Category: Articles

The NWSL Podium: Top Performances in Week 16

Posted on by RJ Allen

The NWSL Podium: Top Performances is a weekly series that looks at the best attacking, defensive, and goalkeeping performances each week.

The playoffs are inching closer and closer, but Week 16 did little to clarify who will make it and who will fall short. North Carolina officially clinched a playoff spot after their 4-0 win over Sky Blue FC on Saturday night. The Houston Dash and the Utah Royals are starting to fall behind after losing their weekend matches, but they are still only eight and seven points, respectively, away from the No. 4 spot. And the Seattle Reign dropped points on the road, eliminating any buffer they had created in the No. 2 spot. Here is a full breakdown of the scores from this week:

North Carolina Courage vs. Washington Spirit (2-0)

Houston Dash vs. Orlando Pride (3-1)

Seattle Reign vs. Utah Royals (1-0)

Sky Blue vs. North Carolina Courage (0-4)

Utah Royals vs. Orlando Pride (1-2)

Chicago Red Stars vs. Seattle Reign (1-0)

Portland Thorns vs. Houston Dash (3-1)

Top Three Goalkeepers

1. Nicole Barnhart— Barnhart proved on Saturday night why she is exactly the type of player you want as a back-up goalkeeper. In the 67th minute, Abby Smith took a rough fall and couldn’t continue the match. Barnhart warmed up on the sidelines and came in at the 72nd minute. Immediately, she was tested by Sydney Leroux. In the 73rd minute, Leroux had Barnhart at the post and Leroux tried to sneak the ball past her, but Barnhart blocked the shot with her knee. While Utah lost the game 2-1, no goals were scored after Barnhart came on. In the final 20 minutes of the match, she made two saves.

2. Katelyn Rowland— Rowland earned two shutouts this week in North Carolina’s matches against the Washington Spirit and Sky Blue. In her match against the Washington Spirit, she faced six shots and made four saves. Her best save of the night came in the 83rd minute, when Ashley Hatch snuck past the North Carolina defense and took a shot, but Rowland got in front of the ball and pushed it out of bounds, forcing an unsuccessful corner kick. In her match against Sky Blue, she faced twelve shots and made five saves, including a great save in the 25th minute after Savannah McCaskill got behind the defense. Rowland ran right up to McCaskill and blocked her shot. Rowland now has four shutouts and 35 saves on the season.

3. Alyssa Naeher— Naeher earned her sixth shutout of the season in a must-win match for the Chicago Red Stars against the Seattle Reign. She faced thirteen shots and made three saves on the night. Most of her saves came early on in the match, shutting down the attacking skills of Megan Rapinoe and Jodie Taylor. But her best save came in the 78th minute, when Jasmyne Spencer outran the Chicago defense and took a shot. Naeher followed the ball and punched it out of bounds.  

Top Three Defenders

1. Rachel Corsie— Corsie was one of the few Utah defenders left for Saturday’s match, after a spate of injuries and yellow card accumulations decimated the ranks. And Corsie made her presence known against the Orlando Pride, earning an assist on the only Royals goal of the match and creating some pretty impressive defensive moments. Orlando tried to get things started early in the game, and one clear example of Corsie’s skill came in the 4th minute, when Chioma Ubogagu sent a ball into the box with Alex Morgan and Rachel Hill in the area. Corsie was able to stick to her spot and clear the ball, keeping the Orlando offense at bay. But her best moment of the game came in the 65th minute. Abby Smith was at the edge of the 18-yard box and kicked the ball away to the feet of Sydney Leroux. Leroux sent the ball over Smith’s head, but Corsie had already run behind her goalkeeper and managed to get the slightest touch on the ball with her head, sending it wide of the net. The moment was enough to earn her a Save of the Week nomination.

2.  Lauren Barnes— Barnes played the full 90 minutes for Seattle in both of their matches this week, which saw the Reign earn three points against the Utah Royals at home but drop points against Chicago on the road. In the match against Chicago, she had a couple of particularly impressive moments against Sam Kerr. In the 77th minute, Sarah Gorden sent a ball in for Kerr, but Barnes was able to disrupt the play and the ball landed easily into the arms of Michelle Betos. And just a few minutes later, Kerr came charging down the field past Megan Oyster, but Barnes was able to make a clean sliding tackle and dispose Kerr. The Seattle Reign currently sit in the No. 2 spot on the table, with Barnes having started in 11 out of their 17 matches.

3. Abby Erceg— Erceg is one of the best defenders in the league, having been named to the NWSL Team of the Month in both May and June. This week, she made her way onto the scoresheet, in addition to helping her team earn two shutouts. She scored the first goal for North Carolina against Sky Blue— a scorching header off a cross from Kristen Hamilton. But even with that offensive effort, it was her work in the back that was most important. In the 40th minute of the match against the Spirit, Estefania Banini sent a pass forward to Ashley Hatch inside the 18-yard box, but Erceg was able to get ahead of Hatch and kick the ball out for a throw-in. About 10 minutes later, the Spirit tried to set up something, but when the ball came into the box, Erceg was able to clear it and it landed at the feet of her teammate. Erceg has started in all 18 matches for the Courage this season.

Top Three Attackers

1. Lynn Williams— Williams became the second player this season to score a hat trick after she found the back of the net three times against Sky Blue on Saturday night. The goals all came in the second half, starting with her first goal in the 56th minute. Debinha sent the ball forward for Williams and Kristen Hamilton. The ball fell to Hamilton’s feet, forcing Sheridan off her line. Instead of shooting, Hamilton passed the ball off to Williams, who was able to tap it into the back of the net. In the 72nd minute, Debinha sent the ball down the field to Williams, who went one-on-one with Sheridan and was able to put the ball past her into the bottom corner of the net. She wrapped things up in the 89th minute, capitalizing off a mistake by Sheridan. Williams now has 8 goals on the season and is in third place for the Golden Boot behind Lindsey Horan and Sam Kerr.

2. Sam Kerr— Kerr came up with another important goal this week when the Chicago Red Stars hosted the Seattle Reign on Saturday night. The game was scoreless despite the teams having a combined total of 32 shots and nine shots on goal throughout the game, including seven shots and four shots on goal for Kerr. Kerr changed that scoresheet in the 87th minute. Nagasato was able to capitalize off a poor goalkick by Michelle Betos, heading the ball right to the feet of Kerr who was unmarked. Kerr sent the ball to the far corner and it slid right past Betos. The goal was enough to earn the Red Stars three points at home and marked Kerr’s 9th goal of the season, putting her equal with Lindsey Horan for most goals this year.

3.  Lindsey Horan— After a couple of rough matches, the Portland Thorns are starting to find their rhythm again and that means more goals from Lindsey Horan. Horan scored two of the Thorns three goals this weekend in their home match against the Houston Dash, starting in the 16th minute when Emily Sonnett sent a ball into the 18-yard box. The ball drew Jane Campbell off her line and Horan was able to head the ball past her. Her second goal came in the 31st minute when Heath sent a free-kick into the 18-yard box. Crnogorcevic got her head on it first, but the ball bounced off the crossbar and to the foot of Horan who just taps it in. Horan had six shots and four shots on goal that night.

Why Is USWNT So Far Ahead of Their Male Counterparts?

Posted on by RJ Allen

The United States Women’s National Team are the crème de la crème of women’s soccer, placing no lower than third in all seven World Cups and winning the tournament three times. They are gunning for their eighth straight World Cup appearance next year, and with it, the chance to defend the championship they won in 2015 in Canada. The team currently sits top of the FIFA Women’s World Rankings as well, where they have been ranked at either first or second since 2003.

In contrast, the USWNT’s counterparts, the United States Men’s National Team, are conspicuously absent at this year’s World Cup in Russia. The USMNT failed to qualify for the quadrennial showcase after a sorry loss to Trinidad and Tobago in their final Hexagonal World Cup qualifier. As a result, the US missed their 11th World Cup overall and first since 1986.

