Category: Analysis

6 Takeaways From NWSL Week 3

Posted on by RJ Allen

Week 3 in the young NWSL season is at a close, and the standings are a bit unexpected. Do we believe the top five are the best of the best this season? Or will one of the current bottom-dwellers be able to right the ship and turn their season around? Verizon’s go90 streams aside, it’s been a sweet season so far, with plenty of action and upsets. (Sorry, Pride fans, but hey, at least you had #MartaWatch.)

Here’s what we took away from the matches going into Week 4.

The Dash Bounce Back in Washington — Jordan Small

Last week, the Houston Dash fell to the Seattle Reign 5-1 and for a ninety painful minutes, it seemed as if we were seeing the Dash of old again. With multiple starters out and a rookie goalkeeper making her professional debut, it was not the best performance from Houston.

One week later, they put in a stronger performance against a struggling Washington side. The backline of Cari Roccaro, Bruna, Janine Van Wyk, and Camille Levin was solid and eliminated most of the danger before it got to goalkeeper Lydia Williams. A goal from captain Kealia Ohai in the 28’ gave the Dash the lead and ultimately the 1-0 win. If the Dash can continue to have a consistent defense and constant production from Ohai and Rachel Daly, Houston will continue to pick up points. This is a very talented Dash team that can win on the road and at home.

 

Lack of Goalscoring is Crushing the Spirit in Washington — Jordan Small

Through three games this season, the Washington Spirit have only given up three goals. That seems like it would be few enough to pick up a couple of points for the Spirit. But if you thought that, you would be wrong. The Spirit have only earned themselves one point through three matches thanks to a lack of scoring.

Last year, the Spirit relied heavily on Crystal Dunn and Estefania Banini to carry the scoring load. With both of them heading overseas to play, Washington was left without a pure goalscorer. This has come back to bite them in the butt, especially with all of the injuries that are piling up. Goalkeeper Stephanie Labbé and the backline of Estelle Johnson, Whitney Church, and Shelina Zadorsky have remained positive through the whole process, despite the heavy workload they have had to take on. While they are one of the stingiest defenses in the league, the lack of finishing in the final third is a real problem for the Spirit.

North Carolina Courage Aren’t Just a Flash in the Pan –Luis Hernandez

Okay, I’ll admit it. I didn’t think the Courage would replicate the success from the end of the 2016 season going into 2017. I was sure they would be good, just not the best team in the league. Yes, two of the three wins are against the current ninth and tenth place teams, but it’s how North Carolina beat Washington and Orlando both times yielding possession and making the most of their opportunities.

The Courage have an identity and stick to their game plan. Orlando’s mental miscues allowed the cool, calm and collected Carolina side to put away easy finishes. The Pride attacked the Courage with individual effort all match long, so the NC defense was a bit relaxed, and allowed Orlando to score the first goal against them in team history. Had Orlando been able to attack with greater numbers, we might have seen a different result. North Carolina were never really under any pressure, and looked comfortable allowing Orlando to be ineffective against D’Angelo in net. Hopefully, the match against the Breakers will test the Courage better. The defending champs have not looked uncomfortable for any stretch of time this season, and Boston would be wise to do what they did to Seattle at home against the Courage. Otherwise it’s four-in-a-row for North Carolina.

 

FC Kansas City Still Figuring Things Out After Injuries –Luis Hernandez

The injury bug hasn’t been kind to the Blues. The Amy Rodriguez injury is still a sad point in the NWSL season, and I’m not even a fan of FCKC. In Week 3 Shea Groom joined her on the injury report with a broken rib, so Coach Vlatko Andonovski turned to the 4-2-3-1 for the first time this season with Sydney Leroux as the lone striker, away from the 4-3-3 of the two previous matches. Unfortunately, FC Kansas City couldn’t manage any goals while Raquel Rodriguez managed to get one past Nicole Barnhart, and FCKC now sits at 8th on the table going into Week 4.

The upcoming match for the Blues could be just what the doctor ordered, as FCKC hosts Orlando at Children’s Mercy Victory Field. The Pride have yet to figure things out this season, and the possible return of Groom and more time to practice in the 4-2-3-1 could provide FCKC some momentum in the first of a two-game homestand. Kansas City can’t afford to get mired near the bottom of the table after such optimism entering the season. Was A-Rod’s injury just a premonition of how the season was going to turn out? We’ll just have to see.

Boston is a Little Scary —Leigh Nieves

After defeating Sky Blue FC last week in a less than convincing win, Boston came away this week with an impressive 3-0 victory against Seattle. Yes, you read that correctly. Boston is now on a two-game winning streak, and both of the games were shutouts. Rose Lavelle scored her first professional goal against Seattle while Dowie and Leon put away two more to secure the win. While Seattle wasn’t playing their best game and made plenty of mistakes defensively, Boston is becoming more and more convincing as a potential middle-to-top of the table team.

I’m not saying that I told Rose Lavelle after I interviewed her in February that Boston was going to prove people wrong this season, but I told Rose Lavelle after I interviewed her in February that Boston was going to prove people wrong this season.

 

Do We Actually Miss the YouTube Streams? –Leigh Nieves

It’s Week 3 and we have yet to have a weekend where something hasn’t gone wrong with go90 or Lifetime. Whether it’s continuous commercials about quarterbacks, a black screen, or a random movie with Viola Davis interrupting our starting lineup, the whole viewing experience of Season 5 has been less than pleasant. We understand that there are kinks that need to be worked out from time to time, but is it time we, in a Carrie Bradshaw-esque way, ask ourselves: Do we actually miss the dependability of YouTube streams?

Of course Youtube had its flaws: the poor video quality, sound issues, etc. But, every week we at least knew that we would be able to see the games we wanted. While the production quality of the new Go90 and Lifetime streams are much better, their ability to deliver a consistent product each week leaves us a little less than confident.

There you have it, folks. Our big takeaways from Week 3 are starting to heat up like the weather heading into the summer on a four p.m. kick-off. We want to hear from you on these and any thoughts. Consider leaving us a comment, and we’ll see you for Week 4.

Battle of the Keepers: NWSL Goalkeeper Power Ranking

Posted on by RJ Allen

RJ Allen:

Hey Jordan, you wanna talk about goalkeepers?

Jordan Small:

Of course! Who doesn’t want to talk about the best position in the game?

RJ Allen:

So before we started,Jordan and I ranked 1-10 the best goalkeepers in the league. Then we made a joint list I think we’re both pretty happy with.

We’re both pretty happy, right?

Jordan Small:

I think so. We talked about how the middle of the pack could be interchanged right now because of how well everyone is playing so far.

RJ Allen:

Someone has to be number 10 and sadly you and I both put Adrianna Franch in that spot.

Jordan Small:

You know, looking at Portland’s stats this year, people might scratch their head at why we put her at the bottom. I mean she has only given up one goal. But her distribution has been anything but clean. She has really put her defenders in a tough spot and you can see that they are frustrated with her. These mistakes may not have cost them yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it happens soon.

RJ Allen:

It’s amazing how well she played in 2013 and after some time off because of being hurt, some time overseas, and a year of being a backup, she looks nothing like the player so many thought would be a staple on the national team.

Jordan Small:

Yeah, I mean even in a few camps last year, we thought she would be getting back in with the national team. Now we are seeing why she was the backup to Michelle Betos last season.

RJ Allen:

Number 9 is a 2 for 1 special. We both agreed that because of how the season has gone to rank Lydia Williams and Jane Campbell together.

Which, let’s be fair, drops Williams a few spots.

Jordan Small:

Of course, since they both have played only one game, we thought it was fair to put them together. Obviously Campbell had a rough outing last weekend in Seattle, but I don’t think that is indicative of how Campbell will be at the professional level. On the other hand, you have a goalkeeper like Williams who played very well on opening weekend and picked up the win for Randy Waldrum’s side. It will be interesting to see what Waldrum does this week with his goalkeepers.

RJ Allen:

We’ve seen good goalkeepers have bad games but usually you aren’t starting a rookie over a top 10 international keeper. I think it has to play mind games a bit on both goalkeepers going into this weekend.

Even if Williams is back in goal.

Jordan Small:

Absolutely. I think Waldrum has an interesting situation on his hands.

But like you said, starting a rookie over a top 10 international keeper is not always the smartest decision. It’s even worse when it’s on the road against one of the best home teams in the league.

RJ Allen:

Him picking Campbell was a head scratcher. Starting her in Seattle feels like an even bigger one.

Jordan Small:

Exactly. But now that she has that first game under her belt, I hope she continues to improve.

I also think it was super smart to leave her in for the whole game. Really helps with the confidence going forward.

RJ Allen:

The next place is hard because I think we’re getting into a list of goalkeepers that are playing well but they have to be somewhere so they end up lower than fans will think they should be. So, at Number 8 we put Kailen Sheridan.

Jordan Small:

Sheridan was a wild card for me. I had seen her play in college and for the Canadian national team a few times. I think she has played well this season. The first game of her professional career, she gives up one goal off of a penalty kick. You can’t complain too much with that.

RJ Allen:

And the Dowie goal I think would have been hard for most goalkeepers to save.

I think she still looks like a young goalkeeper but right now I think she is playing pretty well.

Jordan Small:

For sure. Dowie is a world class goalscorer. Not many people are stoping that.

RJ Allen:

I do think with two rookies, a second-year player and Pearce as lead on the backline, she has to be a little bit more commanding.

Jordan Small:

She definitely does not have it easy in her first year. But I am sure that Pearce has been a great help adjusting to this level. I mean who better to have as your centerback in your first year as a pro?

RJ Allen:

I think if anyone can help her grow to be a stronger leader, it’s Pearce.

Jordan Small:

Definitely.

RJ Allen:

Number 7 is going to get us into some hot water, I think, but we did both agree on this one. Number 7, Ashlyn Harris.

Jordan Small:

She had to end up somewhere on the list. I put her down here because she has made some mistakes that have put her team in dangerous situations. This past weekend against Washington, she had some moments where I was like ‘what are you doing?’

