New Zealand Women's U-17s

At least the GK coach obviously knows what he's doing :p

Vindicated..^

"NZ will be disappointed with a 1-0 score line" Really? They should be delighted it was not 10-0 which would been a fairer indication.

Pretty disappointing from the girls, thought they'd put up more of a fight. 

Had a couple of promising situations early in the second half, but the poor technique/awareness meant that the chance never actually arrived.

Based on the 5 minutes that you saw? 

Yeah. No one has countered my assertion which really makes your point null entirely so why are you battling it? You don't have to look at a picture of a circle for 30 mins to go "hmmm, I think that's a circle". They were just garbage and it didn't require a second glance to confirm it. 

You've seen a team of players for 5 minutes in their entire career and already written them off? An I'm the idiot banging on a null point? Ok...

I'm glad we both agree then.

The right back Moore was good and I thought Jensen was strong at times (seemed to be the only one pushing at the end). Players like Merrin have good skills on the ball but distribution was really lacking. Fletcher and Carlsen are quality but all of our forwards had their backs to goal and we never looked like scoring. I thought we might have had a gun striker in the team (based on previous scores) but there was no one that threatened regularly enough. Alfed was strong in goal but what NZ keeper isn't at age group world cups?

yes, we do great work at Coastal Spirit.

I'd argue that the issues or problems shown by the side appear to be exactly the same ones that occur in all our W-C sides
are you as dismissive of all our teams?

FWIW some of our players looked really bloody nervous, possibly the occasion got to them a little. Onwards and upwards regardless, I see Japan won the other group game 5-0... so we need to sharpen up quickly.

No.

The number 8 - I think she was the captain, got caught in possession twice and kicked the ball to the opposition 3 times, yet she pays her team mates out for it. The left back got caught in possession twice and tried to drag the Mexican from behind when on goal, the right back wellied it to the opposition with each touch of the ball. The right winger, when it was obvious she needed to cut onto her left foot, could not and couldn't get past their left back because she had one trick and it was an easy counter.

The majority of our teams can string a pass together. These girls could not and it was serious possom in headlights stuff. I will leave the goalkeeper aside as she made had about 10 touches in that 5 mins including one tremendous save pushing the ball over the bar. She did look decent so hats off to you for that sir.

I don't see why I needed to watch 90 to reach the conclusion I did. I don't see why you guys care that I reached the opinion in the manner I did especially when everyone else reached the same conclusion I did. The issue is certainly not mine.

Wonder if the weather conditions also played a factor, it looked bloody hot and don't think our girls are all that used to playing in such conditions.

I was wondering that as well but when that was an excuse in Honiara, we were told by the bashers that it was not allowed to be an excuse.

Astro turf - apparently those things magnify the heat.

I was disappointed with the performance to be honest. Vader isn't wrong. Passing from the back wasn't good. We also didn't mark tight at all - their mids and forwards had space despite us having three mids. Didn't like the look of Innes. Carlson is a very good player and needed more from her. Losing Bott was a biggie. Puketapu wasn't gonna do much being isolated, and Pereira doesnt stike me as a winger. On the left Rolston stayed wide and the ball never got near her so they should have changed the shape. Movement off the ball needs big step up- and don't stop playing when claiming offside! Bott is 50/50 for next game and if they don't have her or Lee then I don't think it will get any better. Time to be more direct and get numbers/ the ball in the box? I'd say so. Maybe they will have lost any nerves now as it is do or die - could mean a better performance.

I also was disappointed. Especially as that was supposed to be our "easy" game. Now I am just hoping the Mexico are the best team in the comp and Japan is our equal and we can get a win against Brazil...and then i woke up.

Our defenders did really, really, really well....at chasing down players that got away and then making great tackles...but that was it. Their ball distribution was straight out of the Lochead's book of "How not to distribute the ball out from defence". I mean it was horrible to watch. the centre backs especially. Our midfield also gave the ball away too much from the small amount of times they had the chance to pass forward. I mean i was glad to see them all trying to play the passing game. but it just really wasn't anyone's day.(except the goalie.)

I was also hoping to see another "Rosie White" in there.

Also was wondering if the heat and the occasion was a massive issue for the team...but its not going to get any better.

Moving on to our next games. Here is hoping the girls can show us what they can really do...also the next games won't be as hot, Rosie Whites little twin sisters should get a start and Ryan Nelsen's niece should also be slotting into centre back.

Was a bloody tough watch and at times found myself wanting to switch off the telly and go to bed. However I stuck with it in the hopes of a Winston Reid moment that never came.

Going to need a miracle to avoid a massive defeat against Japan.  

Why do these WCs seem to be played in hot temperatures?  It is a winter sport after all

Stuff article by Nicola Abercrombie  any relation to Breakers player Tom Abercrombie?

Interesting that they took a reporter over there?

