RJ and Charles are back to talk about that match against Sweden.
Welcome to American Soccer: Cashing In On Equality
This is the third article in a series titled “Welcome to American Soccer,” which focuses on providing equal treatment and access to soccer in the United States. The articles focus on where U.S. Soccer stands on a variety of issues and where they need to improve.
In May 2017, English FA Chief Greg Clarke acknowledged how men’s soccer had fallen behind in LGBT equality. Speaking at an event called “Rainbow Laces,” at Old Trafford in Manchester, Clarke said that men’s soccer was “a couple of decades” behind the women’s game with regards to LGBT equality.
“I was at the Women’s FA Cup final and it was great, inclusive—there were gay people, straight people, transgender people, and it was a wonderful occasion,” Clarke said. “For me, when the finals in the men’s competition have the same feel, we will have succeeded. It is about the when the men’s game starts to feel as inclusive as the women’s game—then we are there.”
Clarke was praised in many circles for these comments, and rightfully so. However, while it is true that the women’s game is much more LGBT friendly than the men’s game, I do not believe that any soccer league or federation has gone far enough when it comes to respect for and inclusion of LGBT people.
Gender and sexual orientation play a different role in sports. Thus, I will divide this article into two sections: the first will look at the U.S. Soccer Federation’s approach to sexual orientation, while the second will examine policies and practices surrounding transgender and gender non-conforming people.
Sexual Orientation
U.S. Soccer has made efforts in recent years to be supportive of diverse sexual orientations, and that has been reflected to some extent both on and off the pitch. Both the men’s and women’s senior national teams have worn rainbow numbers on their jerseys for Pride month. They have donated money to LGBT organizations. Most MLS and NWSL teams have Pride nights.
In the women’s game, players of diverse sexual orientations are not hard to find. Megan Rapinoe, who is openly gay, has used her platform to promote LGBT respect and inclusion. Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger announced their engagement in People magazine last month, earning a wave of support.
The men’s game is not quite there yet. However, MLS has had two openly gay players. Robbie Rogers, who played for the U.S. national team, came out as gay in 2013. That same year, he joined the L.A. Galaxy and became the first openly gay player in MLS history. In 2018, Collin Martin, who plays for Minnesota United, came out as gay ahead of the team’s Pride night. With that announcement, he became the only openly gay male player in all of North America’s major sports leagues.
But both the men’s and women’s teams have run into issues with sexual orientation. For MLS, this includes suspending players and fans for homophobic comments. But the best example of U.S. Soccer’s ongoing struggle is the situation with Jaelene Hinkle.
In 2017, Hinkle was called up to the senior U.S. women’s team for a couple of friendlies. The matches were in June, and this was the first year U.S. Soccer decided to wear rainbow numbers to celebrate Pride month. Following the announcement, Hinkle withdrew from the camp and later revealed that she did so because of her homophobic beliefs.
The decision isolated Hinkle from the U.S. team for a while. But in 2018, she earned another call-up. U.S. Soccer’s decision left many LGBT fans feeling betrayed.
“It just shows they’re full of crap,” Kelly Trione said in an interview with SBNation. “They may legally be a non-profit, but it’s all about the money and they didn’t even try and pretend it wasn’t.”
It’s decisions like this that lead some LGBT players to stay in the closet and some fans to avoid the game altogether. While U.S. Soccer has done more than other federations when it comes to inclusion and respect for diverse sexual orientations, they have not done enough to stand up to discrimination in big moments—especially if it threatens their profit.
Gender
As the world becomes more gender-inclusive, U.S. Soccer is not the only federation dealing with tough questions. There is the less-difficult question of welcoming transgender players who still fall within the gender binary. A transgender man should be allowed to play for the men’s team. A transgender woman should be allowed to play for the women’s team. This shouldn’t be as controversial as it is, but across almost all sports, teams are failing to take the proper action.
But U.S. Soccer, like almost all other sports, also needs to confront the gender binary. Teams and leagues are divided into two gender categories. Where can people play if they identify as something else? What about players who are nonbinary?
As society becomes more gender-inclusive, this is going to be an increasingly important issue for leagues and youth systems to challenge. Unfortunately, the current inaction seems to suggest that soccer is okay leaving people behind.
The U.S. Soccer policy on gender says that in youth leagues, children should be allowed to play under the gender they identify as, as long as that identity can be confirmed by a doctor or a counselor. But it doesn’t say anything about nonbinary children, and it does not apply to professional leagues. According to U.S. Soccer, FIFA would need to take action before they can at the professional level.
