Author: RJ Allen

Off the Bench with Backline Soccer: 2017, Week 22

Posted on by RJ Allen

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Backline Soccer Recap:

Quick Fire Week 22 Game Previews:

We have arrived in the final week of the 2017 NWSL season before the playoffs arrive and what a season it has been! The four playoff teams are set: North Carolina, Portland, Chicago, and Orlando have all secured their spot. Let’s take a look at how the final regular season weekend matches up. 

Game 1: Portland Thorns vs. Chicago Red Stars

Portland Thorns record: 13-5-5
Position: 2nd
Total Points: 44

Chicago Red Stars record: 11-6-6
Position: 3rd
Total Points: 39

With second place securely locked up in the playoffs, I assume that Head Coach Mark Parsons will be looking at resting some starters to prepare for the home semi-final match the next weekend. Then again, this may be their semi-final matchup so they may want to test some things before that. With one of the best defenses in the league, they will look to contain the Red Stars attacking push. But the struggle they had last week against Orlando was spending so much time defending they were unable to get much going on the offensive end. This worked against Orlando but may not work against Chicago who will exploit the width that Orlando didn’t. So their task this week, if they want to win, will be to spur their offensive attack a lot more than they have been. 

Chicago will need a draw or win to secure the third place spot in the playoffs or for Orlando to draw or lose. This week will be interesting if they decide to go the resting route to prepare for the semi-finals or go all out as this environment and team may be who their semi-final opponent is. By the end of last weeks match the Red Stars looked exhausted as their starters have been put through the ringer this season. If we assume no one rests this should be quite the matchup. While Chicago’s defense has suffered a bit over the last several games, Vanessa DiBernardo coming back to the field will help settle everyone around her and get Chicago clicking better. Chicago will also be without Yuki Nagasato this week due to red-card suspension. Chicago will need the offensive prowess of Christen Press and Sofia Huerta to make something happen for them up top. And the defense will need to make sure to not let Portland get any pockets of space to allow the likes of Hayley Raso to speed past them.

Game 2: Washington Spirit vs. Seattle Reign

Washington Spirit record: 5-15-4
Position: 10th
Total Points: 19

Seattle Reign record: 8-8-7
Position: 5th
Total Points: 31

Washington was only able to put two field substitutes on the field last week due to injury and by the end, the team just looked exhausted. I expect this week to see them put up a good fight in their last home match but that will entirely depend on what Seattle team shows up to play. Washington has some great pieces, save for the offside calls, Mal Pugh netted two goals last game for the Spirit. I expect her to be just as involved this week in sparking the offense. It will be up to the defense, which has struggled especially since Estelle Johnson went out, to stave off the Seattle attack.

Megan Rapinoe is out for the final match of the Reign 2017 season due to yellow card accumulation. With nothing left to play for but pride, I expect Seattle to come out blazing and playing a lot more free. This will also be the final match of her career for Elli Reed, who is retiring. Combine those two and I expect Seattle to not have too many issues this week with a depleted Spirit side. 

Game 3: Boston Breakers vs. Sky Blue FC

Boston Breakers record: 4-12-7
Position: 9th
Total Points: 19

Sky Blue FC record: 9-11-3
Position: 6th
Total Points: 30

Boston has had pockets of good throughout the season but find themselves in a very similar predicament to last year. Progress has been made but they still are not winning very much. With their big road win last week against the Spirit, they carry that momentum into their final match of the season to their house. This week Boston’s biggest task will be shutting down Sam Kerr and letting her capitalize on any opportunities because if they’re there, she’s taking them. Sky Blue’s defensive struggles have been apparent this season and Boston is starting to see a bit of a spark in their offensive. If they can take advantage of that weakness and the opportunities it will inevitably produce, we could see this game go either way.

Sky Blue will be looking to end their season on a high note after fighting to a good draw with the first-place Courage last weekend. Sky Blue saw a lot of opportunities last week against a tough team but could not finish their chances. But this week, with Boston on the struggling end of things as well, if they can capitalize on mistakes and opportunities from the Boston defense, Sam Kerr just might get that goal record this weekend. 

Game 4: North Carolina Courage vs. Orlando Pride 

North Carolina Courage record: 15-6-1
Position: 1st
Total Points: 49

Orlando Pride record: 10-6-7
Position: 4th
Total Points: 37

The Courage are coming into this game on short rest and with the shield locked up, I would not be surprised to see some starters resting. Both Jaelene Hinkle and Katelyn Rowland were completely rested and Taylor Smith saw limited minutes. This may have been in part to save players for this weekend’s match as it is also a potential match we will see in the semi-finals if current standings hold. This will be a deciding factor I think it what we may see in the outcome of the weekend. Overall, the Courage have not scored the most goals this season but enough to firmly cement their place at the top. Sam Mewis has been stellar and will be a threat both offensively and defensively this weekend. The Courage will be tasked with making sure that Marta and Alex Morgan are not given many chances to connect as the Pride engine relies on that a lot. 

The Pride are coming in this weekend with a lot less pressure as they were able to clinch the final playoff spot thanks to the result of the FCKC and Seattle game last weekend. The Pride would be pressed to treat this match like a playoff as this could very well be who they are facing in the semi-final but I can also see Head Coach Tom Sermanni giving some players a rest who may be dealing with slight injuries or fatigue. If I was a betting woman, I do not think we will see Steph Catley this weekend due to the small knock she took last week against Portland. The Pride need to make sure they are exploiting the wide areas against the Courage this week as Portland was able to shut down their entire offensive game last week by making them play too tight. While the Pride defense has gotten a lot better in the last several games, the Courage attack can give them fits if they do not keep their line tight and organized. 

