Category: Articles

Route Two Soccer – Handicapping the Playoff Run-in

Posted on by RJ Allen

The NWSL season is entering its squeaky-bum period, with five weeks to go and very little settled. North Carolina are as close to a lock as you can get at this point, with a five point lead over second place and a game in hand (against last place Washington) to boot. But outside of the Courage, the table is full of questions.

So let’s take a run through the teams still in the playoff hunt, and assess their chances for making the postseason.

Portland Thorns (34 points, GD +9)

  • Seattle Reign (away)
  • Washington Spirit (home)
  • Boston Breakers (away)
  • Orlando Pride (away)
  • Chicago Red Stars (home)

Portland have finally hit a decent vein of form. It’s taken a lot longer than expected, and their recent loss against Kansas City shows that there are still some gaps here. But the Thorns of late have looked much closer to the dominant possession-based team that we all expected. This team has a lot of attacking talent but has struggled to get everyone working together. In recent weeks Sinclair has been the fulcrum around which everyone has moved, and things have looked much better. It still remains to be seen if those improvements can be preserved as the squad returns to full strength.

With a seven point cushion on fifth place, they are close to a lock to make the playoffs. The real question is whether they can hold off Orlando and Chicago to secure a home match in the semifinals. And there’s still an outside chance that they could catch North Carolina for first place. But realistically, the final month is more about settling in for the playoffs than anything else.

Chicago Red Stars (29 points, GD +2)

  • Washington Spirit (away)
  • NC Courage (home)
  • FCKC (away)
  • Houston Dash (away)
  • Portland Thorns (away)

It seems like just a few weeks ago that Chicago were riding high—even briefly sneaking into first place. The offense was starting to click and the defense was solid. Since then, coach Rory Dames has tinkered a bit and found absolutely nothing working. The past three weeks have seen them lose three consecutive home matches, looking worse and worse each game. Some of it has been injuries. Despite a generally great bill of health on the season, they’ve picked up a few nagging injuries recently and have had trouble sorting things out. But ultimately, the Red Stars’ recent struggles are a bit part to sort out.

The talent is obviously still here, and you probably wouldn’t go wrong expecting some mean reversion. But the slide has been worrisome, turning what looked to be an easy playoff coronation into a genuine fight. They’re now tied with surging Orlando, only two points ahead of Seattle. With four away games out of their five remaining fixtures, Chicago is in a precarious position, and will need some good results soon to right the ship. They’re not yet in crisis, but anything less than three points this weekend against Washington and things really will start to get dangerous.

Tiebreakers: Chicago would win a tiebreaker against Orlando (which is why they’re currently in 3rd despite equal points and a worse goal difference) and Sky Blue, but would lose against Seattle.

Orlando Pride (29 points, GD +10)

  • FCKC (away)
  • Boston Breakers (home)
  • Seattle Reign (home)
  • Portland Thorns (home)
  • NC Courage (away)

It took them awhile, but Orlando have finally hit their stride, scoring 10 goals in their past three games while only conceding one, on their way to a fairly easy nine points. The return of Alex Morgan has been everything that Pride fans hoped it would be. She’s provided that clinical finishing and intelligent movement that was so missing in the early season, and given Marta more freedom to play a flexible role. Orlando still doesn’t really have much of a midfield, but coach Tom Sermanni has done an excellent job of finding ways around that problem. It also helps that a number of players have excelled in new roles this season. The ability to move players like Kennedy, Edmonds, and Camila in and out of the midfield has given Sermanni a great deal of tactical flexibility—allowing him to structure the team to best facilitate his world-class attackers given what opponent and game situation demand.

At this point, the big question is whether Orlando’s form is the new normal, or if this is just high tide from which things will inevitably recede a bit. The way the Pride have been playing, it’s getting harder to see them not taking a playoff spot, but there are still some reasons for caution. They have looked great, certainly, but these three big performances came against Washington, Sky Blue, and Boston—three of the weakest teams in the league. And we’re still not that far removed from them getting comprehensively outplayed by Chicago last month.

The Pride have two more ‘easy’ games coming up—though anyone who’s watched KC recently might question that designation, before they close out the year with matches against playoff contenders. If they can earn four or six points from these next two weekends, that will put them in good position. But if they slip up against KC or Boston, they could very easily find that final playoff spot slipping just out of their grasp.

Tiebreakers: Orland would win a tiebreaker against Sky Blue and lose against Chicago. They’re currently tied with Seattle, so that game will be even more important than it would normally – a ‘seven pointer’ rather than a ‘six pointer.’

Seattle Reign (27 points, GD +6)

  • Portland Thorns (home)
  • Houston Dash (away)
  • Orlando Pride (away)
  • FCKC (home)
  • Washington Spirit (away)

Oh, Seattle. You could be 3rd in the table right now, in poll position to reach the playoffs. But you fell victim to one of the classic blunders: never go in against Sam Kerr when death is on the line. So instead you’re in fifth place, needing to make up some ground, with time running out and Megan Rapinoe still unavailable.