The USMNT’s shock setback comes hot on the heels of a strong showing in the 2014 World Cup, where The Stars and Stripes, then managed by Germany’s Jürgen Klinsmann, managed to get into the round of 16, only to fall to Belgium, 2–1. Interestingly, Belgium have built considerable momentum off of their impressive performances in Brazil, looking mighty impressive in Russia. The first European side to qualify for the World Cup per Ladbrokes’s in-depth preview, Belgium went blemish-free in the qualifiers, scoring an astonishing 43 goals in the process. In contrast, USMNT have regressed since that strong showing four years ago, with things coming to a head against Trinidad and Tobago.

Given the struggles of the men’s team, it’s only natural to wonder: Why is the USWNT so far ahead of their male counterparts?

Talent, clearly, is the main difference. The women’s team have some of the game’s best players, including Alex Morgan, Carli Lloyd, Christen Press, Julie Ertz, and Becky Sauerbrunn, who can legitimately be considered among the finest on the planet. In years past, the team had Mia Hamm, Abby Wambach, Hope Solo, and Brandi Chastain. In short, the USWNT talent train is chugging along, routinely churning out elite soccer players. The NWSL, one of the most competitive women’s league in the world, is actually so full of world-class talent that some believe if North Carolina played in the next World Cup they would be one of the favorites to win.

The USMNT, on the other hand, have a dearth of world-class talent, especially now. Tim Howard and Clint Dempsey are towards the end of 30 and pretty much past their prime, while Christian Pulisic, the one player on the men’s team with legit A-level talent is still scratching the surface of his immense potential.

This talent disparity has caused another problem for the USMNT: they are caught between generations. Howard and Dempsey are 39 and 35, respectively, while squad regulars DaMarcus Beasley, Michael Orozco, Geoff Cameron, and Tim Ream are in their early 30s. The aforementioned Pulisic, meanwhile, is only 19 and is already burdened with being the best player the USMNT has by a mile. This means that the team is rolling with a mix of past-their-prime veterans and unproven youngsters with relatively no international experience. The USWNT, on the other hand, have no such problems, as they continuously parade talent-rich lineups fortified by veterans, in-their-prime superstars, and up-and-comers ready to make their mark on the sport. This means that every women’s team that the USWNT rolls out in international tournaments is well balanced, and neither too young to be overwhelmed by the bright lights of international play nor too old to get left behind.

The USWNT have also benefited from a stable, not to mention very capable, coaching staff. The fact that Jill Ellis and her assistants have steered clear from controversy certainly helps, too, as the players have been able to focus solely on football. Jürgen Klinsmann’s tenure with the USMNT, in contrast, was marred by controversial decisions that in many ways led to the German losing the confidence of the locker room. His replacement, Bruce Arena, was no better, with Yahoo! Sports sportswriter Nick Mendola ruing Arena’s clear preference for his favorite MLS players.

It helps, too, that the team has consistently won over a long period, which has allowed the USWNT to build a winning culture among a talented pool of players. A high standard has been set and this positive mentality has been passed down from team to team and is very prominent in the current USWNT.

Now, the women’s World Cup is still a year away, and with the men’s team not playing in the current tournament, the pressure is on for the USWNT to prevent a World Cup double whammy for the red, white, and blue. But given the sustained excellence of the USWNT, a trip to France in 2019 seems very likely, as does the chances of bringing the World Cup trophy home for the fourth time.

Backline Chat: The Sky Blue Story and Media Responsibility

Posted on by RJ Allen

Charles Olney (@olneyce): Hi everyone, and welcome to this week’s slackchat. We can get into the stuff on the pitch in a second, but first we should address the topic of conditions for players – particularly those who play for the franchises with a little bit less to offer. Obviously, this isn’t a new issue, but it’s back at the front of our minds thanks to Sam Kerr’s comments last weekend about coming back to face Sky Blue.

What do people think about those comments, and about the larger question of amenities for players?

RJ Allen (@TheSoccerCritic): Personally I think we as media – and I’m including myself in this as much as anyone here at Backline or in American Soccer Media – have in many ways dropped the ball here.

I don’t know about others but I think for me and maybe others there was a sense we didn’t want to “pile on” to a team by bringing up some issues, maybe we couldn’t get a few people on the record or what have you. But it is an open secret that some clubs do not have an acceptable standard and we have largely only acted when something even worse than that happened. Instead of going after the standard because it is what it is when the players had to work and live with every day.

Luis Hernandez (@radioactivclown): If it wasn’t for Sam Kerr we wouldn’t even be having this conversation so points for her for being a spotlight on this. I think fans outside of the area don’t have any idea how bad things are or have been. Then it’s a matter of the state of Sky Blue. To me, it’s a bit of a frustration because the owners of the team actually have more money than most people would expect. Why are the owners not putting more resources into Sky Blue and doing things on the cheap? Is it one of those things where the money lost on the club is actually some type of tax loss write-off.

RJ Allen: I don’t think this is just a Sky Blue issue though. I think they might be the worst in some areas but it really isn’t just them.

Becky Schoenecker (@Beckster20): I think it obviously effects the league as a whole, these players already make so many sacrifices and then to ask them to choose between a Utah or Sky Blue the answer is pretty obvious from a quality of life standpoint. I feel like it’s going to turn into a playing for them as a last resort which shouldn’t be the case.

Charles Olney: To me, this big question for Sky Blue is whether there is any interest in turning this into a team that can actually seek to compete with the rest of the league. I don’t mean in terms of player acquisition. Despite their terrible record this year, Sky Blue has a decent roster that could reasonably hang with the other playoff hopefuls. I just mean in terms of producing an acceptable quality of life in a league where standards are going up.

And I think several of you are right to note that this isn’t exclusively a Sky Blue thing. It’s a matter of what standards we think are appropriate leaguewide. And Sky Blue isn’t the only offender on that front.

Luis Hernandez: I’m glad to see that the NWSL is in the process of hiring a director to oversee that clubs are meeting the higher standards.

Allison Cary (@findingallison): I agree. And as Becky said, it does affect where people choose to play. Obviously players will want to go somewhere that will give them a reasonable quality of life and help them perform well on the pitch. And there seems to be quite a gap there throughout the current teams.

RJ Allen: I think the league has been too worried about getting its footing that it hasn’t cut ties with teams when it should.

To be frank there are teams in this league that should have been gone years ago but haven’t been “kicked out of the pool” because the league has had very little direction and they “just don’t do that in woso” often.

Luis Hernandez: I mentioned this earlier on Twitter. Is this a case of a rising tide lifts all boats or a rising tide lifts some and has other run aground?

Charles Olney: Luis’s question is a good one (and one not limited to the US). In England, Manchester United is finally joining the party and was given a free step right up to the top level, while other teams have struggled for a long time. But you can understand why. Man U will instantly have resources far in excess of the franchises that have been around a long time. If the primary goal is quality of life, it’s imperative to get them up and rolling.

Allison Cary: I agree with what you said RJ. The league wants stability, especially from a marketing standpoint. If the press isn’t calling out player conditions, then the league can get away with cutting corners on player amenities and keep those teams afloat.

RJ Allen: I think women’s soccer in American has done a very bad job over the three leagues in checking owners out before they come in to the league, as well.

Charles Olney: In the NWSL, we’ve lost Boston, FCKC, and Western New York just in the last two years. But there’s no denying that those changes have resulted in a significant gain for player conditions. The issue is balance. Can you keep the league stable enough to build emotional investment from the fans, while also steadily making progress on these fronts?

RJ Allen: I don’t think losing teams is really all that bad for the league as long as they are being replaced in other locations with better ownership. I feel for the fans but some places just don’t have ownership interests if the owners currently there aren’t stepping up or can’t.

Luis Hernandez: Ultimately, you’re going to have to take a couple of step back as the league is trying to take steps forward. There is always focus on wages for players and the league addresses these issues at a snail’s pace but at least it knows some of the faults and tries to address it without tipping over the apple cart

Becky Schoenecker: I honestly think you can. It’s a shame on the end of the fans who have city teams that move on to ‘better’ markets, but for the league as a whole I think it’s a positive. My issue with it is that I think New Jersey and Washington for instance have great areas, fans, and could be great but there’s a lack of investment and ownership. If hypothetically Atlanta picked up New Jersey and conditions improved substantially I’d be thrilled for the team and league.

RJ Allen: The idea of USL taking over management of the league is something that could change a lot of this.

Or at least it’s nice to think it may.

