#i knew this guy was going to be either from Wisconsin or Germany

[etraytin]

"do you have any feelings on the breakdown in season 6 - did Josh realize he'd pushed too far in Germany for propriety's sake? was Donna hurt that he turned cold, or did he just not give her the attention she'd given him after Rosslyn?"

I have a lot of feelings about this time period for Josh and Donna, as I'm sure pretty much anybody who ships them does. I've visited the subject a couple times before, most notably in Closure and Sirens, so if you've read those, you already know a lot of my headcanons for all the things that went unsaid during that time. But let's see what else I can lay on the table here.

Josh was thrown really badly by Colin Ayers showing up at the hospital in Germany. For a few brief hours, he thought he had everything figured out. The threat of losing Donna brought a lot of things abruptly into focus for him, like how completely lost he would be without her, how much she really meant to him. He was ready to call it love, right up until the point that he realized that Donna might possibly not be feeling the same way as he was, a possibility personified by a suave and handsome photographer who seemed to be more than just a friend. Josh is super-duper bad at talking about his feelings with anybody, including himself.  He generally deals with them by either stuffing them into the backmost corners of his mind or channeling them into whatever sort of aggression is handy, whether that's dragging half of Congress to death to get his agenda through or going outside and yelling at the sky. Sniping at Colin passed the time but was ultimately unsatisfying, and he wasn't about to have a go at Donna herself, so he went the stuffing-down-his-feelings route. He got way up into his own head, where it's hard to see what's actually going on. 

By the time Donna was awake enough to be having coherent conversations, Josh had convinced himself that what he felt for Donna was the same thing anybody might feel for a really good friend who'd been put into danger as a direct result of his actions. (Guilt is one emotion Josh is pretty much never able to stuff down.) Donna is adept at reading Josh, so she saw that guilt right away, hiding whatever might have been suppressed underneath it. The trouble with guilt is that it is a very needy emotion. It needs absolution, it needs forgiveness, and for the really stubborn flavors, it might need those things again and again and again. It didn't matter that Donna never blamed Josh; because Josh blamed himself, he needed absolution that at the same time he was convinced he did not deserve. There were only so many times Donna could tell him it wasn't his fault, only so many times she could watch him look miserable because she was hurt. She got stuck in the position where she needed comfort, but showing that she needed comfort just seemed to make Josh feel worse because he was so absorbed in the idea that it (like pretty much everything in the world) was his fault. She quickly started easing away from his efforts to help her because that was preferable to watching him go to pieces every time she couldn't bite back a moan of pain. They talked, sure, they talked everyday, but it was banter, patter, never anything too real or too deep even after Colin left. Josh didn't stay too long after that anyway, since he needed to head back for the peace talks.

There's a very squishy amount of time that passes before, during and after the peace talks before Donna comes back to work. A complex open femur fracture can take between 12 weeks and 12 months to heal, but the most intense period of physical therapy tends to be within the first four weeks after surgery. There is no possible way that Donna would be in a wheelchair and putting in full days at the office a week after surgery, but then again, there's also no way they put those peace talks together so quickly, so obviously there were several weeks encompassed in the montage that ends with Debbie straightening the place settings at Camp David. During that time, Donna completed initial recovery at Landstuhl, then flew home with her mom to Wisconsin and the really excellent orthopedic surgeons at the University of Wisconsin hospital in Madison. Josh pulled some strings to get her transport back to DC during Third Day Story so she wouldn't have to fly commercial with her leg the way it was, which is why she arrived at Andrews that day in pretty decent shape and not needing a lot of personal nursing care that would mean she couldn't live on her own. (Just go with me here, I know it's complicated but this timeline is all jacked up and I'm doing the best I can!)

In any case, by the time Donna got back to work she was getting better, but she was nowhere near better. Sitting or standing for a long time was very painful, and she'd still be spending a considerable amount of time each week in physical therapy. Add to that the incredible stress the entire White House was under during the transition between Chiefs of Staff, and it was not an environment conducive to mental health or healing. Donna understood that, she'd done enough research on stress and PTSD to recognize it in herself, though. Kate didn't have to lay it out for her for Donna to understand what she was getting at, or to be able to name her own list of symptoms. She didn't make Josh's mistake, she did get therapy when and where she could, but federal insurance isn't that great and there was never any time. As long as the symptoms weren't disrupting her life she could get by. As for the "get angry over everything, cry over nothing," well, nobody was responsible for making her feel better but herself, even though when the situation had been reversed, she'd put her life on hold to fix Josh. She tried not to be resentful about that, and tried to ignore the way that her resisting the offers he did make to help were pretty textbook symptoms as well.

