You know that saying “it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish?” Well that certainly was the case for the United States against Australia on Thursday night in Seattle in front of a cool 15,748 people. The first 15 minutes were solid from the Americans, showing wave after wave of pressure on the Matildas, with veteran midfielder Megan Rapinoe leading the effort.
The next 60 minutes, however, were a different story.
I will admit, I thought Australia put out a better lineup and they had the right personnel on the field. And though the Americans are ranked #1 in the world, their performance was far from it. Every position was make-shift; starting with the defense consisting of Becky Sauerbrunn, Abby Dahlkemper, Casey Short, and newcomer Taylor Smith. While they were solid for most of the night, the eventual game winner to Tameka Butt for the Aussies was from two poor attempts at clearing the ball. Mishaps we don’t often see from a United States backline.
I noticed we were passing it back to keeper Alyssa Naeher quite a bit. Several passing combinations between the keeper and the backline had fans gasping for a breath with the uncertainty if it was going to cost us a goal or not. Luckily it did not, but it could’ve easily produced a goal or two with how close the always-dangerous Aussie Sam Kerr was getting.
The midfield was an area that really struggled to find cohesion and rhythm all night. The lone bright spot was Rapinoe, who was racing up and down the flanks, creating opportunities for herself and the team alike and pressuring when she thought necessary. It was a relief in my eyes to see her bring her NWSL form to the National team after a spell away. Her fellow mids sprayed a few passes here and there but for long periods of time I forgot who was on the field in the midfield. Sam Mewis, Allie Long, and Mallory had a few quality moments throughout but for the majority it was disappointing.
Up top for the USWNT were Christen Press and Lindsey Horan, two players who are playing quite well for their respective NWSL clubs, Chicago and Portland. But they couldn’t find the right chemistry and when they did, Australian keeper Lydia Williams was up for the task.
Watching this American team on Thursday night, it was no secret there was some disconnect but Jill Ellis is still in her experimenting stage so in the future it could be something that works. I don’t want to take one game and use that as the sample size because that would not be fair. But at some point, when do we figure it out? I thought that point would be the SheBelieves Cup back in March, but here we are at the end of July and once again, we’re on the bottom of the table.
When Jill Ellis started bringing on the substitutes, I thought maybe our tactics would change, (you know, building an attack from the back, putting more players in the box) but I was wrong. Now in the last 10 minutes, sure, we showed some serious quality in our movement but that was due to being down and having that dreaded sense of urgency on home soil. Carli Lloyd, Kelley O’Hara, Morgan Brian, Crystal Dunn, and Alex Morgan all arrived later in the second half. Lloyd almost found an equalizer but once again Williams stood tall in goal against her Houston Dash teammate. Morgan and Dunn made their presence felt, pressuring the backline and pushing the ball forward with great pace but nothing to show for either.
Overall it was a lackluster performance from a team that continues to struggle at home, now having lost a total of three matches this year compared to three matches from 2001-2016. While we may be experimenting in nearly every position, it’s not pretty to watch. With this caliber of players, the talent we have in this country, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where we continue to lose in tournaments and something doesn’t give before the 2019 Women’s World Cup.
Tournament of Nations? More like Tournament of What-Ifs for the United States.
Midway Report: Chicago Red Stars Half Season Review – Sandra Herrera breaks down the Chicago Red Stars season halfway through. She also has some post game comments from Head Coach Rory Dames and Sofia Huerta following the 2-1 win over the Orlando Pride.
Celebrate Good Times – Berea Jurgensen takes a look at the seemingly muted celebrations of women in soccer and why it should not be such a rarity.
6 Takeaways from NWSL: Week 14 – Jordan Small, Luis Hernandez, and Elizabeth Wawrzyniak are back with their six takeaways for Week 14. This week, they discuss the more offensive play of Allie Long, weather delays, the craziness of Sky Blue and Seattle Reign plus much more.
This Isn’t About Soccer Anymore – Elizabeth Wawrzyniak talks about her experience at the Chicago Red Stars and Orlando Pride game in Chicago this week and how she dealt with some very rude fans.
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 this week’s episode, catch up here:
My colleague, Jacqui Porter, will be writing a great recap of the USWNT and Matilda’s match on Thursday night, which you can read later today. Come back next week as I will be back to regularly scheduled programming with NWSL previews!
Twice a season, I travel from the Greater Milwaukee area down to Bridgeview, IL, to catch a Red Stars game. I work most weekends, and I’m a public transport person, so when I go, it’s a big deal. I take the day off, I borrow or rent a car, and I have a great time.
Guaranteed.