But she has one of the shakiest defensive lines in the league right now, so I think number 7 is a good spot for her.

RJ Allen:

Her decision making has been very much “they can’t do the thing so I will do the thing for them” which, with the backline she has, I can understand. But it doesn’t make for great goalkeeping.

Jordan Small:

As cool as it looks, I don’t think you want to see your goalkeeper performing diving headers at the top of your own 18 yard box.

RJ Allen:

The more the line breaks down the more she has to do things that take away from her own skill set. Which is not going to do Orlando favors in the long run.

Jordan Small:

Not at all. She is a solid goalkeeper but does a little too much sometimes.

RJ Allen:

Number 6 might shock a few people but we went Abby Smith.

Jordan Small:

Abby Smith is a name that NWSL fans should get used to hearing. She is coming off a knee injury that kept her out most of last year, but she has a ton of potential. We’ve seen what she can do in the first two games of the season. The first game against FCKC may not have been the best, but man did she have a great game against Sky Blue. I really think she should have won Save of the Week. That’s a different conversation though.

RJ Allen:

It is but I think it’s one we agree about.

Smith has really looked good in the first town games for a team we both agree will surprise a few teams this year. She has not looked unsure once this season.

Jordan Small:

I think she will be the key to Boston having a better season. If she can continue her great play, this could be a year to remember for the Breakers.

RJ Allen:

How long before you think we see her get a national team call up, or do we?

Jordan Small:

I would like to see her get a call up. I’m not sure we will though.

RJ Allen:

Number 5 is a player I really thought we’d have higher until I started ranking them all, national team #1 Alyssa Naeher.

Jordan Small:

At the time of the SheBelieves Cup, I was calling Naeher the best goalkeeper in the world. I still stand by that. However, she has not looked her best as of late. The first game of the season was not a good one from her. She struggled with positioning a lot in that game. But then she came out in the second game and shut out FCKC at Toyota Park. I know she can play better and I can’t wait to see Naeher back at her best. Naeher at her best is my favorite.

RJ Allen:

Naeher is a really, really good goalkeeper but I have a hard time calling her world class. And if you are the number one goalkeeper in the US I think you need to be world class. And she hasn’t shown that to me this year for country or club.

But I do again her best is really damn good.

Jordan Small:

I think she is in a difficult spot because she has to follow up Hope Solo. I just wish Solo was around to help her transition into the number one instead of just being thrown in there.

RJ Allen:

I do wonder what it says for the future of USWNT goalkeeping, if anything, that all the current goalkeepers in the conversation are 5-10 and none are top 4.

Jordan Small:

I also think that says something about the strength of goalkeepers internationally. But you’re absolutely right, it is a little bit worrisome that they are not in the top 4. However, there is a goalkeeper in the top 4 that you and I both would agree should see time with the national team. Unfortunately, I don’t think that will ever happen.

RJ Allen:

Before we get to that goalkeeper let’s talk about our number 4. A goalkeeper who happens to be the third most capped USWNT goalkeeper, Nicole Barnhart.

Jordan Small:

Man, Nicole Barnhart. The goalkeeper that never seems to drop off. Barnie is a special one. She has been probably the most consistent goalkeeper in the NWSL over the years. It has been no different in year five. She has made some incredible saves that have really kept her team in it. If it wasn’t for her and Becky Sauerbrunn, I don’t know where FCKC would be right now.

RJ Allen:

She is an ageless wonder of soccer. Someone who really is just always there, always knows what needs to be done and always works her tail off to do what she can to get her team the win.

Underrated I think by a lot of fans.

Jordan Small:

I really wish she was able to play more for the national team. Timing is everything at the national team level, especially at the goalkeeper position. But you can’t argue that she is one of the best to ever play in the league.

RJ Allen:

I would argue that if we’re just talking NWSL she is the best goalkeeper the league has seen.

Jordan Small:

I can’t argue that.

RJ Allen:

Let’s talk top 3, shall we? Kicking off the top 3 is a goalkeeper I know you watch very closely, Steph Labbe.

Jordan Small:

Ah, yes. Steph Labbé. Let’s just say that the Washington Spirit are very lucky that she stuck around. She has been incredible for them this season. I mean if you look at the game against North Carolina in week one, she is the only reason that game didn’t end up 5-0, 6-0. She finished with seven saves I believe. Just incredible. But she did get kind of crossed up in the Orlando game on the game tying goal. She could really save the season for the Spirit.

RJ Allen:

She really has looked sharp lately. And she is is getting toward her peak goalkeeper years, later than peak field player years, which is great for both Washington and Canada.

Though I do still worry about her having to over compensate for her backline.

Jordan Small:

I think that this backline will get better in a few weeks now that Caprice Dydasco has been cleared. But if you’re Washington and Canada, you have to be happy with the product you are getting from your number one.

RJ Allen:

Number 2 and number 1, you and I could have swapped and felt pretty good about. But our number two right now is Haley Kopmeyer.

Jordan Small:

Haley Kopmeyer is finally getting her chance at number one. Good things come to those who wait. After waiting for so long behind Solo, she is finally getting her chance. She has looked so good in her first two games of the year. I can’t wait to see what she can do moving forward. I wish we could see her get called into the national team, but I just don’t think that’ll happen. We’ll just have to settle for seeing her lead the team in Seattle instead.

RJ Allen:

I would take her on the national team over just about anyone right now. She has clearly learned from Solo over her time there when it comes to deciding to make a move and doing it. She really looks like someone who could spend the next decade playing at a super high level.

Jordan Small:

I don’t disagree with that.

If she continues to impress this season, maybe we will see her get a call up this year.

RJ Allen:

Shall we talk about the number 1? I believe it’s that time.

Jordan Small:

I think we owe the people that much. So let’s talk about our number 1.

Sabrina D’Angelo has not allowed a single goal all season, so she was my obvious choice for number 1.

RJ Allen:

Going D’Angelo as the number one was pretty easy even with Kopmeyer playing the way she is, yeah.

Jordan Small:

Although I think you could make the case for Kopmeyer to be number 1, D’Angelo has piggybacked off of an incredible 2016 championship game performance.

She wasn’t forced to be very active in game one, but those pesky Portland Thorns really put her to work. She showed why she deserves to be number 1.

Do you think this puts John Herdman in a tough spot when it comes to the number 1 spot in net for Canada?

RJ Allen:

I think it does but I think it’s a problem that any coach would love to have.

Right now if I were Herdman I would go D’Angelo 1, Labbe 2, but I can understand having Labbe start for Canada as well.

I do wonder if she has less of the confidence issues that Labbe has fought in the past too, which can help.

Jordan Small:

I think I would go with Labbé just because she has more experience at the international level. However, with no major tournaments coming up, this could be the time to have a battle play out. It’s a nice situation to be in.

RJ Allen:

It really is. And for North Carolina having her be at the level they are with everything else that’s going for them? They have a shot at the playoffs for sure.

Jordan Small:

I think they are the most complete team in the league right now.

RJ Allen:

We are planning to revisit the goalkeepers in the league a few times this season. Who do you think has the most room to make the biggest jump up the board in that 10-6 range?

Jordan Small:

Probably Abby Smith. I think that if she keeps playing the way she has been, she can be a star in this league.

RJ Allen:

Yeah I really think she can go pretty far.

I think Sheridan can make a jump but that is also going to be a lot to do with her backline.

Jordan Small:

I agree with you on that. Sheridan will have to really learn to control that backline.

RJ Allen:

Any final thoughts on the league and goalkeepers?

Jordan Small:

You know, the goalkeeping has been great to start off the year. I think this could be the most competitive year on record for goalkeepers. Nothing makes me happier than great goalkeeping, so this should be fun.

RJ Allen:

I agree. I’m looking forward to seeing some great goalkeeping this year and seeing if any of the non starters get time and who might break in to the league.

Jordan Small:

Is there a certain spot in the league where you could see a non-starter get some time?

RJ Allen:

Portland I think gives the best odds.

Jordan Small:

I definitely agree with that. I think the only question there is when? The 

RJ Allen:

It’s only a matter of time before Franch has a game like Campbell the way she’s playing.

Jordan Small:

I hope Parsons makes the change before it costs them.

I think that’s really the only place we will see a different person in net unless you are looking at someone being away on national team duties.

RJ Allen:

I think we’ll see. Never know what might happen with only 20 goalkeepers on the rosters right now.

Jordan Small:

And that’s what is so much fun about goalkeeping.

Around the World of WoSo: Marta Arrives, Rapinoe Still Has It, Boston Impress

Posted on by RJ Allen

A New Pasture for the G.O.A.T.:

Marta, regarded as one of the greatest women’s players of all time, has arrived in America … for the fourth time. This time she can be found in the National Women’s Soccer League, playing with the Orlando Pride. Marta Vieira da Silva comes to Orlando from Brazil via Sweden, where she has played with FC Rosengard since 2014. Simply known as Marta to many supporters and fans around the globe, she has well-earned her nickname of G.O.A.T. Marta has won the FIFA Player of the Year 5 times (2006-2010), won Silver at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics while representing Brazil, and holds the record for most goals scored in Women’s World Cup play with 15.

The 31-year-old striker and native of Dois Riachos, Alagoas, Brazil certainly has a recognizable name and a superb set of skills to match that. Marta is known for her flair, her blazing speed and her ability to score magnificent goals in the blink of an eye. But she also brings a variety of championship experience, having won at the club level just about every year: Umea IK (Sweden, 2005-2008), Santos (Brazil, 2009), FC Gold Pride (USA, 2010), Western New York Flash (USA, 2011), Tyreso FF (Sweden, 2012), and FC Rosengard (Sweden, 2014-2015). Her remarkable accomplishments may be enough for some but it’s clear Marta wants more trophies.

Marta came on as a substitute for Orlando in their season opener this past weekend against Washington. She may not have gotten on the score sheet but her presence alone had a slight effect on the game; the crowd roared to life when she stepped on the field and eventually Orlando did manage to grab a point out of the 1-1 draw.  It will take a bit of time to adjust to her new city and new teammates, but I am not worried one bit that Marta will find her footing soon enough with Orlando.

