Category: Articles

Off the Bench with Backline Soccer: 2017, Week 17

Posted on by RJ Allen

[media-credit name=”Leanne Keator” align=”alignnone” width=”300″][/media-credit]

Backline Soccer Recap:

Quick Fire Week 16 Game Previews:

We are getting a battle now for the fourth place spot for the playoffs and also seeing some top teams face some surprising defeats. Let’s dive in to this weekend’s games. 

Game 1: North Carolina vs. Washington Spirit 

North Carolina record: 12-5-0
Position: 1st
Total Points: 36

Washington Spirit record: 4-9-4
Position: 10th
Total Points: 16

The Courage have pulled five points away from the second place team coming into this weekend. They will look to build on that and continue to solidify their spot at the top. They’ve had some bumps along the way, but just keep pulling out wins, even if they are not so pretty. And it’s been a full team effort. The two players who did so much for them last year–Lynn Williams and Jessica McDonald–have really not done a lot this year. Instead, we’ve seen players like Sam Mewis stepping up. This week, with the Spirit struggling, the Courage should not have many issues. But as we have seen from recent games, the table only tells us so much. The Spirit may be in last, but the Courage will still need to be on top of their game. Look for Mewis to continue her hot streak.

The Spirit need work and time but their young players are settling in, and may be setting up for a decent 2018 season. This season, while they could end up playing spoiler, at this point there’s no realistic hope for the playoffs. Against the Courage they just need to focus on their basics. Expect to continue to see a solid shift from Steph Labbé, Mal Pugh to try to get herself on the scoreboard, and a defense led by Estelle Johnson to try to hold off the Courage attack. 

Game 2: Boston Breakers vs. Orlando Pride 

Boston Breakers record: 3-8-7
Position: 9th
Total Points: 16

Orlando Pride record: 7-6-5
Position: 5th
Total Points: 26

Boston has been bitten by the injury bug for several games now.

With several key players out, facing off against a red-hot Pride will be a test. They might still pull off a win, but the chances don’t look good. To get anything, they’ll need to stay organized on defense and find a way to split or shut down the Alex Morgan and Marta connection. Their attack has also been lacking, especially without someone spurring it from the midfield. Orlando will leave them some space to operate; the only question is whether they can find their way through the pockets.

Orlando is hitting its stride and from now to the end of the season, their biggest test will be themselves. They must remain consistent, and keep turning in solid performances. This week, the key is to take Boston seriously. On form, this one should be easy, but underestimate Boston and they can cause problems if Orlando takes the foot off of the pedal. The Pride attacking duo of Alex Morgan and Marta seems to be firing on all cylinders right now and they are looking dangerous. Both have 3 goals each in the last 2 games. The Pride defense, led by Ali Krieger, has also looked much better over this recent run, but has been shaky in the past. With the always vocal Ashlyn Harris back in goal, the Pride have to like their chances. 

Game 3: Sky Blue FC vs. Seattle Reign

Sky Blue FC record: 7-9-2
Position: 6th
Total Points: 23

Seattle Reign record: 7-5-6
Position: 4th
Total Points: 27

This is the first match for Sky Blue since coach Christy Holly stepped down from the position. It will be tough going to rise up from the problems of the past month and push themselves back into playoff contention. Sam Kerr has saved the team many times this year, but couldn’t get much going against Orlando last week, but that is because no one was getting her the ball. The absence of Kelley O’Hara is a big part of that. They’ll need to sort out their distribution if they want to have a chance here. Christie Pearce has been a workhorse all season in the backline for Sky Blue, especially with such a young line set up around her. But she had some issues shutting down the Pride last week as she had very little help to do so. Sky Blue need to make some changes this week at home to try and right the ship against the Reign. 

Seattle is coming in after a last minute comeback midweek against the Red Stars. They will also continue to be without Megan Rapinoe. They gritted out the win against Chicago but really did not look that great throughout the match. If not for a stand-out game for Haley Kopmeyer, there wouldn’t have been a chance of getting back into it in those final minutes. Seattle will need to shut down Sam Kerr; she is hungry to get her team back on track. They will also need to diversify their attack to deal with Rapinoe’s continued absence. While the Sky Blue defense has its struggles, the Reign will still have their hands full getting past the likes of Christie Pearce in the middle. A little creativity will go a long way here.

And if last match was any indication, this game may very well be another one for the books. 

