NZ Ferns v USA | 18 Jan 2023 at 4.00pm Sky Stad | and 21 Jan 2023 at 4.00pm Eden Park

I'm reserving my overall opinion on the USA series until after the game on Saturday. But with any luck they rotate there team as this is a training camp for them after all. Be nice if Lavelle was rested. She is total class. 
If they really wanted to thrash us, they would have just moved the ball wide more often, got in behind with there pace, and cross into the box. As we have shown against them, We can't deal with there pace and we are terrible at dealing with crosses in the box. 
Still great experience for our players. Must be so good playing in front of home fans after so long. Would love to see some of the National league girls get a run. Think Nayler should stay in goal. Sheath had a good run of games at U20 WC. Just being in the environment will be good experience for her. If Nayler doesn't play who will possibly be the scapegoat?

I want likes of Lavelle & Morgan to play on Saturday. There's skillful players are fantastic for the women's game. The World Cup is going to be great, even if the weather will be more challenging in July.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/women-in-sport/131013529/i-love-it-football-ferns-get-a-kick-out-of-playing-in-front-of-record-crowd

Ranix

I'm reserving my overall opinion on the USA series until after the game on Saturday. But with any luck they rotate there team as this is a training camp for them after all. Be nice if Lavelle was rested. She is total class. 
If they really wanted to thrash us, they would have just moved the ball wide more often, got in behind with there pace, and cross into the box. As we have shown against them, We can't deal with there pace and we are terrible at dealing with crosses in the box. 
Still great experience for our players. Must be so good playing in front of home fans after so long. Would love to see some of the National league girls get a run. Think Nayler should stay in goal. Sheath had a good run of games at U20 WC. Just being in the environment will be good experience for her. If Nayler doesn't play who will possibly be the scapegoat?

Ranix

I'm reserving my overall opinion on the USA series until after the game on Saturday. But with any luck they rotate there team as this is a training camp for them after all. Be nice if Lavelle was rested. She is total class. 
If they really wanted to thrash us, they would have just moved the ball wide more often, got in behind with there pace, and cross into the box. As we have shown against them, We can't deal with there pace and we are terrible at dealing with crosses in the box. 
Still great experience for our players. Must be so good playing in front of home fans after so long. Would love to see some of the National league girls get a run. Think Nayler should stay in goal. Sheath had a good run of games at U20 WC. Just being in the environment will be good experience for her. If Nayler doesn't play who will possibly be the scapegoat?

To be fair to Nayler the USA put 6 past Leat in 2021. You're a sitting duck between the sticks with the firepower and finishers they have. Do love watching Rose Lavelle, so clever.
EDIT - two of those were own goals ..,

coochiee

First of all it is Nayler. With an e. As it has been for 10 plus years she’s been Ferns keeper!

Agree she is very average and 3rd choice behind Leat and Esson 

Leat is only about 20. She is the future. Alfeld also 

But this is an inexperienced, depleted, makeshift Ferns side. Especially at the back. You’d only make it worse by throwing in Edwards or Sheaff. Nayler has to start by default

I agree but at the same time I don't. Start Nayler, but if it's already 2-0 or more by half time, happy to see Sheaff or heaven forbid Bri Edwards subbed on. The experience would do wonderful things for either.

Bananas

Doloras

Biggest ever turnout for a women's match in NZ, and some people here think it should never have happened...

Extra impressive given it's a bit of an ass of a time in the middle of the week too.

I would have loved to have gone but couldn't get the time off work.

The WC is gonna be AWESOME!

Bananas

Doloras

Biggest ever turnout for a women's match in NZ, and some people here think it should never have happened...

Extra impressive given it's a bit of an ass of a time in the middle of the week too.

I would have loved to have gone but couldn't get the time off work.

The WC is gonna be AWESOME!

Yeah just goes to prove yet again how good the welly football support is. 

If auckland doesn't get at least 20k that's pathetic imo.

Monto

Bananas

Doloras

Biggest ever turnout for a women's match in NZ, and some people here think it should never have happened...

Extra impressive given it's a bit of an ass of a time in the middle of the week too.

I would have loved to have gone but couldn't get the time off work.

The WC is gonna be AWESOME!

Bananas

Doloras

Biggest ever turnout for a women's match in NZ, and some people here think it should never have happened...

Extra impressive given it's a bit of an ass of a time in the middle of the week too.

I would have loved to have gone but couldn't get the time off work.

The WC is gonna be AWESOME!

Yeah just goes to prove yet again how good the welly football support is. 

If auckland doesn't get at least 20k that's pathetic imo.

 LIke I noted above, NZF /Eden Park have chosen to only open one stand. The tickets left for sale now aren't that great

pickledmyself

Monto

Bananas

Doloras

Biggest ever turnout for a women's match in NZ, and some people here think it should never have happened...