 

Rapinoe Scorcher Helps Seattle Win:

Megan Rapinoe has returned to form! Also known as 2012 when she had a standout year for the National team during their run to gold …. Ok, maybe not completely 100% returned, but we certainly saw a flash or two of it on Saturday when Seattle beat Houston at Memorial Stadium. In the Reign’s 5-1 thrashing of the Dash, Rapinoe’s goal was perhaps the most electric. It was the second goal of the night for the Bois of Seattle and it was assisted by another blonde playmaker in Jess Fishlock. The Tiny Dragon placed a neat ball over the top of the Houston defense for Rapinoe to run onto and from 18 yards out she hit a stunning volley into the back of the net.

Rapinoe now has scored in consecutive games for the first time since 2014 when she also netted goals in the first two weeks of the season. Rapinoe has the ability to turn a game around with either a goal or an assist, and in this game we saw a little glimpse of what kind of season she is set to have. She obviously got her name on the score sheet but Rapinoe was active all game up and down the flanks, providing service and creating opportunities for her teammates. It really did seem like I was watching a game from 2012 and that is a good feeling to have as a Reign Supporter.

In front of an underwhelming crowd of 2,727, the Reign certainly put on a satisfying performance, came away with everyone somewhat healthy (Merritt Mathias left the game with a good size bump on her forehead after colliding with Bruna Benites in the 37th minute), and three big points to their name.

 

Lyon Run This City:

In the first leg of the semi-final blockbuster Champions League match between Lyon and Manchester City, it was the French powerhouse that earned a 3-1 victory. Leading up to it, many media outlets tagged it as the Carli Lloyd vs Alex Morgan showdown, but it was bigger than just the Americans playing overseas. The match included a penalty given in the second minute off a Lloyd handball, and continued with Lyon dominating large portions of the game. But maybe, most of all, the game was about Dzsenifer Marozsan and Eugenie Le Sommer dazzling the fans while each scoring a goal in front of a crowd of 3,614.

While the penalty was caused by Lloyd to give Lyon the lead early on, it won’t define her Champions League experience if City can turn it around in the second leg on April 29th. This was Manchester’s first loss since October of 2015. Morgan, on the other hand, had a quiet outing, but it’s her Lyon team who now have the advantage for the next game. To be fair, while both teams are clearly rich with talent, I do think Lyon have the better overall team and should finish off them in the second leg with no problem.

 

Boston Breaks Through:

The Boston Breakers have already won a game and it’s only week two. Not only did they grab the convincing victory, they saw Natasha Dowie earn her fist goal on the season and rookie Rose Lavelle got her first assist as a pro. With the home opener and a 1-0 win over Sky Blue in the books, they showed potential all across the board for the future.

Midfielder Lavelle has brought a dose of trickery and silky-smooth passing, goalkeeper Abby Smith was up for the challenge, making four crucial saves, and Margaret Purce brought insane energy in the 26 minutes she grabbed in the second half. The backline of Megan Oyster, Julie King, Christen Westphal and Allysha Chapman had a bounce-back game after a rough week one in KC. This team showed serious potential and I think they could surprise many people this season if they can put in that kind of effort consistently.

 

PFA Awards Handed Out:

The Professional Footballers Association gave out its annual hardware on Sunday and plenty of big names were recognized in the women’s game. Commonly referred to as PFA, it is an England-based event and this year was no different. Three winners that stood out were Kelly Smith, Lucy Bronze, and Jess Carter.

Smith, who recently retired, was honored with the Special Achievement Award for her lifetime commitment to the game. She brought attention to England that no other had done before and she was an exceptional player throughout her long career. Another player honored was Bronze, who received the Player of the Year award, the first player to do so for consecutive years in the PFA’s 44 years of existence. Quite a remarkable notion and Bronze is deserving of it as her play for club and country have been so enjoyable to watch. The last woman to be honored was Jess Carter, who plays her club ball for Birmingham City LFC and was awarded the Young Player of the Year.

 

NWSL Championship Location Announced:

Get your plans in motion, your friends on notice, and your bank account ready. The 2017 NWSL Championship game will be played in Orlando, Florida at Orlando City Stadium. The date is set for Saturday, October 14th with the time to be determined. The brand-new stadium recently debuted and it can hold over 25k, which will surely be enough seats for the final.

The age-old question soon crept into my mind after it was announced, will this put more pressure on the Pride to do well and make it to the final in just their second season? To answer my own question, I don’t think it puts any added pressure that they don’t have on themselves for this season. They’ve got a talented roster with some key veterans (Ali Krieger, Laura Alleway, Ashlyn Harris) and young kids who can contribute (Danica Evans, Steph Catley, Chioma Ubogagu) and just added the world best player in Marta. They don’t need to worry about the NWSL championship just yet.

Route Two Soccer – North Carolina 1-0 Portland: A Comprehensive Pressing Performance

Posted on by RJ Allen

It ended up a low-scoring affair—a bit of a disappointment after last year’s epic 4-3 semifinal—but this early match between two of the league’s title challengers offered plenty of excitement in its own right. It was defined by a virtuoso team defensive performance from North Carolina, whose comprehensive pressing game put Portland under pressure in every inch of the field, and set up their attack to pounce whenever the opportunity arose. In the end, it won them a late goal, three points, and sole possession of first place.

North Carolina switched to a back three for the game, bringing Abby Erceg into the center of the defense and pushing Kawamura and Dahlkemper to the left and right, respectively. That shift was risky, giving Portland the chance to try and isolate each of Carolina’s defenders, but it more than paid off. Despite a shaky day’s work from Kawamura, Portland was never able to find a way through. That was thanks largely to the swarming efforts of the upfield players, who shut down most attacks long before they had a chance to build.

It was a performance entirely appropriate to the new digs for the team—with this sort of athletic, tireless, hassling game being the longtime legacy of Anson Dorrance’s UNC. Not much flair or fancy passing moves; just brutal pace, aggressive play, and an attacking trio that was out for blood.

The three-back was key to the plans. By shifting the balance of the team forward, it let Paul Riley’s side engage a comprehensive and swarming counterpress. Portland’s backs spent the whole game under intense pressure, which severely limited outlet opportunities to even get the ball up to the midfield trio of Henry, Long, and Horan.

All too many times, Portland was denied passing lanes and ultimately forced into a speculative ball over the top, or into a risky sideways or backward pass. The former generally resulted in losing the ball upfield, while the latter produced more than a few turnovers in dangerous locations.

Amandine Henry is very good, but this sort of pressure is tough for anyone to deal with

And that’s precisely what led to the only goal of the match. Lacking a clear forward option, Portland passed all the way back to the keeper, allowing more NC players to enter their attacking half and further clog up the lanes. A poor pass was almost taken by Mewis, recovered by Long, who then found Sinclair near the center circle. Sinclair then dribbled backward through traffic, returned the ball to Long, who again passed backward into a space that ought to have been safe. Instead it was occupied by a waiting Lynn Williams, who passed to Zerboni, who sent it forward to McDonald, who found the arriving head of Debinha crashing into the box. It was a classic counterpress, executed with brute efficiency, against an exhausted Portland team.

Here is Long’s misplaced pass:

Quite clearly, Long did have options, but none were good. And the error is understandable, given the amount of pressure placed on her to that point. Constant play under stressful conditions leads to sloppiness, and it only takes one errant pass to turn the tide of the game.

Press high and foul aggressively

The pressing game is difficult to handle, particularly when used by a team with such physical and quick players, but it’s hardly foolproof. So North Carolina needed a Plan B for when Portland did wriggle free. And while part of that plan was to rely on the strength and skill of their defenders to avoid getting caught out when the press broke down, the heart of their approach was far simpler: commit fouls, early and often.

The ‘professional foul’ is named that way for a reason, and North Carolina was not shy about employing the tactic where necessary, to avert a dangerous breakaway. But the strategy works even better in the NWSL, where referees tend to call the games quite loosely, and are extremely hesitant to pull out their cards. As it was, North Carolina earned two bookings—one by Kawamura in the first half and another by Mewis in the second—both for precisely this sort of foul. But they will surely be perfectly happy to concede that modest cost in exchange for significantly limiting Portland’s run of play on the counterattack.

The problem of Adrianna Franch

Compounding Portland’s problems on the night was a severe lack of confidence in their keeper. Franch has looked shaky through the preseason and into the opening match, and that was no different in week 2. While she clearly has skill at controlling her box, at the moment she’s a trap waiting to go off with the ball at her feet. In the 24th minute, a weak kick put the ball right at the feet of Sam Mewis, and on a number of other occasions she looked shaky in her clearances.

Against a high press, the option to put the ball back to the keeper is vitally important. Without that ability, the range of play closes down radically, leaving at best a 180 degree field in which to work. With Portland clearly concerned about putting Franch under any sort of pressure, they were often left with an even more tightly constrained set of choices.

Franch is a talented keeper, and has never exhibited quite this range of problems with playing out of the back, so it’s possible this is something she’ll be able to work through. In the meantime, however, Portland is uniquely susceptible to this sort of approach.

The Portland response: long-delayed and mostly inadequate

North Carolina’s choice to employ a back three was slightly surprising, but it was a change more of degree than of kind. The overall setup was precisely what we’d expect from this team: athletic, tough, and aggressive. As such, you would expect Portland to have been prepared for a difficult midfield battle. The addition of an extra body in those channels might well have been surprising, but it shouldn’t have changed the game plan significantly.

And yet Portland seemed bewildered for most of the game, sticking with the same 4-3-3 right until the death. It was well into the second half before Henry began regularly dropping back into the backline to help maintain possession, but even then there was no meaningful shift in the overall setup. It meant that they got far too little mileage out of a world class midfield trio which, for all their skill in possession, was no match for the five or six bodies North Carolina regularly used to block and disrupt. 

There certainly are potential advantages to the 4-3-3 in this case. With three attackers and three defenders, a quick pass upfield creates the potential to isolate each defender and beat them with skill and/or pace. However, Portland made very little progress on this front, with a few notable exceptions down the right flank where Nadim was able to brush off Kawamura and find a good deal of space. None of those attacks ended up bearing fruit, but they suggested a strategy with potential.

