Author: RJ Allen

Can Orlando Pride Capitalize over Sky Blue FC for First Road Win?

Posted on by RJ Allen

With a quarter of the 2017 season in the books, the Orlando Pride sit 8th on the table, three points out of the playoff picture.

Going into Week 7, Coach Tom Sermanni’s side travel out to New Jersey to take on Sky Blue FC for their first meeting of the season. The timing for this week’s match may favor the Pride since Sky Blue is coming off a midweek loss to the North Carolina Courage on the road. Perhaps looking ahead to Orlando, Coach Christy Holly fielded a less than optimal starting XI Wednesday, and had to chase the match late which ended 2-0 in favor of the Courage.

Orlando have finally started to get in rhythm taking points in its last three matches, and have established a sense of identity missing in their first three. The most serious concern going into the match will surround the Pride netminder, more likely to be Caroline Stanley as regular backup goalkeeper Aubrey Bledsoe recovers from a concussion. A full week of practice to rally the Orlando back line will help as the defense looks to clamp down on league golden boot leader Sarah Killion, national team player Kelley O’Hara, and Australian star Samantha Kerr. Another weapon Orlando will be facing is Costa Rican international Raquel “Rocky” Rodriguez who, along with O’Hara and Killion, make for a stacked midfield.

Former Rutgers Scarlet Knight standout Kristen Edmonds is going to need to regain some of her 2016 form on her collegiate stomping grounds and work her way into the Pride attack; however, she’s been pressed to work on the defensive end alongside Dani Weatherholt while Camila has taken up the attacking midfielder role. Edmonds needs to provide better link play to the Pride offense to keep a quick transition, since her contributions so far haven’t been anything to write home about. She hasn’t been able to provide service from her free kicks which helped her last season.

Tactically, Sermanni may feel it more important to focus on the defensive side while on the road with Stanley in the back, but don’t dismiss Orlando’s attacking mindset with Marta leading the blitz against Canadian Kailen Sheridan and Captain American, herself Christie Pearce and the rest of the back line. The Pride need to take advantage of any fatigue plaguing Sky Blue after their rainy midweek game and travel to and from North Carolina. Orlando has demonstrated it can take it to a strong home side to get a result. Sermanni needs to be prepared to face SBFC’s 4-2-3-1 by changing his 4-3-3 formation to something that works to give better match ups for his side.

Orlando will need to be more physical for Saturday’s match without giving up fouls to the home side in dangerous spots. Orlando will need to take the ball up the flanks, and pressure the young Sky Blue defenders with crosses with multiple attacking players making runs inside the box. The Pride can’t push the ball forward with only a couple of players and hope to maintain possession or lob the ball over the top and be successful unless they can break on a quick counter-attack.

I do believe Stanley and the Orlando defense will have enough to keep the Sky Blue attack in check. This is one of the best opportunities to get the first road win of the season, putting to an end an 11-match road winless streak dating back to last year. One of the Pride’s secondary attacking option will need to make an impact to keep defenses honest, and create some space for Marta or Camila who should be taking the ball into the 18 if the Pride play direct or off a cross from one of the backs getting forward. This test will finally convince doubters that Orlando is a legit team. Orlando will get its first victory over Sky Blue and win 2-1.

The Unused Sub: We Are In This Together

Posted on by RJ Allen

I’ll leave a thorough recap of Wednesday night’s North Carolina Courage/Sky Blue FC match to the professionals here on this site, but goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan probably got her some Player of the Week considerations for her shift. Yes North Carolina won the match 2-0 but that scoreline could have been a rout if it weren’t for Sheridan.

IF I CAN BE SERIOUS FOR A MINUTE

As I write this, it’s been rather quiet in the world of WoSo (though here’s to a speedy & proper recovery to you Ashlyn Harris). We are still reeling from the Manchester Arena tragedy on Monday and finding ways to not necessarily “make sense” of what happened, rather doing something for lack of a better term, just … something. Whether the purpose is to overcome the grief or take their mind off it, we all have our respective ways. For a lot of us, sports is that agent, that vehicle to go to whenever something bad happens. Backline Soccer’s overlord RJ Allen wrote this beautiful piece on finding the beauty in the beautiful game.  Stop and go read her piece if you haven’t already. Don’t worry, I’ll wait.