Game 5: FC Kansas City vs. Houston Dash

FC Kansas City record: 8-9-6
Position: 7th
Total Points: 30

Houston Dash record: 7-14-2
Position: 8th
Total Points: 23

FCKC put a dagger in the playoff hopes of the Seattle Reign last week and have been on a successful run for their last several games. With the Dash clearly struggling on and off the field, I expect to see FCKC finish their season on a positive note. Look this week for them to exploit the defensive scramble that the Courage were able to mid-week. And if Becky Sauerbrunn plays like she did against Seattle, Houston will have a very hard time getting anything through the defensive line. 

Houston is coming into this game after a 4-0 loss and short rest. We saw a few players rest on Wednesday but I do not expect much of that today, seeing as it is the final game of their season. On Wednesday, their defensive struggled mightily against everything the Courage were throwing at them. This match they will face similar with Shea Groom and Sydney Leroux both springing the offensive attack. Amber Brooks has been a stalwart in defense but she is only one person and if Houston hops to make it out of this match unscathed, she and Jane Campbell will need a lot more help.

The Scouting Report:

We went live on Monday night with our weekly TSR. A reminder that you can catch TSR live every Monday night at 8pm EST on our YouTube channel. Make sure to follow the podcast on Twitter @ScoutingPodcast.

In case you missed the episode, catch up here:

6 Takeaways from NWSL: Week 21

Posted on by RJ Allen

Welcome, welcome, welcome, to Week 21 of the 2017 NWSL season. Things happened. People kicked balls. Players got political. Tobin Heath made her first appearance on an NWSL field since last year’s playoff game against the WNY Flash.

Oh, and our four playoff teams are locked in. I’ll write an actual intro when my mind isn’t jumping in a thousand different directions at once.

It was a busy week, y’all, so let’s dive right in …

Take a Knee – Elizabeth Wawrzyniak

Maybe you’ve noticed that I don’t actually talk about soccer a lot in my takeaways. I talk around soccer. For a lot of reasons, but mostly because I’m still learning the ins and outs. (DO NOT ask me what the offside rule is. Or whether it’s offside or offsides.) I don’t know the history like RJ, the strategy like Charles, or the people like Jacob. But what I do know about soccer is this:

It’s far more than just a game.

This weekend NFL fans and curious visitors to the world of the National Football League saw something pretty amazing happen. After a year of people paying attention to Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling protest for all the wrong reasons, until finally this week when, after 45 spilled some garbage out onto Twitter about the former 49er, we all started to focus on what mattered. That Kaepernick’s protest was a shout out for people to take a moment and really listen to what people of color and other minorities are trying to tell us all.

Over the past few years as a soccer fan, I’ve watched as these players fight for better and more equal wages. I’ve watched them support each other in coming out, in struggles with mental health, in obstacles on the field and off of it. I’ve watched them build networks of support for each other and for their fans. I’ve watched as Megan Rapinoe bravely joined Colin Kaepernick’s protest in the waning weeks of last season, long before most had made up their minds about whether he even had the right to take a knee. (Spoiler: it’s Constitutional.) And  I’ve watched as they work tirelessly to improve themselves, their play, their teams, and their sport for fans and for future players alike.

This weekend I watched as the National Anthem played at the Seattle Reign v FCKC match wound up, and Megan Rapinoe, Desiree Scott, Yael Averbuch, Sydney Leroux, USWNT captain Becky Sauerbrunn, Elli Reed, Lauren Barnes and Madalyn Schiffel made the decision to stay in the locker room instead of standing for the anthem.

Sports means something. This weekend, it has been the vehicle through which many in our country united to say that we will not stand for racial violence, oppression, discrimination, or brutality.

And, maybe this takeaway isn’t about soccer, but I needed to say it: I’m proud to be a fan of women’s soccer. I’m proud to be a fan of the NFL. And I’m proud to support those who took a knee today in defiance of injustice.

 

The High and the Low (Scoring) Game – Elizabeth Wawrzyniak

Some might look at the outcomes of the two games on Saturday and assume that one was automatically more interesting than the other. Sure, the Chicago Red Stars beat the Houston Dash 3-2. But what the non-soccer fan might not understand is that an outcome of 0-0, especially between two teams like the Orlando Pride and the Portland Thorns, doesn’t mean the game was lackluster or slow. In some cases, and certainly in this case, as far as I’m concerned, it meant the game was 90 minutes and stoppage time (where the fuck are my 16 seconds, ref!) of tense, “any moment might change the whole story of the game” play. Sure, goals are exciting. But if you really want an adrenaline rush, or a game spent sitting on the edge of your seat, the kind of game Orlando and Portland played this Saturday is the way to go. Multiple chances, multiple attempts and almost-there-just-a-smidge-too-wide shots, shots that should have had no chance but somehow come closer than anything else.

I mean, yeah, we all love a high-scoring game. The Seattle and Sky Blue games this year? Epic. But there’s also something about a game so tense you can feel the wire stretching tighter every time the ball moves from one side of the pitch to the other. That’s what we got in the Orlando v Portland game this weekend and damn, was it satisfying to watch.

Franch Makes History – Alyssa Zajac

Usually when a game ends in a 0-0 draw, there isn’t much to be said after the final whistle. That changed this weekend when A.D. Franch earned her 11th shutout of the season, breaking Nicole Barnhart’s record of 10 shutouts from the 2013 season with FC Kansas City. Quite the achievement, considering where the season started for Franch – being put in the starting spot after the unexpected departure of Michelle Betos, and struggling with pretty much every aspect of her game for weeks into the season. However, instead of writing off the season and solely depending on her defense to get through games, step by step she improved her play and figured out how to best work with the Portland backline. And it proved effective. The Thorns have home-field advantage in the playoffs, and could very well be on their way to a second NWSL title.
I’m about to use a Pokemon analogy, please forgive me. Watching Franch this season was like watching a Magikarp evolve into a Gyarados. That is, going from seemingly unassuming and a weak link on the pitch, to an intimidating opponent and a formidable force in goal.
With one game to go before the playoffs, I just have this to say: congrats, A.D. The record was hard earned, and well deserved.

