Category: Analysis

Route Two Soccer – My end of the year ballot

Posted on by RJ Allen

It’s that time of year. With the close of the regular season, it’s time to start thinking about the end of the year awards. Here’s my take.

MVP

  1. Sam Kerr
  2. Marta
  3. McCall Zerboni
  4. Sam Mewis
  5. Julie Ertz

This is a close race, and I certainly wouldn’t argue with anyone who swapped first and second. Marta was incredible this year—the pivot of Orlando’s transition, the supplier of key passes, provider of holdup play, scorer of goals, and heart and soul of the team. Plus, I’m inherently skeptical of the goals-are-everything attitude which tends to dominate awards voting, and would really like to make the case for Marta.

But Kerr …

I think we’ll be talking for years about the season that Sam Kerr had in 2017. She was a force of nature and almost single-handedly kept Sky Blue afloat. That she played a role in that many goals, on a team so fundamentally limited, was nothing short of miraculous.

The top two are pretty clear in my mind, but there’s a lot more room for disagreement after that. I’m picking Zerboni third, though could just as easily go with her midfield partner Sam Mewis. Julie Ertz had a wonderful season, as the fulcrum of the Chicago defense, and as an important attacking force as well. The same goes for Jess Fishlock in Seattle. Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan missed time but were world-class when they played. Christen Press was the best in the league for the opening third of the season but then settled back to merely ‘good’ in the back half.

Ultimately, I chose Zerboni, Mewis, and Ertz to round out my top five. All three have been integral to their teams, but I picked Zerboni third because I think she is the absolute heart of the system North Carolina has built and sustained. Her work rate is unparalleled, and her ability to disrupt play unquestionable. Without a player like her, shielding the backline and stitching the attack together, the whole system would break down. It has been an incredible year for Zerboni, and she deserves immense credit for finding this next level of performance.

Rookie of the Year

  1. Ashley Hatch
  2. Meggie Dougherty Howard
  3. Mallory Pugh

In many ways, Rookie of the Year is the toughest category to define. In an MVP race, the quality is so high across the board that simply showing up is critical. You aren’t providing any value if you’re off the pitch. But for a rookie race, where the quality is generally lower, it’s less obvious. If Player A contributes 2000 minutes of league-average performance, there is a lot of real value there. But how to compare 2000 minutes of ‘average’ against Player B, who only managed 1000 minutes but was very good? From a team’s perspective, Player A is probably more valuable, especially given the low replacement level of the league right now. But from the perspective of deciding on a ‘rookie of the year’ award, it’s less obvious.

All of which is to say: I don’t have a clear method here, and in a very close race ultimately just went with my gut. And my gut tells me that Hatch was the best of the year. She scored goals, harassed the opposition, and almost seamlessly integrated into the North Carolina system. She played for a stacked team and therefore was only able to get about 1200 minutes, but I think she provided the best combination of bulk and peak performance.

To balance things out, my #2 is Dougherty Howard, who was an integral part of Washington’s team, stepping in to fill the holding role when Tori Huster was injured, and then doing very well as more of a #8 once Huster returned. She struggled at times, but it’s incredibly impressive to contribute that much and to play that many minutes, in a rookie year.

For my #3, I seriously considered Christina Gibbons (whose season shares a lot of similar characteristics with Dougherty Howard’s), Kailen Sheridan, and even Rose Lavelle. But ultimately I kept coming back to Pugh, who often struggled (understandably) to express herself for the Spirit. But she did enough to ultimately convince me.

Goalkeeper of the Year

  1. Adrianna Franch
  2. Katelyn Rowland
  3. Nicole Barnhart

Franch wins this one in a walk. She had some early season struggles with her distribution but improved significantly on that front. And in terms of shot stopping and control over the box, she was easily the best. Conceding just 20 goals in 24 games is impressive enough, and Franch wasn’t simply the beneficiary of a strong team defense. Her shots-on-goal per game ratio of 4.3 was on the low side, but not an extreme outlier (league average was 5.0). Which means her save/goal ratio was an extreme outlier. At 4.1, she was a full half point ahead of the closest competition, miles above the league average of 2.5.

Second place was also an easy call, with Rowland doing very well in every capacity. For third, I was tempted by a few names. Plenty of keepers had strong runs during the year: Kopmeyer and Labbe early, Sheridan in midseason, Harris toward the end. But ultimately I came back to the steadiness of Barnhart.

Defender of the Year

  1. Abby Dahlkemper
  2. Emily Sonnett
  3. Casey Short

I have no strong opinions on this one, and could easily have reversed the order, or swapped out these three for an entirely different set and still been pretty satisfied. To my eyes, Dahlkemper was the steadiest of the bunch, while Sonnett did a fantastic job reminding us why we were so hyped about her in the first place. Short, meanwhile, performed admirably at left back, with some decent play covering at center back when needed. Any of the three would be worthy winners. And I could equally make a case for players like Ali Krieger, Becky Sauerbrunn, Abby Erceg, Emily Menges, Kelley O’Hara, Taylor Smith, and Steph Catley.