Game 4: Portland Thorns vs. Houston Dash 

Portland Thorns record: 9-5-4
Position: 2nd
Total Points: 31

Houston Dash record: 7-9-2
Position: 7th
Total Points: 23

Portland had been riding a hot streak going into the midweek, but then suffered a surprising defeat to FC Kansas City. Which is another lesson to not underestimate any team in this league. They will look to bounce back against the Dash, who will be riding high after a great midweek performance of their own. The key for Portland is to get some more players involved in the run of play. With Allie Long back in the picture this week, they’ll look to bolster their passing game. But I would like to see more from players like Amandine Henry and Christine Sinclair. Additionally, Nadia Nadim has had limited minutes since coming back from the Euros; if she can get back up to playing a full 90, it would help the attack a lot. 

When Carli Lloyd went down, many expected that it would be the death knell for their playoff push. But the team has set out to prove everyone (including me) wrong. Without Lloyd, they made a great showing during their midweek game, with other players step up to the plate, with Sarah Hagen scoring twice and Rachel Daly turning in one of her best performances in a while. It was against an injury-ravaged Boston side, which means it has to come with a grain of salt. But still, it was an indication.  If the Dash can consistently put out this product, even without Lloyd, they still have a shot for that fourth spot. This week though, especially on the road at Portland, they will have a tough challenge.  

Game 5: Chicago Red Stars vs. FC Kansas City

Chicago Red Stars record: 8-5-5
Position: 3rd
Total Points: 29

FC Kansas City record: 5-8-5
Position: 8th
Total Points: 20

The Red Stars have lost their last two games at home and will be looking to reverse course and get the much-needed three points from FCKC. Even with the recent difficulties, I do not think there is a whole lot to be concerned about with the Red Stars. They will have to take a look at their personnel, identify what is working and what’s not, and make a few adjustments. But the players are good and should pull through. Alyssa Naeher missed the game against Seattle (another USWNT player who picked up a knock at the Tournament of Nations…which is a conversation for another day) but hopefully will be back in goal soon. 

Many of the Red Stars stalwarts did not look great against the Reign, including Christen Press. But one theme of the season is that when Press turns in a subpar performance she usually comes back that next week and grinds out a great one, so I fully expect to see her right back on her train and leading the Red Stars past FCKC. If Press is on this Sunday and we see the defense shift back to the starters, I think the Red Stars will be fine. Even with their 3 minute meltdown midweek, this defense is the best in the league and has enough to stifle the FCKC attack. 

FCKC is coming into this weekend after a big win against the Thorns at home. After everyone had pretty much written them off, they turned on the jets the last two games, reminding us that they’ve still got some fighting spirit. They still have a lot of work to do and still need to figure out how to provide more help to Sydney Leroux, but they’ve done well to find alternate avenues for scoring–like those wonderful free kicks from Yael Averbuch–and are starting to look a little more like a classic FCKC team. The biggest test this weekend will be penetrating that Chicago defense. They’ll need to get service into their forwards, but also need players like Leroux and Shea Groom to come back to help build the attack. Look for FCKC to try and contain Christen Press as much as they can to keep Chicago off of the board early. 

The Scouting Report:

We went live on Monday night with our weekly TSR and Thursday night with our recap of the midweek NWSL games. A reminder that you can catch TSR live every Monday night at 8pm EST on our YouTube channel. Make sure to follow the podcast on Twitter @ScoutingPodcast.

In case you missed the two episodes, catch up here:

Breaking News: Christie Pearce to Miss Remainder of Season

Posted on by RJ Allen

Sky Blue FC has announced that defender Christie Pearce will miss the remainder of the 2017 season due to accumulating injuries.

“I’ve always had a really good awareness of my body and the ability to recover,” Pearce said in the Sky Blue press release. “I feel that I started the season off strong, but I’ve been consistently fighting through injuries, and I’m not able to give to the team what I consider to be my 100%. This decision, while it is hard to swallow, I know is the right thing for me and the team because I just can’t leave it all on the field every day. Something I must do is personally thank all of the fans. I feel so privileged to have their unwavering support, and they have always stood by me through thick and thin.”

Pearce, who earned 311 caps for the U.S. Women’s National Team between 1997 and 2015, has played for Sky Blue FC since the founding of the NWSL in 2013.

In 2009 she was the player coach of the Sky Blue FC team that won the WPS championship title.

A two-time world cup champion (1999 and 2015) and three-time Olympic gold medalist (2004, 2008, and 2012), Pearce announced in June 2017 that her retirement would likely come at the end of the 2017 season.

The Unused Sub: Holly, We Hardly Knew Ye

Posted on by RJ Allen

I am going to miss Christy Holly. He was a sharp-dressed man and built something good with Sky Blue FC and I think was on the cusp of something great with them.

