Author: RJ Allen

The NWSL Podium: Top Performances in Weeks 11 and 12

Posted on by RJ Allen

The NWSL Podium: Top Performances is a weekly series that looks at the best attacking, defensive, and goalkeeping performances each week.

Weeks 11 and 12 saw a shake-up in the standings and in the rosters across the league. The Utah Royals lifted themselves into 4th place and handed the North Carolina Courage their first defeat of the season thanks to a last-minute goal from Brittany Ratcliffe. The Orlando Pride continued to tally up goals with a 3-2 win over Sky Blue FC, and the Washington Spirit earned back-to-back clean sheets in their scoreless draws against Sky Blue in Week 11 and the Seattle Reign in Week 12. Meanwhile, a blockbuster trade unfolded following this weekend’s action, which saw Sofia Huerta and Taylor Comeau going to Houston, Christen Press and Sam Johnson going to Utah, and Brooke Elby coming to Chicago. The pending deal left Huerta, Comeau, and Johnson unavailable for the Red Stars 1-1 draw with the Portland Thorns, a game that left both teams out of the top four. Here is a full breakdown of the scores from these two weeks:

Sky Blue vs. Washington Spirit (0-0)

Washington Spirit vs. Seattle Reign (0-0)

North Carolina Courage vs. Utah Royals (0-1)

Orlando Pride vs. Sky Blue (3-2)

Chicago Red Stars vs. Portland Thorns (1-1)

Top Three Goalkeepers

1.  Aubrey Bledsoe— Bledsoe had two great games in Weeks 11 and 12, earning back-to-back clean sheets against Sky Blue and the Seattle Reign. Bledsoe faced 37 shots in those two games and made 13 saves. Her brilliant saves were too numerous to count, but I’ll give you some of the highlights. In the first half, Sky Blue got the ball down inside the 18-yard box. They couldn’t get an initial shot off, but after the balance bounced around a bit in the box, it landed at the feet of Katelyn Johnson right in front of goal. But Bledsoe dove and was able to block the shot and clear it out of the box. Then, in her match against the Seattle Reign, she blocked a penalty from Megan Rapinoe in the 51st minute. After that, she made countless brilliant saves to keep her team even. In the 86th minute, Rapinoe got a beautiful ball from Steph Catley and tried to head it into the top corner, but Bledsoe jumped and blocked the shot, earning herself a Save of the Week nomination. She put forth an excellent effort to get her team two points in two matches and stop one of the best offenses in the league.

2. Britt Eckerstrom— It was a fierce battle between the Chicago Red Stars and the Portland Thorns on Saturday night. Both goalkeepers had amazing nights, but Chicago was able to get the better shots off and Eckerstrom had to make some massive saves. The only goal she allowed was a rebound off a penalty from Yuki Nagasato that she initially blocked but couldn’t hold onto. In the 64th minute, Alyssa Mautz tried to sneak a ball under the crossbar, but Eckerstrom made a leaping stop and pushed the ball over the net. Sam Kerr got a great ball in the 86th minute of the match, outrunning her defender as she tried to slip the ball into the far corner. But Eckerstrom made a diving stop, with her arms fully extended, and the ball went off her fingertips and out for a Chicago corner. That save was also enough to earn her a Save of the Week nomination and helped keep her team from dropping points on the road.

3. Alyssa Naeher— I narrowly put Eckerstrom’s performance ahead of Naeher, who also made some crucial saves in that 1-1 draw in Chicago. Her first big moment came in the 15th minute, when Ellie Carpenter launched a shot from just inside the 18-yard box. Naeher made a diving side, deflecting the ball which Portland ultimately reposed and then kicked over the net. Another big save came in the 90th minute, when Tyler Lussi sent a ball into the box. It almost curved into the goal, but Naeher managed to jump up and swat the ball down, deflecting it to the side rather than in front of her. The save showed great awareness and earned Naeher a Save of the Week nomination. Ultimately, Naeher faced 11 shots from Portland and made three saves.

Top Three Defenders

1. Becky Sauerbrunn— The Utah Royals faced one of the most productive offenses in the league this weekend, and managed to hold them scoreless. That is thanks, in part, to the great defensive work of the Royals, especially Sauerbrunn. Sauerbrunn made five tackles against the Courage, and had six interceptions and fourteen clearances. While they definitely had a bit of help from the crossbar, Sauerbrunn continued to prove both in this game and throughout the season why she is arguably the best defender in the country.

2.  Estelle Johnson— Johnson helped earn her team back-to-back clean sheets in Weeks 11 and 12. She had some particularly brilliant moments in the first match against Sky Blue. While Sky Blue has only managed to pick up two points this season, their attacking force can be quite threatening, even when they’re missing their national team players. But Johnson, working alongside Whitney Church, shut that down. Johnson had eight clearances on the night, as well as three interceptions and four blocks. One of her better moments came towards the end of the match, where she was able to slide in front of Shea Groom on the breakaway and block her shot to preserve the draw. Even though Johnson conceded the penalty kick in the Seattle Reign match, her first appearance of the two is worthy of a nod.