Kawamura had a poor game, but Portland didn’t do enough to capitalize

The problem there was quite simple: for all her many talents, Nadim does not possess the sort of violent acceleration or the inclination to hang on her defender’s shoulder waiting to spring into action. Indeed, this is the great weakness of Portland’s whole attack. It’s not a slow group, but none of them are lightning attackers capable of exploiting an isolated defender left covering acres of space. They depend on buildup through the midfield to generate opportunities and unlock space for them to attack. And that’s precisely what North Carolina was denying on the night.

As such, it’s surprising that Portland didn’t shift gears. The 4-3-3 is a close cousin of the 4-2-3-1, and Portland could certainly have dropped back a bit, let Long and Henry settle into a double pivot, and bring the wingers back to the midfield to create a wider range of options in possession. Sinclair is arguably their most skillful player on the ball in tight quarters (at least until Tobin Heath returns), and could have worked very well as a target forward—drifting into the pocket between the back three and Carolina’s central midfield, holding up play, and creating space for the wingers to run into. She certainly was attempting to play that role, but no one else in the Portland side ever seemed to quite realize it.

Abby Dahlkemper is very good

It’s worth taking a moment to note just how good Dahlkemper was on the night. Virtually every meaningful Portland attack went down the other side—where Kawamura was shaky at times and could easily have set up a goal. On the left, though, Portland’s well ran almost completely dry.  That’s particularly surprising given that North Carolina’s right wingback (playing in front of Dahlkemper) was Makenzy Doniak, hardly a noted defender. But Dahlkemper was immense, keeping Mallory Weber and Hayley Raso in her pocket the whole night and even regularly stepping forward to clean up messes in the midfield before they could turn into full-blown crises. Erceg had a solid game as the central defender, but Dahlkemper was the star of the backline on the day.

The puzzle of Debinha

The North Carolina setup has been called a 3-5-2 by some, but in practice it played far closer to a 3-4-3, or perhaps a 3-4-1-2, with Debinha playing as something of an inside forward.

The Brazilian scored the goal, and has widely been hailed as a crucial addition to the North Carolina side. And she provides a useful change of pace from the rest of the squad. But she is certainly not a ‘Number 10’ as many have described her. For fans of the US Women’s National Team, she’s a very similar player to the late-period Carli Lloyd. While she is theoretically playing an attacking midfield role, she frequently wanders all over the pitch. This can create difficulties for a defense seeking to mark her, but also creates problem for a team depending on a defined organizational structure. Her play is mercurial and explosive, but also undisciplined and frustrating. 

For now, it seems, North Carolina has been able to use her as a luxury player, a roving attacker constantly keeping an eye on goal, who is ready to step into the space created after Williams and McDonald have torn a defensive line apart. And in that role, she certainly should be able to thrive. But it remains to be seen whether North Carolina will always be able to afford that luxury.

On Saturday, the exhaustive work from Zerboni and Mewis was enough to hold the central midfield line, allowing Debinha to venture off on her excursions. Against another opponent (or a Portland side armed with Tobin Heath), that might prove insufficient, and Debinha’s roving movement—not to mention her profligacy with possession—could prove quite damaging.

She is an important player, and a strong pickup for North Carolina, something made perfectly clear this weekend. But for all her strengths, there are important weaknesses here, too. It will be interesting to watch how future sides seek to exploit them, and how Paul Riley responds.

6 Takeaways from NWSL: Week Two

Posted on by RJ Allen

An unpredictable Week Two in the NWSL has now come to a close. We saw the first win of the season for the Boston Breakers, the absolute rout of Houston from Seattle, and the first appearance of Marta in Orlando. Here are a few of our takeaways: 

Orlando Pride Draw 14,452: What That Really Means — Luis Hernandez

The Pride held the first match in the new Orlando City stadium which holds 25,500 hoping to break the league attendance record set last year in Orlando’s inaugural home opener. To do so, the club’s marketing department rolled out its “Fill The Bowl” campaign, Pride players made personal appearances, and were on radio and television pushing the #FillTheBowl message. Outsiders will be quick to point this out as a disappointment or a failure to draw in more crowds than before even with the signing of Marta, but I think after a closer examination this is not a bad thing, but a good thing.

The high attendance number of the first game didn’t carry over for the rest of the season. As the city of Orlando grew the sport of soccer on the men’s side, the club needs to do the same for the women, and that will take time. First year, first game brought in those looking for some novelty, and wanted to “check out” the new team for the club. Orlando has a lot going on besides soccer, and this year three teams are playing in the stadium. People are being selective, so the 14K strong in attendance to see the Pride take on the Spirit were more actually fans of WoSo who are more than likely to have a greater number return. The number in attendance isn’t cause for alarm yet for the Pride; however, the next home game falls on Mother’s’ Day, so looking big picture and long term would be the smart way moving forward.

 

Parity, It’s a thing – Luis Hernandez

The North Carolina Courage seem to be the strongest team out the gates going into Week Three as they host the Pride. Yet looking at the standings with the results of the first two weeks, all the teams have at least a point. The Dash beat the Red Stars Week One then get blasted by Seattle and Chicago holds off FC Kansas City. The Reign could only draw the first week against Sky Blue, and KC provided to be too much for the Breakers. Fast forward to Week Two, Boston gets a win over Sky Blue.

See where I’m going here? In this league, each team needs to be ready to give maximum effort, and execution; otherwise it will be a long match (looking at you Houston). Orlando was finally able to get a point from Washington by creating quality in the final third for one moment after the Spirit were able to improve their team’s performance from Week One. No game is going to be a gimme, and that level of competition is one of the hallmarks of the league, not found in most women’s leagues. May it continue for the rest of the season.

The Injury Bug Keeps Biting the Washington Spirit – Jordan Small

In last week’s opening weekend matchup with the North Carolina Courage, the Spirit had to use two subs in the first half due to injuries. Joanna Lohman is out for the rest of the season because of torn left ACL and Cheyna Williams missed this weekend’s match because of a strained right adductor. Things got even worse for the Spirit on Saturday.

In the 19th minute of the match vs. the Orlando Pride, forward Katie Stengel had to be subbed off because of what appeared to be a knee injury. If Stengel is unable to play against the Houston Dash next week, that would leave the Spirit with just three true forwards on the roster. Lohman, Stengel, and Williams join Caprice Dydasco, Cali Farquharson and Kelsey Wys on the list of injured Washington players.

 

Franch is Not Bad, But Also Not Great – Jordan Small

If you look at the box scores of the first two weeks of the season for the Portland Thorns, there doesn’t seem to be a lot wrong with the goalkeeping. A 2-0 win at home and a 1-0 loss on the road are two very respectable results. But what if I told you that the goalkeeping is a position of concern for the Thorns heading into the rest of the season?

Adriana Franch has been the starter for Portland in both matches this season. Despite allowing just one goal in that time, Franch had multiple mistakes that really put her team in harms way. Franch’s distribution out of the back has been suspect this season, forcing her backline to clean up her mistakes. Her mistakes have not cost her team on the scoresheet just yet, but how long will Mark Parsons wait before putting Britt Eckerstrom?

Houston, We Might Have a Problem? – Leigh Nieves

It’s difficult to say if Houston was purely having an off night, or if they really didn’t remember what is was like to play the Seattle Reign. Their shaky defense and questionable starting line up was a complete 180 from their first game vs Chicago. The one thing that was unquestionable? Seattle’s lethal attack.

Saturday night was the game many Reign fans were waiting to see. Jess Fishlock opened the scoring with a lovely ball that slid right past rookie keeper, Jane Campbell. This was only the beginning of Campbell’s nightmare-esque pro debut. In the next fifteen minutes, the Reign bagged two more goals, one from the deadly left foot of Megan Rapinoe and one from rookie defender, Kristen McNabb. Houston only continued to deteriorate, getting only one goal in the 84th minute from Poliana and ending the game with a 5-1 loss.

Houston should have a pretty decent offensive side this year with Kealia Ohai and Rachel Daly leading their formations, but the duo was practically invisible against the Reign. Maybe we can chalk this up to Houston’s bad luck vs Seattle (the Reign is 8-0 all-time against the Dash), or maybe there needs to be a big change in tactics for the next game.

 

Boston is Good? – Leigh Nieves

The Breakers closed out Week Two with a 1-0 shutout vs Sky Blue. And yes, they looked solid. A beautiful pass from Rose Lavelle to Natasha Dowie resulted in the game’s only goal. Sky Blue found themselves struggling against Boston’s ability to maintain possession and break (see what I did there) down Sky Blue’s attack. Though SBFC’s Christie Pearce seemed to be a dominant force in the first half, their second half performance lacked connectivity in the midfield. Ultimately, I would not be worried as a Sky Blue fan, but I would be hyped as a Breakers fan.

Route Two Soccer: The Counterattack and Houston’s 4-3-3

Posted on by RJ Allen

Welcome to Route Two Soccer, a new (semi) weekly column, where I’ll be discussing tactics in the women’s game.

There are plenty of great resources out there already on soccer tactics in general, and a whole lot more applying those concepts, but there’s not nearly as much available about tactical developments on the women’s side of things. I’m hoping to help fill in a little bit of that gap.

To kick things off this week, I want to talk about the Houston Dash, a team picked by many (including yours truly) to finish near the bottom of the table, who played this weekend without their two biggest stars (Carli Lloyd is in England until June and Morgan Brian carrying an injury), and nevertheless managed to secure a 2-0 victory over a strong Chicago side.

Despite the scoreline, it was a relatively even affair with Chicago arguably having the better of the game for the first 70 minutes. However, the manner in which Houston achieved the win deserves attention, since it has big implications for how the team will need to set up over the rest of the season if they hope to replicate this result.