Luis Hernandez: there’s elements of risk if USL merges with NWSL but the overall reward may be worth it. it still doesn’t address federated player differences.

RJ Allen: We don’t know what would happen with federated players though. That might be a thing of the past.

Charles Olney: I am extremely skeptical of this USL story, but it’s worth at least following along to see whether anything does come of it. I doubt that would be a good model for long-term growth. There’s no denying that the current system has serious issues, but tethering to a lower-tier men’s league doesn’t seem likely to fix the big problems, and might produce a whole lot more issues.

Allison Cary: Yeah, I’m not sure it solves a lot of problems without creating new ones.

Charles Olney: As Luis says, the real issue right now is that US Soccer has control over the purse strings, and doesn’t particularly value the league. But if the solution is simply to give up on a lot of that money, it feels like the cure might be worse than the disease.

Luis Hernandez: One thing that could happen if USL adds NWSL that could happen is that clubs from USL may decide to add a women’s side so there could be more women’s teams overall in the US.

RJ Allen: North Carolina has shown what is possible for an NWSL/USL partnership. And though not all of them would be that dominant, it gives me hope.

Luis Hernandez: I have mentioned that if that is the case, it could potentially lead to a stronger women’s pyramid. USL has what 30+ teams across the US and still adding more markets?

Charles Olney: [insert mandatory pro-rel reference to juice our pageviews]

RJ Allen: Pro teams should not play semi pro and amateur teams and pro/rel is snake oil. Sorry, that just slipped out.

Allison Cary: Do we think most USL teams have the budget to add a women’s side? Genuine question.

RJ Allen: It was a $4 million fee in 2016 for Nashville FC to come in to the USL. That is about what it costs a year (maybe) to run an NWSL side. So I think some clubs would have more than enough to enter a team.

Charles Olney: I find it difficult to believe the US could support that many women’s teams right now. I’d love to be wrong about that, but I think the model of developing the top tier first does make sense. I think the demand needs to be created first.

Luis Hernandez: I don’t know the finances of a typical USL team but I think they could find the money to have a women’s side. It would be nice if it was a requirement like it is in Mexico, look at how quick the success of the women’s league there.

Charles Olney: Okay, this conversation has been great. But I want to return us to RJ’s original point, about the failures of media here. Does anyone have a sense of how media coverage of these issues could be improved? Should we try to describe what we think are the minimum set of standards, and trying to hold teams accountable? Talking to players to give them more chance to make their needs clear? Something else?

RJ Allen: I think we as media need to – as much as it can be hard – need to put down our feelings more. We don’t write about issues sometime because we 1) want to people the people that are doing things that are maybe not great are trying and doing their best or 2) we don’t want to keep hammering a club on something (IE where Seattle plays or where Sky Blue plays) or 3) we don’t want to make people we like or respect look bad.

Women’s soccer is maybe 75% covered by fan media, ourselves included, and that presents challenges covering the deep seeded issues.

Luis Hernandez: Media responsibility is a thing here. You can put some of that on local media for not calling it out but the story has to also have to get traction. Media called out Orlando on attendance and lack of marketing and that became a thing that caused the club front office to act, but it’s still not great. But attendance is easy to have visibility while something behind the scenes are harder to call out and create the attention.

RJ Allen: But it becomes a thing for a week. Three or four people write about it and then we move on. We have to have a longer attention span as media.

Charles Olney: I personally have been surprised at how little we’ve heard from players about this stuff. I don’t know if that’s to do with a sense that the teams are trying, a sense that making waves could be extremely dangerous for players in precarious situations, or simply because media folks haven’t been asking around those stories.

Luis Hernandez: Media can describe poor practice fields or other standards but that’s not getting the push from outraged fans like say playing a match on a base field because we can point to something we all see.

RJ Allen: Players can be cut and left without anything. Sam Kerr has protection as one of the best in the word. Can the same be said for the players this hurts most?

Allison Cary: Yeah, I think the players that would benefit the most from drawing attention to this stuff are the people who can’t without risk of losing their job or some other punishment. That’s why I think its great that Sam Kerr brought attention to it. She has the protection to do so, as RJ said.

Charles Olney: It can be dangerous for players to speak on the record. But I think we in the media have a responsibility to start reporting stories that can’t be tied back to named individuals. A few exposes could go a long way.

RJ Allen: I think it has to come from the non NT – of any country – players.

Charles Olney: I think we all hope that the Players Association is able to step into this space, and start advocating in more aggressive ways.

But I think RJ is right that the PA is very limited in its power because of the disparity between NT players and everyone else.

RJ Allen: I think the PA is a great idea in theory but I have been disappointed with how little they have spoken about anything. Good or bad.

Luis Hernandez: We don’t know what happens behind the scenes

RJ Allen: It’s our job to find out. It is our job and we are a media are failing at it.

Luis Hernandez: I’ve seen players and coaches promote those bracelets to raise money for the PA. I don’t think anyone has asked one of the player reps anything to what the PA is doing

RJ Allen: I’d also like to point out, for the record, Sky Blue is between NYC and Philly with about 100,000 paid sports reporters. And Washington is outside DC with another 50,000. Where are they on any of this? Even the ones that say they care about women’s sports or soccer?

Charles Olney: Alright, after an important, serious conversation, let’s turn to the (slightly) less pressing issue of the games themselves. At the moment, North Carolina is leading the league by 367,425 points, and Seattle has built a small buffer between them and the rest of the playoff contenders. But those 2-4 spots are still very much open. And the 2-7 teams are all playing each other this weekend! What are people excited about?

RJ Allen: North Carolina clinching so we can stop talking about them for 15 minutes.

Luis Hernandez: The first red card being issued in the seaso….oh wait.

Charles Olney: It’s a pretty big weekend. If Seattle, Utah, and Houston were to win, we’d have five teams within two points – all competing for two spots. On the other hand, if Houston and Utah lose, they could find themselves five or six points adrift. For the sake of excitement, I’d love to see the former. (edited)

Luis Hernandez: Marta being named UN goodwill ambass… DOH!

RJ Allen: The Chicago vs Seattle game could be a really big one.

Allison Cary: I think the Orlando-Utah match is a big one. Neither team has been playing great. I think this could be a massive three points for either side.

RJ Allen: Does Utah have 4 rostered defenders that are healthy and not suspended right now?

Luis Hernandez: Every game has real implications on the playoff picture and that’s great. Orlando and Utah have played to two draws in their previous meetings.

Allison Cary: Yeah, and a draw provides the least amount of excitement on the table so that’s probably what will happen. Also RJ: that’s a good question.

RJ Allen: They do not, BTW.

Allison Cary: Yikes.

Luis Hernandez: Has anyone noticed now that NWSL is on ESPN(news) that it seems like there’s a Sports Center Top 10 play featuring the NWSL?

RJ Allen: Very on brand for ESPN.

Charles Olney: Okay, final question: with the Men’s World Cup final coming up, any thoughts connecting it back to women’s soccer?

RJ Allen: If France wins, does that break the French curse and make it possible for the French WNT to win in 2019?

Allison Cary: I’m gonna say no. But that’s mainly because I don’t want to get my hopes up.

RJ Allen: Germany is the only team that has won on the MNT and WNT sides, right? Or does Norway have a WNT and MNT World Cup?

Charles Olney: Germany is the only one. And they never held both simultaneously. It would certainly be cool if France could manage that feat. Especially when the Cup is in France.

RJ Allen: I will be eating lots of French bread during the summer of 2019 in honor of the World Cup. And for no other reason.

Allison Cary: If the MNT wins the Cup tomorrow, and the WNT wins the Cup next year IN FRANCE I’ll probably move there and attempt to become a permanent resident. That seems completely rational.

Luis Hernandez: I think a better story is the French men’s team fails to win the World Cup and the next year the women on home soil win the World Cup to the glory of France. Causing women’s soccer to be the most popular sport in the country

RJ Allen: I don’t want Croatia to get it with their poor support for the WNT though. At least France supports their WNT. Sometimes.

Allison Cary: Yeah, France isn’t perfect but the situation in Croatia is pretty bleak.

Charles Olney: Alright, that’s a wrap. Thanks for participating, and thanks to everyone for reading. And if you’ve got topics you’d like to see us discuss in a future episode, you know where to find us on Twitter.