Donna had wanted a change in her job even before everything had happened. She was a great assistant, but she was ready to be more than that. She had the brain to be anything she wanted, but she'd thrown away her college opportunities to stay with Dr. Freeride, and now she found herself seemingly in the same position, albeit a slightly more lofty one. She knew Josh needed her support, but so had her old boyfriend and look how that had turned out. Seeing Charlie graduate and get a "real" job with advancement potential was just salt in the wound. Yes he'd had to work hard, but the President had supported him, made room in his work schedule to make education happen, and was now encouraging Charlie to bigger and better things. There wasn't much opportunity for Donna to take classes in the fifteen hours a week she wasn't working or sleeping, and the one time she'd floated the test balloon of a new job or new position, Josh had shot her down so dismissively that it was pretty obvious he couldn't even conceive of her moving on. It hadn't been so bad back then, almost an extension of their endless banter about her wanting a raise, but in retrospect it rankled. By the time she started scheduling lunches with him she was feeling overworked, underappreciated, unheard, and like somebody who'd once been her best friend and more was a huge contributing factor to a lot of her problems.

Josh, for his part, wasn't totally unaware of Donna's problems, but they were nowhere close to being on the same page. Josh had more than enough troubles of his own to be dealing with during this time, reversals and disappointments both professional and personal, and a lot of weight coming down on his head. He understood, mostly, why Leo hadn't chosen him for COS but it still bothered him some, especially when he wound up picking up a lot of slack for CJ while she was getting up to speed on policy. He'd meant to help Donna with her transition back to work, but he found her hard to deal with when she was being prickly, and she didn't seem to want a lot of help getting around or carrying things. He figured she didn't like people thinking she was weak, a major concern he himself had felt after Rosslyn, and tried to back off to let her feel stronger. That was apparently not the right thing to do either, but damned if he knew what he was supposed to do, besides all the things that were very inappropriate for work and absolutely not right for people who were just good friends.

In the ever-shifting landscape of his priorities, Josh wound up doing what he'd been doing for years, shifting what he couldn't deal with to Donna and trusting that she would backstop him on whatever might fall through the cracks. Unfortunately in this case, one of the things he couldn't deal with was Donna herself, and shifting that burden was a mistake. Like the guy who doesn't check or rotate his tires as long as they're working because they've always been fine before, it wasn't until there was serious danger that he started taking notice at all. And like that guy, he made himself a promise that he'd fix things later and just hoped that if he ignored the problem, things would ride along okay for just a little while longer. A blowout was basically inevitable.

[davidjjohnston3]