Still, things aren’t all grim for Seattle. Even without Rapinoe, they’ve been playing well, with the players settling into the team’s new rhythm—lots of movement, lots of dangerous runs, and one intense Welsh dragon keeping it all together in the middle. Beyond that, they have a reasonably friendly run-in. This weekend’s match against Portland will be tough, certainly, but after that they’ve got some slightly less threatening matches. And while they do need to play Orlando, that is also a huge opportunity to take points from one of their main competitors. That game is actually even more important than it seems, because Seattle and Orlando are currently tied in head-to-head, which means if Seattle can win it will effectively a ‘seven pointer’ rather than just a ‘six pointer,’ since it will give them the points as well as the advantage in the tiebreaker. All of which means Seattle’s season is still very much in their own hands. It’s just a matter of executing. And staying away from any Australians.

Tiebreakers: Seattle would win a tiebreaker against Chicago. They’re tied in head to head against Sky Blue, so it would revert to goal difference, where Seattle is way ahead. The tiebreaker with Orlando is still up in the air.

Sky Blue (26 points, GD -7)

  • Boston Breakers (home)
  • FCKC (away)
  • Washington Spirit (home)
  • NC Courage (home)
  • Boston Breakers (away)

Halfway through their match on Saturday night, Sky Blue’s season was effectively over. Then, they executed an astonishing comeback to earn the three points and resuscitate their chances. It’s still a difficult lift, given their defensive frailty and other issues. I wrote about Sky Blue at length last week so won’t belabor the point much here. This team really has no business making the playoffs, but they’re only three points out, and you would have to be nuts to bet against Sam Kerr right now. Beyond that, they have (by a pretty big margin) the easiest run-in of the teams in the playoff hunt, with three home matches, two games against Boston, another against Washington, and one against KC. There are no gimme games in this league, and all of those teams could easily beat Sky Blue. But the opportunity is there, if they can hold it together and seize it.

Tiebreakers: Sky Blue would lose the tiebreaker against all the teams. Technically they’re tied with Seattle in head-to-head games, but there’s no chance of them recovering from the gap in goal difference.

Still alive with a hope and a prayer: FCKC and Houston

FC Kansas City and Houston are both sitting on 23 points, which puts them six points out of a playoff spot. With only 15 points left on the table, it’s very hard to see either doing enough to make up that difference (and leapfrog) all the teams in between. But it’s not entirely out of the realm of possibility. KC, in particular, seems to have finally settled in a bit (three straight wins, including results over Portland and Chicago), and their run-in is basically all against the other teams in the playoff hunt—and four of those games are at home, too. Pick up 12 points from those games and they really could make it.

I certainly wouldn’t be on it, but there’s plenty of quality in both of these teams. So it’s certainly worth keeping an eye on them.

Predicting the final table

With everything so close, it’s hard to draw clear distinctions. But for the sake of argument, I’ll make a guess. Accounting for quality, form, and schedule, I see the final results shaking out as follows:

  1. North Carolina
  2. Portland
  3. Orlando
  4. Chicago
  5. Sky Blue
  6. Seattle
  7. FCKC
  8. Houston
  9. Boston
  10. Washington

Agree? Disagree? Let us know your predicted final table in the comments.

The Unused Sub: The Home Stretch

Posted on by RJ Allen

THE TABLE IS SILLY, THE SEASON IS SILLY
Turnabout is fair play in the NWSL. Seattle beats Sky Blue in a bonkers 5-4 match because of a stoppage time winner, Sky Blue beats Seattle in a bonkers 5-4 match with a goal in stoppage time too. Look, can we just agree now that all regular season matches between the two just be scoreless draws in 2018? It will save a lot of aggravation for everyone, physically and mentally.

And yes I still miss the sharp-dressed man, Christy Holly.

Looking at every team’s position over the course of the season, a couple thoughts.

That moment in the sun where the Houston Dash were in first place. Also let’s pour some out for Boston Breakers and their two-week run of being in the top four.

No surprise that Seattle and Sky Blue have been hanging around the 4 to 6 neighborhoods all season long. That final spot in the playoffs is going to come down to the final week, I think so buckle the hell up for one crazy ride.

If the Chicago Red Stars keep this fall and finish level on points with Seattle, they are going to rue that midweek loss against Seattle. They should have closed the game out and for Seattle, if they get into the playoffs, that milestone win against Chicago is going to look back as the win that saved their season.

It’s spectacular that Orlando spent a month at the bottom, have been subpar for most of the season and are right in the mix for playoff spot. I can certainly understand why Tom Sermanni has a good case for Coach of the Year considerations.

