Colorful Nigeria Presents Do-or-Dye Situation for U.S.
The U.S. women’s national soccer team has seen its future, and it is colored burnt orange and emerald and silver and blue.
And those are just the hairdos.
Below the ears, the fanciful Falcons of Nigeria are basically 10 green blurs, 10 frenetic, kinetic whirling devirshes-- grounded, if that’s the word for it, by a grandstanding, bandanna-wearing goalkeeper who seems to have culled her sense of on-the-field style from videos of Jorge Campos and Axl Rose.
“They’re fun to watch,” U.S. assistant coach Lauren Gregg had to admit as she stood in the Rose Bowl press box Sunday night, following the tight circular patterns Nigerian players were running around dizzy North Korean defenders during their first-round Women’s World Cup match.
“They’re an exciting team. What makes them exciting is their commitment to the attack. They’re tremendous athletes. They look like they can run all day.”
As Gregg spoke, Nigeria’s star forward, the well-nicknamed “Marvelous” Mercy Akide, burst down the right flank, slid the ball between the legs of a flummoxed Korean fullback and drilled a shot across the goal mouth with such force that the ball caromed off a startled Kye Yong Sun, the Korean goalkeeper, and flew into the back of the net.
Nigeria 1, North Korea 0.
Gregg, in Pasadena to scout Nigeria, next up on Team USA’s schedule Thursday night in Chicago, nodded.
“I love their commitment to attack,” she said. “They remind me a little of the U.S. in that respect. But they put so many players into the attack, they’re a little loose in defense. Against a team with more offensive organization than North Korea, they could be vulnerable.”
Within minutes, as if on cue, Nigeria’s backline was caught flat-footed by a Korean counter-attack, with a long ball pounded into the Nigerian penalty area and pounced upon by Jo Jong Ran. Jo chested the ball down and crossed it hard in front of the net just in time for a sliding Sol Yong Suk to bang it into the net.
Nigeria 1, North Korea 1.
Yes, Nigeria could be vulnerable in the back.
But was Coach Ismaila Mabo worried?
“It didn’t bother me at all,” Mabo said with a shrug. “I still had confidence we would score one or two more goals.”
Barely five minutes after Korea’s equalizer, Akide struck again, this time with a splendidly delivered cross that found Rita Nwadike alone near the far post for a quick strike past a helpless Kye.
Just like that: Nigeria 2, North Korea 1.
And that is how it ended, sending Nigeria to Soldier Field with three points and a share of the Group A lead with the United States.
How do the Falcons, previously winless in two other trips to the Women’s World Cup, feel about that?
“I know the USA has been one of the favorites to win the championship, but I am still in the race,” Mabo said. “I will not be intimidated. June 24 will be a fight to the finish.”
Akide gingerly went one step further.
“By the grace of God,” she said, “we are going to be victorious.”
They are a colorful side, from the tops of their newly dyed haircuts to the soles of their fleet feet. They have scoring stars named Marvelous and Patience, they have hair tinted most shades of the rainbow, they have a goalie named Ann Chiejine who hides her locks under a neon-orange bandanna and has a Campos-like tendency to turn routine aerial lobs by the opposition into highlight-ready sprawling “saves.”
Wholly unnecessary, but as they say back in Lagos, it makes for good television.
“What I enjoy is the personality and flair they have in almost every position,” Gregg said. “They are playing with a lot of confidence right now. They have relatively little experience in the World Cup when compared to teams like the U.S. and China, but clearly, they are here to make an impact. They are here to win.”
As China discovered, much to its surprise, during a June 12 pre-tournament tuneup against the Falcons at West Los Angeles College. China is the only team to beat the United States in 1999--and the Chinese did it twice--and is generally regarded as the World Cup’s second favorite behind the host Americans. But China lost to Nigeria in that exhibition match, scoring three goals while the Falcons countered with four.
“I believe that victory has psyched my girls,” Mabo said. “It has been a big morale boost for them.”
And now they are 1-0 in the World Cup and tied for top of the group and approaching their match with the mighty Americans with not so much as an ounce of trepidation.
“We believe in attacking football,” Mabo said, “and we will always play that way--we don’t care who we play. If we play the Brazilian male team, if we play the American male team, we would play exactly the same. We don’t believe in negative football.”
That should come as a pleasant departure for Soldier Field. Lots of negative football played there every September, October, November and December.
SUNDAY
At Foxboro, Mass.
Ghana 1, Australia 1
Norway 2, Russia 1
At Rose Bowl
Germany 1, Italy 1
Nigeria 2, N. Korea 1