The World’s Best Soccer Nations? A Look At The Women’s Game in France And Croatia

Posted on by RJ Allen

After nearly a month of exciting football in Russia, we finally know who will be playing in the (Men’s) World Cup Final on Sunday. France, the hosts of next year’s Women’s World Cup, are hoping to repeat their 1998 success and join Argentina and Uruguay with two World Cup trophies. But while some people had Croatia as a dark horse in the tournament, very few saw them making it all the way to the Final. While France has won all of their matches without extra time or penalties, Croatia has gone to extra time or penalties for their last three matches. France are the favorites to win, but as Croatia has proven, anything can happen on game day. 

France and Croatia have beaten some of the best men’s sides in the world to get here. Some will call them the best soccer nations in the world. But what about their women’s teams? France offers a solid women’s side that always finds a way to the top international tournaments. But Croatia’s roster have faced more struggles. Here is a full breakdown of both sides: 

France

FIFA Ranking: 3rd

Head Coach: Corinne Diacre

Captain: Amadine Henry

Key Players: Wendie Renard (Lyon, FRA), Eugenie Le Sommer (Lyon, FRA), Amandine Henry (Lyon, FRA)

History: France has had an active national team since 1975. They qualified for their first World Cup in 2003, but didn’t really start to emerge as one of the best teams in the world until Bruno Bini took over as head coach. When Bini took over, France had a lot of young stars that would lead them to success in the coming years. In 2009, they made it to the quarterfinals of the Euros before losing to the Netherlands on penalties. In 2011, they qualified for the World Cup again and made a run to the semi-finals. They continued that success over the next four years and entered the 2015 World Cup as contenders for the championship. But they faced a daunting quarterfinal matchup against Germany. After 120 minutes played, France lost on penalties.

Where They Are Now: France is hosting the Women’s World Cup next summer, which means they have automatically qualified for the tournament. And while some think the hosts will make a run for the title, the team has a lot to work out before they can beat the best in the world. Many of their players play for Lyon, which is arguably the best team in the world. That may sound like a benefit, but the lack of competition within France means much of the French roster is being pushed to get better. In addition, the international retirement of players like Louisa Necib, Camile Abily, and Elodie Thomis has France looking for young talent. They certainly could benefit from finding their own Kylian Mbappe.

Croatia

FIFA Ranking: 53rd

Head Coach: Bozidar Miletic

Captain: Iva Landeka

Key Players: Iva Landeka (Rosengard, SWE), Sandra Zigic (Jena, GER), Maja Joscak (Osijek, CRO)

History: Croatia played their first international match in October of 1993 against Slovenia. In their 25 years, they have fluctuated between 44th and 65th in the FIFA Rankings. They became eligible for the Euro’s in 1995, but have never qualified. They did not enter the qualifiers for the 1995 or 1999 Women’s World Cups, but started playing qualifiers for the 2003 tournament. They have never qualified. Their most capped player—Sandra Zigic—has 58 caps and is still playing. In fact, of the top five most-capped players, four are still active for the national team. 

Where They Are Now: Currently, Croatia’s focus is trying to qualify for the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France. They are in a group with Sweden, Denmark, Ukraine, and Hungary, but unfortunately, they have not had much luck so far. They are at the bottom of the group, with only two points in seven matches.  It seems unlikely that they will qualify for this tournament and there aren’t a lot of signs of growth from the squad. They have yet to win a match in qualifiers, earning draws only against Hungary and Ukraine. Still, Croatia’s team has remained active and has a lot of young talent that could potentially develop into something. Only time will tell. 

So, are these two teams really the best soccer nations? With France, there is a strong argument. In addition to their success on the men’s side, their women’s team is ranked No. 3 in the world. They are hosting the next Women’s World Cup, and they are contenders to win that tournament. Even though France could and should be doing more to shrink the gap between the men’s and women’s teams, both of their national programs are widely respected around the world. But with Croatia, the argument is a lot harder. Despite obvious success on the men’s side, their women’s team has failed to even qualify for a major international tournament. Their federation is comparably young. Perhaps Croatia could use some of that prize money from the men’s tournament to invest in the women’s game as well. But as long as half the population remains virtually unrepresented, I don’t think you can call Croatia the best soccer nation in the world. Their run in the Men’s World Cup has been incredible. It’s time we see that success on the women’s side as well. 

The NWSL Podium: Top Performances in Week 15

Posted on by RJ Allen

The NWSL Podium: Top Performances is a weekly series that looks at the best attacking, defensive, and goalkeeping performances each week.

Another week gone in the NWSL, and we are no to figuring out who will finish in those last three playoff spots. Week 15 was packed with goals, with an average of four goals scored in each of the five matches. It was also a good week for the home team, with only Sky Blue dropping points at home. The Orlando Pride picked up three points at home thanks to a crazy last-minute goal from Marta. Sam Kerr, who left Sky Blue in the offseason to join the Chicago Red Stars, scored her first hat-trick of the season against her former team. And Friday night’s matchup between the Utah Royals and the Portland Thorns saw three Thorns players earn a goal and an assist. Here is a full breakdown of the scores from this week:

North Carolina Courage vs. Chicago Red Stars (4-1)

Portland Thorns vs. Utah Royals (4-0)

Sky Blue vs. Chicago Red Stars (1-3)

Orlando Pride vs. Washington Spirit (2-1)

Seattle Reign vs. Houston Dash (3-1)

Top Three Goalkeepers

1. Adriana Franch— Since returning from injury last month, Franch has been on fire for the Portland Thorns. However, this was her first clean sheet since coming back and the only clean sheet in Week 15. In the Portland Thorns 4-0 victory over Utah, the Royals had some trouble getting their offense going. Franch only faced seven shots, making three saves. But those saves were critical to keeping the clean sheet and preventing the Royals from creating any sort of comeback. Her best save came in the 57th minute. Katrina Gorry found a window and launched her shot from outside the 18-yard box. Franch reached up and caught the ball, pulling it down smoothly. It was enough to earn her an NWSL Save of the Week nomination.

2. Aubrey Bledsoe— Bledsoe has been a star for a Washington Spirit roster that has otherwise struggled. While she gave up two goals in the Spirit’s loss against her former team, she also had some fantastic saves that kept the Spirit in the match. The Pride created their first real scoring opportunity in the 7th minute. Krieger slipped through the Spirit defense and passed the ball to Marta, who was unmarked. Marta sent a rocket at Bledsoe, who was able to dive and push the ball out. In the 27th minute, Marta came charging down the field. She passed the ball off to Chioma Obogagu, who tried to put the ball in just under the cross bar. Bledsoe jumped and got her fingers on it, tapping the ball over the net and keeping the Pride at bay. Overall, Bledsoe faced 31 shots from the Pride and made 10 saves.

3. Alyssa Naeher— The Chicago Red Stars had a busy week, facing the North Carolina Courage on Wednesday before flying to New Jersey to take on Sky Blue on Saturday. Naeher didn’t have the best game against the Courage— the Red Stars lost 4-1 on the road. But she and the rest of her team rebounded on Saturday against Sky Blue. Their opponents looked to score early on in the match, with Carli Lloyd sending a ball through the defense to Imani Dorsey. Dorsey was one-on-one with Naeher, but Naeher made the call to come off her line and made a sliding save just as Dorsey got her shot off. Naeher had another impressive save when Savannah McCaskill managed to get behind the Sky Blue defense and passed the ball off to Imani Dorsey. Dorsey took her shot, but Naeher blocked the shot and the ball deflected. Naeher faced nine shots from Sky Blue and made four saves on the night.

Top Three Defenders

1. Denise O’Sullivan— O’Sullivan is a versatile midfielder who can often be found on the scoring sheet for the North Carolina Courage. But this week, O’Sullivan found herself with a Save of the Week nomination. Her superb defensive moment came in the 16th minute. Danielle Colaprico sent a corner into the box that found the head of Morgan Brian. It looked like the ball was going into the top corner but O’Sullivan jumped up with a header of her own and saved the ball on the line. Her follow-up header allowed the North Carolina Courage to clear the ball and the match remained scoreless. The Courage went on to win the match 4-1.