Coach of the Year

  1. Paul Riley
  2. Tom Sermanni
  3. Vlatko Andonovski

The only real question here is which of Riley or Sermanni deserves first place. To me, it’s Riley. That North Carolina team has been incredibly impressive, relentless, and dominating all season. And while they’ve got plenty of great players, this is a true gestalt system, with many players doing far better than I would have guessed. They’ve integrated new faces without any trouble, swapped systems, handled injuries to key players without much difficulty, and stayed at the top of the league all season. There are more tactically savvy coaches, but none who got anything close to this sort of total buy-in from their team.

That said, Sermanni deserves immense credit for what he’s done in Orlando, particularly given the clear limitations of the roster. His big moves (including relying heavily on Kennedy and Weatherholt to anchor the midfield – which, raise your hand if you saw that coming) have worked splendidly, and the team looks more unified and more dangerous every week.

In third place, I went for Andonovski, not because his team looked particularly great this year. But unlike other teams facing serious difficulties, FCKC never folded. Even when the results weren’t coming, you could see them working hard, and see how they were going to get better. So it was no real surprise when things turned back around and they started moving back up the table.

Team of the Season

Sam Kerr – Alex Morgan – Christen Press

Marta – Sam Mewis – McCall Zerboni

Casey Short – Abby Dahlkemper – Emily Sonnett – Kelley O’Hara

Adrianna Franch

Most of these should be obvious from the comments above. Toughest call was leaving out Ertz, but I already have Zerboni in my XI to fill that role, so I chose to go with Press as a third striker instead.

Second XI

Megan Rapinoe – Lynn Williams – Shea Groom

Lindsey Horan – Jess Fishlock – Julie Ertz

Allysha Chapman – Ali Krieger – Becky Sauerbrunn – Taylor Smith

Katelyn Rowland

Williams didn’t score as many goals this year as in 2016, but I think she might have been a better all-around player. Groom may raise some eyebrows, but she was excellent for KC, supplying plenty of goals and assists directly, but contributing even more to the set-up. I went back and forth several times on Horan, who frustrated me at times this year. But on the whole, I think she did enough to justify a spot. Allysha Chapman had a marvelous year and was a big part of Boston’s defensive turnaround.

Honorable mentions (i.e. – the toughest exclusions): Amandine Henry (more minutes and she’d have made it), Naho Kawasumi (a magician, but drifted out of games a little too often), Vanessa DiBernardo (excelled in the #10 but was less effective in other roles, and missed time), Abby Erceg (could absolutely make a case for her as the best CB), Steph Catley (slow start but excellent second half), Sofia Huerta (really coming into her own), Angela Salem (the heart of the Breakers’ setup), and Christine Sinclair.

 

The Unknown International: Estefania Banini

Posted on by RJ Allen

[media-credit name=”Kelley Piper” align=”aligncenter” width=”300″][/media-credit]

The NWSL may be the American soccer league, many of its most talented players come from all over the world. This series looks at some of the best internationals in the NWSL, analyzing their role and impact on their national team and their NWSL club, as well as their overall style of play. This week, we will be looking at Washington Spirit and Argentinian striker Estefania Banini.

Who Is She?

Estefania Banini is a 27-year-old striker from Mendoza, Argentina. Like many of her fellow female footballers, particularly from Latin America, Banini struggled to play the game that she loved as a child. Her parents took her from club to club in Argentina, until they finally found a team that would take their five-year-old daughter. Despite these difficulties, Banini found success. She spent three years with Colo-Colo in the Chilean women’s league, winning the championship each season. When she came to the United States, some coaches expressed hesitation in what they perceived as a lack of professional experience. But she proved them wrong. She joined the Washington Spirit and played a critical role in their run to the NWSL Championship in 2016. She has been compared to fellow Argentine striker Lionel Messi and Brazilian superstar Marta. But struggles with her federation have left Banini struggling to break out on the international stage.

Argentina National Team

Argentina has one of the best men’s national teams in the world, with two World Cup titles and an appearance in the 2014 World Cup Final to prove it. One might think, then, that they would have at least a decent women’s side as well. But this has not been the case. In fact, Argentina’s women’s team has been largely silent for the last few years, to the point of falling out of FIFA Rankings due to their inactivity. Banini earned her first cap in 2010 but has seen few opportunities to play for them in the years since. Before their friendly against Uruguay this August, the team hadn’t played since 2014. With a shift in management, the AFA recently began to prepare for the Women’s Copa America, to be played in Chile next year. This seemed like a positive sign, but the team is now on strike–due to lack of payment and poor training conditions. Banini has been working against the odds her whole life and will continue to do so as the Argentina women’s team fights for respect.

Washington Spirit

While Banini has struggled with her national federation, she has found nothing but success at the club level. After three years and consistent championships with Colo-Colo in the Chilean league, Banini signed with the Washington Spirit and joined the NWSL. She started in the first four matches for the Spirit in 2015 before an injury sidelined her for the remainder of the season. But she came back in 2016, earning 9 starts in 13 appearances and playing in both postseason games. Even in limited time, her five goals were enough to earn her the Spirit Golden Boot. But amidst the Spirit’s roster restructuring last winter, Banini looked overseas and chose to play with Spanish side Valencia. However, midway through the 2017 season, she rejoined the Spirit. She earned 6 starts in 9 matches with the squad, and while they will not be traveling to the postseason this year, many are interested to see where the squad goes in the future. In particular, the partnership between Banini and Mallory Pugh was something to watch this season and could be something to keep an eye on in the future. Only time will tell.