WEEK 18 PREDICTIONS
Bottom line for this weekend’s predictions: nothing will get settled as far as painting a clearer picture of who is joining the North Carolina Courage in the NWSL Playoffs.

FC Kansas City OVER Orlando Pride.

The Fightin’ Vlatkos will continue their hot streak and jack up the road to the playoffs to make everyone think louder and stronger, “HMMM…. Could they?!”

Seattle Reign FC and Portland Thorns play to a DRAW.

A win gives either team their 50th in league history. Seattle needs it more than Portland does. For one weekend, both Seattle and Portland soccer teams on the NWSL and MLS will be in Seattle for big ol’ derpy rivalry weekend and yeah, the ladies will play to a draw. Seattle Reign FC fans will continue to live in anxiety as to if this team can claim a playoff spot with four games left to go.

Washington Spirit and Chicago Red Stars play to a DRAW.

Spirit get the lead and will carry the lead long enough to make us think yep Chicago is falling off the cliff but then will get some stoppage time equalizer and we’ll all go ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Boston Breakers OVER Sky Blue FC.

I hilariously called it right the first time at the start of the season and I’ll stick my neck out and say the Breakers do it again.

And honestly, with the forecast of Hurricane Harvey hitting land around Friday or Saturday, it’s probably fair to wonder if Houston Dash versus North Carolina Courage will even happen. Yes, the game is scheduled for Sunday. It’s hard to say at the time of writing this what the result of that match will be because we may not even get a match on Sunday. So for now, Houston Dash versus North Carolina Courage gets a ¯_(ツ)_/¯ prediction from me.

And here’s your tunes to send you into the weekend.

Song: “Shot At The Night” | Artist: The Killers

6 Takeaways from NWSL: Week 17

Posted on by RJ Allen

It’s not even December, but it still felt like Christmas as the National Women’s Soccer League Week 17 came to an end. As soccer fans, we have been treated to some fantastic matches so far. The word historic has been tossed around to describe this season, and honestly, that’s almost an understatement. As most teams have only a handful of games left for the 2017 season and the playoff race continues to heat up, we outline some of the takeaways for the week which saw eight matches played.

__________________________________________________________

Orlando Needs to Make Turnovers Count – Luis Hernandez

This past weekend the Orlando Pride traveled to Jordan Field, and took all three points from the Boston Breakers. The performance was marred by a late foul in the box by Jamia Fields leading to the penalty kick which allowed Amanda Da Costa–retiring from professional soccer after the match–to pull one back for the Breakers for a final score of 2-1. Once Head Coach Tom Sermanni views the tape of the match, he should note that the Pride caused Boston to turn the ball over multiple times, but Sermanni’s side could not make the Breakers pay for those takeaways.

As potent as the Pride attack was prior to the match against Boston, the score line should have been worse from this past weekend. The top teams in the league force their opponents into turning the ball over and punish them by scoring. Case in point, the Chicago Red Stars have faced Orlando several times this season, and had been able to quickly pounce on the Pride to score once an Orlando player made a mistake. For the Pride to continue their push to the playoffs, the team will have to convert the mistakes into goals like Camila did versus Sky Blue when Kailen Sheridan misplayed a ball in their most recent meeting. As Orlando goes into Kansas City to face the Blues, both teams riding a three match winning streak, the team who takes advantage of the other errors will be the one to come out on top.

 

Roster Freeze Date Around the Corner – Luis Hernandez

As we have been focused on the action on the pitch and the excitement of the playoff race, everyone was quickly reminded by this Washington Spirit tweet that there was more going on behind the scenes.

Prior to the match, it was announced Kristie Mewis was not going to play for Washington due to an at the time pending trade. This wheeling and dealing is a good thing because it speaks to the level of competition in the league; as well as the pressure of the playoff push for teams to find any way to improve before the roster freeze date. This is what makes the offseason exciting, and during the season causes the fan base to buzz. The only negative on moves like this is the roster limit forces a team like Chicago, who carried a full roster, to cut a player like Morgan Proffitt who needed more time to develop since she wasn’t getting minutes on match day.

__________________________________________________________

Washington’s Starting Backline Could Be a Temporary Fix to a Major Problem – Jordan Small

Just when things seemed like they couldn’t get any worse for the Washington Spirit, they left North Carolina with zero points, a defender who has a possible illness and two more who have possible injuries from the match. While a team like Sky Blue has all the luck in the world right now, the Spirit definitely do not have any remaining. Despite all of that, the Spirit finally put together a backline that could possibly hold its own for the rest of the season.