2. Amber Brooks— Much of the talk about Brooks this week isn’t about her defensive skill, but about the goal she scored against the Seattle Reign in the 12th minute. The goal— a lower header off the corner from Sofia Huerta—  is Brooks’ first goal of the season. But her defensive skill in the match against the Seattle Reign should not be overlooked. Brooks had five tackles, nine clearances, six interceptions, and one block against Seattle.

3. Estelle Johnson— Despite disappointing results, Johnson and Church have been solid central defenders over the last few weeks. The Pride offense roared with life against the Spirit, and it took a lot of defensive effort to keep the Spirit in the match. In the 33rd minute, Leroux tried to twist around Johnson and take a shot, but Johnson blocked it and the ball went into the side-netting. She had another good block in 52nd minute, when Marta passed the ball off to Sydney Leroux just outside of the 18-yard box. Leroux got a lot of power into the shot, but Johnson stuck her foot out and stopped it. In almost the same position just two minutes later, Johnson blocked another similar shot from Marta. 

Top Three Attackers

1. Sam Kerr— Kerr returned to Yurcak Field on Saturday night to face her former team, Sky Blue. After being frustrated in Wednesday night’s match against the North Carolina Courage, Kerr found a rhythm in New Jersey. Her first goal came in the 40th minute. Alyssa Mautz sent the ball into the box a little behind Kerr, but Kerr was able to backtrack and get possession. She set up her shot on the edge of the 18-yard box and sent her shot into the bottom corner. She kept that momentum going right at the start of the second half. In the 46th minute, Kerr received a nice ball inside the box from Yuki Nagasato. Kerr brought the ball down and launched her shot into the far bottom corner. The ball went through the legs of Madison Tiernan and into the back of the net. But she wasn’t finished yet. In the 63rd minute, Nagasato sent another brilliant ball in for Kerr, who slipped behind the defense. She went one-on-one with Sheridan and won, once again playing the ball in the bottom corner. This is Kerr’s first hat trick of the season. She leads the league with eight goals this season. 

2. Tobin Heath— The Thorns had been shaky going into Week 15, and they knew they needed to pick up three points at home. Heath started things early in the match against the Utah Royals. Her goal—  the first of four for Portland that night—  came in the 2nd minute. Crnogorcevic and Heath were surrounded by Utah defenders, but Crnogorcevic set up the shot for Heath and she chipped goalkeeper Abby Smith. It took nearly 30 minutes for them to score again, and this time it was Heath and Horan who teamed up for the goal. The Thorns won a free kick and Heath sent the ball into the 18-yard box. Horan jumped up and got her head on it, sending the ball into the back of the net. The Thorns went on to win the match 4-0, with one goal and one assist from Heath, Crnogorcevic, and Horan. 

3. Marta—  With Alex Morgan out due to injury, Marta took over at the center-forward position for the Orlando Pride in their match against the Washington Spirit. From the beginning, you could tell that Marta was going to find the back of the net. She recorded a total of eleven shots that night, five shots on goal, and created a total of eight chances. But her best moment came in the 86th minute. The game was tied 1-1 thanks to goals from Ashley Hatch and Sydney Leroux, but the Pride wanted the three points at home. They were being frustrated by the Washington Spirit, and had a goal from Dani Weatherholt called back due to a foul. As leaders do, Marta saw an opportunity and stepped up to the plate. She received the pass from Leroux and ran down the field, with the Spirit defense trying to keep up. When Marta got into the box, she had Whitney Church in front of her and Estelle Johnson a little farther back. Marta stepped from side-to-side, finally getting around her defenders and took the shot. It went over the fingertips of Aubrey Bledsoe and bounced off the cross-bar, into the back of the net. The goal was enough to get the Pride those three points and keep the Pride in the hunt for the playoffs. 

 

It’s Time for Sky Blue to Start Making Concrete Promises

Posted on by RJ Allen

The last two offseasons have seen considerable movement among NWSL franchises, with Western New York relocating to North Carolina, FC Kansas City being replaced by the Utah Royals, and the Boston Breakers folding suddenly in early 2018.

All this movement has generated some persistent chatter about the status of other franchises, with Sky Blue FC being regularly mentioned as a spot of concern. Compared to many of the other NWSL teams, Sky Blue offers a far less impressive support infrastructure for its players and a less impressive gameday experience for its fans. With discussions swirling about raised standards, there have long been low-level conversations about whether (and how) they might work to raise their standards.

Things finally came to a head this weekend, however, with the the instigating event being a postgame interview with Sam Kerr. Asked about her feelings coming back to play her former club, Kerr provided a heartfelt and plaintive comment, as reported by Dan Lauletta:

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

These are not new issues, but one of the world’s best players raising the topic—and doing so in this way, more in sadness than in anger—has turned on the spotlight. Additional fuel was then added to the fire when the Cloud 9 supporters group released their own statement building off Kerr’s comments:

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Neither Kerr’s comments, nor the statement from Cloud 9, name any specific goals. The list of potential improvements is long, however, and speaks to the continuing disparity between franchises in a league where the average player barely makes a minimum wage salary. In that context, additional support—housing, modern training and matchday facilities, job opportunities, transportation, etc.—make an enormous difference in quality of life. Compare the experience at Portland, Utah, or Chicago to those at Sky Blue, for example, and it’s not difficult to understand why Kerr wanted to leave.

Obviously, every team is different, and faces different conditions. Not every team can offer what Portland provides. But there absolutely must be minimal standards, and they need to be significantly higher than what is currently offered by some teams—with Sky Blue certainly being on the list.

What’s more, even if conditions differ, we shouldn’t drift into fatalism. Portland is able to offer so much more largely because they have committed to building an organization and infrastructure capable of doing so. They have built a fanbase capable of sustaining those operations, and have redoubled their investments to continue making improvements. This process isn’t easy, but we also shouldn’t accept the idea that Portland is simply an outlier. Every NWSL team should strive to treat their players like the professionals they are. And if they can’t, serious external pressure will be needed to enforce those standards.

The pressure generated by Kerr and Cloud 9 does seem to have lit a fire, with Sky Blue releasing a statement yesterday morning promising improvements.

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
This is an important step, but it’s notable just how little actual substance there is to this statement. Kerr and Cloud 9 spoke vaguely, and for good reason, but the club itself needs to start getting specific.

Sky Blue says that they are committed to “doing better.” Unless that involves making concrete and specific promises, sooner rather than later, that commitment is going to ring hollow. If they are serious about being held accountable, that means setting benchmarks against which their actions can be measured.

Change doesn’t come easily, particularly when it comes to issues as grounded as stadium infrastructure, but without something more definite, it will be hard to take this statement as anything other than an attempt to escape from a PR disaster, rather than a genuine invitation to collaboration.

This is a club with a rich history. It’s been an integral part of women’s professional soccer in this country, and no one is hoping to see them disappear. But as league standards continue to improve, Sky Blue’s position in the league is growing more and more untenable. It’s time for them to professionalize and modernize. If the investments necessary to make that happen aren’t forthcoming, it will be time to start asking whether it might be time to explore relocation.

The players deserve better. So do the fans. For all their sake, it’s time for Sky Blue to show that they’re listening, and that they’re willing to do more than just keep scraping by.

Kim DeCesare making good on a long-held goal with Elon Women’s Soccer

Posted on by RJ Allen

Kim DeCesare wrote her retirement letter while awaiting a plane to North Carolina and her first college coaching job. Since landing, she’s made peace with her past and now embraces the future.

“I thought, I want to write something that people can use to help them reflect on their own experiences and kind of reassure myself at the same time,” she told Backline Soccer during a phone interview last week. “Even though my professional career wasn’t the best and wasn’t the most successful that it still was an important part of my life. I also feel like I‘ve learned so much … I learned a lot about myself, soccer, and the world really​.”

For 20 years, Kim DeCesare has identified as a soccer player. The beautiful game of football has taken her from Long Island to North Carolina, around the world, and back again. On June 14, DeCesare was named assistant coach of the  Elon University Women’s Soccer program, just 40 miles west of Duke University where she played college soccer.

In the piece for Women’s Soccer Zone, DeCesare beautifully discussed  understanding to appreciate a career plagued by injury and perhaps void of the traditional success and accolades of a professional athlete.