Writing about the things that make us happy – whether it’s for therapeutic reasons or just for the hell of it – is a timeless practice and certainly writing about the sport we love sure applies. Everyone here on Backline Soccer loves the beautiful game and it’s nice to see their passion poured into the stuff that is on here. From recaps to interviews to episodes of The Scouting Report & The 123rd Minute, the people that make up Backline Soccer are here because they love it. They care about the sport as it is and where it can go, what it can mean to so many other people. The meaning of life is open to so much interpretation and I think that is the best way you can define it; the meaning of life is what you make of it. And what the people of Backline Soccer have declared is this site is a part of their life. We are here to connect with others through the commonality of loving the beautiful game. We are here because we are happy to be here. We are here because well, it helps us with living.

If you visit this site, it’s because you share a love for the game of soccer with us – thank you. Having something to love and enjoy and share it with people, I think is one of the pillars of the human experience and never forget that. Even in the face of tragedy. To suffer is human, yes, but to enjoy matters more.

FURT IS TWO GAMES BEING BACK TO BACK

  • Seattle Reign FC OVER Houston Dash
  • North Carolina Courage OVER Chicago Red Stars
  • Sky Blue FC and Orlando Pride play to a DRAW
  • FC Kansas City OVER Washington Spirit
  • Portland Thorns OVER Boston Breakers.

This week’s music video break is dedicated to everyone in Manchester, England. May the city and its people stay strong.

Song: “The Opener” | Artist: The Courteeners

The band’s frontman Liam Fray has said of this song as a love letter to the city he grew up in, Manchester, England.

Jill Ellis Releases Roster for June Friendlies

Posted on by RJ Allen

The 21-players named to the roster will travel to Europe for a June 8th match against Sweden in Gothenburg and a June 11th match against Norway in Sandefjord.

GOALKEEPERS (2): Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars), Abby Smith (Boston Breakers)

DEFENDERS (7): Abby Dahlkemper (NC Courage), Julie Ertz (Chicago Red Stars), Jaelene Hinkle (NC Courage), Meghan Klingenberg (Portland Thorns FC), Kelley O’Hara (Sky Blue FC), Becky Sauerbrunn (FC Kansas City), Casey Short (Chicago Red Stars)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Morgan Brian (Houston Dash), Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC), Rose Lavelle (Boston Breakers), Carli Lloyd (Houston Dash/Manchester City), Allie Long (Portland Thorns FC), Samantha Mewis (NC Courage), Megan Rapinoe (Seattle Reign FC)

FORWARDS (5): Crystal Dunn (Chelsea FC), Sydney Leroux (FC Kansas City), Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride/Olympique Lyonnais), Christen Press (Chicago Red Stars), Mallory Pugh (Washington Spirit)

A few interesting points to talk about in Ellis’s choices.

The most obvious place to start is the goalkeeper position, where due to Ashlyn Harris’s Week 6 injury, may have undergone a last-minute shakeup. While it’s no surprise that Alyssa Naeher has been called up–she’s been the de facto #1 since Hope Solo’s termination in late 2016, Abby Smith getting her first call-up to the Senior team was a little unexpected. Unless, of course, you’ve been watching her play this season with her club team, where she has 22 saves for the season already, and a 1.0 GAA. Some might have expected to see Houston Dash’s Jane Campbell on the roster, but she’s been playing backup for Lydia Williams so far this season (minus her unfortunate debut against Seattle in Week 2), while Smith has been out on the line every week and keeping her team in the top half of the table.

Jaelene Hinkle  makes her return to the USWNT after several months without being called-up. Hinkle, who was allocated for the 2016 season, did not make the roster for Rio and has struggled with injuries in the meantime. But after winning the 2016 NWSL championship with the WNY Flash, and making the move to North Carolina, she has been looking fit and ready to compete at the highest level again. The question will be: can she bring her excellent club performance to the international pitch, and elevate it further? It’s not often players get second chances at this level, so hopefully Hinkle will be able to make the most of it.

The biggest news on the roster, though, is Sydney Leroux’s long-awaited return to international play. After taking off 2016 to give birth to her first child, Leroux has been working non-stop to return both for club (making her first start with FC Kansas City and netting her first goal for the Blues in their opening weekend game) and country. And no better time than the present. Leroux has always been a wildcard on the attack, and that’s something the US has been lacking since the World Cup. The closest anyone has come to making the kind of commotion on the field that Syd the Kid has been capable of in the past is Houston’s Kealia Ohai, who doesn’t appear on the roster for these games.

For all the discussion that will take place over this roster (who made it, who didn’t, who should have, who shouldn’t have) all-in-all, it’s well-balanced and strong. Full of experience and energy. And I can’t wait to see how they all come together on the field for the US’s first friendlies overseas since before the 2015 World Cup.

The matches will be aired on US television. The June 8th game against Sweden can be seen at 1:30pm ET on ESPN2 and UDN, and the June 11th game against Norway will air at 1:00pm ET on Fox.