Extra impressive given it's a bit of an ass of a time in the middle of the week too.

I would have loved to have gone but couldn't get the time off work.

The WC is gonna be AWESOME!

Bananas

Doloras

Biggest ever turnout for a women's match in NZ, and some people here think it should never have happened...

Extra impressive given it's a bit of an ass of a time in the middle of the week too.

I would have loved to have gone but couldn't get the time off work.

The WC is gonna be AWESOME!

Yeah just goes to prove yet again how good the welly football support is. 

If auckland doesn't get at least 20k that's pathetic imo.

 LIke I noted above, NZF /Eden Park have chosen to only open one stand. The tickets left for sale now aren't that great

They'll open another stand if the currently available tickets sell out though yea?

Bananas

Doloras

Biggest ever turnout for a women's match in NZ, and some people here think it should never have happened...

Extra impressive given it's a bit of an ass of a time in the middle of the week too.

I would have loved to have gone but couldn't get the time off work.

The WC is gonna be AWESOME!

I mean, imagine if the All Blacks were playing a friendly in Chicago against the US men's team, who were missing many of their best players for whatever reason. I can't imagine the US rugby crowd yelling "cancel the game, we're just going to get humiliated and it'll set the sport back years"

Doloras

Bananas

Doloras

Biggest ever turnout for a women's match in NZ, and some people here think it should never have happened...

Extra impressive given it's a bit of an ass of a time in the middle of the week too.

I would have loved to have gone but couldn't get the time off work.

The WC is gonna be AWESOME!

I mean, imagine if the All Blacks were playing a friendly in Chicago against the US men's team, who were missing many of their best players for whatever reason. I can't imagine the US rugby crowd yelling "cancel the game, we're just going to get humiliated and it'll set the sport back years"

There were people in the US calling that and to be fair I don't think their NT has been in a worse position now than they ever have been. Those things aren't related though and rugby is a poor example, blowouts in scores are common.

Anyway I'm sorry big master for having concerns about the series. Sorry for wanting women's football to do well. I'll admit I was wrong about the crowd but fudge me you're a broken record with the "some people didn't want this game to go ahead".

This is legitimately the first time I have ever been called big master 

USA will rotate squad and it will be no more than 4-0. Play Sheaff...let her make some saves...get a better deal somewhere happy days. Shes U20s keeper for a reason...let her play.

Naylors days are done. 

Showtime Nixie

USA will rotate squad and it will be no more than 4-0. Play Sheaff...let her make some saves...get a better deal somewhere happy days. Shes U20s keeper for a reason...let her play.

Naylors days are done. 

on this, i agree with you, wholeheartedly. But her name is Nayler not Naylor. simple typo I know but it's an easy fix.

Neville, Hassett & I-P Riley all miss game 2 - returning to their clubs.
Sounds like the US being in pre season mode will rotate their squad, so that hopefully will help prevent a scoreline blowout. 

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/women-in-sport/131008611/how-jitka-klimkov-might-tinker-with-the-football-ferns-for-their-rematch-with-the-united-states

Coach Jitka Klimková also has to manage the minutes of five other Phoenix players – goalkeeper Brianna Edwards, defender Mackenzie Barry, midfielder Grace Wisnewski and forwards Emma Rolston and Paige Satchell – as well as forward Grace Jale, who is set to line up against them for Canberra United at Sky Stadium on Sunday.

Edwards is unlikely to feature for the Ferns and should be right to start for the Phoenix, unless Georgia Candy is preferred with captain Lily Alfeld still out injured, while Rolston is suspended in A-League Women, so can play a full part for her country.

I'll never understand naming 3 keepers for a squad for a two game series, 1 is clearly going to miss game time. It's especially annoying when the Nix #1 is the Fern's #3 and they are then either missing a nix game or Nix training sessions. If the games are in NZ and a keeper is injured surely we could just give someone a call up if required rather than taking a keeper out of her teams regular training.

Oh well folks have been asking that Georgia Candy get a start in goal for the Nix ALW team. If she's been training there all week in the absence of Edwards, maybe she will finally get a crack on Sundee.

I'd be ok with seeing that...... fingers crossed, but just like when Alfield was with the Ferns, Edwards has no doubt trained with Nayler and Sheaf, but she aint gonna get game time, so the besides some feel good thing for being in the mix I honestly cant see what she gains from being in the squad.

coochiee

Neville, Hassett & I-P Riley all miss game 2 - returning to their clubs.
Sounds like the US being in pre season mode will rotate their squad, so that hopefully will help prevent a scoreline blowout. 