“I am not here looking for sympathy or pity.  This is an opportunity for whoever is reading to know that careers, which are not entirely packed with countless minutes, prestigious awards and multiple championships, should still be recognized as successful.  It is all about how you define achievement and what you decide to learn from it.  I consider myself lucky to have the ability to move on from things quickly and see the bigger picture.  Let’s be honest, you don’t learn as many lessons from the easy, happy and positive experiences, as you do from the shitty ones.”

Back to something familiar

It is not unusual for players to shift to coaching once they hang up the boots. However, it’s not as common to coach, train, and referee as a pre-teen. DeCesare enrolled in a referee course at age 11. “It was a six-week referee course. It was three hours a night for a couple of nights a week.”

She served as a referee for two years before becoming a personal trainer.  “Around 13 of 14 years old, I started coaching little kids. I remember I would ride my bike to my neighbor’s house, pick her up on my bike, ride to the park and trainer her for an hour and earn $5-$10.”

By her first two college seasons at Duke University, DeCesare knew she wanted to coach at the college level, “By my freshman or sophomore year of college, I was like, ‘I want to be a college coach. I want to be a coach at Duke.'” As she begins her first year with Elon, DeCesare has much to learn. Yet, starting a second soccer career one county over from Duke must feel pretty good.

He latest international stop was in the Netherlands with PSV Eindhoven. She moved in hopes of reviving an injury-plagued career but again was sidelined with a broken leg. It was during the time DeCesare circled back to some WoSo news she had heard in passing. “I heard that Elon was getting a new women’s soccer coaching staff,  but I remember not even thinking about it [much]. Then [around the time] I broke my leg … I thought maybe I should see what the update is with that.” By then, Elon had already announced their new head coach Neil Payne and assistant coach Paul Babba. 

“I made a phone call to my college coach and asked, ‘Do you know the coach they just hired at Elon … are they already done with their staff?” As fate would have it, Duke head coach Robbie Church was set to meet with coach Payne for lunch the week DeCesare reached out. Introductions and conversations moved from there.
Straight from the Netherlands, DeCesare traveled to Alamance County, North Carolina. However, most of her time thus far has been spent recruiting, most recently in California. 

Female coaches in women’s soccer

While out west, she was shocked to be in the company of other female coaches. DeCesare is aware of the stereotypes and biases that come with being a woman in this profession. “I think it’s a tricky situation, being a female coach,” she told Backline. “I don’t think [female coaches] are as well received as men.”  DeCesare added she hopes not fall into the stereotypes of women in coaching. Stereotypes are just one potential burden female coaches face.
In a piece for SB Nation, Stephanie Yang outlines the current gender gap in soccer. While the participation of girls and women continues to rise, female coaches have declined since Title IX. ” Soccer is growing, but not for everyone, and that’s a problem,” writes Yang.  “The ugly truth of the beautiful game is that bias, cultural expectation, and lack of opportunity keep it out of the hands of women who want to help it flourish.” All the more reason DeCesare was eager to take the opportunity at Elon. “I knew I had to go for it,” she remarked.
Six years in professional soccer may mean shaking off the rust when it comes to office tasks. “I’ve been joking with my friends that like I have to learn excel (laughs). That kind of stuff is a little bit of a learning curve for me.” On the pitch, neither DeCesare nor her colleagues lack confidence or familiarity with the game. Collectively, the  Elon staff has over 31 years of soccer knowledge—not counting Kim, or the collective playing experience of Payne and Babba.   

Laying the foundation

Fresh off writing her own realizations about her soccer career, DeCesare is in position to inspire the next generation of players in soccer and beyond. As for her, mastering the interplay between the social, tactical, and physical well enough to coach is the next challenge. Her role at Elon is to facilitate the learning of the players and act as somewhat of a liaison between lessons taught on the pitch and the practical use of soccer skills elsewhere in life. “I think that’s important as well. That it not just be about soccer, or school, or a social life. I want to inspire them to believe they can become a better soccer player every day.”
DeCesare also emphasized— a good-natured but deliberate manner— she wants to win.
The Phoenix posted a 9-6-4 record in 2017, but struggled in CAA Conference play (2-4-3). The team opens the season August 7 versus former SoCon rival Furman. DeCesare returns to Durham to face her alma mater on August 26.

The NWSL Podium: Top Performances in Week 14

Posted on by RJ Allen

The NWSL Podium: Top Performances is a weekly series that looks at the best attacking, defensive, and goalkeeping performances each week.

Week 14 was packed with action, with three midweek matches and four matches over the weekend. After winning their match against the Washington Spirit in Week 13, the Pride dropped to 3rd place after losing both of their Week 14 matches. The Chicago Red Stars extended their unbeaten streak, defeating the Washington Spirit 2-0 on Sunday and pulling themselves into the 4th place slot. And many new faces made an impact this week, with Christen Press scoring her first goal in a Utah Royals kit on Saturday night against Sky Blue, and Morgan Brian making her 2018 NWSL debut as a substitute for Chicago. Here is a full breakdown of the scores from this week:

Orlando Pride vs. Houston Dash (1-2)

Utah Royals vs. Seattle Reign (0-0)

Portland Thorns vs. Sky Blue (1-1)

Orlando Pride vs. North Carolina Courage (0-3)

Utah Royals vs. Sky Blue (3-1)

Seattle Reign vs. Portland Thorns (1-0)

Chicago Red Stars vs. Washington Spirit (2-0)

Top Three Goalkeepers

1. Adriana Franch— Franch started in both of the matches for the Portland Thorns this week, allowing just two goals in two games . Against Sky Blue, she had three saves and faced fourteen shots. She had a great save in the 38th minute off a shot from Imani Dorsey. She made another important stop in the 87th minute, when Sky Blue thought they could steal three points at the last minute. Shea Groom got around her defender and tried to slot one past Franch, but the Portland goalkeeper blocked the shot with her knee. Portland’s second match this week was on the road against the Seattle Reign. Megan Rapinoe launched a couple of rockets during that game, but Franch managed to keep them out. One such save in the 87th minute earned Franch an NWSL Save of the Week nomination. In total, she made eight saves and faced eighteen shots against Seattle. 

2. Jane Campbell— The Houston Dash played just once this week, earning a 2-1 victory over the Orlando Pride. In that match, Campbell faced 21 shots and made five saves. Early in the match, she made an impressive kick save off a shot from Kristen Edmonds. In the 63rd minute, Edmonds sent the ball into the box and Dani Weatherholt got a shot off her heel. But Campbell knew where the ball was and leapt up to save it. Finally, after the Houston Dash had taken the lead, Chioma Ubogagu tried to send in a cross into the box, but Campbell punched the ball away, ensuring that her team earned three points on the road. 

3. Michelle Betos— The Seattle Reign have alternated between Lydia Williams and Michelle Betos throughout the season. Betos got the start in their midweek draw against the Utah Royals, while Williams got the start in their 1-0 victory over Portland over the weekend. Betos faced sixteen shots from the Utah Royals and made six saves. The Royals got a lot of shots off early, but Betos was able to shut down their opportunities. Christen Press tested her luck in the 16th minute, taking a shot from outside the 18-yard box, but Betos made a diving save. She made almost the exact same save against five minutes later, off another shot from Christen Press. In the 64th minute, Press dribbled the ball into the box and tried to send the ball in front of the net while she had Betos distracted, but Betos got her hand on it and ultimately the ball was cleared by the defense. The Royals had more than twice as many shots that night as the Reign did, so it is a testament to Betos and the Seattle defense that they were able to get the point and the clean sheet. 

Top Three Defenders

1. Becky Sauerbrunn— Sauerbrunn is one of the best defenders in the league, and usually finds herself somewhere on this list every week. In Week 14, the Utah Royals played two matches and earned four points, with Sauerbrunn playing the full 90 minutes in both games. Their first match was a scoreless draw against the Seattle Reign. While the Reign have one of the strongest offenses in the league, the Utah defense was able to limit them to just seven shots on the night. In that match, Sauerbrunn had five clearances, two tackles, and one interception. On Saturday, she appeared with Sam Johnson for the first time since the blockbuster trade between Houston, Chicago, and Utah. Sauerbrunn had three clearances, four interceptions, and one block, and the Royals went on to win the match 3-1. 