As always, Backline Soccer will be here to break down the games in our weekly podcast, so make sure you tune in.

6 Takeaways From NWSL: Week Six

Posted on by RJ Allen

Week 6 of the NWSL season has come and gone. This was probably the most normal week of the NWSL season yet. But just when you started to get comfortable, midweek games are starting to appear. So to prepare you for Week 7, let’s look back at our takeaways from the last round of games.

Sky Blue FC & Portland No Strangers to Earning Penalty Kicks – Luis Hernandez

Alright, it’s no secret around here, I’ve followed the Orlando Pride since the beginning. When you support a new team, there’s always going to be a series of firsts to look forward to which will be a part of team history. Steph Catley recorded the first goal for the team, and she also provided the first assist last year. What’s my point? I’m still waiting for a PRO referee to point to the spot for Orlando, even though the Pride top the Fouls Suffered list.

Ending Week 6, Sky Blue FC and the Portland Thorns both earned a penalty kick which helped them get a positive result. In fact, Sky Blue has had four PKs called in their favor and the Thorns has had three so far. This isn’t an accident because last year both teams led the league in Penalty Kick Attempts, four PKA in 20 games. Remember, it’s Week 6 and Sarah Killion has four penalty kick goals this season alone, while Nadia Nadim has three. I don’t know if both teams can keep that pace up, but how do you explain those numbers? Either the clubs are being coached a specific way, or the soccer gods, or, I don’t know, PRO, but it’s something.

 

Pride Show Grit to Take a Point in Seattle – Luis Hernandez

It wasn’t pretty, and it surely wasn’t the way Coach Tom Sermanni expected his side to leave Memorial Stadium. However, I’m sure he’ll take the road point considering he lost team captain Ashlyn Harris to a hip injury, and had to call on recently signed Caroline Stanley since the normal backup goalkeeper was out with a concussion. It’s doubtful Stanley has been in Orlando the full week, but she took the field like a pro.

The point in Seattle demonstrates how much the second-year team has matured, and the improvements Sermanni has been able to make from one year to the next. Last season, the Pride fell to the Reign when they put up five goals on the less than stellar Orlando defense. At times, the Pride had to do everything it could to absorb the Seattle pressure, but as a team, Orlando was able to withstand it. Last year’s team could easily have given up more goals. There is something to be said for the feeling of seeing growth and improvement from the Pride who could only manage one draw last season.

Shea Groom Will Never Stop Going – Jordan Small

When Shea Groom exited the field after being subbed off this weekend, the first thing she did when she got with the trainer at the bench was to remove the huge piece of protective equipment that was covering her side. Groom has been playing since Week 1 with a broken rib on her left side. Yet somehow, she keeps going. She has not pulled back on a challenge and is still a very important piece to the physical front line of FCKC.

In the post-game press conference, head coach Vlatko Andonovski spoke about how they are trying to be careful with Groom because they don’t want this to turn into a situation where she is out for months. However, he said that she doesn’t want to ever slow down and they are playing on a fine line with her. While she may not be scoring for KC, the fact that she is out there every week is simply incredible.

The Three Back is Struggling in the NWSL – Jordan Small

Six weeks into the season, we have seen many teams attempt a three-back. Many have tried and many have failed at this experiment. The latest example of this was Chicago’s dismantling of the North Carolina Courage backline today. With that, it is hard to believe that any teams will continue to attempt this system. It’s just not working.

We’ve also seen Seattle and Washington try their hands at the tricky backline, but both have now gone back to the traditional four back. This is honestly for the best. It is very difficult to play a three-back week in and week out because of the high quality of strikers in this league. It’s one thing for the national teams to try it, but it’s a whole different ball game in the NWSL.

Rocky Rodriguez is Good at Scoring – Leigh Nieves

Maybe it was Raquel Rodriguez’s pre-game story that aired on Lifetime before Sky Blue’s face off with Houston, but the girl was on fire during their Saturday match. She drew their PK in the 19th minute to give them a 1-0 lead and also scored the game-winner in the 85th minute allowing Sky Blue to leave with three points.

The reigning Rookie of the Year has been in the shadow of Sarah Killion so far this season, since Killion is currently the league’s all-time leading goal scorer, but all signs are pointing to Rodriguez just starting to warm up. 

Beverly Yanez Remains Consistent – Leigh Nieves

Yanez has been a part of the Reign since 2014. She also has scored 15 goals in that time, three of which have been during this season. On a team where that often sings high praises of players like Megan Rapinoe, Jess Fishlock, Naho Kawasumi, and Kim Little (until she returned home to play for Arsenal L.F.C.), Yanez is a player that has often been overlooked. This could be a testament to the strength of some of the Reign’s strikers, but Beverly has been a consistent staple for the team since her arrival and 2017 seems no different. 