Whatever reasons U.S. Soccer gives, the reality is that the environment created by the sport does not welcome gender diversity. Transgender athletes are prevented from reaching the highest level of their sport, if they are even welcome to play at all. Nonbinary athletes have nowhere to go.
This ultimately will require global soccer to rethink the gender binary and the way that FIFA has organized based on gender.
“Part of it is breaking down the sexism in sports,” Chris Mosier, a transgender man who competes with Team USA in triathlons, said in an interview with ESPN. “Since sport is so binary, it becomes complicated for anyone who is not male or female. We need to have conversations about what gender actually is and what are the attributes of a successful athlete.”
U.S. Soccer, like many major sports, has a long way to go before they create a truly inclusive environment for athletes of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity. They have made progress with sexual orientation but failed to stand firmly against discrimination. With gender identity, they are lagging behind, along with the rest of the sports world. They say they support LGBT athletes and fans: it’s time to take some action.
Song Remains the Same for Sky Blue to Start 2019
If fans of Sky Blue FC were hoping for a spark to distract from the off-season craziness they didn’t get it on Saturday when the team dropped two second half goals to the Washington Spirit in a 2-0 loss. The game was eerily similar to many of their 2019 games where the midfield was erratic and chances at goal were few.
Not too much blame can be put on head coach Denise Reddy. Her team had difficulty signing draft picks in the and the constant state of flux around the team may be making it impossible to stay focused on soccer. However, the tactics could have been altered against a Washington team that had their own problems in 2018. Instead it was much the same as Sky Blue suffered from mental lapses at key moments of the game.
“There are so many things that are different,” said Washington Spirit captain Andi Sullivan when describing the week one winners. “So many new faces, coaching staff is different, everything is different. So on the field, it feels like a totally different team and it’s a fresh start.”
That quote may sting both fans and players on Sky Blue who see many of the same issues from 2018. Washington made significant stride to avoid their horrid campaign, yet Sky Blue seems to be on the trajectory towards another disappointing run.
It is just week one. However it is difficult to separate the issues of last year from what plagued the team on the field against the Spirit on Saturday. In fact, it could be stated that Sky Blue has adopted many of DC’s issues quite literally. Three out of the five players brought in this off-season where from the Spirit last year.
Going into this week’s game against Houston, Sky Blue’s home opener, the search for progress will be paramount. A result of some kind would be optimal but a sense of growth and optimism is what is sorely needed.
Route Two Soccer: Houston and Reign FC fight out a fascinating 1-1 draw
Houston and the Reign met this weekend for an enthralling and exciting game, which saw a lot of fast-paced play, some impressive performances on both sides, and more than a few mistakes. For a game that was a joy to watch, the key moments unfortunately often had more to do with errors than with execution. The key drama came at the end, with a penalty earned, and saved, in literally the final minute of the game. But for this article, I want to focus less on the goals and controversies and more on how the teams set themselves up. In each case, there are fascinating lessons to learn about how these two strong teams will play in 2019.
Houston set up very similar to their approach from 2018, in a 4-3-3, with three central midfielders trying to occupy the middle, two wingers trying to cover some significant defensive responsibilities while also getting forward to spread the opposition’s defensive line, and with play often going through Rachel Daly at the tip of the spear.
However, as the first half began to unfold, there was also some crucial differences. First, Houston pressed more aggressively here than they ever had the previous year. For a Reign team hoping to settle into the game by building out slowly, it was a nightmare, with orange shirts constantly interfering and disrupting play.
Second, new additions Sophie Schmidt and Christine Nairn provided precisely the kind of bite and positional awareness that Houston was desperately missing in their previous campaign. Schmidt in particular shined in this game, constantly clogging up passing channels, stepping forward to disrupt play and intercept passes, and making measured forward runs when the situation called for it. Her performance was a perfect example of how installing a solid gyroscope in the holding role can stabilize the entire team’s structure. And while Nairn was slightly less involved, her presence was also crucial. She had a knack for always seeming to be in the right place, receiving short passes and immediately turning to push the ball forward into space.
The result was a Houston team that still played much the same as in previous years–a direct style, focused on quick attacking passes, trying to create space for the wingers to move at speed–but which also managed to control possession, ending up well ahead of the Reign in both passing attempts and completions. For a team that regularly looked helpless trying to keep the ball last year, this is a significant change.
In the first half, this combination was lethal and the Dash were rampant. They closed down the Reign possession high up the pitch, forcing awkward passes, and generally making it impossible for them to play. This is precisely what led to the opening goal. Though the proximate cause was Theresa Nielsen dilly-dallying in her own box and getting stripped of possession by Nichelle Prince, the setup was a high press that forced the ball back into that position in the first place.