With Whitney Church out with an injury sustained in practice this week, head coach Jim Gabarra was forced to put Kassey Kallman in alongside Shelina Zadorsky. Along with Caprice Dydasco and Estelle Johnson on the outside, the backline of Washington seemed to be doing a lot better. Against a very quick front line for North Carolina, Washington held their own in the first half. If Kallman does not have an injury from the own goal against the Courage and Johnson is able to recover from illness, the Spirit’s backline will see a major improvement going forward. The only question is: will Gabarra put Church back in the lineup once she is healthy again?

 

Zerboni Joins the 100 Appearance Club – Jordan Small

When talking about the North Carolina Courage midfield, Sam Mewis is usually the first name to come up. One of the players that does not get as much credit as she is due is McCall Zerboni. On Saturday, Zerboni became the fourth NWSL player to reach 100 appearances in the league. Whether it was in Portland, Western New York or North Carolina, Zerboni has always been a stud in the midfield. The tough nosed midfielder has an incredible soccer IQ that has really helped her team’s midfield. This season she has taken a leadership presence both on and off the field that has helped the rookies really grow. Courage head coach Paul Riley said after the game that she isn’t too old to make the national team. While Zerboni’s talent in the midfield could be a nice addition, it’s hard to see Jill Ellis calling up a 30-year-old into camp, especially with a major competition still two years away.

__________________________________________________________

An Elegy for Sky Blue – Elizabeth Wawrzyniak

We’ve all heard by now–Christy Holly is out as Sky Blue’s head coach and Christie Pearce is out for the rest of the season (and presumably has ended her career) with “accumulative injuries.”

In the end, we don’t know why Holly is gone. Whatever happened behind the scenes hasn’t been made public. In the end, doesn’t really matter since it’s done. He’s gone.

But what does matter is how the fuck Sky Blue is going to have any chance at the post-season now. Sure, they have Sam Kerr. But Sam Kerr cannot continue to drag this team kicking and screaming across the goal line each week. She is good, yes. No, she is great. But she is not yet consistent in a way that can guarantee Sky Blue’s continued success. 

Not only can they not rely on Kerr to win every game for them, but Sky Blue now has a leadership problem because the two guiding forces on the team are gone. Christy Holly and Christie Pearce, between the two of them, formed this team, molded it, and created the burgeoning positive culture that it had become over the past two seasons–a far cry from its initial “poor little sister” status of the league. The leadership on a backline that was already in dire need of support is gone.

As much as I can hope for SBFC to make that final miracle run to the playoffs, I don’t think it’s going to happen. And so I’m already thinking about next season and what the team needs to even have a chance. As always, it’s the backline that has me most concerned. First off, they need an experienced center back. Mandy Freeman, when paired with Pearce, has been doing okay, but she needs help. Second, I love me some Kayla Mills but she either needs to figure out how to defend or she needs to take her seat on the bench. Plus, she needs to stop looking like she’s ready to pass out in the last, crucial, ten minutes of the game. And, for real, either they need to play O’Hara as a winger or force her to stay in her defensive position because fast as she is, she has made some brutal, game-ending mistakes this past season tracking back.

Right now, they have four picks in the 2018 draft. They’re going to need to use them wisely. And they’re going to need to do some negotiating because this team can’t survive on Kerr’s nose for goal, O’Hara’s drive to win, and youthful energy alone. They need to explore some trade options and expand the depth of their bench.

I hate to admit it, but they need to start thinking like Washington now, and making next year their priority.

(Come on, Sky Blue, prove me wrong. Please?)

 

Sam Kerr – Elizabeth Wawrzyniak

Just. 

Sam Kerr. 

Edub is still recovering from that game. She practically had a heart attack that second-half. 

A Backline Soccer Apology to Off the Post

Posted on by RJ Allen

Backline Soccer would like to apologize for the Twitter account incident that occurred this morning. Told that the Off the Post account would be changed into a personal account by one of our joint members, we asked the individual to consider letting us take over the account to continue to provide in-the-moment soccer coverage to followers and fans. We saw it as a way to both continue the legacy of what Off the Post (OTP) had started, as well as to broaden our own existing base.

We were mislead by this individual, who assured us that she had received permission to transfer the account to us, and were excited to expand our coverage. However, we were quickly made aware that what we had been told was not true, and that OTP had neither been informed nor given their permission.

In a panic, we attempted to remedy the situation, but a subsequent misjudgment resulted in the account being deleted.

We know that there are some who believe it was deleted deliberately out of spite. And we understand why. We can only assure you that it was not, that it was an accident. And we would like to extend our deepest apologies to the wonderful staff of OTP. First for the misinformation that led us to take the account, and second for destroying your work as we panicked over what had happened and how to make it right.

We have turned the account back over to the members of OTP that brought the transgression to our attention. 

We hope that you can forgive our mistakes. And we would like to rectify them in whatever ways we can.

First, we have let the individual whose actions led to this situation go. There is no place for lies and deception here.

Second, we would like to begin a series of promotional tweets urging our followers and listeners to check out OTP if they are not already fans.

