Judging by Hope Solo’s grin after conceding two back-to-back goals from Marta, the 2010 WPS All-Star Game was clearly about the show. The consensus objective amongst the players was to have fun, score goals and keep everyone fit and un-injured. (Perhaps that’s why Heather O’Reilly got so upset when Ramona Bachmann tried to come in on her somewhat late). Fortunately they succeeded in all three areas.

It’s kind of superfluous to do a tactical survey of a match that will ultimately be forgotten anyway. (Does anyone remember the score line from the game last year? It was against Umea right?) But it was clear that Paul Riley’s fear about his defenders getting caught out of position was realized. He sacrificed a defensive presence in midfield for the sake of more dynamic play in the final third. Lori Lindsey tracked back at times but it was too much to ask her to become a (needed) fourth defender. And really, when is it ever necessary for Amy LePeilbet to be hanging out in her own team’s box?

Abby’s XI did what they practiced in the previous day’s training session. They managed to pass their way into the box and serve in crosses from both O’Reilly and Chalupny. But they didn’t rehearse for the role of Riley’s own player Allison Falk, who played the part of the villain. She batted down each cross that came her way.

While Riley’s team definitely played as a cohesive unit, they seemed to over-complicate that last step of finishing. That’s where Marta’s XI made the difference. The team’s mish-mash of different styles also applied to the art of putting the goal in the back of the net.

Each goal scored represented the particular style of that player. Marta, well we all know of. Christine Sinclair nicely cleaned up the mess in front of Solo. Aya Miyama hit a shot from some distance that needed to be struck with precision and calm. It was. And Amy Rodriguez beat her defender 1 v. 1 with her pace then chipped it perfectly over Barnhart’s head. Classic Rodriguez, that.

Coach Albertin Montoya perfectly set up the team to let his players shine in spite of his tactics. That’s why he only had his team doing rudimentary drills like crossing and making runs inside the box during training. He must have known that his players were too individually talented to be coached, so why not just let them have fun and do their own thing? It worked beautifully.

(By the way, this might open up a broader question as to the philosophical difference between the American player and the European/South American player. American players are coached obsessively from the moment they first kick a soccer ball, perhaps so much so that they simply lack the instinct to try and go it alone. Every move is calculated and dependent upon the position of her teammates on the field. But international players seem to be wilier and much more adventurous with the ball. A-Rod interestingly found the net when she quit trying to serve in crosses and actually took it herself. That’s why after the game, Marta said she was the American player that most resembles her own style of play. Anyways.)

Montoya’s players were able to take it upon themselves to find space inside the box. Rather than wait to find a player making an incisive run, his players (notably Marta of course and even Bachmann) would dance around the area, entertain the crowd, bewilder their opposing defenders and make that killer pass or shot on their own.

The second half went a little helter skelter and was more difficult to follow. Having 19 subs in 30 minutes is a lot to keep track of. Sometimes it seemed as if there was more action on the sideline than on the field itself. But the players seemed genuinely eager to take the field and strut their stuff.

Regardless, it was immensely entertaining to watch such skilled players have at it against one another. These two teams were a Fatmire Bajramaj, a Julie Fleeting, a Manon Melis and a Simone away from being composed of literally the.best.female.soccer.players.in.the.world. The uniqueness of the event was certainly not lost upon the players either as they seemingly went for it, albeit while being cautious of injuring another player. Karen Bardsley’s slinged-up shadow loomed large on the touchline.

For a pretty meaningless game it sure had its worthwhile moments. Hopefully we can see some of that crowd-pleasing individual flair (and the finishing ability!) replicated over the course of the season. But don’t ever expect to see Hope Solo smiling after giving up a goal to Marta again.

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• Soccer, Sports, WPS

This post is related to an event on our Calendar:

• WPS All-Star Game presented by U.S. Coast Guard