3. Whitney Church—Church didn’t appear in the Spirit’s second game of these two weeks due to an excused absence, but she did have quite a strong game against Sky Blue. Working with Estelle Johnson, Church came up with a few crucial blocks and clearances, and gave Sky Blue little chance to set-up in the final third. She had an important block in the 64th minute, when Shea Groom slid the ball into the 18-yard box for Madison Tiernan. Church was tracking her, Tiernan’s shot bounced right off Church. Church has started in eleven games for the Spirit this season, missing only their most recent draw against the Seattle Reign. 

Top Three Attackers

1. Sydney Leroux— It was a low-scoring week in the NWSL, with only the game between Orlando and Sky Blue breaking from the mold. Leroux opened up that scoring in the second minute thanks to a nice cross from Chioma Ubogagu. Leroux was left unmarked, and she was able to set up her shot and slide it into the bottom corner past Kailen Sheridan. Less than 30 minutes later, after Sky Blue equalized, Leroux was able to find her second goal of the night. This time, Christine Nairn sent the ball into the box and Leroux was able to finish it with a nice header (and a superman pose). Leroux brings her season goal tally up to four and ties Rachel Hill and Chioma Ubogagu as the Pride’s leading goal-scorer this season.

2. Brittany Ratcliffe— Ratcliffe certainly had the most talked about goal of the week. She came on as a substitute for Katrina Gorry in the 77th minute, and certainly proved her worth when she scored a stoppage time goal against the North Carolina Courage to end their twelve game winning streak. The moment of magic unfolded just a few minutes before the final whistle. Diana Matheson sent a free kick just outside the 18-yard box. It bounced around a bit, and it seemed like Jaelene Hinkle was going to run with it, but Ratcliffe stripped the defender and took her shot, sending it into the top corner of the net. There was nothing North Carolina could do but watch.

3. Rachel Hill— The second year player out of the University of Connecticut is really starting to develop a name for herself this season. In the match against Sky Blue, Orlando was thwarted by their own poor defense and despite two brilliant goals from Sydney Leroux, they were drawing 2-2. Cue Rachel Hill. She came in during the 60th minute for Chioma Ubogagu and scored the Pride’s game winner in the final ten minutes of the game. The goal is Hill’s fourth of the season, and for some reason, Hill seems really good at making her goals count. Whether it was that ambitious first goal against Chicago, which gave the Pride the early momentum and motivation to win the match 5-2, or her late goal which briefly equalized their match against the North Carolina Courage towards the end of May, Hill has certainly proved her worth on this star-studded offense.

NWSL Week 12: A Tweetstorm Review

Posted on by RJ Allen

An NWSL Gameday means quality games and quality tweets. Whether they’re updates, gifs, hot takes, or highlights the NWSL and its fans have you covered. Each week we’ll be taking some of the best tweets to review the game, so make sure you’re tweeting you might just find yourself in the next piece.

With a hectic day of games was summed up pretty well here.

Overlapping matches made it hard to catch all the action live and with score updates during games, getting through one without any spoilers from the commentators was nearly impossible.

Washington 0, Seattle 0

To start things off we go to Washington where Aubrey Bledsoe had herself a game and Rose Lavelle made her first start of the season.

In the battle of Rapinoe v Bledsoe, Bledsoe came out on top.

Though Washington had some of the better play throughout the game, they were unable to capitalize and the score ended zero all.  However, with Lavelle walking off with a limp after the match Washington, and possibly the USWNT, may have bigger problems than a draw.

North Carolina 0, Utah 1

Utah traveled to Wakemed Soccer Park and put an end to the Courage’s winning streak.

Brittany Ratcliffe waited until the last minute to collect a free kick, turn and fire in a stunner to give Utah the win.

https://twitter.com/TheSoccerCritic/status/1008152688016678913

Chicago 1, Portland 1

Chicago and Portland started with the announcement of players being out of the lineup due to impending trades.

As far as announcing is concerned, Charles is still waiting for them to read his piece. As a public service announcement it is ok to say a player isn’t doing well, or made a poor pass.

Chicago were first to score off a rebound from a PK, but were unable to hold the lead very long with Portland scoring just minutes later.

Horan had the goal for the Thorns, but after collecting her fifth yellow card of the season she’ll have to sit out in their next match.

New Jersey 2, Orlando 3

If the lack of goals in the earlier matches had you down, New Jersey and Orlando had you covered, albeit mostly due to questionable defense from both teams.

Route Two Soccer: Why the US Can’t Figure Out How to Break Down a Bunker

Posted on by RJ Allen

Why does the United States Women’s National Team struggle to break down compact, deep defensive teams?

In many ways, this has been the defining question of the two years since the US crashed out of the Olympics after failing to pick apart a very defensive Sweden. Hope Solo called them “a bunch of cowards” for playing that way. But Sweden weren’t cowards; they were just being practical.

Return to the question: why does the US struggle to break down a defensive block? Because everyone does. That’s why teams do it.

Soccer is a game of inches, of low margins and tiny probabilities. The default is for teams to not score, and it takes something special to upset that balance. Good teams still win because they possess the talent necessary to make the difference, but it’s hardly a certainty. We’ve all seen games where one team dominates but simply can’t break through, thanks to a goalkeeper standing on their head. Or games where the dominant team hits the crossbar three or four times. Just a few inches in one direction and they’d have cruised to victory.

