A few thoughts: - We have named (at least) three players who are currently not playing or who are injured - Lily, Satchell and Rolston (appreciate Rolston played tonight ... but hasn't been at the level she can play at for some time - playing against the best in the world when you are recovering can't be good for loading/confidence?) - What is happening with the fringe Nix players? Are they completely off the radar now because they didn't play the NWL? This might be an eye-opener for these players who were told not to play the NWL by the Nix powers that be... I especially feel for Emma Main and Tui Duggan in this space. - And in the same breath, awesome opportunity for the NWL group, but tough ask to play an international after all being most likely completely ''off'' for 3 weeks?
Sadly NZF and the selfish shortsighted A-League Women clubs (#NotReallyTogetherAsOne) have thrown Jitka and the team under the bus a bit with these fixtures. Hopefully it doesn't get too bad but we know the US will win both games by 3+ goals and it will probably earn the team a lot of uneducated slander and disdain from people who don't know womens football.
Sadly NZF and the selfish shortsighted A-League Women clubs (#NotReallyTogetherAsOne) have thrown Jitka and the team under the bus a bit with these fixtures. Hopefully it doesn't get too bad but we know the US will win both games by 3+ goals and it will probably earn the team a lot of uneducated slander and disdain from people who don't know womens football.
So jitka didn’t want these fixtures? Or she expected a better squad which was never realistic?
Sadly NZF and the selfish shortsighted A-League Women clubs (#NotReallyTogetherAsOne) have thrown Jitka and the team under the bus a bit with these fixtures. Hopefully it doesn't get too bad but we know the US will win both games by 3+ goals and it will probably earn the team a lot of uneducated slander and disdain from people who don't know womens football.
That's my issue with scheduling these games. Heavy losses on home soil is not going to do much in getting the public support behind this team and women's football leading into a home world cup. (Combined with the Nix sitting bottom of the table). Has NZF got it all wrong. How much damage will be done to those uneducated in women's football? Luckily we do have some more international home games after this to build back some credibility and reputation for women's football after these USA games.
Sadly NZF and the selfish shortsighted A-League Women clubs (#NotReallyTogetherAsOne) have thrown Jitka and the team under the bus a bit with these fixtures. Hopefully it doesn't get too bad but we know the US will win both games by 3+ goals and it will probably earn the team a lot of uneducated slander and disdain from people who don't know womens football.
So jitka didn’t want these fixtures? Or she expected a better squad which was never realistic?
But was it unrealistic for Bunge, Stott & Bowen to be released by their ALW clubs for at least one of these USA games. All the talk of increased Trans Tasman co-operation of late.
Basically what can NZF & Jitka do. It's unlikely the high profile US Women's team will ever visit NZ to play the Ferns again, for many years if ever. US Soccer hold all the scheduling cards here. Damned if you do, damned if you don't
Was about 5 years between home games for the Ferns before the Korea games. Post the WWC that type of schedule will likely return, with Ferns in the OFC
Sadly NZF and the selfish shortsighted A-League Women clubs (#NotReallyTogetherAsOne) have thrown Jitka and the team under the bus a bit with these fixtures. Hopefully it doesn't get too bad but we know the US will win both games by 3+ goals and it will probably earn the team a lot of uneducated slander and disdain from people who don't know womens football.
Is it really the clubs fault though? I mean they pay the players wages, it's it really selfish to want the to work for the money? I don't really get why australian clubs would care about an NZ friendly outside of international windows.
Not sure it's anyones fault so to speak, NZF learly want to cash in on getting games at home - adn getting the US here is amazing. Clubs don't have to release players for gaems outside official windows, but it would be nice if the supposed good faith between Aussie and NZ was actually demonstrated. I doubt it was expected that our best XI would all be released for both games but it wouldhave been nice, and respectful from the Aussie clubs to release players for one of the games. Not releasing them at all is a little disrespectful and in the long ru hurts the effort of working together to better football across both countries.
And what of the players themselves. Bowen & Stott are coming to the end of their careers. Would playing the US at 'home' (though Stott is basically an Aussie to be fair) have been a nice highlight.
Are they quietly a bit pissed with their clubs? From memory Barba & Ingham were released by their ALM clubs for that March 2022 OFC Tourney outside of FIFA window dates.
But yeah overall you could agrue, it's the Americans who could have done more to help, by visiting in the 13-22nd Feb FIFA window. Their new NWSL season doesn't start until 25th March, so why does the national team not visit NZ until Feb.
Edit - okay now see the Americans are hosting Japan, Canada & Brazil in a 4 nation tourney in Feb.
Disagree, this could be disastrous tbh. I think there's a high possibility that we lose the games by 6+ goals, thats gonna be a nightmare from a publicity front.
My partner and all her football playing friends are going to the game, usually most of them could care less about watching the game, this could put them off watching even more. I don't see how this will help womens football at all.
Silly decision from NZF. How much will we even learn from a thrashing?