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.

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.

The Unknown International: Natasha Dowie

Posted on by RJ Allen

[media-credit name=”Kelley Piper” align=”aligncenter” width=”300″][/media-credit]

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.

6 Takeaways from NWSL: Week 20

Posted on by RJ Allen

Well, it has been quite the season, hasn’t it? And still, we’ve got two weeks left! 

The NWSL will take their final FIFA break of the season this upcoming week, so we hope you’ll let these takeaways keep your WoSo habit under control until Week 21. But until then, enjoy the International Friendlies, and keep your eyes peeled for some of our NWSL finest as they put on their National Team jerseys.

Boston Almost Did It. Almost. – Alyssa Zajac

Oh, Boston.

Going into this weekend’s matchup, it was almost certain that Portland was going to win by a decent margin. A team approaching its’ peak against a team that has continued to struggle with no signs of relief? A potential blowout in the making.

So you can imagine the almost disbelief that Boston came out swinging and Portland looked sloppy and disoriented. It was like “Freaky Friday” with Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, except instead of two people it was two soccer teams. In the end, Portland squeaked out a 1-0 win courtesy of a goal by Christine Sinclair.

Looking at the match stats, you can’t help but wonder how on Earth did Boston not come away with the win – or at least a point. Boston had Portland beaten on almost every stat. The key issue that sealed Boston’s fate? Their inability to finish their chances. Boston had 17 shots to Portland’s three (yes, three total shots by the Portland Thorns). However, Boston had five shots on goal – four resulted in saves by AD Franch, while Portland had two – one of those was Sinclair’s goal. If Boston had been able to finish even one of their chances, they could have stunned a Portland side who just couldn’t get into a good rhythm. That seems to be the theme of Boston’s season: could have, should have, might have.

It’s not all bad though. Boston was able to out-possess, out-pass, and out-shoot Portland. If they improve their finishing come next season, Boston has the capability to finally have the strong season they have waited and worked for.

Chicago and Orlando Keep the Door Open for Seattle – Alyssa Zajac

We could have seen two teams secure the final two playoff spots this weekend with wins, but in the end, no more playoff spots were claimed, and the final games of the season now carry more weight.

Chicago made it out of Kansas City with a point, but the 0-0 draw was nothing spectacular (read: very boring). I’ve written about Chicago two weeks running, so I’ll spare you the “they need to figure stuff out” section. I’ll just say they have a better chance of winning against Houston than they do against Portland to clinch their playoff spot if current patterns hold true.

Now, to Orlando. You can feel a little bad for Orlando. A sure game-winning goal in stoppage time by none other than Alex Morgan – at home – to secure the Pride’s first-ever playoff appearance.  Less than two minutes later in stoppage time, Jess Fishlock scored the equalizer for Seattle. I, watching the stream, had never heard such a drastic difference in sound coming from the fans – joy, to near silence. With Fishlock’s goal, Pride fans are left to wait until the Portland Thorns come to town on Sept. 23 to see if they can secure their place in the playoffs.

Which leads us to the third team in the mix: Seattle. In order for Seattle to make the playoffs, they have to win their final two games against FC Kansas City and Washington, in addition to getting some help from Houston, North Carolina, or Portland. For reference: Houston plays Chicago, North Carolina plays Orlando, and Portland plays both Orlando and Chicago.

Two weeks, three teams, and two playoff spots. Let the race to the finish begin.

 

Preferential Treatment for Star Players – Charles Olney

We all know that superstars get some special treatment from referees. There’s one set of rules for the stars and another set for everyone else. It’s not fair, but it’s not a crisis. And you can even see some logic to it. Sports are, after all, a form of entertainment. And for many fans, the chance to see the biggest names in action is a major draw to a particular game. But if it becomes too obvious, or too extreme, it can start to degrade the fabric of the game. And that’s particularly true when it comes to handing out punishments for dangerous play. We saw a particularly stark example this week, with Alex Morgan (undoubtedly one of the biggest stars in the league) leaping into a challenge for a loose ball with reckless abandon. She missed the ball but did connect—studs up and fully flush—with Jess Fishlock’s ankle. It was a horrific tackle, and while NWSL officiating is notably quite lax, it’s hard to imagine someone of lesser stature getting away with this. Morgan probably should have seen straight red, and Seattle will rightly feel extremely hard done-by since it was Morgan herself who scored the decisive goal and put quite a bit more distance between the teams in the race for the playoffs.

I’ve focused on Morgan here, but the point is not to pick her out. Watch any big name and you’ll see similar treatment. And to a certain extent, this sort of thing is inevitable and probably not worth stressing too much about. But giving stars carte blanche to do whatever they like without consequence is a recipe for dangerous play and unfair games. I hope that the NWSL and the Professional Referee Organization are taking a look at this matter, and will work to reduce the risks going forward.