This is frustrating, but if you’re the better team, the best you can do is expand the number of good shots you generate, and rely on your talented players to convert some of the chances.

Conversely, for weaker teams, it can make a lot of sense to play a defensive style. By reducing the chances available to both teams, you’ll hurt your own odds of scoring. But you’ll hurt the odds of the other team more. Playing defensively doesn’t change the basic structure of the match: the superior team is still superior and remains the favorite. But it can change the odds. By cutting down on the number of chances, you reduce their ability to exploit that superiority to the fullest extent.

Not every defensive approach is the same. At the extreme, teams can put all eleven players behind the ball, retreating deep into their defensive quadrant. In a more limited form, they can employ the classic ‘two banks of four.’ And there are plenty of ‘defensive’ setups that don’t necessarily rely on a lot of deep numbers but instead look to clog up the middle. The popular 4-2-3-1 setup can be quite defensive if both holding midfield players are more destructive than creative.

These all pose slightly different tactical problems. But when people talk about ‘bunkers,’ they usually mean teams who set up at least two lines of deep defense, conceding much of the midfield into order to shorten the space between their lines. The goal is to create two walls of bodies that close off the elusive ‘pockets of space’ that soccer commentators so love to talk about.

This generally makes for tactics that resemble nothing so much as the siege of a fortified Medieval castle. The superior team will unleash plenty of shots, but usually from distance, or from poor angles. They’ll have space to maneuver 30 yards from goal, but will have trouble getting any closer. They’ll have plenty of room on the wings to send in crosses, but will rarely get a clean head on the ball when it comes in.

When this sort of defensive play works, it’s usually down to a combination of three factors: good execution by the weaker team, poor execution by the stronger team, and luck.

The missing element here, often the most critical factor in other matches, is tactics. That’s because the whole point of deep defensive blocks is their capacity to severely limit the number of tactical issues in a game. There is no special sauce, no secret ingredient, no tactical innovation that will ‘solve’ this problem. A deep defensive block eliminates most of the spaces that players want to poke into. It jams up all the locks that smart tactics are trying to pick. The whole point is to reduce the number of unknowns in a game, to prevent superior teams from exploiting a wide range of game states.

This doesn’t mean defensive blocks are unbeatable. Far from it. Good teams can beat them, and more often than not they do. But not because of any particularly innovative techniques. The solution to beating this approach is to do the obvious things, execute them, and wait for the weight of probability to turn one of your half-chances into a goal.

So what are the obvious things?

First, play good crossers on the wings and good headers up front. This is where a ‘classic number 9’ can be useful—a big, bruising player who can out jump and outmuscle the opposing defenders. Think Abby Wambach. But while a strong #9 is important here, the bigger element is simply having wide players capable of posing a serious threat. Defensive blocks are strongest when they’re narrow. The more dangers you can create from wide spaces, the more stretched the defensive lines will have to be, and the more opportunities you’ll find in the middle.

Second, press aggressively when you lose possession. Defensive lines work because they’re tight and controlled. In a true bunker, the weaker team will treat this solidity as paramount, and won’t even try to counter for fear of losing their shape. But very few teams play that way. And the more that the opponent tries to attack, the harder it will be for them to recover. That can be exploited.

Third, shoot from distance. Deep defensive teams will generally offer plenty of space from 30-35 yards out. Coming out to pressure the ball is risky, because it creates holes that can be exploited. But if you have players willing and able to unleash dangerous shots from that range, it makes holding the defensive lines much more difficult.

Fourth, work the ball quickly through tight spaces. No block is impermeable. There will always still be space, just less than usual. A player with exceptional skill on the ball or with superb passing agility will often be able to exploit the tiniest of opportunity. This isn’t easy, and will often result in losing the ball, but that’s a cost that must be paid.

These are all simple ideas, and usually, they’ll get the job done. A defender will make a mistake, get caught out of position, miss a crucial tackle, or lunge in and concede a penalty. Or they’ll just get unlucky. A deflected shot will go in, or a cleared ball will fall right to the feet of an attacker. Moreover, even if they execute perfectly, there will still be half-chances. High-quality finishers aren’t guaranteed to convert those chances, but more often than not, one will eventually fall.

But probability isn’t certainty. Sometimes the chances just don’t fall. And when that happens, there can be a temptation to say that the coach needs to try something else. Unfortunately, the simple reality is that there aren’t really any other options. You just have to keep plugging away, putting the defensive team under pressure, and forcing them to execute.

None of this is to say that coaching has no role to play here. In a game of small margins, every opportunity to exploit an advantage needs to be taken. Good coaches will prepare for defensive teams by working on set pieces, by developing setups that will be capable of exploiting wide spaces, by emphasizing the importance of quick ball movement. They’ll be willing to adapt their approach. Perhaps they’ll bring on a big physical number 9 who normally wouldn’t start. Perhaps they’ll shift to a 442 which allows them to get four wide attackers involved without losing numbers in the middle. And so on.

Of course, it’s always worth looking for improvements in these margins. But marginal improvements are the best that can ever really be hoped for. At the end of the day, these games are usually determined by execution, not tactics.