Third, after some time to heal has happened we’d be more than happy to have a member of OTP work with Backline on a podcast, written work or another project. 

Again we are deeply sorry for the actions we took today. 

Backline Soccer’s Stance on Homophobia

Posted on by RJ Allen

Backline Soccer is committed to lifting the voices of those in the LGBT community, people of color and those who have thoughts on the beautiful game.

The majority of the Backline Soccer staff is made up of those in the LGBT community and the issues that effect that community are important to everyone here.

The LGBT community is a diverse and complex community that houses within it a plethora of diverse and complex opinions. We endeavor to try and bring a thoughtful perspective to the table.

We want to make it clear that in no uncertain terms we do not support homophobia, transphobia, biphobia, or any other ideology of hate connected to the LGBT community or toward people of color, those with disabilities or any other targeted group.

Love and Soccer: A Queer Writer at Backline Soccer

Posted on by RJ Allen

I’m gay.

I’m a big fat lesbian.

Before anyone misinterprets who I am or what I’m about to say, know that.

Earlier this year, a member of Backline Soccer’s staff wrote an opinion piece about Jaelene Hinkle. The article was neither supportive of Hinkle’s views nor homophobic. It was immediately received as such, though, and knowing what a light trigger some communities of US women’s soccer fans have about Hinkle, some members of staff and I did express hesitation about publishing it.

But we value our writers’ opinions, and we value their work. Our writer had something she wanted to say, and we support her. We continue to support her.

The backlash has been interesting, coming and going in waves. Now, every time someone doesn’t like what a member of staff says in an article or on one of our social media accounts, they’ll throw “homophobic” at us, or re-share that piece, reigniting the conflict they see in it.

But what was actually in that piece?

What was actually expressed?

One of our writers explained that having been raised in a conservative Christian household herself, she could understand how Hinkle had come to believe what has been inferred from her social media posts. She could put herself in Hinkle’s shoes because she had once been in them herself. She knows the growth and the journey it takes to become an open-minded person who accepts and celebrates people of all identities into her life. Because she has taken that journey herself.

Our writer then said she didn’t support Hinkle’s beliefs but believed that in certain ways, with certain criteria, she could respect Hinkle: her skill as a football player, her dedication to her sport, and the part that most of you seem to have misunderstood, her loyalty to her convictions. Not her convictions, but how strongly she believes in them. To our writer, that is admirable.

This, from what I can tell, is what people have objected to and misinterpreted. I get that. When Hinkle was mysteriously absent in Europe, I ugly-laughed (the ugly-side of me did, anyway, the side that is small and bitter and petty; the side I’m never proud of). Because as an out and proud queer woman, I’m pretty much not a fan of those who don’t believe I should be able to live as I live and love as I love. And the thing is, we would never ask anyone to respect someone or something that goes against their own convictions.

The sad fact of life is that there are people in the nation who believe that LGBTQIA+ folk don’t deserve equal rights or respect or even human decency. They exist, and would that I could, I’d wave my magic wand and change that, make the world a better place for all of us. But it seems that I was probably daydreaming when the announcement for wand distribution went out because I still don’t have one.

What I have, and what our writer was trying to get at, is a love of soccer. An international sport that transcends boundaries, languages, political ideologies, and all of the things that get in the way of human beings loving and celebrating each other.

Soccer is a common ground where people come together. We’ve all seen the pictures–the young boys comforting a grown man after their team won against his, the child in Afghanistan whose homemade Messi jersey made us all “awww” a little (or a lot) on the inside. Soccer, football, our love for it, it makes the world smaller. It makes friends of strangers.

And this was our writer’s purpose, to remind us of the power of soccer.

We live in a time unimaginable once. When there are men and women who are willing and able to come out as LGBTQIA+ publicly and live openly. They are role models and inspirational and heroes, all of them. Every time an athlete takes that brave step (every time anyone takes that brave step) a big gay rainbow sparkles inside my heart. And though the world is becoming more and more open, more and more accepting, there is still work to be done. Our world isn’t finished yet.

And neither is our work.

I could tell you the percentage of Backline Soccer members who identify as LGBTQIA+, but for those who have already made up their minds that we’re homophobic, that we believe in injustice and inequality, I don’t think it would matter.

I could tell you that the writer of the article, the editor, haven’t a homophobic bone in their bodies, but those who have already made up their minds wouldn’t care.

What I can tell you is this.

We love soccer. We love soccer fans. We love what we do.

We don’t ask that anyone agree with us. We encourage debate–with our articles, with our opinions.

Because we want Women’s Soccer to grow. And we know it’s a platform for change, for progress.

Because we love the beautiful game.

Which is why we need to talk about this:

Threats 1

Threats 2

This was sent to a member of our staff today, on her personal account.

I don’t care what you believe. I don’t care what you think.

