Category: Opinion

Unsung Hero of the Week: Notable Naughton in Chi Town

Posted on by RJ Allen

In this weekly series, I will be highlighting a player from the weekend who was their respective team’s unsung hero, win, lose or draw. A player who does the dirty work, does the little but important things in a game, and someone who didn’t exactly fill up the stat sheet but found other ways to contribute.

This week I’ve chosen Chicago Red Star defender Katie Naughton.

The Elk Grove Village native was selected in the 2016 NWSL College Draft in the second round, going 19th overall to Chicago. She was one of seven players selected to join Rory Dames’ squad that year, and one of the three local players selected by the team. The 23-year-old center back played her college ball at Notre Dame, appearing 87 times while scoring 11 goals in her four-year career. In her rookie season, she played in 17 matches and quickly became an important building piece for Chicago. So far in 2017 Naughton has played in 14 games, and has become one of the five defenders Dames can rely upon to rotate in and out of the starting XI on a game-to-game basis.

Chicago 2-1 Orlando:

Chicago is undefeated at home and they don’t get scored on very often. In fact, the Red Stars have only allowed 13 goals (second-best) and just five goals at Toyota Park, also second-best. But heading into this game, Chicago were without their two regular starters: Julie Ertz and Sam Johnson (Ertz would enter the game in the second half). Orlando, on the other hand, were coming off an explosive 4-1 win over Kansas City, surely taking the field with a bit of confidence. I had thought that the game would be a little more even, to be honest, especially considering that Sermanni had moved Marta into the middle, the spot where Ertz would’ve been. And initially, Orlando took advantage of that mismatch, dominating and controlling 70 percent possession in the first 20 minutes.

Naughton had the challenge of handling not one world class player, but two; international-level competitors Marta and Alex Morgan. It was certainly an adjustment period for the Red Stars with Ertz and Johnson not around, but like I discussed in an earlier piece centered around Arin Gilliland, this group is capable of rotating players on the backline and being successful no matter who is lined up. Wave after wave of Orlando attacks came, but Naughton and her teammates held on, not getting down or panicking for even a second.

In the 22nd minute, Orlando had a nice spell of possession, switching fields and finding Marta to distribute from her central role. Pride midfielder Dani Weatherholt attempted to speed the play up, wanting to slip a pass to the cutting Morgan. Naughton read the intention just in time, stepping in front to escape the possibility of Morgan receiving it and turning for a 1v1 with Chicago goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher.

Throughout the first half, Naughton and her backline were clearly doing some extra communication, realizing that Orlando were building confidence after each run into the final third. Leading the way for the Red Stars defense were Casey Short and Naughton, working to make sure the outside backs Gilliland and Taylor Comeau were on the same page positioning-wise.  And while the Pride continued to put pressure, no matter how much knocking they did, Chicago answered the door every time.

Chicago would find a goal in that first half, courtesy of Sofia Huerta and Christen Press (of course). This partnership has certainly been profitable for the Red Stars side; the team is 5-0-2 this season when these two link up for a goal or assist.

Just before halftime, though, Naughton was called upon again. This time it was Marta who attempted to take her to the end line on the left side. The Brazilian and five-time FIFA Player of the Year was doing her dance, hoping to shake Naughton to get into the box. Access completely denied, Naughton waited patiently, not diving in for one second. I enjoyed this play because the Red Star showed off her footwork. She contained the forward long enough and won the ball; not many defenders that go up against Marta wouldn’t have already been on the ground at this point. Chicago went into the locker room with a 1-o lead.

The second half was a different story for Chicago. To reduce the amount of time and space they were giving Orlando in the middle, they brought Ertz to shape things up. Immediately Orlando pressured once again on the left side, with Marta sliding over to make it to the end line of Chicago but Naughton once again stood her ground and won the encounter. The presence of Ertz was clearly helpful, as she took on some of the defensive duties, while Naughton and Casey switched the attack more to try and get Orlando unbalanced.

In the 88th minute, Naughton would make one more play to beat Morgan’s attempt at scoring, beating the USWNT star to header, clearing it to squash the chance of Morgan turning in Chicago’s own 18.

Part of the problem for Orlando was they were not willing to have patience in the final third. Too many times they rushed passes, tried to force themselves forward, and just did not get into the box enough. For Chicago, they were opportunistic, making a few passes before all the sudden they were off to the races, with Press leading the way. While Orlando did manage to score, it was in the 93rd minute and too late. While it wasn’t a perfect defensive game for Chicago, Naughton and the backline got the job done well enough to grab all three points.

With the loss, Orlando slipped to seventh place with 19 points while Chicago pushed past North Carolina into first place with 28 points.

The Unused Sub: From The Peanut Gallery

Posted on by RJ Allen

The following were my running thoughts and observations as I attended the Tournament of Nations double-header in Seattle as a spectator.

GAME 1: JAPAN VERSUS BRAZIL
Japan’s kits are sweet.

11 minutes in and a decent amount of people here for the first game, given a good deal likely had to duck out of work early and we know the majority are here for the USWNT.

I am sitting in section 107. The last time I caught a soccer game of any kind from this side of CenturyLink Field was the inaugural Sounders FC game in 2009. To think that’s where my life with soccer began and where it is today.

14th minute and Marta gets a shot. The crowd claps. Yes, it’s still something surreal seeing a five-time FIFA World Player of the Year in person.

There is a yout in the next section over going HAM at a rice cake. Kid is living it up.

The first 20 minutes have been slow-ish. Kind of surprised at how much feeling out is going on given it is a friendly.

27th minute – Overheard someone saying: “With seats this close, they look like real people.” I have no idea where to go in terms of… analyzing that take.

As much as they lack quality or get interrupted at the last possible minute by Brazil, Japan’s attempts on goal draw oohs from the crowd.

42nd minute – Japan has had so many chances that they should be up like lots to zero.

WE HAVE A GOAL! What a snap header by Momiki.

The sun cannot set any faster here so the west facade of CenturyLink blocks it. It’s making me want to get a beer faster. I got a beer at halftime.

https://twitter.com/jacobcristobal/status/890727057243594752

Seattle Reign FC’s Rumi Utsugi is going to go the full 90 and I swear, where would the Reign be without her?

My seat neighbor Whitney totally called that Brazil will get the equalizer in the final minutes and look what Camila did.

Maybe because it’s the mystique/reputation of Brazilian flair or the fact that it’s a friendly, but their attack seems… frantic in a way that if any other national team was doing it, we’d be raising an eyebrow and going, “Huh?” But it works for them and up until Camila’s strike from distance, it didn’t phase Japan. They looked composed defensively but as part of their youth movement and ushering a new era, you can tell there’s work to be done in finishing their chances. I do not exaggerate when I say that line should have finished with Japan claiming 3 or 4 goals.

The Americans are here. As are more people. A great deal of people are stuck in concession lines as we are less than 5 away from kickoff.

GAME 2: UNITED STATES VERSUS AUSTRALIA
Saw some friends during intermission, waded through seas of humanity, got a burger AND STILL GOT BACK IN TIME FOR THE ANTHEMS!

I kind of miss the wrecking ball stylings of Lisa De Vanna in the NWSL.

It has to be an athlete’s superstition – Sam Kerr wearing a shirt one size bigger than she is has entertainment value.

A light jog to Casey Short is a full dead sprint to us plebeians.

The amount of real estate between the jersey numbers for Australia is weird.

And a nation holds their breath as the wonderyout Mallory Pugh got fouled hard.

The U.S. had their chances. Australia almost punished U.S. on their slip-ups. The cheeseburger I had was tasty.

50th minute – overheard someone telling Sam Mewis to shoot from 40 yards out. Heh.

Aussies scored. I imagine #FireJill is lit like a Roman candle. And I feel bad for the person that owns the Twitter handle @jill.

Lydia Williams ain’t here for your Carli Lloyd #BreakingBarriers Moment. Matter of fact, she ain’t here to roll over for the U.S. and that is awesome. Honestly it would have been great if Sam Kerr did it to Alyssa Naeher again with a header from the cross in the second half like she did to her/the Chicago Red Stars a couple weeks ago.

The crowd, which was 15,748 is now Mad Online at various things: the ref making lack of or outright bad calls. Time-wasting by Australia. The US squandering chances – really that attempt by Alex Morgan was bad.

As much as we deride “One Nation, One Team” it does apply to the type of goal the US (men’s or women’s national team) tends to concede. It’s always that one moment, about 3o seconds to a minute where everyone has a sloppy brain fart and the opponent pounces on. That’s how Australia got their goal.

And that’s all I got for the evening. Was the first night of the Tournament of Nations good for you? Probably not if you were rooting for the United States to win. I think we all went in curious to see what Jill Ellis means by experimenting and we got a dud up top with the Horan/Press combination. Mewis and Long in the midfield probably has a way to go to being something that lets us all sleep comfortably at night. Megan Rapinoe’s 2017 form is fun to watch, though for the national team, she cannot do it all on her own. Is the United States hosed come 2018 CONCACAF Women’s Championship aka 2019 World Cup Qualification? Who knows, but tonight in Seattle, Jill Ellis’ long term plans went as well as a FURT sandwich.

And since Australia won and is in the lead after matchday one of the Tournament of Nations, they get the music video break.

Song: “Black Fingernails, Red Wine” | Artist: Eskimo Joe

Clash of Titans: The USWNT vs AusWNT

Posted on by RJ Allen

The #1-ranked United States Women’s National Team will open the Tournament of Nations against a familiar opponent, Australia (#7). They have a record of 25-0-2 against the Matildas and will be looking to stay undefeated. The match is set for July 27 at 7 pm on ESPN and will be played at CenturyLink Field in Seattle.

 

The Lineups

Head coach Jill Ellis will be experimenting as has become the status quo for the US team. Her call-ups feature plenty of veterans, with a few newer faces and a small sample of youth as well.

  • Goalkeepers: Alyssa Naeher, Jane Campbell, Abby Smith
  • Defenders: Becky Sauerbrunn, Ali Krieger, Kelley O’Hara, Julie Ertz, Abby Dahlkemper, Casey Short, Taylor Smith.
  • Midfielders: Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe, Morgan Brian, Allie Long, Samantha Mewis, Margaret Purce.
  • Forwards: Alex Morgan, Crystal Dunn, Christen Press, Sydney Leroux, Mallory Pugh, Lindsey Horan, Lynn Williams.

Some notable players are currently unavailable due to injury, including Tobin Heath, Meghan Klingenberg, Rose Lavelle, Ashlyn Harris.

Australia is a dangerous team because they have two things that I love: youth and speed. It’s no secret they have always embraced their young talent Down Under and head coach Alan Stajic has continued to do just that. The Matilda’s ToN roster has an average age of 24, with two 17-year-olds (Ellie Carpenter and Princess Ibini) rounding out the bottom, while the oldest is Lisa De Vanna at 32.

  • Goalkeepers: Lydia Williams, Mackenzie Arnold.
  • Defenders: Clare Polkinghorne, Steph Catley, Laura Alleway, Alanna Kennedy, Caitlin Cooper, Ellie Carpenter, Gema Simon.
  • Midfielders: Katrina Gorry, Tameka Butt, Elise Kellond-Knight, Emily Van Egmond, Chloe Logarzo, Alex Chidiac.
  • Forwards: Sam Kerr, Lisa De Vanna, Hayley Raso, Emily Gielnik, Princess Ibini.

Notable players out due to injury; Kyah Simon, Michelle Heyman.

 

The History

The last time these two powerhouses met was back in 2015 at the opening match of Group D in the Women’s World Cup in Canada. Rapinoe led the Americans to a 3-1 win by scoring a brace while Press also contributed a goal in the second half. The United States would go on to win their third star while the Matildas reached the quarter-finals but would go no further thanks to eventual second-place Japan.

In 2016 the tables turned a bit for both countries in the Olympics. The Americans would crash out of the tournament in the quarterfinals (the earliest exit in history) while Australia took a devastating loss to Brazil (again on penalties) in the quarterfinals as well. Both teams had high expectations but were eliminated from the Games in stunning fashion. 2017–for both teams–has been a year of experimenting and figuring out how to prepare for the next major tournament as the cycle begins again, the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France.

 

The Match

The United States will want to put on a better performance than their last home tournament, the She Believes Cup back in March, where they took fourth behind France, Germany, and England. They made a better showing last month in their first overseas friendlies in years, when they managed 1-0 wins over Norway and Pia Sundhage’s Sweden last month. Australia surely feel the same need to prove something after they finished third in the Algarve Cup in March with a shocking loss to Denmark in penalties.

Players to watch for both U.S and Australia will be Megan Rapinoe and Sam Kerr. Rapinoe has been in remarkable form for her NWSL side Seattle Reign, scoring a league-leading 12 goals, including a hat-trick on July 22 in a thrilling 5-4 in over Sky Blue. Kerr has equally been impressive with Sky Blue, netting 11 goals so far this season. Rapinoe and Kerr will surely give the opposing defense some challenges if they can translate their NWSL club play onto the international stage at this tourney.

Celebrate Good Times

Posted on by RJ Allen

In the women’s game, when the ball hits the back of the net there are two typical celebrations. Either the player who just scored will run to the arms of her teammates that are on the field, or run to the arms of her teammates on the bench. Watching this, a spectator might assume that it’s because women see goals as team efforts, and want to celebrate them as such. However, if we look a little deeper, it’s not hard to see this as partially a product of the standards set for women in society. This is a world where women are often told that their successes are not as important or as great as that of men. And, as a corollary, that they shouldn’t celebrate with as much enthusiasm.

So, if the standard celebrations are pretty low energy, is that because women generally just celebrate differently? Or is it because they’ve been encouraged to keep it low? Every league has its rules on celebrating. The National Football League can fine players for celebrating in a different way than what they define as being a “nice celebration.” People will complain no matter what the circumstance is, however, some gender-norms are also played into the women’s league. 

Now, National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) fans are accustomed to watching great celebrations from players like Samantha Kerr or Megan Rapinoe.

Loud.  

           Crazy.

                        Exciting. 

And there have also been examples of great team celebrations, like the US Women’s National Team’s (USWNT) celebrations in the London 2012 Olympics. But these are generally the exceptions rather than the norm. So the question stands, why do we almost always see the same celebrations?

To understand the conversation surrounding goal celebrations, we need to take a look into the dynamics of women’s sports teams. Back in 2007 Hope Solo was banished from team USA after publicly calling her coach out. It’s not hard to see a double standard at work here. When a man calls a coach or teammate out it is often seen as a bold choice. Contentious and maybe even disruptive, but well within the bounds of normal behavior. However, when a woman does it, she is banished from the team and marked as too outspoken in the women’s soccer community.

It may well be that muted celebrations are a product of this climate. Don’t be aggressive, or loud. Don’t call too much attention to yourself. No one will complain about a group hug with your teammates or a pat on the back and a few high fives, so just stick with that. 

As noted above, there are some exceptions to this rule. Sam Kerr is famous for her backflips, and Megan Rapinoe is often seen dancing on the field after a goal and encouraging her teammates to join in on the fun. Even on the national team back in 2011 she picked a field mic up and sang, “Born in the USA!” after her goal against Colombia. And in the 2012 Olympics, the USWNT was famous for their team celebrations. They did the worm, a salute, and even somersaults. And other national teams have occasionally got in on the fun. But generally, this sort of thing remains uncommon.

And that’s unfortunate. Kerr’s backflips are instantly turned into GIFs that get shared all around women’s soccer blogs and Twitters. The women’s soccer community loves to see big, fun celebrations. We can all take the game seriously, while still remembering that it’s a game and it’s supposed to be fun. And there are plenty of girls out there watching, who might see these joyful goal celebrations and get excited to score themselves. 

The Unused Sub: More Than A Feeling With Boston

Posted on by RJ Allen

First and foremost, a big thanks to my Backline Soccer colleagues for wishing me a happy birthday last week.

AS I TOOK ANOTHER STEP IN BEING OLD, I CAN’T HELP BUT GET REFLECTIVE

On  Sunday, the UEFA Women’s European Championship started.

The second half of the NWSL season is underway and with it comes the push for the four playoff spots.

Next week there will be the Tournament of Nations in which the United States, Australia, Brazil, and Japan take part in, across three cities in the US.

Needless to say, times are good for women’s soccer.

Yes, there are still strides to be made in regards to accessibility for fans and media alike to watch a match on a television, computer, or mobile device. Yes, collectively attendances could always use more people going through the turnstiles and attending matches live. Yes, there are jamokes whose sad minds need to be changed from “LOLWOMENSSPORTS” and give these professional athletes, and human beings, the proper respect. That said, it’s pretty remarkable where the women’s game started compared to where it is today. 

Last week, we celebrated the anniversary of the July 10, 1999, Women’s World Cup final where which defender Brandi Chastain converted the winning penalty and subsequent iconic photo. The interest of women’s soccer, let alone soccer, in general, was so far from my radar of interests, that it’s really surreal that here I am, typing out a weekly musings piece for a women’s soccer website.

Like any other world of sports fandom, the fanatics that make up the soccer world, no gender caveat specific, is sure a fascinating one. Yet I would not trade it for anything else in the world.

SO YOU WANT TO BE IN THE NWSL PLAYOFFS? “HIYA” SAYS BOSTON

With the second half of the NWSL season well underway, I think we can be safe in saying it will be North Carolina plus three other teams that will make up the playoff field for the NWSL Championship. Where things stand in the table at the moment, I think those other three will be the Chicago Red Stars, Sky Blue FC, and Seattle Reign FC.  That being said, the teams in the middle aren’t too far off from the playoffs either. There are several squads who–with some strategic wins–could find themselves above the cutoff in that number four spot. But having seen Boston in person last weekend at Memorial Stadium, and watching them hold the Reign FC to just a point, I think the Boston Breakers will do enough to affect the playoff chances of either Portland or Orlando.

In the final two months of the regular season, the Breakers meet Orlando twice (one home, one away) and host Portland. If Boston gets a draw in those three matches and/or somehow get a victory one of them, it could be a proverbial bump in the road on them trying to get into the NWSL playoffs.

When Boston was in Seattle last week, head coach Matt Beard said they had a plan for Megan Rapinoe. You don’t have to look far as to how 2017 Megan Rapinoe has been playing–she’s at the top of her game. But the thing about Boston is … their plan worked. Historically, whenever the Reign FC score first at home, they smell blood in the water. Seattle scored first last weekend and if some final balls didn’t lack that last bit of quality, Seattle could have easily been up one or two goals on Boston, especially some of the chances midfielder Lindsay Elston had. 

Yet Boston’s defense did not break; hell it barely bent considering the firepower capabilities Seattle had in Rapinoe and Nahomi Kawasumi. Goalkeeper Abby Smith and a defensive line led by Julie King stayed in constant communication and their switches and swarming the ball when they needed to worked as well as anyone could expect. If the Breakers are going to disrupt any playoff spot-chasing team in August and September, it’s going to be because of their defense. And we really need to start giving those back five the attention that they deserve. In talking to defender Amanda Frisbie after the match against Seattle, she sounded like a player that was totally into Matt Beard’s program. Previewing the season, I said that Boston could give people a lot more trouble and I’m sticking with it. So at the risk of making two strong and vocal fan bases really mad at me, yeah – Orlando and Portland, do not sleep on the Boston Breakers.

They could very well muck any thoughts you had of playoff soccer.

IN ADDITION TO MY GENERALLY BAD WEEKEND PREDICTIONS …
I am going to add a blurb or two as to what I see when looking at the matchups that leads me to make the predictions. And yes they’ll be from the same sound logic that is my brain and what I think I know about soccer.

Chicago Red Stars OVER Orlando Pride

Red Stars have a stout defense. And they have players up top to actually put shots on goal – I think they’re going to knock Orlando back to reality. And maybe out of that eyebrow-raising power ranking.

North Carolina Courage OVER FC Kansas City

Yes, for the most part, the side that is hosting historically gets the result. However, I don’t think KC will recover from Orlando’s four goals in time for a North Carolina side that is probably still annoyed at being handcuffed last week in Portland.

Houston Dash and Boston Breakers play to a DRAW

Houston will probably dominate the numbers and feel like they “should” win but the Breakers will be a barrier that won’t be broken.

Seattle Reign FC OVER Sky Blue FC

This will be a goal-fest, like four or five. Headlined by Pinoe and Kerr trying to top each other. And in the final minutes, a Seattle defender will get that match winner.

Portland Thorns FC OVER Washington Spirit

Remember that time Portland traveled to Maryland and Washington won because Portland looked lethargic? Yeah, the Thorns remember and will get their retribution.

And here is your music video break.

Song: “The Heavy Entertainment Show” | Artist: Robbie Williams

Unsung Hero of the Week: Boston’s own Iron Woman

Posted on by RJ Allen

In this weekly series, I will be highlighting a player from the weekend who was their respective team’s unsung hero, win, lose or draw. A player who does the dirty work, does the little but important things in a game and someone who didn’t exactly fill up the stat sheet but found other ways to contribute.

This week I’ve chosen Boston Breaker defender Julie King.

King (like myself) is a Saint Louis native who has quietly become an iron woman of the NWSL. Since she signed with the Breakers in 2012 back in the league’s infancy, she has played in 101 games in a Boston jersey. This now puts her just one shy of Kristine Lilly, the United States legend who also played her club ball for Boston in its WUSA and WPS iterations. It’s been tough first five seasons in the NWSL for Boston, who have yet to make the playoffs and have gone through three different head coaches. Yet, they’ve had some incredible talent suit up for them. A few of those names include Lilly, Kelly Smith, Lauren Holiday, and Amy LePeilbet in the WPS years, as well as Heather O’Reilly, Heather Mitts, Adriana Leon, and Sydney Leroux in the NWSL years.

But through it all, the now 27-year-old King has been a steady presence on the roster, and has grown up tremendously in this league. And now she captains the Breakers as they attempt to change their history and make a play for the post-season.

Boston 1-1 Seattle:

The Breakers had their work cut out for them heading into this game with the Reign, who have a  13-game unbeaten streak at home in Memorial Stadium. Containing Seattle was no easy task, especially with Megan Rapinoe in fabulous form this year with nine goals, and sitting in fifth on the table, but King and the Breakers were more than up for the task. Seattle is also the league-leaders in goals scored this season (25), different goal-scorers (nine) and draws (six). But Boston has been on an impressive run of their own, recording three shutouts with rookie goalkeeper Sammy Jo Prudhomme getting the job done until Abby Smith returned for this game.

King made her first appearance on the radar in the 17th minute when she slowed down Seattle’s Rebekah Stott as she raced towards the Breakers’ goal. The veteran slid in to cover her and didn’t let Stott get off a shot or pass. Just a minute later she had to deal with Merritt Mathias in the middle of the Breakers’ defensive end at the top of the 18. She faced Mathias up and managed to get a toe-poke in, showing she isn’t afraid to approach opposing forwards to attempt to win the ball.

Both teams had important players missing for them, which affected their respective game plans. Seattle’s creative midfielder Jess Fishlock was out with a knee injury, while Boston’s Allysha Chapman, who always provides a strong presence on the backline, was out due to yellow card accumulation. Thanks to the absence of Chapman, the backline was a bit different than usual, with King, Amanda Frisbie, Megan Oyster, Christen Westphal. So, communication was vital throughout the first half and King was seen pointing and giving direction to her teammates, putting them in a better position to defend. Little things like that are reasons why she has succeeded in this league.

It was a quite a chess match between King and Mathias, as the two players were willing to take on each other all night, whenever the opportunity presented itself. King challenged the forward again in the 22nd minute, shaking the ball loose and winning possession for her team. Just before halftime she offered her hand in the offensive third, taking a long throw-in deep in Seattle’s half. It almost created something out of nothing as it went off a Reign defender amid confusion, which nearly resulted in an own goal in the Breakers’ favor.

In the 65th minute King sacrificed her body to take away a chance for Seattle’s Christine Nairn, who blasted a shot right off the right leg of King 20 yards from goal. King didn’t even flinch as she stood in front of it, standing her ground long enough to absorb the lethal shot that looked like it would’ve been on target and put the Reign ahead.

In the 73rd minute the defender showed off her skills on the offensive end once again, this time with her feet. She won a loose ball just inside the 18, wove around Stott to slip a pass to Natasha Dowie, who was unfortunately offside. King isn’t usually the kind of player who gets that deep into the offense but it was a wonderful reminder that she can be more than just a central defender. She was smooth on the ball, working well in a tight space to show her mobility as a player.

In the end, the Reign scored a wonder goal courtesy of Nahomi Kawasumi and the Breakers scored the tying goal through the combined efforts of Westphal and Adriana Leon. The hard-fought game ended with a 1-1 draw, and while the result certainly was disappointing for Seattle supporters, I believe it was an encouraging one for Boston to come from behind and earn a point on the road.

For the past five years King has been Boston’s iron woman, a player who does everything she’s asked, who gives everything each and every game. She’s been a consistent player on a team that’s been unfortunately inconsistent over the years. But despite it all, King holds her own against the best forwards in the league. She keeps the flame of hope alive in Boston, and if she and the team can continue to put in this kind of effort, I think the Breakers could climb a few spots and finally make it to the next level this year.

What time is it? Arin Gilliland Time: Making a Case for the USWNT

Posted on by RJ Allen

Since the United States Women’s National team’s 2015 World Cup win, a lot of new faces have put on the coveted shirt for the first time. A few of those names include 19-year-old Mallory Pugh, Casey Short, Rose Lavelle, Lynn Williams, and Andi Sullivan. Another common denominator with these players is how young they are, the oldest being 26 and the youngest being 19. I could name a handful more but instead here is a player who I believe deserves a call-up this year: Arin Gilliland.

The 24-year-old defender plays her club ball for the Chicago Red Stars in the NWSL. Gilliland was drafted out of Kentucky in the 2015 NWSL College Draft, taken eighth overall. The 2015 College Draft is actually my favorite of each that the NWSL has hosted since the league started. It saw players like Morgan Brian, Lynn Williams, and Samantha Mewis enter the league. Players who are all now very important pieces of their NWSL teams as well as the senior national team.

As a rookie in 2015, Gilliland played in 17 games with Chicago, helping to lead them into the playoffs, and was named to the NWSL’s second-best XI. Her second season proved to be even better; she started in 21 games and was a big contributor to the 2016 Red Stars’ 1.0 goals against average. 

This season Gilliland has played in 11 games, starting 10 of those. She has been a huge part of the Red Stars’ success this season, quietly doing her part as usual. She has helped Chicago to a 7-3-3 record, which is good for 24 points, second on the table and within striking distance of first. In her third season, Gilliland has been steady as ever, working well with a rotation of players that include Short, Julie Ertz, Katie Naughton, and Sam Johnson. Gilliland is well known in the league for her lock-down defense, her ability to contain just about every player she goes up against.

The current USWNT list of defenders does include another Red Star–Casey Short, who has accumulated 10 caps since debuting in 2016. And Gilliland has been called into national team camp, getting her first call-up in October of 2016. But somehow this capable, steady, and superb defender doesn’t have a cap to her name. She rarely gets beaten down the right side, but in the rare event that she does, her recovery speed reminds me of a certain USWNT veteran who is universally known for her incredible speed when tracking back (if you guessed Ali Krieger, you are correct).

In their 13 games so far this season, Chicago has scored 16 goals while only giving up 11. Gilliland has been doing her part exceptionally well. The team relies on her strength and positioning each game, and her willingness to do whatever it takes to win. When you see her play, there is passion in her eyes, fight in her tackles, and her domination on the backline is evident in the lack of opponent’s goals on the scoreboard. Gilliland is what the NFL would refer to as a “shut-down-corner.” She is one of the best in the league, certainly a top-five type of player and, in my opinion, sorely underrated.

Arin Gilliland player is the kind of player who is consistently great across the back.  With her quality possession, her eagle-eye vision, her crunching tackles, and the way she handles opposing threats, she would be a welcome and reliable presence on the USWNT backline, a defense that feels more like a merry-go-round these days.

And, yes, I get it. Head coach Jill Ellis is working out a lot of things, experimenting in just about every position to find what works in anticipation of the next tournament cycle. But, given the resume Gilliland has along with her talent, this Chicago Red Star deserves a chance to take the pitch in a US jersey.

If the USWNT want a chance at another WWC trophy in 2019, we need to build another Department of Defense. Arin Gilliland could be one of the pieces we need to make our backline great once again.

It’s time for a call-up, Jill.

The Curse of California

Posted on by RJ Allen

Women’s soccer has had a slow climb to popularity in the United States. Before the NWSL existed there were two other leagues that started and failed. Both of those teams, Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) league, and the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) had two teams in California. The WUSA had teams in San Diego and San Jose while the WPS had a team in Carson and Hayward California. However, the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) does not have a single team in California.

The pattern of women’s soccer in California seems to be on a downward trend. Going from having professional teams in major cities in California, to smaller cities, and now to absolutely no teams at all is telling of the culture of women’s soccer in California. Unfortunately, soccer is still seen as a men’s game in parts of the state, from men-only small-sided pickup games to schools struggling to field a team of 11 girls for a game. Moreover, the announcement of a new Major League Soccer (MLS) team coming to LA is representative of the culture of support the men’s game receives.

Is there even room for women’s professional soccer in California? Can a team tap into the prominent men’s side in order to build a fan base and support, as well as partner with for financial stability? What are the options for expanding the NWSL into the sunny state of CA?

Really, there are three possible options for an NWSL California expansion: by adding a women’s club to a pre-existing MLS team in California, by promoting a semi-pro women’s team, or by courting an investment by an international club. And all three are possible, if not equally likely.

The new MLS team, LAFC, is slated to enter the scene in 2018 and is partially owned by none other than Mia Hamm. She has already spoken about her desire to add a NWSL team to the LAFC team. However, Jeff Plush, former commissioner of the NWSL, has said that he believes the window to add another team will close in October 2017, which is just a few short months away. Would LAFC be able to put together a NWSL team during their inaugural season in the MLS, or would they want to wait a year or two? Could they afford to start one in their early MLS days, or might it be better to wait until they’ve got a few years and a large base of support–financial and fan-based–to make a move in the direction of women’s soccer?

A second option would be to promote a semi-pro women’s soccer team. The Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) fields 13 teams based in California at the moment. A WPSL-related expansion This could happen either independently, a WPSL owner making the case and having the financial backing to convince the NWSL to expand with them. Or, it could happen with international support. One of these teams is WPSL teams is sponsored by Ajax, a European team out of the Netherlands. If Barcelona followed Ajax to California, as is predicted, it could make a strong argument for an NWSL expansion, and the numerous WPSL teams would help to fill out the roster after a college draft, allocation process, and (likely) expansion draft. 

If Barcelona is interested in backing an NWSL team, is it likely they would follow Ajax’s interest in the California area? Or might they stay in New York where their office is based? Honestly, the likelihood of Barcelona not going to New York is slim.  Especially after Western New York moved to North Carolina, leaving behind a professional WoSo vacuum in the state. But, there are already many NWSL teams on the East coast, and provisions to protect teams from encroaching upon the markets of others within the league. 

Despite the unsteadiness of the past two women’s leagues in the United States, the NWSL is doing well and looks to be continuing to improve and grow. Additionally, the teams in the NWSL that are sponsored by an MLS team have proven to be stable teams and are avoiding any financial issues. Orlando City added the Pride in 2015, and the Houston Dynamo added the Dash in 2013, and the Portland Thorns have always been closely associated with their men’s side, the Portland Timbers. 

Between Barcelona and LAFC, someone will take California on and attempt to break the downward trend of the women’s game. Hopefully, the fact that there are 13 WPSL teams to pull talented and young players from will encourage someone to start a team in California. Will anyone be brave enough to take California on, or will the curse scare a team off?

The Curious Case of Red Card Appeals

Posted on by RJ Allen

Going into Week 13 action, the focus has been officiating and discipline from the previous week. Week 12 saw two red cards given to Shea Groom of FCKC and Carli Lloyd of the Houston Dash, both in controversial plays that had many questioning the validity of the officiating. Carli Lloyd indicated that they would appeal her card and one-game suspension, but according to Dan Lauletta, the NWSL doesn’t have a process for such an appeal to occur: 

Just when it seemed like everyone was about to turn the page on red cards, the league announced a series of fines on Thursday to Dash player Amber Brooks, interim Head Coach Omar Morales, and FCKC gaffer Vlatko Andonovski. Somehow, the outspoken Carli Lloyd managed to escape a fine, but she will miss this weekend’s match against the Washington Spirit. (Lloyd missed three games with Manchester City earlier this year after she received a straight red there for elbowing an opponent.)

Many are saying this type of controversy is taking away from the play on the field. As the NWSL looks to grow into one of the top women’s leagues in the world, it’s a serious concern that the league does not have a policy in place to review red card decisions.

So, is it time for the NWSL to make adjustments to league’s discipline policy? And what would that look like?

Major League Soccer’s policy to appeal a red card is pretty straight forward: each team in the league puts up a $25,000 refundable bond for the opportunity to have red card appeals. The team is only allowed two unsuccessful appeals a season, and as a deterrent from this system being abused, if the ruling body determines the red card appeal is frivolous then the team loses the bond, loses the right to appeal any decision for the current season as well as the next season, plus the punishment of the red card appeal is doubled. For the appeal to be successful, the decision of the ruling body has to be unanimous otherwise the appeal is considered denied and the suspension stands. The ruling body is composed of a three-person panel made up of a member of U.S. Soccer, a member of the Canadian Soccer Association, and a member of PRO, the organization which manages the referees in North American soccer. The makeup of the panel is such so MLS can claim that the panel is independent since no one from MLS sits upon it.

This seems to work in MLS as the majority of teams don’t appeal a red card unless it is an obvious error. One of the recent successful appeals was back on June 7 when Orlando City won a red card appeal from a decision of Ted Unkel – who ironically is married to Christina Unkel the referee who dismissed Carli Lloyd last week.

Can a similar system work with the NWSL structure? Already one of the glaring problems that would have to be addressed is that league is backed by U.S. Soccer, so the league couldn’t claim that the ruling panel was independent since it works with the backing of the Federation. Would it matter if the panel wasn’t “independent” like MLS? Could an individual from a separate organization–the MLS, perhaps–sit on the panel in place of U.S. Soccer? Since the numbers of appeals would be so few and far between, it wouldn’t seem likely to be an issue, but the optics of impartiality may be something that could not sit well with a fan base for a team already frustrated by a red card of a player which merited an appeal.

Another item which the league would have to address is the amount of the bond which teams would have to put up. This being NWSL, if the league established the bond would every team even put up the cash for the bond? It seems unlikely it would be an amount as high as $25,000 but it would still be an amount significant to act as a deterrent if a team were to appeal frivolously. Thankfully Western New York isn’t in the league anymore, to be the team that doesn’t put up the money to give themselves red card appeals. It would still be something the league would have to figure out, but keep it from being public since the team’s fan bases would have a meltdown if their team didn’t put up a bond.

Ultimately, it doesn’t seem the league has ever thought to have a red card appeal system because it didn’t consider that the growth of the league would merit such a mechanism. Even going into the fifth season, the league seemed more focused on maintaining the existence of the league. However, at this point, nobody is questioning if the league will have a 2018 season and beyond. The league can finally shift its focus on improving policies like the adjusted hydration break policy midseason. As more attention is on the NWSL, we can expect to have a red card appeal process. We could even see a change in policy in yellow card accumulation like other leagues, as the season continues the twenty-four-match season and looks to expand to a longer season.

The next issue to address is that of the referees. The inconsistent decisions of the PRO referees reflect two things. First, the league is still young–in just its fifth season–so our referee pool is not fully developed and may need more experience to mature. A part of the growing pains of being a five-year-old league is the referees for the NWSL need to have the match time to improve. Even though the officials go through a series of training sessions, nothing is a substitute for match minutes – just like the players. As the play of the league improves, the speed of the game will get quicker, and the skill of the some of the referees will need to catch up with that.

And lastly, now that the league is consistently on television and more eyes are on the league, officiating errors will be more magnified. The referees are human and will make mistakes. Every league in the world has some type of officiating errors and fans complaining about the refs is just as common as soccer scarves and tifos. For now, there needs to be some patience with how the league handles red cards. Fans, players, and coaches will all have to wait and hope the NWSL will adjust its policy for future seasons.

Unsung Hero of the Week: Dynamic Dash Duo

Posted on by RJ Allen

In this weekly series, I will be highlighting a player from the weekend who was their respective team’s unsung hero, win or lose. A player who does the dirty work, does the little but important things in a game, and someone who didn’t exactly fill up the stat sheet but found other ways to contribute.

This week is special–two for the price of one! I’ve chosen Houston Dash defenders Janine Van Wyk and Amber Brooks to highlight together because I believe that the on-field relationship between the two women really contributed to the Dash’s play this week.

Van Wyk is in her first year in the NWSL and has adjusted nicely to the American way of playing. The 30-year-old is the first South African player to suit up for an NWSL side, earning a place after her 2015 Women’s World Cup showing and her impressive performance against the USWNT in a mid-year friendly in 2016. Van Wyk is the caps leader for either male or female for South Africa, with an incredible 143. She impressed on the biggest stage so it was a no-brainer to recruit her. I, for one, was hoping she would make her way over here and it seems she has made a home with the Dash.

Brooks is a player who has been in the NWSL since 2014, with Portland and Seattle before settling in with Houston. The 26-year-old played her college ball at the Taj Mahal of women’s soccer, the University of North Carolina from 2009-2012. She is a player that has been solid no matter what team she has been on, yet she is on her third NWSL team. And while it is certainly not a preference for any player to move around that much, she has definitely made a home for herself in Houston.

Houston 1-1 Portland:

Going into this matchup, I wasn’t heavily favoring Portland but I certainly didn’t think Houston would put in this kind of performance. Keep in mind the Thorns were without Amandine Henry, Nadia Nadim, and Dagny Brynjarsdottir as they are with their respective teams for the European Championships.

From the starting whistle the Dash were buzzing, putting pressure on early to take control of the game right away. Portland would have a half chance in the second minute but Van Wyk intercepted a pass from Hayley Raso in the Dash’s own 18 that was intended for a charging Lindsey Horan. Van Wyk read the play perfectly and the Dash have a hard time coming back from behind so it was a much-needed play.

Although youngster Janine Beckie scored a goal for Houston in the eighth minute, the Thorns were not fazed, bringing wave after wave of attack.

Midway through the first half, the two Dash veterans continued their strong start, making back-to-back plays to keep Portland off the board. Van Wyk was up for the challenge of the Thorns attack in the 14th minute when, with Sinclair waiting on the doorstep, she remained a step ahead of the Canadian legend. Van Wyk cleared the dangerous ball sent in from Australian import Ashleigh Sykes and relieved the pressure momentarily for Houston.

Just a minute later in the 15th minute, Brooks took Hayley Raso’s chance away in Houston’s box. Brooks’ style isn’t to dive in with the speedy forward barreling down. Instead, she waits, patiently, unafraid. In this game, she waited and contained Raso long enough for Van Wyk to arrive and help support, eventually clearing the ball out of danger. Not too long after that, Brooks was busy once again. This time she sacrificed her body her block a vicious shot by Meghan Klingenberg, who was moving in her typical left-to-right tread.

A close call in the 27th minute required Brooks to be aware of just which Portland player was around her. In this instance, it was Allie Long attempting to get in behind the backline about 25 yards out. Brooks stretched out to steal the slotted ball, breaking off what was sure to be a breakaway date with Houston’s rookie goalkeeper Jane Campbell.

In the second half, it was much of the same from the Dash dynamic duo.

With the Thorns piling on the pressure, Van Wyk and Brooks had to do whatever it took not to allow a goal, let alone a goal right after half. In the 53rd minute, they stood their ground on teasing ball after ball being whipped in by the Thorns, each rising to head it out two different times. Even with the high pressure, Houston and its backline displayed steady composure, led by Van Wyk and Brooks in the center.

Several minutes later Brooks showed how dangerous her service can be, almost grabbing an assist, but Carli Lloyd’s header went just wide. It’s a shame Lloyd couldn’t quite get it on target because it was a gorgeous ball in from Brooks.

Van Wyk and Brooks orchestrated a solid game-plan from the back all night long, switching fields when necessary and providing support to the midfield. They did a fantastic job leading the Dash, and while they earned just one point, it was a sign of life once again from this team.

The other two points slipped away when Horan scored a lovely free kick in the 91st minute. Houston had done a wonderful job keeping Horan in check all game until a moment of magic spoiled the result. It was certainly a stunner for Dash fans, just seconds within reach of a rare win at home.

Still, it doesn’t take away from the performance of Van Wyk and Brooks that kept it that close for 90 minutes.

No matter what Portland tried, Houston had an answer. They were just making all the right decisions. Staying organized, working for quality spells of possession, movement on and off the ball was satisfying, and they worked hard to control the pace of the game. I could’ve picked several Dash players for this week’s column on the defensive side alone. It was one of my favorite performances of the year so far.