Spoiler Alert: FC Kansas City Did The Thing – Alyssa Zajac

Back in Week 16, I wrote a takeaway about the final stretch of games were key to FC Kansas City, and how they could play spoiler to teams in the playoff hunt. Good job, past me – called it.

All seven games that remained in FCKC’s schedule were against teams still in playoff contention. Six of those games have passed, and FC Kansas City had a direct role in delaying one team’s playoff bid (Chicago), giving one team a playoff spot (Orlando), and ending the playoff hopes of a third (Seattle).

First up, Chicago. FC Kansas City beat Chicago 3-1, capping off a three-game skid for the Red Stars in Week 17. This game didn’t have a direct impact on playoffs, but it still was a significant result. Fast forward to when these teams met again in week 20, and Chicago needed a win to clinch their playoff spot. One 0-0 draw later, Chicago had to wait another week to try to make the playoffs (which they did, beating Houston 3-2).

Now, for Orlando and Seattle. Orlando, like Chicago, needed a win to claim the final playoff spot. However, after two draws against Seattle and Portland, Orlando needed either FC Kansas City to beat Seattle in Seattle or hope they could beat league-leading North Carolina. Seattle needed to win their final two games to even have a chance of claiming the final playoff spot.

Well, Orlando needs to send flowers or an Edible Arrangement to Kansas City, because FCKC did it. They went to Seattle and won, ending the Reign’s playoff hopes and handing the Pride the final playoff spot. What makes this even more impressive, is that not only did FCKC beat Seattle at home, they did so by ending a 28(!) game at-home scoring streak.

While their future location may be unknown, playing wise FC Kansas City has improved greatly in the last few weeks and shows good promise moving forward.

R.I.P. Washington Spirit – Luis Hernandez

I know the players on the Washington Spirit are fighting to the end of the season, but it’s almost comical how the team allowed the Boston Breakers to win on the road for the first time this season on the Breakers’ last attempt. It would not seem the Spirit are “tanking”, but things are lining up for Washington to end up at the bottom of the standings claiming the number one pick in the 2018 college draft.

It’s been rough for Spirit fans, as the team suffered a slew of injuries all season long. I questioned to myself what sort of things have to be going on in team practices where the injury bug kept biting the roster. Losing Stephanie Labbe after a promising start of the season didn’t help. How about seeing Kristie Mewis traded away twice and ending up in a spot where she may be able to prove her worth? Do Washington supporters look at Ali Krieger in Orlando leading another playoff run and wonder “what if?”

Chin up Spirit fans, you still have Mallory Pugh, the highlight of the season, and Andi Sullivan should end up in a Washington kit next spring.

The MVP race is locked up – Luis Hernandez

Sam Kerr is going to win the most valuable player award. She’s one goal away from breaking the season goal scoring record Kerr shares with Kim Little. She has also done most of the heavy lifting when it comes to the Sky Blue offense and is the main reason the team is currently sixth in the standings considering the defense has allowed a whopping forty-eight goals. This has been her year for both club and country, as she has been out of this world good with the Matildas, and should have been a finalist for FIFA World Player of the Year.

Another reason Kerr will win the MVP award is she is a lock to claim the league’s golden boot award with Megan Rapinoe missing the last match of the season for Seattle with a yellow card accumulation suspension, and Orlando’s Marta trailing Kerr by four goals. So for the fifth straight year in the league, the golden boot winner will be MVP. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing or Kerr doesn’t deserve the honor; it just seems the only measuring stick to most valuable player for a team is scoring league-wide. However, the whole point of having the golden boot is purely as a scoring award. The golden ball award (best player) winner in the World Cup doesn’t always go to the golden boot winner, and that’s all I’m saying.

Soccer Takes From Jake: End Of The Line

Posted on by RJ Allen

AND SO THE NWSL PLAYOFFS ARE SET
It’s weird that we’re getting two playoff preview matches on the final weekend of the regular season, but here we are. All four teams will go into them definitely with the intent of using them as film study for the semi-final matches next weekend. The results will surely help set a tone for the win or go home stakes of next weekend, so in a way you can look at the Portland/Chicago and North Carolina/Orlando matches as basically the first leg of the NWSL Playoffs.

HERE WE ARE, WEEK 22, THE FINAL WEEK OF THE REGULAR SEASON
And what a ride it has been.

PORTLAND THORNS OVER CHICAGO RED STARS
For your first NWSL Semi-Final preview, you have Portland hosting Chicago. Decades ago, in another sport, someone playing for Chicago wearing the number 23 lit up a team from Portland. I don’t see the Red Stars’ number 23 doing something similar. Portland is too well balanced of a team and at home, they will look to set the tone and show the Red Stars what’s to come next weekend in a win or go home scenario.

SEATTLE REIGN FC OVER WASHINGTON SPIRIT
The Seattle Impossible did not happen and for the second straight season, the Reign FC miss the playoffs. Where their offseason goes, I think is going to be dictated by if head coach/general manager Laura Harvey becomes the new manager of the England Women’s National Team. No one in their right mind will dispute her credentials, so we shall see what happens in the not too distant future. In the immediate future, Reign win this one on the field and who knows what happens around it in this year’s edition of The Bill Lynch Derby.

BOSTON BREAKERS AND SKY BLUE FC PLAY TO A DRAW
I’m glad the Breakers are keeping head coach Matt Beard for next season. It’s not his fault Rose Lavelle came back broken from national team duty. The development of the Breakers under Beard’s system should be allowed to have more time and with an actually healthy franchise player. While I don’t think we’ll get any solid evidence of what the 2018 Boston Breakers will be from this match, the comfort for the players knowing he will be back I think takes away some anxiety of needing to play for their future. Breakers open the scoring, but Sky Blue’s Sam Kerr answers back and yep becomes the new queen of most goals in an NWSL season, surpassing Kim Little.