This is unacceptable.

The kind of person who does this doesn’t get to call themselves a fan of the beautiful game. Bullying isn’t a strong enough word for what this is, but whatever you call it, whoever sent it should take a step back and think long and hard about what kind of person they want to be in this world.

Take it from me, this kind of negativity, this kind of hatred? It’s a poison.

In the end, I can’t change your mind, no more than I could change Hinkle’s. But I wish I could.

But if you’re going to spread that kind of hatred around? If there’s something that dark inside of you?

Send your poison my way.

I can take it.

 

Backline Soccer Responds to Threats to Staff

Posted on by RJ Allen

Backline Soccer is aggrieved to know that members of our staff are being bullied and threatened on social media for their affiliation with our site.

We condemn, in the strongest of terms, bullying, bigotry, and threats. There is never a call to tell someone to kill themselves. Ever.

We will continue to put out quality articles, interviews, galleries, podcasts, and, yes, opinion pieces. Because we value discourse in the world of Women’s Soccer, and we know that bonds and communities are formed through civil, respectful discourse.

Passion breeds both unity and division, but we are not afraid to take on topics that not everyone may be willing to hear with an open mind. And we will not bow down to the intimidation of our wonderful writers, editors, and staff-at-large by those who would see us cower, anonymous or not.

This is the beautiful game, and we will not let the negativity of a few soil what we love so much.

The Unknown International: Abby Erceg

Posted on by RJ Allen
Kelley Piper

While the NWSL is the American soccer league, many of its best players come from all around the world. This series looks at some of those players who have come from outside of the U.S. and looks at their style of play and how they have featured for their club and country.

This article will look at North Carolina Courage and New Zealand defender Abby Erceg.

Who Is She?

Abby Erceg is a central defender who plays for the North Carolina Courage. She is the former captain of the New Zealand national team, having retired from international football earlier this year as a form of protest, claiming that the national federation undervalues New Zealand’s women’s team. She is an experienced professional, playing for the Football Ferns since 2006. Odds are you have heard her name–after all, she captained the NWSL champions last season and has been in the league for about three years. While I recognize that Erceg is not an unknown player, this article will seek to highlight the details of her career that fans may be less familiar with.

The Football Ferns

Erceg made her debut with the New Zealand National Team in 2006, in a match against China. In her 11 year career with the Ferns, she competed in two Olympics and three World Cups. Her 130 appearances are the most of any New Zealand National Team player, male or female. Early in her career, she played a record 37 consecutive matches for her national team, setting her on the path towards a record-breaking career. Beyond her skill with the ball, she is also a consistently strong and vocal leader that helps lHer decision to retire came from disagreements with the New Zealand Football Federation, which Erceg claims did not value and support the women’s side.  Specifically, Erceg took issue with the fact that the federation decided to reduce funding to the women’s side after they failed to make it past the group stage at the 2016 Olympics. She said in a post on Instagram that one of her main goals with the Ferns was to create a livable working environment and that New Zealand had shown a lack of willingness to make that goal a reality. Many in the football community deemed her a “legend” in New Zealand football and credited her with being a massive contributor to the growth of the women’s game. She served as their captain starting in 2014 and played her final matches with the team at the Cyprus Cup earlier this year. 

North Carolina Courage

Erceg got her first taste of the NWSL in 2014 when she was loaned out to the Chicago Red Stars by Jena, her team in the Frauen-Bundesliga. She signed with the Chicago after leaving Jena in May 2014 but was then traded to the Western New York Flash in 2015. Last season, she made 18 starts in 19 total appearances and captained the Western New York Flash to an NWSL Championship. During the offseason, the Western New York Flash were rebranded as the North Carolina Courage, and Erceg became captain of the new team in Cary. She has made 15 starts in 15 appearances so far this season. She is often credited as being the anchor of the Courage defense.  Erceg mainly plays alongside Abby Dahlkemper, who has received a few call-ups by the U.S Women’s National Team after drawing some attention during the Flash’s run to the NWSL Championship.  They have become one of the best center back tandems in the league, and their strength has helped lead to North Carolina’s 10 shutouts in 18 matches this season.  To say that Erceg plays a critical role on her club team is putting it lightly–and considering they are in first place in the NWSL, I’d say she’s doing a pretty good job. Erceg rarely misses a chance to make an impact for her club and will do whatever it takes to help get her team back to the NWSL Championship.

Why You Should or Should Not Be Freaking Out About the Red Stars

Posted on by RJ Allen

Chances are if you follow the Chicago Red Stars and are reading this after watching the last home loss against Kansas City, you’re about FourFive seconds from wildin’. Or if you’re ever the optimist, you’re possibly looking forward to the playoff positioning race.

Whichever, here are some words to either help lift you up about of the abyss of a 3-game losing streak you didn’t think was possible, or to help you look ahead to possible brighter days for Summertime Chi.