No matter who wins or loses, I’m there to enjoy a great game of soccer. I get seats in roughly the same area each time, and there’s a season ticket holder who sits next to me who I’ve discovered is very nice and enthusiastic about soccer. I’ve done the two games a season for two years now, and every game I’ve been to, she’s been there, cheering on the players.
This past Saturday, the Orlando Pride were in town, and it was a fabulous game.
An admission? Because I don’t do the season ticket thing, I splurge on the games I go to, and get seats where I can practically see the sweat dripping off the players’ brows. And I’ve done the thing where I stay after–once to get a picture with Christie Pearce (because a picture with Captain America!) and once to thank Ali Krieger for her response to an article I wrote on being a fat fan of soccer. So don’t get me wrong, I understand the desire to rush down to the barrier and hopefully get a chance to meet a player.
This game, though, was going to be crazy.
And so I, and the woman who sits next to me, left our seats immediately after the game ended, wanting to get out of the way of the rush we knew was coming. As the stadium announcer was still imploring fans to be careful and considerate as they made their way to the barrier, eager to see Alex Morgan, Ali Krieger, Marta, and others, we were trying to work our way up the stairs. But both sides of the stairs were blocked by young girls and their parents trying to get down. Ironically, trying to get into our seats, our places that we were leaving so they could get closer.
I’ve written before about how sports stadiums aren’t built for larger fans. And Toyota Park is no different. So getting up the steps as the crowd of people were rushing down was actually a little nerve-wracking and I saw more than one grown adult get pushed off-balance as people kept coming down. It bottle-necked immediately, with fans filling both sides and preventing people who were trying to leave from getting into the aisle and up the stands. The woman I sit next to was pushed into the seats more than once, as others refused to move or blocked the stairway. Several of us leaving asked people to move to one side so we could clear the area for them, and faced eye-rolls, stares, “I can’t hear you” faces, and comments.
And then there was one white, middle-aged dad who told the woman in front of me that maybe she should lose some weight before she came to another game. Insinuating that she had no place in these stands with him and his daughter, watching these players, much less on that stairwell trying to leave so his kid could have a better chance at meeting whichever player she was there to support.
You know those moments when you wonder what you would do if a situation happened right in front of you?
I’m not ashamed to admit that I told him he was an asshole. He was an asshole.
He probably continued walking down those stairs thinking the same thing about me, that I was an asshole and that I, too, was too fat to be there. Because his comment could have just as easily have been directed at me.
So why am I writing this?
Two reasons, at the least.
First, to the stadium managers at Toyota Park. Obviously you knew that there was going to be a big crowd hoping for autographs post-match because you made an announcement.
Anytime the two most popular players in the NWSL and on the USWNT are in one location, there’s going to be a rush of fans. Next time, please consider sending staff members to those points around the barrier to the field that you can predict will end up bottle-necked and full of people trying to squirm their way closer. A few identifiable members of staff can help keep exit lanes clear of people, direct traffic, and make sure that fans can both head toward the field and head toward the exit with ease. I don’t think I should need to point out that too many people in too small a space can be dangerous, but maybe I do? Anyway, as a fan, I would certainly appreciate it. And I have a sneaking suspicion that the players confronted with what looks like mayhem might appreciate it as well.
Second, to the man who believes fat people have no place in the stands. I want to say “fuck you,” but I won’t. Nor will I apologize for calling you an asshole, though, because bigger people always end up having to be the bigger person, having to apologize for our desire to inhabit the same spaces as everyone else, and I have spent too long fighting with myself over my right to exist anywhere I damn well please. Instead, I’ll say this. You didn’t need to say what you said. Trust me, overweight people are always aware that the world doesn’t fit them. I’m sorry you live in the kind of world where you think it’s okay to say that to another person, though. And I hope your kid got the autograph or selfie or chance to talk with her favorite player.
And lastly–to the woman who sits next to me at these games. I hope I see you next year. I’d like to talk to you some more about the sport we both love.
In this weekly series, I will be highlighting a player from the weekend who was their respective team’s unsung hero, win, lose or draw. A player who does the dirty work, does the little but important things in a game, and someone who didn’t exactly fill up the stat sheet but found other ways to contribute.
This week I’ve chosen Chicago Red Star defender Katie Naughton.
The Elk Grove Village native was selected in the 2016 NWSL College Draft in the second round, going 19th overall to Chicago. She was one of seven players selected to join Rory Dames’ squad that year, and one of the three local players selected by the team. The 23-year-old center back played her college ball at Notre Dame, appearing 87 times while scoring 11 goals in her four-year career. In her rookie season, she played in 17 matches and quickly became an important building piece for Chicago. So far in 2017 Naughton has played in 14 games, and has become one of the five defenders Dames can rely upon to rotate in and out of the starting XI on a game-to-game basis.
