OT- Carli Lloyd Article on SBNation

[Knight Shift]

I am not a soccer guru, but is this person way off base in his assertion that Carli Lloyd is the "weirdest world class professional athlete ever"? The article was written before yesterday evening's game.

He acknowledges that Carli is clutch and will be a key player in the game last night.

Comments to the story are all over the place, and a lot of people killing the author today.

http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2015...sa-japan-2015-womens-world-cup-final#comments

I guess anybody can be a "writer" for SBNation? This is the author's picture:

 

[MadRU]

Carli was struggling early in the tourney, but she was playing back, not as an attacking player. Once she was moved up the pitch, the goals came in bunches...6 in 4 games. That's where she should play all the time.

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

The whole offense was struggling early. Don't blame Carli.

The problem was the talking heads looking for answers suggesting that Carli could be benched for someone else. It certainly looks like benching Wambaugh was the answer.

 

[Scarlet_Scourge]

that is not a news site, it is just a blog, which is just an article version of a message board.

 

[MadRU]

Yup, Abby has been great but she was no longer a starting type player for this team. The coach wanted Holiday to be the number 10, but Carli had to be moved up as an attacking player. Once that happened the team took off.

 

[RU Husky]

The author of that article is Steve Politi's brother by a different mother. Politi wrote a very nice article about Carli- even he was overwhelmed, but this guy writes with the same kind of snarky , condescending, arrogance- and falsity- that characterizes the Politi brand.

 

[hrdcorhays]

At no point did the article back up the headline that she is weird. If the headline was that she's unpredictable as a player, that's one thing. But weird implies that she's weird as a person - to me at least.

This article, however, was undoubtedly weird.

 

[ruready07]

carli had been playing terribly for more than just this tournament. But she's a winner, so she gets people to overlook her poor technique and game smarts.
Ton of heart though, which can carry you pretty far even at the highest levels.

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

carli had been playing terribly for more than just this tournament. But she's a winner, so she gets people to overlook her poor technique and game smarts.
Ton of heart though, which can carry you pretty far even at the highest levels.

So, basically, you are backing up what you read in this bloggumn. and you are such a soccer aficionado that this was the first comment you have made in a soccer thread. You bought so much into this writers opinion that you have ignored that a former US Soccer coach, in an effort to rattle lloyd before her game vs Sweden (who the coach now works) chose not to talk soccer skills but chose the nebulous and unprovable "difficult to coach" line of attack.

If criticism of her skills was viable or a reasonable charge against Lloyd, wouldn't this coach have said that?

 

[jakeknight]

Even when things are great there are people in this world that need to find something wrong, they are generally tedious and small minded and should almost always be ignored.

 

[RU848789]

Carli definitely struggled a bit in the first couple of games, giving the ball away more than usual and being ouplayed, especially by Australia. But from the Colombia game onward, she not only was superb on offense and scoring, but she also excelled on defense and was not giving the ball away much, contrary to what the author of that screed said. She played complete games and was clearly our MVP. The writer of that author is a hack - like most players, she sometimes has off games - but in most games she plays well in all facets of the game and, of course, is a phenomenal clutch player/scorer, as we've seen countless times in big games.

As I (and many others) said after the Australia game, we needed to bring Wambach in off the bench to open up our attacking game, which had become too one-dimensional (i.e., hit long balls and crosses to Abby, hoping she'd head them in), plus Wambach just doesn't have the stamina any more to play 90. That worked beautifully, especially for Lloyd.

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

Pigeonholing. Forcing things into a box.

That is what we are seeing in this article.

All the pre-cup hype was naming several USA players as the stars. Similarly, the collective wisdom of the mob had some bench players as worthy of starting.. thereby questioning the non-star starters on the team.

Carli Lloyd was an enigma to the status quo. They did not anoint her a "star", therefore she was suspect.. someone to be replaced by the next wave of stars the mob had anointed. But they had to explain-away the important goals and assists as the only single thing Lloyd was good at.

Rationalization. Projection. Justification for the opinion of the mob.

So when they see Lloyd have an off-game.. it is not a star having an off-game. It is proof of the wisdom of the mob. Meanwhile they make excuses for the obvious "stars".

Yet.. we now all know that Carli Lloyd is, and was all-along, a star.

To the ones that cannot admit they were wrong all-along.. that makes her "weird".

 

[ruready07]

So, basically, you are backing up what you read in this bloggumn. and you are such a soccer aficionado that this was the first comment you have made in a soccer thread. You bought so much into this writers opinion that you have ignored that a former US Soccer coach, in an effort to rattle lloyd before her game vs Sweden (who the coach now works) chose not to talk soccer skills but chose the nebulous and unprovable "difficult to coach" line of attack.

If criticism of her skills was viable or a reasonable charge against Lloyd, wouldn't this coach have said that?

take it easy. No need to get defensive. But yes I am a more of a soccer aficionado than not. I know the game very well. I have commented in soccer threads many times in the past, but have honestly just kind of given up because of the limited knowledge that exists on here and because of the anti-soccer crowd.
I could care less what Pia said about Carli to rattle her.. Maybe she could have knocked her game too and just chose not to... who knows? But the writer of this story is most certainly not off on his assessment. Carli, while tenacious and gritty, she doesn't play with a high soccer IQ. Im not sure how else to explain without coming down on one of our own girls, so Ill leave it at that. If you couldn't tell that her games for the past couple years were poor, then that is the problem with soccer in the USA right now... The fans have no idea what good soccer is - because its not always the same thing as winning soccer.
If Carli was a guy, there would be a talent pool to easily replace her. No coach would allow someone who creates that many turnovers and puts their defense in that much of a tough spot to play. Luckily, we have the best back line in the world and it covers the issue.