However, things did not go quite as well in the second half, which is a good indication of the risks of this new, more aggressive Houston approach. Whereas last year, after the Dash took a lead, they could rely on dropping deep and setting a low block to frustrate the opposition, this team didn’t seem as willing to commit to defending deep. But they also couldn’t maintain the same levels of high pressure. As a result, the Reign found their way back into the game, finding more room to work with, and probing for gaps in between the Houston lines.
That provides a clear indication of where the Dash will need to focus their attention going forward. Watching them use the whole pitch this weekend was a great sign that they see themselves as capable of taking the game to the opposition. The big question is whether they will be able to successfully adapt their tactics from game to game as opponents and conditions change. New head coach James Clarkson certainly defined this as a project going forward, saying “we have to be able to adapt our tactics, our formation, and the way we play. We’ll look at each opponent separately and develop a game plan.”
For a Houston team that played much the same last year no matter who or when they played, that will be a real change.
For the Reign, this was very much a game of two halves. But even more than that, it was a game of two halves in the first half alone. They came out in a 4-2-3-1, with Allie Long and Morgan Andrews in the double pivot, and with Shea Groom as the number 10. This is a setup with a lot of potential. Long is an excellent player in that #6 role, especially when she is paired with another holding player, since it gives her license to step forward when useful. It also puts Groom into her best role, giving her the ability to move in between the lines and to move with the ball at her feet.
However, the Reign struggled mightily to get ahold of the game, and before they really had a chance to even show how this approach would work, Jasmyne Spencer had to come off for a knee injury, forcing a reallocation of players. Elise Kellond-Knight entered, taking one of the holding roles, while Long moved forward and Groom moved out right. Unfortunately for the Reign, none seemed all that comfortable for the rest of the first half. Long has obviously played the #10 role many times before, but she is not really a playmaker. Groom, similarly, has played on the right wing for most of her career, but was isolated for this period, struggling to put herself into positions to receive the ball. Kellond-Knight simply did not look up to the pace of the game. She did very little in possession, nor was she able to exert a calming influence in defense.
To the extent that they found success in the opening half, it came almost entirely from the work of Darian Jenkins and Celia Jiménez Delgado down the left flank. Every attempt to build through the middle faltered, as Andrews and Kellond-Knight were harried in possession.
The Reign also faced real difficulties in defense. This was mostly not down to tactics, but more a matter of execution. In particular, Theresa Nielsen in the right back position seemed well off the pace, and was repeatedly beat by Nichelle Prince, most notably for the goal. It didn’t help that she was given relatively little support from the right wingers–with Spencer doing almost no tracking back, through Groom did put in more of a defensive shift. The center backs were also exposed several times. Rachel Daly is a lot to handle, but they let her wriggle free more than they would have liked. And the situation wasn’t helped when the Reign were forced into a second injury substitution in the 40th minute, with Megan Oyster coming off.
However, after the halftime break, they came out looking far more settled, and were able to exert far more influence on the game. There were no major structural changes, but there was one interesting wrinkle that seemed to make a difference. While Groom continued to play on the right, she regularly pinched in, and also pressed forward. In the deeper role, she added an additional body to the central midfield, giving the Reign extra numbers and helping them stabilize there. In the more advanced positions, she almost functioned like a second striker, allowing them to operate as a sort of lopsided 4-4-2, with Groom back in that playmaking space that the initial setup was supposed to grant her.
With this change, the Reign found far more success with the ball, and were finally able to get Jodie Taylor regularly involved. It created a number of good chances, like this one here, which shows the potential of players who can move into these key central players with no clear markers to corral them. In those gaps, Groom began to play a more significant role, receiving the ball with space to dribble and playmake. And as Houston struggled to challenge her, it also created more room for Long to do what she does best: float away from her markers, receive the ball, and quickly push play forward. That potential is illustrated in this move:
Of course, there are also dangers to this approach. With Groom pinched in, the Reign often left huge exposed spaces on the right wing. To compensate, Long put in a good shift, often drifting wider to fill that space when needed, and Nielsen got more into the swing of the game. But the Reign were also lucky that Houston did little to capitalize on the opportunities.
Going forward, it will be interesting to see whether this was a mere one-off experiment, or whether the Reign decide to employ Groom in this sort of creative winger role more regularly. It’s certainly a role that the Reign have some familiarity with – as Megan Rapinoe has increasingly played in precisely this sort of creative winger role. At the moment, they seem to lack the personnel to make it truly effective. Having to use Long in the #10 left them with two holding players that looked overmatched for much of the game. But once Jess Fishlock returns, which would free Long to play her best position as a ball-controlling #6, this could be a potentially devastating setup.
