On today’s Soccer Edition of The IX Sports Podcast, Kathleen Gier breaks down a pair of physical friendlies contested by the United States Women’s National Team and Brazil Women’s National Team.
“The results were totally surprising. We knew it was going to be physical, we knew it was going to be tough, but I was still kind of shocked seeing the discipline report when it came through my email from US Soccer. There was a lot going on there, a lot of names on that injury report, 28 fouls, eight red cards, including four on Brazil’s coaching staff,” Gier said.
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Gier also took the time to break down USWNT Head Coach Emma Hayes’ comments after the game, in which she said she and her team “love the pressure” of competing.
“Why play, if you cannot take responsibility to be in these situations, to thrive, to cope with the demands, and everything that come with that, to find joy from the beautiful crowd, from the noise from Marta, a real legend … to stand there as a coach with such pride for my players, proud of everything to deal with everything that comes with this situation, to win duels, to create chances,” Hayes told media after the match.
Gier said that Hayes has consistently emphasized the growth mindset necessary for the team to prepare for the upcoming World Cup. She pointed out that the USWNT had 13 shots and six shots on goal in the second game, and held Brazil without a shot on goal in the second game after giving up those two goals in the first game. But there’s still work to be done, Gier pointed out, as the USWNT needs to capitalize on those chances.
Make sure to subscribe to The IX Sports Podcast for in-depth coverage of women’s soccer, hockey and basketball; and tune in each weekday morning for a quick overview of the biggest headlines on Women’s Sports Daily, like WNBA news and PWHL expansion updates.
What you missed on today’s episode of Women’s Sports Daily: Looking at how hard the PWHL was hit by round 2 of the expansion draft.
