Dein erstes Forum » Anthony Modeste already has four goal

The roster that the U.S. womens national team takes to the Olympics is that of a program with one eye on its present and one eye on its future.Which makes it anatomically impossible to keep an eye on the past.All things considered, that makes for a nice change.The national team for years went to major tournaments with one eye glued to the past, either attempting to recapture the magic of 1999 by winning another World Cup or, just as often, trying to lessen the sting of another World Cup disappointment through Olympic consolation.Those efforts had their moments, to be sure, but it was a formula for frustration.Win today to escape yesterdays shadow.Then they won. They stood and celebrated their 2015 World Cup triumph on a podium inside Vancouvers BC Place after a soul-cleansing, flag-waving romp of a final. And people started thinking about tomorrow. Not as a short-term salve but as a long-term opportunity. People including U.S. coach Jill Ellis.If we are about winning world championships, we cant just have all of our focus be on the Olympics, Ellis said Tuesday in recounting a conversation with U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati after the World Cup. It has to be on looking at new players, looking at players to build for beyond. And he agreed. We still want to win a gold medal. We still want to be competitive this summer. Thats still a high, high priority. I think we can do that, but we can also start to build players for the future.Make no mistake, the roster she announced Tuesday is one selected to compete for gold in Brazil, to try to become the first team to win the World Cup and Olympics in back-to-back years. No one is asking Carli Lloyd to lead a developmental roster. It is why Megan Rapinoe is there just seven months after the midfielder suffered a torn ACL, and despite the fact that she hasnt played for club or country yet this year. Even if Rapinoe is able to play only a reserve role, either in the tournaments early stages or throughout any run, those minutes are worth the roster spot for the added value on set pieces and crosses alone.Nor is it just loyalty to the holdovers that puts a premium on the present. A rookie in a major tournament at 28 years old, Allie Long might still be a viable option in 2019 or 2020, but she is here because of what she offers the team right now. Given their roles, it appears that Long and Samantha Mewis were competing for one roster spot. Mewis has more future ahead of her. Long is more reliable at this moment. Pragmatism won that contest (while simultaneously providing one of the teams most compelling stories in Longs lengthy journey to this stage). The same goes for Whitney Engen, who apparently edged out NWSL No. 1 pick Emily Sonnett as a back-line reserve.But after being the oldest team in the World Cup a year ago, the United States could at some point put a starting lineup on the field in Brazil that includes Morgan Brian, Crystal Dunn, Lindsey Horan, Julie Johnston and Mallory Pugh. All of them will still be in their 20s when the 2019 World Cup in France rolls around. All of them will still be in their 20s during the 2020 Olympics in Japan.So will Mewis and Sonnett. So will players such as Jaelene Hinkle, Danielle Colaprico, Rose Lavelle and teenager Ashley Sanchez, all of whom spent varying amounts of time with the national team during the buildup to the Olympics. That wasnt possible when Ellis took over a veteran player pool with far less than a full preparation cycle left in advance of the World Cup.I wasnt going to be able to get experience enough for younger players to come in, Ellis said of the World Cup. I had a very good handle on the players that were in the group. And so I felt very comfortable in terms of this is how were going to play and this is what we need. Preparing for a World Cup, I dont think I was looking beyond what we had already in.Veterans like Shannon Boxx and Lori Chalupny, both since retired, fit that roster. Recent high school graduate Pugh fits this one.It isnt just about the personnel. Thats only part of the picture. Ellis was almost giddy after a 1-0 win against France earlier this year, a game that looked headed for a scoreless draw until Alex Morgan scored in second-half stoppage time. It wasnt the result that pleased the coach but the way the team asserted itself on the game. The U.S. was the more technically precise team, bettering France at its own game. That wasnt a universally held view, notably getting some measure of disagreement at the time from an oft-isolated-on-the-night Lloyd.This style suits the likes of Brian and Horan, a new generation of gifted technicians. It suits Becky Sauerbrunn and Julie Johnston, center backs able to play out. It is surely part of the reason Kelley OHara, with all her versatility, has claimed the starting job at right back.Right or wrong, successfully implemented or not, this style tries to balance the traditional American strengths of athleticism and fitness with technical precision and pace of play. It is a style of play for tomorrow.At times Ive seen us play through lines -- we want to be a balance, Ellis said. If we can get in behind with one pass, we want to do that because its on. And thats any team in the world, if a team is going to give you that. But then we also need to be able to problem-solve, and I think thats where weve gotten better in terms of just being able to play off of each other, have more versatility. We talk about a variety of ways to get into the goal zone.Ellis laughed out loud at one point during a conference call to discuss