With the World Cup coming, the Reign will be losing their key creative spark, Megan Rapinoe. This game went some way to demonstrating that they could well survive that absence. Groom on the right could play much the same creative role, and Jenkins showed clearly that she is more than capable of producing a dominant attacking performance as well. If Long – whose ability to dictate play and keep possession is absolutely critical – goes to France, that may be far more difficult to sustain. But if not, the Reign could be one of the few teams to survive those months relatively unscathed.
The Game Changers: Week One
The Game Changers is a weekly series looking at the three most important results of each week. Each section will look at one team and how its win, loss, or draw impacts the season.
As the NWSL season begins, some teams are looking to reassert their dominance, while others are hoping to start a new chapter in their club’s history. Some succeeded in their quests, while others will be turning back to the drawing board. Here are the Week One results:
Washington Spirit vs. Sky Blue (2-0)
North Carolina Courage vs. Chicago Red Stars (1-1)
Orlando Pride vs. Portland Thorns (0-2)
Reign FC vs. Houston Dash (1-1)
The North Carolina Courage Start 2019 With A Draw
The North Carolina Courage had a historic 2018 season. They won the Supporters’ Shield with 15 points more than No. 2 Portland Thorns, and broke the “Shield curse” by winning the NWSL Championship. The Courage are considered one of the best teams in the world, and they were hoping to start once again with three points.
But the Courage were unable to get the win in their season opener. Despite having many good chances in the first half, it was Chicago who got on the scoreboard first at the feet of, of course, Sam Kerr. Dunn curled the ball into the back of the net in the 66th minute to equalize, and both teams had decent chances after that to find a winner. But neither team could score, and the match ended in a draw.
The Courage are far from panicking. The Chicago Red Stars are a good team, and perhaps looked better than anticipated on Saturday. But for a team that only had one loss and two draws last season, the Courage will not be satisfied with that result. Maybe they will be less superhuman in 2019– or maybe the opener was just a small bump in the road.
Houston Dash Draw Against The Reign
Houston was a decent team last year, and so it might not seem like a major accomplishment that in their first match against Reign FC, they earned a draw. But watching the final moments of this game, it felt like one that a Dash team of the past would have lost at the last second.
Reign FC suffered two bad injuries in the first half– to Jasmyne Spencer and Megan Oyster– that threw off the whole rhythm of their game. But Houston looked good. They scored their first goal within ten minutes, off the foot of Nichelle Prince. Daly had another chance just a few minutes later. Multiple good saves by Michelle Betos kept the game at 1-0 until Darian Jenkins took a shot that deflected off the foot of a Houston defender and into the goal. With the game at 1-1, Houston was looking for more. But in stoppage time, Jane Campbell fouled Jodie Taylor inside the box and gave Reign FC a PK.
It seemed like Houston was about to lose. But Taylor didn’t take the best PK, Campbell got the save, and the game ended in a draw.
I’m not saying the Dash have solved all the problems that would have caused them to lose a game like that in years past. But the fact that they didn’t lose is significant. If they can get points out of close matches, they have a chance to fight for a playoff spot. This is a good starting point for them.
Orlando Struggles in 0-2 loss to Portland
It is not surprising that Orlando lost their season opener to Portland. This happens almost every year. What is surprising is just how much Orlando struggled on the pitch, particularly in the first half. Orlando has two of the greatest strikers in the world– Marta and Alex Morgan– up top, but they couldn’t get out of their own half. The defense didn’t seem to know what was going on, and the midfield was non-existent. The only thing standing between Orlando and the abyss was some fantastic goalkeeping skills from Ashlyn Harris.
Orlando is in their first season with a new head coach. Some growing pains are to be expected. But Orlando didn’t really solve their roster problems in the offseason, and it showed on Sunday. The team got better in the second half, particularly when Camila came on for Chioma Ubogagu. And Orlando fans will note that Alanna Kennedy and Emily van Egmond were both out at the last minute with illness. But that alone does not explain just how bad Orlando looked.
I don’t think Harris was hoping to start her season facing 22 shots and being forced to make six saves. If Orlando wants to competitive in this league, they’ll have to step up their game.
Quick Kicks: Ladies and Gentlemen, Please Vaccinate Your Children
RJ and Luis was back for week 1 of the NWSL season. They answer some fan questions, talk about the four matched played and predict the upcoming matches for week 2.
Backline Chat: The NWSL is back!
Charles Olney (@olneyce): Welcome to the first Backline chat of the 2019 NWSL season. We have four matches under our belts, and a lot of material to cover. To kick things off, let’s stay big picture. Did anyone see anything this weekend that changed their expectations for the year? Or is the sample size still too small to draw any conclusions?
