Day 2 at the TWG
Who's up? Who's down? The landscape here in Chengdu is shaping slowly, as teams prove what their main strengths (and weaknesses) are. Take a look at what happened today (NO SPOILERS)
Day two of the pool play promised us some good action, with the teams getting used to the climate and the games becoming better and better - did it deliver?
without spoilers, so you can enjoy a watch later too
Wednesday’s Game Recaps:
🇺🇸 USA vs 🇩🇪 GERMANY (Pool A):
https://live.theworldgames.org/m/Iij3Cdhm
WHAT. A. GAME.
After yesterday' games rather disappointing in terms of tightness, we've got a real banger right now.
I'm being pretty serious - if you can, give yourself a treat and go watch it instead of reading about it on the blog.
It didn't begin very well for Germany giving up 2 breaks in the starting points here in Chengdu. They tried to force the long game and just threw the disc away a couple times.
After that they took a very reasonable time-out and then followed it with a clean hold being able to steady their game.
With the amount of inaccuracies and unforced errors we get, I'm wondering if teams actually warm-up their throws prior to the game.
Claire Chastain and Raphy Hayes both probably didn't do that, being involved in numerous completely unforced turnovers.
Not taking away from Germany, it was this duo that got them back into the game.
Both teams showed us in this game that they are certainly medal contenders, but we also see the skill gap between the USA and the rest of the world closing up.
I could easily imagine them missing out on the final (or even potentially a medal) if things don't go their way.
Of course they are still amazing players - with Anna Thompson and the Ing brothers being the most reliable of the pack - but they showed us that they are vulnerable and, as I said yesterday, very beatable.
🇨🇴 COLOMBIA vs 🇦🇺 AUSTRALIA (Pool B):
https://live.theworldgames.org/m/MSrK4Jfe
The talks after yesterday’s results have certainly happened in both dressing rooms, as both teams came into the game with a very clear plan.
While Colombia returned to what they are known for, Australia opted for a handler driven offense with a stack (either horizontal or side/split) being pretty far down the field, leaving more space for the handlers to dominate.
Although there is an idea there, I'm not sure why the Aussies have decided to go this direction.
The offensive style they presented us with was heavily reliant on reset handlers 1v1’s, isolating them to be able to take those matchups, what proved to be quite a challenge against a very dynamic and agile Colombian side. Some throwing mistakes were also made and the Colombians capitalized rather quickly.
What seemed to work once or twice for Australia, was using the height advantage - I could really see them testing the Colombian women vertically a little bit more, as there was a rather obvious (or maybe not so obvious after all?) advantage here.
Colombians, on the other hand, were happy to play their game.
They seem to have resolved the main issue that we saw yesterday, being an over reliance on their FMPs - their game looked much more balanced today and although we could still see some players taking more responsibility, like Valeria Cárdenas and Yina Cartagena, they utilized each and every one of the players on the team (with Andrés Ramírez finishing most of the points).
On the Australian side, I’ve got to note an impressive performance from Kya Wiya - with everyone putting in their efforts, she was a definite standout.
🇨🇦 CANADA vs 🇫🇷 FRANCE (Pool B):
https://live.theworldgames.org/m/YBUOyZL8
A battle between two francophone countries of the tournament provided us with some great action.
In this one, the wind proved to be quite a factor, unlike in the previous matches.
The game started with France conceding a break upwind, followed by a couple very messy points - some of them were a real spectacle on their own.
Throughout the game we could see France trying to find a sweet spot in balancing their strategy - mostly looking for some FMP-received hucks if possible (often wasn't).
Canada's defence did a good job at taking away the cuts from the Frenchmen, who seemed a little unorganized and needed to bring on some individual spark to make the points happen (which wasn't the case for Colombia - they did a wonderful job playing through their system).
They often found it in the likes of Gaël Ancelin, Paul Benvegnen and Elliot Bonnet, who proves to be (in my opinion) the best offensive player in the world at the moment.
Canadians, compared to yesterday, shifted their offense more towards FMP-driven action, with Brittney dos Santos distributing and Anouchka Beaudry mainly on the receiving end, getting a few scores to her name. With an amazing performance of Mika Kurahasi and Sarah Jacobsohn (despite having a couple of turns), the Canadian FMPs were able to outshine their French opponents (who had a lot of pressure drops).
Quinn Snider and Malik Auger-Semmar, still being the big targets they usually are, and Marty Gallant, despite being young, showing a really mature decision-making, also helped Canada in keeping their level high.
🇨🇳 CHINA vs 🇯🇵 JAPAN (Pool A):
https://live.theworldgames.org/m/ERK5lEaH
A game definitely full of emotions, both positive and negative, coming from both sides.
Knowing the rivalry and the history of the two, it was kind of expected, but unfortunately resulted in some spirit issues with hearing the opponent’s perspective (or acknowledging it) during the calls, although it improved a little through the course of the match.
Play-wise - we could see Japan recognizing well the main strengths of team China, those being Yu Zeng on the throwing and Yingyi Xu on the receiving end. Having neutralized them, there really wasn't much the Chinese could do - the Japanese did their homework well - summed up with an exceptional performance of Shumpei Makiyama, who had every tool ready to close down the tall Xu.
Offensively, the Japanese opted for some quick hucks, probably with the goal of making the game as short as possible, to avoid the fatigue for tomorrow’s game against Germany.
It worked pretty well and they were able to capitalize quickly on China’s numerous mistakes, who were able to score through some pretty good offenses too, even getting a late break to their tally.
For a more detailed report (with spoilers), go check Chris' blog here
WHAT’S ON FOR TOMORROW?
GAME 1: 🇦🇺 AUS vs 🇨🇦 CAN (Pool B):
https://live.theworldgames.org/m/l7eydWr3
WHY WATCH?
Last chance in pool play for the Aussies to show everyone what they’ve got - despite disappointing in their previous matches, they still can be a challenging opponent for Canada as they'll look to match their physical game style.
GAME 2: 🇩🇪 GER vs 🇯🇵 JPN (Pool A):
https://live.theworldgames.org/m/PXzAHOco
WHY WATCH?
THIS. WILL. BE. ELECTRIC.
Do yourself a favor and watch this match live - both teams will fight for their ticket to the semis and that's their only chance - they are not going to give it up easily.
GAME 3: 🇺🇸 USA vs 🇨🇳 CHN (Pool A):
https://live.theworldgames.org/m/PPWPUGVk
WHY WATCH?
The last pool game for both these teams, despite their standings being already decided, can still be very entertaining, as the Chinese will try to bring their best against the almighty Americans.
GAME 4: 🇨🇴 COL vs 🇫🇷 FRA (Pool B):
https://live.theworldgames.org/m/6YtwJw4W
WHY WATCH?
GET READY FOR THIS BANGER OF A GAME!!!
Both teams with a fairly different playing style will clash for the place in the upper bracket. Will France find the answer for the seemingly unstoppable Colombian offense? How will Colombia take on the French MMPs? Will the French FMPs find their rhythm? There are so many questions to be asked (cheers Liam) - with answers available tomorrow from 17:30 local time.
Stay tuned for more coverage and insights as we continue to bring you the latest from Chengdu, China. The stage is set for the final day of pool play! Watch tomorrow at these times👇.
Tune in here or in the official app - The World Games LIVE