Those are our takeaways from Week 6 of the NWSL. So Week 7, whatcha got for us? We want to hear from you on these and any thoughts you may have. Consider leaving us a comment, and we’ll see you with new takeaways next week!

Unsung Hero of the Week: Rapinoe Brings Purple Reign

Posted on by RJ Allen

In this weekly series, I will be highlighting a player from the weekend who was their respective team’s unsung hero, win or lose. 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 Seattle Reign FC forward Megan Rapinoe.

Rapinoe has been one of the original Seattle fan-favorites since 2013, when the National Women’s Soccer League began. Making 46 appearances while scoring 22 goals for the Reign, Rapinoe has been a key part of Seattle’s rise to the top of the NWSL over the last five years. But after tearing her ACL with the National Team in December 2015, Rapinoe’s appearances with her club team have been limited, and when she does take the pitch, she’s been a little rusty.

But now, I think we can all say with confidence: Pinoe’s back, baby.

Seattle 1-1 Orlando:

Throughout the first six weeks, Seattle has had a kind of Jekyll and Hyde feel about them, while Orlando’s start has been a little underwhelming, to say the least, until their surprise win over the NC Courage in Week 5.  So no one was particularly surprised as the match started and the Reign started out strong, dominating early possession. The Reign are considered one of the best clubs at home and currently have a 10 match undefeated run at their Memorial Stadium home. Orlando, on the other hand, have yet to earn a win in their last 13 away games.

One of the biggest difference makers for me in this match was the 31-year-old Rapinoe, who was vital in the Reign maintaining possession throughout the match and controlling the pace of the game.

One of the best parts about Rapinoe’s game is her passing ability. An early example of this was in the seventh minute of the game, when Rapinoe checked into space near the midfield, her back to the opposing goal, to receive a pass from Christine Nairn. With one last quick shoulder check on her defender, Rapinoe took a single touch with her right and sent a lovely ball towards Jess Fishlock, who was wide-open and charging into Orlando’s eighteen yard-box territory at the time.

In this instance, the Pride’s defensive back Alanna Kennedy was able to slide over just in time to force a crunching tackle, and both players got tangled up trying to win the ball. But what many people may overlook in watching the ball is how Rapinoe not only knew where Fishlock was running too in that split second, but gave Fishlock a real chance with her placement of the ball.

One reason it’s difficult to defend the Reign is because they are known as a technical team, they love the one-touch passing game and time and time again, they are synchronized moving up into the attack. This season, Seattle are working with a 4-3-3 formation, pushing Rapinoe up top with fellow veterans Bev Yanez and Nahomi Kawasumi.  The attack is supported by a well-connected midfield, composed of Fishlock, Christine Nairn and Rumi Utsugi. But the most important part of the Reign’s dominance on the pitch is that all the players mentioned above–Rapinoe and her teammates in the front and midfield–are interchangeable on the field.  Each one of them could swap positions on the pitch at any point and perform to Laura Harvey’s exacting standards. That’s how they create so many quality chances and in doing do, currently lead the league in Goals (15), Assists (10), Shots on Goal (39) and are second in Shots overall (73).

Rapinoe was busy all game long finding space and getting service to her teammates in critical areas. In fact, the lone goal for Seattle came off service from that special right foot in the 40th minute. After the second consecutive corner found its way back to Rapinoe out wide, she whipped in a tantalizing ball that sent Orlando backup goalkeeper Caroline Stanley out to the six-yard box to only land a weak punch that landed the ball at Rachel Corsie’s feet. Corsie, then, deflected the ball toward Yanez, who scored with a beautiful tap-in.

But remember. It all started with Rapinoe. With Rapinoe not giving up on the right side after a few minutes down in their end, making the decision to continue pressing forward toward goal and pressuring the Pride’s defensive with her service.

The goal–the point, the eventual draw–it all started with Megan Rapinoe.

While Seattle are sitting in fourth place with two wins, one loss, and three draws, they once again have the talent and leadership to make it back to a familiar place–the coveted NWSL Championship game. If Rapinoe can continue to find the back of the net (four goals so far in 2017, second in the league) while also finding opportunities for her teammates, it just may be Reigning in October.