ON THE TYLER LUSSI SUSPENSION & MORE
The NWSL DisCo’s decision to suspend Tyler Lussi of the Portland Thorns three matches and an undisclosed fine for pulling Chicago Red Stars’ Dani Colaprico last Saturday is fair. Tyler Lussi doesn’t have an ill-reputation, either as a rookie nor one from her college playing days. Could it have played a factor in say maybe she should have only received 2 matches? Probably, but the DisCo is at least consistent with making it loud and clear for everyone in the league – DO NOT PULL HAIR. Simple enough of a rule, right? That said, Tyler Lussi is not a dirty thug with anger issues. Merritt Mathias of the Seattle Reign FC is also not a dirty thug with anger issues, who also got suspended for three matches and an undisclosed fine for the same thing. Yes, shit just does happen on the field during the height of competition. No one is naive enough to think professional athletes are cordial for every single second of competition. There’s probably going to be another instance of this happening in the near future and yes we’ll all get angry about it. IT DOESN’T MEAN people can get on their social media and direct messages to the culprit and bully them about it. Empathy, kindness, respect. Look up what those words mean and try to live by their definitions. You just might enjoy the escapism of sports a little bit better that way.

Dom Dwyer said he hopes Sydney Leroux will be in Orlando with him soon. In other statements from the Department of DUH, the guy that’s in the White House isn’t popular nor good at his job.

The FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year top 10 nominees were released this week. – Lesson to the kids out there playing soccer: With hard work and persistence comes recognition of your contributions on the field, like elbowing people in the head. Just ask Carli Lloyd.

WEEK 19 PREDICTIONS
Playoff races are fun.

North Carolina Courage OVER Washington Spirit

  • The Courage continue to pad their lead atop the table. Next.

Boston Breakers and Orlando Pride play to a DRAW

  • You read that right. Breakers hold the Pride to a draw and every Orland Pride fan will direct their special brand of Mad Online at me for calling it.

Seattle Reign FC OVER Sky Blue FC

  • The Reign just got rid of one bugaboo and finally won in Chicago. I think they got their mojo back from the win and will keep it going against a Sky Blue FC that who really knows which version of them shows up.

Portland Thorns OVER Houston Dash

  • Mark Parsons remembers he can make up to three substitutions and really losing to FC Kansas City was inexcusable and they’ll take it out on Houston.

Chicago Red Stars OVER FC Kansas City

  • They shouldn’t lose to a Kansas City team that’s going nowhere. If they lose this one, it’ll be time to wonder out loud (and some here on this site might write about it) if they’re running out of gas and won’t have enough to get to the playoffs. They’re the superior team on paper and should rebound to show it on the field too.

And here’s your music video break. Enjoy.

Song: “Black & Gold” | Artist: Sam Sparro

Route Two Soccer – What Went Wrong with Sky Blue?

Posted on by RJ Allen

[media-credit name=”Kelley Piper” align=”alignnone” width=”300″][/media-credit]

It’s been a strange season for Sky Blue FC. They got off to a strong start, and spent most of the first half looking like serious playoff challengers. That came as a surprise to those who had judged them too young, too inexperienced, and too raw to make a serious push this year. And some of us continued to hold to that position well into the season. In mid-June, for example, I wrote a buy/sell/hold column and recommending selling on Sky Blue.

Immediately after that column, Sam Kerr went full superhero and the team reeled off a run of very impressive results. And while there were still obvious flaws in the squad, it wasn’t hard to see them doing enough to compensate for those problems. There was even a clear analogue between the Sky Blue of 2017 and the Western New York Flash of 2016—who also looked to be a few pieces away from the full puzzle but were able to hang onto the 4th playoff spot anyways.

But starting in the middle of July, the wheels started to come off, and the team is now in full crisis mode, having conceded 14 goals in their past three games (by comparison, North Carolina have conceded 14 goals over the whole season). Now, with the news dropping on Wednesday afternoon that head coach Christy Holly is stepping down from the job, it might be a useful time to reflect on how things got so bad.

However, before we get into the thick of it, it’s worth noting that Sky Blue are not out of the playoff race. It’s possible that was part of the motivation for Holly to make this move right now. Whether the fault rested with him (arguable, but by no means obvious), sometimes a change at the top can be useful to reset the system. And as long as they have Kerr terrorizing opposing defenses, there’s a shot. So it will certainly be interesting to watch the end of the season. They’re unlikely to fix everything that’s ailing them, but even some modest improvements might be enough. There are three key areas of concern.

Goalkeeping: Sheridan has been great, but needs a break

Kailen Sheridan has put together an extremely impressive rookie campaign. Confident, athletic, and decisive – she was one of the best keepers in the league through most of the season. But things have taken a turn for the worse, starting with the epic 5-4 match against Seattle. Sheridan took a number of hits that game and collapsed on the field at the final whistle. And the injuries have only continued to pile up. While she hasn’t missed any minutes, her range of motion is clearly suffering, and she has looked far more tentative over the past few games.

The best long-term approach would be to sit the young keeper for a few weeks to let her build back to 100%. It’s understandable that both Sheridan and the team are resistant – and it’s certainly possible that even at 70% Sheridan is the best option. But it’s far from an ideal situation.

Defense: Age, inexperience, and injuries

The defensive line is clearly the heart of the problem, and it was clearly a foreseeable problem as well. Their first choice back five at the start of the season featured four players 22-or-under and one player over 40. But it was hard to anticipate things collapsing quite this completely.

Relatively early in the season, Kelley O’Hara was brought back into the backline, which did make a huge difference. So her recent absence to injury has been a big loss. Without her movement and attacking quality in that fluid right wingback/fullback hybrid role, they’ve been far easier to pin back and much less stable.

Meanwhile, the other veteran on the backline has held off the march of time far longer than anyone could ever have expected. But time eventually defeats us all. And sadly, 2017 seems to be the year that age finally began to catch up with Christie Pearce. She started the season strong, playing as well in the first few months as we’ve seen from her in a long time. But since then, things have started to slip. The pace is still good, but it’s not quite as explosive. Her tackling is less precise. And while you’d be hard pressed to find a player with higher soccer intelligence, Pearce has finally started to look like a player whose body no longer is able to do what her brain needs it to do.

The youth movement has also hit some speed bumps. Sky Blue were lauded for their excellent draft—particularly for getting the duo of Mandy Freeman and Kayla Mills—and early in the season there were some positive returns. Freeman missed six weeks with injury, and even when healthy has suffered from all the expected problems that come with youth. The talent is clearly there, and she will be a rock in their defense for a long time, but she has not been the reliable presence that they’ve needed. Mills has almost limitless potential, but so far has been unable to translate that talent into consistent match performances. They’ve gotten some solid performances from Erica Skroski, but even she has been less dependable than she was last year—perhaps due to constantly being slotted into new positions with new obligations as much as anything else.

It should come as no surprise that young players would stumble, or that they would fade as the season progressed. The professional game is tougher and longer than their other experiences. It would have been surprising if they hadn’t faded a bit. That’s simply one of the dangers of building on youth. And all things considered, blooding young players, and hoping that they might be able to get you through the season probably wasn’t a terrible gamble. If they manage it, you hit the peak of your success cycle earlier than expected. If not … well, this wasn’t supposed to be a playoff team anyways. But with more experience, they might be ready to truly compete by 2018.

And that’s still a possibility. But it’s hard to look at the past few weeks and see a team building toward the future. With makeshift defenders filling in and struggling mightily to cope with expectations, Sky Blue has looked much more like a team on a downward slope than the reverse.

20/20 is perfect, of course, but it’s hard to look at the team right now and not think that they missed a chance to pick up a veteran defender at some point who could help plug some of these gaps. As it is, they’ve got the group that they’ve got. And it’s an open question whether they’ll be able to sort things out enough to at least close down the spigot of goals.

Midfield: Not enough ball-winning, not enough creativity

Team defensive breakdowns are rarely just the fault of the defense. And that’s certainly the case with Sky Blue this year. While the midfield unit is reasonably solid on paper, at times they’ve looked to be a bit less than the sum of their parts.

Look at the roster and you’ll see creative players, players with pace, players who can dribble, players who can shoot. But they’ve had a very difficult time finding an appropriate balance. And a lot of that has to do with the pairing in the middle: Sarah Killion and Raquel Rodriguez. When they’re both clicking, that can be a very successful combination. They’re similar players—all-around talents who can do a defensive job, hold possession, and make attacking runs. But when things aren’t working, it can break down pretty badly. They both tend to play narrow, and neither has the sort of defensive solidity that you’d want from a lock-down holding midfielder. As a result, Sky Blue haven’t really been able to close down the opposition in the midfield with a good ball-winner, nor have they been able to consistently hold possession once they do get the ball.

Combine those two with a rotating cast of often-good-but-inconsistent players like Nikki Stanton, Daphne Corboz, Taylor Lytle, and Madison Tiernan and the result is precisely what you’d expect: a team that can beat anyone on their day but that struggles to maintain much coherence from week to week.

There is a lot of talent here, and during the first part of the season, the mixing-and-matching worked out well enough. But one of the major themes of the past month has been the consistent breakdown of the midfield. Players have rotated in and out and there hasn’t been much coherence in the process.  Despite the presence of some players with a lot of creative potential (Corboz in particular), they simply haven’t been able to build the structure necessary to let that creativity flourish.

Who is to blame? And where do they go from here?

Under conditions like these, you certainly want to put some of the blame on the coach—whose job it is to develop a system into which players can fit without needing to reinvent the wheel each game. And whose responsibility it was to build a roster that could last over the long haul.

But it’s also important to remember the baseline that this team was working from: “young, developing, probably not ready yet.” So it’s important not to overstate the problems here.

Sky Blue overachieved at the start of the season, and that may have created some rising expectations. But all things considered, they’re right about where they ‘should’ be at the moment. Considering the serious injuries they’ve sustained, I would still rate their performance over the whole season as a modest coaching success.

It’s possible that Holly felt like he had taken the team as far as they could go under him, and he wanted to give them a chance to make the final playoff push with someone else. Perhaps the recent problems generated tension that made his position unsustainable. Perhaps there are other reasons that have little or nothing to do with the performance on the pitch.

But whatever the motivations for the change this week, taking a broad perspective and thinking about his full tenure on the job, there is plenty for Holly to be proud of. Whether or not Sky Blue is able to arrest their decline and make the playoffs this year, they are on far more stable ground than they were when he took on the job.

Breaking News: Breakers’ Amanda DaCosta Announces Retirement

Posted on by RJ Allen

The Boston Breakers have announced that midfielder Amanda DaCosta will retire following their game against the Orlando Pride this Saturday.

Prior to being traded to the Breakers in 2016, DaCosta played for the Chicago Red Stars in 2016 – having 14 appearances, the Washington Spirit in 2015 – scoring three goals in 17 appearances, Liverpool Ladies FC in the FA WSL – scoring three goals in 40 appearances with the team from 2012 to 2014, and the Boston Breakers of the WPSL Elite.  In the 2017 season, DaCosta has played 10 games for the Breakers.

Internationally, DaCosta played for the Portuguese national team in the UEFA Women’s European Championship, where Portugal failed to make it past the group stage on tiebreakers.

DaCosta had this to say about her retirement in the Breakers press release:

“Making this decision to retire from soccer was never going to be an easy one, and I want to thank the Boston Breakers for supporting me in this choice. I have opportunities happening around me that I can’t pass up at this point in my life, and I am looking forward to seeing where life after soccer takes me. I have so much love for my fans, friends, family, coaches, and teammates that I can’t begin to put into words. I am simply so grateful for each and every one of you for inspiring me, believing in me, and challenging me to be a better person and athlete. I can’t wait to continue to be a fan and spectator of the NWSL as I close this chapter. I have seen so much growth in women’s soccer over the past seven years of my career, and I know big things are in the future for us all.”

Unsung Hero of the Week: Hip-Hip Horan Leads Portland

Posted on by RJ Allen
Kelley Piper

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

This week I’ve chosen Portland Thorns midfielder Lindsey Horan.

The Colorado Native may only be 23-years-old, but she already has plenty of experience having played four years with the French giant Paris Saint-Germain from 2012-2015. She was certainly a force in her time overseas, scoring 46 goals in 58 appearances. Horan really developed further as a technical player and one who is gifted with a strong passing ability. She has also earned time on the U.S. National Team, becoming a regular now and already has 37 appearances and three goals.

Both teams had quite the star power and her current club team is no different, spoiled with Christine Sinclair (CAN), Tobin Heath (USA), Amandine Henry (FRA) and Nadia Nadim (DEN, each who are successful veterans of their respective National teams. Horan has fit in well in Portland, appearing in 33 games over her two years and contributing nine goals.

Portland 3-2 Chicago:

This was an intriguing matchup for several reasons; the pure star power each team has on paper, two of the best defenses in the NWSL and two clubs who are poised to likely meet in the playoffs in less than two months. Prior to this game, Portland had only scored five goals on the road all season long but they almost matched that total at Toyota Park in front of 4,934 people.

Despite missing a handful of key players the last few weeks due to the European Championships, the Portland Thorns came into this game riding a three-game win streak. They set the tone early, with Horan leading the way and Aussie Hayley Raso as her speedy sidekick. Both were getting involved in the attack early and it paid off to stun a Chicago club and honestly, I wasn’t expecting that fast of a start by the Thorns.

In the third minute (told you it was early!) Horan found herself not being pressured at all and had time to look up and pick who she wanted to give the ball to. The Chicago backline somehow let Sinclair and Raso in behind and with a blink of an eye and lovely 30-yard pass from inside her own half, the Thorns were in business. Raso caught up to Horan’s pass and two touches later found the back of the net, despite a valiant effort from Chicago keeper Alyssa Naeher.

Like I mention earlier, Horan has become known for her passing and it was on full display. I think it’s the most valuable part of her game, to be able to make those gorgeous passes not only to switch field or spring an attack but in tight spaces as well. This Portland team has many technical players but Horan was the one who stood out the most on this day.

Just a few minutes later, Horan tapped into another a part of her game, one that I have not paid much attention to until lately, her ability to dispossess threats. Last week she did a fantastic job keeping tabs on Houston’s midfield and more importantly worked well to minimize the threat known as Carli Lloyd. This particular play versus Chicago was impressive again because of the opponent–Christen Press, a player with 33 goals across her NWSL career, the second-most in league history. Horan took the ball so effortlessly from Press at midfield, another thing we don’t see, Press actually losing possession.

In the eighth minute, Horan put herself into position to receive a ball and then earned a corner against her fellow National Team teammate, Casey Short. Horan made the extra effort to make the run to drive 20 yards to the end line, giving her team yet another strong play.

The first 10 minutes Horan was everywhere, working a double-team on defense, spraying passes out wide or over the top, earning corners and helping keep possession for a lengthy amount of time. The energy she brought not only created chances on goal but momentum as well. Throughout the first half she also was making several aerial challenges, getting in the passing lanes to disrupt Chicago, just had a really calming presence overall.

Portland added another in the ninth minute, and then Chicago scored a goal in the 15th thanks to Press and again in the 38th minute to equalize before the half, and to make for a wide-open game once the players returned to the field.

Horan was back at it again in the 48th minute, this time executing another part of her game that I’m sure opposing fans don’t care for: the keen ability to draw fouls. It brings me to my next point, Horan is so good at keeping the ball close to her, she’s really mastered that control and it shows just how much work she has put in over the years and continues to do so with Portland. In doing, opponents often do foul her, hacking at her shins or getting in a hip check every now and then. Doesn’t matter, the concentration Horan displays with the ball sure is fun to watch.

That’s become part of her craft, putting herself in positions to draw a foul. At times, it’s so hard for defenders to get the ball, that giving a foul is the last resort and the easy way to try to break up her rhythm. On the flip side of that, Horan is also a player who loves to tackle and go after the ball, and has no problem contesting for it.

Portland would get the eventual game-winner in the 55th minute by way of defender Emily Sonnett, who has recently caught fire as well.

In the 66th minute Horan got a shot off on her own and while it went a few feet wide, I have no problem with her taking a chance from distance. Even if the shot wasn’t quite on frame, getting the keeper on their toes is important and you never know when you might sneak one by. Ten minutes later and Horan showed her skill while juggling to keep the ball while at the same time create space to get away from a defender. She maintained control and volleyed it to a teammate, not letting the pressure distract her. She had a player in her back pocket and could’ve easily cleared it upfield but instead, Horan made the quick decision and kept possession for the Thorns.

While it may not seem like a big deal or one with minimal significance, this game was completely unpredictable, each team scoring goals very fast and in lovely fashion. So, to make that kind of smart play that deep into the game to me showed that Horan was still focused and making sure she didn’t make a mistake that would cost her team.

In a game where Portland was missing Allie Long due to an excused absence, continued to play with out the injured Tobin Heath, and with Amandine Henry and Dagny Brynjarsdottir not quite having their usual impact, Horan stepped up in all the right ways. These three points were vital in the Thorns’ quest to secure to the first trophy of this season’s two trophies, the Supporters Shield, and an important confidence booster as they set their sights on the Championship game itself.

With the loss, Chicago drops to third place while Portland leapfrog them into the second spot. With seven games left in the regular season, the race for the playoffs is on and Portland seems to be heating up at just the right time.

Breaking News: Christy Holly Steps Down as Sky Blue FC Coach

Posted on by RJ Allen

Christy Holly has announced that he will be stepping down from his position as Sky Blue FC Head Coach, effective immediately.

Sky Blue FC President and General Manager Tony Novo had this to say about Holly’s departure:

“First and foremost, we want to thank Christy Holly for everything he has done for Sky Blue FC. From the first day he came to our club as an assistant coach, Christy has always been committed to Sky Blue FC, and we wish him nothing but the greatest of successes in whatever he chooses to do going forward.”

Holly, who has been head coach for Sky Blue FC since January 2016, held an overall record of 14-7-17. In the current season, Sky Blue FC is 7-2-9 and aiming for a place in the NWSL playoffs.

There has been no news of a head coaching replacement at this time.

6 Takeaways from NWSL: Week 16

Posted on by RJ Allen

Welcome to Week 16, where the table is starting to clarify, with three teams looking solid at the top and the middle of the pack in a desperate fight for that final spot. Where Portland continues to dominate Chicago on the road and the Orlando Pride have made a real case for their inclusion in this year’s postseason. Where injuries continue to plague the players, new and old. 

Read all about it in our takeaways this week!

Sonnett Leaves Past Behind, Makes an Impact for Portland – Alyssa Zajac

I’ll be the first to admit, Emily Sonnett has had some up-and-down moments this year for the Portland Thorns after a stellar first season as the No. 1 draft pick. I personally still cringe thinking about that one Rapinoe goal. Yikes.

However, Sonnett seems to have left the rough start to the season behind, as she has helped lift the Thorns into second place in the NWSL standings with two goals in two games–including the game-winner against a formidable Red Stars defense. As a center back, goal-scoring opportunities are extremely slim, so that goal-scoring record is not something to be taken lightly. Her ability to find the net is particularly important with a team like the Thorns, who can run hot and cold on set pieces. Only time will tell, but as we head into the final weeks of the season, Sonnett is looking like a key piece for the Thorns as both a defensive and offensive threat.

Spoiler Alert: The Final Stretch Is Key for Kansas City – Alyssa Zajac

FC Kansas City has had a rough season. Losing Amy Rodriguez to a season-ending injury in the first game of the season seems to have been a blow that couldn’t be overcome. Without her the offense has struggled, and despite a generally solid defense, they’ve suffered too many breakdowns (that 12-minute Sam Kerr hat-trick for a Sky Blue comeback win, anyone?) to sustain a realistic shot at the playoffs. But that doesn’t mean the end of the season won’t matter. They still have the chance to play a big role in the final playoff push, as a spoiler. Their next seven are all against teams in the playoff hunt (Portland, Chicago, Orlando, Sky Blue, Seattle, and Houston are currently in second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh, respectively, with just six points separating fourth through seventh). As teams make the final playoff push, every point counts. We saw evidence this weekend, when they stole three points from Houston in a road win that left the Dash further away from that final spot. With a win, Houston could have pulled to just three points away (with a game in hand). But thanks to a tough performance from FCKC, they’re now stuck six points off the playoff pace. The role of spoiler may not be what FCKC hoped for at this point, but they’ll certainly want to close the season strong. If they can do so, they can wreak havoc on the NWSL playoff standings. So hold on to your jerseys, kids – it’s going to be a wild race to the finish!

So, Orlando, What’s New – Elizabeth Wawrzyniak

18 games into the season and the Orlando Pride are sitting in fourth place on the table, just above that playoff cutoff, and man, it’s gotta feel good. In just their second year in the league, and after last year’s dismal finish, Orlando has always been the kind of team that could have, should have, you know? Flush with talent–Alex Morgan and Ashlyn Harris to start, and then adding Ali Krieger and Marta this season, not to mention all the other playmakers on their roster–the Pride have never wavered from the belief that they should be one of the top teams in the league. And finally, finally, they’re starting to make good on that belief. Whether it was Marta who brought the spark to Orlando’s attack, or Krieger who firmed up the defense, or Morgan who fit the final puzzle piece into its spot, Orlando has been on run. And it’s come without their talismanic goalkeeper, Ashlyn Harris, who missed two months after an injury suffered earlier this season. Now, with six games left, they need to play better than they’ve ever played before to hold onto that playoff spot. And their journey to the postseason won’t be easy–they only have three home games left, and their road record is unimpressive. Their schedule is also tough, with games against the current top two (North Carolina and Portland) as well as one against the Seattle team who will be hoping to steal that final playoff spot from them. They do have a bit of luck, though, in their other games: two against Boston and one against Kansas City. On form, and barring any colossal mistakes, they should be able to count on at least 6 points from those games, if not all 9. They’ll certainly want to get as much as possible from their more difficult games, but those easier ones might end up being the difference between a chance at the playoffs and an early end to the season.

Ain’t No Call for That – Elizabeth Wawrzyniak

Last week I praised Tyler Lussi’s performance for the Portland Thorns. And, yes, I stand by that. But if you think that praise last week means overlooking this week’s card-worthy incident against Danielle Colaprico and the Chicago Red Stars, please step back and maybe put on your reading glasses.

Lussi was subbed in for Dagny Brynjarsdóttir in the 61’ (she took the field at 60:17, in fact). Less than 20 seconds later (60:32), she’d taken down Colaprico with a vicious hair-tug and stepped on her wrist. We saw a similar incident earlier in the season with Seattle Reign’s Merritt Mathias, who received a three-game suspension after a violent hair-pulling against Emily Sonnett of the Portland Thorns. She’d been caught on camera doing the same just the week before to Allysha Chapman of the Boston Breakers and received a yellow for it.

I’ve watched the scene from this weekend’s game time and time again, and I can think of no reason the referee didn’t call her for that misconduct. It wasn’t off on the sidelines away from the ball and it wasn’t covert; this was a flat-out yank of Colaprico’s hair that pulled her whole head and body back before she fell down. The stepping on her wrist after she’d fallen? Maybe you could write that off as unintentional, as the consequence of physics–a body in motion and all–but the two incidents together demanded an intervention from the referee. He briefly talked to Lussi, yes, but all that shows is that he saw what happened and still didn’t think it was worthy of a booking. And that’s unthinkable. I don’t care if she’d just come into the game–this isn’t the kind of contact that earns you a quick warning about keeping your play clean. This was the kind of contact that deserved a yellow, at minimum. And honestly, I’ve seen players commit less egregious fouls and be handed a straight red.