NORTH CAROLINA COURAGE OVER ORLANDO PRIDE
North Carolina secured the NWSL Shield, but just like the preview of the Thorns/Red Stars match, this will be a preview of the number 1 seed versus the number 4. Orlando needs to win to move up to the 3 seed, but no way North Carolina loses this one going into the playoffs.

FC KANSAS CITY OVER HOUSTON DASH
It’s crazy to think that in one offseason, the NWSL could lose its two most successful coaches. Just as much as there is uncertainty over the future of Laura Harvey in Seattle, the same can be said about Vlatko Andonovski in Kansas City. Time will tell if we are going to see the last match of the Vlatko Andonovski Era in Kansas City, but take away that question, Kansas City is still the better team and handles Houston easily.

Here is your last music video break of the regular season.

Song: “Cut Chemist Suite” | Artist: Ozomatli

Route Two Soccer – Portland and Orlando Fight Out an Interesting 0-0 Draw

Posted on by RJ Allen

Portland showed how to defend against Orlando, without doing much to threaten on the other end

The Orlando Pride entered Saturday’s match against Portland on an offensive tear, winning five of their previous six games and scoring 17 goals in the process. But that high-flying attack ground to a halt against the Thorns and raised some questions about whether Orlando might be a bit of a ‘flat-track bully’ – beating up on their weaker opposition but struggling to break down tougher teams.

After all, Orlando’s five-game winning streak came against the teams currently ranked 10th, 6th, 9th, 7th, and 9th in the table. Meanwhile, against the other playoff teams, they’ve only managed a single win – and scored just six goals – in seven games.

Of course, this narrative may only be as strong as the current week’s results. And they could easily turn the tide next week. But there are some reasons to think that Orlando is uniquely likely to devastate weaker teams while struggling against more organized opposition. And the signs were all in clear evidence against Portland.

Orlando attack with lethal quickness

The hallmark of the Orlando attack is the speed of their assaults. The ball pings back and forth in the backline, while they wait for a chance to open. And when it does, they pounce. Marta is the orchestrator, finding pockets of space to receive the ball and quickly pass it along. Morgan is the tip of the spear driven through the opposition’s backline when she can rush onto the ball and bury her chances in the back of the net. And the supporting cast has done excellent work to facilitate this process. Camila has come into her own as a driving attacker. Ubogagu has finally found a role that allows her skill on the ball and quick touches to flourish. Weatherholt and Kennedy have done strong work as the water carriers who keep things afloat while the attacking four get themselves into position to spring an attack.

They have made a wonderful show of it over the past several months and done more than enough to earn their spot in the playoffs. But they, as yet, haven’t really shown that there’s much of a Plan B here.

Writing about Orlando back in May, I argued that they had turned a corner and looked ready to make a run up the table (for once, I got one right!). But I also noted that this progress was more a function of doubling down on a strength than it was about having solved their weaknesses. Put simply: Orlando doesn’t have much of a midfield.

Now, they’ve excelled in spite of that fact by moving the ball with lightning pace out of the back: sending balls over the top, or relying on Marta and Camila to pick out through-balls for the strikers to run onto. They are explosive in the attack, and it can simply be overwhelming if you lack team speed, or if your defensive unit is even slightly ragged. Leave five extra feet of space between the center backs and Morgan will slip right through and score before you have a chance to realize your mistake.

However, without a more diverse range of attacking options, you run the risk of good teams counteracting your strengths. And that’s exactly what we saw happen on Saturday.

Orlando needs space to run into; Deny them that space and the goals will dry up

Portland appear to have come into the match with a clear, and fairly simple, game plan: defend compactly and starve Orlando of the space they need to thrive.

That’s not an easy task. It depends on a comprehensive performance by the entire defensive unit. Defending deep can limit the danger from through-balls, but it also puts your back against the wall. One mistake in defensive positioning, one missed tackle, one poor clearance, and you could find yourself down a goal. But if the team is well drilled and the individual performers are up to the task, it can be stultifying.

In the center, Sonnett and Menges put on a clinic, consistently stepping up to clear away crosses and long balls up the middle. On the wings, Klingenberg and Reynolds worked hard to close down on wide attacks, not giving them time to pick out a pass, and ushering them into less dangerous positions.

Their midfield setup was also designed to facilitate this work. Portland is often quite fluid tactically, shifting freely from 4-3-3 to 4-5-1 to 5-4-1 and even stopping in a traditional old 4-4-2 in the middle sometimes. They shifted a bit less this week, with Sykes occasionally dropping back as an auxiliary fullback on the right, allowing them to set up a seven-woman backfield, as the back five combined with Long and Horan in the middle. The idea of dropping back is to put quick pressure on Orlando anytime they advance into the final third; not necessarily to win the ball but simply to disrupt and frustrate the Pride’s attack. Close down their passing lanes and you force them to either retreat or play a low percentage pass.

It’s a setup that demands a lot of the central midfielders, and to the extent that there was a problem, this is where it manifested. Allie Long has never really been a true holding mid, and some of the reasons for that were all-too-apparent here. She is a pretty good ball-winner but isn’t really a ‘holding’ midfielder, in the sense of managing space and providing a defensive shield. She overcommits to challenges, which is dangerous if she misses and lets the opponent behind her. But it’s even more dangerous when she connects. She drew one yellow and easily could have had two more. It’s the NWSL, where most refs operate on the principle ‘if the leg isn’t broken it wasn’t a booking,’ but even so, she was living on the edge. It was no surprise, therefore, that Parsons made a switch relatively early, bringing on Amandine Henry for Long in the 60th minute. The difference was immediate and noticeable. Presumably, Henry was being given a rest after a cross-continental flight to play for France. But if Portland and Orlando meet again, one would expect her to play the full 90 and bring a bit more calm and coherence to the role.