 

Backline Chat: USWNT Friendlies, the Men’s World Cup, and Back to the NWSL

Posted on by RJ Allen

Charles Olney (@olneyce): Alright, welcome to our slack chat for this week. Today we’re going to start with the US national team, who just finished up a pair of friendlies against China. How do people think it went?

For what it’s worth, my general takeaway is: the US still isn’t playing great, but two more wins against solid competition sure sounds a lot better than two draws or two losses.

RJ Allen (@TheSoccerCritic): I think it’s harder to say than people might want it to be because of who was out for the US. Not having maybe 5 starters/starters coming back from being hurt really makes it muddy as to what are really issues. I will say it does show how poor Ellis can be at game planning though.

Allison Cary (@findingallison): Yeah, I thought they were lucky to get the win yesterday. But they did get the win, so I guess that counts for something.

Charles Olney: Why do you say lucky to get the win, Allison? Because of the save from Harris, or a more general comment?

Allison Cary: It wasn’t far off from being a draw. I guess that was more my point. Both with China equalizing in the second half and nearly equalizing again had Harris not made that save.

Charles Olney: To my eyes, they were totally dominant in the first half, and should have had a two-goal margin (I think Ertz’s goal was onside). They struggled more in the second half, for sure. I’d say it was a pretty classic USWNT performance–good enough for the win, but not a whole lot more.

Allison Cary: Yeah, I think they generally looked like the better side in the first half. But then not finishing those chances… I mean, it doesn’t mean much to say I thought they played better if they can’t score.

(This coming from a bitter France fan).

RJ Allen: How much is “totally dominant” worth when they weren’t on the scoreboard though? I agree the US was the better side – though maybe by not as much as you do – but for most of the time it was a 1 goal or draw game.

Charles Olney: Well, like I said I think they should have been up 2-0. But this does sort of get at the larger question I wanted to ask.

I spent some time on twitter this week hyping up the US. Now admittedly that’s partly just me making the argument for the sake of making the argument, but I do think that expectations are sometimes set a little too high. So let me ask it this way: who do you think are favorites to win the World Cup?

Allison Cary: I think England is in a good position to go far.

RJ Allen: Right now my top 4 are US, England, Aussies and France.

Allison Cary: I’m a bit surprised by France, but otherwise I agree.

RJ Allen: They are at home. That gives them a boost for me.

Allison Cary: Yeah, I think they’ve hurt me too many times for me to have faith. But I hope you’re right.

Charles Olney: I think that’s a fair top 4. And I’d have a hard time drawing a clear line between those, or to exclude Germany, the Netherlands, etc. Which I think really just shows that things are pretty close at the top of the game right now. But all things being equal, it’s hard for me to say that anyone is in a MORE favorable position than the US.

Which isn’t to say that there isn’t plenty of reasons for concern about the US. But I think people need to calibrate their expectations. This is a good team, quite possibly the favorite, even accounting for their limitations.

Luis Hernandez (@radioactivclown): I’m okay with the WNT performance. Championship caliber teams find ways to win. Was it ideal? Not even close but I think there’s a lot to take away and hopefully Jill improves the squad. I was also happy to see the team get tested in a friendly. I think the team is in good position heading into the World Cup. Favored but not a favorite.

RJ Allen: The US has a lot of champagne problems and one or two big ones. The problem is people confusing the two.

Charles Olney: So let’s dial in a little before we move on. What do you see as the big problems?

RJ Allen: Morgan vs Press vs (Insert forward of your choice here) is not a real problem.

Charles Olney: I agree that the forwards just aren’t a ‘problem’ in any meaningful sense of the term. Whoever is in form this time next year is going to be one of the best strikers in the world. If it’s Morgan, great. If it’s Press, awesome. If it’s Pugh and Rapinoe, wonderful. If it’s Amy Rodriguez, amazing.

Alanna Fairbairn (@jfhobbit): I see the lack of defensive depth as being the biggest problem.

RJ Allen: I think the outside back area and maybe center midfield are the biggest problems right now. The outside backs are all hurt so Ellis is using players there that she shouldn’t and not calling up those she should. And center midfield just feels like a lack of something. An ill-fitting connection might be the best way to put it.

Charles Olney: I’d say the US’s biggest problem over the past few years has been sorting out the midfield, but would say that the issues are starting to shift backward a bit. Mostly because I’ve decided to just accept that the US isn’t going to get the sort of midfield play that I really want from them. And in that case, the group of Mewis, Ertz, Brian, Zerboni, etc. is going to ensure that we make it difficult for the other team, even if we don’t necessarily generate a ton through the center either. But that puts a lot on the fullbacks, so that really feels like the crisis point

RJ Allen: I think it was Kim McCauley who said on Twitter – maybe joking – the US should lean in the being assholes on the pitch and I’m not sure she is wrong. The US has players who can dominate and sometimes I really think they shy away from that for some reason that doesn’t benefit the team. Horan, Zerboni, O’Hara and even Morgan – among others – have the talent and the style about them that can bend teams to their will a lot more than they sometimes do.

Charles Olney: It’s a strange place for the team, which was supposedly spending the past few years developing and improving technically. We haven’t really seen much in the way of results there. But I sometimes wonder if that was just a big waste of time to even discuss.