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/women-in-sport/131008611/how-jitka-klimkov-might-tinker-with-the-football-ferns-for-their-rematch-with-the-united-states

Coach Jitka Klimková also has to manage the minutes of five other Phoenix players – goalkeeper Brianna Edwards, defender Mackenzie Barry, midfielder Grace Wisnewski and forwards Emma Rolston and Paige Satchell – as well as forward Grace Jale, who is set to line up against them for Canberra United at Sky Stadium on Sunday.

Edwards is unlikely to feature for the Ferns and should be right to start for the Phoenix, unless Georgia Candy is preferred with captain Lily Alfeld still out injured, while Rolston is suspended in A-League Women, so can play a full part for her country.

Give Grace Jale a full 90 minutes! Please!

coochiee

Oh well folks have been asking that Georgia Candy get a start in goal for the Nix ALW team. If she's been training there all week in the absence of Edwards, maybe she will finally get a crack on Sundee.

yes please

coochiee

Oh well folks have been asking that Georgia Candy get a start in goal for the Nix ALW team. If she's been training there all week in the absence of Edwards, maybe she will finally get a crack on Sundee.

Hope so.

I think stuff like this, for the young fans - makes the  series worthwhile even if the Ferns get smashed. Need to see it through a young football fan's eyes. Not just a grumpy middle aged man's lens

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/women-in-sport/131017116/usa-all-the-way-world-champs-goal-to-become-new-zealands-secondfavourite-team

One young fan brought a sign that read ‘My life goal: Meet Alex Morgan’.

Morgan granted the fan’s wish by posing for a selfie with her and signing an autograph after the game.

same life goal as quite a few grumpy middle-aged men

She's not unattractive. Doloras may concur

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/women-in-sport/131008636/football-ferns-home-crowd-record-could-fall-again-against-united-states-at-eden-park

On Friday, the only word from NZ Football was that they were tracking towards a similar attendance figure to the one they had in Wellington, so it could take a big walk-up crowd to break either record.

Eden Park chief executive Nick Sautner said: “After a record crowd in Wellington earlier this week, we are challenging Aucklanders to rise to the occasion and set their own records at [Saturday’s] Eden Park game.

coochiee

She's not unattractive. Doloras may concur

I wouldn't kick her out of bed for eating crackers but neither would I particularly bat my lashes at her across a crowded nightclub. My daughter has a children's book telling the life story of Megan Rapinoe, incidentally

Doloras

Bananas

Doloras

Biggest ever turnout for a women's match in NZ, and some people here think it should never have happened...

Extra impressive given it's a bit of an ass of a time in the middle of the week too.

I would have loved to have gone but couldn't get the time off work.

The WC is gonna be AWESOME!

I mean, imagine if the All Blacks were playing a friendly in Chicago against the US men's team, who were missing many of their best players for whatever reason. I can't imagine the US rugby crowd yelling "cancel the game, we're just going to get humiliated and it'll set the sport back years"

Why do you compare with Rugby it is a minuscule sport in The USA, it does not even register? Even in NZ Football is the number One Sport in terms of participation particularly in Auckland and Wellington we would be four times more popular.  
Rugby has massive issues.  Karori Waterside Football website states that they 1,000 players and 100 teams meanwhile Wests Rugby which covers from Karori to Khandallah only has two senior teams. Rugby is dying.
Wellington Rugby team which won the NPC and Ranfurly Shield was playing in front of crowds of maybe 1k during their most successful season in two decades.

whatever

Doloras

Bananas

Doloras

Biggest ever turnout for a women's match in NZ, and some people here think it should never have happened...

Extra impressive given it's a bit of an ass of a time in the middle of the week too.

I would have loved to have gone but couldn't get the time off work.

The WC is gonna be AWESOME!

I mean, imagine if the All Blacks were playing a friendly in Chicago against the US men's team, who were missing many of their best players for whatever reason. I can't imagine the US rugby crowd yelling "cancel the game, we're just going to get humiliated and it'll set the sport back years"

Why do you compare with Rugby it is a minuscule sport in The USA, it does not even register? Even in NZ Football is the number One Sport in terms of participation particularly in Auckland and Wellington we would be four times more popular.  
Rugby has massive issues.  Karori Waterside Football website states that they 1,000 players and 100 teams meanwhile Wests Rugby which covers from Karori to Khandallah only has two senior teams. Rugby is dying.
Wellington Rugby team which won the NPC and Ranfurly Shield was playing in front of crowds of maybe 1k during their most successful season in two decades.

She was trying to say that the All Blacks (biggest brand in rugby) visiting the rugby backwater USA, is a bit like the USWNT (biggest brand in womens football) visiting little NZ.

Your national bodies (USA Rugby or NZF) don't turn down these opportunities, to promote their game.