Bad Incentives and the Race for Andi Sullivan – Charles Olney

With just a couple weeks remaining in the season, there’s not a whole lot of tension left in the playoff race. There is, however, one crucial race still to be decided: the race to see who gets to draft Andi Sullivan. Draft slots are awarded in reverse order of the final table, meaning whoever finishes in last has first pick. This year, that looks like the easiest call in a long time, with Andi Sullivan looking like a budding superstar and a steep drop to the rest of the field. With a victory this weekend, Washington pulled three points clear of Boston. However, the two teams play each other on September 23, where a Boston victory would put them back ‘ahead’ on tiebreakers, and thereby put the Spirit first in line to cash in the Sullivan ticket. As a result, we have the strange situation of a game that both teams would prefer to lose. Now, my point is not to cast aspersions of match fixing. These are committed professionals who care about the integrity of the game and have plenty of self-respect tied up in their performances as well. I absolutely do not expect any shenanigans. But even if the players try their hardest, Boston and Washington fans will be put into the position of hoping that their team loses. That’s not a great look for the league.

The system of reverse-ordering the draft is always going to create some twisted incentives. But there are ways to reduce the magnitude of the effect. One possibility is to replace strict reverse with a lottery system, where teams lower down the table get more tickets. It still rewards the weaker teams overall without generating such a clear motive to throw games.

Got Your Number – Elizabeth Wawrzyniak

It’s odd, isn’t it? How some teams just seem to have your number?

For example, Washington has won a grand total of five games this season, and scored a total of 28 goals. Three of those wins, and 10 of those goals have come against coach Jim Gabarra’s old team, New Jersey’s Sky Blue FC. Earlier this season, I talked about Houston and their unlikely dominance over FCKC when playing in Missouri, never losing when on the road against the two-time NWSL champions. Then there’s Chicago and the NC Courage–despite the fact that they are number one in the league this year, Chicago is the only team that the Courage have not defeated in their inaugural season–and with only games against Sky Blue (1-1-0), Orlando (1-1-0), and maybe a make-up game against Houston (1-0-0) left to play, that little stat will stand until the 2018 season.

So, what is it about some match-ups or some match-ups in specific locations? Is it an intimidation thing? I don’t know if you could say that FCKC are particularly intimidated by Houston in general, much less when playing on their own field. (They have another chance to break this odd little streak in the final week of the season, when they host Houston in Week 24, by the way.) Just as I don’t know that Washington, with its epic list of injuries and its pretty stretched bench, should have posed such a threat to Sky Blue this season, that the team that can score five goals in the second half should have dropped nine points to the #9 team on the table.

But whatever the reasons, it is always interesting. And a reminder that sports aren’t just about physical performance–there’s a whole lot of mental strategy and mind games involved as well.

Not Like It Will Change Anything – Elizabeth Wawrzyniak

It’s been two weeks since Harvey hit the Southern US and the suspended Houston v North Carolina match-up. But just yesterday the NWSL announced that the game would be rescheduled for September 27th, exactly a month after the game was supposed to take place. I’m of two minds whether this game should even be played. On the one hand, yes, I always want more women’s soccer. More games, more teams, more, more, more, more, more.

But on the other hand, this game really doesn’t need to be played.

Even a game behind the pack, the NC Courage are leading the league–as they have been all season. Even if they were to do the near-impossible and beat the Courage, the Houston Dash are, once again, not going to make the playoffs. It just isn’t going to happen. Their 2017 season isn’t a sports biopic about overcoming adversity and Mother Nature. I’m sorry, it’s just not.

All this game does is give the Courage a really short and busy final week as they have to travel to New Jersey for their 6 pm game on Sunday, September 24, then to Texas for their 8 pm Wednesday game against the Dash, and finally back to North Carolina for their 7:30 pm Saturday match (and final game of the 2017 season) against the Orlando Pride. Houston, too, just ends up with a short week of multiple flights, though their travel, at least, is all within the same time zone.

I’m sorry, but all this game really does is put the health and safety of players at risk. We’re at the end of the season, the post-season is fast approaching, and bodies are worn down, stretched to their limits, and fatigue brings injuries. Pretty much always. And for what? A game that won’t actually change anything?

Honestly, the only reason we’re playing this game is so fans don’t have a reason to whine about stolen opportunities and “that year we wouldn’t have made the playoffs no matter what but, heck, let’s get upset about missed opportunities anyway.”

 

6 Takeaways from NWSL: Week 19

Posted on by RJ Allen

Week 19 saw two playoff spots clinched, a team ending an at-home losing streak, and 19 goals scored throughout the weekend games. As the number of teams who can make the playoffs continues to drop, the fight to the finish continues for the teams within reach of the final two playoff positions.

We’re here with our takeaways as the season grinds down to the nitty gritty. 

A Numbers Game – Elizabeth Wawrzyniak

Some people might know that I’m a bit of a data nerd. I like seeing numbers, exploring them, and trying to derive meaning from them. I’ve been keeping an eye on the NWSL on Lifetime audience numbers as best as I can this season, and there’ve been some interesting things I want to talk about.