Chicago 2-1 Orlando:
Chicago is undefeated at home and they don’t get scored on very often. In fact, the Red Stars have only allowed 13 goals (second-best) and just five goals at Toyota Park, also second-best. But heading into this game, Chicago were without their two regular starters: Julie Ertz and Sam Johnson (Ertz would enter the game in the second half). Orlando, on the other hand, were coming off an explosive 4-1 win over Kansas City, surely taking the field with a bit of confidence. I had thought that the game would be a little more even, to be honest, especially considering that Sermanni had moved Marta into the middle, the spot where Ertz would’ve been. And initially, Orlando took advantage of that mismatch, dominating and controlling 70 percent possession in the first 20 minutes.
Naughton had the challenge of handling not one world class player, but two; international-level competitors Marta and Alex Morgan. It was certainly an adjustment period for the Red Stars with Ertz and Johnson not around, but like I discussed in an earlier piece centered around Arin Gilliland, this group is capable of rotating players on the backline and being successful no matter who is lined up. Wave after wave of Orlando attacks came, but Naughton and her teammates held on, not getting down or panicking for even a second.
In the 22nd minute, Orlando had a nice spell of possession, switching fields and finding Marta to distribute from her central role. Pride midfielder Dani Weatherholt attempted to speed the play up, wanting to slip a pass to the cutting Morgan. Naughton read the intention just in time, stepping in front to escape the possibility of Morgan receiving it and turning for a 1v1 with Chicago goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher.
Throughout the first half, Naughton and her backline were clearly doing some extra communication, realizing that Orlando were building confidence after each run into the final third. Leading the way for the Red Stars defense were Casey Short and Naughton, working to make sure the outside backs Gilliland and Taylor Comeau were on the same page positioning-wise. And while the Pride continued to put pressure, no matter how much knocking they did, Chicago answered the door every time.
Chicago would find a goal in that first half, courtesy of Sofia Huerta and Christen Press (of course). This partnership has certainly been profitable for the Red Stars side; the team is 5-0-2 this season when these two link up for a goal or assist.
Just before halftime, though, Naughton was called upon again. This time it was Marta who attempted to take her to the end line on the left side. The Brazilian and five-time FIFA Player of the Year was doing her dance, hoping to shake Naughton to get into the box. Access completely denied, Naughton waited patiently, not diving in for one second. I enjoyed this play because the Red Star showed off her footwork. She contained the forward long enough and won the ball; not many defenders that go up against Marta wouldn’t have already been on the ground at this point. Chicago went into the locker room with a 1-o lead.
The second half was a different story for Chicago. To reduce the amount of time and space they were giving Orlando in the middle, they brought Ertz to shape things up. Immediately Orlando pressured once again on the left side, with Marta sliding over to make it to the end line of Chicago but Naughton once again stood her ground and won the encounter. The presence of Ertz was clearly helpful, as she took on some of the defensive duties, while Naughton and Casey switched the attack more to try and get Orlando unbalanced.
In the 88th minute, Naughton would make one more play to beat Morgan’s attempt at scoring, beating the USWNT star to header, clearing it to squash the chance of Morgan turning in Chicago’s own 18.
Part of the problem for Orlando was they were not willing to have patience in the final third. Too many times they rushed passes, tried to force themselves forward, and just did not get into the box enough. For Chicago, they were opportunistic, making a few passes before all the sudden they were off to the races, with Press leading the way. While Orlando did manage to score, it was in the 93rd minute and too late. While it wasn’t a perfect defensive game for Chicago, Naughton and the backline got the job done well enough to grab all three points.
With the loss, Orlando slipped to seventh place with 19 points while Chicago pushed past North Carolina into first place with 28 points.
The following were my running thoughts and observations as I attended the Tournament of Nations double-header in Seattle as a spectator.
GAME 1: JAPAN VERSUS BRAZIL Japan’s kits are sweet.
11 minutes in and a decent amount of people here for the first game, given a good deal likely had to duck out of work early and we know the majority are here for the USWNT.
I am sitting in section 107. The last time I caught a soccer game of any kind from this side of CenturyLink Field was the inaugural Sounders FC game in 2009. To think that’s where my life with soccer began and where it is today.
14th minute and Marta gets a shot. The crowd claps. Yes, it’s still something surreal seeing a five-time FIFA World Player of the Year in person.
There is a yout in the next section over going HAM at a rice cake. Kid is living it up.
The first 20 minutes have been slow-ish. Kind of surprised at how much feeling out is going on given it is a friendly.
27th minute – Overheard someone saying: “With seats this close, they look like real people.” I have no idea where to go in terms of… analyzing that take.
As much as they lack quality or get interrupted at the last possible minute by Brazil, Japan’s attempts on goal draw oohs from the crowd.