Breaking News: Chicago Red Stars Sign Yuki Nagasato

Posted on by RJ Allen

The Chicago Red Stars have announced the signing of Japanese international Yuki Nagasato.

https://twitter.com/chicagoredstars/status/867425029696479232

Nagasato has appeared 132 times with the Japanese Women’s National Team, where she scored 58 goals and was a three-time World Cup player and two-time Olympian. She was a key member of the 2011 Women’s World Cup team that defeated the U.S. Women’s National Team in a  penalty shoot-out to win the 2011 title.

She has previously played for NTV Beleza of the Nadeshiko League – scoring 88 goals in 133 appearances, FFC Turbine Potsdam of the Bundesliga – earning three straight Bundesliga championships and scoring 18 goals in her final season with the team, Chelsea FC of the FA Women’s Super League – scoring 5 goals in 18 appearances, and Vfl Wolfsburg of the Bundesliga – scoring 4 goals in 9 appearances. She has been with FFC Frankfurt of the Bundesliga since 2015, where she has scored 8 goals in 35 appearances.

The addition of 29-year-old Nagasato is a key addition to the Red Stars offense, which includes U.S. National Team forward Christen Press.

Nagasato is expected to join Chicago on May 31, 2017.

Ashlyn Harris Out 8 Weeks

Posted on by RJ Allen

Orlando shared the unfortunate news that star goalkeeper and captain Ashlyn Harris will be out approximately eight weeks after an injury suffered against the Seattle Reign this past Sunday.  Orlando reports that she’s suffered a quadriceps injury near her hip

Harris went down with a non-contact injury in the 24′, taking a goal kick and then collapsing in pain on the field. Though Harris walked off under her own power, Orlando was forced to make an early substitution, and sent new signing Caroline Stanley out into the box to keep the powerful Reign at bay for the rest of the match. Stanley and the team fought hard to earn a draw and a point despite losing their captain in an unfortunate and somewhat shocking way.

Stanley will stay with the team in the meantime, and it seems that Aubrey Bledsoe, the backup who was ruled out of last week’s match and prompted Stanley’s pickup, may have been replaced as the Pride’s #2 keeper.

As for Harris, this means fans will not see her play with the National Team in their upcoming June friendlies against Sweden and Norway in Europe, and and her status for the recently announced Tournament of Nations to take place on the West Coast later this summer is in jeopardy, leaving Jane Campbell as the likely candidate to fill the #2 GK spot on the UWSNT roster.

Finding the Beauty in the Beautiful Game Again

Posted on by RJ Allen

The next generation is going to grow up having pretended to be Alex Morgan or Christen Press or Amy Rodriguez in their backyards.

They will be Hope Solo in goal when the sandbox is in and the monkey bars are out. It’s going to be Tobin Health they try to match trick for trick after watching her moves over and over on YouTube.

If they get bloody it will be Kelley O’Hara against China that springs to mind.

When they save a ball off the line it ill be Meghan Klingenberg’s name tossed around like a badge of honor. Julie Johnston is going to be their hero with a lion’s roar and fiery tackles. It’s going to be Carli Lloyd’s hat tick and Lauren Holiday’s perfect volley they try to imitate after each practice.

It will be Becky Sauerbrunn’s ability to do her job better than anyone else they remember. It will be Ali Krieger’s ability to move fluidly between defense and office that sets the bar. It will be Morgan Brian getting up from getting hit and never losing a step. It will be Megan Rapinoe’s celebrations that will be copied and built on and remembered.

Each generation looks to the one that came before it for inspiration. The 15ers put on one hell of a show, didn’t they?

I wrote those words–or something very close to them, because I can’t deny I did a little self editing–in the shadow of the World Cup win back in 2015.

Back then everything felt new. I was just some nobody on Tumblr, reblogging photos, and looking up stats, and talking about soccer late into the night with my friends. While I had followed on and off since 2004, it was all felt so different. It felt new and rejuvenated and, honestly, like nothing could hamper WoSo’s rising glory.

Fast forward to about two months ago and I felt lost. Numb really might be the better world. The off-season was coming to a close and the prep for the (historic) fifth season of the NWSL was in full swing here at Backline Soccer.

And yet, in general, all soccer was making me feel at the time was annoyed. Whether it was the unfortunate early exit of the USWNT from the Rio Olympics, the loss or retirement of longtime players at the international level, the long and seemingly never-ending grind of the CBA negotiations, or even just the way women’s soccer continued to be overshadowed in every corner by men’s teams and men’s leagues, I found myself burnt out on soccer.

While I love my job, while I love each and every day I get to work with the talented people here at Backline, I really didn’t feel any love for soccer at the time. I had to make sure we had 10 previews ready to go in short order on top of 10 preview TSR episodes. I was working 40+ hours a week on top of another 25 to 30 for the site.