The final piece of the puzzle is physicality. As I have often noted, the NWSL is notable for the amount of rough play that goes uncalled. And Portland certainly counted on that. They aren’t an especially physical team, but they did their best to act like one in this game. With a pliant referee, they were able to get pretty stuck in and make things exceptionally difficult for Orlando. Morgan, in particular, seemed to get increasingly (and understandably) frustrated with the physical play, which disrupted her touch and movement.

All in all, it was a nice bit of tactical suppression. Coach Mark Parsons deserves credit for identifying Orlando’s weakness and moving to exploit it. And his players deserve a lot of credit for executing the plan well. The center backs and Franch in goal deserve special plaudits for their quick reactions and careful attention to the Pride strikers.

And this has been a theme all year for Portland, who have secured a home playoff berth primarily on their ability to kill off games and frustrate the opposition. That’s certainly not what I expected going into the season, but it’s been interesting watching them adapt and manage games in this way.

Orlando needs a Plan B

The Pride have some devastating offensive pieces, but it’s possible that they aren’t quite the unstoppable force they seemed to be a couple weeks ago. This is a team built primarily around movement off the ball and use of open space. Deny them that space and they look far more human.

Portland, despite a lot of physical proximity to the goal, without the space in which to move quickly, they found little joy, often resorting to shots from distance or poor angles. All in all, they managed to get off 14 shots, but only two that were on target.

The problem is that they simply don’t have the resources to build attacks through intricate passing in tight spaces. Marta is, of course, one of the all-time greats under those conditions, and Ubogagu has her moments. But there isn’t much else. And with a limited set of options, the defense can over-commit to shepherding those players away from dangerous positions. As the saying goes: “you can’t stop Marta; you can only hope to contain her.” But without additional outlets to build intricate triangles around the defense, ‘containment’ will often be enough to get the job done.

We’ve seen a couple modest efforts at unlocking this problem, none of which have been developed fully enough to really work. First, you can push wide and send in crosses. The problem here is that Orlando isn’t particularly good in the air, and Portland (really) is. Second, you can shoot from distance and force them to come out to close you down. But this is problematic too because Orlando doesn’t have much in the way of good long shots, with Camila being the major exception. Third, you can turn defense into offense, pressing aggressively in your opponent’s half. Win the ball there, and you’ll have precisely the space that you were looking for.

This final approach was the most successful. For the opening 20-25 minutes, Orlando was pressing high and making things very difficult for Portland. This has been a consistent problem for the Thorns all season. It’s not entirely clear why they are still so listless playing out from the back, but it’s certainly an opportunity to be exploited. However, that sort of high press is exhausting, particularly in the Orlando afternoon sun. And it’s also dangerous. Orlando has made a lot of progress defensively from the early season problems, but that’s largely due to solidifying the shield in front of the backline. Press high and you risk opening up gaps there. Give a player like Sinclair space to operate, and you risk being hoist on your own petard. A quick outlet to Raso or Nadim could turn a broken press into a goal conceded in mere seconds.

Orlando have a very good team and will be very interesting to watch in the playoffs. But if they want to win the title, they would do well to think about how they will pierce this sort of deep defensive wall. After all, the three teams left for them to think about are far stronger defensively than the opponents they have been battering in recent weeks. A viable Plan B would go a long way toward making their dreams of winning a championship become reality.

MVA: 5 Reasons Tobin Heath Is The Thorns’ Most Valuable Asset

Posted on by RJ Allen

This past week has been a rough one for Thorns’ fans depending on how you look at it. They couldn’t come out with a win against Orlando, they had to deal with some of the worst officiating ever, and oh yeah, Amandine Henry and Nadia Nadim are calling it quits in the NWSL after this season. But there was one bright spot out of this week – Tobin Heath is back. And because of how the final stretch of this season is shaping out, and because of potential gaps in the roster for next season, Heath has just become Portland’s most valuable asset. Here are the five reasons why:

Spark From Off The Bench

I’ll be honest and say that I don’t think Tobin Heath should play a full match this season. She should come off the bench. Her back injury kept her off the pitch for the majority of this season, so it obviously wasn’t a small issue. And these types of injuries are tricky things. So she shouldn’t be pushed too hard too early for fear of reinjury. But we do know that she can go for at least 30 minutes, as could be seen from last week. So most likely, by mid-October (if the Thorns punch their ticket to the final), Heath could be solid for a whole half. And she would make the perfect spark coming off the bench. She is creative, and she is a playmaker – something Portland could definitely use. Sure, it didn’t work perfectly versus Orlando, but it could be beneficial come the playoffs. And let’s not lie, it would put the opposing team on edge to see her checking in.

No Season-Long Fatigue

Sure, Tobin Heath isn’t up to form. I don’t think that her team, or anyone else for that matter, expects her to be. She hasn’t played a full match all season. But that isn’t necessarily the worst situation in the world. Because even though she isn’t in full form, she doesn’t have the season-long fatigue that every other player in the league is feeling at the moment. Her legs aren’t tired. She isn’t warding off those tiny bumps and bruises that pop up throughout the season and pester the average player. Right now she is healthy, and she is energized. And because of that, she could be a lot of trouble for tired back lines that have put in too many miles and minutes on their legs this season. It also allows some of the Portland midfield to rest their tired legs if those late minutes prove too be too much for them.

She Is Easy To Integrate In And Out

As well as having the soccer IQ equivalency of a Mensa member, Tobin Heath has the very advantage that allows her to come back to her team at a moment’s notice with minimal prep time: familiarity. A good amount of her teammates are women that she has been playing with for years. Even if we take out Allie Long, Lindsay Horan, and Meghan Klingenberg, we still have players that Heath has played on the Thorns with for numerous seasons, like Emily Menges and a pretty good forward by the name of Christine Sinclair. So even if there is a little disconnect from newer players, Tobin Heath is familiar to a good amount of the team. And for Portland heading into the post season, that makes her time on the pitch very important.