Houston set up in a 4-3-3, led by an attacking triumvirate of Ohai, Daly, and Beckie—a group with the talent to be one of the best frontlines in the league. Ohai and Beckie were nominally positioned on the left and right respectively, but swapped sides easily over the course of the match. Daly mostly held the center, playing off the others, and trying to set the conditions for successful linkup play.

Houston’s 4-3-3: strengths and weaknesses

When it works, this sort of fluid attacking line creates enormous difficulties for the defense. All three are adept at picking off isolated defenders, dragging defenses out of position, and then slicing through the resulting spaces. Working together, they can trigger a cascading effect. As one creates a gap, the next moves through it to receive the ball, further dragging defenders off their mark and creating space for the third to gain a solid look on goal.

However, this approach has limitations as well. For one thing, it misses out on the advantages of a traditional center forward. While Daly can deputize as a #9, she lacks the physical presence to dominate in the air or allow for a game built around hold-up play. Moreover, this trio is chock full of great goals, but is far less adept at the sort of goal poaching that’s so often is necessary to grind out a tough win.

But most importantly, with all three forwards at their best facing goal and/or moving laterally, it can be difficult for Houston to orchestrate much buildup through the midfield. When it’s not working, this 4-3-3 leaves the attacking trio isolated, and the midfield overrun.

This effect is compounded by Houston’s relative dearth of good possession-oriented central midfielders. Andressa certainly fits that bill—with as much skill on the ball as almost anyone in the league—but Denise O’Sullivan and Amber Brooks do not. They both have excellent work rates, and can be trusted to put in a shift, but these are hardly the players to build a tiki-taka game around. Houston’s 4-3-3, therefore, can easily set up their opponent to dominate possession and choke off attacks before they begin, something that happened all too often last year (including an almost unbelievable scoreless run of 567 minutes).

In theory, this setup should be relatively flexible, shifting quickly back and forth between the 4-3-3 in attack to a 4-2-3-1 in defense (with Ohai and Beckie dropping back to the midfield, and O’Sullivan dropping back to form a bank of two defensive midfielders). However, neither of the wide attackers is particularly adept defensively, minimizing the value of this switch. And, even more importantly, the 4-2-3-1 is best suited for facilitating transitions through the center of the pitch, using the extra bodies in the midfield to support the attack. But this isn’t really Houston’s objective, and it remains to be seen whether they try to move more in that sort of direction.

Houston’s 4-3-3 in action – Week 1

On Saturday, we saw clear evidence of both the strengths and weaknesses of the 4-3-3.

On the negative side, Chicago’s excellent central diamond used their extra body and greater skill in possession to great effect, running circles around the beleaguered Houston midfield. Despite their best efforts, O’Sullivan and Brooks spent most of the first hour chasing shadows, giving dangerous players like DiBernardo, Colaprico, and Press far too much time and space on the ball. Meanwhile, Andressa spent a lot of time getting kicked, but didn’t find much joy threading needles through quickly collapsing spaces.

However, on the positive side, as Houston dropped deeper in defense Chicago was forced to come forward, leaving acres of space behind their defensive line. And this sort of expanse is precisely the terrain that Houston’s frontline is best suited to exploit.

You can see the effect quite clearly in Houston’s first goal. It all began with Chicago slicing open the Houston defense and then rattling the post with a shot. But in the space of just a few seconds, Brooks went from standing over the ball in her own defensive third (with five Chicago players behind her) to launching a ball over the top right to the feet of an onrushing Ohai, with only the keeper to beat. It was a ridiculously fast transition: from nearly conceding to putting the ball in the net in the space of 15 seconds.

And this is the issue for Houston in 2017. Their chief resources are blistering pace and skillful attackers who do best attacking head-on, taking defenders on directly, or rushing into space to meet a throughball. In that sense, they seem ideally suited to a counterattacking setup. However, Houston’s primary weakness is its backline, where none of their defenders are without significant questions. A strategy of resolute defending and lightning counterattacks might serve them well, but it could be exceptionally dangerous to sit back and wait for opponents to attack their weakest link.

The return of Lloyd and Brian

These questions will only grow as Lloyd and Brian return. Both are excellent players, of course, but it remains to be seen whether and how they can be fitted into a more successfully tactical setup.

Lloyd, in particular, is a real enigma. Her presence in 2016 coincided with (by far) the team’s best run of form. Consider: in Lloyd’s six full games, Houston scored 17 goals and earned 12 out of 18 points. In their other 14 games, Houston scored just 12 goals and earned only 10 out of 42 points. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether Lloyd actually fits into the system that Houston needs to play. She’s certainly not well suited for a lethal counterattacking unit built on pace and quick one-touch passing to slice through a defense in transition.

And if she does return to the Dash starting XI, whom would she replace? Sacrificing any of the midfielders would only exacerbate the defensive frailty. Losing one of the front three, however, would radically change the offensive structure—with Lloyd likely slotting in as more of an attacking midfielder at the top of a 4-4-2. We have seen Lloyd excel in that role before—when she is on her game, she truly fits the bill of the trequartista. But those games are rare in the best of times, and Lloyd is now solidly in her mid 30s. Can the Dash afford to build their entire offense around the gamble of getting Lloyd at her best?

What to do with Morgan Brian is an easier topic, though not without its own subtle concerns. Thanks to national team duties and a series of injuries, Brian has never quite achieved what the Dash hoped from her when they selected her with the #1 pick in 2015. But a healthy Morgan Brian is one of the most skillful and gifted (both physically and mentally) players in the world–the sort of player that any team can use.

So, looking forward, the question for the Dash is just how soon they’ll be able to get that version of Brian, and where they should use her once she becomes available. I’ve argued before over at Stars and Stripes FC that Brian’s best role going forward might be as a holding midfielder, in something of the Sergio Busquets role. That position maximizes the value of her skill on the ball, her field vision, and her control in tight spaces. However, if Houston plan to play a counterattacking game, they simply won’t have much use from a short-passing playmaker in the deep holding slot. It might make more sense, then, to continue slotting in Brooks at the #6—where she is more than serviceable—and swap out O’Sullivan instead.

For Houston, Brian’s value will probably be maximized if she plays as a box-to-box midfielder, dropping deep and effectively playing as the second piece of a double pivot when in defense—enhancing the midfield shield that will help to protect the frail backline—but with the freedom to range forward to link up with Andressa, Poliana and the attacking three when in possession. O’Sullivan did well enough in that role on Saturday, but there’s no denying that a fully fit Brian would make it easier for the Dash to shift fluidly between the 4-3-3 in attack and the 4-2-3-1 in defense.

If they’re able to integrate Brian into the system in that slot and if she and Andressa can form a solid relationship in those roles, it would significantly enhance Houston’s tactical versatility, and could be the difference between a successful campaign and another mediocre season.

Going forward

Houston performed well on Saturday, managing to play fairly even with a strong Chicago team, and start their season with three points. But the flaws of this roster were very much on display, and the real problem is: it’s not really clear that there are many solutions available.

The 4-3-3 is the best way to maximize the attacking abilities of their front six, but it’s a fairly rigid framework. When it works, it produces moments of magic. When it doesn’t, it produces a lot of frustration. And unlike other teams in the league, with enormous flexibility to rebalance their team on a given day, Houston doesn’t have a lot of other options.

As noted above, when Lloyd returns they may choose to shift to a 4-4-2 (pushing Ohai to the wings and using Lloyd as the #10), and they did have some success in this formation last year. But it relies heavily on getting top-quality performances from Lloyd (a risky gamble), and also risks seriously unbalancing the midfield.

Ultimately, it’s hard to look at the roster and not think that a trade might be their best option. At the end of the day, Houston’s season will be made or broken on the backline, and while they can and should work on drilling a bit more positional solidity into that backline, there’s a limit to how much water you can squeeze from a rock.

But Lloyd remains an incredibly dangerous player. Might not some other team in the league be willing to offer up some defensive support in order to get her? If it’s possible to bring in some additional strength from outside, they would be well advised to consider it.

6 Takeaways From NWSL Week One

Posted on by RJ Allen

The first week of NWSL Season 5 is now complete, and life is good because of it. Hopefully your team managed to win in week one, but it is still early if your team fell in defeat (or a draw, shoutout to Sky Blue and Seattle fans). A lot of good came out of the first week with only a smattering of bad, so here are a few of our takeaways as we head into the second week.

The Thorns Mostly Sharp in Rose City – Luis Hernandez

The historic first nationally broadcast regular season NWSL game on Lifetime, saw the Portland Thorns cruise to victory in front of the Portland faithful over the Orlando Pride keeping its record of opening day wins perfect (5-0-0). Nadia Nadim converted from the spot after an uncharacteristic handball in the box from Pride defender Alanna Kennedy in 32nd minute and Christine Sinclair finished an Allie Long pass in the 67th minute to finish the scoring for the day.

The only worry Portland needs to settle down is the erratic play of Adrianna Franch who would have been made to pay by a better organized attack instead of the second year Pride. Franch stats would make her a lock in goal to replace the departing Michelle Betos; however, she displayed poor decision-making, and unspectacular distribution. Franch even fouled Chioma Ubogagu just outside the box in the 42nd minute. The Thorns managed to keep a clean sheet but if the team wants to bring the NWSL championship back to the Rose City. Franch can’t play as poorly as the first match. Britt Eckerstrom might see time sooner rather than later.

The League Pulls Off Television Broadcast and Match Streaming Mostly – Luis Hernandez

Within the first few moments of the go90 app streaming the first match of the season with the Houston Dash hosting the Chicago Red Stars, the production value dwarfed whatever was on YouTube from season’s past. Matches were available for replay fairly quickly on go90. Despite the commercial issues during Sunday’s game, all seemed pretty well. Unless you were an international fan using the NWSL website, in which case, we are sorry.

We all figured it wasn’t all going to go off without a hitch, but after all the Saturday matches were done, the league should be given credit the accomplishment of making most NWSL fans happy by producing on the statements made. The Lifetime broadcast was even more impressive. The broadcast teams provided an air of legitimacy. The inclusion of Julie Foudy with Dalen Cuff worked. Additionally, Jenn Hildreth working with Aly Wagner provided an entertaining and professional experience. Granted, I’m still waiting for the Lifetime replay, and there will always be a vocal group of negative experience, but the broadcast didn’t suck and the streams were clear. Nice job.