It appears as if my dream is coming true without me; racial understanding and unity are being achieved.  Madison, Wisconsin these days reminds me of Rutgers and China.  The sky seems almost unreal. In the past I didn't realize how big China is; I only thought about Chinese moms and girlfriends... or spies. * When I was 14 I seem to have been offered a happiness.  At 16 I had that happiness taken away and distrusted the people broke it up.  At 17 I liked or loved one of those people but was wary of her father whom I never met and didn't dare to ask a question. Instead of taking nothing, I took something else which was offered. I was offered a second or final chance recently but was unprepared or failed to follow through  / deliver the complete ready 'suitcase.'  Today I feel beyond sadness.  I have not felt guilt in a long time either but fear of the sky and the new day.  I also sense I taught the wrong things to the wrong people at the wrong time, and they became... I don't know why I tried to be so many things, or hold so many dreams.  I never followed through on one true thing.  I never awaited or sought God's confirmation. All I see is light and beauty.  The population of the United States is increasing / has increased.  I thought my life was over; I was satisfied with my 'museum.'   I wonder whether this is a new 'classical' age a la Yeats 'Leda and the Swan' but I hate things like that. I remember my Taiwanese aunt Jamie and I am thinking of Chairman Mao. Originally my aunt's name was 'Gloria.'  I do not know her Chinese name.  I know she lives in Redlands, CA, and last I checked had a long commute in LA traffic to a Buddhist college. I just want to disappear.  In all my life only two people trusted me, and I ripped them off - one I misunderstood; the other I miscarried or betrayed. I had all these dreams that were alive or lifelike, physical, fleshly - 'carnal' as Houellebecq says in 'Liquid Birth.'  But what's the point? I used to ride the bus around Korea thinking about an old war but now I don't know why.  It was one of those 'parallel' novels with small and large: here is the war, here is someting else, a relationship, as though to say, 'And while __ also __.' I was in Delafield which I visited first in 2009 and thought about the Iraq War.  I thought about General Mattis.  Before attacking a certain Iraqi city the Marine Corps played 'Hell's Bells.'  Why were they so eager to hurl souls into Hell instead of reaching out to them some other way?  Or am I misunderstanding? I was sitting by this river in 2009, wondering about renting an apartment - 'Do you like Asian art' said the person.  In the end I gave him like 500 dollars for the rent-deposit but didn't live there or something.  'Dirtbag!' I met Zola Jesus the same year and also gave her and her brother 500 or so. The Great Recession was cozy for me.   I was happy in a way with my downsized life, as if the pressure were off. I remember the McCain v. Obama election.  At first I was happy John McCain came from behind to win the Republican primary. It occurred to me again that I and McCain are 'Japanese' in some sense of accepting failure and wanting to go down as having had the right idea. I don't know why I lobbied for so long to get fair treatment from the world when I wasn't even asking either what I meant or ultimately wanted, or what God wanted for me, or what was going on or had been going on perhaps since the Lutheran Reformation and the Reformation Wars  - one long war, perhaps since the civil wars marking the Fall of Rome.  As if everywhere is 'Germany; the Holy Roman Empire.' * In the past I read Ecclesiastes a lot - 'and the ocean is not filled.'  I don't know why in some sense I thought I could fill the ocean, or wanted to keep sinking things in there. I remember in 2007 or so I ate buffet food with Taiwan-GF and her parents and they said, 'Why do white people eat Jell-O?'   We also ate some rice with raisins and nuts or something. I don't know why I was eating everything with everyone, trying to be cultured in small ways instead of 'made,' 'made for a purpose.' Nowadays everything seems like Rutgers with these modded cars and people 'expressing themselves.'  I don't want to critique others anymore 'cause I am not a teacher or social critic or columnist or whatever.  I wish I wrote a column for the Joongang but I don't understand their 'angle' or 'cropping' either.  I always just want to make giant arguments and if my organized argument doesn't work I tend to take a 'Red Army' approach as with pedagogy; cf. Kruschev in 'Enemy at the Gates,' saying 'Lose the other half [of your troops].'   People gave me all kinds of 'sign' advices and I don't know what I was thinking experimenting with their advice. I wish I were just working at a gas-station or something with my wife like my boss's Korean parents who became millionaires but the world is bigger now.  These country road I used to yearn to have one of to myself; my grandfather's house at the foot of the San Bernardino's, somehow reminding me of Belgium(?) or Alsace-Lorraine.  I guess in retrospect my happiness place was my apartment in Korea with its fire-door or suicide-door or whatever it was, feeling like a coffin of safe-deposit box; and 'office-tel.' I used to get mad at people for not doing what they talked about.  'My dream school; I'm offering you an idea...' No you're not.  'I want to start a kongbubang' - then he made a Smoothie King instead.   I don't know what anyone is trying anymore or what they dream.  Everyone seems to be trying everything; relationships are what they would have.   I thought of 'a small personal voice,' Chekhov, or something Nabokov said about Chekhov, about people confessing things in quiet voices.  I wanted to scream and yell at people when I was younger but I couldn't in my family and then the moment passed; I wanted to teach HS but was corrupt by then.  Nowadays people can't guess my height; they said I look 6'1 or somtehing but it's really like 5'10 5'11.  All kinds of failures and people I nuked and feeding toxic chemicals to people who love chemical-warfare. I remember in a way the person I wanted to be or the one person I tried to be was in 2002-2003 at the South Mountain Arena ice-skating with HK-ex-girlfriend.  I just liked that image of myself with my nose.  But why?   I keep trying to make a self.  There is this Korean poem, 'I made a self; like peeling an apple; like running off with a woman who was my social superior.'   I never ran away with anyone that I know of; I went to 'Taiwan and Its Contexts' Yale Conference with TW-1, ate some rice and shellfish and the guy said, 'Many of my white students become lawyers.'  