Soccer was everywhere, all around me, and I couldn’t find the joy in it anymore.

And then I saw those words.

I saw the words I wrote back when I was just basking in the warmth of the World Cup on a long-deleted Tumblr. And for a moment I felt the numbness slip away and I let the magnitude of what happened in the summer of 2015 in Canada hit me again.

I turned on the Germany game that night. And I watched as the drama unfolded all over again. The feeling of that game, maybe one of my all time favorites, took away the numbness and brought back the beauty that I feel so deeply for.

Witnessing the moment between Solo and Sauerbrunn and Johnston after the “red card that should have been,” still caused my breath to hitch, my pulse to rise, my chest to tighten with the excitement and the wonder at what was happening on the field in front of me. Watching as the midfield worked together in a way we haven’t seen in well over a year was both delightful and a little painful. Seeing Morgan Brian stand after bashing her head into Popp’s still made me nervous for her as she went back in. Seeing Solo take an hour to get into goal for the PK all for Germany to have their first miss on this highest of stages is still hard to fathom. Watching as jack-of-all-trades Kelley O’Hara scored her game very first USWNT goal and sealed Germany’s fate made me cheer again, and I remembered how much I loved the beautiful game, the shock and the surprise of it. The way the entire world could turn upside down in less than a minute, a perfectly timed cut into the box and an extended foot just nudging the ball into the goal, and I could get caught up in it as if everything was happening again for the very first time.

When the game was over I put on the last few minutes of the final. Not the hat-trick, not Holiday’s perfect volley, not Tobin’s it-looks-so-easy goal, but the last few minutes. When everyone on that pitch knew they were about to finally reclaim a trophy the program spent 16 years fighting to take back.

Watching Ali Krieger fall to her knees on the same field that took her Olympic dreams away will never fail to bring a lump to my throat. Watching Carli Lloyd sink to hers, knowing she’d just written the opening line to every biography, interview, and introduction of the rest of her life, will never fail to make me smile. Watching Hope Solo finally summit the mountain she had never before quite been able to claim was satisfying.

And seeing Christie Pearce and Becky Sauerbrunn and Julie Johnston together brings me all the joy that someone who loves defense as much as I do can possibly feel.

After the game ended I put on the medal ceremony and just watched the joy of the women who’d just achieved one of their oldest and biggest dreams. Watched as players seasoned and rookie alike were awarded what was due, as all 23 women stood surrounded their captain, witnessing her lift it high and proud and so, so happy.

There’s a bittersweet hue to the images now, knowing how the next two years have shaken out. The cuts would soon happen, the new players who would come in and be added to the starting rotation while others would retire and fade into the pantheon where they belong. Rio was on my mind as I watched medals be placed around the necks of players who had not yet fought for and been denied their chance to become 2016 Olympic champions.

But as I sat there, screen black and cheers silent, I felt the numbness fade. I felt the worry about the season ease a little. And instead, I began to remember how much I loved all of this, the deadlines and the reporting and the podcasting, all of it. How much joy it brought to my life.

How much joy it brings so many.

My life was forever changed that day. My drive to become part of those who cover this sport grew out of that win. This seed of the idea of a site like Backline was planted that day even if I had no idea at the time. No idea how many friends I’d make and pieces I’d have a hand in creating and work I’d put in, none of that was real then. But it was all born that 5th of July.

There are a lot of dramatic things that happen in the NWSL and the USWNT. A lot of things I get mad online about, and mad on podcasts about,  and mad in writing about.  A lot of us do. Sometimes we need to step away from the trade rumors and the hot-takes and remember the beauty.

Sometimes we need to remember the moments that made us devote so much time and energy and passion into and remember the beauty. It only ever takes a few hours and a few replays of the moments that changed everything to remind myself just how beautiful it can be.

Soccer is a beautiful game, sometimes I forget that.

Off the Bench with Backline Soccer: 2017, Week 6

Posted on by RJ Allen

Welcome to Week 6 of Off the Bench! 

Backline Soccer Recap:

This week we introduced a new series created by RJ Allen, The Furt & the Fabulous.

Quick Fire Week 6 Game Previews:

We are now six weeks into the season and suffice to say, we can expect almost anything to happen moving forward. Another exciting week of games ahead!

Game 1: Boston Breakers vs. Portland Thorns

Boston Breakers record: 2-2-1
Position: 4th
Total Points: 7

Portland Thorns record: 2-1-2
Position: 3rd
Total Points: 8

This week we will have our first Friday night game as the Boston Breakers host the Portland Thorns. Both teams are coming off of Week 5 ties and will be looking to pull out a win in Week 6. Rose Lavelle was the lone scorer for Boston last week and they will be looking for much of the same or more from her this week. Adriana Leon has also been quite the workhorse for Boston this season, so look for her to get involved as well.

