The Starting Lineup

Ok. The Pilots are ranked #1. Richly deserved!!

Sooooo...I was looking ahead to when most everyone on the team is back and healthy? How much will the lineup change when Megan, Sophie and Stephanie return?

I tried to think about what my "fantasy" starting lineup would look like. I'm glad I'm not Garrett. ALL the girls are all playing SO WELL!! I've found it very difficult to pick out who will have to sit. Many have stepped up and are VERY DESERVING of a starting spot!!

GO #1 PILOTS!!

Oh man... this is not easy at all. I guess it would be:

G: Kelsey Davis
D: Stephanie Lopez
D: Emily Michaelson
D: Sophie Schmidt
D: Michelle Scifo (assuming Sweeney is out for a long time)
MF: Natalie Budge
MF: Megan Rapinoe
MF: Angie Woznuk
MF: Elli Reed
F: Michelle Enyeart
F: Rachael Rapinoe

It's tough to know where to put Sophie... Woznuk has been so good in the middle that you don't want to waste her by puttnig her out wide. I see Sophie playing back but also ranging forward and making plays out of the middle.

First off the bench would be Kendra and Kelli.

hmm--
The trouble with that linup is you just sat Kronkrite and don't have a physical holding mid.

Before the season, I would have guessed Schmidt in the holding mid position. Now I see a back line of Lopez, Kronkrite, Michaelson, and Schmidt in the back if Jackman come along a bit more

I think they'll bring M. Rapinoe along very slowly, so that frees up some time in the midfield.

The challenges will be how to find Reed, Budge, Scifo, and Chandhoke time. The way she's playing now, I don't see how you can sit Budge--
Reed has so much speed and tallent you can't ignore,

Stoney's right. It's not easy. at least Smith will be able to keep players fresh.

The Florida State game was beautiful to watch! Our midfield play was dominant. Ball movement was breathtaking....magical....and awe-inspiring!! For me...it was really reminiscent of the 2005 team and the way they played. I can't recall the number of times I said..."Wow!"...that night. But, I'm sure I said it a lot!!

As I started to appreciate the makeup of our "short-handed" team against FSU...I could only think how scary things would be for our opponents when everyone was back and healthy! For me..the freshmen's impact has screwed me all up! They've made it more difficult to predict our starting lineup!

But...can you imagine what opposing coaches are having to think about now? It might be more fun to be a fly on the wall and take a peak at their defensive schemes...or shouldl I say...defensive miseries!! Better them than us, eh?

Anyway...here's my best guess at the starting lineup. I agonized over sitting Rachael cause she's playing so so well. But, I think she'll be definitely be one of the first to be rotated in. Then....depending on game needs and situations...next rotation in...would be Sara, Keelin and Kendra. I think Korie will see a lot of time in relief of the gals in the backline.

I don't see Katie Brown on the Roster. Anyone know what's happened to her?

G: Kelsey Davis
D: Stephanie Lopez
D: Emily Michaelson
D: Kelli Cronkrite
D: Michelle Scifo (assuming Sweeney is out for a long time)
MF: Sophie Schmidt
MF: Megan Rapinoe
MF: Angie Woznuk
MF: Elli Reed
F: Michelle Enyeart
F: Natalie Budge

I don't see Katie Brown on the Roster. Anyone know what's happened to her?

I think she's still in school but no longer playing. Too bad... I thought she had some talent.

As for your line-up... I know, it's brutal, isn't it? But honestly I don't know how you could sit Rachael... she's scored, what, 8 goals in her last 6 games going back to the playoffs last year? That's some serious production.

I'm curious what has happened to Janelle Jacka. It looked like she was the only player on the bench not to come into either game this weekend.

Yes Stonehouse...its a fun..but brutal puzzle! That's why I started the topic.

Believe me when I say I agonized over sitting R. Rapinoe. She and Natalie Budge were my players on the bubble. Rachael was definitely worthy of a starting spot. But, Natalie has definitely come out of the gates as the Pilot's Most Improved Player! She's convinced me that she makes the most of her opportunities and runs attacking the goal. She become quite the finisher...don't you think?

We can debate the choices for starting lineup all night long, huh? Ultimately, I think Garrett will be shuffling his lineup from game to game. He did that with Budge and Scifo quite often last year.

Janelle has been present but it looks like she just didn't get the opportunity to play yet. It'll be harder to find minutes for her this year though.

GO #1 PILOTS
Sorry to see Katie Brown leaving the team. This would've been her Junior year! She's made it sooo far. Though she may not have played as often, I'm sure she was considered an important teammate to have around. Her role is not forgotten. Players like her are often the underlying reason and fuel that keeps our team's chemistry and motivation headed in a positive direction.

Phantom,

You want to sit a player that made every team-of-the-week?