RJ Allen: You really want to throw a team off? Like Horan, Zerboni, O’Hara and Morgan make them pay – within the laws of the game – and a lot of teams would get rattled. They half do it anyway.

Charles Olney: One final comment I’ll throw out is that I thought the second game showed a (relatively rare) example of Ellis tweaking things slightly to get good results. The setup in the first half wasn’t all that different from the previous game, but the midfield pinching in aggressively forced China to stay compact, and then Dunn on the left and Press on the right had tons of space to work. And it was pretty successful!

I think that’s a big thing to watch going forward. Now that we’re actually getting close to real games, will Ellis the tinkerer be able to plug a few holes here and there, even if she’s never going to fundamentally outwit anyone tactically.

RJ Allen: Ellis is a fine coach. She is fine. Like dry toast. She isn’t your favorite and she isn’t horrible.

Charles Olney: I’d say that’s fair.

Allison Cary: “Like dry toast” is honestly just the best comparison.

Luis Hernandex: I’m not fond of the tactics the WNT employs at times and I put that on the coach. To me that’s the biggest problem. I’m just convinced Jill is gone after the World Cup. I’d also like the US to better develop fullbacks. I’d also like to see us develop a true number 10. So yeah youth development? Even though we just had the U-17 win the CONCACAF tournament.

Charles Olney: Alright, so we can set the national team aside for a bit. They won’t be back until the Tournament of Nations, and we can devote our attention elsewhere. Mostly to the NWSL, but there’s also another big event going on this summer that I think we should touch on at least for a moment here: the men’s World Cup.

It’s the biggest event in world sports, and while we focus on women’s soccer, obviously, I’m guessing that some of us will have at least an eye on it.

So: who will be watching?

Alanna Fairbairn: I will be, when I’m not out of town and easy streaming range. I’m nominally rooting for Iceland because I love a good underdog story

RJ Allen: I would like Iceland to win because their men’s and women’s coaches help each out during majors and I think that’s the coolest thing.

Allison Cary: I’m excited about it. Especially being in England, and London specifically. It’ll be really cool to see how the people here get into it.

Charles Olney: For myself, it’s going to be a strange experience. I think I watched 90% or more of the games in the last four cups, but I’m pretty much checking out of this one. I’m just beyond sick of FIFA’s corruption, and while the Qatar cup is the true moral travesty, Russia is hardly a great place to plant your flag, either. So I’m going to grudgingly watch a few matches here and there, but mostly trying to just let it slide past.

I’ll certainly watch the Mexico games, and root for them.

And I’ll be hoping for Messi to get the title he deserves, so we can finally put to rest all the ‘you can’t be the GOAT without a title’ talk.

RJ Allen: Is Messi the short one or the tall one?

Charles Olney: The short one.

RJ Allen: I am putting a moral pox on him until that federation gives anything approximating a damn about their women’s team. You shouldn’t be able to enter the men’s world cup if you don’t have or fund well your women’s team.

Alanna Fairbairn: That would be a interesting political squabble to watch, if FIFA started requiring that.

Charles Olney: I’d support it. It’s a drop in the bucket. They could all pay it.

Luis Hernandez: I’m going to watch every men’s World Cup match. I have my bracket filled out. Just looking forward to seeing good soccer. Not having a horse in the race, I have Germany winning it again going back to back. I can’t root for Mexico.

Charles Olney: Alright, one final question about the boys side of things: any thoughts about the announcement that the joint bid will be hosting the 2026 cup? Will that have any effect on the women’s side of things?

Alanna Fairbairn: I would hope the main effect is an uptick in good soccer stadiums to play in. As well as general sport visibility

Allison Cary: If it really grows support for the game in the U.S the way people think it will, it’s possible we could also carry some of those fans over into the women’s game. But that may be wishful thinking.

RJ Allen: I do think one thing that might change is a few teams that play in football/soccer places might end up getting new places to play.

Charles Olney: In general, I’m a proponent of ‘the rising tide lifts all boats’ theory, so more interest in the game overall will be good. But I’m also a believer in ‘people won’t put resources toward the women’s game unless you hold their feet to the fire, and maybe not even then’ so the effect might not be nearly as big as we’d hope.

Alanna Fairbairn: I would hope that USSF does some PR around the women’s team. Like when the did they One Nation, One Team bit around the 2015 Women’s World Cup to bring people in. Actively go for more fan crossover.

Charles Olney: I hope so, too, but wouldn’t hold my breath for it.

Luis Hernandez: I’m hoping to live to see the World Cup in 2026. Kidding. Kinda. I hope it grows the game even more for the nation and allow our host partners to give us a pass politically. Plus can we also host the Women’s World Cup now? Please.

RJ Allen: We’ve hosted it twice. I don’t think the US should until at least after 2027. I’d love England to get a WWC.

Alanna Fairbairn: That would be brilliant. Way better summer climate too

Allison Cary: That would be fun.

Charles Olney: Okay, final topic: the NWSL will be starting back up again this weekend. Any games that have people particularly excited? Any storylines you’re watching for?

Alanna Fairbairn: So for this weekend, I will be interested to see who of the internationals come back from their break hyped and ready to go, and who comes back exhausted and needing a rest

I noticed that even Megan Rapinoe on her Instagram story was mentioning how stinking long the US camp was this go around.