Portland seems to be stifled and suffering due to the injuries sustained to Tobin Heath, Dagny Brynjarsdottir, Mana Shim, and Katherine Reynolds, who do not look to be coming back for at least another week. Adrianna Franch has been doing surprisingly well to avoid her weaknesses catching up with her, but Boston, with the likes of Lavelle, Leon, and Natasha Dowie may give her a run. Portland need a lot more production this week from Christine Sinclair and Nadia Nadim who have been a bit invisible the last few weeks. And with Portland historically having trouble playing the Breakers in Boston, the team will need to come together and figure out a way to score some goals. 

Game 2: Sky Blue FC vs. Houston Dash

Sky Blue FC record: 2-2-1
Position: 6th
Total Points: 6

Houston Dash record: 2-3-0
Position: 7th
Total Points: 4

In a repeat of Lifetime’s Game of the Week matchup, we will see the same matchup as last week, except this week, Sky Blue is the home team.

Sky Blue won last week’s matchup 3-1, capitalizing on some disappointing play from Houston. Sky Blue looked much better with Captain America finally back in defense and seemed to be playing with a bit more confidence. They will look to continue that this week. Now that Sam Kerr has officially gotten her first 2017 NWSL goal, she should be off and running. Houston will need to find a way to contain her, especially with Kelley O’Hara returning back to the lineup after being gone last week with an excused absence.

The Dash seem to have the pieces, for the most part, but some terrible coaching decisions are not helping field the best team at any given point like they should. Poliana, the sole scorer for the Dash last week, has been a bit of a surprising light for the Dash, so she should hopefully start to see more minutes. Janine Van Wyk also took a bit of a beating last week, so she will be looking to be more involved this week as well. 

Game 3: Washington Spirit vs. FC Kansas City

Washington Spirit record: 1-3-1
Position: 10th
Total Points: 4

FC Kansas City record: 1-2-2
Position: 8th
Total Points: 5

The Washington Spirit, wanting to erase last week’s abysmal game against the Reign from their memories, will want to come out strong and score early against FCKC this week.

After coming off of such a great win against Sky Blue in Week 4, they got pummeled 6-2 last week by the Reign. The Spirit, for the most part this season, seemed to have their defense locked down, but have had trouble on the attack. Last week, the defense seemed to be in shambles. The 3-back system deployed was not working against the strong Reign attack. This week though, the Spirit may be more evenly matched with FCKC, especially since Mallory Pugh is expected to see her first minutes. FCKC are still struggling to score, and Sydney Leroux, unfortunately, cannot be their only answer this season. Granted, the team had expected to have Amy Rodriguez this year, but they just don’t seem to have the answer yet to their attack that has not been stifled. FCKC will need to find a way to start scoring goals. Becky Sauerbrunn and the backline of FCKC are steady, along with Nicole Barnhart in goal. But in the end, if they are not scoring goals at this point, they are not winning games.

The Spirit will need more from their attack but expect their defense to be better. Mallory Pugh will not solve their problems, as her full value against top teams and the competitiveness of this league has not been tested or honed, but expect her to at least get her feet wet this week. 

Game 4: North Carolina Courage vs. Chicago Red Stars

North Carolina Courage record: 4-1-0
Position: 1st
Total Points: 12

Chicago Red Stars record: 2-2-1
Position: 5th
Total Points: 7

The Courage, coming off of their first season loss to the Orlando Pride last week, are out for redemption this week.

Chicago is continuing to have some issues with their attack and finishing their chances. But with Christen Press netting her first goal (a header no less!) she will most likely be off and running. She has been working hard to get goals but has not been successful in finishing her chances before this week. After all, she leads the league in shots and shots on goal this season. Now that she has netted her first one, we can expect to see, as our own Sandra Herrera has dubbed her, Primetime Press in full force. The backline of the Red Stars will be tested against the star power that is the Courage attack.

But the Courage will also be feeling much of the same. As I’ve mentioned before, the Courage backline seems to be their struggling spot this season and Christen Press may do major damage this week. The Courage will also be without Abby Erceg this week as she will be suspended from her red card from last week’s loss to Orlando. Chicago will want to and need to capitalize on that absence. 

Game 5: Seattle Reign vs. Orlando Pride

Seattle Reign record: 2-1-2
Position: 2nd
Total Points: 8

Orlando Pride record: 1-2-2
Position: 9th
Total Points: 5

Orlando is coming off of their first win of the season against the top team in the league, a huge, much-needed win for the players and team as a whole.

