Ninetyfive live spectators, three million views on Youtube
December 3, 2014 8:27 AM Subscribe
"It is an unbelievable goal. Both feet, over her shoulder. It is totally instinctive. The technique and contact required to volley a ball that is coming over your head is amazing. If Wayne Rooney or Ronaldo had done something like that you would be talking about it for years. It is the best of the three."And the nominees for the FIFA goal of the year are James Rodriguez, Robin van Persie and Stephanie Roche, the first woman football player to ever have been a finalist for the Puskas Award, beating out people like Diego Costa and Zlatan Ibrahimović.
Certainly no disrespect intended, but as someone who doesn't really know football/soccer well, and given the non-professional video coverage, could someone more knowledgeable explain what's so remarkable about this?
As a layman, it's the van Persie one that makes me go "holy fuck!"
posted by Naberius at 8:35 AM on December 3, 2014 [2 favorites]
As a layman, it's the van Persie one that makes me go "holy fuck!"
posted by Naberius at 8:35 AM on December 3, 2014 [2 favorites]
I was just thinking that. Hopefully the voters will correct for the fact that her goal wasn't performed in front of the cameras of the biggest sports spectacle of the year. It is quite impressive (pull quote and link break it down a little).
That being said, I'd be perfectly happy if van Persie won this. That goal blew me away when I watched it the first time. It was beautiful.
posted by GrapeApiary at 8:39 AM on December 3, 2014
That being said, I'd be perfectly happy if van Persie won this. That goal blew me away when I watched it the first time. It was beautiful.
posted by GrapeApiary at 8:39 AM on December 3, 2014
Naberius, it's a stunning combination of ball control, awareness and power. First she brings the ball back and forth, and over, her body which pulls the defender out of position. Then she pivots and unleashes a cannon shot directly to the upper far corner which requires an amazing amount of field awareness as well.
As is always the case, all three of these are incredible plays. But, as a fan of the sport for the skill and beauty it all, those three touches take the cake. That's the sort of thing soccer players try all the time in practices, scrimmages and pick-up games. To pull it off with such style in a competitive match is part of what makes it so beautiful.
posted by meinvt at 8:40 AM on December 3, 2014 [20 favorites]
As is always the case, all three of these are incredible plays. But, as a fan of the sport for the skill and beauty it all, those three touches take the cake. That's the sort of thing soccer players try all the time in practices, scrimmages and pick-up games. To pull it off with such style in a competitive match is part of what makes it so beautiful.
posted by meinvt at 8:40 AM on December 3, 2014 [20 favorites]
All of these are obviously amazing, but I'm guessing it's the control of the ball that Roche shows that makes it stand out. Grabbing with foot, placing with other foot, and then a big round-house kick in. She had to do the whole setup.
I mean, what meinvt said.
posted by allthinky at 8:42 AM on December 3, 2014
I mean, what meinvt said.
posted by allthinky at 8:42 AM on December 3, 2014
Roche's goal is a combination of power, finesse and some Harlem Globetrotters-level trick shottery. It's the kind of thing that shouldn't even be possible, much less practical, in a game situation.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:42 AM on December 3, 2014 [7 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:42 AM on December 3, 2014 [7 favorites]
As a layman, it's the van Persie one that makes me go "holy fuck!"
Me too!
Although the more I watch the Roche goal the more impressed I am not with the goal itself but rather her setting it up. I could never in a million years do that on purpose with a soccer ball, much less while being harried by a defender.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 8:45 AM on December 3, 2014
Me too!
Although the more I watch the Roche goal the more impressed I am not with the goal itself but rather her setting it up. I could never in a million years do that on purpose with a soccer ball, much less while being harried by a defender.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 8:45 AM on December 3, 2014
If you look at the Van Persie, Rodriguez, and Zlatan shots, they all have a good bit of room away from defenders. Rodriguez is a bit hemmed in, but no one is on top of him the way the marker is on Roche.