I thought about IP and wrote some stuff about teaching HS civics after making money when in the back of my mind I thought, 'If a BigLaw associate makes 160K first year, in 10 years how much money can I have so I can retire and write.'  then at UW-Madison the average starting was like 90K, so... then I remmebreed S'hai's letter about not wasting your 20's and was like what if I just made a ittle deal with myself, my parents, a semi-noncomittall offering to S'hai-1?  What is the point of such gambits(?). I miss 'Maria.'  I like her sunny voice and wish I met her mom or knew more about her.  I taught 'process-writing' which in retrospect was a mistake b/c 'process-writing' is 'German, socialist, patching, bit-by-bit.'  It also mixes past and future, admits failure, and denies individuality or rather implies that individuality comes from other people or something.  Like if Chairman Mao kisses me here, KJU kisses me here, Rose-Apple kisses me here, overall, I'm the Blarney Stone of David Johnston, 'the glass man without external reference.'  Why?   The Bible says, 'God will establish you' or something... I remember all these Democrats saying stuff like, 'In my day we took our neighbors' kids aside and blah blah...'  Communists... My uncle 'Uncle Hammer' once told my dad, 'Discipline your kid.'  My dad walked out and never entered that house for years.  Years later he said, 'Actually Uncle Hammer is right DAvid is a terrible arrogant person etc...'  at the same time Dad was stealing my IP like, 'Let's figure out all DJJ's pornographic adventures, eat his brain and live vicariously...' Everyone was like, 'When everyone says something about you it's probably true...' I don't know if I have anything to say fairly about any of this.  People supposedly derive their impression of God from their parents / father but I've had more than enough time and spiritual 'invasions,' really, to have more direct knowledge of God.  I just had all other affections and dependencies and side-projects and assumed 'trying this would be good enough' without asking. I just wanted my 'little life' and later felt done.  I thought I was sincerely schizophrenic.  I was glad the pressure was off b/c everyone seemed to blow up in my face or doors closed; or I didn't know.  I looked all these Edu. programs but never determined in my heart or mind or prayed for the right to join. All these psychopaths... My dad studied Economics - my family are 'Chinese' - and now his dreams are coming true.  I wanted to be 'RCCP Mediator.'  I studied nuclear weapons but never wanted to drop them.  I was interested in 'nuclear sublime' an idea about Japanese cinema / anime.  'God gave us nuclear weapons to _ _ _.'  I wasn't there to hear His voice so I wouldn't know.  Truman said, 'The power of the sun, something something...'   Later I became intent on 'petite culture' and 'the feminine' and so on.  'I am not gonna think about this.'  I don't work for the Pentagon.  I should've applied to Cornell Hotel Management.  In the summer of 2003 I ate the hearts of burnt-outside oatmeal-cookies and thought / didn't think about Korean-Presbyterian.   * Xi Jinping is going to visit Korea after Covid.  'What's his angle?'  I didn't dislike Xi; I believed in 'Rule of Law,' questioned the Cultural Revolution.  My 'apologetics' for all this were / was flawed in that I argued about weapons-systems killing everyone and how that's why we should love each other, love / obey God.  'OMG weapons-systems?!'   I thought today of my Ukrainian old friend Stan.   I once wrote or started, 'Everything Is Spies.' I think it was about Jiheon Fromis_9(?).   Today I thought about, 'Brides.'  I wanted to say, 'You were like this, that, Korean, Black - just be someone's wife or rather you could be a bride, w/ covered hair.'  I admire the aesthetics of the Catholic Church and their talking about demons and stuff but what if... I feel like I was always reading to lose everything and I gave everything to the wrong people who just eat and eat and eat, then examine the excretions too.  I saw this picture of LOONA Yves and thought, 'My daughter, hold her.'  A beautiful hand, neither boneless nor bony like it has many purposes.  'A wifely smile.'  None of these people care what I say; they don't see what I see.   I remember being happy listening to Wonder Girls' 'Draw Me' and writing stuff.  Most of these people will never care.  Glee, glee, glee.  'Spend my life-savings!'   I wish I could offer myself as a resource to someone but no one's got questions for me anymore.   Everyone figured out what I had to say and what I was right about; those who didn't are determined to be wrong or evil anyway.  And I was evil in trying to make everyone 'right.'   I thought about 'character.'  I pretended to have good character but never stuck to it. I wasn't manly either and never studied manliness.  I didn't think about offering myself to a woman or loving a wife as Christ loved the Church; only 'making deals.'  Later I thought investing in the younger generation would be better; and I was happy to 'downsize' myself. I do not know either why I believed everything was suddenly going to change after Covid Alpha.  People still have secrets, holdings, ambitions, relationships, things which made them special, records, fellowship or lackthereof.  I thought the Millennium was upon us; foolishly as well 'engaged every target' in job-hunting and wasn't ready and I didn't understand journalism either or things like whether NK, TW is a legitimate government in terms of God ordaining a government.  I also didn't know how much of news was propaganda or not; I used to believe everything was lies or disblief was smart then believed everything in books.  I didn't understand 'the game.'  I loved Creation.  'Classic garden.'  Why not train people well?  All these well-made Koreans.  Before KR I hated others and in KR 2012 hated myself or felt alone or IDK.  It's a big country.  These AmKor Twitter ppl, Korea small blah blah.  IDK if they are even being sincere or just peddling cliches. I thought today, 'I am a failed Korean' - or 'failed to be a Korean.'  For a while I thought everybody in the future wanted to be a Korean but I guess they wanted to watch the Olympics. The Midwest is full of farmland more than ever. Man is continuing to subdue the Earth, to be fruitful and multiply. I have no excuse for myself.  What is the future? I didn't go to China so perhaps I do not know. I wonder whether people in the Midwest are still thinking, 'Sth's going to happen.' I have had too many options.   I always thought that I could 'parlay this in to that.'  I considered my CV as a series of changes or mutations.   'Seek thee first the Kingdom of God / and His righteousness'