The Ferns team named looks very weak in defence, esp with Riley not capable of playing a full 90 mins. Full marks to her commitment flying all the way to NZ, half fit.
NZF/Jitka would have banked on 1-2 of Bowen, Stott & Bunge being available. Is rough that all 3 haven't been released by their ALW clubs, plus Taylor still injured.
Again for NZF is a bit damned if you do, damned if you don't. This opportunity to play the most high profile womens team at home in NZ, won't come around again for a very long time.
Maybe ask the US coach to flog her players in training pre the games sooo much - they are fatigued for the actual games. They will yes be out of season, so wouldn't be unreasonable they were doing some heavy pre season fitness stuff. A quiet word that thrashing our national team prior the WWC, will not be good publicity at all.
For a brief moment in the United States summer of 1999, it felt like time had stopped for Ali Riley.
Crammed into the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, among 90,000 others for the final of the 1999 Fifa Women’s World Cup, an 11-year-old Riley could only hold her breath and hope as Brandi Chastain stepped up to take the decisive penalty shot.
A successful strike would secure the US Women’s National Team a historic victory over China.
“I just remember it was so hot - everyone that was there that day still talks about how hot it was - and I was so nervous. It doesn’t get any more dramatic than a penalty shootout and I think the whole stadium just went dead quiet,” the now 35-year-old Riley recalls.
“And then … it just erupted.”
Riley was among a generation of young American girls for whom that moment ignited something within.
“For me and I think a lot of other young people at that time, we suddenly dreamt about doing something huge with our lives,” says Riley.
Nearly 24 years on, Riley is on the cusp of a “full-circle moment”. The Football Ferns skipper, whose football dreams were inspired by “the 99ers” World Cup triumph in the city she was raised in, is preparing to lead her side in a home World Cup later this year.
Riley hopes the tournament, which New Zealand are co-hosting with Australia, can make a similar impression on Kiwi kids, just as it did for her.
“To be able to see your national team play live in a World Cup, and all these incredible teams and global superstars of the game here in New Zealand, I just really think it will impact so many different generations, for so many different reasons,” says Riley, who is eligible to play for New Zealand through her Kiwi father, John.
Fans: "We want more home Fernies games against quality opposition" Also fans: "NOT LIKE THAT"
Was personally never calling for more ferns home games but sure mate.
Could really give a shark where they play I'm just more concerned about it leaving a poor image for the public.
I doubt it could be worse than the Japan debacle. There was a big crowd in Wellington for that and I've never seen such negative dross in my life. Many of those spectators ain't coming back in a hurry.
Fans: "We want more home Fernies games against quality opposition" Also fans: "NOT LIKE THAT"
Was personally never calling for more ferns home games but sure mate.
Could really give a shark where they play I'm just more concerned about it leaving a poor image for the public.
I doubt it could be worse than the Japan debacle. There was a big crowd in Wellington for that and I've never seen such negative dross in my life. Many of those spectators ain't coming back in a hurry.
Fenix
Monto
Doloras
Fans: "We want more home Fernies games against quality opposition" Also fans: "NOT LIKE THAT"
Was personally never calling for more ferns home games but sure mate.
Could really give a shark where they play I'm just more concerned about it leaving a poor image for the public.
I doubt it could be worse than the Japan debacle. There was a big crowd in Wellington for that and I've never seen such negative dross in my life. Many of those spectators ain't coming back in a hurry.
Fair, thats was a truly awful game.
This is why I was hoping for some more winnable games before the world cup, you have to make the casuals actually believe that we're good and have a chance.
I get that it's a big opportunity to have the US at home but it's not like we lack opportunities to play them anyway.
Fans: "We want more home Fernies games against quality opposition" Also fans: "NOT LIKE THAT"
Was personally never calling for more ferns home games but sure mate.
Could really give a shark where they play I'm just more concerned about it leaving a poor image for the public.
I doubt it could be worse than the Japan debacle. There was a big crowd in Wellington for that and I've never seen such negative dross in my life. Many of those spectators ain't coming back in a hurry.
Doubt thats true, alot of the fans at that game were families and female football players - exactly the crowds that will turn up for games like this and the world cup. Also it's about $10 cheaper to go to this game than it is for the Nix
Downside though is in reality anything less than a 5 goal loss can be seen as a good result for the Ferns
Call me old school but that first clip worries me. Are we that serious about what's coming up? All i see on USAs twitter is them training the house down!
Call me old school but that first clip worries me. Are we that serious about what's coming up? All i see on USAs twitter is them training the house down!
I'm more old school than young school - and I don't think you'd ever see Chris Wood playing the decks there like Ali Riley. But the genders are also often very different. With females seems having some fun, is of greater importance than in the mens game.
Others on here are involved with women's football, and will know far more than me. But if you go into that environment with an old school, very male approach, aka perhaps Andreas Heraf - it won't go well.
But yeah perhaps not the smartest clip by NZF to post on social media, if the Ferns go out & get thumped 6-0 or something. After all alot of the Ferns campaigns are at least partially funded by HPSNZ.