42nd minute – Japan has had so many chances that they should be up like lots to zero.
WE HAVE A GOAL! What a snap header by Momiki.
The sun cannot set any faster here so the west facade of CenturyLink blocks it. It’s making me want to get a beer faster. I got a beer at halftime.
Seattle Reign FC’s Rumi Utsugi is going to go the full 90 and I swear, where would the Reign be without her?
My seat neighbor Whitney totally called that Brazil will get the equalizer in the final minutes and look what Camila did.
Maybe because it’s the mystique/reputation of Brazilian flair or the fact that it’s a friendly, but their attack seems… frantic in a way that if any other national team was doing it, we’d be raising an eyebrow and going, “Huh?” But it works for them and up until Camila’s strike from distance, it didn’t phase Japan. They looked composed defensively but as part of their youth movement and ushering a new era, you can tell there’s work to be done in finishing their chances. I do not exaggerate when I say that line should have finished with Japan claiming 3 or 4 goals.
The Americans are here. As are more people. A great deal of people are stuck in concession lines as we are less than 5 away from kickoff.
GAME 2: UNITED STATES VERSUS AUSTRALIA Saw some friends during intermission, waded through seas of humanity, got a burger AND STILL GOT BACK IN TIME FOR THE ANTHEMS!
I kind of miss the wrecking ball stylings of Lisa De Vanna in the NWSL.
It has to be an athlete’s superstition – Sam Kerr wearing a shirt one size bigger than she is has entertainment value.
A light jog to Casey Short is a full dead sprint to us plebeians.
The amount of real estate between the jersey numbers for Australia is weird.
And a nation holds their breath as the wonderyout Mallory Pugh got fouled hard.
The U.S. had their chances. Australia almost punished U.S. on their slip-ups. The cheeseburger I had was tasty.
50th minute – overheard someone telling Sam Mewis to shoot from 40 yards out. Heh.
Aussies scored. I imagine #FireJill is lit like a Roman candle. And I feel bad for the person that owns the Twitter handle @jill.
Lydia Williams ain’t here for your Carli Lloyd #BreakingBarriers Moment. Matter of fact, she ain’t here to roll over for the U.S. and that is awesome. Honestly it would have been great if Sam Kerr did it to Alyssa Naeher again with a header from the cross in the second half like she did to her/the Chicago Red Stars a couple weeks ago.
The crowd, which was 15,748 is now Mad Online at various things: the ref making lack of or outright bad calls. Time-wasting by Australia. The US squandering chances – really that attempt by Alex Morgan was bad.
As much as we deride “One Nation, One Team” it does apply to the type of goal the US (men’s or women’s national team) tends to concede. It’s always that one moment, about 3o seconds to a minute where everyone has a sloppy brain fart and the opponent pounces on. That’s how Australia got their goal.
And that’s all I got for the evening. Was the first night of the Tournament of Nations good for you? Probably not if you were rooting for the United States to win. I think we all went in curious to see what Jill Ellis means by experimenting and we got a dud up top with the Horan/Press combination. Mewis and Long in the midfield probably has a way to go to being something that lets us all sleep comfortably at night. Megan Rapinoe’s 2017 form is fun to watch, though for the national team, she cannot do it all on her own. Is the United States hosed come 2018 CONCACAF Women’s Championship aka 2019 World Cup Qualification? Who knows, but tonight in Seattle, Jill Ellis’ long term plans went as well as a FURT sandwich.
And since Australia won and is in the lead after matchday one of the Tournament of Nations, they get the music video break.
Song: “Black Fingernails, Red Wine” | Artist: Eskimo Joe
The #1-ranked United States Women’s National Team will open the Tournament of Nations against a familiar opponent, Australia (#7). They have a record of 25-0-2 against the Matildas and will be looking to stay undefeated. The match is set for July 27 at 7 pm on ESPN and will be played at CenturyLink Field in Seattle.
The Lineups
Head coach Jill Ellis will be experimenting as has become the status quo for the US team. Her call-ups feature plenty of veterans, with a few newer faces and a small sample of youth as well.
Goalkeepers: Alyssa Naeher, Jane Campbell, Abby Smith
Defenders: Becky Sauerbrunn, Ali Krieger, Kelley O’Hara, Julie Ertz, Abby Dahlkemper, Casey Short, Taylor Smith.
Midfielders: Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe, Morgan Brian, Allie Long, Samantha Mewis, Margaret Purce.
Forwards: Alex Morgan, Crystal Dunn, Christen Press, Sydney Leroux, Mallory Pugh, Lindsey Horan, Lynn Williams.
Some notable players are currently unavailable due to injury, including Tobin Heath, Meghan Klingenberg, Rose Lavelle, Ashlyn Harris.