[keywestlou]

KEY WEST BREAKFAST CLUBS

Some consume alcohol in the evening, some in the afternoon into the evening, some in the evening. Some consume all day.

Drinking seems to be an All American sport. Definitely is in Key West.

Some require that early morning drink(s). Soothe the nerves, alcoholism, call it whatever you like. It is definitely needed!

I am aware of 2 Key West breakfast clubs. Schooner Wharf and Don’s Place. Both open at 7 in the morning. People arrive early and stand waiting for the 7 o’clock bell.

Schooner is open air. So people stand at the bar waiting. Don’s enclosed. They begin lining up outside at 6:45.

Never a mere handful at either place. A significant number of patrons waiting.

Schooner Wharf has an official club. Six hundred fifty two members.

I have been at both bars early morning.

Schooner Wharf several times years ago when my grandkids would visit me. Schooners has one of the best breakfasts in town and a terrific view of boats from dock side tables. I would take the grandkids for breakfast around 8. Nod hello to some of my friends at the bar as we were being seate.

Don’s Place is Key West icon Don Manaher’s place. Actually called Don’s Millionaire Bar. Don paid $1 million for the bar years ago.

This is where the customers line up outside waiting for the doors to open at 7. Don does a big breakfast club business.

I was at Don’s one morning at 7. Never again. Too early for me to drink. Actually, Don had arranged some sort of party. I went for the party phase. Knocked on my ass by the drinking phase.

A man’s word is his bond. So the saying goes. A nation’s word should be its bond also. Agreements between nations are reduced to writing. Makes the bond even stronger.

I have always respected Great Britain and France for declaring war on Germany immediately when Hitler attacked Poland. They had a mutual defense pact with each other.

The U.S. has many agreements between nations. Some for war, some for trade, whatever.

A nation sticks to its word. Most have. Till the past couple of years. The U.S. has failed to be a dependable partner since Trump’s election.

Syria has been an ongoing war for years. Never seems to get resolved. Many countries involved. Most want to control Syria for economic reasons.

Turkey is led by an authoritarian figure, Tayyip Erdogan. Though elected President, a dictator. He wants Syria for Turkey.

Trump and Erdogan are birds of a feather. Bullies, nationalists. The two perceive themselves to be tough guys. They get along well.

Last night, the 2 had a long distance call.  Erdogan wanted to invade the northeast border of Syria. The much respected Kurds have been defending the area. With the assistance of 1,000 American troops.

Trump agreed to withdraw the American troops immediately. The Americans have been withdrawing all day from the border. Turkey prepared to go in. Tough though the Kurds may be, it is highly questionable whether they can hold back the Turks.

The U.S. and Kurds have had a long standing agreement that U.S. forces would work with them. Trump did not care. He has no respect for agreements. Many Kurd friends and Syrian civilians will die because Trump wanted to impress a “political friend.”

Trump has justified his actions with the statement it is time to remove the U.S. from “ridiculous endless wars.”

Bullshit, of course. His intent is to show another national leader of the power he (Trump) has.

There is a shame factor involved. The U.S. by Trump’s actions have shamed itself. Trump stabbed the Kurds in the back.

Another area of the U.S. government reflects shame. The Republican members of the U.S. Senate. They blindly stand with Trump on most things. Things diabolical, non-legal, etc. And criticize not. They fear Trump. Amazing! Less than 3 years in office and he has them cowering.

Wisconsin’s Republican Senator Johnson guested on Meet the Press yesterday.

Some may think he did his duty by defending Trump. Others may view his performance as scary.

Johnson is not new to the political game. He is in his second term and is considered one of the Senate’s brighter members. Did not come over as such yesterday.

Rather than answer questions posed, he jumped in and started swiftly reading from a prepared document. He kept screwing it up. He frequently left the document which added to the confusion. He ranted and raved. Conducted himself abusively.