If it were up to me? Lussi’s earned herself a game or two suspension and a fine to go along with it.

It’s Time for PRO to Take a Look at NWSL Referees – Jordan Small

In Week 16 of Year 5 of the NWSL, we are somehow still having a conversation better suited for Year 1 or 2. The referees in the NWSL continue to put players at risk by not properly doing their job. Early in the season, it seemed as if penalty kicks were being handed out like candy. Now, we are seeing fouls being called all over the field, but no cards accompanying these foul calls.

While not every play calls for a card, repeated fouls by a single player or an excessive use of force absolutely should result in a card. There were two prominent examples this weekend of the referees seemed to have lost control of the game. First, Angela Salem of the Boston Breakers, who was shown a yellow card in the 94th minute for a foul on Tori Huster. But according to Spirit head coach Jim Gabarra this was too little, too late. Handing out the first booking of the game that far into the match effectively eliminates any possible deterrent effect. Then you have Tyler Lussi of the Portland Thorns, as discussed in the previous takeaway.

I understand that referees will not see everything all the time. And some calls will always be tough ones, with fans on both sides having a reasonable case. But this isn’t about individual tough decisions. It’s about a general lack of control over games. The spectacles we’ve seen in recent weeks are an embarrassment to the league and its players. The NWSL and PRO Referees need to take a serious look at how they are officiating these games before it becomes irreversibly dangerous.

Carli Lloyd Injury Could Break the Dash’s Playoff Hopes – Jordan Small

Carli Lloyd has had a huge impact on the Houston Dash since returning from Manchester City. After making her 2017 debut on June 18, Lloyd has played 89 or more minutes in 6 of her 8 appearances. And during that time, the Dash went on a tear, picking up the majority of their points on the season. In one particularly impressive run from the end of June and into July, they earned 11 points over a five game span.

After Lloyd was removed against Kansas City this week, the Dash looked lost. Not only is she a huge part of the midfield for Houston, she is their captain and has led this team since Kealia Ohai’s season-ending ACL injury. If Lloyd is unable to play for the next couple of weeks, Houston will have to try and replace a large piece of their midfield. With Morgan Brian out for an indefinite amount of time, Lloyd’s injury could really break the Houston Dash’s season.

 

The Unknown International: Alanna Kennedy

Posted on by RJ Allen

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The NWSL may be an American soccer league, but many of its best players come from outside of the United States. This series takes a look at those players and analyzes their style of play, the role they take on in their national team, and the role they play in their club. This week, we’ll take a look at Australian international Alanna Kennedy of the Orlando Pride.

Who Is She?

Alanna Kennedy is a 22-year-old defender/defensive midfielder. Towering at nearly 6-feet-tall, Kennedy started as a midfielder, then moved to the role of central defender, and now alternates between the two positions depending on which team she is playing for and under what circumstances. She has been in the Australian system for nearly a decade but made her formal debut with the senior team in 2012 against New Zealand. She has played at the senior level since she was fifteen-years-old when she joined Sydney FC. In her career, she has won the Australian W-League Premiership and the NWSL Championship. In 2015-2016, she was named Sydney FC’s Player of the Year.

The Matildas

Kennedy has played with the Matildas since 2012 when she made her debut against regional rival New Zealand. Kennedy spent her early career playing under Tom Sermanni, who is now her head coach with the Orlando Pride. Earlier this season, Sermanni spoke about how Kennedy joined the Matildas as a midfielder, but at 17-years-old, he thought she was too “gangly” and couldn’t keep up with the pace of the midfield. He moved her to the role of central defender, where she still plays with her national team today. Kennedy has been with the team throughout their rise, starting with the Women’s World Cup in 2015. Since then, she has also played in the 2016 Rio Olympics (where the Matildas reached the Quarterfinals) and won the inaugural Tournament of Nations against the United States, Brazil, and Japan.

Orlando Pride

Kennedy joined the Orlando Pride this offseason, after winning the NWSL Championship with the Western New York Flash (now the North Carolina Courage). Early in the season, Kennedy became a consistent starter, playing in the role of central defender. As the season went on, Toni Pressley earned herself a consistent starting role and Sermanni decided to move Ali Krieger from outside defender to central defender, pushing Kennedy to her current role in the defensive midfield. Since that move, Kennedy has scored three goals and earned one assist. She has appeared in all 17 matches for the Pride this season, earning 16 starts. Her goal with this team is the same as it was in New York: to win a championship.