Allison Cary (@findingallison): Too small, for me. Everything I can comment about this weekend, I can also blow off as a bad game. Or a good one
RJ Allen (@TheSoccerCritic): It looked very Week 1 of the season to me. But I do think Portland and Houston were stand outs for me so far in this season. Both looked better in some ways already than their 2018 form.
Luis Hernandez (@radioactivclown): It’s still early. Most teams looked to still be in preseason mode. I felt Portland and Chicago looked the best while North Carolina was exactly what I expected.
Charles Olney: The closest I can say is that Orlando might be even worse than I was expecting. But that’s really only one the evidence of a single half. And as Allison says, anyone can have a bad half. Still, it was a REALLY bad half.
Luis Hernandez: The second half was better. I’ve watch Orlando a bit in the preseason and I know what Skinner wants to instill. It’s going to take time.
Allison Cary: I feel like the Houston game is one they would have lost in the past. Granted, they almost choked. But it meant something to me that they didn’t.
RJ Allen: Houston played like a team with a plan and the ability to (mostly) complete that plan. Which is an upgrade for them.
Allison Cary: Exactly @rjallen, completely agree.
Charles Olney: I feel like Houston did a lot to push off the unlucky loser dynamic last year, when they actually got results in lots of games that (to my eyes) they shouldn’t have. But I agree with Allison that there was something specific about those final minutes that felt different. There was definitely an intensity, combined with a joyfulness, in the Houston players post match. They knew they played well, and felt good about being able to repeat it.
Luis Hernandez: I feel better about Houston and less so for the Reign. That team can’t afford more injuries. As for the Dash, I still think they can do better but I was pleased.
RJ Allen: I do wonder if Washington looked better or if Sky Blue are just somehow worse. More matches are needed there, for sure.
Charles Olney: To dial in a little bit, let’s talk through each match briefly. Starting with North Carolina-Chicago. It was a rematch of last year’s semifinal (the #DrainageDerby), and North Carolina picked up where they left off. But Chicago managed to hang onto a draw. What were people’s thoughts there?
RJ Allen: North Carolina’s whole MO is to take a bunch of shots and have a few land. They looked a bit rusty which happens early in a season. Plus having McCall Zerboni not look 100% yet changes how that midfield plays. She is really what drove them forward.
Allison Cary: I thought it was North Carolina’s game to lose. After such a dominant season, not being able to get three points out of your home opener isn’t exactly where you wanted to start. But credit to Chicago for going toe-to-toe with them.
Luis Hernandez: I think North Carolina could have been more sharp in the attack, and if they had cleaned that up they could have beaten the Red Stars.
Charles Olney: This very much felt like a game that NC dominated – and I fully expected them to do their normal thing of reeling off two or three goals around the 60th minute. But they didn’t, and Chicago actually ended up with the final great chance. I do think that was more to Carolina being unable to put them away than any special performance from them.
But from Chicago’s perspective, getting a point away to North Carolina, in a game they didn’t actually play that well, is hardly a bad way to start the season.
Allison Cary: Yeah, I’m happy if I’m Chicago.
RJ Allen: That is the magic of Sam Kerr.
Luis Hernandez: However, I felt the Red Stars came in with a smart game plan and Chicago was able to get a result. Taking points from the Courage at Cary is going to be a win for any team.
Charles Olney: I do sort of disagree there. I don’t think Chicago really had a great game plan. The Courage ran right through them most of the game and they depended a lot on excellent performances from the keeper and center backs. Which…it succeeded, I guess, and maybe there wasn’t any better option available. But I don’t think it was a successful game plan. But we’ll have to see them with a full strength team to really draw any conclusions, I think.
Charles Olney: Okay, the other Saturday game was Washington-Sky Blue. In the matchup of the two bottom teams from last year, Washington managed to find a win. How much of that was due to improvements on their end, and how much was due to Sky Blue’s continued problems?
RJ Allen: 40% improvements and 60% Sky Blue being terrible.
Charles Olney: I’ll admit this is one that I’ve still only seen the first half of. But at least there, the quality on both sides was still pretty lacking. But Washington at least seemed to be reasonably coherent, and occasionally exciting. It was, as usual, hard to even tell what Sky Blue thought they were doing.
RJ Allen: Sky Blue just looked bad. And I’m not sure there is anything that can be done at this point that isn’t new ownership or moving the team to fix it. A lot of the changes are a bit like putting lipstick on a pig.
Charles Olney: You do have to wonder about a team coming straight out of preseason, when they’ve had a month to talk about their approach and style, with no particular idea of how to play. And a coach whose postgame comments make clear that she doesn’t have a vision, either. That’s bad, no matter how you dress it up.
Allison Cary: Neither team really looked “good.” I feel like they’re gonna be hard to judge until they go up against other opponents, but if I’m Sky Blue I’m pretty terrified.
Luis Hernandez: The Washington/SkyBlue game was really hard to watch, and I’m not taking Yahoo Sports stream.
Charles Olney: We’ve spent a lot of time on these chats feeling sad about Sky Blue, so let’s turn our attention to the positive side. Do people see this Washington with a real chance to break out from the bottom tier? Or not? Or, again, still too soon to know?
Luis Hernandez: I can’t say too much against the Spirit since they won. I’m reserving judgment on them until they play a game or two more.
Allison Cary: I think it’s too soon but… I’m not encouraged.
Luis Hernandez: It just isn’t an accurate indicator because of who they played.
Charles Olney: The Spirit have Utah next weekend, which could be a good match to tell us a lot about both teams. Or maybe will end up being another game that will just leave us scratching our heads for more data.
The one thing I’ll say for the Spirit is that, whatever the history behind Burke as a coach (which I continue to think has not been taken nearly seriously enough by the team), he seems to be pretty popular at the moment with the players.
Allison Cary: Yeah, I’m not really a fan but I guess I’ll give him a chance to change my mind.
Charles Olney: The real test will be when things go poorly for a while, so it’s absolutely something to keep our eyes on.
Charles Olney: Okay, turning to Sunday’s games, the first was Orlando-Portland. As we’ve already mentioned, the first half was very good for Portland and very not good for Orlando, but the second was much more even. Thoughts on what that tells us?
I’ll start with the controversial statement that Tobin Heath looked very very good, which is a good sign for the US this summer, but a bad sign for other NWSL teams.
Luis Hernandez: It’s going to be a rough year for the Pride. Portland was Portland. Very good. Talented. Deep.
RJ Allen: Orlando is not a good soccer team and hasn’t really been since they were founded. For a team that has some of the best players in the world it is not a good sign. I understand it takes time to build a team and with a new coach it takes more. But they do not have 1-20 a good or solid roster.
Allison Cary: Even if they aren’t as bad as they were in the first half, Orlando is not gonna be able to compete with the top teams in this league.
Charles Olney: In some ways, I wonder if that great run at the end of 2017 actually ended up hurting the Pride overall. I think it’s pretty clear on the evidence of the past few years that this roster isn’t actually a world-beating group, but for a couple months they just looked that way. But because they had that success, they maybe stuck with the plan longer than might have otherwise happened.
Luis Hernandez: Orlando had to field supplemental players in the first match. What else do people need to know?
Charles Olney: That said, it was pretty clear this offseason that things needed changing, and they didn’t change much, so maybe not.
Allison Cary: Yeah, they didn’t fix their problems from last year. Even with a new head coach, they needed to do more. It’s gonna be a long year.
Luis Hernandez: The main problem from last year was that they underachieved.
Charles Olney: I do think there’s space in this squad to set things up for the next few years, in anticipation of the team that will come after Morgan and Marta leave. But it may be a bit of a slog.
RJ Allen: The league wants Orlando to be a good team. They might even need Orlando to be a good team. So I hope they can get it together.
Luis Hernandez: I know sports isn’t about patience but that’s exactly what everyone will need to have for the Pride. The roster isn’t even complete.
RJ Allen: That makes it so much worse though.
Luis Hernandez: And look at the first ten matches for Orlando, it’s brutal. Hi. Let’s play Portland at home then travel to North Carolina then to the Reign in one week.
Charles Olney: For Portland, any other thoughts? They looked good, certainly. Better than I was expecting for them out of the gate. I do really worry about what they’ll be able to do during the World Cup, but if they can play this well outside of that window it may not matter.
RJ Allen: I do think they dip a bit during the World Cup but I think they will still end up in the playoff picture and end strong.
Allison Cary: They looked impressive, albeit with very little resistance.
Luis Hernandez: Yeah, I wanted to call out Kling for a dirty foul on Morgan that didn’t get called.
Allison Cary: Yeah, that was a bad missed call.
Charles Olney: I think we’re all pretty sick of rough play going uncalled. This was just one more example.
RJ Allen: A lot of players in the league play to whatever level of reffing there is. Kling is one of them. If they let her get away with murder, she and a lot of other players will go for it.
Luis Hernandez: The Thorns need to grab all the points while they have their starters. They will make the playoffs. I didn’t think they would until Sunday.
RJ Allen: Can we talk about the surprise front runner for best match of the week now?
Charles Olney: Absolutely. In the final game of the weekend, Houston drew with Reign FC. I was able to make it up to Houston for this one, and it was one of the most enjoyable games I’ve attended in a long time. We’ve already talked a bit about Houston, but any further thoughts there, or about the Reign?
Allison Cary: Injuries suck
RJ Allen: Two subs for two hurt players in quickly is going to hurt any team. I think Seattle handled it about as well as you could.
Allison Cary: Yeah, especially considering who they lost and who was already out.
Charles Olney: I’ve got a full post coming up on the site about this game, so I won’t repeat myself too much here. But the main point I do want to hit is that I saw qualities from both of these teams that helped answer some of the lingering questions I had about them.
RJ Allen: Houston had 8 shots on goal. 8! And they were good chances too.
Charles Olney: Houston actually possessed the ball really well, which is a huge change from last year. They also pressed well, which is different, and gives them a new angle. Those suggest a team who isn’t just hanging on. They think they’re good enough to outplay the opposition. That’s great.
For the Reign, the first half was really rough, but the second half showed that they should be very good again. Even accounting for injuries, and for the strange poor play from Theresa Nielsen. They’ve got a real player in Darian Jenkins. They’ve got a potential replacement for what they’ve traditionally gotten from Rapinoe (playmaking from the wings drifting inward) in Shea Groom. They have real depth in the defense, with McNabb and Celia both performing well. But oh boy do they need to get Fishlock back and/or need better performances from Andrews and Kellond-Knight.
RJ Allen: Charles took the words right off my keyboard.
Luis Hernandez: The game I felt was officiated well. I don’t give credit when that happens but I kind of feel like I need to since I’ve been bashing the refs in Orlando.
RJ Allen: Also maybe have Allie Long take the Seattle PKs?
Allison Cary: Yeah that PK from Taylor was… not good.
Charles Olney: Okay, we’ll wrap up with the conversation about matters ON the pitch there. But let’s also take a moment to discuss everyone’s favorite topic: streaming. How was the experience using Yahoo for the first time?
RJ Allen: My Roku played the Yahoo app without issue. The only problem was the steams on day 1 being switched and then switched back.
Luis Hernandez: I had difficulties casting to my TV but I could watch on my laptop. I didn’t try to use the mobile app
Allison Cary: I just watched on my laptop. It was fine.
RJ Allen: Chromecast doesn’t allow Yahoo steams to be cast, so I’ve been told.
Charles Olney: Everything also basically worked for me. I do have some nitpicks: the streams swapping, some difficulty actually finding the streams on the app, technical issues causing problems with the replays (both during the broadcast, and with attempts to watch the streams after the match was over), and the obligatory name-flubs and other commentary issues. But it’s far better than the go90 rollout. And we heard some nice new voices in the broadcasts, too.
Luis Hernandez: I wasn’t expecting Dan on the broadcast.
RJ Allen: Having someone with as much woso knowledge as him back, was nice.
Luis Hernandez: I’m going to try the other options as the matches come up. Or invest in a Roku.
RJ Allen: Roku’s are the best.
Charles Olney: On the whole, it sounds like our experiences were okay, though there could always be improvements. I certainly would like to see more and better options for streaming, casting, and watching. It continues to frustrate me that the experience on the league website is clearly superior to the official one through a huge tech company. But que sera.
RJ Allen: VPNs are good my friends.
Charles Olney: Alright, any thoughts on the matches coming up this week? We’ve got North Carolina and Orlando tonight, and four more games on the weekend. Any that particularly catch your eye?
Luis Hernandez: I’m looking forward to seeing Utah.
Allison Cary: Orlando is gonna get killed.
Luis Hernandez: Which match Allison?
RJ Allen: Both.
Charles Olney: Both.
Allison Cary: I meant NC, but both.
Charles Olney: I actually would be a little surprised if they lose both. But not that surprised.
Luis Hernandez: I think they’ll fare better in Tacoma.
Charles Olney: To me, Chicago-Portland looks like the game of the week, and could give us a real sense of where those teams stand at this point. But I also am excited about Utah and Washington, as a game with two teams that have some potential to make big improvements this year facing off.
RJ Allen: I’m just glad the NWSL is back and we can talk soccer weekly.
Allison Cary: Amen
Charles Olney: RT @rjallen
Luis Hernandez: Are we expecting a Chicago win at home or a Portland win on the road. RJ picked a draw.
RJ Allen: Spoilers!
Allison Cary: Portland win. Because why not.
Charles Olney: Draw seems like a fair call. I wouldn’t be surprised at any result, though.