First, I think the deal was definitely a boon for the league. Granted, they have never released data on Youtube audiences in seasons 1-4, but a quick skim of the NWSL Youtube channel suggests that the audience numbers (even two or three years later with the ability to go back and stream for free) for the first four seasons on Lifetime far exceed them. So far, the biggest audience for Lifetime has been the Portland Thorns v NC Courage game on July 13th, while the smallest audience was 49,000 just two weeks earlier when the Courage played Sky Blue FC on July 1st. But all in all, with 19 weeks gone of the season, the NWSL is averaging almost a hundred thousand viewers per week. Which is impressive for the league. Everyone should be pretty excited about the growth of the fan base.

What would be interesting to see, of course, are the numbers for the go90 games. Because I’d imagine that those are out-performing Youtube as well. Or the international numbers from the NSWL site itself. But all in all, it’s pretty clear that the Lifetime deal was a good move for the league.

The Fall – Elizabeth Wawrzyniak

I remember a few weeks after the 2015 Women’s World Cup victory, watching some of the players on the field, off of it. And they didn’t look happy. The World Champions looked a little … lost. The thing nobody tells you about achieving your dream or reaching the peak of one of your highest goals is the fall after. All that adrenaline, all that focus, all that drive. And then the celebrations–the constant moving from one event to the next, the parties, the accolades. It all sounds like a dream, right? Except–the drop-off after, it can be devastating. The low after such a high, it can take a long time and a lot of help to climb back up from.

This weekend Lifetime did a special segment on Stephanie Labbe, the Canadian goalkeeper and two-season veteran of the Washington Spirit squad. And Labbe, very clearly, talks about the same issue. The low after the high, the depression she fell into in the wake of her team’s fabulous Bronze Medal Olympic performance, the struggle of coming back to her NWSL squad and sitting on the bench. And how she couldn’t find “Steph Labbe” for a time amid all the “Canadian Bronze Medalist Stephanie Labbe” talk and celebrations.

First, props to Labbe for being open about her mental health struggles. She joins the small but important (and growing) group of athletes who are helping to destigmatize mental illness. And second, maybe let’s try to remember that athletes, first and foremost, are people. What they do and what they achieved is not their identity, it doesn’t define them.

Alex Morgan, Full-Time Pride Player – Luis Hernandez

One of the growing concerns for Orlando Pride fans for the 2018 season was whether the team would start next season without Alex Morgan. With the recent success and current unbeaten run the team finds themselves on the verge of a playoff spot in its second year of existence, the U.S. women’s national team striker first announced during the Orlando City on WRDQ TV27 that she would return to Orlando at the start of next season because she and Olympique Lyonnais had mutually agreed to terminate her contract.

The Pride star striker calls Orlando her home, and as much as Tom Sermanni and his squad would like nothing more than to lift the championship trophy this year, the outlook for Orlando looks even brighter next season. The Pride struggled to find any offense for the first quarter of the schedule; had Orlando had Marta and Morgan starting like the team will next year instead of fighting for the last playoff spot, the club could be looking to claim the NWSL shield in 2018.

 

A Rose By Any Other Name … – Luis Hernandez

In a young league like the NWSL, there are very few constants. However, one almost sure thing happened this past weekend when the Portland Thorns once again punched their ticket to the playoffs. In fact, the only time Portland failed to make the postseason was in the 2015 season which saw Paul Riley exit from the team; and that’s worked out for him as well. The first league champions have the support of city they play in, as well as the full backing of the Major League Soccer organization which owns the team. That level of support has been key because most teams couldn’t claim to have the level of success Portland has while having three changes to the head coach. In a league where organizational backing is the vital mark of on-field success, Portland hasn’t had an equal. In the odd 2015 season, the Thorns bounced back and reloaded for 2016. Something the organization isn’t shy on is bringing big name talent nationally and from across the world. As this year winds down, and supporters of the league start to countdown to next year’s draft and start of preseason, don’t be surprised when all the NWSL pundits come out and have Portland as a favorite to make playoffs once again which should please its supporter group, the Rose City Riveters, and the rest of Portland’s fans. #BAONPDX

Franch Makes Her Case for Return to the USWNT – Alyssa Zajac

There’s no denying that AD Franch had a shaky start to the 2017 season. Poor decision making and overall shakiness led to close calls in games and frustration from fans (myself included). There were several instances where everyone knew that Franch had barely escaped disaster after a bad giveaway or poor clearance.

However, as the season has progressed, Franch has grown into a capable and skilled starter for the Thorns. With nine shutouts on the season, Franch has shown herself to one of the most in-form goalkeepers in the league.

That being said, I think AD Franch should get another call up to the USWNT.

Right now, if I had to choose a depth chart for 2019 and beyond, this would be my top five for goalkeepers. This is based on two factors: current form and future potential/use of a player.

  1. Alyssa Naeher
  2. AD Franch
  3. Katelyn Rowland
  4. Jane Campbell
  5. Abby Smith

Franch has the potential to be a great asset to the USWNT. If she were to get called in, I would not be opposed to her alternating some starts with Alyssa Naeher–especially in friendlies (mostly because we don’t need a situation where Naeher is injured and we’re throwing a new INT GK to the wolves, please and thank you).