Australia is a dangerous team because they have two things that I love: youth and speed. It’s no secret they have always embraced their young talent Down Under and head coach Alan Stajic has continued to do just that. The Matilda’s ToN roster has an average age of 24, with two 17-year-olds (Ellie Carpenter and Princess Ibini) rounding out the bottom, while the oldest is Lisa De Vanna at 32.
Midfielders: Katrina Gorry, Tameka Butt, Elise Kellond-Knight, Emily Van Egmond, Chloe Logarzo, Alex Chidiac.
Forwards: Sam Kerr, Lisa De Vanna, Hayley Raso, Emily Gielnik, Princess Ibini.
Notable players out due to injury; Kyah Simon, Michelle Heyman.
The History
The last time these two powerhouses met was back in 2015 at the opening match of Group D in the Women’s World Cup in Canada. Rapinoe led the Americans to a 3-1 win by scoring a brace while Press also contributed a goal in the second half. The United States would go on to win their third star while the Matildas reached the quarter-finals but would go no further thanks to eventual second-place Japan.
In 2016 the tables turned a bit for both countries in the Olympics. The Americans would crash out of the tournament in the quarterfinals (the earliest exit in history) while Australia took a devastating loss to Brazil (again on penalties) in the quarterfinals as well. Both teams had high expectations but were eliminated from the Games in stunning fashion. 2017–for both teams–has been a year of experimenting and figuring out how to prepare for the next major tournament as the cycle begins again, the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France.
The Match
The United States will want to put on a better performance than their last home tournament, the She Believes Cup back in March, where they took fourth behind France, Germany, and England. They made a better showing last month in their first overseas friendlies in years, when they managed 1-0 wins over Norway and Pia Sundhage’s Sweden last month. Australia surelyfeel the same need to prove something after they finished third in the Algarve Cup in March with a shocking loss to Denmark in penalties.
Players to watch for both U.S and Australia will be Megan Rapinoe and Sam Kerr. Rapinoe has been in remarkable form for her NWSL side Seattle Reign, scoring a league-leading 12 goals, including a hat-trick on July 22 in a thrilling 5-4 in over Sky Blue. Kerr has equally been impressive with Sky Blue, netting 11 goals so far this season. Rapinoe and Kerr will surely give the opposing defense some challenges if they can translate their NWSL club play onto the international stage at this tourney.
This weekend, Seattle and Sky Blue played one of the craziest games in the history of the league.
I was lucky enough to see it in person, from high above the Memorial Stadium pitch, perched with the seagulls. And when I arrived, my plan was to write a normal tactical column.
Sky Blue had announced a three-back setup, and I was curious to see if that stuck. Would this be their normal 3.5/4.5 approach that they have used before, with O’Hara ranging all up and down the right side? Would it be a true back three? Something else?
And for the first half, that column still made sense. And we will be turning to that tactical conversation in a moment. But ultimately, it felt pointless to fixate in too much detail on the particularities of positional arrangement, when the true story of the game was its emotional arc and the absolute chaos that ensued in that half-hour of madness. So before talking O’Hara and Sky Blue’s hybrid system, we should take a moment to think about momentum.
The power of momentum
In the space of just thirty minutes in the second half, seven goals were scored. By the 60th minute, Seattle was off to the races, with a 4-0 lead and no end in sight. And yet, even then, things didn’t feel secure.
Still 30 minutes left. Honest to god, Sky Blue could still pull this one back. Or lose 7-2. Anything is possible #SEAvNJ
Seattle’s coach, Laura Harvey, commented post game that she still felt nervous, knowing how explosive this Sky Blue team is, knowing how easily the momentum could shift. And that worry was prescient. Because in the 60th minute, Merritt Mathias conceded a penalty on a pointless foul right at the edge of the box (or possibly, even, just outside the box). Kelley O’Hara stepped up to convert, and the whole game turned on a dime.
Both Harvey and Christy Holly, the Sky Blue coach, called attention to this change in the tide, though neither seemed to think that it resulted from any cataclysmic shift in the style of play. So there is a lot to unpack here. Did the game open up during this period? Did the teams change their game plans? What, exactly, happened here?
The simplest answer is that the game overtook the players. Adrenaline rushed, the pace of play quickened, the blood began pounding, and the relentless drive to score took over. Meanwhile, the defensive structure became frayed, passes started to go askew, lines broke down.
And there’s a lot of truth to that. As I said above, trying to analyze this game from a tactical perspective feels a bit beside the point. At the same time, the basic structure of the game didn’t change all that much.
Sky Blue made some substitutions and slightly re-arranged their shape, dropping Killion into the back line, bringing on some more wide attackers, and giving O’Hara even more freedom to wander at will. But more than anything, what changed was the sense of belief.
