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August
20, 2004
It is now the Critical 12 Hour period. One meal down,
a meeting in 45 minutes, another meal and then the bus
ride to the stadium.
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| These
are my god kids, Kylie and Westen,.aren't they just
so darn cute. |
Every
game we learn new things. We believe we now have mastered
the art of how long it will take to get to the stadium
with a six car and six motorcycle escort. The answer
to that is, not very long. In regular traffic it probably
would be 35 minutes, for us, 20-ish. So, we had been
leaving around 3:30pm for a 6pm game. That is just too
much time in the marble floored wooden bench lockerroom.
Now that the calculations have been made, we are taking
off so that we will have approximately 1:30-ish minutes
in the lockerroom before we kick-off.
Everyone
had their difference rituals that they need to attend
to. Bri likes to clear her cleats, millimeter by millimeter,
while listening to music. Julie likes to do something
that resembles dancing, but the jury is still out on
that one.
PREVIEWING
THE OTHER QUARTER FINALS
Sweden versus Australia
In this match up, you have an up and coming team
in Australia that has a new sense of self. This
is the first major world event that they have made
it out of their group games. My buddy and ex-CyberRays
teammate Di Alagich has told me how excited her
team is for their next game. The reason being is
they have found a recipe that seems to work for
them. Tough, solid defending, and three players
in the attack that can out race most backs. That
is not to leave out the fact that they have skill
to match their speed. As for Sweden, they are always
strong, but haven't been themselves in this tournament.
However, if you think they are going to roll over,
you are mistaken. They have the experience of losing
their first game, and then making it to the final
in last year’s World Cup. They can be tough,
hard in the tackle, but can be devastating with
the attack of forwards Ljundberg and Svensen. This
is the blue collar game of the quarterfinals.
Nigeria
versus Germany
As a soccer fan, I wish I could be in the stadium
for this one. First of all, Germany have been
on a roll. Birgit Prinz has scored many a goal,
and will be lurking around Nigeria’s goal.
She is always dangerous if unattended. Nigeria
will have their hands full with the whole of Germany,
but Nigeria is a team that Germany will likewise
need to pay attention to. They are athletic, powerful,
as fast as they are quick, and have no qualms
about running you over if you step in their way.
They are unorthodox and this makes them exceedingly
scary. If you think they are going right, they
will surely move to the left, and vice versa.
They are uninhibited by rules or boundaries and
their highlights against Japan and Sweden are
proof. This will be an end to end battle of swift
feet and flying tackles. This may be one of those
matches where the substitutes will make the biggest
difference.
Mexico
versus Brasil
If
there were two teams meant for each other it is
these two. They have the rhythm and dance on the
ball, but are sneaky and nippy in the defense.
The goals will be scored by the team that has
the most composure in front of the net. Brasil
has the deftness on the dribble but can struggle
in the goal area when things are too easy. Mexico
doesn't overwhelm teams, but can hit a long range
shot that can surprise. If Brasil's defense sags
off like they have been doing, Mariel Dominguez
will make them pay.
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Others
have to use the time to get their ankles taped, stretched
or massaged before they are ready. As for me, it really
depends on the day. I like to listen to music, chat
with the girls, read a book. Not sure what today will
be, maybe the crossword.
Today's
game is the most important of the tournament. When you
get to the knockout stage of a tournament, the stakes
change. Every pass has to have purpose. Every word uttered
needs to be clear and concise. And every move has to
be decisive.
Our
last game with Japan wasn't our best, and we have talked
about how we will adapt our game to make this day better.
We have watched the film on Japan in this Olympics and
they have done some very good things, but from what
we have seen, they haven't been devastating in the goal
area. HOWEVER, it would be a mistake to think that isn't
one of their strengths. They have one of the best playmakers/goal
scorers in the world in Homare Sawa. We have seen it
on the international level as well as in the WUSA. It
is tough to contain her in a 1 v 1 situation, but as
a team, we can defend in numbers. This will be our strategy.
Enjoy
the game!
Brandi
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