The man was the personification of fear. He feared. I have to assume he feared Trump. It appeared he sold his soul to the country store.

He reminded me of Sean Spicer. Spicer was Trump’s first Press Secretary. Recall inauguration day. Trump was upset with Sean’s description of the crowd. Trump wanted it to be the largest ever. Spicer spoke truth. It was much less than Obama’s.

Trump sent Spicer back before the TV cameras several times. Each time the pain and anger with that which he was being forced to do was obvious on his face.

Such is what I saw in Johnson’s conduct yesterday on Meet the Press.

To make the picture complete, friday evening Johnson was interviewed by the Wall Street Journal. He was upset with Trump. He thought Trump had created a quid pro quo by holding up military aid to the Ukraine.

Less than 48 hours later on sunday morning, he took an opposite position. I cannot say he was less upset sunday morning as he had been friday evening. No, he was more upset sunday morning.

It was obvious Johnson had been imposed upon and was preaching a line not to his liking.

An example of the pot calling the kettle black. Trump said this past week that Nancy Pelosi may be guilty of treason. Why? She knew of all the “many shifty Adam Schiff lies and massive frauds perpetrated upon Congress and the American people.” Trump twittered, “The knowledge constitutes High Crimes and Misdemeanors, and even treason.”

Today is Vladimir Putin’s birthday. He is 67 years old. I bet Trump will call and wish his “friend” a Happy Birthday!

I conclude with a question: Does Democracy have a future?

Mull the question over. Some may wish to comment with a response.

Enjoy your day!

KEY WEST BREAKFAST CLUBS was originally published on Key West Lou

[junker-town]

The USWNT has a lot of questions to answer after finishing last in the SheBelieves Cup

Is a three-woman defense a wild experiment, or does Jill Ellis have a plan? What should Carli Lloyd and Alex Morgan’s roles be? Plus a lot more.

The United States women’s national team entered the SheBelieves Cup expecting to win the tournament on home soil, and turn in three solid performances at the very least. Instead, they finished dead last, following up a win against Germany with shutout losses to England and France. It was the first time the USWNT had lost back-to-back home games since 2000.

Two bad losses aren’t something to be concerned about in and of themselves. The USWNT is making drastic changes in tactics and personnel, and they’re doing so at a time that makes sense — the next major tournament is more than two years away. There were plenty of positives to come out of the tournament, and even more problems that conceivably have workable short-term solutions.

But some aspects of the USWNT’s play and tactics just look bad. So let’s talk about everything: the good, the fixable, and the downright worrying.

The back three is a work in progress

Last September, USWNT head coach Jill Ellis debuted a new 3-4-1-2 formation out of nowhere, in a friendly against the Netherlands. It turned out to be more than just a a one-off experiment in a throwaway game — Ellis has continued to use a back three, and did in all three SheBelieves Cup games. The team appears to have improved in their understanding of the system, but they’re very far from expert level.

France’s goals in the final game of the tournament illustrate the USWNT’s problem with positional understanding perfectly. On Les Bleus’ second, Allie Long failed to anticipate a long ball over the top to Eugenie Le Sommer, while Becky Sauerbrunn made a poor decision in her attempt to help, and goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher’s positioning left something to be desired.

Eugénie Le Sommer = really fast. #USWNT in trouble early in the final match of the #SheBelievesCup https://t.co/hxISesDHH7

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) March 8, 2017

France’s third showed off an even bigger problem with the team’s lack of mastery of their roles in this formation. Left center back Casey Short and left wingback Tobin Heath both stepped up to close down the ball during the move, leaving Eve Perisset free to run in behind the defense.

GUYS. #USAvFRA http://pic.twitter.com/PqiMlutOn0

— thrace (@thrace) March 8, 2017

Once Perisset broke free down the right, Long, Sauerbrunn and Naeher had to scramble to attempt to recover, and it would be unfair to blame them for failing to cut out the resulting cross or stop Camile Abily from scoring.

The American defense looked competent in the Germany game, but was a bit shaky with Julie Johnston and Ali Krieger rotated in against England. Long and Short returned to face France, and weren’t nearly as sharp as they were in the opener. Ellis still has to find the right three players to use in defense, then make sure they have a good understanding of their roles in the system. Right now, it doesn’t look like anyone has a good understanding of how to defend in this shape.

Does Ellis understand the system’s deficiencies? Well, it’s hard to say.

Given the timing, these SheBelieves Cup games were exhibitions that were slightly more competitive than normal friendlies, which the USWNT used to try out a new system and some new players as well. Still, the USWNT was taking these games seriously. They wanted to win. And, uh...