Anything could happen and change my opinion in the coming weeks, but right now Franch is one to watch. Based on her performance, she has earned another shot at the USWNT.

Chicago Gonna Chicago – Alyssa Zajac

Remember what I said last week about Chicago needing to stop letting in late goals? I should have added the statement “they also need to avoid conceding early goals”. Sunday’s game started with the Red Stars’ patented “what is soccer?” method for the first 20 to 25 minutes of the match.  Once again, the slow start cost them, with Lynn Williams scoring for the Courage in the 15th minute.

I figured that, in fairness, I do the same assessment as last week, except noted goals will be goals the Red Stars have conceded in the first 25 minutes of a game (to coincide with their slow starts for the first 20 to 25 minutes on average), and the impacts they had:

  • Houston (Ohai 15’) – goal differential. Result: 2-0 Loss
  • Sky Blue FC (Tiernan 3’) – goal differential. Result: 2-1 Win
  • Orlando (Morgan 24’) – goal differential. Result: 1-1 Draw
  • Portland (Raso 3’, Sinclair 9’) – goal differential. Result: 2-3 Loss
  • FC Kansas City (Leroux 23’) – goal differential. Result: 1-3 Loss
  • North Carolina (Williams 15’) – goal differential. Result: 2-1 Win

This is where I find the silver lining – the Red Stars have been able to come back and at least get a point out of  50% of the games in which they conceded early goals. While they did eventually equalize against Portland, they were unable to secure the draw. The two games they didn’t equalize coincidentally were games that saw Chicago conceding goals in the final ten minutes. I found that interesting.

So, what does all of this tell us? Honestly, not a whole lot. Chicago continues to be a team that generally struggles initially, then usually pulls themselves together, then either holds out for points or collapses in the final minutes. I know, I don’t understand it either.

The Red Stars’ final three games are going to be interesting to watch. While the win against North Carolina gave Chicago a tiny bit of breathing room, how the next three games start and finish could be what makes or breaks Chicago’s playoff dreams.

 

The Unknown International: Raquel “Rocky” Rodriguez

Posted on by RJ Allen
Kelley Piper

The NWSL may be the American soccer league, but many of its most talented players come from all over the world. This series looks at some of the league’s most talented internationals and looks at their careers in the NWSL, their roles within their national teams, and their overall style of play. This week, we will look at Costa Rican international and Sky Blue FC forward Raquel Rodriguez.

Who Is She?

Raquel “Rocky” Rodriguez is an attacking midfielder/forward for Sky Blue FC and the Costa Rican National Team. She was born in San Jose, Costa Rica, and played soccer at a young age, despite the hesitations and discouragement from her community. She attended Penn State University for four years, serving as their captain in 2015 and leading the Nittany Lions to a NCAA College Cup that same year. In the 2016 NWSL draft, Rodriguez was selected second overall by Sky Blue FC. In her first year, she started in 17 matches in 18 appearances and scored a rocket goal against the Washington Spirit in Week 10. At the end of the season, she took home the NWSL Rookie of the Year award, an honor that showed her strength and talent in a strong season of rookies. With the Costa Rican National Team, Rodriguez has been a part of a special generation. Speaking with Lifetime earlier this season, Rodriguez says that she hopes that she can be a Costa Rican role model for another young girl aspiring to play the Beautiful Game.

 

Costa Rica

Rodriguez received her first call-up for the youth Costa Rican program at the age of 11. She made her debut for the senior team in 2010 and has since been a part of a squad that has led their nation to unprecedented success in the women’s game. The culmination of this growth was their qualification for the 2015 Women’s World Cup. In their opening match against Spain, Rodriguez scored the team’s first-ever World Cup goal. The team went on to earn two draws and a loss, failing to advance out of the group stage. Now, they have their eyes set on the 2019 World Cup. In an interview with Backline Soccer earlier this year, Rodriguez spoke of how badly she wanted to help lift the Costa Rican team. “Anything I learn here in the international level, in the NWSL,” Rodriguez said, “It’s to bring back to Costa Rica.” Rodriguez has been one of the team’s most successful players, accumulating over 40 caps and scoring over 35 international goals. Her opportunity to gain experience and skill in the NWSL makes her unique amongst Costa Rican players.

 

Sky Blue FC

Rodriguez was chosen No. 2 overall in the 2016 NWSL Draft by Sky Blue FC. She quickly became a critical member of the young attacking squad, performing so well in her first year that she earned the honor of 2016 NWSL Rookie of the Year. She is one of many young players on Sky Blue’s roster gaining experience with each passing game. At just 23-years-old, Rodriguez plays alongside young superstars like Sam Kerr (23-years-old) and Maya Hayes (25-years-old). But she also gets to learn from team captain and U.S National Team veteran Christie Pearce, whom Rodriguez said it was “a blessing and an honor” to learn from. Sky Blue FC has had a fantastic season, earning a lot of late-game goals and thrilling wins. While a lot of that success is (rightfully) credited to Sam Kerr, the Australian sensation who leads the league in goals, players like Rodriguez also play a critical role in setting up that success. It may appear that playoff hopes are fading for Sky Blue, who sit in 6th place with 29 points (six points behind 4th place Orlando Pride). But the players on that roster still have hope and have every intention of leaving their hearts on the field and striving for success. It won’t be an easy path, but they are prepared to battle it out, each day hoping not only to climb the rankings but improve as young individuals.