We're deep-----not THAT deep.

start over-
you can't sit Rapinoe
you can't sit Budge
You can't sit Angie
You probably can't sit Enyeart
Ditto Michaelson
Ditto Kroncrite
I'm not touching Keeper yet...
Reed is very close to un-sittable

Now what?

Assuming everyone comes back fit and healthy, my ideal starting 11 would be:

R. Rapinoe Enyeart
M. Rapinoe
Woznuk Schmidt Budge
Lopez Michaelson Cronkrite Scifo
Davis

The flaw in this is it does sit all of our talented freshmen. Maybe Winters will earn a starting spot over Schmidt. It seems like Garrett Smith has the easiest and hardest job in all of college soccer, now.

Ninjapizza... you probably nailed it with that one. Looking back over mine, I think that Kelli Cronkrite really does need to be in there. She's solid, stable, and, perhaps most importantly, physical, something UP teams always seem to lack a bit.

But seriously... if that's the starting line-up, think about how good the second string is:

F: Chandhoke
F: Jacka
M: Reed
M: Winters
M: Jackman
M: Tsao
D: Sweeney (let's pretend she's healthy)
D: Nicholson
D: Kelly
D: Brown (let's pretend she's back on the team)
G: DeYoung

That would be a darn good team. Young, but bursting with talent.

Though it's tough to juggle playing time with so many talented players, as long as the team has the shared goal of winning a title (and I'm sure they do), then I think they can all live harmoniously enough... and have some serious battles in practice.

Geezer…Yes…Exactly my point…What’s now?

There are 15 gals who could legitimately claim a starting spot start for the Pilots. I thought everyone’s opinion on what their starting lineup should be was valid.
I’ve gotten some heat from Stonehouse also...for “reasoning” I could sit Racheal. But, I knew it wouldn’t be popular and might come back to bite me. What can I say? I’ve been through the roster over and over….. BUT my “can’t sit” counts never add up to 11! Should be simple math…but its always…1+1 = 3 !! Know what I mean?

I realize predicting a ‘fantasy” starting lineup may be a futile exercise for all of us anyway….just a bunch of hotair. But, are we having fun yet? Ultimately, I think Garrett will field a different starting lineup week to week. I think there will be a core group of 9 or 10 players who will consistently start. Players 11 to 15 will move in or out of the starting lineup.

The 4 players on the outside looking in (who ever you decide they may be) could very well be starting for other ranked teams. When you measure the Pilots depth against other teams, I would argue the Pilots have plenty of depth. Only UCLA and UNC come to mind as teams who are “loaded” all the way through to their second teams. They have many many Youth National and Parade All-Americas on reserve.

It's a nice thought to think that our bench could probably compete for the WCC title and put a good showing in the NCAA tournament...

We also have to remember last year... Enyeart didn't start until Megan got hurt. Once that happened, she totally took off and carried our offense, but before then she was used as a spark off the bench.

Maybe the same thing will happen with Reed or Winters or someone else. God forbid anyone get hurt, but it is nice to know that we have plenty of capable people to fill holes when needed. And how great is it to be able to bring in such talented players like Chandhoke and Reed and Winters for fresh legs off the bench? And perhaps one of them will play so well that Garrett can't keep them off the field. Who kows?

I think GUPhantom is right... the starting line-up will fluctuate from week to week, but most everyone will get their minutes.

Both games saw essentially the same lineups at both the sart and end of the games as we saw against Fla. St.

The difference was that Scifo and Tsao were on opposite sides from that game and when Scifo and Cronrite paye on the outside (Korie and Emily inside)Kelli was on the right as well.


The only other change was that Megan got some minutes, 13 minutes in the first game, twice that in the second. she played the middle and Angie moved out right in the first game, the second Game Megan was the left side striker.

How did Megan look Geezer? I saw she got more minutes in the Purdue game and even took a few shots! Cool! Was she Aggressive? Tentative? Feeling things out?

When she came in the whole offense picked up a bit. She was quick and fast, made some good cuts , and was dangerous in the box. She looked pretty healthy. She made a good target for Angie and the other players. It was one of the only bright spots for the day.

Lets hope she's not sore, It would be a mistake to rush her, we need her more later.


None of the other forwards looked particularly dangerous today. That was part of the deal with Rachael's dust up with the Purdue sweeper. she got a bit physical back, and that's what precipitated the punch. Rachael wouldn't back off after the punch, so that's why she got the yellow. If I was her, I would have done the Central American death rattle as a reaction to the punch.

Purdue had three good defenders across the back, and a quick sweeper.
That's the style defense they played in the Cro-Magnon days when I was in school.
Kinda strange, Two women's teams and one Men's team tried it so far this year.. There's nothing new under the sun.