Why You Should Be Freaking Out

Let’s be real. You are. At least a little bit. The team with the shaky slow start this season went on a tear and made you feel invincible, and now? They’re having a pretty rough August. Some injuries have come up, along with a 3-game losing streak. All losses coming at home in Toyota Park. The Red Stars are 1-3-1 in their last five games, with five games remaining in the season.  While their last three losses might have some positives, it was the fashion in which they lost that probably have you most concerned.

“Down 2 goals in the first 10 minutes against Portland?!”

“Colaprico got her hair pulled?!”

“Blow the lead by 2 goals in the last 2 minutes against Seattle?!”

“What is defense?!”

“KANSAS CITY?!”

I get it. But so does Christen Press. The season is winding down and this is the time where you want to build on your games down the stretch. No one knows that better than the Red Stars captain, and she spoke briefly about the disappointing stretch of games and the importance of having a playoff mentality into the playoffs and potentially beyond:

“That was really disappointing, obviously. We’ve dropped three games at home. I think that as a team, emotionally, we’ve been through a lot trying to pick ourselves back up and understand what’s going on.  It just keeps seeming to slip through the cracks and that’s disappointing. But as an athlete and a soccer player you kind of just have to grind through these hard times and it’s so important to just stay present and not think about the past and not think about the fact that it’s three games or if we’re down, and just keep doing what we’re doing because we have a great team. I think that we have a really good chance at winning the championship. It’s hard to see in moments like this but I think we’ll continue to believe in ourselves and will our way there.”

This season the Red Stars have put together an impressive run of undefeated games at home in Toyota Park. While many thought a 3-match homestead would go in favor of Chicago, the Red Stars find themselves having to try to pick their game up on the road against Washington Spirit. With one regular season home game left, Press understands the importance of a home field advantage and its significance to fans. When asked about what the team could do to get back on track she says:

“Just a little more pride in playing here. We only have one game left so we’re going to have to take a lot of pride in winning away as well. I think the fans have been fantastic. They always have our back through thick and thin. So, thanks to them. And we promise we’re going to defend our house to the best of our abilities, and [through] every game.”

Julie Ertz echoed similar sentiments when she expressed the importance of playing for points and for pride down the stretch, saying:

“To drop 9 points at home, it’s where we need to take more pride in home games. We only have one more home game, so it’s super frustrating, but I think it’s really one thing [finishing] we need to focus on fixing.”

 

Why You Shouldn’t Be Freaking Out

It’s going to be hard to feel any kind of Jedi Force type of Zen after these three games. But here is some perspective.

No matter what happened over the course of the last three games, Chicago is still in third place. Even if they stay in a close race with Orlando for the third and fourth seed, they hold a tie-breaker over Orlando in their head-to-head series this season with two wins over the Pride. 3 points currently separate the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th seeds, where Seattle (5th) and Sky Blue (6th) currently sit. Chicago holds series head-to-head tie-breakers over both Orlando and Sky Blue.

There are worse situations to be in, like not being in contention at all. Don’t get it twisted, down the stretch Chicago can either be its own worst enemy, or its best homegirl. Truth is, their fate is entirely in their hands.

Julie Ertz expressed as much discussing the importance of the final five games of the season saying: “We’re not far off, we’re still in our playoff hunt, which is excellent. But you know what? It kind of comes down to us. These are big games to lose.” Ertz also knows the team is capable of pushing through, simply saying: “At this point, it’s kind of do or die … At the end of the day we need a win, and we need three points. So that’s got to be our main focus.”

Christen Press elaborated on the importance of not losing focus on the ultimate goal at hand, bringing a championship back to Chicago. Press is preaching the importance of entering their potential playoff destiny with a winning mindset, period. When asked about the narrative of playoff seeding versus just getting into the semi-finals, she says:

“I don’t think either. So, in past years I’ve felt like our team around this time starts worrying about getting into the playoffs. And at this point my concern as a leader on the team is more just about the feeling going into the playoffs. We have five games left and if we play five great games then that will be a great way to go into a semifinal. So, it’s not really about taking points, we obviously need the points, but for me, it’s about preparing ourselves for that semifinal. Because if we can’t get a cushion enough to prepare for a semifinal, and we fail again? That’s not something i think this team is interested in. So, it’s no longer about the glory of getting to the playoffs. It’s about winning.”

Despite the losses, this season Chicago has been a team that can still surprise you, even with five games left. Press believes the team can lock in, and get back to the mission at hand, saying:

“We have five games now. We’re going to learn our lessons from the last three games. We’re going to have to go [away] and we’re going to have to win games on the road, which is exactly what we’re going to have to do if we go to a final. I think we’re going to have to emotionally, physically, mentally – everything – to turn this around so that the last five games we go into October feeling like we can win.”