Route Two Soccer – How Will Chicago Use Morgan Brian?

Posted on by RJ Allen

[media-credit name=”Kelley Piper” align=”aligncenter” width=”300″][/media-credit]

When news arrived that Houston had traded Morgan Brian to Chicago, it immediately inspired speculation about the motivations for the deal. Was Brian the rumored national teamer that might be headed to Lyon? Was this simply Houston’s effort to get something out of the player before she departed for foreign shores? If so, and given her lingering health issues, would she even play for Chicago? But we’ve now heard that Brian plans to stay in the States and that she’s ready to suit up this weekend.

So, while there is certainly some interesting reporting to be done about how this all went down, this is a tactics column, and we’re going to jump right over the ‘how did we get here’ part and take a look at how Brian might be used now that she’s joined the Red Stars.

The most likely scenario: a 4-4-2 diamond

Early in this season, there were some rumblings that Chicago wanted to work on their tactical flexibility. And in the first few games, we even saw glimpses of it. But as the season has progressed, they have settled quite firmly back into coach Rory Dames’ preferred approach: the 4-4-2 diamond. This setup looks to back the center of the pitch, relying mostly on fullbacks for depth. It’s generally very compact, and while Chicago has shown flashes of higher-level ball control, they often seem less concerned with holding possession and more interested in quick, direct attacks.

In its most successful iteration, the diamond has featured Ertz in the holding role, with Colaprico on the left, DiBernardo in the 10, and Huerta on the right. And the arrival of Yuki Nagasoto seemed like it could be the final piece of the puzzle—giving them another player with elite technical skills to pair with Press.

However, in recent weeks some of the luster has come off this basic setup. Despite a wealth of quality midfielders, they’ve had a difficult time producing much; generating tons of opportunities, but very few good ones. Meanwhile, the forwards have drifted further and further back, hoping to revitalize the attack, but taking themselves further out of scoring range in the process. It’s all been a bit stagnant.

It also hasn’t helped that the injury bug has bit a few times—forcing some reallocations between the backline and midfield, and some last minute substitutions.

So … if we assume that Dames is likely to stick with his preferred setup, the question is where Brian will fit into the mix. And it’s actually a difficult question to answer, given the impressive versatility of many of these players. If DiBernardo has to miss another week, Brian could easily replace her in the attacking midfield role. If Ertz is needed at center back, Brian could easily take over the holding role. And while no one would mistake Brian for a winger, the whole point of the diamond is to allow the ‘wide’ midfielders to pinch in. Just as Colaprico has thrived on the left this year, Brian could easily take over the right.

But, if we assume a full strength side in Chicago’s traditional diamond, this is probably the most likely deployment of resources. While Ertz has been excellent in the midfield, it was a luxury that depended on strong performances from Naughton and Johnson in the back. As they’ve begun to falter, the arrival of Brian might be the trigger to move Ertz back.

Ultimately, it’s a question of what Dames believes the team’s main problem to be. Because there are plenty of minor variants available here, all of which are slightly better or worse in small ways. Brian and Colaprico could swap, as could Huerta and Nagasoto. Alternatively, Brian could take over the attacking midfield role, pushing DiBernardo to the right (where she played much of last year), with Ertz staying at the bottom of the diamond.

The problem with all these approaches, however, is that they don’t really resolve the underlying problems. Now, that may not be necessary. After all, Chicago were flying high a month ago using this system, so maybe simply adding another elite player into the mix will be enough to achieve a reset. But if Dames sees the rot as going a bit deeper, Brian’s arrival opens up a broad new realm of tactical possibilities.

Pushing the attack higher with a back three

With Brian now joining the team, Chicago probably has the strongest midfield of any team in the league, with a wealth of top-level talent, who all excel on both sides of the ball. Dani Colaprico is one of the best holding midfielders in the US pool but is arguably only the third best of this group.

The ‘problem’ is that for all their depth here, Chicago simply doesn’t have much width. With a back four, that’s addressed by asking the fullbacks to run like crazy. But that’s been hit or miss and creates serious exposure risks at the back. A back three resolves this problem by pressing the fullbacks up to become wingbacks and allowing the central trio free reign to control play through the middle.

This is one possible setup, which deploys Huerta as a wingback. It’s a bit risky, but Huerta is potentially interesting in that role, and it gives Chicago a much firmer grip over the midfield. An alternative would be to swap Gilliland in for Huerta, which offers a bit more defensive solidity but a bit less attacking flair.

But the heart of this approach is the space it creates for Brian, Colaprico, and DiBernardo to operate freely in the central midfield. Bringing Brian into the mix, in particular, is a huge upgrade given her comfort and vision with the ball in tight spaces. She isn’t quite the wrecking ball defensively that Ertz has been—though she is shockingly good at occupying space and managing play—but she makes up for it with smoothness in possession and the ability to organize play through the middle.