Labbé Saves the Day in Washington, Well Almost. – Jordan Small

Saturday’s 1-0 loss to the North Carolina Courage was not the ideal start for the Washington Spirit. In the first half alone, the Spirit conceded a goal to the courage and also lost two starters to injury. The one positive light in the game was the play of Canadian international Stephanie Labbé in net.

Labbé’s play in the back not only saved the Spirit from a disastrous opening weekend, but also proved that she was already in top form. North Carolina had 21 shots, 9 of which ended up on frame, but only one goal to show for it. It seemed as if every save that Labbé racked up was one for the highlight reel. There are many things that the Spirit must address heading into week 2 when they face Orlando, but the goalkeeping situation is not one of those.

Two Key Additions Make NC Courage Even Better – Jordan Small

With very little change in the lineup that won the 2016 NWSL Championship game as the Western New York Flash, it was not a surprise to see the North Carolina Courage come out firing on all cylinders. Two key offseason additions solidified a lineup that looks to bring the relocated franchise to the playoffs for the second consecutive years.

Brazilian midfielder Debinha came in to an already solid Courage midfield and made it even better. Her ability to create scoring chances and her strong presence on the ball made her a force to be reckoned with in the opening weekend match. The Courage also brought in Japanese centerback Yuri Kawamura to fill in for the departed Alanna Kennedy. With Kawamura adding a stable presence in the middle of the backline, leftback Jaelene Hinkle was more free to get up and down the outside flank. Both of these additions sured up a very good Courage lineup.

Haley Kopmeyer Is Good at Goalkeeping – Leigh Nieves

In a game where Seattle most likely should not have gained a point, the Reign’s keeper kept their squad above water in a match against a threatening Sky Blue FC. Seattle’s defensive line was no match for the attack of Sam Kerr & Co. and Kopmeyer ended up with 8 impressive saves by the end of the game.

Though it could be blamed on lack of playing time with the team from a few starters in the off season, it is troubling that the Reign is back to opening their season without a win at Memorial Stadium. On the other hand, it’s very encouraging to see such a strong showing from a Sky Blue team that has struggled in the past with having a relative mediocre season. It seems like moving Kelley O’Hara up in your formation to help lead on the attack actually can help your squad.

Leroux Makes a Comeback – Leigh Nieves

FCKC met the Boston Breakers for the final game of Week 1 on Sunday and walked away with a 2-0 win with goals from Sydney Leroux and Amy Rodriguez. Despite Amy Rodriguez’s injury casting a rather dark shadow on the game, it was wonderful to see Sydney Leroux back in full form. Leroux not only scored a beautiful goal with a clinical finish early in the first half, but also could have bagged two more had it not been for the crossbar.

With the return of Syd the Kid and a solid showing from rookie Christina Gibbons, FC Kansas City seems to be on track to make a decent impression within the league this season. Even some outstanding footwork from Boston’s Rose Lavelle couldn’t stop the Blues from getting 3 points and a shutout. Now we can only hope that A-Rod makes a speedy recovery and can help with their run.

These are the things that stood out to us from week one in the NWSL. What stood out to you? Was there something we missed? Leave a comment below for your takeaways.

Predicting the Pride: Year Two Edition

Posted on by RJ Allen

The inaugural season for the Orlando Pride didn’t go according to plan. Attempting to piggyback on the club’s MLS team slogan of Defy Expectations, the Pride had a stated objective of reaching the playoffs in its first year in existence. Getting a big name talent was only one piece of the plan; Orlando City diligently strives to treat the Pride as equals to its first team.  The team started out respectable enough, with big name signings, but with the departure of national team players for the Olympics in Rio, the lack of depth on the roster was exposed. The expansion team failed to win another match after mid-July, and finished in ninth place on the table, just above Boston. It was apparent at the end of the expansion team’s inaugural season that there was much to be done going into 2017 to improve the squad. Head coach Tom Sermanni and the Orlando front office have diligently worked on deals this off-season, even though the team has very few assets to barter with in the drag left by the export of resources in order to secure the famous Alex Morgan trade. Betting heavily on these off-season transactions, the Pride traded away Sam Witteman to North Carolina Courage and currently dealt away the remaining 2018 draft picks. Subsequently, Orlando is “all in” for the historic fifth NWSL season, and their second.

The team began the off-season by trading for Ali Krieger to shore up the defense, sending the Washington Spirit what amounted to a pack of gum. Seriously, before the trade, most fans would not have known about NWSL’s distribution rank order or the fact that Orlando was second on the list and the Spirit moved up to take that spot. On the day the trade took place Washington had nothing to show for getting rid of its team captain. But the biggest movement, and perhaps the most challenging, was Alex Morgan’s decision to head to France for the first part of the NWSL season; she isn’t expected to be back until June. Orlando tried to make the most of the transactions it managed to complete, but is it going to be enough to rise up the standings, and push into the playoffs in year two? How will the team line up during the season?

Let’s break down the Pride in its sophomore season. But, keep in mind, as of this writing, the final roster hasn’t been announced.

GOALKEEPERS

Going into the 2017 season, goalkeeping looks to be stable. Ashlyn Harris will once again command the defense in front of her. She’ll be looking to improve her 1.33 goals against per game with the Pride’s revamped defensive line. Backup keeper, Aubrey Bledsoe looks like she’s made a full recovery from breaking a leg which prematurely ended her season last year. If the back line can relieve some of the pressure that allowed 112 shots on goal last year, it will be a better year for the Harris who is motivated to prove for club and country that she is the best keeper. Keeping herself fit and injury-free should be a priority as last year the rough style of coaching from Marcos Machado (who coached women for the first time last season) was rough on both keepers. The Pride decided to make a change both keepers seem to have benefited from with new Pride Goalkeeper coach, Lloyd Yaxley, who used to coach Harris when she was a member of the Washington Spirit.

 

DEFENDERS

The focus of the off-season was a major upgrade to the defensive line which had been ravaged by a combination of international duty absences, injuries, and overall lack of cohesiveness. Added to the Pride were U.S. women’s national team player, Ali Krieger, and Brazilian international Camila. Australian international Alanna Kennedy also joined the team, reuniting with fellow Matildas Steph Catley and Laura Alleway. 

These additions join returning players like Cami Levin, Toni Pressley, and Monica. Sermanni appears hopeful the back line will become a strength with so many talented players available since the lack of international tournaments outside of the Euro minimize player absences. He’s also spoken of the benefit of having players with ties together translating on the pitch. The Pride appear to have found the solution to its porous defense. 

Last season, Coach Sermanni tinkered with the three-back formation but determined he didn’t have the players to execute it properly. This preseason the Pride have spent an extensive amount of time with a three back system. The key to a successful three back formation requires tall, strong players who are great in 1v1 situations and can stay compact. With so many skilled defenders, Sermanni will need to shift some players into the midfield to have as much talent out on the pitch while supplementing the lack of depth in the midfield roster. Look for Krieger to anchor the line as Kennedy and Alleway flank her left and right sides respectively. The versatility of Catley and Camila will allow them to play out wide, while still able to track back and defend if need be. 

 

MIDFIELDERS

On paper, the midfield appears to be an area of concern, with less than a handful of players officially on the roster. Fan-favorite Kaylyn Kyle was released once the Canadian Federation chose not to maintain her allocated status. Breakout-player Kristen Edmonds returns having been able to translate last season’s strong performance into a couple of national team camp call-ups. Maddy Evans spent the off-season playing in the W-league with the Brisbane Roar, and it seems the time on the pitch there has developed her game. Her overall physical conditioning, passing, and defensive play in the preseason have illustrated what spending extra hours on the pitch can do. Dani Weatherholt’s development in the off-season, including her time with the U-23 team, has impressed the coaches during preseason. Weatherholt continues to prove that she is the fittest player on the roster, winning the beep test this year reaching level 53 which, combined with her improved focus on her hold up play, should get her more minutes than the 786 from last season. 

Orlando looked to reinforced the midfield by drafting Nickolette Driesse in the fourth round of the draft. While Evans and Weatherholt are more defensive-minded, Driesse will look to go forward more to create scoring opportunities with the team’s forwards. But the lack of depth in the midfield could quickly be cause for alarm if the team fails to stay healthy. The team may continue to look to add depth as the season goes by.

The competition for playing time in the midfield is going to be a challenge as Sermanni adds defenders into that portion of the pitch. Someone on the roster will need to step up as the play-maker who can get the ball forward to the strikers. Driesse displayed the type of passing skill Sermanni is hoping will translate to the pro game, but as an unproven rookie that’s still a question mark going into the season.

 

FORWARDS

The issues with the Pride last season were two-fold: they couldn’t keep goals out of their net, and they couldn’t get goals into the opponent’s.  Alex Morgan who isn’t going to be with the team until the summer, took 44 shots last season, 20 on goal, and converted four for goals. Proving how anemic the Orlando attack was in 2016, the team’s leading scorer last season was midfielder Kristen Edmonds with six goals. Sermanni played Edmonds in multiple positions on the pitch, finally settling for the midfield where her strength from free kicks allowed her to find the back of the net even when the Pride struggled to provide service to the forwards. The Pride are bringing back Jasmyne Spencer, Christina Burkenroad, and Jamia Fields. Spencer returns after a loan to Canberra United in the off-season. She is at full health after suffering a lower leg injury during the W-league season. Look for her to contribute this season with at least four goals like she did last season. I expect the Pride will be searching for the combination of strikers who can provide goals, with Spencer I believe her role would be better suited off the bench and run at tired defenders late in the match. Burkenroad has looked a step faster than her rookie season, and if she can maintain her fitness her role will expand from the seven appearances she made last year. The expectation for Fields is to contribute more.

