USA vs Japan: Analysis of Women’s Soccer Knockout Clash

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00:00What do you think of this USA women's matchup with Japan?

00:09So that's the tough team that they have to run into in the knockouts.

00:13Yeah, I think one of the interesting things about that, Scott, is that that Sam Coffey,

00:20who was who has filled a pretty significant void in the team and pretty well, she played

00:25really well in the first three games.

00:28Sam Coffey filled the void that was created by Julie Ertz's retirement in the defensive

00:32midfield.

00:33Andy Sullivan was tried there in the World Cup last year.

00:36It just did not fly.

00:38Sam Coffey came along, has played very well, but she was carrying a yellow card into the

00:43Australia game, which essentially meant almost nothing relative to the United States' position

00:50in this tournament.

00:53Emma Hayes, the new coach for the U.S., decided to start Sam anyway, even though playing defensive

00:58midfield is a spot where you're going to pick up some yellows every now and then.

01:04Not every game, but it's a position where that's a risk.

01:09And they played her anyway.

01:10She picked up the yellow, and now she's not available for Japan.

01:13I think Emily Sonnett will probably step in there and probably do a great job.

01:17But Tierra Davidson has to be healthy in central defense in order for Sonnett to be available

01:22to do that.

01:23So they've got themselves a problem, and it's a self-created problem.

01:27I think Emma Hayes is going to, you know, it was her first major tournament as well.

01:32Maybe she'll learn a lesson from that.