Pull Off The Upset

Even though Portland is sitting pretty in second place currently, they are not the favorite to win the NWSL Championship…not by a long shot. Not when North Carolina is looking as solid as they are, Orlando is as creative as they are, and Chicago having a roster that reads like an all-star match lineup. But Portland now has Tobin Heath again, and she could just be that extra oomph needed in order to bring that trophy home to Oregon. Not only is she one of the most creative players on the pitch at any time, but she also knows her opponents as well. And that is what makes her such a strong asset. I mean, look at the other USWNT current and former players that Portland are potentially playing in the next few weeks – Alex Morgan, Julie Ertz, Allie Krieger, Christen Press, Ashlyn Harris….I could go on. And it’s not that the rest of Portland doesn’t know how to handle these players, but they don’t have the skillset that Heath has to exploit their opponents’ weaknesses in the same way. Couple all that knowledge and skill with a pair of fresh legs (see: reason #2) and what do we have? Some major potential for an upset. And that is definitely what Portland wants at the end of the day.

Next Season And Beyond

The final reason that Tobin Heath just became Portland’s most valuable asset in the past week has nothing to do with this season, but everything to do with next season, and maybe further into the future as well. Nadia Nadim and Amandine Henry are packing up shop and heading back to Europe. Heck, I can’t blame them – they probably want the possibility to make more than $45,000 a year. But this leaves rather large gaps for the Thorns to fill. Luckily, these gaps are ones that Tobin can help with. But this also highlights exactly why she is so important to the Thorns’ future and why they should take extraordinary care to keep her healthy the rest of this season. Tobin Heath loves Portland. She has outwardly said that she likes playing there. So she isn’t looking to hop ship and head on back to PSG anytime soon. In fact, she is helping to create the future for the Thorns in an even bigger way through her involvement in their Development Academy. Because of this, she is invaluable to the Thorns organization not just this year, but for many years to come. And in turn, they should treat her as such.

I’m not saying that Tobin Heath is the best player on the Portland Thorns currently. She’s far from it, in fact. But she just may be the most important player that the organization has. She could be the spark needed to ignite Portland’s offense, she could help pull off a pretty big upset in the NWSL, and she can form the future of the organization, as well as be their constant throughout her career there. Essentially, Tobin Heath is Portland’s Girl Friday. She can do it all. And that may be what they expect out of her in the next few weeks.

The Unknown International: Natasha Dowie

Posted on by RJ Allen

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The NWSL may be an American soccer league, but many of its most talented players come from all over the world. This series takes a look at some of the best internationals in the NWSL, analyzing their role and impact on both their NWSL club and their national team, as well as their overall style of play. This week, we’ll look at English international Natasha Dowie of the Boston Breakers.

Who Is She?

Natasha Dowie is an English striker who currently plays for the Boston Breakers. She came up through the youth system with Watford Ladies, and spent most of her career in England’s domestic leagues before joining the Breakers. Most notably, Dowie spent five years with Everton Ladies, scoring two goals in their first ever FA WSL match. She also spent some time with Liverpool Ladies before eventually finding her way to the NWSL. Dowie comes from a renowned soccer family–her father was the Director of Football for Premier League-side Crystal Palace, and her uncle was a famous striker for teams such as South Hampton and West Ham. As a professional, Dowie finds herself following in the footsteps of her famous family. She became one of the best goalscorers in the FA WSL before moving to the United States.

English National Team

Dowie started playing with the English National Team in her youth and made her senior team debut in 2009. But even when she is at the top of her game, Dowie has struggled to get a consistent role with the English women. She was left off the roster for the 2011 Women’s World Cup, the 2012 Olympics, and the 2013 Women’s EURO, despite being the FA WSL’s leading goalscorer at the time. She pulled together a string of games leading up to the 2015 Women’s World Cup Qualifiers under interim head coach Brent Hills. But when Mark Sampson took over for the Lionesses, Dowie lost her spot on the roster and has not appeared for the English side since. It is unclear whether or not Dowie has a future with the Lionesses. But change is in the air in England, and between her solid play in the NWSL and a new England manager on the horizon, Dowie definitely has a chance to reclaim her spot.

Boston Breakers

Dowie joined the Boston Breakers in the middle of the 2016 NWSL season. She is one of just three English internationals to play in the NWSL (alongside Rachel Daly of the Houston Dash and Leah Galton of Sky Blue FC). Last season, Dowie made seven starts in seven appearances and scored three goals for the Breakers, bringing a much-needed spark to the Boston side. This season, Dowie has appeared in 22 of Boston’s 23 games and is an integral part of the team’s attack. She has scored five goals and earned two assists, behind only Adriana Leon for the Breakers this season. At the start of the year, Boston came out as one of the stronger teams in the league, but injuries and inconsistency ultimately dashed their playoff hopes. Still, as younger players gain experience and injured players are nursed back to health, a Boston attack featuring Natasha Dowie looks very, very dangerous. Next year’s Breakers season could be very interesting.

Soccer Takes From Jake: Oh, England

Posted on by RJ Allen

IN THEORY…
Let’s talk about things that are good in theory. Specifically football governing bodies.

Whether it’s FIFA, US Soccer, The FA (of England), these entities mean well and over the years sure have done plenty of good in terms of organizing the beautiful game, forming leagues, and all that jazz.

At the same time, for every bit of good they do, boy do they have some spectacular transgressions that wash out their mission statements and leave us with a bland taste in the mouth that tends towards bad – like eating anything from Subway.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock and/or are choosing to plug your ears, on Wednesday, The FA told Mark Sampson to get to walking. They didn’t give him the boot over the allegations of racial abuse of Eniola Aluko or Katie Chapman’s claims that he dropped her from national team consideration as she was going through a divorce. Instead, he was fired because of his transgressions while he was coach at Bristol City in 2014.

Here’s where things get really stupid.