Ellis said USWNT was surprised how direct France played. 'It was as direct as I've ever seen them play.'

— Andrew Das (@AndrewDasNYT) March 8, 2017

That’s not great, especially since it was obvious to France’s coach and players exactly how they should be attacking the USWNT.

Eugénie Le Sommer said that with the USWNT's 3-5-2 they knew they could put three up top and also exploit the US on the flanks

— Caitlin Buckley (@caitlinbuckley2) March 8, 2017

Back three systems are inherently susceptible to being overloaded on the flanks against teams that play variations of 4-3-3, but there are ways to mitigate those problems. The USWNT didn’t do anything to prevent themselves from getting roasted out wide — they played true wingers, not wingbacks in the wingback slots — and even weirder, it didn’t occur to them that France might use this strategy.

It’s true that the USWNT was more concerned with getting better at playing in a back three than they were at stifling France, but it’s not clear that Ellis has a sound idea in place here. We should remember that this is the coach who called attacking midfielders Carli Lloyd and Lauren Holiday “two No. 6s” during the World Cup group stage, and only accidentally stumbled into a better lineup because Holiday’s suspension forced her to give Morgan Brian a chance.

Off-the-ball movement is a problem

Because a 3-4-1-2 formation features wide players starting from deeper positions than formations the USWNT has used previously, it’s very important for the strikers to move off the ball — perhaps wide, if there’s space wide — to give defensive midfielders and defenders the same number of positive passing options that they’d have if the team was playing a variation of 4-4-2 or 4-3-3. The forwards weren’t doing a great job of that all tournament, and especially in the second half against France.

Live #USWNT observation: Lack of dynamic runs off ball is killing attack. Very few good options as backs bring ball up field. #USAvFRA

— Sebastian Salazar (@SebiSalazarFUT) March 8, 2017

There was one particularly bad moment late in the France match. Lindsey Horan did an excellent job to win the ball in midfield, surge forward into space and draw defenders’ attention towards her. She had her head up, looking for an early pass. And she had no one to pass to, because the forwards were all standing still.

Is 3-4-1-2 the best fit?

The concept of the USWNT’s new formation makes sense. They’re best with two strikers, but two-time FIFA World Player of the Year and captain Carli Lloyd is pretty much a pure attacking midfielder. She’s a bit slow to play as a pure striker and a liability defensively in a midfield two, but world class at scoring from the No. 10 position. A 4-3-1-2 or 4-4-2 diamond formation isn’t a great idea because the USWNT’s wide players are too good to keep on the bench. So Ellis came up with the solution of using those great wide players as wingbacks, and making up for their defensive liabilities by playing three center backs.

But this really doesn’t feel like the best use of available talent. Casey Short and Ali Krieger, who played as outside center backs at SheBelieves, are much better as balanced fullbacks in a back four. Allie Long plays as a box-to-box central midfielder fro the Portland Thorns, and looks a bit out of place at center back. Julie Johnston and Becky Sauerbrunn formed the best two-woman center back partnership in the world before this formation change. And there’s something criminal about forcing players like Crystal Dunn and Tobin Heath into roles where they have large defensive responsibilities and shouldn’t take too many risks going forward.

The best use of the USWNT’s top players is probably a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation that allows Lloyd or a similar attacking midfielder to get forward with defensive cover, while the wide players take risks and the fullbacks play support roles. This would demand a lot of smart movement or hold-up play from Alex Morgan or Christen Press — both of whom are probably better with a strike partner — but if either can learn the role, it would benefit the rest of the team immensely.

Heath and Dunn are simply too good to be wasted as wingbacks, and getting the USWNT’s defensive personnel up to speed in a back three looks like it’s going to take a ton of work.

Rose Lavelle is the real deal

The biggest bright spot at SheBelieves was Lavelle, a 21-year-old University of Wisconsin product who was selected by the Boston Breakers with the first pick at the 2017 NWSL College Draft. She started at left wingback against England — a role she’s never played before — and was the best player on the pitch in her USWNT debut.

Look at how she turns out of pressure, nutmegs a defender and makes a perfect pass to Mallory Pugh, turning defense into attack by herself in five seconds.

Lavelle is probably the most technically adept player to join the USWNT since Heath and Holiday started making appearances a decade ago. Ellis has regularly alluded to transforming the USWNT into a possession-oriented team — as did her predecessor, Tom Sermanni — and Lavelle will be a huge part of those plans going forward.

