[EnderD_503]

Yep, I'm a huge football fan (started another general thread a while back if anyone is ever interested in talking football regardless of competition/team/league etc.) and I've been following nearly every game.

France really need to deal with their goaltender situation, and just goes to show how a goaltender can either save a team's ass (as was the case with Hope Solo and the US) or screw them over (Sapowicz and Deville for France). France outplayed the US for the majority of the game, spent most of the game attacking the American net and quite frankly if it weren't for Hope Solo (and Abby Wambachs rediscovered heroics at the end of the game...though without Solo they wouldn't have had a chance by that point to begin with) the Americans would have been screwed. I really don't understand what Bini was thinking when he put Sapowicz as a starting keeper with Deville as back up. He should have just stole a keeper from Olympique Lyonnais considering over half the players play there anyway and as damn successful, too. It's frustrating given how far this team could have gone. Along with Japan they are the best passing team in these championships, among the most athletic and technical. To have that screwed up by a poor goalkeeping decision is rather annoying. Anyways, hopefully they can solve that problem by the time the Olympics role around because that team was one of the most entertaining to watch.

On that note, congrats to Sweden today. Hammerström's goal was quite possibly the goal of the tournament, imo. Schelin played great football as usual against her Lyon teammates. But again, France really need to solve those goaltending issues. Quick fast.

Will watch tomorrow's game as well...but I have to say I really hate the way North American media covers Asian teams in any sporting event. They seem compelled to always go on about the "heart" of North American teams/athletes as a winning factor (in this case the US), and always portray any other teams (particularly Asian) as lacking "heart." Japan have done something no other Japanese team has done before, and they've done it only shortly after disaster struck their entire nation. To say they lack "heart," to me, is an insult to their skill, but of course North American media always seem dead set on portraying Asian national teams/athletes as robotic carbon copies of one another, programmed from an early age. Anyways, I've really enjoyed seeing the rise of Japan in these games. Along with France they've been the best as far as technique, but unlike France they don't have a weak link in goal or anywhere else. Their passes are right on, they don't panic and give up the ball easily under pressure, they can finish well and they've got great athleticism. I'd also love to see Sawa win a World Cup.