Those transgressions apparently weren’t deemed to be fireable transgressions – just one that didn’t make him look good (HUH?!). It was only when  Sampson’s now former boss, FA big boss Martin Glenn read the Bristol City report in full  (HUH?!) that he decided to give Sampson the boot.

Oh Marty, why oh why did you just wait until last week to read the Bristol City report? Were you getting annoyed at everyone on social media rightfully tearing into Sampson regarding Aluko and the growing support for her as well as the emergence of Chapman? It’s hard to swallow the idea that the FA simply forgot about this report. Surely as you were getting settled into the job, you’d be told about important things like investigations into your senior national team manager being a scumbag.

When they were talking about today’s events on TalkSport, someone said that the “best” thing for The FA  to do at this point is lay out all their cards on the table. Likely alluding to making that Bristol City report available for the public to read and just see for themselves how bad Sampson’s conduct was. This whole notion of that whatever his conduct was, it wasn’t a risk to the safeguard of players is quite the eyebrow-raiser. If the assertions from the Bristol City report are Sampson was pretty much a scumbag, how is that not a threat to player’s safety and well-being, physically and/or mentally? I’m really going to need an adult to explain that one to me.

It’s one thing to appoint someone with the charisma of a paper towel tube, like Roy Hodgson being appointed to the men’s side. Some might even say it’s hilariously fitting. It’s a completely different thing to know someone has a dark cloud above them and still give them the keys. The FA’s position is, basically: “While we feel Mark Sampson is not a racist, we’ve determined that he was kind of a scumbag.” That is the message The FA, under Martin Glenn’s helm have chosen to close the Mark Sampson era as manager of their senior national team. You and The FA might feel like you’ve done the right thing in dumping him now before more voices get louder and stronger with the receipts, but you put this stain on yourself and reputation of the governing body as a whole by not taking it seriously years ago. Matthew Lawson at The Daily Mail said it best: how can you survive the way this one has been mishandling?

So let’s actually get it all on the table.  Omit the names to protect their privacy if you must, but we the public deserve to read that Bristol City report. Trying to keep it all away from public eyes is only going to heighten the scrutiny and when it’s eventually leaked, things will only be worse. Get it all out now, and let’s have a true accounting. 

Fans are going to trash the governing body executives for all kinds of reasons – not liking who they appoint, corruption, ineptitude, etc. But that’s all standard stuff. When those suits turn a blind eye to genuinely awful behavior, public trust will go out the window for good. If there was any defense for their actions, they need to put it out there, or risk a total collapse of legitimacy. 

We can all concede that overseeing a governing body is not an easy job and there are tons of moving parts. However if you’re involved in the game and when it’s time to actually govern for the right, moral reasons and you don’t – this is what undermines your practices and render the entity as just… good in theory.

WEEK 21 NWSL PREDICTIONS
Hey, back to actual soccer and stuff that happens on the field!

PORTLAND THORNS OVER ORLANDO PRIDE
Reign FC fans might find it weird hoping Portland does them a solid and beat Orlando to keep their playoff hopes alive, but there is incentive for the Thorns to win this in general. They are two points behind the North Carolina Courage and the allure of retaining the NWSL Shield for best regular season record is there for them.

WASHINGTON SPIRIT AND BOSTON BREAKERS PLAY TO A DRAW
They’ll play this game and probably not a whole lot of eventful things will happen.

HOUSTON DASH AND CHICAGO RED STARS PLAY TO A DRAW
The Red Stars need a win to keep their grip on the three-seed but I can see this one being a draw, leaving us at least a little bit of drama going into the final weekend.

NORTH CAROLINA COURAGE OVER SKY BLUE FC
The Portland Thorns are right on North Carolina’s heels for that NWSL Shield. While I don’t think Paul Riley’s squad views that piece of hardware as a priority, it sure would do a nice job of trying their championship from last year under a different name together with their new position in NC.

SEATTLE REIGN FC OVER FC KANSAS CITY
Who knows if the tone of the FourFourTwo article will have an affect on the Blues coming into Seattle, but with things in flux and in Seattle’s home finale, they should be amped up. I don’t see a shootout but I can see Seattle throwing everything including the kitchen sink to get the full three points and make that final weekend of the regular season exciting and anxiety-inducing.

So yes, the third and fourth playoff seeds will come down to the final weekend. Hope you remained buckled into the roller coaster that is the NWSL. Here’s your music video break.

Song: “Doing It For The Money” | Artist: Foster The People

Off the Bench with Backline Soccer: 2017, Week 21

Posted on by RJ Allen

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Backline Soccer Recap:

Quick Fire Week 21 Game Previews:

We have just two games left (three for North Carolina and Houston) in the 2017 NWSL season and what a season it has been. We seen more parity between the upper part of the table than years before, which should make an exciting playoff setup. There are three teams competing for the final two playoff positions, Seattle, Orlando, and Chicago. If Orlando and Chicago win this weekend or Seattle loses, both will secure the playoff positions. Let’s break down what to look forward to this weekend. 

Game 1: Orlando Pride vs. Portland Thorns

Orlando Pride record: 10-6-6
Position: 4th
Total Points: 36

Portland Thorns record: 13-5-4
Position: 2nd
Total Points: 43

Orlando’s final home game of the season has serious implications. A win puts them into the playoffs. They would already be there if not for a crazy last second goal by Jess Fishlock last week, but they’ll hope to put it to bed this time around. They’ll need to be careful about the minutes of their returning players who were on national team duty. Six of the eleven starters were with their national teams, Marta, Monica, Steph Catley, Alanna Kennedy, Alex Morgan, and Ashlyn Harris, but only four of them saw minutes. Hopefully they are prepared and recovered enough to put in a solid shift. Alex Morgan is on a tear, with three goals in the two games for the USWNT. If she takes this form into Saturday, Portland will be hard-pressed to shut her down. The Pride’s biggest task will be their defense. Ali Krieger is their leader in the back but she cannot be expected to cover everyone. Portland will put up a big test and it will be up to the backline to shut them down.