2. Megan Oyster— The Seattle Reign also walked away with four points in two matches this week. Oyster played the full 90 minutes in both matches, and her impact was particular noticeable in the match against the Utah Royals. The Royals had eighteen shots on the night, and with the likes of Christen Press and Amy Rodriguez leading the Utah attack, it’s impressive that the Seattle defense was able to keep the game scoreless. Oyster had six interceptions on the night. 

3. Caprice Dydasco— The Washington Spirit only had one match this week, playing the Chicago Red Stars on Sunday night on the road. It seems that the Spirit always seem to attract storms, and while the game thankfully wasn’t cancelled or delayed, the Spirit and the Red Stars dealt with less-than-ideal field conditions. While the Spirit would ultimately lose that match 2-0 thanks to goals from Casey Short and Yuki Nagasato, Dydasco was a bright spot on the Washington defense. In the 51st minute, she had a good interception when Sam Kerr sent a ball across the box to Alyssa Mautz. Dydasco read the play and was able to slide in front of Mautz, keeping the ball out of the danger zone. In the 67th minute, Dydasco made another important interception. This time Michele Vasconcelos had an opportunity to score on the counter attack, with Kerr and Nagasato to her right and only Dydasco there to stop them. But again, Dydasco read the play and was able to intercept the pass to Kerr. 

Top Three Attackers

1. Katie Stengel— While all the talk has been focused on another Utah Royals striker this week, Katie Stengel made her presence known in the Royals Saturday night match against Sky Blue. Stengel scored two goals in this match, making her the only player across the NWSL to get a brace in Week 14. Stengel found her first goal in the 24th minute, thanks to a nice service from Christen Press. Press was able to place the ball right where it needed to be, and Stengel out-ran the Sky Blue defense. She went one-on-one with the goalkeeper, Kailen Sheridan, and was able to find the back of the net. Her second goal came in the 28th minute, off a free kick from well outside the 18-yard box. Katrina Gorry sent the ball into the box and Stengel was able to get her head on it, sending the ball into the top-left corner. After her second goal, she ran to the throne on the Utah Royals sidelines and celebrated like royalty.

2. Debinha— The North Carolina Courage had another impressive performance this week against the Orlando Pride, thanks in part to an assist and a goal by Debinha. She opened up scoring in the 37th minute. Crystal Dunn sent a ball into the box and there was a swarm of Courage players ready to pounce on it. Ultimately, Debinha got her foot on it and sent a powerful shot towards Ashlyn Harris. Harris got her hand on it, but there was too much momentum on the ball, and it slid past Harris’s fingers and into the goal. Only two minutes later, Debinha assisted on Merritt Mathias’s goal. Denise O’Sullivan originally intercepted the ball from the Pride defense. She passed the ball on to Debinha in the middle, who set up the shot for Mathias on the right. Mathias was able to step up and launch her shot, which bounced through the Pride defense and past Harris, giving the Courage their second goal in as many minutes. They would go on to win the match 3-0, scoring their third goal a minute later. 

3. Yuki Nagasato— Nagasato is proving to be one of the more important players on the Chicago Red Stars roster. This week, she earned her third goal of the season in the 60th minute of the Red Stars home match against the Washington Spirit. Sam Kerr got the ball and ran down the left side of the pitch. She sent the ball into the box and Nagasato stepped up with a diving header, sending the ball past Aubrey Bledsoe. Nagasato now has three goals and two assists on the season for Chicago. 

Backline Chat: How Good is North Carolina, and NWSL Discipline

Posted on by RJ Allen

Charles Olney (@olneyce): Welcome everyone to this week’s Backline chat. We’re talking on Thursday, after yet another huge North Carolina victory last night. So why don’t we start there. The Courage are pretty much a lock to win the Shield, so the only real question is: what percentage chance do you give them to win the championship? Would you rather bet on them, or on the field?

RJ Allen (@TheSoccerCritic): Honestly right now I am not sure how you don’t pick them to win even with the “curse.” They are beating the teams in the top 6 – outside of Utah – like a drum.

Allison Cary (@findingallison): Yeah, I agree. The one time they lost was a really great goal in the dying minutes of the game. Obviously stuff can change between now and the championship, but I’d absolutely bet on them.

Luis Hernandez (@radioactivclown): I’m going with the field. With the playoff setup, a one-off game. Crazy things can happen. The better team doesn’t always win.

Charles Olney: I know a lot has been made over the years about the ‘curse,’ which is sort of an annoying meme. So I’d certainly like to see them win if only for that. But even with their ridiculous dominance so far, I still would have trouble betting on them at over 50% odds. It’s just really hard to beat good teams in the playoffs. That said…given what they’ve done over the last couple weeks…

RJ Allen: I think adding HAO pushes NC over the top though. She is still a really good player and adding her in just makes them that harder to beat.

Charles Olney: It is ridiculous that they were able to add her without giving up any 2018 value. Not that it was a bad trade. I’m pretty high on Doniak and I think Utah may get a lot of value there. But right now, NC went from incredibly good to even-more incredibly good.

Allison Cary: I agree with the idea that anything can happen in the playoffs. But if I had to guess now… like RJ said, they’re consistently dominating teams they will likely meet in the playoffs. Anyone can have a good day, but  if I had to pick one to win the day, I’m definitely picking NCC.

Luis Hernandez: I’m biased and you can’t go against results but versus the Pride when the Courage put the game away in a four minute lapse from Orlando. Any playoff team can find a game plan to counter North Carolina. It’s just a matter of execution.

RJ Allen: NC is like HAO though. You already know what they are going to do. But you still can’t beat them.

Charles Olney: Okay, so related question: who do you think has the best chance of beating them? And what do you think is the right way to play them?

RJ Allen: Utah. I think Riley and Harvey play enough alike it gives NC the hardest match up. And adding Press counters the Dunn/Williams effect.

Luis Hernandez: And right now nobody executes better than the Courage. What I think about them is that they never let up.

Charles Olney: I’ll start by saying that I think Chicago’s game plan this week was pretty solid, and absolutely could have succeeded on another night. If Kerr had finished a couple of her chances, Chicago could have packed it in an protected their lead, and the storylines would be a lot different. It didn’t work out, but the ideas were good. I’d give the Red Stars at least some chance of making it stick next time.

Utah obviously has been the only team to have any real success so far, and I’ll be VERY curious to see how their third game goes.

RJ Allen: I think on a perfect night for them that Seattle could beat them. But everything has to be perfect and the last time they met it was far from it.

Charles Olney: I think that’s a good point, RJ. With every other team in the league, you can squint and see how they beat North Carolina, but they need it all to go right. If Seattle is missing Rapinoe, it gets really hard for them. If Kerr isn’t finishing, Chicago can’t do it. If Orlando doesn’t get peak Marta, they probably can’t manage it. But North Carolina could probably survive several hiccups. Mewis is out? No problem. No Hinkle? Fine. Dunn is out for a month? They’ll manage.

RJ Allen: Yup. They are like sharks teeth. Always something behind to cover.

Allison Cary: Completely agree.

Luis Hernandez: I think each of the playoff teams in the league can beat NC if they play their game and don’t fall into the Courage’s trap. The Red Stars could be more dangerous if Kerr doesn’t miss those chances. Same with Orlando, the offense didn’t click plus Sermanni hasn’t gotten the midfield right against them.

RJ Allen: I think Orlando’s defense has too many holes overall to stand up to a fully attacking NC though.

Allison Cary: I’m inclined to say Utah, but that’s mainly based off of past games. I think any team CAN do it, but like Luis said it’s about execution. Obviously catching NC on an “off” day would be helpful. If they even have those.

Luis Hernandez: I’m also leaning towards Utah since they were about to be successful against them but once again the Royals are as flawed as the rest of the pack. The team that faces North Carolina is going to have to take an “any given Sunday” approach.

RJ Allen: The Royals are flawed but to beat NC you have to fight fire with fire. And Harvey is all fire.

Charles Olney: To my eyes, the only real true weakness with North Carolina is against teams who can work through the initial press and get enough space in the middle to pick out a long pass. Chicago was doing that very well, but ANY of the playoff contenders could conceivably do it. But that’s not how a lot of them want to play, so it’s tough.