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

 

[knightfan7]

I'm no soccer expert so I find these discussions and articles interesting. From everything I've read or heard about Carli over the years here's what I've gathered....

Carli is the greatest Midfielder in the world but a detriment to the team due to lack of skills and soccer IQ.

She is an egotistical me first player yet beloved and admired by her teammates.

She has been benched more than once (even when she was at RU) yet is out there for 90 minutes in the most important games.

She has scored the game winning goals in 2 Olympics and now a Word Cup yet shrinks on the biggest stages.

I rewatched the game yesterday. As I said I'm no expert but from what I saw Carli, goals excluded, dominated the game. She controlled her part of the field and was playing as well and tough in the 89th minute as she was scoring the goal in the 3rd minute.

Here's what I think. Carli may not be the feel good story of Wambaugh. She may not be the advertisers dream Morgan is. She may not have the "interesting" off the field story of Solo. She may not have the flash of Rapinoe.

She just wins more than she loses and that's all that matters to me.

 

[pmvon]

take it easy. No need to get defensive. But yes I am a more of a soccer aficionado than not. I know the game very well. I have commented in soccer threads many times in the past, but have honestly just kind of given up because of the limited knowledge that exists on here and because of the anti-soccer crowd.
I could care less what Pia said about Carli to rattle her.. Maybe she could have knocked her game too and just chose not to... who knows? But the writer of this story is most certainly not off on his assessment. Carli, while tenacious and gritty, she doesn't play with a high soccer IQ. Im not sure how else to explain without coming down on one of our own girls, so Ill leave it at that. If you couldn't tell that her games for the past couple years were poor, then that is the problem with soccer in the USA right now... The fans have no idea what good soccer is - because its not always the same thing as winning soccer.
If Carli was a guy, there would be a talent pool to easily replace her. No coach would allow someone who creates that many turnovers and puts their defense in that much of a tough spot to play. Luckily, we have the best back line in the world and it covers the issue.

go away

 

[MadRU]

I do not consider myself a soccer aficionado, I will save that label for those who coached and played at a high level. But I have followed soccer since the mid 70's when we used to play in the park as kids. Here is my opinion.

Carli did struggle early, but she was playing out of position. Once she was moved up the pitch Carli was clearly the best player on the field (Golden Ball Receipient voted on by soccer aficionados). The thru ball she played to Amy Rodriquez vs. China was brilliant (Amy did not finish). The cross against Germany was spot on leading to the goal by O'Hara. She controlled the attacking part of the pitch while also hustling back to helpout on defense. Carli did us proud, and provided a performance for the ages in the WC Final. But hey this is just my opinion.

 

[KT71]

ruready07:

We all know Carli's credentials now what are yours? Otherwise just STFU!

 

[SirScarlet]

take it easy. No need to get defensive. But yes I am a more of a soccer aficionado than not. I know the game very well. I have commented in soccer threads many times in the past, but have honestly just kind of given up because of the limited knowledge that exists on here and because of the anti-soccer crowd.
I could care less what Pia said about Carli to rattle her.. Maybe she could have knocked her game too and just chose not to... who knows? But the writer of this story is most certainly not off on his assessment. Carli, while tenacious and gritty, she doesn't play with a high soccer IQ. Im not sure how else to explain without coming down on one of our own girls, so Ill leave it at that. If you couldn't tell that her games for the past couple years were poor, then that is the problem with soccer in the USA right now... The fans have no idea what good soccer is - because its not always the same thing as winning soccer.
If Carli was a guy, there would be a talent pool to easily replace her. No coach would allow someone who creates that many turnovers and puts their defense in that much of a tough spot to play. Luckily, we have the best back line in the world and it covers the issue.

I consider myself a soccer officianado as well...and often comment in the soccer threads.

with that out of the way, I can't agree with you.

Does Carli get dispossessed? Of course. Who doesn't. But the article (and you) are completely unfair - and wrong - suggesting that there is an entire pool of people who could replace her. She's the most creative offensive player on the team. If you watch any of the USWNT games (and I have watched most of the ones that have been on TV the past 8+ years), there is nobody on the team that creates more opportunities than Carli. And she's gotten way better on D. I think she was dispossessed a bit more than normal in the first couple of games...but I saw that more as a function of the approach we were taking.

You (and the writer) paint a picture of some crap player with no technical skills...that's just ridiculous. Her ability to beat players 1v1 and her passing are at the top of the team. I dont even know what leg you would stand on to debate this.

I dont know what phantom standard you're applying here...I really dont. you said "carli had been playing terribly for more than just this tournament." - that's just very offbase and incorrect.

So I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. but the beauty of my position is that I can point to the 3 medals she won in the tournament. What can you point to?

Checkmate? :)