Probably one of the poorest performances from a NZ Women's team in quite a while: almost totally devoid of any cohesion and ball flair on attack, and a singular lack of distribution/technical ability at the back. The praise for the goalie is fully deserved as she played a bit of a blinder, but the back four were terrible: 2 of the defence(Moore at right back, and Jensen at centre back)are athletic and powerful, but lack the  passing ability for this level: whenever pressurised, their distribution was terrible. What's the point of winning possession and then returning it straight back to the other team? Merrin at left back had a bit of an off day too, although she's a far better footballer technically than the other two. It seems NZ coaches love of power/pace over technique lives on...

Plenty of positives according to the article

I think their best attacking player got switched to centre back Lee? scored over 20 in the Northern league. Another NZ football cockup converting attacking players to defenders: 2008 Wall 2010 Bowen 2012 U20's Patterson, Burrows all decent players made to look average/poor because they were played out of position. The other good attacking player Bott is injured but I think she gets played centre back also?

Their best striker Rolston came on at half time on the left wing- somewhere she has never played before

Very disappointing performance. Although the focus here has rightly been on our side's inadequacies, I think some credit is due to the opposition. Mexico are really progressing quickly at all levels of the women's game as seen at the recent u-20 Women's where they were a pretty decent quarter-finalist. Their senior side's much better than their FIFA ranking indicates too and qualified for last year's senior World Cup ahead of the USA (who subsequently scraped through after a play-off). Their u-17's are better than a third ranking for a group (behind Japan and Brazil)- should be a second-ranking.

This really is the "Group of Death" and I never gave us much hope of getting out of it. Expecting to beat Mexico was never on the cards...

Once again our expectations proved unrealistic, based as they were on easy wins in the limpest-of-limp OFC qualifiers. Our u-17 women's qualifying path is so easy, nothing should be taken out of it when gauging the team's strength.

I'm not too worried though because our men's and women's players have always been "late developers" due to the low level of our domestic football - many go on to blossom later. Although it's true we've seen a particularly good crop of young women over the last five years in our age group teams.

Improving the standard of our domestic women's football is not an easy thing with next to no money - I expect Mexico, Brazil and Japan in our group all spend millions on women's football, even if that's a fraction of what they spend on developing young male players. I know Mexico have a 22 team women's national pro league, plus two-thirds of their players come up through the US system (and then choose to play for Mexico!).

Maybe preparing for the heat of Azerbaijan in the Swiss autumn wasn't the best idea for the team? 

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Still, our girls won't be as disappointed as Brazil (5-0 losers to Japan), Uruguay (4-0 losers to China) or the obvious worst team in the tournie, Gambia (11-0 losers to North Korea).

Video highlights of all tournament matches here at FIFA:

http://www.fifa.com/u17womensworldcup/highlights/video/index.html?intcmp=housead_u17womensworldcup_highlights_en_300x250

Longer highlights here  at the best You Tube channel for women's internationals:

http://www.youtube.com/user/AlAhlyWomens?feature=watch

(This channel also has highlights of the amazing 6-2 USA win over Australia at senior level last week.)

Yeah shes a pretty decent player only a month or 2 from being young enough for the next 17,s I think.

Injuries put her at left on Sunday. Needs to be central High or just in behind. Innes is not bad wide left but another conversion this time to central mid

Bott is back

I've heard from her brother on facbook that CJ Bott's ankle is much better, and she will be starting. Huge boost if this is the case.

can you not read?

3-0 loss to Japan. Held them to 0-0 at the half, but once their first went in it was all over.

not gonna get shots on goal with one up front. Japan were quality though

Well there's no disgrace in losing to Japan, who really were top quality. However, in the final analysis we never looked like scoring, maintaining a modicum of possession or displaying anything but " old fashioned Kiwi guts ". Huffing and puffing may keep the score down, but the result is still an extremely comfortable victory for the opposition(despite Alfeld's brilliance in goal: well done to her!). I just wish we'd see some technical development on the pitch: some classy passing, a bit of individual flair etc. Oh, and some defenders who can actually pass a ball out of defence... I see Temple has been raving about what a massive improvement this game was: again though, only in a stubborn, dogged kind of way. And all these girls playing out of position drives me spare:back to the drawing board...

The movement of the ball was quite slow and enabled the Japanese to contest when the ball was received by the Kiwi girls.

Thats kinda where my issue is with New Zealand footballers as a whole - we lack a good first touch and from there, it just gives better teams so much time to close us down and pressure us into more mistakes. Its evident when you watch ACFC at the CWC and that while they look amazing at this level, its their first touch that lets them down consistently against better sides and why they get hammered at that next level. These girls are no different. Once you get the first touch sorted, you give yourself so much time on the ball to make the better pass and take the better option.

Be fair - Japan is a very well trained, drilled and financed team. We are part timers compared with so many nations and our north of --- pholoscity does not get the best players.(spelling is a problem as well) ha ha

Game is being replayed on TV 1 now.

 Didn't see the Mexico game but saw the Japan one. As soon as I saw the big smiles on the NZ girl's faces when they came out for the anthems and the stoic looks of the Japanese, I knew we were in for a hiding. They are simply out of their league at this level. Agree about the passing, some of it was absolutely diabolical.

 Last group game for the YFF on tonight at 9:48pm Sky Sports highlights channel.