Ellis and Lloyd aren’t saying the right things

Worrying quote No. 1, from Ellis, on Lavelle

“What's her best role? I mean she's still kind of new with us so I think tonight in a game where I thought she did very well wide — and she's a natural lefty so we like her out there ... I think she did great. So we'll see in terms of where she ends up." (via Stephanie Yang)

First, “she’s a lefty so we played her on the left” is not great logic. Second, Ellis proceeded to play Lavelle on the right against France. It’s tough to figure out what she’s thinking.

This isn’t to say that Lavelle should play in her preferred position, as a No. 10. A lot of players prefer to play in that role, and most of them can’t, for the good of the team. But Ellis saying this, then swapping her to the right wing is very odd.

Worrying quote No. 2, from Ellis, on Short

Ellis says both Short and Naeher took steps forward tonight. #USAvFRA

— Chelsey Bush (@ChelseyWrites) March 8, 2017

A manager defending their players is a good thing. Managers should defend their players against criticism and direct the heat towards themselves. Short and Naeher are also good players who should get more chances with the national team, and not be judged on one game. But it’s ridiculous to say that they “took steps forward” against France. They both played poorly. Let’s hope Ellis was just defending them, not stating a genuinely held belief.

Worrying quote No. 3, from Lloyd

"Nobody likes losing 2 in a row. But this is what it's all about, to be tested by some of the best teams in the world. We have a lot of young players out there, a lot of players who haven't been a part of this team. The real focus is 2019, and if life were easy and we were winning all the time, it wouldn't taste that much sweeter to make it to the top. We've just got to keep focused on what we want to do, stick to the gameplan and all learn from this. It's just a learning tool." (FS1 interview with Jenny Taft)

The captain of the team should not be using young and new players as an excuse for a loss. Especially when they didn’t play well themselves, and were rightfully substituted for playing poorly.

We need to talk about The Undroppables

Only two players started every match for the USWNT at the SheBelieves cup, co-captains Lloyd and Sauerbrunn. As a result of their undroppable status, there was no time to get minutes for Jessica McDonald, the leading scorer in NWSL over the last three seasons, or Emily Sonnett, a 23-year-old defender widely considered to be an important part of the team’s future.

As Lloyd said, “the real focus is 2019.” If this is true, shouldn’t Ellis have picked a game to rest each of them and get a look at more players?

And at the same time, Lloyd’s form has been extremely up and down over the last year. She struggled at the Olympics, recovered to have an excellent fall, then played poorly in all three SheBelieves matches. Lloyd hasn’t been consistently great outside of major tournament knockout games either, at any point in her career. If she’s in poor form, someone else should get a shot.

Though it seems like Morgan is no longer part of their ranks

Once a member of the Undroppables Club, Alex Morgan appears to have fallen into a rotation, and will need to compete to get back to a place where her starting status is set in stone.

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

It looks like her competition is stiff, too. While none of the strikers were great at SheBelieves, Christen Press and Lynn Williams turned in the closest thing to a good performance, in the opener against England. Both were much better than Morgan in NWSL last season. And Morgan has studded to establish herself at the top of the forward pecking order on a loaded Olympique Lyonnais side, though partially due to injury issues.

There’s no question that Morgan is one of the most talented forwards in the world. Her 2012 is arguably the best individual year in USWNT history, and she showed flashes of her former greatness in 2016. But it’s been five years since Morgan was truly at the top of her game, and her grace period has ended. If she’s going to start big games, it’ll be because she earned it with her play for Lyon and Orlando Pride, as well as off the bench or in lower-level games for the USWNT.

Get ready for a lot of chemistry vs. form arguments

When any national team loses games they’re expected to win, fans get talking about the team selection. And with the USWNT, that argument usually boils down to one thing — do you pick the players in the best form, or try to build team chemistry?

Most of the USWNT’s big successes in their history have been during periods when they had a defined formation and the majority of their starters set in stone. A handful of players rotate in and out due to fitness or tactical adjustments, but historically, seven or eight starters have been known before lineups were released.

However, loyalty to players in the face of all evidence that change is needed has also been the USWNT’s downfall on several occasions. And, as noted earlier, their 2015 World Cup win came as the result of a dramatic change. They didn’t start playing their best soccer until they figured out that they needed to move Lloyd up the pitch and bench one of their out of form strikers for Brian.

Is the best way forward for the USWNT to decide on a core and stick with them, or to err on the side of picking the players who are in the best form? That might be the toughest question that a national team coach has to answer.

What’s next?

The USWNT has two scheduled friendlies against Russia in April, then a match away to Norway in June. It’s possible they could add another away match during that European trip. There should be games against Brazil and Japan at some point, but no details have been given on those.