Those are all beautiful goals though.
posted by tofu_crouton at 8:46 AM on December 3, 2014
Those are all beautiful goals though.
posted by tofu_crouton at 8:46 AM on December 3, 2014
Just a bit info if you are not familiar with the award. It was named after Puskás because he scored one of the finest goals of the century (the first ever drag back dribble) in the famous 6:3 match between Hungary and England
posted by bdz at 8:50 AM on December 3, 2014 [7 favorites]
posted by bdz at 8:50 AM on December 3, 2014 [7 favorites]
Persie's goal was really the pass - a gorgeous, mind-blowing superman goal but the pass to him (by a gentleman named Mr. Blind) was the thing...
Also, as exceptional/supernatural as Roche's goal was... No screw it, that's athleticism that is utterly dispiriting for the opposition.
Ibrahimovic's goal, though, was maybe not his...
This is silly. All of these goals were gorgeous, but I know I've seen some from Messi, or Robben, or Goetze or Bensema that were also exceptional. It's the kind of thing, when they get the ball things happen that you just couldn't have imagined (Roche's goal is the best example of this) happening. Getting to see it is as terrific as a no-hitter in baseball.
posted by From Bklyn at 9:03 AM on December 3, 2014
Also, as exceptional/supernatural as Roche's goal was... No screw it, that's athleticism that is utterly dispiriting for the opposition.
Ibrahimovic's goal, though, was maybe not his...
This is silly. All of these goals were gorgeous, but I know I've seen some from Messi, or Robben, or Goetze or Bensema that were also exceptional. It's the kind of thing, when they get the ball things happen that you just couldn't have imagined (Roche's goal is the best example of this) happening. Getting to see it is as terrific as a no-hitter in baseball.
posted by From Bklyn at 9:03 AM on December 3, 2014
I'd give it to Van Persie. When I saw that happen I was agog.
posted by josher71 at 9:09 AM on December 3, 2014
posted by josher71 at 9:09 AM on December 3, 2014
Van Persie's is the most satisfying wrt slo-mo replay.
posted by poffin boffin at 9:09 AM on December 3, 2014
posted by poffin boffin at 9:09 AM on December 3, 2014
Just let people embed video, FIFA!
It's certainly no worse than taking bribes. Oh, wait....
posted by kuanes at 9:14 AM on December 3, 2014 [3 favorites]
It's certainly no worse than taking bribes. Oh, wait....
posted by kuanes at 9:14 AM on December 3, 2014 [3 favorites]
what's so remarkable about this?
Not much, really. She only caught a pass, faked-out a defender and placed an accurate shot on goal, all the while spinning 270 degrees and never letting the ball touch the ground on three touches. It was a beautiful goal.
posted by jsavimbi at 9:17 AM on December 3, 2014 [15 favorites]
Not much, really. She only caught a pass, faked-out a defender and placed an accurate shot on goal, all the while spinning 270 degrees and never letting the ball touch the ground on three touches. It was a beautiful goal.
posted by jsavimbi at 9:17 AM on December 3, 2014 [15 favorites]
Damn though, think about the James goal - it was in the World Cup! And volleyed from well outside the penalty area! Roche's goal is also a thing of beauty. These are all amazing, wonderful goals from incredible players. One last thing - the Zlatan goal is much better when you see what he actually did on close up. Amazing!
posted by Mister_A at 9:19 AM on December 3, 2014
posted by Mister_A at 9:19 AM on December 3, 2014
Van Persie's goal is straight out a fighting game (Dhalsim couldn't execute a better flying headbutt), but even as someone who knows nothing about soccer I could tell that Roche's execution was world-class. She controlled the motion of that ball right down to the molecule.
posted by Faint of Butt at 9:19 AM on December 3, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Faint of Butt at 9:19 AM on December 3, 2014 [1 favorite]
I know too little about football to even begin to analyze that Roche play, but are there any aspects of it -- to include the field position(s) of the players at the time she acquired the ball, and the defenders' subsequent actions -- that would have made a successful goal less likely if she'd been facing a Premier League or World Cup-caliber opponent?