Charles Olney: I’d say the most important game of the weekend is Chicago-Portland. Both teams will REALLY want a win there, given their struggles so far.

Allison Cary: Yeah, that could be a really defining match if either team can walk away with three points (Portland and Chicago).

RJ Allen: I think Portland is the better team but that doesn’t mean they win.

Charles Olney: I’m certainly curious about when and if Chicago starts to get some of their players back. DiBernardo and Short are supposedly close. Morgan Brian is back in the States and they still have her rights. If they could add those three players in the next week or two, that could make a HUGE difference.

Or it could disrupt the things that were just starting to gel.

Either way, it should be very interesting to follow.

Alanna Fairbairn: I think if DiBernardo is still out, Brian could be an interesting addition to the midfield. She’s at least healthy and well rested now. But it depends on if she decides to stay or requests somewhere else.

Charles Olney: My read on her performance for the NT is that whatever ‘injuries’ she had in France were more a matter of minor setbacks than anything serious. She didn’t look more ready than she did back in April, but didn’t look worse, either. I wouldn’t want to count on her yet, but it could be a big addition if they work it carefully.

RJ Allen: Morgan Brian holds very little possibility for me until she proves she can be healthy long term. See also Lavelle, Rose.

Allison Cary: Yeah, I don’t know that I’d expect to see Brian right away. And I agree with RJ: the injuries thing is critical.

Alanna Fairbairn: And possibly Pugh on that list too, with the injury she picked up in camp

Charles Olney: On a similar note, Julie Ertz still doesn’t look 100% to me, and I’m curious how long it will taker her to get completely right. That could be another huge question for them. Basically: Chicago could be one of the best teams in the league or a continuing disaster over the next month. We have no idea!

Allison Cary: Yep.

Charles Olney: Thoughts about Orlando-Sky Blue? Obviously Orlando are favorites, but Sky Blue has looked a LITTLE bit better. And they have to win at some point. Is it this weekend? And what are they going to do with Carli Lloyd?

Alanna Fairbairn: Rest her and put her in as a super sub. It is time for Lloyd to go the way of Wambach; if she refuses to leave, cut her minutes and give her a chance at the end of the game to add a tally or two to her record.

RJ Allen: They will lose and Reddy will say it is bad luck.

Charles Olney: I have a sneaking suspicion that they pull this one out, but RJ’s clear-eyed cynicism is probably more accurate than my sneaking suspicion.

RJ Allen: You also thought North Carolina were going to get the L in Houston. And while it was a draw it was not a win for H-Town.

Charles Olney: They were so close though!

RJ Allen: Close only counts in hand grenades and horseshoes.

Allison Cary: To be fair, I thought there was a chance Houston might win that match. But I don’t think Sky Blue get the win here. Maybe a draw, if the Pride are having an off day (which is entirely possible).

Alanna Fairbairn: Thus why I’m excited that Houston got Polkinghorne, so she can hopefully help to plug up the defensive holes. And they can maybe defend for longer than 75 minutes a match

RJ Allen: With Polkinghorne in, Brooks to the midfield?

Alanna Fairbairn: Maybe? Or possibly Polkinghorne could be a partner for Chapman on the outside

Charles Olney: I’m certainly curious to see how that affects their backline. I’m a known Van Wyk critic (though I think she’s improved a lot of late), so I’d start to phase her out a bit. But I’ve learned to not try to anticipate what Vera Pauw will do.

Alanna Fairbairn: I do think Brooks to a holding midfield spot is also a possibility. Simply because they just lost Mewis, and they need someone to hold it down in the midfield so Daly and Ohai can do what they do

Charles Olney: I think whatever happens will be an interesting indicator of how Pauw ultimately sees the team. They could play all three of their center backs and get a more solid backline, but sacrifice some attacking potential. Is that a trade Pauw wants to make? Or move Brooks up? I have a hard time seeing them keep the juggling act alive without a stronger support structure in the central midfield, but I’ve been wrong so far.

Luis Hernandez: With the two year anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting on the 12th and the club having Pride night with a fundraiser to LGBT charities, I’ll be looking forward to the Orlando/SB match. It should boost everything for the Pride and hopefully the attendance number will not disappoint. I’m also looking forward to the first NWSL match on ESPN News.

The 123rd Minute: The Medium is the Message

Posted on by RJ Allen


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In this episode, Charles and RJ discuss the role of criticism in coverage of women’s soccer. Why is critical commentary important, how can we balance the need for critique with sensitivity for different perspectives? How does Twitter as a medium influence our perspectives?

Follow us on Twitter: @123rdminute

Intro music: Those Better Days by Mimi Page

Meet the NWSL Dogs of Social Media

Posted on by RJ Allen

Instagram is a great place for dogs. Honestly, who doesn’t love logging onto their Instagram account and seeing adorable pups? The NWSL is full of dogs— in fact, I think Allie Long said last night on Alex Morgan’s Instagram Stories that she wants two more, bringing her total to four. And come on, we can’t all pretend like we didn’t get really excited to find out it was Pups at the Pitch night in Houston last week. Here is a list of some of my favorite NWSL Dogs of Instagram: 

The Dogs

1.Blue (Alex Morgan)— Alex Morgan and her husband, L.A Galaxy Midfielder Servando Carrasco, got their dog Blue last year. Blue has come a long way since his puppy days: 

Blue has many interests, including helping his dad fish.