Orlando played, for the most part, their best soccer game this season. While starting off in typical fashion in the first half, the Pride came alive in the second. This week against the Reign, they will need to replicate their second half from last week and carry it throughout this game. The Reign are coming off a commanding 6-2 win over the Spirit last week and will look to continue their strong attack at home against the Pride.

The Pride has seemed to finally settle on a backline that surprisingly includes Toni Pressley. Last season she had a lot of trouble with speed and overall ball handling and field positioning. This season she seems to have worked on a lot of that and has improved quite a bit.

The Pride have also found a star in Camila, who has been consistently good all season. Look for the Pride backline to be tested early and often against the Reign. The Pride will have to contain the Reign attack. They will also need to get on a goal or two in early, definitely before halftime. The frontline has not been set quite but we may see the same three from last week.

The Reign this season have seemed to either score a lot of goals or struggle to score any, so for the Pride, they will hope for the latter. The Reign, however, will be looking to continue their strong attack and come out much like last week’s Spirit game. 

The Scouting Report:

We went live on Monday night with our Week 5 TSR, recapping all of the NWSL games from the weekend. A reminder that you can catch TSR live every Monday night at 8pm EST on our YouTube channel. And make sure to follow the podcast on Twitter @ScoutingPodcast. 

In case you missed this week’s episode, catch up here:

Come back next week for the next edition of Off the Bench!

 

Orlando Pride: Sticking to the Plan Will Earn a Result

Posted on by RJ Allen

The Orlando Pride will head to the Pacific Northwest once again this week to take on the highest scoring team in the league, the Seattle Reign.

The Pride, coming off the team’s first win of the season, take a ten-match road winless streak to Memorial Stadium. Orlando’s last road win, which is also the only road win in team history, came against the Houston Dash – ironically in Week 6. The talk from the Pride going in to face the Reign is to focus on their game more so than worrying on what Seattle plans to do in the match.

The Pride have been able to find some consistency on the backline with the budding partnership of Alanna Kennedy and Toni Pressley. The number of goals Orlando has given up has been significantly reduced since Pressley fought her way into the starting XI.

When asked if she can further improve this season Pressley shared, “I think I have a few more levels.”

They will need to concentrate on communication to close down passing lanes from Nahomi Kawasumi, Week 4 Player of the Week, to United States Women’s National Team player – and current leader in the golden boot race – Megan Rapinoe and the rest of the high-powered Seattle offense. Last week Orlando’s lone defensive lapse gave Debinha the opportunity to keep the Courage in the match longer than the Pride would have liked, and a team like Seattle will make Orlando pay if they make any mistakes defensively.

The Pride will attempt to dictate the pace of the match against the Reign and utilize the pace of their strikers to challenge goalkeeper Haley Kopmeyer and her backline.

As Coach Tom Sermanni stated in his post-match comments on Mother’s Day, “We just need to make sure we get a defensive structure set up and sorted properly. If you look at our backline, four out of our five are all internationals so we’ve got a decent backline. And if we can get our tactics right, I think we’ve got the players who can exploit the lack of mobility that Seattle has.”

All eyes will once again be on the Orlando midfielders, as Monica is still working her way back from a bone bruise. Dani Weatherholt’s defensive performance and ability to distribute the ball forward has provided space to Camila to go forward as Kristen Edmonds has provide cover for her in the midfield.

As defensive leader, Ali Krieger added in the post-match presser, “If we are good and compact and organized defensively I don’t think that they’re going to have good opportunities but you have to have the ball to do that so hopefully we’re going to have more possession and we’re going to take care of that.”

Playing with the ball more will limit the chances Seattle has in pushing the ball into their attacking third. Additionally, the Pride will need to congest the midfield and passing lanes for the Reign.

If the Pride end up playing the long ball on top, the team will not be playing their game as they have claimed they need to do to get a result in Seattle. Sermanni will have several options at attack. One of his focuses this week, as he stated, is exploiting the lack of mobility on the Reign backline. This is where the tactics will have to be right, and the Pride may look to surprise Seattle with a new look on top, as scoring on the road will be vital to keep pace. Marta will look to create opportunities to Chioma Ubogagu, who can also keep possession of the ball, and Danica Evans, the rookie standout for the Pride.

Orlando has struggled to get results away from home, and this week’s opportunity will be a challenge for them. But the team is brimming with confidence, and if Sermanni’s game plan can give fits to Laura Harvey’s side like they think it can, the Pride will leave Memorial Stadium with a positive result.