RJ Allen: Can, yes. Will, so far not really.

Charles Olney: So, speaking of NC’s competitors…how is everyone feeling about the playoff race? Things are still very tight, and it looks like it should be a lot of fun right through to the end.

RJ Allen: I think it’s going to come down, 2 or maybe all 3 of the spots left, to the last week or so. And that is great for the league I think.

Allison Cary: I agree. Seattle, Orlando, Chicago, Utah, and Portland are all so tight. And Houston isn’t too far back. I think it’s going to be an exciting finish.

Luis Hernandez: After the NC loss, Sermanni seemed different. He said “back to the drawing board” and I believe him. He said it isn’t going to be about just starting your best 11 players but the best 11 players who can win a particular match. I questioned him about the lack of trading while the other teams make improvements but he seems set on this group.

Charles Olney: That will certainly be an interesting storyline to follow. And not just with Orlando. Which teams look to make real changes vs. which ones stick to the plan and just work on executing.

Luis Hernandez: I’ll buy more into Houston when the Pride play them at BBVA coming up.

RJ Allen: There is going to be at least one if not two teams out of the playoffs this year that I think could win it most other years.

Allison Cary: Yeah, even though North Carolina is dominating, once you get past them there has been some really good competition in the league.

RJ Allen: I am kind of hoping for NC vs Utah in Portland for the final just for the amusement of it.

Allison Cary: That would be fun.

Charles Olney: Which raises the important question: which would be the ideal playoff matchups to maximize the fun factor?

RJ Allen: Not Portland vs NC. Please not again.

Charles Olney: Yeah, if we could entirely avoid Portland vs. NC, I’d be a happy camper. One other obvious one: Portland vs. Seattle would be a fun semifinal matchup

RJ Allen: Utah vs Seattle and NC vs Chicago I think would be really fun.

Luis Hernandez: I don’t think Portland even makes the playoffs

Charles Olney: I think that would probably be fine for most neutral fans. Portland is a lot of fun to have in the league, but not always the most fun to actually watch, particularly when they don’t think of themselves as a flair team…which still seems to be the case.

RJ Allen: Not if their starters keep being suspended for things that should be in game red cards.

Allison Cary: I don’t really have specific match-ups I’m looking forward to. I’m just excited to see how these teams step up their game in the playoffs. And I think the matches for the week/two weeks leading up to the playoffs will be REALLY fun.

Charles Olney: Okay, since RJ brought up the Klingenberg suspension, we should talk about that for a little bit here.

RJ Allen: DISCO lives!

Charles Olney: Are people surprised that the Disciplinary Committee actually did something? Are they surprised at the length of the suspension? Do we think this is a sign that they might get involved in things more going forward? Or is it just a one-off event?

RJ Allen: Do we know who makes up the committee?

Charles Olney: We definitely do not. Folks have asked quite a few times and all anyone has ever got was ‘no comment.’ I don’t think we even know how many people there are, or what their roles are. If I remember correctly, Dan Lauletta got SOME information last year after the Tyler Lussi event, but even that was pretty sketchy.

RJ Allen: I understand not giving out all of the names but saying something like “four former players, three officials” or something would be nice. It makes it very hard to judge without it.

Charles Olney: Agreed.

Connected to the broader question of league discipline, let me just throw out my usual hobbyhorse about in-match officiating: there have been zero red cards issued this year. We are almost two-thirds of the way through the season.

To me that is just malpractice, and makes me wonder whether ANYONE in the whole hierarchy actually cares about the quality of officiating. Because it seems pretty hard to believe that they haven’t done something more serious about this than give Klingenberg a one-match ban.

RJ Allen: I would be happy with more yellows overall than worrying about reds TBH.

Charles Olney: I’m certainly on board for more yellows, too. I checked those numbers last night and it’s still the case that there are slightly more than 2 bookings a game in the NWSL. Compared to 3.5 per game in MLS, all the way up to 5 per game in some of the big European men’s leagues.

RJ Allen: What are the Euro women’s leagues?

Charles Olney: I couldn’t find those numbers easily when I wrote my column on it last year. But I should put those together and write an update.

Allison Cary: I don’t have the stats, but I feel like there weren’t a lot of cards given in the matches I went to. I don’t think I ever saw a red. Maybe a few yellows, but not a ton. That was in England and a few Champions League matches.

RJ Allen: I wish they would get the little things right as much as the cards. It feels like every game there is a huge error somewhere in the match about offside or something.

Charles Olney: I agree with that, though I can sympathize a bit more with those sort of mistakes. Officiating is hard, and sometimes even good refs get things wrong. Which isn’t to say that we shouldn’t expect more, but you can try your hardest and still fail. But the disciplinary stuff isn’t ‘hard’ in that sense. They have just decided to call things extremely loose, and don’t seem to care that it degrades the quality of the game (and puts players at risk).

As fans, I think it’s fair to focus on the mistakes that affect results more than the daily churn of loose discipline. I just don’t want that part to completely fall out of the equation.

Luis Hernandez: My first thought after I heard about Kling being only suspended one game was that the NWSL PA really needs to unionize because there’s no appealing the decision. Once the league and the players get to the point where there’s some collective bargaining. Oh boy!

RJ Allen: I don’t really think this is something that should be appealed though.

Luis Hernandez: But other than that, I think it should have been more than just one match.

Allison Cary: Yeah, I think it probably should have been a three game suspension.

Luis Hernandez: The NWSL seems to get the refs that are trying to end up officiating in MLS. I don’t like that the only refs with stats on the PRO webpage are MLS refs. Why not the ones in USL or NWSL?

Charles Olney: That’s a great point, Luis. I think they assume that MLS fans are the only ones likely to be engaged enough to care. And if I wanted to be even less charitable, I’d say that they don’t regard USL and the NWSL as being important enough to have someone spend time uploading that information.

As with most things, though, there’s a supply and demand issue here. The expectation that fans don’t want or need something means that no one can develop the habits of expecting those things. So what appears to be lack of interest is really just the system being designed from the beginning to discourage people from caring.

 

Charles Olney: Alright, enough negative stuff. Let’s turn to our final topic: what are people excited about in this weekend’s games? I’ll start by saying that I’m personally excited to finally be seeing a match live after a several month drought. I’m in Seattle visiting family and will be going to see the Reign and Dash.

RJ Allen: That is the perfect match for you.

Allison Cary: That’s fun! I’m hoping that Orlando can bounce back against the Spirit after a few bad results. I think Portland-Utah will be a good game, but it kicks off at 4:00am my time so I probably won’t be watching.

Charles Olney: I also think that Portland-Utah game should be good. I briefly considered making the trip down to Portland on Friday night to see it, but it was just too much travel time in a short trip. I would love to get back to Providence Park, though.

RJ Allen: I am excited to see if Portland and Utah will survive the match up at all or if this is how the world ends.

Luis Hernandez: I wish the Orlando City match didn’t have its start time moved because the club was having a World Cup/Orlando City watch party at the stadium (includes a ticket to the Pride match) then see Orlando beat Washington.

RJ Allen: Washington makes me sad this year.

Charles Olney: I would really like to see Washington go on a run for a few games. There’s a lot of talent there, and even with the struggles it still seems like they ought to be able to put something together.

Allison Cary: Yeah. At the beginning of the year, it seemed like defense was more of a problem. Now their defense is starting to improve, but they can’t score. They just can’t put it all together.

Charles Olney: It sure seems like the unifying trend has been problems in the midfield. And…as someone who loves central midfielders this pains me to say, but…maybe signing five very similar central mids isn’t the BEST move?

RJ Allen: Hey I have a final like yes or no question for y’all. North Carolina needs 16 points in 8 games to break Seattle’s record for most points in a season – 54 points is the current record.

They play:

  • Washington
  • Sky Blue
  • Utah
  • Portland
  • Chicago
  • Orlando
  • Seattle
  • Houston

Do they do it?

Luis Hernandez: Yes

Allison Cary: Yeah

Charles Olney: Yes, but I think it’ll be close.

RJ Allen: I think draws leave them at 54 points, and a tie for the record.