To be clear, I'm not looking to in any way diminish her accomplishment; the way she used the three touches in succession to set up and execute the goal while faking out her defender clearly elevates it above at least the Persie goal, entertaining as that one was.
posted by The Confessor at 9:20 AM on December 3, 2014
To be clear, I'm not looking to in any way diminish her accomplishment; the way she used the three touches in succession to set up and execute the goal while faking out her defender clearly elevates it above at least the Persie goal, entertaining as that one was.
posted by The Confessor at 9:20 AM on December 3, 2014
Yeah and notably, she drilled the ball. Lots of pace from out of nowhere, the keeper stood no chance.
posted by Mister_A at 9:21 AM on December 3, 2014
posted by Mister_A at 9:21 AM on December 3, 2014
Van Persie's goal was a miracle of timing. Roche's was an amazing exhibition of technical mastery. Both are gorgeous, and bear up extremely well under repeated viewings.
James' goal is great, and he's an incredible player, but he shouldn't win for his goal. His shot was a straight chest-to-volley, and nothing Roche didn't do twice as well with her shot. Three touches, using both feet, right up in the top shelf, it was a moment of perfection.
Never mind that it wasn't the World Cup. You don't score against people in the stands.
Either of those two goals could win this, and no one would feel ripped off.
posted by chicobangs at 9:21 AM on December 3, 2014
James' goal is great, and he's an incredible player, but he shouldn't win for his goal. His shot was a straight chest-to-volley, and nothing Roche didn't do twice as well with her shot. Three touches, using both feet, right up in the top shelf, it was a moment of perfection.
Never mind that it wasn't the World Cup. You don't score against people in the stands.
Either of those two goals could win this, and no one would feel ripped off.
posted by chicobangs at 9:21 AM on December 3, 2014
The common thing with the James and Roche goals, IMO, is how much pace they got on an unexpected shot in contested territory. The control is nice but NO ONE expects the ball to come screaming off a boot like that.
posted by Mister_A at 9:23 AM on December 3, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Mister_A at 9:23 AM on December 3, 2014 [2 favorites]
I think Roche's goal has the most "intentionality" of the finalists. RVP threw his head at the ball and managed to time it just right, James's shot has a kind of hopefulness to it, but I get the feeling that Roche knew exactly where that ball was going to end up from her first touch, which is an insane level of ball control.
posted by Rock Steady at 9:32 AM on December 3, 2014 [6 favorites]
posted by Rock Steady at 9:32 AM on December 3, 2014 [6 favorites]
Also, the Sanvezzo goal should be a finalist, if the prize can be awarded to a team.
posted by Rock Steady at 9:36 AM on December 3, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Rock Steady at 9:36 AM on December 3, 2014 [1 favorite]
The Confessor's question is important. Being able to pull of Roche's feat against a world-class opponent would be remarkable, but I'm not sure the quality of the opposition here makes it any more impressive than it would have been for her to do it in practice. I mean, Peamount United against Wexford Youths? There's likely a reason these two teams combined to draw a hundred fans.
There was a defender present, true, but she did nothing whatsoever to challenge Roche. That's why Ibrahimovic's goal, or Cahill's, or Van Persie's, or Sanvezzos.... seem more deserving to me: they were achieved against world-class defenders and goalkeepers.
I follow the USWNT pretty closely, and there's great work being done by female players all the time. It's kind of appalling that all of that skill has been overlooked for so long, and then this is the first goal to get a woman nominated for the Puskas award.
posted by richyoung at 9:47 AM on December 3, 2014 [1 favorite]
There was a defender present, true, but she did nothing whatsoever to challenge Roche. That's why Ibrahimovic's goal, or Cahill's, or Van Persie's, or Sanvezzos.... seem more deserving to me: they were achieved against world-class defenders and goalkeepers.
I follow the USWNT pretty closely, and there's great work being done by female players all the time. It's kind of appalling that all of that skill has been overlooked for so long, and then this is the first goal to get a woman nominated for the Puskas award.
posted by richyoung at 9:47 AM on December 3, 2014 [1 favorite]
but I'm not sure the quality of the opposition here makes it any more impressive than it would have been for her to do it in practice.