And smiling for the camera.

Also, we all know he can totally rock those shoes.

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#TGIF 💙

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2. Tink (Jane Campbell)— Okay, so unfortunately Jane Campbell hasn’t posted any photos of Tink on her Instagram account, but Tink features in her Instagram Stories all the time. The little ball of fluff loves to play with her toys, and according to Campbell, resembles Nemo from Finding Nemo. Here is a picture of Tink taken from Campbell’s Twitter.

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3. Ollie (Sofia Huerta)— Sofia Huerta took it to the next level with her dog Ollie. Not only does Ollie feature on Huerta’s Instagram account frequently, but she also has herown Instagram account, @olliemarz. Ollie is always up on the latest fashion trends, and can totally rock a pair of reindeer sunglasses.

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Merry Xmas eve woof!

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She enjoys playing around with her parents and having a good time. 

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Just chilling

A post shared by Ollie (@olliemarz) on

Even when Mom makes her run. 

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Post run w/ mom!

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She’s always happy to snag a photo with her superstar mom.

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@olliemarz smiles!!!!

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4. Zoe (Toni Pressley)— Orlando Pride defender Toni Pressley loves to share photos and videos of her dog, Zoe. How could anyone resist that smile?

https://www.instagram.com/p/BgrDManhjHA/?taken-by=tonideion.

And she loves snuggling with her toys.

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🐶

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It appears there might be some tension in that household right now, but I’m sure it’s just a phase.

5. Wilma (Rose Lavelle)— Finally, we come to Rose Lavelle, and her dog Wilma. Lavelle loves dogs, and appears to be magnetically drawn to them even when she’s on the road.

But Lavelle’s favorite dog is her own dog, Wilma. Wilma has been a part of the Lavelle family since 2012. She never misses a chance to cuddle with her mom.

She loves dressing up and getting into the holiday spirit.

And she loves hanging out with Mom and her friends.

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Two potatoes came to Purdue to visit today

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Here is a compilation Lavelle made of some of their best moments.

These are just some of my favorite dogs in the NWSL, but there are tons more. Who are your favorite NWSL dogs?

 

The NWSL Podium: Top Performances in Week 10

Posted on by RJ Allen

The NWSL Podium: Top Performances is a weekly series that looks at the best attacking, defensive, and goalkeeping performances each week. 

We’re right around the midpoint of the NWSL season, and the table is starting to take shape. With the exception of the midweek battle between the North Carolina Courage and the Portland Thorns, Week 10 challenged each team to play without their U.S Women’s National Team members, who are currently in Salt Lake City preparing for a pair of friendlies against China. Despite losing six players to the national team camp, the North Carolina Courage narrowly maintained their unbeaten streak with a 1-1 draw against the Houston Dash on Sunday night. The Utah Royals found their first road win of the season against Sky Blue FC, who are still looking for their first win after nine games. The Chicago Red Stars also bounced back with a 2-0 win over the Washington Spirit in a match that was delayed over five hours due to weather. Overall, there were 12 goals scored across five matches in Week 10. Here is a full list of scores:

Portland Thorns vs. North Carolina Courage (1-4)

Sky Blue FC vs. Utah Royals (1-2)

Washington Spirit vs. Chicago Red Stars (0-2)

Houston Dash vs. North Carolina Courage (1-1) 

Seattle Reign vs. Orlando Pride (0-0)

Top Three Goalkeepers

1. Haley Kopmeyer— Kopmeyer would probably be a starting goalkeeper on most rosters, but it’s difficult to break out of Ashlyn Harris’s shadow (just ask Aubrey Bledsoe). With Harris away on national team duty, Kopmeyer earned the start against the Seattle Reign, whom she played with before being traded to Orlando this past offseason. Kopmeyer took advantage of her opportunity. She faced 15 shots from the Reign and made five saves, including one in the 51st minute that earned her a nomination for NWSL Save of the Week. Naomi Kawasumi took a shot from distance and Kopmeyer jumped into the air, punching the ball over the net. Even without Megan Rapinoe, it isn’t easy to get a clean sheet against Seattle. But Kopmeyer managed to shutdown the likes of Jess Fishlock and Naomi Kawasumi, giving the Pride their fourth clean sheet this season, and helped her team earn a point on the road. 

2. Emily Boyd— Like Kopmeyer, Boyd also stands in the shadow of a national team goalkeeper. But with Alyssa Naeher away on national team duty, the rookie out of California earned her first NWSL start. The Washington Spirit were lacking two of their stars on offense– Mallory Pugh, who is out with a knee injury, and Francisca Ordega, who is representing Nigeria in a pair of World Cup Qualifiers against Gambia. But Boyd still faced eleven shots from the Spirit and made four saves. Her save in stoppage time earned her an NWSL Save of the Week nomination. The Spirit managed to slot a ball behind the defense, and it landed at the feet of Ashley Hatch. Boyd saw that her defenders couldn’t get there, and she came off her line, sliding to the ground and putting her body in front of the ball. She got hit in the face with Ashley Hatch’s foot, but still managed to jump back up, although the second effort from the Spirit went over the net. A clean sheet and three points on the road— not a bad way to make your NWSL debut. 