And participation rates can be misleading re a sports profile, or importance. Especially with high impact, collison sports like rugby & gridiron which don't really lend themselves to social leagues etc. 

Wouldn't surprise me at all if Soccer in the USA had much higher playing numbers than American Football (most guys I understand don't play after College ie there is an elite level then nothing). But the MLS will never come close to the multi $Billion NFL in terms of dollars, viewership etc etc.

Similarily football in NZ will always be 2nd to rugby for profile, sponsorship dollars etc if the All Whites never play at home, and there is just one pro club in the Nix. That's no matter how many little Johnnies & Janes are playing the world game.

coochiee

whatever

Doloras

Bananas

Doloras

Biggest ever turnout for a women's match in NZ, and some people here think it should never have happened...

Extra impressive given it's a bit of an ass of a time in the middle of the week too.

I would have loved to have gone but couldn't get the time off work.

The WC is gonna be AWESOME!

I mean, imagine if the All Blacks were playing a friendly in Chicago against the US men's team, who were missing many of their best players for whatever reason. I can't imagine the US rugby crowd yelling "cancel the game, we're just going to get humiliated and it'll set the sport back years"

Why do you compare with Rugby it is a minuscule sport in The USA, it does not even register? Even in NZ Football is the number One Sport in terms of participation particularly in Auckland and Wellington we would be four times more popular.  
Rugby has massive issues.  Karori Waterside Football website states that they 1,000 players and 100 teams meanwhile Wests Rugby which covers from Karori to Khandallah only has two senior teams. Rugby is dying.
Wellington Rugby team which won the NPC and Ranfurly Shield was playing in front of crowds of maybe 1k during their most successful season in two decades.

She was trying to say that the All Blacks (biggest brand in rugby) visiting the rugby backwater USA, is a bit like the USWNT (biggest brand in womens football) visiting little NZ.

Your national bodies (USA Rugby or NZF) don't turn down these opportunities, to promote their game.

And participation rates can be misleading re a sports profile, or importance. Especially with high impact, collison sports like rugby & gridiron which don't really lend themselves to social leagues etc. 

Wouldn't surprise me at all if Soccer in the USA had much higher playing numbers than American Football (most guys I understand don't play after College ie there is an elite level then nothing). But the MLS will never come close to the multi $Billion NFL in terms of dollars, viewership etc etc.

Similarily football in NZ will always be 2nd to rugby for profile, sponsorship dollars etc if the All Whites never play at home, and there is just one pro club in the Nix. That's no matter how many little Johnnies & Janes are playing the world game.

I don't agree the drop off in Rugby is huge, but the press does not report it because NZ Rugby would scrub any journalist who reports negative stories. I have been told this by a Rugby Journalist
Take a look say at Wellington Rugby club team numbers and compare with Football and then also compare with 20 years ago when Wellington v Auckland would attract a full house and now it is a few hundred.

The massive drop off in Rugby numbers will have an impact in time on the All-Blacks performance. Once they start losing on a regular basis the press will garner the courage to finally inform about the emperor's new suit

Does anyone know if the game tomorrow in Auckland is being broadcast on free to air TV? 

not on TV 1, 2 or 3. Guessing SKY only.

Wellington midweek with a daft KO time (Should have been either at 6pm or 7pm and it would have gotten a bigger crowd) and a decent crowd showed up. 

Auckland, same time KO on a Saturday. I'd be hoping for 20k+ as this is after all, the worlds number one female team.

LG

Wellington midweek with a daft KO time (Should have been either at 6pm or 7pm and it would have gotten a bigger crowd) and a decent crowd showed up. 

Auckland, same time KO on a Saturday. I'd be hoping for 20k+ as this is after all, the worlds number one female team.

There is no way Auckland gets 20k+. I'd be surprised if it's bigger than the Wellington crowd.

LG

Wellington midweek with a daft KO time (Should have been either at 6pm or 7pm and it would have gotten a bigger crowd) and a decent crowd showed up. 

Auckland, same time KO on a Saturday. I'd be hoping for 20k+ as this is after all, the worlds number one female team.

 KO time would have been for US TV: 4PM NZT was 10PM USET.

Nayler in goal. Anton in the back. Satchell, Jale, Rennie AND Collins
This will not be 0-0 at half time

Is black our official home strip now???

NZ doing OK,holding out better than I thought,although usa could have done better.
Good to watch.

Fenix

NZ doing OK,holding out better than I thought,although usa could have done better.
Good to watch.

Agreed we have looked competitive so far. Early days at 20 mins though. We looked okay the last match too in the first half, and second half wasn't pretty. Good signs though.

That’s some poor goalkeeping lol

Great goal

Showing some good structure and competing well in their half. Shame about the goal.

Rennie almost got a touch there but no,it was a foul.