You're wrong.
This is an impressive goal because the technique needed to make it, regardless of opposition, is impressive. A not very good pass that's controlled, whipped over to outplay the defender, controlled and brought down for a strike that lands perfectly in the goal: that's a rarity for any striker and something any of the other candidates would've been proud to have made.
I'm going back and forth between hers and van Persie's as the best goal of the three finalists; Rodriguez's one was decent but nothing special.
With van Persie, what you had was a great pass and an almost perfectly timed run to bring him into position to strike, then realising that the run wasn't quite fast enough and converting a mistake into an opportunity by attempting the sort of header that 99/100 times just leads to an embarassing belly flop. A certain amount of luck was involved there, but on the other hand it was beautiful.
Moreso, it converted what anybody expected to be a dire Worldcup experience for Holland into a moment of thriumph, coming just before half time in the first half of the first game to equalise after Spain had gotten a penalty. It fired up the Dutch, depressed the Spanish and led to a 5-1 revenge, the worst defeat of any Spanish team since 1950, as well as the worst loss of any defending World Cup holder...
It was an incredibly sweet moment.
But the Roche goal shows all the strengths of a proper striker: the ability to use bad passes, ball control, situational awareness and decisiveness, all the more impressive because it comes from somebody unknown. It's the sort of goal a Robben could make and would be proud off, but not expected from somebody playing for less than a 100 people...
posted by MartinWisse at 10:06 AM on December 3, 2014 [5 favorites]
You're wrong.
This is an impressive goal because the technique needed to make it, regardless of opposition, is impressive. A not very good pass that's controlled, whipped over to outplay the defender, controlled and brought down for a strike that lands perfectly in the goal: that's a rarity for any striker and something any of the other candidates would've been proud to have made.
I'm going back and forth between hers and van Persie's as the best goal of the three finalists; Rodriguez's one was decent but nothing special.
With van Persie, what you had was a great pass and an almost perfectly timed run to bring him into position to strike, then realising that the run wasn't quite fast enough and converting a mistake into an opportunity by attempting the sort of header that 99/100 times just leads to an embarassing belly flop. A certain amount of luck was involved there, but on the other hand it was beautiful.
Moreso, it converted what anybody expected to be a dire Worldcup experience for Holland into a moment of thriumph, coming just before half time in the first half of the first game to equalise after Spain had gotten a penalty. It fired up the Dutch, depressed the Spanish and led to a 5-1 revenge, the worst defeat of any Spanish team since 1950, as well as the worst loss of any defending World Cup holder...
It was an incredibly sweet moment.
But the Roche goal shows all the strengths of a proper striker: the ability to use bad passes, ball control, situational awareness and decisiveness, all the more impressive because it comes from somebody unknown. It's the sort of goal a Robben could make and would be proud off, but not expected from somebody playing for less than a 100 people...
posted by MartinWisse at 10:06 AM on December 3, 2014 [5 favorites]
What Rock Steady said about intentionality is important. And Roche is not unmarked.
Her first touch with the right foot looks like she's trapping the ball into the space to her left.
The defender lunges in that direction, and before she can get to the ball Roche pulls a hacky-sack outside of the left foot kind of rainbow back to her right - into the space her faux-trap just caused the defender to vacate.
The defender corrects course but it's too late, because Roche has already set her right foot, turned her shoulders to goal, and pulled the trigger to bring her left foot around to strike a clean volley to the near post.
James' goal was pretty, and RvP's was athletic, but Roche's - well, it's the kind of thing Hollywood would write for Pele to do to show how superhuman he is with a soccer ball.
posted by ElGuapo at 10:15 AM on December 3, 2014 [10 favorites]
Her first touch with the right foot looks like she's trapping the ball into the space to her left.
The defender lunges in that direction, and before she can get to the ball Roche pulls a hacky-sack outside of the left foot kind of rainbow back to her right - into the space her faux-trap just caused the defender to vacate.