 

Too Cool For School: 5 Reasons Mallory Pugh Needs a New Narrative

Posted on by RJ Allen
Kelley Piper

Sports media is a lot of things – inspiring, biased, challenging, thought provoking … I could go on. But every once in a while it is just plain repetitive. Case in point: Mallory Pugh. If you have watched a single match that Mallory Pugh has played in this season, whether it was for the Washington Spirit or for the U.S. Women’s National Team, I can pretty much guarantee that you heard about how the 19-year-old dropped out of UCLA to start her professional career before even playing a game for the Bruins. Sound familiar? Absolutely. And for some reason the media just cannot let go of this story line. I’ll be honest, I’m quite sick of it. And in my opinion, there is no longer a need for it.

So here it is – five reasons the media needs to find something else to talk about with regards to Mallory Pugh:

The Story’s Been Told

Sure, this story was pretty big when it came through. No one is denying that. But her decision to leave UCLA was made in April. It’s now August. How are we still having Lifetime pregame specials on this? Why does it have to be brought up by the commentators for every single match she has played in, both for club and country? The story keeps being told, but nothing is added to it. Day after day, match after match–by this point, the viewer could recite it themselves, it’s so overdone. Because after Mallory Pugh decided to begin her pro career that was it. That is the end of the story. It has nothing to build upon. But somehow, every week, the audience sits down in front of their TV or computer screen and are reminded for the fiftieth time that Pugh decided to leave college. And I know, at least for me, every time I care a little bit less.

She Made An Adult Decision

Part of the reason that the media can’t let this go is that Pugh is so young. Still in her teenage years but playing at the level of women in their athletic prime. And the media likes to slightly hint toward her potential naivety every time the narrative is told. Have you ever noticed how many times her age is commented on? I bet you will now. But the thing that everyone fails to notice is that the decision that she made, whether she was naive or not, was an adult decision. An adult decision that she couldn’t take back even if she wanted to. She chose what she wanted her career to be. She chose how she wanted to start it. Just like every other kid that goes to college and declares a major, or decides to enlist in the military, or drops out and decides that maybe trade school is a better fit for them. But no matter what, in all of those instances, including Pugh’s, an adult decision is made. And we never second-guess anyone else to the level that the media has seemed to second-guess Pugh. But thankfully, it doesn’t seem that Pugh has second-guessed herself, or her decision.

She Plays At A Professional Level

Along with her adult decision came adult consequences. If she was going to start her professional career then she was going to have to play at a professional level. And that is exactly what she did. And the fact that she knew with full confidence that she could succeed in doing so obviously helped her in deciding that this is was the right path for her. Mallory Pugh is better than what her NCAA competition would have been. Substantially better. It’s why she got to play with the USWNT at 17 years of age. It’s why backlines always keep an eye out for her when she is on the pitch. Because she is good. And if she keeps playing and progressing at the level that she has been then one day she will be great. She could even be the next gold standard for what U.S. Women’s Soccer should be. But somehow the media are still obsessed with the fact that she decided to leave a system that grooms players into professional athletes, to be the powerhouse professional athlete that she already was.

No One Else Is Talking About It

The media may drag this out for the rest of the season but the players and coaches could seem to care less. They do care that they now have to defender her, but her decision to leave college to go pro probably isn’t keeping them up at nights. And that seems to be the status quo around the league. They don’t comment on Pugh as this rebellious college dropout that has bit off more than she can chew. They regard her, and they prepare for her, as the threat that she is in the attacking half. But sadly, Pugh has to talk about it, because it seems to be the only thing she is questioned about these days. And she has handled it like a professional athlete too. She hasn’t given the media a sound bite they could exploit yet. But she has revealed that she spoke with Jill Ellis before making her decision. Ellis’ response–she would support Pugh’s decision no matter what. Wouldn’t it be nice if the media could do that too?

There Are So Many Other Stories

Mallory Pugh could one day be the best female player in the world. She is that good. So why aren’t we talking about that? There are so many things that could be written about her. She is such a dynamic player, and that is why the repetitiveness of this narrative so infuriating. The media isn’t on a shortage of material with regards to this woman. They could write a different story about her every day of the year and not hit a repeat. But still, soccer fans have to sit there, week after week (including international breaks), and hear about how 19-year-old Mallory Pugh decided to leave UCLA and begin her professional career.

This is the last that you will hear from me on this matter. Because ironically, this article defeats its own purpose. It talks about the one thing that it wishes wasn’t talked about. So I suppose this is more of a plea. A request that this be the end of this narrative. That we can close the book and put it back on the shelf, only to be revisited years from now when Pugh has been put her mark on the sport. And hopefully, if the U.S. fans are lucky enough, she will play the beautiful game in such a way that she begins her own narrative. One that she controls. And one that is just as dynamic as the player she is.