The defining characteristic of the New Jersey side this year has been their deep faith. No matter what, they believe that the game remains winnable. They don’t stop working; they fight and scrabble and push. Meanwhile, Seattle seems to be a team that blows a bit more with the wind. When things are going well, they look great. But when the high begins to wear off, they look discombobulated.
You saw some of this even in their two blowouts earlier in the season (against Houston and Washington). In both of those games they were rampant for long periods, but once the game was beyond reach, they lost the plot. Neither Houston nor Washington had enough time to make a game of it, but the trouble signs were there nonetheless.
This time, though, they were playing Sky Blue, and there was still half an hour left. That turned out to be more than enough time for the lack of attention and sloppiness to completely change the course of the game. Once the momentum turned, their gyroscope was unbalanced and all hell broke loose.
What on earth is the Seattle defense doing here?
Now, to be clear, it’s not that Seattle looked terrible for the entire period. It’s just that they seemed to switch off in key moments. A Sky Blue team that had been pressing for chances all game, and making a good show of it, suddenly found that extra bit of space that they needed. And they capitalized.
In the end, the game had four distinct phases. In the first half, things were fairly even, with both sides playing the game they expected to play. The first 15 minutes of the second half featured a rampant Seattle time, full of confidence, creating opportunities and finishing their chances. Then, things turned and the next 15 minutes put Seattle on the back heel, with a Sky Blue team that seemed absolutely certain they were en route to a famous victory.
Then, to Seattle’s credit, once the lead was gone, they seemed to right the ship and set out to find the ultimate winner. They had been flailing while trying to hold onto a lead that slipped through their fingers like sand. But seemingly, the actual realization that the lead was gone allowed them to reset their approach, and return to playing their game.
That’s notable, and something that Seattle can certainly take from the game. But they certainly must also be worrying about the lack of attention and structure that allowed things to go off the rails so quickly.
3-5-2? 4-4-2? How about a 4-5-3?
As noted, Sky Blue announced their setup as a back three. And at times, they did play that way. But at other times, they were quite clearly in a standard 4-4-2. So what was it?
The key here is O’Hara, who plays as something of a hybrid. In attack, she presses very high, looking for all the world like an attacking wingback. When she does, the other three defenders spread out to split the field into thirds. And when Seattle broke in transition, they were breaking against a back three.
But when Sky Blue has time to reset their defense, O’Hara drops back and the other members of the backline settle back into a back four.
This isn’t a new setup by any means, though it was arguably more pronounced this week than it has been before. That largely seems to have been due to the limitations of personnel. Clearly concerned about the Seattle attack, Coach Holly chose to use Nikki Stanton as the left back/left CB, and asked her to stay home.
Ultimately, the terminology here doesn’t matter as much as the actual style of play. You can say that it’s a 4-4-2 with one attacking fullback and one defensive fullback. Or you can say it’s a fluid blend of two approaches.
From my perspective, it’s almost tempting to call it a 4-5-3 since, when working well, they manage to get all the value of O’Hara the fullback combined with all the value of O’Hara the winger.
It certainly asks a tremendous amount of her, and her energy in this position is a huge part of what allowed Sky Blue back into the game. It’s a huge advantage, and O’Hara’s attacking chops have been deadly in each of the past three big comeback games for Sky Blue.
At the same time, there are risks to this approach. Managing a back three can be difficult, particularly in transition against a fast team. And Seattle’s fluid attacking corps is particularly tough to handle, as I wrote about last week. A back three is usually well suited to handling a traditional frontline with two forwards but can run into problems when the opposition can rapidly switch between one and three strikers.
We saw some evidence of those difficulties in this game, particularly with Stanton on the left. When they were playing in a back three, she tended to push too narrow at times, leaving acres of space for Seattle’s right side attackers to move through. She also had some difficulty tracking the complicated movements of Naho Kawasumi (a difficult task for anyone, but particularly for a converted midfielder playing in a fluid system).
However, on the whole, the system worked successfully. It played somewhat defensively in most cases, with its main effect compared to a normal 4-4-2 being to put all of the attacking responsibilities on the shoulders of one attacking fullback. That was a useful tradeoff, on the whole, because the one attacking fullback was O’Hara, and she made the most of those chances.
Conclusion
As I noted at the start, it’s hard to draw too many conclusions from such a singular and strange game. But even though Seattle came away with the three points, it’s probably Sky Blue who can take the more positive lessons. Their ability to fight back under extreme conditions was proven once more. The team spirit was further clarified. And the usefulness of their overall team structure was confirmed.
Going forward, they will need to clamp down on the defensive profligacy earlier in matches. They are spending a huge amount of energy—both physical and emotional—on these rousing comebacks, and that could be a real problem as the dog days of summer set in. In the end, that may consign them to a strong mid-table finish rather than the playoffs that they have been hoping for.
