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"Let's see if you're brave enough to say that in 4 years" | Pat Nevin on USA WC win

Pat Nevin believes that the USA women's national team may come to regret comments made about thei...



Soccer

"Let's see if you're brave enough to say that in 4 years" | Pat Nevin on USA WC win

Pat Nevin believes that the USA women's national team may come to regret comments made about their nation's strength, as the Women's World Cup has shown growing competition.

Pat joined us following his month-long sojourn in France following the showpiece of the women's game, culminating in back-to-back victories for USA after their 2-0 win over Holland yesterday.

Keen to congratulate the side and impress their importance to the sport, Pat sounded a note of caution as to their confidence, after Ali Krieger's comments that they possess both the best and second-best team in the world.

"Their second team might have just about squeezed it [as second best in the tournament.]

"If you look at the depth in the other teams, it is a drop off a cliff once you get past the first twelve or thirteen players. The strength in depth is very limited with other teams."

But Pat believes that it the USA have a distinct headstart on other countries in the competition.

"But [the USA] have had thirty years to get this sorted. Everybody else is catching up really quick.

"The thing that makes me smile is that anyone who is brash enough to say that kind of thing - good luck. It's going to bite you. Football always does. It always gets you back.

"Let's see if you're brave enough to say that in four years' time [...] they have had more money than most other leagues."

It is a difference in attitudes from the USA side that Pat identifies as separating the team from the rest of the world, for both good and ill.

"I was talking to Heather O'Reilly [...] and she has had this phrase 'first and worst'. We all say that phrase, but they live it.

"They absolutely live it. I tried to explain it to her that I used to play football for the love of the game, for the beauty of it and because I can create - and that winning was good as well.

"She looked at me like I was from Mars!"

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