The defender corrects course but it's too late, because Roche has already set her right foot, turned her shoulders to goal, and pulled the trigger to bring her left foot around to strike a clean volley to the near post.
James' goal was pretty, and RvP's was athletic, but Roche's - well, it's the kind of thing Hollywood would write for Pele to do to show how superhuman he is with a soccer ball.
posted by ElGuapo at 10:15 AM on December 3, 2014 [10 favorites]
Check out Ronaldinho at 0:55 for a goal similar to Roche's (watch this whole thing if you can, just mind-bending touches).
posted by stinkfoot at 10:32 AM on December 3, 2014 [6 favorites]
posted by stinkfoot at 10:32 AM on December 3, 2014 [6 favorites]
Wow it's like Zidane had glue all over him.
posted by Mister_A at 10:42 AM on December 3, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Mister_A at 10:42 AM on December 3, 2014 [2 favorites]
Hers is, far and away, the most beautiful goal. The two-move juggling set-up was precise and opened up the space and the quick-turn volley gave the goalie zero chance of anticipating it. (Or, on edit, what ElGuapo said.) Stunningly sophisticated.
posted by Mental Wimp at 10:50 AM on December 3, 2014
posted by Mental Wimp at 10:50 AM on December 3, 2014
that would have made a successful goal less likely if she'd been facing a Premier League or World Cup-caliber opponent?
I wonder how a better defender would have blocked it. Maybe put more pressure on her to make her less likely to attempt it? Most of the time the ball is so far off the ground that it seems like a tackle would require upper body or a kick. Something in yellow card territory.
Please, someone who knows more about soccer correct me...
posted by tofu_crouton at 10:58 AM on December 3, 2014
I wonder how a better defender would have blocked it. Maybe put more pressure on her to make her less likely to attempt it? Most of the time the ball is so far off the ground that it seems like a tackle would require upper body or a kick. Something in yellow card territory.
Please, someone who knows more about soccer correct me...
posted by tofu_crouton at 10:58 AM on December 3, 2014
No, you're right tofu. THere's little the defender can do short of fouling hard there.
posted by Mister_A at 11:48 AM on December 3, 2014
posted by Mister_A at 11:48 AM on December 3, 2014
...but I'm not sure the quality of the opposition here makes it any more impressive than it would have been for her to do it in practice.
You mean that someone like Smalling could have stopped that shot? I doubt it. Besides, most of the other goals in this thread are, in some ways, a failure of defense. Van Persie, for instance, would have been offsides if the left-side defenders had played their position properly.
posted by Mental Wimp at 11:53 AM on December 3, 2014
You mean that someone like Smalling could have stopped that shot? I doubt it. Besides, most of the other goals in this thread are, in some ways, a failure of defense. Van Persie, for instance, would have been offsides if the left-side defenders had played their position properly.
posted by Mental Wimp at 11:53 AM on December 3, 2014
Oh, and what about Bale's "speeding ticket" goal?
posted by Mental Wimp at 12:08 PM on December 3, 2014 [4 favorites]
posted by Mental Wimp at 12:08 PM on December 3, 2014 [4 favorites]
How was van Persie not offsides?
posted by gottabefunky at 12:37 PM on December 3, 2014
posted by gottabefunky at 12:37 PM on December 3, 2014
People doubting Roche's skill (and fer the love of Pete why is all the doubting on the woman?? HELLO?!?).
Find a [properly-inflated, FIFA standard] soccer ball/football. Put it on the ground. Try to kick it hard and straight, using the inside of your favored foot.
Then come back to this thread and tell us how using both feet, keeping her hands and shoulders out of the way, squirreling past a defender as if she doesn't exist, and making a goal with a waist-high kick when her back had been turned to the goal half a second earlier and the whole thing while the ball is in the air is not impressive.
Now. Put Roche's video at 1080p, full screen, and note that she uses the OUTSIDE of her LEFT foot for her second control kick.