But there is one thing that we can now state with absolute confidence: writing off this Sky Blue team even one second before they are mathematically eliminated would be a huge mistake.
Just when you think nothing else can surprise the NWSL faithful, Week 14 happens right before the break for Tournament of Nations, and folks it was nuts. I mean from an instant classic to a suspended match, the league is Must Watch TV. So let’s get right to it, and give you our Week 14 takeaways.
Allie Long Is Coming Alive at the Right Time – Jordan Small
Last week on The Scouting Report, I mentioned that Allie Long was having a quiet season. After moving into a more defensive role, we hadn’t seen as much of Long as we had in previous seasons. It was unfortunate because Long had become one of the best club players in the NWSL. It felt as if a great offensive talent was being wasted.
So of course, what happened this weekend? She went out and scored a goal to tie the game up for Portland. She was all over the field and had a number of chances for the Thorns. I’m not saying that she needs to be more offensive, but I think she is playing her best when she’s in an attacking role. Her ability to distribute and be in the right place at the right time for Portland is something that is hard to come by. Maybe it’s the absence of players like Amandine Henry and Nadia Nadim that has allowed Long to be more of an attacking presence this week.
Don’t Blame the Goalkeepers – Jordan Small
When looking at a high scoring game, it can appear as if the goalkeepers did not have decent games. That wasn’t the case in the Seattle vs. Sky Blue game where 9 goals were given up. Both Kailen Sheridan of Sky Blue and Haley Kopmeyer of Seattle were hung out to dry by their defenders.
For the second time in two meetings this season, each goalkeeper gave up a penalty kick goal. It’s hard to really blame goalkeepers for giving up a goal in that situation, especially when they get a piece of the shot. Then you look at the free kick goal that was scored by Megan Rapinoe. Sheridan was within a foot or two of getting a piece of that shot. Not many goalkeepers are going to be stopping shots in the upper 90. At the end of the day, there isn’t a lot to get out of that game from a goalkeeper’s perspective because the defense in front was poor at best.
Red Stars: A Model of Consistency – Luis Hernandez
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Chicago enters the ToN break at the top of the table. The linchpin behind the success of the Red Stars has to be Head Coach Rory Dames. Dames has been the gaffer for the Red Stars since 2011, attached to the club from its rise out of the WPSL to the NWSL. Under his management, the Red Stars have been able to establish a culture of success: everyone on the Red Stars understands what it means to be a part of the team, and know their roles.
A younger or less experienced team may have been challenged to overcome their coach getting sent off for the second half, but Coach Dames’ ejection at halftime didn’t seem to phase the players or coaching staff, and the Red Stars were able to come away with three points at home against Orlando. A key aspect of the Red Star’s performance is the basic idea that the team has an identity. Teams that face Chicago know what the club is going to do beforehand, but teams like Orlando are helpless to overcome that. Chicago will sit back happy to yield the possession, and strike on a counterattack or play a ball over the top, so Christen Press can use her speed to score a goal. Having that consistency which Dames worked to have in the club, is paying off dividends. Can they cash that in with an NWSL shield or NWSL championship? We’ll just have to wait and see.
Weather Screws With the Schedule Again – Luis Hernandez
The league has really had a difficult time planning for and dealing with the weather. First, the Lifetime TV deal has forced teams into playing at a set time according to a broadcast schedule, which, especially in the summer heat, has consequences for attendance. That heat issue has also affected the players, as when Rachel Daly collapsed of heat exhaustion at the end of a match played in the hottest part of the Texas afternoon. The league reacted to this by shifting game start times again, and trying to make changes to address the concerns of the players and fans.
Wisely, this week the league shifted the start time of the FC Kansas City match against the North Carolina Courage due to forecasted heat conditions. Unfortunately, Mother Nature didn’t cooperate and the match had to be suspended because of the “weather problems.” Fans will remember the league had to abandon a scheduled match last season as well when pouring rain in Houston washed out the match against the Spirit in Week 7 that the teams had to make up in between week 15 and 16. The postponement did little to impact the final results in the standings back in 2016, and the replay when it does get played isn’t going to help the Blues either.
Is there a better way to handle weather delays? Could they be rescheduled sooner? Maybe it’s worth talking about a little more.
THAT Game – Elizabeth Wawrzyniak
My dad thinks he’s funny, because every time I tell him I’m watching a soccer game, he asks me “What’s the score?” See, he’s a football fan–an American football fan, and so the idea of a game ending 0-0, or even 2-1, is kind of blasphemous to him. There’s not enough action (obviously he’s never really tried to watch a game), the players flop around too much (you’re thinking of men’s soccer, dad), what’s with the extra time after the whistle (IT’S CALLED STOPPAGE TIME JUST GO WITH IT), and god forbid I ever try to explain the offside rule to him.
