Carson, Calif. (Wednesday, June 10, 2008) - The Pali Blues Soccer Club played to a draw against the United States Under 23 National Team at The Home Depot Center. The result was somewhat surprising after the team’s seven-goal weekend, but the National Team proved to be a well-organized, technically sound, physical opponent, with 17 total fouls recorded during play.
Coach Charlie Naimo offered these reflections on the game, “I was pleased with our team defensively tonight. We had to deal with special players and were up to the challenge. When you are good with your 1v1 defending, the rest is easy, and it seemed like we had numbers all the time. We could have done better with the ball, but the U.S. team also defended well and made it difficult for us to get a rhythm. We managed some chances and were especially dangerous on set plays. Although we did not produce a goal out of it, I still think we learned a few things for the rest of our season."
For the first time since their time together, the Blues were out shot by two. However, their attack still proved dangerous and effective as they were rewarded with two more corner kicks than the U.S. There was an interesting bookend situation for the Blues in goal with Blues’ goalkeeper Karen Bardsley matching up against teammate and former UCLA standout Val Henderson. Bardsley withstood six shots on frame to maintain the shutout.
Jitters may have been the cause of a chance for the U.S. ten minutes into the game. Bardsley came charging out on a ball that was chipped into a seemingly open net. However, defender Amy LePeilbet in an astounding display of athleticism tracked the moving ball and bicycled it out of danger while landing herself in goal. This scare seemed to settle the Blues into form as they attacked the U.S. out of their 4-4-2 formation. The U.S. decided to play in a 3-4-3, which caused some problems for central midfielders Rosie Tantillo and Kendall Fletcher. However, both players matched up well with the likes of Tina DiMartino and helped to stall any developing attacks from the center. Midfielder Ilaria Pasqui helped to confuse the U.S. defense with her fluid style of play. Pasqui’s control of the ball helped the Blues to settle into a good tempo on the field. As always, the Blues stayed true to their style of possession, moving the ball around the field and attacking in quick bursts of speed with passes fed to Danesha Adams and Katy Cross.
As Coach Naimo stated, the Blues looked especially dangerous on their set pieces. Corner kicks by defender Kara Kabellis hit their marks throughout the match, whether it be to the near post or far post, but the Blues could not find the back of the net. Balls headed by Jill Oakes and Danesha Adams went just wide of the frame in the first half but both put the U.S. on edge.
The second half saw two subs for the Blues with Notre Dame superstar Carrie Dew and former Santa Clara luminary Megan Kakadelas getting onto the field. Both proved that they will be dangerous weapons in the future for the Blues. Dew helped to anchor a strong defense in the back that allowed fewer chances than the first half. Kakadelas’ ability to stretch the defense provided her with many opportunities to attack down the right flank.
The Blues saw the inside of the 18-yard box with more frequency as the clock wound down. In the 70th minute, Leah Tapscott sent a ball in from the right wing across the face of the goal but Danesha Adams could not meet the end of it, and the U.S. goalie scooped up the loose ball in the box. In the 78th minute, forward Mele French was fed a ball into open space and sprinted into the box, but a misstep caused her to slow the pace and find another option; eventually the U.S cleared out the ball.
In the end, it was all hugs and handshakes as many of the Blues players and U.S. National Team players are former teammates. It was a hard fought battle, exactly what one would expect from a match-up between these two teams.
The next game for the Blues is a home match against the W-League’s second place Western Conference Vancouver Whitecaps. The game will be held at 1:00 PM at the Blues home facility, the Stadium by the Sea.
