Previewing the Finals

Unless you are living under a rock, you already know the US women will face Brazil this Thursday morning to compete for the Olympic gold medal. In the meantime, our team will be resting and relaxing to prepare for the game. On a somewhat similar note, I’d like to take a moment to point out that now is a great time to be living in Northern California. Why? because in a few short days, a sizable portion of the population will LEAVE to spend a week in the Nevada desert at Burning Man. For the rest of us who stay in town, suddenly, there is street parking, the buses aren’t crowded, and we can finally get a seat at the Zeitgeist. Bliss. But if you are part of the population attending the festival, then please do take some time to go check out the projects I’ve helped contribute to over the past few months (even if my help was more encouragement-like than actual sweat… but not Malaria-like). Swarm is six robotic spheres run by remote control that are slowly becoming autonomous. Mutopia is a group of pod-like sculptures that shoot fire and contain interactive pieces. Yes, I felt it was necessary to plug these things on World Cup Blog. Both projects also take tax deductible donations. Moving on…

The predictions are not favorable to the US. They aren’t outright dismissing us, but they aren’t saying the gold medal is already ours. Andrea Canales writes the final is “no contest.” Throughout the entire tournament, “Brazil hasn’t lost a match. It has played tougher teams and has looked sharper than the Americans on both attack and defense. They’re just as athletic, a bit more technical and quite a bit more creative than the U.S.” Graham Hays writes “Whatever the world rankings say, every team is now forced to react to the Brazilians.” And Jennifer Doyle offers her own interpretation of the Brazilian attack:

Here is Brazil’s strategy: The team is stacked with players that need three defenders on them when they have the ball. Give the ball to one of those women, and let her take it up a bit. Everybody else gets to move around, and because the player with the ball is so awesome, she will actually get it to one of her teammates – say Cristiane – even though she’s holding the ball in the middle of a wasps nest. And, since, like, at best the player receiving the pass has maybe one or two defenders on her, and she is better than them, she can score. Brazil has players who can do things like surprise a defender who is running for and with the ball towards the goal, and before she gets control of it, your Amazonian football goddess will make up the five yards between them and slide her body between that running defender and the moving ball and – mid-stride – she sends the ball into the back of the net.

But all isn’t completely lost for the Americans. Canales mentions an important point that without Wambach, the US strategy is a little less known, less predictable, and more likely to surprise Brazil. And Hays offers: “this isn’t David vs. Goliath, and there are weak spots for the Americans to probe.” He sees a sometimes slightly out of step Brazilian defense and it’s young and sometimes shaky goalkeeper. So don’t worry y’all. All is not lost and I’m putting the predictions aside for now and leaving it at Christie Rampone’s thoughts on Thursday’s game. “They’re personality players that have their own individual flair. They’re good on the ball, they have speed and confidence. We’re going to have to stay tight as a unit, play as a full team once again, stay compact and know where they are at all times.” Word.