So when I got home on Saturday night and turned on the Seattle v Sky Blue game, and saw the Reign’s 4-0 lead slowly slip away as Kelley O’Hara, Leah Galton, Daphne Corboz, and the Australian wizard Sam Kerr each scored, I couldn’t help but text him.
You know, I hate the phrase “deserved a win,” because no one really ever deserves to win something. A win is something you earn.
But man, Sky Blue deserved to win on Saturday night. And whether you blame Erica Skroski’s own goal or the backline’s breakdown in the wake of Kerr evening up the score, that loss just left me hollow after. Because they put up such a fight.
One time–maybe just once–they could come out looking like that from the start.
Take a Shot – Elizabeth Wawrzyniak
Do you know which team has the most Shots on Goal (SOG) this season? It’s not who you’d think.
It’s Sky Blue. Sky Blue FC has 99 SOG so far as we hit the second break of the season. 99 SOG out of 170 total shots. Over 50% of their shots are right on target. And yet, they only have 28 goals. Only 28% of their SOG (or 16% of their total shots) have found the net.
The Houston Dash, sitting right now at 6th on the table after a rocky start to the season, have the second most SOG. 99 of 183 total shots Their accuracy might be lower than Sky Blue, both in terms of shots and goals, but not by a lot. 50% of their shots are on goal and and 17% of those find the net.
Why do I care? Because I think Sky Blue still has a chance at making the post-season. But to do this, I think they might need to stop shooting in the blind hope that they’ll get one past the keeper and start putting together a more organized and efficient offense. Their attack needs to be more surgical–and not the exploratory kind. Less frenzied, less “Kelley O’Hara plays ALL the positions” and more committed to structure over desperation.
Because Sam Kerr won’t always be able to pull their asses out of the fire. And O’Hara won’t always be able to get them into the attacking third by sheer force of will.
In the women’s game, when the ball hits the back of the net there are two typical celebrations. Either the player who just scored will run to the arms of her teammates that are on the field, or run to the arms of her teammates on the bench. Watching this, a spectator might assume that it’s because women see goals as team efforts, and want to celebrate them as such. However, if we look a little deeper, it’s not hard to see this as partially a product of the standards set for women in society. This is a world where women are often told that their successes are not as important or as great as that of men. And, as a corollary, that they shouldn’t celebrate with as much enthusiasm.
So, if the standard celebrations are pretty low energy, is that because women generally just celebrate differently? Or is it because they’ve been encouraged to keep it low? Every league has its rules on celebrating. The National Football League can fine players for celebrating in a different way than what they define as being a “nice celebration.” People will complain no matter what the circumstance is, however, some gender-norms are also played into the women’s league.
Now, National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) fans are accustomed to watching great celebrations from players like Samantha Kerr or Megan Rapinoe.
Loud.
Crazy.
Exciting.
And there have also been examples of great team celebrations, like the US Women’s National Team’s (USWNT) celebrations in the London 2012 Olympics. But these are generally the exceptions rather than the norm. So the question stands, why do we almost always see the same celebrations?
To understand the conversation surrounding goal celebrations, we need to take a look into the dynamics of women’s sports teams. Back in 2007 Hope Solo was banished from team USA after publicly calling her coach out. It’s not hard to see a double standard at work here. When a man calls a coach or teammate out it is often seen as a bold choice. Contentious and maybe even disruptive, but well within the bounds of normal behavior. However, when a woman does it, she is banished from the team and marked as too outspoken in the women’s soccer community.
It may well be that muted celebrations are a product of this climate. Don’t be aggressive, or loud. Don’t call too much attention to yourself. No one will complain about a group hug with your teammates or a pat on the back and a few high fives, so just stick with that.
As noted above, there are some exceptions to this rule. Sam Kerr is famous for her backflips, and Megan Rapinoe is often seen dancing on the field after a goal and encouraging her teammates to join in on the fun. Even on the national team back in 2011 she picked a field mic up and sang, “Born in the USA!” after her goal against Colombia. And in the 2012 Olympics, the USWNT was famous for their team celebrations. They did the worm, a salute, and even somersaults. And other national teams have occasionally got in on the fun. But generally, this sort of thing remains uncommon.
And that’s unfortunate. Kerr’s backflips are instantly turned into GIFs that get shared all around women’s soccer blogs and Twitters. The women’s soccer community loves to see big, fun celebrations. We can all take the game seriously, while still remembering that it’s a game and it’s supposed to be fun. And there are plenty of girls out there watching, who might see these joyful goal celebrations and get excited to score themselves.
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