Good luck kicking a ball that's in the air anywhere near where you'd like it to go with the outside of your foot without years of practice.
posted by fraula at 12:44 PM on December 3, 2014 [2 favorites]
Find a [properly-inflated, FIFA standard] soccer ball/football. Put it on the ground. Try to kick it hard and straight, using the inside of your favored foot.
Then come back to this thread and tell us how using both feet, keeping her hands and shoulders out of the way, squirreling past a defender as if she doesn't exist, and making a goal with a waist-high kick when her back had been turned to the goal half a second earlier and the whole thing while the ball is in the air is not impressive.
Now. Put Roche's video at 1080p, full screen, and note that she uses the OUTSIDE of her LEFT foot for her second control kick.
Good luck kicking a ball that's in the air anywhere near where you'd like it to go with the outside of your foot without years of practice.
posted by fraula at 12:44 PM on December 3, 2014 [2 favorites]
Pedant here: it's "offside".
posted by josher71 at 1:05 PM on December 3, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by josher71 at 1:05 PM on December 3, 2014 [3 favorites]
What a fantastic goal! I hope she wins, but I suspect Van Persie will take it. My favorite goal of the World Cup was Tim Cahill's volley off an over-the-shoulder pass. Glad to see he at least got a nomination.
posted by gimli at 1:12 PM on December 3, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by gimli at 1:12 PM on December 3, 2014 [3 favorites]
How was van Persie not offsides?
Pause at the instant the pass is made. He's about two yards onside.
I put the van Persie goal slightly ahead of the Roche one, but either is worthy of winning.
posted by rocket88 at 1:23 PM on December 3, 2014
Pause at the instant the pass is made. He's about two yards onside.
I put the van Persie goal slightly ahead of the Roche one, but either is worthy of winning.
posted by rocket88 at 1:23 PM on December 3, 2014
In case it's not clear, this is a public vote -- anyone can go and vote for their favourite (more than once even, if you can figure out how to delete a cookie).
posted by rollick at 1:50 PM on December 3, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by rollick at 1:50 PM on December 3, 2014 [1 favorite]
Rodriguez' seems unremarkable to me. Van Persie's is cute because of the head-butt, and the fact that it's intrinsically difficult to aim a ball colliding off your head. Roche shows flawless execution and command of the ball; it's clearly the best of the three.
posted by Joe in Australia at 10:10 PM on December 3, 2014
posted by Joe in Australia at 10:10 PM on December 3, 2014
and fer the love of Pete why is all the doubting on the woman?? HELLO?!?
@fraula: I don't know. Maybe the fact that two of the goals were scored in the World Cup finals - the absolute pinnacle of top level sport - and one was scored in a relatively unimportant game between two not-very-good sides, perhaps? You don't have to see sexism everywhere you look, you know.
That said, I think Roche's goal is the best of the three, but I prefer Ibrahimovic's goal over all of them.
posted by salmacis at 5:07 AM on December 4, 2014 [2 favorites]
@fraula: I don't know. Maybe the fact that two of the goals were scored in the World Cup finals - the absolute pinnacle of top level sport - and one was scored in a relatively unimportant game between two not-very-good sides, perhaps? You don't have to see sexism everywhere you look, you know.
That said, I think Roche's goal is the best of the three, but I prefer Ibrahimovic's goal over all of them.
posted by salmacis at 5:07 AM on December 4, 2014 [2 favorites]
Stephanie's goal is indeed amazing and probably the best of the set, so being Dutch I voted for van Persie.
posted by DreamerFi at 7:44 AM on December 4, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by DreamerFi at 7:44 AM on December 4, 2014 [3 favorites]
the absolute pinnacle of top level sport
I'm not sure I would call the brazil-germany game a pinnacle of anything. Maybe the pinnacle of humiliation.
posted by poffin boffin at 7:49 AM on December 4, 2014 [2 favorites]
I'm not sure I would call the brazil-germany game a pinnacle of anything. Maybe the pinnacle of humiliation.
posted by poffin boffin at 7:49 AM on December 4, 2014 [2 favorites]
Pedant here: it's "offside".
