't even imagine what a disappointment being an alternate is. With a young player like Yohannes at least it'll be clear to her why she's going and what the team wants her to experience.

Hi ZB! Sam did strike me as a player that probably played some midfield in the past, she's just such a confident passer and has that midfield calmness. I don't see too much value in a position change for her at this point, just smart pairing if she is used. Girma would be a great partner to help compensate for the lack of speed when facing a team with really fast players, whereas with an opponent that may sit outside the box more Davidson could be a good pair. I'd be hard pressed to ever sit Girma but in theory!

@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer cool! Thanks!

@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccerGirma IS the core of the US defense for the foreseeable future. She really is that good.

@@glarris1 I think Naomi Girma should be captain. I think the captain of the USWNT should work in the US. Is that strange?

you're great at what you do, helps me understand the game, really appreciate you.

That's so nice to hear, glad you're enjoying the game.

Excellent breakdown of these three players. btw, CB is becoming an issue. Cook has disappointed and Dahlkemper may not get to WC 2027. Staab addition could help but let’s try to look past the Olympics. Since the US midfield is stacked, I wonder if Hershfelt could be converted to CB and partner with Girma, Hal’s height, physicality and temperament are ideal for CB. Post Olympics, players below need to get consistent call-ups. Croix Bethune Tess Boade Gabrielle Robinson Ally Watt Reilyn Turner Bethune and Boade should be CAMs, they push the ball up through the middle of the field with confidence. A lot more fans in soccer podcasts are calling for Robinson to be given a chance at CB. Watt and Turner should force Williams and Morgan to retire from the USWNT.

@@jlb74a I like your read on it, CB is definitely an issue so there's no harm in starting to look at some different backups or give future players experience. I really like Robinson's physicality, would be very keen to get more of a look at her. Boade I've been enjoying watching too, she stands out as very competent. Was not familiar with her name before catching some Bay games.

I think Emma Hayes may feel the same as you based on the callups! Starting to see the impact in the NWSL for sure though.

Europe has some very good teams. Sending away American stars or doing a better job training Americans here? From my American point view, I like the second. Keep the NWSL teams competitive, only females. Add a couple of NWSL teams in Canada. Send the USWNT on tours of Europe. Europeans should want to come here.

I like the way you phrased it, it's part of her job but she needs to brush it up. They both struck me as more moments of panic instead of smart and necessary tactical fouls. Knowing when and how to do it is a skill for sure!

@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer Yeah the first one where they were sufficient defenders in front of the goal, the Chelsea one though was 2 defenders in front of goal marking 2 forwards and Kaneryd was unmarked so it was kinda necessary there 🤷

She could dribble in a phonebooth, it's amazing. You touched on one of my big questions though, does the USSF maintain as much influence over the roster during the Hayes era? Yohannes and Hershfelt callups make me think perhaps not, but we'll have to wait and see.

@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer It's not enough to challenge USSF orthodoxy--we need better filters down at the U14 level. I remember reffing this small U16 Indian girl at SantaClara Sporting back in the day. Total boss, ran the game, big soccer brain like Lily--zero camps and she prolly played college club team or D3. Talents wasted because Nats don't value navigating in tight spaces. Same thing with Miranda Nild--she was a beast but club coaches destroyed her career path because they needed her to be a destroyer for the club instead of a dominant 10--she was so amazingly quick.

@@r2dad282 Appreciate your insights, it's not a system I went through so I'm keen to learn more and try and understand where the issues are. I have some theories for sure but definitely need to build a better background in what the general coaching plan is for each age group. Wasn't familiar with Nild but that was an interesting google, what a shame.