Additionally, the Pride acted on their search for more goal scorers by drafting Danica Evans (Colorado Buffalos) in the third round. Evans scored 11 goals in her senior season and notched six assists. The team also acquired the rights to Rachel Hill from Portland after the draft; however, the UConn Huskies star will not join the team until after she finishes with school this summer. The most under the radar move of the Pride off-season has been the trade of Chioma Ubogagu from the Houston Dash for a 2018 third round pick. Her addition to the roster went through with very little fanfare; however, Ubogagu has put some time in the gym which added more muscle to her frame and has scored in each of the preseason matches so far. Her addition to the squad should help make up for the absence of Morgan, and she could become a mainstay on Sermanni’s starting XI come gameday. I’m going to go out on a limb and predict Ubogagu scores double digit goals.

 

THE MARTA FACTOR

On April 7th, the Orlando Pride made the biggest signing in NWSL history bringing to the City Beautiful five-time Women’s World Player of the Year, Marta. How will her signing affect the Pride in 2017? I’ve always felt the Pride would be a better team who could fight into the playoff picture this year. Marta has yet to even practice with her new teammates, so right away there are questions on team chemistry and where she’ll be slotted into the formation, coming onto the team listed as a forward. But as Coach Sermanni stated in a team video from Twitter, “It’s really a question about just making the best use of her as we possibly can, and using her skills the best way we can.”

Last year, one of the challenges for the Pride was creating service opportunities for Alex Morgan and the other forwards on top. Because of this, I feel Marta would be better suited in the midfield as the central attack behind two forwards. She would be the creative playmaker that runs the offense, and Marta is able to create her own shot. The defensive players would have to play closer to her, so there could be more room for the forwards to work, as well as the outside wingers.  But if they can manage this? Orlando has some serious post-season potential this year.

 

FORMATION

With the U.S. women’s national team prominently playing with a three-back formation, some have wondered if any coaches in the league would attempt to use it this year. In each of the four preseason matches Orlando has played so far, the team began with a three-back line either in a 3-5-2 or 3-4-3 formation. A three back system has to stay compact to be successful. However, there were times when the Pride would shift to a more conventional four-back system and either utilize a lone striker or have a pair of forwards on top. Expect the Pride to play compact in the back while working the ball out wide before putting pressure around the 18. The test will be when an opponent high presses the Pride, and we can see how the revamped defense handles when there’s a turnover in the defensive third. The backline will need to stay compact and have the wingers come back to help on defense when called upon giving Orlando a five-person line at times then when the danger is taken care of shift forward to keep numbers in the midfield. So far in preseason, the team has been able to pull it off against college teams. Ball distribution from the back from Harris or Kennedy will allow the fast pace style of play Sermanni wants the team to execute.

 

PREDICTION

Look for the Pride to improve from its ninth-place finish last year. The team has chosen to once again gamble the future and focus on the now by trading all its picks for the 2018 draft. The front office doesn’t shy away from making deals, and for Coach Sermanni there is added pressure to get results. However, that being said, I still don’t feel like Coach Sermanni will be in the hot seat even with the front office approach. I expect that to change for year three based on this year’s results. The relationships he’s been able to create with players make Orlando an attractive option. Players want to play for him again, just look at the willingness of the Australians to come to Florida to be reunited with the former Matildas gaffer. The ownership ties to Brazil also opens the door to those national team players. More players from the inaugural roster will be let go to make room for upgrades and a better quality squad. Out of respect to the players, I’m not going to speculate on any possible cuts. With a bit of luck, this team can avoid the injury bug since there are still depth issues. More obviously in the midfield, but an injury in the back line could cause a formation change if the three back line can’t be maintained. The home crowd in the new stadium should create an advantage in Orlando, and with lessons learned from last season – such as an extra travel day to west coast matches and better management of vegan players dietary needs affecting performance – should improve results.  Personally, I’m going to be optimistic and predict a fourth place finish and sneaking into the playoffs in year two. Here’s my crack at the opening day starting XI.

 

That’s how I see the Pride heading into the second season. Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

2017 Orlando Pride Roster

GOALKEEPERS (2): Aubrey Bledsoe, Ashlyn Harris (FED-USA)

DEFENDERS (8): Laura Alleway (INTL-AUS), Mackenzie Berryhill (SEI), Steph Catley (INTL-AUS), Monica Hickmann Alves (INTL-BRA), Alanna Kennedy (INTL-AUS), Ali Krieger (FED-USA), Cami Levin, Toni Pressley

MIDFIELDERS (5): Nickolette Driesse, Kristen Edmonds, Maddy Evans, Camila Martins Pereira (INTL-BRA), Dani Weatherholt,

FORWARDS (7): Christina Burkenroad, Danica Evans, Jamia Fields, Alex Morgan (FED-USA, OOM), Jasmyne Spencer, Chioma Ubogagu, Marta Vieira da Silva (INTL-BRA, OOM)

They’re Gonna be Good, Just Trust Me: A Look at Sky Blue FC in 2017

Posted on by RJ Allen

Sky Blue FC was a study in contradictions in 2016. They came out with a big win over the Seattle Reign at Memorial Stadium before a series of draws and losses that left them 2-3-2 by the end of May. Finishing in 7th place with a record of 7-8-5was obviously not what the team had in mind on opening day in 2016. But the team was able to grow during their first year under Head Coach Christy Holly in a way that flies partly under the radar given their 7th place finish. Add in some strong draft picks in the 2017 draft and the fifth season is pretty positive for the New Jersey team.

The Attack

The Sky Blue attack underwent some key upgrades during the off-season. First, Sky Blue welcomes midfielder Daphne Corboz back to their team after a stint in England where she played for Manchester City Women. The Georgetown Hoya was a top attacking player in college and actually drafted by SBFC in the 2015 NWSL College Draft. After gaining considerable experience in England, Corboz could be in for a big season as she makes her NWSL debut.

In a move some fans have been dying to see, US National Team defender Kelley O’Hara is finally being listed at forward on the Sky Blue roster. A top-scorer at Stanford, O’Hara will be able to step in and fill gaps in the defense when called upon, but having her attention more focused on the attack in 2017 is a big win for the team. While O’Hara is an accomplished defender, having won an Olympic gold as a starting left back for the USWNT, her talents have always lent themselves more toward the attack. With two first round draft picks added to the defense O’Hara is finally able to be moved higher up the pitch.

Then there’s Raquel Rodriguez, the sophomore star fresh off her 2016 NWSL Rookie of the Year award, who has the benefit of a full season under her belt. The young midfielder and Costa Rican international’s experience, both in the league and in international play, can only benefit the New Jersey team that came in closer to the bottom than anyone should be comfortable with. During the last international break before the NWSL season kicks off, Rodriguez will be with her national team in Japan. If the Japan WNT isn’t a great warm up for the NWSL season, I’m not sure what is. Her ability to keep on her feet and not be pushed off the ball is something from 2016 I am hoping to see improved in 2017. Some of that is adapting from a college game to the pros. If she can improve upon her 2016 play she could be a staple in the midfield for seasons to come. 

Perhaps the biggest element in Sky Blue’s 2017 attacking side is a healthy Sam Kerr. After the season Kerr had in the W-League during the NWSL’s off-season, it isn’t hard to see why she is regarded as one of the best forwards in the world with the ability to score from nearly anywhere and a fearless approach to taking shots. Her time in the W-League showed that she is finally fully fit and healthy after some foot issues over the last year or so, something that should strike fear into the hearts of defenders all over the NWSL. If she can stay healthy for the season, Kerr will likely be in the running for the NWSL Golden Boot with the way she managed five goals in only nine games while battling back from injury in 2016.

And still, these are just four of the attacking players Holly will have to pick from when putting together his XI. Sarah Killion, Taylor Lytle, Nikki Stanton, Kim DeCesare, Leah Galton, Maya Hayes, and Tasha Kai–when she returns–could all see significant playing time, among others.

The Defense

One of the issues that plagued Sky Blue the most in 2016 was the way they continued to give up easy goals. And their lack of defensive cohesion meant that their attacking play could never quite count on having the breathing room necessary at times to make plays and find the net. 

But this year, Sky Blue’s back five will have a drastically different look. To start, Kristen Grubka is no longer with the team and Kelley O’Hara will be playing as a forward. The two holes will likely be filled with draft picks Mandy Freeman and Kayla Mills. With a backline composed of Mills, Rampone, Freeman, and Skroski, Sky Blue has a much better chance of staying in the game and giving the attack help when needed. 

Both Freeman and Mills won a NCAA title in 2016 with USC before being drafted to Sky Blue. Freeman has the ability to step into the midfield if needed to give Holly some flexibility in terms of depth while Mills is a top defender who is able to get forward when needed and help on the attack. Skroski had a very nice 2016, playing in 20 games and scoring once. I’ve written extensively on Rampone’s ability in the past and expect her to challenge, if not flat out win, NWSL Defender of the Year for 2017. Domi Richardson and Erin Simon will be the likely subs on defense leaving the team a bit thin there, which makes it likely that Holly will need O’Hara to step in if injuries happen. But on paper, the backline seems primed for success this year. The only question there seems to be how thin they are if the injury bug hits. 

The goalkeeping situation looks better in 2017 than it did in 2016. Kailen Sheridan, a Canadian international, was drafted by the team and made a Federation player, while Caroline Casey is back with the team for her sophomore season. Additionally, Caroline Stanley is no longer with the team.

In my estimation, Sheridan will win the goalkeeper battle. Sheridan has some limited international experience with Canada and has demonstrated good technique and solid skill both at the international level and the collegiate level, where she played for Clemson. Honestly, she gives Sky Blue what might be their best option since Brittany Cameron left after 2015. Casey, while serving as the backup so far this preseason, looks to have improved over her 2016 form. I don’t expect the goalkeeping fight to be a long one but for the first few games, there might be a little back and forth between the two keepers.

The Intangibles

Though admittedly biased, someone who follows the team as closely as Jen Muller – one of the leaders of Sky Blue’s Cloud 9 supporter group – has noticed a change from 2016 to 2017:

“I’m much more optimistic at this point as opposed to this time last year. With a full year under his belt, Holly has been able to continue the culture shift in and around the club. It’s obviously still a young team and there are some question marks, but the veteran leadership of Christie and Kelley combined with the talent that’s returning (plus off-season pickup Corboz) and a strong draft class, I think they have a legitimate shot at making a run for a playoff spot.”