Portland also has players returning from international duty, including Allie Long, Tobin Heath, Lindsey Horan, Hayley Raso, Amandine Henry, and Nadia Nadim, all of whom saw minutes. Tobin Heath played about fifteen minutes for the USWNT on Tuesday night so I would expect her to maybe get 20-30 minutes in this match as a sub. They will not want to push her too much.  Portland started the season slow, looking unable to make much happen with top players not producing and the loss of Heath. But in recent games, they’re starting to look much better. That said, their last game against Boston wasn’t great, and if they come out in the same way this time, it could make for a long and difficult game. 

Game 2: Washington Spirit vs. Boston Breakers

Washington Spirit record: 5-13-4
Position: 9th
Total Points: 19

Boston Breakers record: 3-12-7
Position: 10th
Total Points: 16

Washington has had a very tough season. They have few healthy players on the bench to sub in. This week they take on the Breakers, who have also been seriously struggling, in what seems to be a race for the number one draft pick. The Spirit were able to pull off a great win against Sky Blue last time out, and will hope to build on that performance. The biggest thing for them at this point in their season is just to take care of their players and keep them healthy and motivated for next year.

Boston is currently sitting in last place. If you had said that would be the case after the first few weeks of the season, I would have called you a liar. But here they are. Boston is in a similar position as the Spirit in terms of needing good draft picks next season to help build their team. This week, with Mal Pugh looking to start to hit a bit of a stride, they will want to work to contain her and work their way through the Spirit defense. 

Game 3: Houston Dash vs. Chicago Red Stars

Houston Dash record: 7-12-2
Position: 8th
Total Points: 23

Chicago Red Stars record: 10-6-6
Position: 3rd
Total Points: 36

The Dash are out of the playoffs but have the opportunity to play spoiler a bit for the Red Stars if they can pull off the win. Houston really has nothing to lose at this point so it will be interesting to see how they come out. If that’s going to happen, I think it starts with Rachel Daly finally getting in more on the attack and another big game from Jane Campbell. She was away on national team duty but did not see any minutes so should be fresh. The Dash have looked decent at times, but often just do not seem to have a clear game plan. Lack of a real head coach might have something to do with that. Against the Red Stars, they will have a lot to handle, with plenty of big names like Yuki Nagasato and Julie Ertz coming at them. But the Chicago defense has been shakier of late, so there is room for Houston to make a mark here. 

Chicago are in a similar position to Orlando: win, and they’re in. They also had six players with the USWNT, Alyssa Naeher, Christen Press, Julie Ertz, Sofia Huerta, Casey Short, and Morgan Brian. All six saw minutes, with both Ertz and Naeher seeing significant time. The team has seemed a bit sluggish and off their mark for several games now but have managed to pull together enough positive results to keep things afloat.  Christen Press has dipped a bit in form, but I expect her to step up this weekend and push her team into the playoffs. Julie Ertz is coming off a hot two games with the USWNT, and should be able to bring that energy to Chicago as well. Overall, if their big players produce as they should, the Red Stars should not have much trouble this week against the Dash.

Game 4: Sky Blue FC vs. North Carolina Courage

Sky Blue FC record: 9-11-2
Position: 6th
Total Points: 29

North Carolina Courage record: 15-6-0
Position: 1st
Total Points: 45

Sky Blue is officially out of the playoffs which may afford them the opportunity to play more freely this week, and with Sam Kerr on the prowl, that could end up being deadly. Facing the Courage will be a tough challenge, but we have seen them pull off some big wins this year, and if anyone is going to give the Carolina defense a rough time, it’s Kerr and company. Defensively, things look dicier, so they’ll try to keep things as tight as possible, but victory is most likely going to be a matter of outscoring the opposition.  

The Courage are still sitting atop the standings and will be looking to stay there through the end. They also had players off on national team duty. Lynn Williams, Taylor Smith, Abby Dahlkemper, Sam Mewis, Denise O’Sullivan, and Debinha all saw minutes. I don’t expect much experimentation here – they know what works, and will want to focus on locking things in for the playoffs. That said, they have a lot of depth, so we might see them do a bit of minute-management for those who were busy with their national teams. Whoever they run out, North Carolina’s attack will be strong, and will definitely look to exploit a fragile Sky blue backline. 

Game 5: Seattle Reign vs. FC Kansas City

Seattle Reign record: 8-7-7
Position: 5th
Total Points: 31

FC Kansas City record: 7-9-6
Position: 7th
Total Points: 27

Seattle needs a win (and a Orlando and Chicago loss) to stay in the playoff hunt. It is no small task but they have the fight to make it happen. FCKC has been officially eliminated, but are playing some of their best soccer of the year, so could pose a serious challenge to the Reign. Defense has been an issue all season for the Reign but signing Lydia Williams has locked up the back a bit as she has saved their butts quite a few times already. However, she will be on short rest and long travel, after playing every minute for Australia in both games. FCKC have finally started to click and have made a lot of hay from pressuring the opposition and poaching goals, so Seattle will need to be careful as they press the attack to not get caught.  

FCKC’s playoff hopes were dashed with their draw against the Red Stars. However they have been a very good string of positive results and with Seattle’s defensive woes, KC will like their chances of finding the net. They are returning Becky Sauerbrunn and Katie Bowen from national team duty, both seeing significant minutes, but should otherwise be fresh. Seattle’s range of attacking options will pose a real test for the FCKC backline. Hopefully, both sides stay in form and we get a great match. 

The Scouting Report:

We went live on Monday and Wednesday night with two special TSR’s to cover the U.S.A vs. New Zealand matches. A reminder that you can catch TSR live every Monday night at 8pm EST on our YouTube channel. Make sure to follow the podcast on Twitter @ScoutingPodcast.

In case you missed the episodes, catch up here: