Category: Opinion

The Unused Sub: Something About Soccer In Video Games

Posted on by RJ Allen

So did anything interesting happen in the world of WoSo?

THIS FIFA BREAK WAS SUPPOSED TO BE PROBLEM-FREE!
And then we saw the announcement that Boston Breakers midfielder Rose Lavelle would be out six weeks. There was also an injury that will keep Chicago Red Stars’ Yuki Nagasato out of rotation at the moment. Seattle Reign FC’s Rumi Utsugi has some injury that at the time I write this, we don’t know the extent of. Lynn Williams reportedly needs an MRI. And then there was some freak accident involving inflatable bodies that gave Sabrina D’Angelo a bum ankle.

WHAT IN THE WORLD DID YOU DO, SOCCER GODS!?

This FIFA break was supposed to just have some friendlies where nothing major happens, yet there’s some cruel bastard that decided to make some players hurt. And that’s not cool.

PRESS START
If you’re a gamer, then these past couple of days were like Christmas for you as this year’s E3 happened. E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) is the convention show of the video game industry. There the industry shows the world what they’re working on with the intention to release within the year or some point next year. Electronic Arts, makers of the FIFA video game series, are no stranger to the event. This year’s release of FIFA titled FIFA 18 features some guy named Cristiano Ronaldo. I hear he’s good.

When it comes to the women’s side of the game, FIFA made waves when FIFA 16 in 2015 included women’s national teams. They were USA, Germany, France, Sweden, England, Brazil, Canada, Australia, Spain, Italy, China, and Mexico. The next iteration continued that, adding the Netherlands and Norway. While it wasn’t announced/confirmed at E3, it stands to reason that FIFA 18 will have women’s national teams, maybe an addition or two.

But how about the next step, how about women’s club teams?

We still have a lot of time before FIFA 18’s September worldwide release and surely during that time, EA Sports will drop more info about what licensed teams and leagues will be joining the already robust offering of over 30 leagues, over 650 teams. Could this year’s release give us women’s club teams in some form? I don’t know. I can be like you and hope for it, that someday there will be women’s clubs teams. When FIFA 16 gave us the women’s national teams, the gaming modification community went to town with the PC version of the game and made a mod featuring NWSL teams. It surely gave women’s soccer fans a glimpse into hopefully a future that is sooner than later. I mean really, what is the argument against having women’s club teams available to play in FIFA’s exhibition mode? Or better yet a full on career mode where you could have leagues like the NWSL, FAWSL, Division 1 Féminine, and Frauen-Bundesliga? Just think of being able to be in charge of, say, the Seattle Reign FC and, after winning the NWSL Championship, getting the chance to face off against Arsenal Ladies in a virtual Club World Cup showdown?

In the weeks leading up to the worldwide demo release of FIFA 17, social media freaking out was at a fever pitch when an image dropped saying said demo would feature Arsenal Ladies, Liverpool Ladies, Boston Breakers, and Orlando Pride as playable women’s club teams. The image turned out to be fan-made, but just the idea of it got everyone buzzing. Not even the staunchest hater would deny the existence of a demand for women’s clubs teams in a future iteration of FIFA. Surely with the NWSL looking to be on the path to sustainability, it’d be impossible to find a better outlet to expand their brand and the profiles of the league’s stars than with an appearance in a FIFA video game. Throw in the leagues from England, France, Germany and I promise you, there will be a whole world of people grateful that they can play as their soccer heroes on the virtual pitch.

Time will tell if women’s club teams will be in FIFA. As much as I’d like to see it with this year’s release, I don’t expect it. Of course, if I had a direct line with the producers of FIFA, I’d bug them about that along with other wishes for the next game. My realistic guess as for how far the women’s game will go with this year’s release is, they’ll have the teams participating in this summer’s UEFA Women’s European Championship along with the staples like USA, Australia, Canda, and all other nations that have appeared since. In 2018, with FIFA 19, that’s where I think we could see some traction with getting women’s club teams into the game.

For the longest time, the motto of EA Sports was, “If it’s in the game, it’s in the game.”

It’s just a matter of time folks before the women’s game gets proper and full representation in one of the world’s biggest and most successful video game franchises.

SERIOUSLY, YOU ALREADY WON IF YOU MADE IT THROUGH THE FIFA BREAK, INJURY-FREE
Here are this weekend’s predictions.

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

And with that, here’s this week’s music video break.

Song: “Symphony” | Artist: Clean Bandit featuring Zara Larsson

Unsung Hero of the Week: Abby Road

Posted on by RJ Allen

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

This week I’ve chosen North Carolina Courage defender Abby Dahlkemper.

The 24-year-old American was the third overall pick in the 2015 College Draft, selected by the Western New York Flash out of UCLA. Dahlkemper appeared in 40 games for the Flash, winning the NWSL Championship with them in 2016. So far this year for the re-branded and re-located North Carolina Courage she has started all nine games. The Courage head into the break with a 6-3-0 record and are now first in the league standings.

North Carolina 2-0 Kansas City

Leading into this game, I was curious how the Courage would handle FCKC forward Sydney Leroux, who just last week had a two-goal performance against Washington to earn her Player of the Week honors. My curiosity was quickly washed away in the eighth minute when Dahlkemper first made her presence in the game known to Leroux. Kansas City had managed to clear the ball out of their half to Leroux but Dahlkemper out-muscled her for several steps near the midway line. The Courage defender read the situation perfectly to steal the ball away from Leroux and gain possession for her team. In turn, Dahlkemper glided a pass to Jaelene Hinkle who gave it up to Sam Mewis for North Carolina to regroup.

Dahlkemper establishing her presence early was vital to stopping Leroux from gaining any kind of confidence early on, and her work paid off.

One example of Dahlkemper dipping her toes in the offensive end for North Carolina came in the 24th minute. A big part of her game is her ability to provide set pieces that are not only quality but dangerous. Dahlkemper sent in a high-arching corner that found her fellow centerback Abby Erceg. The former New Zealand international sent it towards goal where Mewis redirected it on frame. It surely was going in, but FCKC defender Brittany Taylor got in the way of the header and saved the day for the Blues.

After that play, Commentator Aly Wagner expressed her opinion that she doesn’t think there’s a better set-piece taker in the women’s game. After thinking about it, I would have to agree with Wagner’s sentiments. The Courage have great service and height in their ranks, which has equaled success. Along with Dahlkemper, they have Erceg, who stands in at 5’10 and Mewis who is 5’11. These three combined provide enough evidence to claim the Courage are the most dangerous team when it comes to set pieces so far this season.

In the 44th minute, the roles were reversed for a change. This time it was Mewis taking the corner and Dahlkemper waiting for it. Mewis sent it to the back post and Dahlkemper was right on cue, sending a powerful header just wide of Kansas City’s goal.

Dahlkemper had a busy and productive first half but she didn’t stop there. On the other side in the 60th minute, North Carolina finally capitalized on a chance. The Courage earned another corner and Dahlkemper was up to the task of providing pin-point service. Once again, she found Erceg at the top of the 18, who sent it back into the mix. This time it found veteran midfielder McCall Zerboni near the six-yard box who flicked it in for the 1-0 lead. It was a well-deserved goal and one that had been brewing for some time.

It was brought up in the commentary that North Carolina leads the league in crosses and completions in the box. This game against KC was yet another prime example of why they are atop the standings; they are being efficient and it’s setting them apart from the rest of the league so far.

This upcoming week the NWSL is on international break. So, no games until the weekend of June 17. The United States Women’s National team will be playing Sweden June 8 (ESPN 2 – 1:30 PM ET) and Norway on June 11 (FOX – 1:00 PM ET). One defender who I was glad to see get called up was, in fact, Dahlkemper. She made two appearances for the USWNT back in 2016 and now once again has the chance to show what she can do for the Senior team. I hope she sees some playing time because her play in the NWSL has absolutely been top notch.

If Dahlkemper can keep this pace for her club, don’t be surprised if the North Carolina squad earn another piece of hardware come October.

A Conversation on Goalkeeping: The Top 5 NWSL Keepers of the First Third

Posted on by RJ Allen

Goalkeeping is hard. Really hard. And 8 weeks into the season Jordan and I picked out the five NWSL goalkeepers we think have done the best job of doing a hard thing well.

We’re not saying they have been perfect. No goalkeeper ever is over this many games. But these five, we feel, have really stood out.

Number 5 – Nicole Barnhart – FC Kansas City

RJ Allen:

I know some of you might be tuning your pitch forks because Barnie is so low. But hear us out.

Jordan Small:

So here we have Barnie. Can we think of a more consistent goalkeeper over the last five years? This weekend she made her 300th career save. That should speak for itself.

She also has the benefit of having a really great defense in front of her which definitely helps.

RJ Allen:

Averbush and Sauerbrunn might be the best centerback pairing in the NWSL right now. And Barnie really has benefited from having them in front of her. Not her fault but it does knock her a bit down the list. She just hasn’t had as much to do.

Jordan Small:

I think when you look at the other goalkeepers in the league that won’t make our list, it makes a lot of sense where she ended up. She’s just the first one up on a great list of five.

RJ Allen:

She really is great at organizing her backline. Which, when you have who she has on her line might sound easier. But still experienced players sometimes need a firm hand too.

Jordan Small:

That has always been one of her best qualities. Great leader back there.

RJ Allen:

One of the very few downsides is she has lost about 1/4 of the step in the last year or two. And sometimes that does show when she’s coming out for a ball or trying to get a shot. She’ll get a glove on it but not make a grab like she could before. But Father Time pulls no punches.

Jordan Small:

And I think that is what makes her great performances even better. She is just that skilled. I hope to see her for another few years because she is so much fun to watch.

RJ Allen:

She really is fun to watch. And like you said, hitting that 300 saves mark is pretty amazing.

Jordan Small:

She’s obviously doing something right.

#4 – Abby Smith – Boston Breakers

RJ Allen:

The is one of the moves on our list. We tackled the top 10 in our very first look at the goalkeepers. Smith was 6th on our first list. Why the move up, Jordan?

Jordan Small:

Because she is just getting better and better each week. She is making tough saves look easy which is the sign of a great goalkeeper. She has really proven that she has recovered from her injury. And now she has a much deserved call up to the US squad for her efforts.

RJ Allen:

I was really happy to see her called up to the senior team. We don’t know if she will be playing at all against Norway or Sweden but just being on the trip I think is a great reward for her level of play.

Jordan Small:

I think she has been the best goalkeeper in the US system so far this season so I hope she gets at least a few minutes.

RJ Allen:

I really do agree with you on that. We’ll talk about another American later on but they haven’t gotten a sniff at from either the U teams or the full NT. With Smith I think she does have a chance to challenge for a spot.

Jordan Small:

Unlike Barnie, she really isn’t working with a great backline so I think she should be given a lot of credit. I mean who would have thought that Boston would have been able to shutout a team like Seattle? Smith deserves a lot of recognition for her efforts so far this year.

RJ Allen:

She is already better than her first game at knowing when to hold back and knowing when to challenge. That’s a lot of improvement in a pretty short window.

Jordan Small:

Her ability to read the game is amazing. And her distribution is one of the best in the league which is a really underrated skill.

RJ Allen:

If she’s like this now I can’t wait to see what some NT training and more games does to her game.

Jordan Small:

She can only get better from here.

#3 – Kailen Sheridan – Sky Blue FC

RJ Allen:

This is the biggest jump on our list. From #8 to #3. We have been talking about this update for a few weeks and every time we do we seem to move Sheridan higher and higher.

Jordan Small:

We even moved her higher today. I’ve been incredibly surprised with her play. Back when we originally did this, we had her as the third-ranked Canadian goalkeeper. Over the past few weeks, I really see her competing for that second spot and maybe even the first because I think she has played better than D’Angelo as of late.

RJ Allen:

I’ve been to the last three Sky Blue home games and it seems like at each game she is just leaps and bounds better than the game before. She hasn’t been perfect but I have to keep reminding myself she is a rookie. She is playing like someone who has no fear.

Jordan Small:

I think the midweek game vs. North Carolina and then the Orlando game just after that were her two best games. She was playing out of her mind in both of those games. I think she has put in a serious case for Rookie of the Year. She has been that good so far.

RJ Allen:

Honestly I am really thinking she should be in the three nominations for Goalkeeper of the Year. Not that Rookie of the Year isn’t important, it is, but I think she has moved past the rookie designation and just been flat out one of the best in her position.

Jordan Small:

I totally agree with that. I really think our top three all have great cases for Goalkeeper of the Year. It’s been an incredible year for goalkeepers.

RJ Allen:

One other thing I think it’s worth taking note of for Sheridan. Her first choice backline? Two rookies, a sophomore and the GOAT of defending. Mandy Freeman and Kayla Mills are both rookies, Erica Skroski is a second-year player, though Christie Pearce’s resume couldn’t fit on a foot of parchment at 10 point font.

Jordan Small:

I’ve mentioned this on The Scouting Report many times, Christie Pearce has helped so much. I would take just about anyone on my backline if that meant having Pearce back there. A goalkeeper’s dream, especially a rookie goalkeeper.

RJ Allen:

You can tell Sheridan is learning from her which is great to see. And Sheridan has been more vocal and taking more more of the duties that Pearce had taken on herself that should be on the goalkeeper at the start of the season. It’s really one of the best mentorships in the league.

#2 – Stephanie Labbe – Washington Spirit

RJ Allen:

Here is where I turn everything over to Jordan and just let her tell you why Steph Labbé is a rock star.

Jordan Small:

Where do I even begin? First, I want to take a saying from our good friend Sandra and just say that Steph Labbé, we do not deserve you.

She picked up her first shutout of the year this past weekend after making eight saves. Each and every week it seems as if she has a save that could be a Save of the Week candidate. She does not have the greatest backline but somehow she still it keeping them in games. Aside from the week against Seattle, she has been a straight up beast.

RJ Allen:

It’s like she has decided that she is going to keep Washington from being blown out each and every game through sheer force of will.

Jordan Small:

And when we talk to her after the game, it seems that way too. It was nice to see her hard work pay off and to finally have a happy Labbé after a game. Can’t wait to see her play with Canada this week.

RJ Allen:

I say it on The Scouting Report all the time. Canada right now has the best cabal of goalkeepers in the world. It’s really amazing how deep they are and Labbé is leading the way for them.

Jordan Small:

Absolutely. If I’m John Herdman, I’ve got to be loving life right now.

RJ Allen:

I do wonder if there does come a point she just can’t keep up with Washington’s bad backline. That’s a lot of saves, a lot of amazing saves too, she has to make every week. Does there come a point she hurts herself trying to save them or just gets really lit up?

Jordan Small:

She is in such great shape, I hope that helps her. I never want to think about players getting hurt.

RJ Allen:

No, that’s never a fun place to go to. But as long as she keeps playing like she does Washington has a shot to get a few wins under their belt after the FIFA break.

Jordan Small:

I sure hope so. I think the shutout was good for everyone’s confidence.

#1 – Haley Kopmeyer – Seattle Reign

RJ Allen:

Who else but Kopmeyer?

Jordan Small:

Where do you even start with Kopmeyer? She has been amazing all year. I mean looking at the game vs. Chicago this weekend, it seemed as if all the tweets from Seattle were about saves from Kop. The girl is having herself a year. She is definitely embracing this starter gig.

RJ Allen:

She has 38 saves this year according to the NWSL stats. She had 34 all of 2016 with her 11 games. So already she is putting in more work with a backline that, frankly, should be better than how they are playing.

Jordan Small:

You and I both would love to see her with the NT but for some reason it just isn’t happening. It’s frustrating.

RJ Allen:

It is. She has more than proved at this point that she has room for growth. She has the size, frankly something the US hasn’t always had on their side, she reads the game beautifully, she is vocal, she is athletic but doesn’t overcompensate with it. I don’t understand the lack of attention.

Jordan Small:

And she learned from the best.

I just hope she keeps proving Jill Ellis wrong and continues to get better.

RJ Allen:

I really think we haven’t seen her best soccer yet. Which with how she is playing is something big to say.

Jordan Small:

There are a few areas that I think she can improve on and if she does, it’ll be scary for other teams in the league.

Final Thoughts

RJ Allen:

We’ve talked about our top five, Jordan, any final thoughts as we look back at the first 8 weeks of the 2017 NWSL season?

Jordan Small: 

A cool stat that I found today is that 11 different goalkeepers have shutouts this season. I love great goalkeeping and I love seeing goalkeepers get clean sheets. It has been really exciting so far.

RJ Allen:

I really think the goalkeeping in the league has taken a giant step forward this season. Each game now I’m expecting goalkeepers to have big games. And often times I’m not disappointed.

Jordan Small: 

Even the goalkeepers that struggled at the beginning of the season have improved. That is great for the league.

RJ Allen:

It really is.

So, what do you say? Revisit the wonders of goalkeeping say around week 16?

Jordan Small: 

If it was anything like the first 8 weeks, it should be fun!

Thank you everyone for reading. You can catch Jordan and I talking about the great goalkeeping in the league and more every Monday at 8 pm ET on YouTube. The feed is also up on iTunes, Podbean and Spreaker. 

6 Takeaways from NWSL: Week 8

Posted on by RJ Allen

Well, Week 8 is done and gone, and we’re firmly into the season now, folks. 

This week saw some unexpected wins from teams on the lower-half of the table, PKs made and PKs missed, and a lot–A LOT–of rain down Florida way. 

As usual, after a weekend full of great soccer, we have some armchair opinions. So stick around and see what we each took away from Week 8.

Houston Won’t Be Rebuilt in a Day – Jordan Small

The struggles over the past few years in Houston have been apparent and the Dash finally took a step in the right direction this past week when they fired general manager and head coach Randy Waldrum. While Waldrum was a great college coach, it just didn’t translate to the NWSL. So this week against the Washington Spirit, interim head coach Omar Morales was tasked with leading the struggling Houston team. Let’s just say that there is still a lot of work to be done.

This team has a lot of issues that need to be resolved and it’s not surprising to see that they weren’t all fixed in the first week of Morales’ tenure. It’s going to take time and patience. There is a lot of talent on this Houston team, but there is definitely a lack of confidence in this team. Will it all be fixed in a few weeks? Not possible. But by the end of the season, could we see a resurgence in H-Town? Don’t count them out.

Havana Solaun is Washington’s Secret Weapon – Jordan Small

In four of the last five games for the Washington Spirit, Havana Solaun has a goal or an assist. After coming over from Seattle in a trade that sent Christine Nairn back to the west coast, it was unclear how Solaun would fit in or even how she would do in her first full season as a professional. But she was able to put her injured past behind her to get a fresh start with her new team.

Solaun has played a huge role in the midfield so far this season. Whether it has been coming in off the bench or as part of the starting XI, Solaun brings a different edge to the game with her great vision. That vision was clear prior to both Spirit goals on Saturday as she had an assist on the first goal and the pass to set up the assist on the second goal. Solaun’s vision on the first goal allowed Cheyna Williams to get in behind the defense with a well timed through ball waiting for her on the other side. With Tori Huster out, Solaun and Meggie Dougherty Howard have both helped Washington cope with Huster’s absence. This off-season trade has worked out well for the Spirit.

Orlando Home Schedule Could Pay Off in the End – Luis Hernandez

In just about every league, if you get results at home while stealing points on the road, it’s going to be successful season. Looking at the standings, North Carolina and Chicago are the top two teams in the league, but also have each had five home matches this season. Meanwhile, Houston and Orlando, who are in the bottom end of the table, are in the opposite end of the scheduling spectrum and have each only been at home three times this year. Thankfully, Orlando has been more successful than the Dash in those three opportunities by not losing at home.

The Pride, a talented team some would say have played inconsistent and underachieved so far, are looking more together with each passing match. This week Tom Sermanni added Rachel Hill to the starting XI, and the arrival of Alex Morgan will boost the team around the same time Ashlyn Harris is projected to return from injury. As the team looks to be on the rise, the schedule is looking more and more favorable to Orlando after a challenging start. Going into the FIFA break, the Pride will prepare for a home series against the struggling Houston Dash, and getting six points is a realistic possibility which could give this developing team the confidence it needs. Not to mention that in the tail-end of the season, the Pride will have multiple home games to try and make a real push for the post-season.

Breakers’ Growing Pains Planting Seeds to Future Success – Luis Hernandez

It’s been a rough spell of play for the Breakers, who are winless since April with only two points to show for in five matches. However, the team isn’t playing like mediocre reflections of previous seasons. Boston has turned to a balanced blend of young talented players and experienced veterans. The team doesn’t seem down on itself as it has in winless streaks before this year. Matt Beard has been able to change the culture of the team, and they have been strong at home. Abby Smith’s performances for the Breakers have led to her call-up by the senior national team for the June friendlies against Sweden and Norway, while Rose Lavelle has been as good as advertised for Boston.  They’re a couple of pieces from a complete package, but once the team figures how to put everything together for a full 90, the Breakers are going to be a hard out for teams in the league. They aren’t a bottom-dwelling team anymore. This bunch is trending up.

Sky Blue Caught Ball-Watching – Elizabeth Wawrzyniak

Sky Blue’s loss against Portland was not for lack of trying. But it wasn’t their inability to get in the goal that led to Portland taking home all three points on the road. It was some messy and unorganized defending.

First was Kayla Mills’ just ill-advised challenge to Nadia Nadim in the 20’ minute. That mistake led directly to another, when the NJ player trying to mark Horan played her too loose and gave the Portland player too much room to maneuver, leading to Horan’s header past Sheridan.

The third was again a mistake by Mills. Playing to high up along the wing opened up space behind her, and she was too easily turned, caught reacting to Boureille’s drive in instead of defending proactively. That mistake by Mills drew the NJ team toward the left side of the box, so when the ball was sent back to the top of the box for Portland to reset their attack, the right was wide open for Klingenberg’s pass in and all a Thorn had to do was wait to receive it and tap it toward goal. Which is exactly what happened.

The entire NJ team got caught ball-watching, the entire game. They spent almost 90 minutes playing reactionary soccer instead of making organized moves to interrupt the ease that Portland had moving the ball around.

Let’s Talk About Heat – Elizabeth Wawrzyniak

So, I never thought I’d have to talk about hydration breaks so much this season. But a few things happened over the past week, and it seems a little important to bring it up again.

First, there was last week’s game in Houston where Rachel Daly collapsed with heat exhaustion almost exactly as the whistle blew. Next, the US federal government announced that the US would be withdrawing from the Paris Accord meant to help combat climate change.

And then just today, Chicago and Seattle played 90+ minutes in 90+ degree temps (humidity around 45%).  Afterward, Christen Press reportedly looked a little worse for wear, and Dan Lauletta, a well-respected WoSo journalist, tweeted that he didn’t really believe in the necessity of hydration breaks, but if they had to happen, could the clock stop at least?

Here’s the thing.

Climate change leads to rising temperatures.

Rising temperatures leads to the need for hydration breaks. (Because soccer is a game, not a gladiator-style execution. I want to be entertained; I don’t want anyone to die.)

And no matter what we do, the clock isn’t going to stop. We can’t pause the damage we’ve done to the planet, and we can’t turn back time and fix it.  All we can do is try to minimize the damage already done.

We’re here because we love soccer. But it’s time to start talking about how politics and policies affect the game.

Withdrawing from the Paris Accord is going to do generations-worth of harm to the planet. Already the damage we’ve done is affecting our favorite sport.

The question isn’t “should there be hydration breaks” (there should be) but “how did we get here,” followed up with “what can we do to fix the larger–literally, global–problem?”

Sports is always, always political.

The Furt and the Fabulous: Episode 2

Posted on by RJ Allen

I am back with my recurring series of The Furt and the Fabulous. A look at the best and worst of the week. Let’s dig in.

The Furt

The Refs Need to be Better

The NWSL had had an issue with consistent officiating since the league started. Lately, it seems that games will either have five yellows and a red card or no cards at all. The inconsistency between games leads to constant questioning of what will and won’t be called between games.

And yellow cards seem to just be out of control so far this season. Boston already has 12 of them. North Carolina has 9 while Sky Blue, Washington, and Seattle each have 8. Chicago, Portland, and Orlando each have 7 while Houston has 6 and FCKC has only 4. That is 76 yellow cards in Week 7. I’m not saying they were all bad calls. Some of those cards were well deserved. But some of them, a good number of them, were due to the refs failing to control the game from the start, and needing to impose order later on. 

We can only hope going forward that the refs start gaining more control in games and are more consistent between games. Though pigs may fly first.

Texas is Too Damn Hot

The clip above is Rachel Daly going down after playing 90+ minutes in the 90 degree+ heat of Texas in the middle of the day.

This game shouldn’t have happened.

There was a backup game for Lifetime to swap to if they wanted to keep their 4 pm ET slot. They could have switched to North Carolina at Chicago, a game that featured some great soccer. It would have been a little annoying I’m sure to swap to that game and move the Dash game against Seattle later in the day. But it should have happened. For the safety of the players and the fans.

It should have happened because we know what happens to the human body when you run for 90 minutes in 90+ heat and nearly 100% humidity. We know what happens when players play in that sort of heat and what the lasting effects on their bodies and the game are. The league, Lifetime, the players themselves all knew this game should have been moved. But the new TV deal superseded player safety. Something that should never, ever happen.

Let’s hope that the league looks at this carefully and it doesn’t take Christen Press passing out after a game in Orlando or Alex Morgan returning back to the league and heading to Orlando just to get heat stroke from a 4 pm kickoff to change things.

The Fabulous

Sauerbrunn Scored, Angels Sung

When Becky Sauerbrunn scores angels get their wings. It’s something that doesn’t happen very often but when it does it’s accompanied by her trademark jumping up and down and the whole team swarming her in celebration.

There are defenders that get in on the scoring action more the others. But Sauerbrunn is usually worried about holding back and cleaning up after other’s mistakes. But now and then on a set-piece, she’s able to rise up and strike gold.

Sauerbrunn is so good even the person marking her had to admit how good she is.

Sheridan is a Beast

Sheridan has been so good I’m giving her two gifs.

Just voted to the Best XI for May, Sheridan is having quite the rookie season. So far she has started all of the games in goal for Sky Blue. The Canadian International has 33 saves, most in the NWSL right now, in 8 games, playing all 720 minutes.

It’s not just the saves she’s making that has Sheridan standing out. She is playing with a confidence that goalkeepers work years on building up. Handling her backline and working on the finer points of professional goalkeeping … well, she might be a rookie, but she knows how to manage and organize her defense, something Sky Blue has needed over the past few seasons. For all the talk of who might or might not be Rookie of the Year, personally, I think as of now Sheridan might be Goalkeeper of the Year.

The Unused Sub: Actually, The Dash Can Figure This Out

Posted on by RJ Allen

How was your Memorial Day weekend? I spent one evening watching two movies, Independence Day: Resurgence and Suicide Squad. Yep, they were bad.

SO ABOUT THE HOUSTON DASH
And so we have our first coaching change in the 2017 NWSL season. Randy Waldrum was relieved of his duties as head coach of the Houston Dash. It’s no surprise to anyone, as he had to get the Dash screaming out of the gate, collecting wins, and failed to do so. No one is going to dispute his soccer acumen at the college level, but for whatever reason, his coaching skills did not translate into results at the professional level. Will the Dash, as they’re currently constructed, respond better to a different voice, whoever that new voice is? One could say well they can’t do any worse than where they are now. It probably is an unenviable task to be the head coach of the Houston Dash for the rest of the season and possibly beyond.

However, it could also be a welcome, if not fun challenge.

You can make the point that the Houston Dash plan never got off the drawing board from the first season. So what is the harm in not only erasing that drawing board, but outright smashing it into oblivion? There is talent on that team in Kealia Ohai, Rachel Daly, and Amber Brooks. Don’t get me wrong, whoever is the next (permanent) head coach will have their work cut out. The turnaround isn’t happening this season, but if the new coach has a vision that is enough of a breath of fresh air to the current players, then whatever the vision of what Houston Dash soccer is supposed to be, will finally materialize.

One last thing related to the Houston Dash, I do hope all is well with Rachel Daly. We all saw the scare at the end of last weekend’s match between the Dash and Seattle Reign FC, where she collapsed due to heat exhaustion. The one thing we knocked on all pieces of wood on, hoping wouldn’t happen with these unwise mid-day kickoffs in places that are simply hot, happened. The league and Lifetime Networks got rightfully lambasted for it and we’ll just have to wait and see if they do plan to move kickoff times earlier or later in places where mid-day temperatures are at a level where the numbers don’t matter – it’s just too hot.

So yeah, again, hope all is well with Rachel Daly. Hopefully, that doesn’t happen to any other player in the league this season.

THESE ROOKIES CAME TO PLAY
So we all went into this season with hype on Boston Breakers midfielder Rose Lavelle as likely an NWSL Rookie of the Year candidate, and so far she is living up to the fanfare of being the 1st overall draft pick. Who else is making noise so far? I think it’s Sky Blue FC goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan and Seattle Reign FC forward Katie Johnson. No one is doubting that Sheridan owns the real estate between the posts for Sky Blue. As for Johnson, it’s simply this – when she enters the game for Seattle, things happen. These three are showing they damn sure can play in this league and this could be a fun race to watch the rest of the season.

3 FOR 5 IN LAST WEEK’S PREDICTIONS
Let’s see how I do with this week’s predictions.

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

And yes I am aware that last prediction is likely going to draw the ire of my Backline Soccer colleague Sandra Herrera, but hey – YOLO!

Here’s this week’s music video break.

Song: Land Of The Free | Artist: Joey Bada$$

Unsung Hero of the Week: Reliable Raso in the Rose City

Posted on by RJ Allen

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

This week I’ve chosen Portland Thorn FC forward Hayley Raso.

The 22-year-old Australian is with her second NWSL club, playing for the Washington Spirit in 2015 and with the Thorns since 2016. Raso has proven to be a dynamic player, one who can be utilized as both forward and midfield for club and country. She has already made 21 appearances for Portland and in each one, she has been a steady and reliable player.

Portland 2-0 Boston

Having just faced off nine days previously (ending in 2-2 draw), these teams were already somewhat familiar with each other. Portland wasted no time in getting on the board and taking control of the game. An unfortunate own goal in the first minute by Boston’s Julie King gave the Thorns the early and unexpected lead.

Raso’s first major contribution came at the five-minute mark; as the Breakers were attempting to gain possession, she intercepted a pass at midfield and it it landed at the feet of Amandine Henry. The French playmaker looked around to pass but inevitably chose to take it herself and 20 yards out ripped a low shot to the right corner. It reminded me of how my old club coach would say “accuracy over power.” Henry did just that and it was somehow only her first goal as a Portland Thorn in 16 games.

The play started with the hustle and individual effort by Raso to win the ball. Portland quickly reaped the benefits of that kind of play, grabbing a two-goal lead at Providence Park. Anyone who knows anything about the NWSL, knows that when Portland get a comfortable lead at home, well, it’s almost impossible to come back and get any points in that kind of atmosphere. Raso and Henry gave the Thorns all they needed for the win on Saturday afternoon.

Throughout the game, I noticed Raso’s ability to win free kicks for her team, the first coming in the 10th minute. Raso dug her heels in to do a bit of defensive work and it paid off. She and Christine Sinclair doubled-teamed a Breaker on the sideline in Portland’s half and Raso came away with the free kick. It looked like a reminder to the opponent that even though Portland was winning, they wanted more and were working hard to show that.

Just one minute later, Raso would be at it again; this time it was just her and King fighting for the ball in Boston’s end. Raso got on the end of a Nadia Nadim ball and she tussled with Boston’s captain for a few seconds before Raso earned yet another free kick for her club, one in a more dangerous spot. While nothing came out of it, once again, Raso showed why she has earned a starting spot for Portland so far this season. Her energy and constant mobility remind me of a certain FCKC forward who is currently out of commission this season (Amy Rodriguez).

Raso could not be contained, this time making her presence known in the 17th minute. The Aussie made an identical run with Sinclair into the box, somehow getting in behind the backline of Boston for an impressive step-by-step play. Sinclair opted to take the shot, which just went wide, but I thought Sinclair should’ve passed to the open Raso. She made a lovely run to make herself available but the pass never came. Nonetheless, Raso had great movement throughout the whole play to present Portland with a serious opportunity.

Continuing her strong first half, Raso finally found some serious real estate in front of her in the 24th minute. Guided by an outlet pass from Portland’s own 18-yard-box thanks to the pinpoint service from Nadim, Raso was off to the races, competing against Boston’s Emilie Haavi for possession. Raso took it wide, took heavy contact from Haavi and I’m sure you guessed it … earned another free kick.

Once again, the Thorns failed to capitalize on it but it’s a perfect example of how Raso does in 1v1 situations and her vision to take it wide knowing she needed to wait a few more seconds for her teammates. Due to the foul, she never got the chance to get service into the box but getting that set piece was just as important.

One last example of how well Raso played this past weekend was in the 75th minute. The Thorns won a ball 20 yards out and two seconds later Raso sent a perfect pass to Lindsey Horan who had snuck inside the box. Horan would’ve had the shot, but Allie Long was making the same run from across the box so they collided and the play went dead.

Raso was making these small but important plays all game for Portland. She was one of the most active players on both sides of the ball. It didn’t have the outcomes they wanted (like goals or assists), but her liveliness and effort didn’t go unnoticed. The more I watch her play, the more I want to see her on the field for Portland when available. She is young and extremely talented and has proven how useful she can be.

The Excused Absence

Posted on by RJ Allen

If you’re even just a casual NWSL fan, you’ll notice that every now and again, a player isn’t on the game-day lineup.  Not for injury, at least not that you’re aware of, and not for a disciplinary reason as far as you can remember (and in my experience, red cards tend to stick out in your memory).

But if you’re a die-hard NWSL fan, the kind who can remember off the top of their head just how many yellows a favorite player is sitting on heading into the upcoming week, you’ll probably notice the “Excused Absence” designation that’s popped up on Weekly Injury Reports this season.

The new addition to the report this year came at the behest of the NWSL’s Media Association, who asked for some sort of clarification on player absences when not out for an injury or illness. But what this additional information has done is highlighted an interesting element of NWSL play and player management this season. And so I’d like to take some time to talk about Excused Absences, the NWSL, and professional sports in general.

Those who have been around the NWSL since at least the end of the third season, after the US players rejoined their teams riding their World Cup glory, might remember a bit of drama in the 2015 post-season, when fan-favorite Ali Krieger decided to attend her father’s wedding instead of playing in Washington’s semi-final against the Seattle Reign. Krieger took a lot of heat from league fans for choosing to put her family above her team, and eventually put out a heartfelt message on her website, where she shared her regret that she couldn’t be in two places at once.

My family has come second to football for many, many years and I feel that in my heart it was time I put them first. I would regret not being there for the rest of my life, and I’m extremely happy to be in my Dad’s wedding. I have full confidence in my teammates and I can’t wait to congratulate them in person when they return to DC.

I honestly hadn’t thought of Krieger’s absence since that day, until I noticed, and kept noticing, the Excused Absence qualifiers on the weekly injury reports this season. Some teams offered additional information, revealing that a player was away to attend an award ceremony in her home country (Sam Kerr, Week 3), or graduate from college (Raquel Rodriguez, Week 4). Others were to take an entrance exam for medical school (Daphne Corboz, Week 4) or to attend a family wedding (Kelley O’Hara, Week 5). Still others offered no other information, just that a player would not be in attendance for the week’s game and that it was not due to any injury, illness, or discipline.

(And then there was Carli Lloyd’s entire 2016 season, which seemed to be one gigantic excused absence, at least as far as the people who love to hate her and those who hate to love her saw it.)

To be fair, I probably wouldn’t have paid attention if not for a few players I enjoy watching week to week appearing on the list as excused. But it got me thinking and it made me wonder, what is the effect of these Excused Absences on the league? Does the Excused Absence policy (is there one?) negatively impact or affect the NWSL? Either the play and performance of teams and players, or the perception of the league by others?

Because here’s what my first and initial thought about Excused Absences was:

Excusing players to attend a wedding, to take an exam, etc, reflects and affirms the opinion of those outside the sport who feel that a women’s soccer league is not something to be taken seriously. 

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not judging individual players for their non-soccer priorities or family commitments. But I do wonder how the NWSL looks in comparison to other sports–women’s and men’s leagues–where this is concerned.

So, after an entirely non-scientific research process, here’s what I found for “Excused Absence” across the American professional sports landscape.

NFL

Players in the NFL have been listed with “Excused Absences,” yes, but how, and for what, and when, reveals a marked difference from the NWSL. In most cases I came across, players had received an excused absence from a training camp, practice, or exhibition game.

In 2016, Tom Brady was excused from a pre-season game in order to attend memorial services for a family member (he was allowed to play in pre-season games before having to serve a multiple game suspension beginning Opening Weekend of the regular season). Doug Martin was given an excused absence from practice the same year, but this was in anticipation of being disciplined for violating the league’s drug policy.

Kayvon Webster was excused from practice in 2014 for a personal family matter, CJ Spiller from a pre-season game in 2013 after his step-grandfather shot four people and killed two, and then himself. That same year, Riley Cooper was given an “excused absence” to seek counseling after making a racial slur, and Brandon Marshall was excused from four days of camp in the pre-season for a previously scheduled follow-up appointment regarding surgery he’d had earlier that year.

In the case of the NFL, an excused absence is sometimes given, but in cases where the stakes are not particularly high. A pre-season game that means little for the outcome of the season, a day or two of practice, or a late arrival to a weeks-long pre-season training camp.

 

NBA

In the NBA, excused absences aren’t infrequent, but there aren’t many either. In 2017 Ricky Rubio has been excused for “personal reasons” no details provided. In 2016, LaMarcus Aldridge was given an excused absence from a pre-season game to receive a Hall of Honor award from his college, while long-time player Udonis Haslem received one so he could see his son play in a state football final. Kemba Walker was given an excused absence from a December game “to tend to a personal matter,” and Lou Williams was excused from a practice late in the year.

2014 saw Tony Parker excused from the start of preseason camp to recover after a long flight home from France and a delayed flight in Chicago. Before that, excused absences included Derrick Rose, excused from an in-season practice for personal reasons (2011);  Delonte West, excused from a pre-season match-up to “handle personal business” that some suggest was related to “mental sickness and legal troubles” (2009); and Shawn Kemp, listed with an excused absence in 2001, just prior to checking into a drug rehabilitation program.

Unlike the NFL, the NBA (and several other sports leagues) has a number of international players who compete for their national teams, as well as some players (domestic or international) who join leagues overseas during the off-season. In some cases, these players are given excused absences to accommodate their time away or even just to help account for recovery time after long and tiring travel. But like the NFL, the NBA’s absences, in the majority of the cases I came across, were for non-competitive events. Players were excused from camps, practices, or pre-season games for the most part, and only rarely from in-season games.

 

NHL

As for the NHL, the excused absences include Kyle Okposo’s 2017 absence from practice the day after the All-Star game, Robin Lehner, who was excused from a Friday practice before starting in his third straight game, and Anders Nilsson, who was excused from a practice in order to travel back from Sweden where he was tending to a personal matter.

In 2016, nine members of the Detroit Red Wings were excused from training camp for national team duties at the World Cup that year, and in 2012, three players on the Capitals were excused from practice sessions in order to “avoid overtaxing them” during one of the busier parts of the season. One of those three, Alex Ovechkin, was “given the day off” in 2009, after suffering a big hit during a game the day before, though reports stressed that the two factors were unrelated.

The situation for the NHL is fairly similar to the NBA, though I saw more instances of players being given excused absences for recovery or rest during the season in this league. Or, at least, an openness to admitting that this is what the excused absences were for. And, like the NBA, the NHL has an 82-game regular season. That’s 82 games per team per season. By comparison, the NFL’s regular season is only 16 games, and missing one means missing a sixteenth (6.25%) of the season. Missing a single game of the NBA or NHL? Less than 1.5% of the total games. So it’s a little easier to see why a player might be granted an excused absence from an in-season game. He’s got 81 others to play.

 

MLB

Probably the most interesting excused absence I’ve seen reported is that of Leonys Martin in 2017, who was allowed to report late to training camp after being called to testify in a federal criminal conspiracy and alien smuggling trial.  This same year, Dellin Betances was designated as having an excused absence from training camp until a contract dispute was successfully arbitrated.

In 2016, Chase Headley was given an unexpected excused absence to attend to his family after complications in his son’s surgery necessitated further medical intervention, and Aroldis Chapman missed two days of spring training for a family matter, which was suspected to be related to an investigation into accusations of domestic violence. Then, in 2007, Barry Bonds was given three days off during spring training to return home and spend time with his family. That same year, Manny Ramirez was allowed to report late to training, possibly to attend to a sick mother. Ramirez was also given an excused absence to miss his first game with the Red Sox in the 2004 season when he returned to Miami to become a citizen of the United States.  As the team’s manager said at the time, “If he didn’t do it today, we’re not talking about (a delay of) weeks or months. It’s like, maybe, a year.”

But remember how many games the NBA and NHL play a season? MLB players have twice that. The MLB season is 162 games long. Missing a day of training camp, a practice, or even a single game for a personal reason? In total it counts for a tiny fraction of their contractual commitments.

Most notably, MLB offers its players a three-day excused paternity leave for the birth of a child. To date, it’s the only men’s professional league in the States to have that built into the players’ CBA; in the NFL, NBA, and NHL, the decision to excuse a player for the birth of a child is made on a team by team, and case by case, basis. (The league also has an official bereavement list as well, for when a player’s spouse or an immediate family member has a serious illness or passes away.) A player on paternity leave can request between one and three consecutive days away when placed on the paternity list, and many have utilized the benefit since its inception. The policy probably came to the notice of the general public when, in 2014, Daniel Murphy (NY Mets) missed the first two games of the season in order to see his first child born. He was widely criticized by sports radio hosts and others, but received the support of his teammates, his front office, and the league for his decision.

 

MLS

Finally, at least for the men’s leagues, there’s the MLS.  Kei Kamara began 2016 with an excused absence from the start of training camp, but while the team cited his family as the reason for the delayed arrival, others suspected a budding contract dispute might be the real reason. In 2015, Kenny Coopers had a similar excused absence from his team, missing the first four weeks of training “with what was described as an ‘excused absence.” He was then waived by the team, however, suggesting that in this case, “excused absence” was code for the contract dispute he was engaged in with the team at the time.

In 2014, Matt Pickens was excused from a portion of preseason to try out for another team, after an injury in 2013 saw his starting spot go to Clint Irwin. Obafemi Martins was excused from practice in 2013 in order to deal with a family matter; this came after he’d been given a longer (and excused) break mid-season in recognition of his play in Europe before the season started and his efforts in recent practices and games. Before that, in 2012, Javier Morales received an excused absence for the birth of his second son. Like most of the American athletic leagues, the MLS does not have a paternity leave policy, and decisions are left up to individual clubs.

2011 saw Real Salt Lake excuse absences for three players to join national teams before international matches. The players missed part of a pre-season trip to Phoenix where the team was scheduled to play a few matches. The February 9th games were official FIFA friendlies, and players were required to be released by their clubs for 48 hours according to the International Match Calendar policy. That same year, David Beckham was excused by his club in Week 10 of the season for Gary Neville’s testimonial match, a decision which saw no small amount of criticism from fans and sportswriters. This absence came after Beckham missed portions of preseason and left the club in order to attend the wedding of Prince William. Steve Davis suggested in a Sports Illustrated article, in fact, that Beckham’s absence, and the team’s acquiescence to Beckham’s requests, was “alerting the world that MLS is just a little plaything, not a competition to be taken seriously.”

But men’s leagues aren’t the only professional sports organizations, and so I looked into the women’s side as well.

Okay, to be honest, I looked, but the NWHL is only in its second year and I didn’t find anything for them. The NWSL is the league that prompted this article, and so I don’t need to list it again, which … thanks to the dearth of professional women’s athletic leagues in the US … leaves me with the WNBA.

 

WNBA

From what I’ve seen, in 2011, Monica Wright was given an excused absence from a game for a family emergency (no additional details were given). Nakia Sanford had an excused absence from a “Bowling with the Mystics” team event in 2007 after taking “an elbow to the mouth during practice earlier in the day.” (Yes, not exactly the kind of excused absence I mean to talk about, but it’s not like there were tons from me to choose from in the WNBA–more on that later.)

Then, in 2006, Tanisha Wright was given an excused absence from a practice in order to attend her graduation ceremony from Penn State, and Janeth Arcain was excused from most of preseason camp each season from 1998-2001. The reason? The Brazilian national team player also plays professionally in her home country, and the seasons overlap each other.

Now, unlike their male counterpart, the WNBA only plays 34 regular season games. (The NWSL, at least this season, plays 22). But you might notice two things from the WNBA list above. First, excused absences seem more limited than the male leagues–and this might be because missing even a single game is a bigger issue in leagues with shorter seasons. And second, most of the links for the WNBA information came not from team releases or sports journalists, but blogs. But don’t get me started on the absence of women’s athletics and performances in sports journalism. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

 

So, you might be wondering why I put you through that summary of excused absences across the professional sports leagues in America.

(And before I explain, I need to point out the obvious flaws in my “research,” such that it was–I didn’t bother to look up how each league or team defined “excused absence.” I literally just did google searches for “[League Abbreviation] and ‘excused absence,'” which doesn’t even pass the lowest test of academic rigor. And when the results appeared, I only looked as far as–maybe–page three. So it’s not a comprehensive survey, sure, but I think I found enough to be able to make some speculative conclusions. Still, if you object to my research process, feel free to report me to the official department of Who Gives a Fuck; I’m sure you have them on speed-dial.)

Let me be the first to assure you that it’s not because I want to shame the players in the NWSL for their absences. I’m also not here to commiserate that you bought a ticket to a game just to see Christine Nairn and she wasn’t with the team that day. I’m not here to entertain complaints about Alex Morgan being your favorite player and travelling all the way to Orlando to see Alex Morgan play and Alex Morgan being away from the team because her grandma broke her hip or something (Alex Morgan’s grandmother is fine, to my knowledge, please don’t ask me about Alex Morgan’s grandmother). And honestly, I don’t care if Daphne Corboz took the MCAT or if Kelley O’Hara went to a cousin’s wedding (okay, I care enough to hope that Corboz did well and that O’Hara danced the funky chicken, obviously) but my interest in talking about this is not about individual players and instead about perception and progress.

My first question is whether absences suggest to the outside world that the NWSL doesn’t have to be taken seriously because it doesn’t take itself seriously. (A question akin to Steve Davis’ worry over Beckham in 2011.)

In the NFL, player absences are so rare because each game counts. When you only have 16 chances to climb to the top of the standings, every game means something. Writing in the aftermath of the Daniel Murphy/Boomer Esiason MLB paternity blow-out in 2014, a columnist at XOJane wrote that

I can’t imagine a single situation in which a starting player would voluntarily miss an NFL game. With only 16 regular season games, there’s too much on the line. One loss can mean a team misses the playoffs. And with pro careers that only last an average of three years, that’s just not a risk I can imagine any of those guys taking.

Even missing practice, for most in the NFL would be verboten. Because practice is where you make your case to be out there under the lights on game day. And there are so few opportunities to make it to the top. In 2016, Ben Roethlisberger took a few days away from practice during the week for the birth of his third child, and Landry Jones got to step into the coveted role of “first-team QB” for a little while, just long enough to get a feel for the position he’s been working toward his entire life. The next week, when Landry’s own wife gave birth, he took a few hours, his wife reportedly telling him not to miss a day of practice. Rookie QB Cardale Jones almost missed the birth of his child in 2016; he was literally on his way to practice when coach Rex Ryan told him to go back, that he’d regret missing the birth for the rest of his life.

By in comparison, in a season only six games longer than the NFL’s, what does it say to miss a practice? To miss a game? If the NWSL and its players want the sport to be taken seriously–as it should be–by fans, by non-fans, by the general public? When you’ve got players in the NFL literally missing the births of children just for the chance to make an impression in a mid-week practice, what does it say about the NWSL’s intensity, it’s drive, to release players from their duties seemingly so easily?

But.

But. But.

On the other hand.

What if it’s not about the number of games at all? What if it’s not about intensity or drive or any of that.

What if it’s about the players? About a change in the culture of American sports franchises?

In 2011, the MLB Players Association negotiated a collective bargaining agreement that included paternity leave.

Paternity leave.

For baseball players.

In a nation known for being one of the worst for paid maternity leave for new mothers.

And I’m not slamming the baseball players or the MLBPA (get it, slamming them). I think it’s great.

Even more than great, maybe it’s a sign of a more progressive sports league, of a more humanitarian, person-centered approach to the management of players and teams. MLB’s policy reminds fans and foes alike that at the end of the day, the players and their well-rounded lives are a priority.

Yes, it may be easier to accomplish with a sport that seems to play more games than there are days in the season (or actually do, I’m tired of Googling at the moment and that seems like it might involve more math than I’m comfortable with) but, also, maybe it’s just worth it?

The NBA renegotiated their CBA in late-2016, and it doesn’t appear that something like paternity leave was on the players’ radar, or at least not an issue with enough support to make it to the negotiating table. The NFL and NHL’s current CBAs are scheduled to expire in 2020/2021, so between now and then, they, too, could see a more person-focused CBA.

In the meantime, as far as the NWSL is concerned, (on a team-by-team, player-by-player basis, anyway), the off-the-pitch development and priorities of its players seem to be recognized as important and essential elements of their talent management protocols.

So, in the end, I’m still left with questions. Is this a good thing for the NWSL? Or does it do more harm to teams and the league than is worth standing for?

Honestly, I don’t know.

What I do know is that I’m afraid it does more harm than good.

And maybe that’s something to think about?

6 Takeaways from NWSL: Week 7

Posted on by RJ Allen

Week 7 of the NWSL regular season has passed us by. It was a rough week for almost all, whether due to a mid-week match, unfavorable weather, or injuries, but it was also a week of some damn good soccer. And, it seems there’s a line beginning to emerge between the top and bottom of the table, as some teams start to rack up points and begin to breakaway from the pack. So, let’s get right down to it, and give you our Week 7 takeaways. 

Marta (or Alex Morgan for that matter) Won’t Fix Orlando’s Problems – Luis Hernandez 

The Orlando Pride increased its on-the-road winless streak to 12. The last time they won away from home was against the Dash on May 20th, 2016. For the second time this season, Tom Sermanni’s side were ahead late, and once again the team shut-off mentally to allow an opponent to score. Against Sky Blue, the Pride did it twice and came away from New Jersey a 2-1 loser.

All the offensive firepower doesn’t help a struggling team like Orlando. The defensive lapses that haunted the Pride last season seem to have creeped back in; however, it’s a different cast of characters. Orlando dominated total passes, passing accuracy and possession in the box score, yet Sky Blue basically matched Orlando in shots and had more shots on goal. Good teams find ways to win, and create a winning culture.

The Start of a Gap in the Standings – Luis Hernandez

One of the talking points for those who cover the league has been the level of parity. What this means is that there is a sense that, on any given day, any of the ten teams can win their game. Eventually, each season, that feeling tends to fall apart as some teams begin to rise while others consistently fail to perform. And this season, Week 7 is where the league’s initial parity seemed to slip away because, as the league got into the second quarter of the season, the point gap between the top of the table and those bottom four teams started to open up. Realistically, nobody is surprised by the top five teams in the standings outside of the order. Certainly, nobody is shocked on the last four teams either.

Week 8 has a few key matchups, but more importantly for those bottom teams, Boston takes on Orlando on the road and the Spirit host the Dash. Those points are going to go a long way to stay with the pack, and a major challenge for those clubs which will have an uphill battle to keep pace with the playoff line.

Syd the Kid Is All Grown Up – Jordan Small

Well y’all, she’s back. After giving birth to a baby boy less than a year ago, Sydney Leroux is getting right back into it. On opening weekend, Leroux showed us that she wasn’t just coming back, but that she would continue to be a goal scoring threat. This past weekend against Washington, Syd the (not such a) kid was back at it again. This time she proved to us that her strength and power are still there and a force to be reckoned with.

With her three goals, Leroux is now tied with Natasha Dowie of Boston for fourth-most goals scored in the league this season. And just this past week, US Women’s National Team head coach Jill Ellis called Leroux into camp for the USWNT’s two games in Scandinavia. Many questioned whether or not she could make it back after her child. But Leroux is proving to be one of those badass soccer moms ready to tear up the NWSL.

Rookie Who? – Jordan Small

When you look at candidates for rookie of the year in the NWSL, few get any more attention than Boston Breakers midfielder Rose Lavelle. The first overall pick in last year’s draft has proven that she can play at this level and be very successful. But one player that isn’t getting the recognition she deserves in this race is Sky Blue goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan. Currently Sheridan ranks second in saves just behind her Canadian National Team teammate Stephanie Labbé.

There are only 20 goalkeeping spots in this league. So to see a rookie come in and immediately win the starting spot is impressive. But just how impressive has she actually been this season? Just watch the two previous matches for Sky Blue. This girl has no fear and that’s what makes a goalkeeper so great.

In eight games played this year, Sheridan has allowed just 11 goals for a goals against average of 1.4. Those are not the numbers of an average rookie. She may not be on the highlight reel scoring goals, but you can bet she’ll have some saves on there. And she’s just getting started.

These Girls are On Fire – Elizabeth Wawrzyniak

No, but for real. Did you catch that Lifetime match between the Houston Dash and the Seattle Reign?

At 3pm CT, when the match started, the temperature was the 91.1 degrees, with a dew point of 90 degrees, or almost 100% humidity. The NWS’s Heat Index calculator says that the heat index for Saturday’s game would have been 134 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s the kind of heat it’s dangerous to spend too much time just sitting around in, and the NWSL players played a full 90 minutes with only two 3-minute hydration breaks and a 15-minute halftime. Playing in those conditions literally put the NWSL players at-risk, and the league should be ashamed of themselves for letting it happen. We don’t put players on the field during lightning storms, we shouldn’t put them on the field when they could literally put their heart and kidneys at risk of organ-failure.

The fixed time of the NWSL on Lifetime games has been a point of concern for fans of southern teams since the beginning. 3pm games in Houston and Orlando not only put players at risk–I mean, the moment a single player collapses of heat exhaustion on the pitch the league should be working their asses off to make sure it doesn’t happen again–but attendance as well. Because when it’s as warm as it was on Saturday, when taking a breath makes you feel like you’re drowning, fans are far likelier to stay home with their AC than they are to show up. And honestly, who would blame them.

Certainly not the players, who probably each wished they could do the same.

All They Do is Work, Work, Work, Work, Work – Elizabeth Wawrzyniak

In case you weren’t paying attention, Sky Blue FC and the NC Courage each played three games over a seven-day period this past week. And in both cases, it’s likely that the increased travel, the lack of recovery time, and the sheer volume of play took a heavy toll on the players. All in all, I think Sky Blue came out better. They had an extra day between the Week 6 and first Week 7 match-up against the Courage in Cary, NC. And while they lost, they rested some players mid-week, only subbing in Kerr and Rodriguez late in the match. NC, on the other hand, was already coming off a tough loss to Chicago in Week 6, and though they won against Sky Blue, they came into Saturday’s rematch against the home Red Stars in Chicago looking tired, and with Jessica McDonald on the bench. Unfortunately, this exposed them in the end, as Lynn Williams seems a little lost up top on her own, or did on Saturday.

The real question, though, is whether the short turnaround contributed to injuries like Yuri Kawamura’s aborted performance on Saturday, or Kelley O’Hara’s strained gluteus medius (that’s a butt muscle, in case you were wondering). Without the appropriate recovery time, injuries are going to happen more and more frequently.

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

Posted on by RJ Allen

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

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

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

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

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

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

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