Sky Blue is a team trying to build a brand new culture into their franchise. And while there is no statistic that can measure heart, no metric that can quantify how willing a player is to play for the person next to them, Coach Christy Holly is using his own measures to find a team that looks to leave nothing on the pitch and rallies around a sense of pride in each other’s accomplishments.

It’s hard to predict where SBFC will land come the end of the season this year. Harder than most because while they had turn over, they didn’t add or lose a ton of players. Additionally, the players they kept have suffered from cold streaks in the past. They could click and take off, landing themselves in the playoffs and shocking those who have decidedly lackluster expectations. Or they could persist as they have for the last few seasons, good but not great, able to hang with better-placed teams to a point but giving up a goal or two due to unforced errors and mental lapses.

For all the question marks with the team, for all the doubts as you might have and the team’s history of consistent effort that just quite misses the final mark, I only have one thing left to say.

They’re gonna be good, just trust me.

2017 Sky Blue FC

GOALKEEPERS (2): Caroline Casey, Kailen Sheridan (FED-CAN)

DEFENDERS (6): Mandy Freeman, Kayla Mills, Christie Rampone, Domi Richardson, Erin Simon, Erica Skroski

MIDFIELDERS (6): Daphne Corboz, Sarah Killion, Taylor Lytle, Raquel Rodriguez (INTL-CRC), Nikki Stanton, Madison Tiernan

FORWARDS (7): Kim DeCesare, Leah Galton (INTL-ENG), Maya Hayes, Tasha Kai (OOM, D45), Sam Kerr (INTL-AUS), McKenzie Meehan, Kelley O’Hara (FED-USA)

Will the Stars Align for FCKC in 2017?

Posted on by RJ Allen

Heading into the 2017 National Women’s Soccer League’s fifth season, I think we can assure any FC Kansas City fans out there that they will have plenty to be excited about this season. For starters, two key playmakers will be returning to the offensive side while two important pieces on the defense will also be back in Blue. On the other hand, some of the departures from Vlatko Andonovski’s side could also have an impact on the club down the stretch.

Departures:

Heather O’Reilly (M) – Perhaps one of the most consistent players to ever grace a pitch has gone overseas in the off-season to play out her life-long dream of experiencing European soccer. She has suited up for Arsenal Ladies and has made public any plans on whether she’ll be returning to FCKC at this time. Simply known as HAO to fans and media alike, O’Reilly gave 1000% every game, running down the flanks and providing service to her teammates. O’Reilly was truly a fan-favorite, always up for a post-game chat, smiling for fans who eagerly awaited just a glimpse of her up close. The gap filled won’t ever be completely filled, but for FCKC’s hope to get back into the post-season this year, they will need to figure out a way to compensate for her absence.

Amanda Frisbie (D) – Having only played two games in 2016 before being let go, the absence of Frisbie shouldn’t have a major impact on the defense or the team as a whole. She was waived and signed to Stjarnan Women for nine games before returning to the NWSL, signing with Boston for the 2017 season as a discovery player.

Caroline Kastor (F) – Kastor had been with KC since 2015, playing in eight games that season and made 15 appearances in 2016. She wasn’t a player that would necessarily stand out or make the big plays, but she put in the work and helped earn KC’s first championship in 2015 by doing her small part. Earlier this year in March, the Wichita, Kansas native announced her retirement from the NWSL and professional soccer.

Tiffany McCarty (F) – Since turning pro in 2013, the speedy forward has been with the Washington Spirit, Houston Dash, Nadeshiko (Japan) and in 2016 played 15 games for FCKC. The 26-year-old has since signed with Medkila, a club in the Toppserien league for Norway. Much like Frisbie, her absence will have little impact overall.

Frances Silva (F) – The tiny Venezuelan played for FCKC from 2014-2016, playing 33 times and scoring two goals. In 2015 Silva led the league in assists per minute played, averaging an assist every 145 minutes. Silva was fun to watch in open spaces and will be missed for her ability to distribute and create. In November of last year, Silva announced her retirement from professional soccer to pursue other interests. She currently is the Social Media Specialist for FoxSoccer.

 

Additions:

Sydney Leroux and Amy Rodriguez (F) – Two of the quickest players in the game have returned after each missing last season due to pregnancy. Syd and A-Rod each will be relied upon to be the offensive firepower that was heavily missing in 2016. Leroux has moved around a bit, playing for Boston in 2013, Seattle in 2014, and moved to Western New York in 2015. She was brought to KC in a deal that involved two other teams–Houston and WNYF.  Leroux got dealt to KC with Tiffany McCarty while WNYF acquired Jess McDonald in exchange for a 2016 and 2017 International roster spot and a 2017 second-round pick.  She signed with FCKC in January of 2016 and has the potential to fulfill the scoring needs of FCKC. Leroux has scored 18 goals in her NWSL career and when combined with A-Rod’s impressive goal-scoring ability, these two could pack a serious one-two punch.

A-Rod has been with FCKC since 2014, playing in 37 games and scoring 26 times. She brings incredible energy and literally never stops running on the field. Rodriguez loves to pressure opposing defenses and has a knack for scoring goals when it really counts (most recently the 2015 NWSL Championship where she scored the game-winning goal). I expect both of these players to be the center of the offense and to score at least a handful of goals.

Becca Moros (D) – Moros returns to the Blues after spending one season down in Houston. She previously played for FCKC in 2015, anchoring part of that incredible defense that won the title that season. Moros will bring stability to the backline as well as veteran experience.

Christina Gibbons (M) – The rookie out of Duke was selected fifth overall in the 2017 NWSL College Draft. Gibbons played 88 games at Duke, netting 10 goals and 19 assists. I would love to see her earn serious minutes this season, she is a strong player and if she does well, could be in the Rookie of the Year conversation come August.

 

Not So Bright in 2016:

In 2014 and 2015, FCKC were unstoppable and shined the brightest out of all teams in the NWSL. 2016 was a bit dimmer. FCKC had a less-than-ideal start to the season, not earning the first win until May 28; well under the expectations after winning back-to-back championships in 2014 and 2015. In 2016 they earned just seven wins, eight losses, and grabbed five draws. FCKC did finish the season strong, winning three games in September and taking a draw.

FCKC struggled offensively, managing just 18 goals – no one player reached double digits in goals. It’s no secret that Vlatko is a defensive minded coach, but they just simply didn’t execute enough on the other end. The midfield last season had trouble combining with the forwards and when you add the lack of finishing when they did finally connect, Kansas City just wasn’t sharp enough offensively. The Blues had seven different goal-scorers but three players contributed just one goal in 20 games. It was an extreme drop-off in production from the previous year where they had 13 different goal-scorers and had the second-most goals with 32.

 

The Veterans Return:

The only two-star team in the league has several players returning who will be consistent starters: Becky Sauerbrunn, Nicole Barnhart, Yael Averbuch, Shea Groom, Erika Tymrak, Mandy Laddish, and Desiree Scott. On the defensive side with Broon, Barnie, Katie Bowen, and Averbuch, I expect them to continue to be solid this season but they also need to find which combination of personnel will work best. Last season they didn’t have a consistent backline. They added in Averbuch but technically she is best in the midfield. She should be someone who is in the attacking third, not sitting on the backline every game. We can expect polished work from Barnie and Broon, two players who are still under-appreciated in my opinion but deserve serious praise for the work they’ve put in. Yael is always a threat on set-pieces and can help FCKC in the scoring department occasionally.

Adding in Moros will help with finding the right chemistry. I think the more Bowen plays on the outside, the more she could be a factor for the offense. She scored in pre-season action against Missouri at the end of March and looked ready to do some lifting on the offensive side of the ball. FCKC do have one of the older backlines, so we will see how that comes into play later on in the season. All of these core veteran players need to have a bounce-back year after finishing sixth and missing the playoffs last season.

In the midfield, they have a talented bunch with Tymrak, Scott, and Laddish. These three are all under 25 years-old and have been playing very well since arriving in KC in 2014. Each will also need to step up their play from last season.

Tymrak had a very quiet year, scoring just one goal in 15 appearances compared to scoring eight goals combined the two previous seasons. She has the talent to take on a defense and make things happen. If she can find a way to tap into her potential a little bit more, she could be one of the top scorers for the Blues.

Scott is known for her ability to win the ball and is a physical player. She is another player who I feel is a bit underrated for the work she puts in. Between these three players, just one goal was scored, which will be unacceptable this season if they want to get back to winning ways.

Laddish has contributed one goal in 18 appearances for Kansas City but her stat sheet doesn’t need to be filled up for fans to appreciate the hustle she puts in every time she is called upon. She has the potential to add a few more if she can receive the ball in the right spaces for her to pull the trigger. The partnership of the midfield will be one to keep an eye on early on, to see who is clicking.

 

Groom’s The Way:

If you’re a fan of FCKC, you should be happy that Shea Groom is back for 2017. Groom was the top scorer for the Blues last season with eight goals, a career-high for her. She led the way for an offense that clearly was not what it used to be. But after adding a few key pieces in Syd and A-Rod I think the offense could return to the compelling threat it was in 2015.

Overall, I have Vlatko and company finishing fifth in the table but with this roster, I also would not be surprised if they managed to squeak their way back into the playoffs somehow.

2017 FC Kansas City Roster

GOALKEEPERS (2): Nicole Barnhart, Cat Parkhill

DEFENDERS (7): Alex Arlitt, Yael Averbuch, Katie Bowen (INTL-NZ), Becca Moros, Brianne Reed, Becky Sauerbrunn (FED-USA), Brittany Taylor

MIDFIELDERS (6): Christina Gibbons, Lo’eau LaBonta, Mandy Laddish, Alexa Newfield, Desiree Scott (FED-CAN), Erika Tymrak

FORWARDS (3): Shea Groom, Sydney Leroux (FED-USA), Amy Rodriguez (FED-USA)