Luis Hernandez: I expect Chicago to find a way to win.
I also expect Kerr to get fouled like it was going out of style.
Allison Cary: Fair prediction.
Charles Olney: Alright, with that we’ll call it a wrap for this week. Thanks to everyone for joining us. And as always, feel free to hit me any of us up on twitter with questions or comments.
Hot or Not: NWSL Power Rankings Week 1
Warning:
This power ranking is not reactionary.
This power ranking takes outside factors like weather and injuries into account.
It has bias—yours when you read it and mine when I wrote it.
Enjoy it.
It will soon change.
The View From The Sideline: The Washington Spirit vs Sky Blue FC
Steph Nacho was on the sideline to capture all the action during the Washington Spirit vs Sky Blue FC match.
[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”85″ gal_title=”Wash vs SBFC 4/14″]Let The Erik Ustruck Era Commence
There’s a new face leading the Orlando Pride. We’re not talking about first year head coach Marc Skinner, but Erik Ustruck, the first dedicated general manager for the team.
In prior years, Orlando City, the Major League Soccer side who is the parent club for the Pride, would have the general manager for men’s side also act in the same role for the women. At the time, head coach Tom Sermanni seemed to have developed his preferred method to build the Pride roster for his tenure at Orlando. Fast forward to late 2018, Orlando City had parted ways with the club’s general manager, and the Pride head coach position was vacant. The club officially named Luiz Muzzi the general manager for the organization on December 18, and after only a short time there came to the conclusion that to do the job successfully, he could not focus on both MLS and NWSL sides. Erik Ustruck was then named Pride general manager, a role focusing on managing all aspects of the Pride’s technical operations on January 7.
At the time of Ustruck’s appointment, Muzzi stated, “We are very happy to promote Erik to this newly established position, which will allow us to continue increasing our resources and focus on building the Pride. Erik has been dedicated to the success of this Club from his time as a player through his positions in the front office, and we believe he will be a great asset in strengthening and supporting our NWSL operations.”
Prior to this appointment, fans of the Pride had been critical on marketing efforts, and at times a perceived lack of support. Having Ustruck in the role allows allows the coach to focus on the team while still have an advocate in the club front office. His time being a part of the Orlando City organization since 2011, first as a player, then joining the front office after his playing day in 2014. He was able to hire Marc Skinner with a solid understanding of the Orlando organizational environment.
Coach Skinner’s transition as Pride coach has appeared to have gone smoothly with full support of the club. Ustruck was able to add coach Carl Green from Birmingham City to re-join Skinner in Orlando as part of a larger technical staff. With Erik Ustruck as GM, the Pride have broken the mold on valuing draft picks. The team currently hold their first, second, and third round picks while adding Houston’s third and fourth round picks for the 2020 draft where in past years Orlando didn’t put much stock in keeping picks and building through the draft.
The approach for preseason matches were also changed up. This off-season instead of completely playing junior college and college sides, the Pride took on professional teams in the North Carolina Courage and Puerto Rico Sol FC.
Off the pitch, the Pride had a full series of stand alone kickoff week events leading to their opening day match against the Portland Thorns. Some events were mainstays like the fourth annual Scarf the City while adding the open to the public aforementioned Puerto Rico Sol match that drew over 2,000 fans. Additionally, the team held an exclusive supporter group event at Orlando City Stadium, along with Pride in the Park, a family-friendly night out at Lake Eola Park, a venue in the heart of downtown Orlando, with music, games and activities which culminated in the 2019 home kit reveal. The night before the match Coach Skinner hosted at Lion’s Pride, a club owned sports bar, a two hour Q&A session with players in attendance that will also feature the debut of a new menu item, the Pride Burger.
Coach Skinner has suggested his roster is a work in progress. Having Erik Ustruck as GM, allows Skinner to focus on the job of coaching the players while Ustruck can address ways to improve the roster as a whole once the coaching staff identifies potential areas of improvement such as the recent trade with North Carolina for defender Morgan Reid for added depth during the absences of players heading to the World Cup in France this summer. It’s anticipated that Orlando will add more players and fill the two open international slots once the leagues in Europe end their season. The Women’s Super League in England wraps up May 11 and no doubt Ustruck will be busy adding reinforcements.
As the NWSL season begins the appointment of Erik Ustruck seems to have heralded a new chapter in the short history of the Pride. All appearances so far this year make it seems like there is a greater vision for growth of the team’s brand off the field as the changes in support have shown, and if the front office with Erik Ustruck as the focal point show the patience to cultivate results on the pitch for the long haul. It will be a very bright future for Coach Skinner and the Orlando Pride.
Backline Soccer Archive 