Yep. My bad.
posted by Mental Wimp at 8:37 AM on December 4, 2014 [1 favorite]
Yep. My bad.
posted by Mental Wimp at 8:37 AM on December 4, 2014 [1 favorite]
I think this one was pretty nifty. Not flashy, but so perfectly executed a trap and volley that it should be shown to every budding striker in the world. Also won the World Cup.
posted by Mental Wimp at 8:42 AM on December 4, 2014
posted by Mental Wimp at 8:42 AM on December 4, 2014
Götze's suffers from being a mundane sort of great, if that makes any sense. That's textbook skill, unlike the flukes of nature that are the finalists.
posted by Don Don at 1:41 PM on December 4, 2014
posted by Don Don at 1:41 PM on December 4, 2014
Roche's goal reminded me of Bergkamp vs. Newcastle, still for me the gold standard of one-touch defender-clowning. As for whether the defender could have defended Roche better: the defender is goalside of her, obstructing any path to goal and forcing her to face away. That's pretty much textbook defending. It's just that Roche decided that homework was for jerks. Her first touch is good control, but nothing terribly out of the ordinary. Her second touch requires her to already be planning the shot with the third, while reverse-flicking the ball over her opposite shoulder. She's already preparing the shot. She completely believes that this ridiculous trick is going to work. That is the kind of audacity and arrogance that makes this sport great.
posted by Errant at 4:03 PM on December 8, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Errant at 4:03 PM on December 8, 2014 [1 favorite]
Also, when Roche first touches the ball the defender positions herself to intercept Roche's kick. The normal thing when you're at right-angles to the goal is to pivot towards it: if the goal is at twelve o'clock and you're facing three o'clock, you turn towards it. Roche couldn't actually see the defender at that point, but she correctly anticipated the defender's move and pivoted 270 degrees, thereby outflanking the defender. She doesn't seem to pause at all; she exhibits perfect confidence and control. She wasn't just controlling the ball; she was manipulating the defense to give herself a clear shot.
posted by Joe in Australia at 4:39 PM on December 8, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Joe in Australia at 4:39 PM on December 8, 2014 [1 favorite]
I am pretty meh on van Persie's goal. It's excellent positioning, a superb run, and a world-class finish, no doubt. It deserves to be in the conversation. But, eh: the only reason it's good is because of the positioning and run. Achieving that is excellent skill, again no doubt, but he has a lot of time to set himself and execute, which, in fairness, he does do brilliantly.
I think James Rodriguez's goal was the best of the World Cup: back to goal during traded headers, chest the ball not down, as is natural, but out and up to stymie the oncoming defenders at pace, giving him time to swivel into the volley for power and accuracy. It's fantastic. But the more I watch it, the more I realize I've been doing a disservice to Roche's first touch. Killing the spin and speed on the ball while setting it perfectly in mid-air for the second touch, the ridiculous touch, is absurdly, inconceivably precise. Maybe the thing I like most about Roche's goal is that she takes three touches and each one almost makes the next one mandatory, like a musical scale. From her first touch of three, the goal is preordained, because she is who she is with the skill that she has. I agree: if she were a man, this goal would have been plastered all over the soccer/football media for weeks. It's stupidly good.
posted by Errant at 5:18 AM on December 9, 2014 [2 favorites]
I think James Rodriguez's goal was the best of the World Cup: back to goal during traded headers, chest the ball not down, as is natural, but out and up to stymie the oncoming defenders at pace, giving him time to swivel into the volley for power and accuracy. It's fantastic. But the more I watch it, the more I realize I've been doing a disservice to Roche's first touch. Killing the spin and speed on the ball while setting it perfectly in mid-air for the second touch, the ridiculous touch, is absurdly, inconceivably precise. Maybe the thing I like most about Roche's goal is that she takes three touches and each one almost makes the next one mandatory, like a musical scale. From her first touch of three, the goal is preordained, because she is who she is with the skill that she has. I agree: if she were a man, this goal would have been plastered all over the soccer/football media for weeks. It's stupidly good.
posted by Errant at 5:18 AM on December 9, 2014 [2 favorites]
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