Tactical fluidity

There are obviously pluses and minuses to every approach, and the back three is no different. But it offers a lot of advantages to a team overloaded with talented central players who need a bit more support from the wings. And it also offers a lot to a team with several world class attackers, which nevertheless has consistently struggled (for several years now) to actually find the back of the net.

So, there is a real case for making a change here. But, as with all tactical conversations, it’s important not to overstate the differences. While the back three might seem like a major shift, it’s actually not that far away from the 4-4-2 diamond discussed above. In effect, the back three pushes Ertz back from her holding role, while pushing two fullbacks up into the midfield. The result is a much wider attacking line, which prevents opponents from collapsing into the center to suffocate the passing game. It is an approach that can be exposed by speed on the wings, but the extra body in the backline does a lot to limit the damage here.

Indeed, one of the big advantages of exploring your tactical options is the ability it gives you to shift things mid-game to exploit opportunities as they arise. And here, the versatility of the Chicago players becomes absolutely deadly.

With the right players, a 3-4-1-2 can switch fairly seamlessly into an aggressive, attacking 4-3-3. All you have to do is drop Short into the backline and push Huerta forward into the front.

Alternatively, you can capitalize on the wealth of talent in the holding midfield role by loading up the central midfield and shifting to a 4-2-3-1.

The key point here is simply: Chicago has options. It remains to be seen how many of those options they employ, and some may work out better than others. But at a bare minimum, they ought to at least be exploring the possibilities.

How far can the diamond take them?

In the end, Dames doesn’t seem likely to make any major tactical moves, at least not in the short term. But he should seriously consider it. Chicago has been very good for three years now but has consistently stumbled once everything was on the line. That may be nerves, bad luck, or just happenstance. But it also likely has something to do with their stagnant style of play. The diamond is a solid setup and can be very successful on its day. But it’s very constrained and doesn’t give your star players many chances to seize the game by the reins and do something special.

With the additions of Brian and Nagasoto, Chicago is now bursting at the seams with top level attacking talent, and they have a rock solid support system to give those players a chance to impose themselves. The diamond has served them well, but it’s time to unfurl the sails a bit and see what else they can do.

The Unknown International: Rachel Corsie

Posted on by RJ Allen

The NWSL may be the American soccer league, but many of its most talented players come from all over the world. This series looks at some of the league’s most talented internationals and looks at their careers in the NWSL, their roles within their national teams, and their overall style of play. This week, we will look at Scottish international and Seattle Reign defender Rachel Corsie.

Who Is She?

Rachel Corsie is a 28-year-old central defender for the Seattle Reign from Aberdeen, Scotland. She began her professional career in 2008 when she joined Glasgow City FC in the Scottish Women’s Premier League. During her time with Glasgow, she helped her team win a domestic treble and she competed in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. In 2014, she left Glasgow City and spent a year captaining the Notts County Women in England. Following her year in the FA WSL, she came to the NWSL and joined the Seattle Reign.

Corsie has also had a successful career with Scotland that includes a total of 91 appearances. This summer, she traveled with the national team to the UEFA Women’s European Championship. In her extensive career with the national team, it was the first time that the team had qualified for a major tournament.

 

Scottish National Team

Rachel Corsie made her debut for the senior national team in the 2009 Cyprus Women’s Cup against France. Corsie is a part of a core group of women that have contributed to the rise of Scotland on the international scene. They have been close for a long time, but never quite qualified for those major tournaments. Over the summer, Scotland made their debut in the UEFA Women’s Euro, playing in a group alongside England, Spain, and Portugal. While Scotland didn’t advance out of the group stage, they came close. They finished in 3rd place, losing that second place slot to Spain only on goal differential. Corsie played in all three matches for Scotland, playing the full 90 minutes in their matches against Spain and Portugal and totaling 256 minutes in the tournament. Corsie, who has had 91 appearances and 16 goals in her career with Scotland, hopes that this tournament is only the beginning.

Corsie has played an important role in critical moments in Scotland’s history. She captained the team in their 2011 Cyprus Women’s Cup win over England. This match marks the first time that Scotland had beat their English rivals in over 30 years. Corsie also scored three goals in the qualifying tournament for the 2011 Women’s World Cup. Ultimately, Scotland lost their group to Denmark by only one point.

 

Seattle Reign

Corsie joined the Seattle Reign in 2015. She became a key player in the defense early on, helping lead the Reign to an NWSL Shield in 2015 and creating one of the best defenses in the league. In 2016, her season was cut short when a knee injury left her out of the roster longer than expected. In the past two seasons, she has made 20 starts in 23 appearances for the Reign. In the past three years, it has become clear that when Corsie is on the backline, the team’s defensive performance is stronger. During this season, she missed some time while playing in the UEFA Women’s Euro. The team as a whole has struggled to find consistency, and they find themselves fighting for a playoff spot as we head into the final stretch of the season. They have earned only two clean sheets this season and often find themselves falling into high-scoring games. Currently, the Reign sit in 6th place, two points behind No. 5 Sky Blue and five points behind No. 4 Orlando Pride. But their playoff hopes are still within reach.