the roster, asked about having the freedom of more job security after winning the World Cup. The adrenaline of a profession in which that doesnt exist, she said, is part of the allure of coaching.But the roster she put together, for all its core familiarity, is one freed from the weight of the past. It is for today and tomorrow.Thats the exciting part when youve got a younger group, Ellis said, is you can plan beyond three months.Ellis and this roster will be judged on what they do in Brazil. Thats the nature of being No. 1.But what they do in Brazil will also be the foundation of the roster that we will judge in 2019 and 2020. Vapormax Flyknit Dame Norge . It just didnt show when he hit the ice. Berra made 42 saves and Kris Russell scored at 1:32 of overtime, lifting the Calgary Flames to a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday night. Vapormax Herre Norge . The Oilers come in having lost five in a row (0-4-1) and 16 of their last 20 games, dropping a 2-1 decision to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. http://www.vapormaxnorge.com/nike-joyride-run-norge.html . All of the scoring came in the final 20:04. Lucic scored on a power play at 15:46 of the third period, when he tipped a shot over Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen for a 3-1 lead. Vapormax Hvit Dame Norge . 8 Iowa State on Saturday, sending the Cyclones to their third consecutive loss. The Longhorns (14-4, 3-2) got their biggest win of the season with their third in the row in the Big 12. Vapormax Plus Herre Norge . What general manager Dave Nonis called "short and productive" negotiations ended with Kessel signing a US$64-million, eight-year contract on Tuesday. FRANKFURT, Germany -- Only four matches into the season, the Bundesliga is proving eventful with one coach sacked, a couple more under pressure and some positive surprises so far.One thing remains constant, though: Bayern Munich is already two points clear at the top of the table as the German powerhouse seeks an unprecedented fifth straight title.Carlo Ancelotti has won all seven matches across all competitions since taking charge, something even his predecessor Pep Guardiola did not manage in three seasons. Ancelotti is now the first Bayern coach to win his first seven matches. His relaxed attitude seems to be appreciated by the players, who enjoy more freedom on the pitch than under the rigid, possession-first style of Guardiola.Franck Ribery seems to be thriving under Ancelotti and the mercurial French winger has enjoyed a strong start, scoring twice in the first four matches.The return of the other winger, Arjen Robben, has given Bayern another strong option. Robben needed only seven minutes to find the net after coming off the bench in Bayerns 3-0 win over Hertha Berlin on Wednesday in his first match since March following two injuries.Bayern has such depth that Portugals young midfield star Renato Sanches has made only two league appearances since joining from Benfiica after some impressive performances at the European Championship.Here is what is happening elsewhere in the Bundesliga early in the season:COACHESWerder Bremens Viktor Skripnik lasted three matches before being sacked. His interim successor Alexander Nouri saw his team go ahead, then lose 2-1 to Mainz and drop to a 0-4 record.Two other coaches are under pressure. Hamburgs Bruno Labbadia is living on borrowed time after one point in four matches and facing Bayern coming next. Schalkes Markus Weinzierl has seen his teams worst start in over three decades, with one goal scored in four defeats.---EINTRACHT FRANKFURTEintracht Frankfurt is one of the positive surprises. Frankfurt barely escaped relegation in the playoff, having signed coach Niko Kovac in March.ddddddddddddFrankfurt appears to have shopped wisely and Kovac has found new use for Mexican playmaker Marco Fabian. Fabian has scored once and set up two goals and Frankfurt has three wins.---RB LEIPZIGThe ambitious newcomer is still undefeated and stunned Borussia Dortmund in the opener. Backed by the financial clout of industrial magnate Red Bull, no wonder Leipzigs story resembles the early rise of Hoffenheim. Ralf Rangnick was the coach of promoted Hoffenheim when it sensationally stormed to the top of the Bundesliga in 2006 and he is now Leipzigs director of sports.Leipzig appears to have what it takes to stay in the Bundesliga and confidently talks about bigger plans for the future.---COLOGNECologne may have only one star, but Anthony Modeste already has four goals and the club is undefeated, two points behind Bayern.Modeste has 19 goals in 38 matches since joining Cologne from Hoffenheim, where he netted 19 in 55.---SCHALKESchalke is the biggest disappointment so far. Markus Weinzierl was lured from Augsburg as one of Germanys most touted young coaches and the club invested heavily into new players, only to score one goal in four straight defeats.Schalke next travels to Hoffenheim and another loss would put Weinzierl under tremendous pressure.---NEW FACESSeveral young players are beginning to make their mark.Ousmane Dembele, the French teenager, has scored his first goal for Dortmund; American striker Bobby Wood has netted twice for Hamburg and is about the only success story at the troubled club.Werder Bremen is even in deeper trouble, but it has given 19-year-old Ousman Manneh his Bundesliga debut. The refugee from Gambia, who previously drew attention at a small provincial club, was promoted from Werders reserve side and came close to scoring in the 2-1 loss to Mainz. When he left the match in the 55th minute, Bremen was still leading. ' ' '