3. Lydia Williams— Williams, who has been alternating with Betos throughout the season, earned another clean sheet this week against the Orlando Pride. Like other teams, the Pride had a somewhat diminished offense, lacking the talents of Alex Morgan and Marta. But Chioma Ubogagu, Sydney Leroux, and others can be equally threatening. Williams faced 12 shots and made two saves on Sunday night. In the 74th minute, the Pride set up a shot from Emily Van Egmond. Williams managed to stick her foot out and make an instinctive kick save, knocking the ball to her left where it was eventually knocked out of play. The scoreless draw marked Williams’ third clean sheet of the year. 

Top Three Defenders

1. Amber Brooks— The North Carolina Courage may have been missing a few key attackers in their weekend match against the Houston Dash, but the Houston defense was still going up against Jessica McDonald and Lynn Williams. The Houston defense looked shaky early on in the game, but eventually they settled down, and Brooks played a critical role in the central defense to keep the Courage from setting up their shots. The Courage were only able to get eight shots in that match, including three shots on goal. Brooks made a couple of key blocks and dispossessions throughout the match, again preventing the Courage from developing a firm rhythm. With Brooks and Van Wyk in the central defense, and Allysha Chapman and Haley Hanson on the outside, the Houston defense is shaping up to be competitive with the best in the league. 

2. Katherine Reynolds— Reynolds is one of the best defenders in the NWSL. In Portland’s midweek match against the North Carolina Courage, Reynolds made her 100th career NWSL appearance. While the Thorns ultimately allowed four goals in, including a penalty given away by Reynolds in the 30th minute, Reynolds also had some shining moments. One of those moments came in the 50th minute, when Reynolds got in front of Lynn Williams to block her shot. But Reynolds best moment of the night came– surprisingly– on offense. A free kick was given to the Thorns in the 88th minute, just outside of the 18-yard box. Heath took the free kick and sent the ball towards the edge of the 18-yard box. With no other players there to grab it, Reynolds set up her shot and slotted it across the keeper to the back of the net. The goal is Reynolds first in her career. 

3. Jess Fishlock— Fishlock is not usually a name one expects to hear on defense. And while she had some spectacular moments on offense in this weekend’s match against the Orlando Pride, it was her save in the 50th minute that earned her a spot on the highlight reel. Leroux had the ball at the edge of the 18-yard box, and tried to send a cross into the middle. But Fishlock anticipated the play and jumped in front of the ball, sending it out of play. 

Top Three Attackers 

1. Lynn Williams— It’s been a slow start to the season for Lynn Williams. She’s started in nine of the Courage’s 12 matches, but prior to this week, she had scored only one goal. But in the midweek match against the Portland Thorns, Williams started to find her rhythm again, scoring her second and third goals of the season. She opened up the game in the 30th minute, when Debinha was taken down in the box by Katherine Reynolds and the Courage earned a penalty. Williams took that penalty, slotting the ball into the bottom corner. She found the back of the net again in the 62nd minute. A corner kick was sent into the box, and bounced off the heads of a couple of Courage players before Williams was able to get her left foot on it and send it into the back of the net. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to carry that momentum into the weekend against the Houston Dash. The Courage just couldn’t get going on offense, and Williams was substituted out in the 56th minute.

2. Yuki Nagasato— Nagasato is an unsung hero for the Chicago Red Stars, and she proved that again this week with a goal and an assist in the Red Stars 2-0 win over the Washington Spirit. The first goal was set up by Nagasato when the Red Stars earned a free kick in the center of the pitch, a few yards outside of the 18-yard box. Nagasato slotted it towards the bottom corner, forcing Kelsey Wys to make a diving save. While Wys was able to successfully block the shot, she couldn’t grab onto it nor could she jump up in time to stop Sam Kerr, who came in with the second effort and found the back of the net. Nagasato found a goal of her own in the 48th minute. She brought the ball down inside the 18-yard box, settling it and passing it off to Alyssa Mautz. Mautz then sent it right back to Nagasato, who found some space and sent the ball back into that bottom corner. This time, Wys wasn’t quick enough to stop it, and Chicago found themselves with a 2-0 lead. This was Nagasato’s first goal and second assist on the season. 

3. Sam Kerr— Kerr made her seventh start of the season on Saturday night, and did plenty to make her presence known. She scored the Red Stars first goal of the night in the 25th minute, after a terrific free kick by Nagasato bounced out of the hands of Kelsey Wys. Kerr was able to get to the ball before the Spirit defenders and kick it into the back of the night to give Chicago the lead. While Kerr would be limited to one goal that night, she had a couple of other fantastic chances. In the 20th minute, she took a shot from outside the 18-yard box that sailed just over the top of the net. And then in the 64th minute, Alyssa Mautz threaded a ball through the Spirit defense to Kerr, who couldn’t get a good angle and sent the ball just wide of the post. In those seven appearances, Kerr has scored five goals for the Chicago Red Stars, including three goals in her last two games.