The Unused Sub: Women On Fire

Posted on by RJ Allen

Next week is my birthday. So here’s to me getting old.

SO ABOUT JERSEY & SEATTLE

Sam Kerr and Megan Rapinoe are beyond on fire–they’re straight nuclear. I think both will be on the shortlist for NWSL MVP and if either of their respective team gets into the playoffs, it will be in most part because of them. Seriously, find me soccer players in the world that are in better form than they are? Get your popcorn ready because we could be witness to an incredibly awesome second half of the season from these two.

With specifics to Sky Blue FC–if they punch a ticket to the playoffs, Christy Holly has a damn good case for NWSL Coach of the Year considerations. The relationship he has with his players is very much unique; if you took Holly out of there and put in any other the NWSL coaches there, I don’t think you get the same output from those players. Much like Laura Harvey and the Seattle Reign FC players are tied to each other in a special relationship, a similar thing is going on over in Piscataway.

As for the Seattle Reign FC–going into the start of the season, I figured it was going to be a case of they’d be taking the season to figure out what is their new wrinkle to show to the league that pretty much had caught up to them. Sometimes the Reign were going to look good. Other times, no so much. The win against the Chicago Red Stars was ugly and they’re fine with that. If that is how they have to claim some wins in the second half, so be it. Especially when they have more games on the road right now (7) than home (5). As much as I think “Pinoe, take the wheel!” is sustainable, they’re going to have to win ugly on the road. A good place to start that is at North Carolina Courage’s seemingly indomitable home.

KEEP PORTLAND THORNS WEIRD?

If the Portland Thorns want in the playoffs, they need Tobin Heath back on the field. I know, what a hot take. It’s a little startling that she’s been out so long with this somewhat mysterious back injury and what we can only guess have been some unfortunate setbacks. It is weird seeing a Portland Thorns team sans Heath and much credit to a good coach in Mark Parsons that Portland is only one point out of the last playoff spot. Yet there’s something gut instinct-y about them so far this season. Is it possible they could be enduring something akin to what bit the 2016 Seattle Reign FC team? Yes, no Heath for the first half stinks, but it feels like there is something else that’s discombobulated the Thorns in the first half of the season and it’s hard to say if Element X, whatever it is, has been taken care of. We shall see this weekend when they travel to Houston.

THESE YOUTS CAN BALL – ESPECIALLY ONE UP IN SEATTLE

At the start of the season, we all pretty much had it in mind that Rose Lavelle would be in the conversation of being a nominee for NWSL Rookie of the Year. Sure, she’s been injured for the past couple of weeks, but there’s plenty of season to go for that assumption by all of us to hold true. That said, you know who has been making a damn good case for Rookie of the Year considerations?

Seattle Reign FC’s Kristen McNabb.

She can ball and she sure has been making the most of the likely higher than expected starts she would be getting because of injury. Yet there’s this confidence in the Reign rookie–really among the rest of the young players in Seattle’s squad. They’re showing they can hang with the veterans and don’t shy away from head coach Laura Harvey’s high expectations.

So you heard it here first–I am starting the Kristen McNabb Rookie of the Year campaign bus–there will be no refunds.

IS IT JUST ME OR WILL ONE OF THESE GAMES BE A COMPLETE ROUT?

Here are my predictions for this weekend’s NWSL games.

  • Chicago Red Stars OVER Boston Breakers
  • Washington Spirit OVER Orlando Pride – Yeah, that’s right you heard me on this one.
  • Sky Blue FC OVER FC Kansas City.
  • North Carolina Courage OVER Seattle Reign FC.
  • Portland Thorns OVER Houston Dash.

Song: “Lonely Cities” | Artist: Tigertown

Unsung Hero of the Week: So Calm, So Cool, So Catley

Posted on by RJ Allen

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

This week I’ve chosen Orlando Pride defender Steph Catley.

The 23-year-old Australian international has appeared in 23 games for Orlando, already making a place for herself in women’s soccer history. Catley scored the first ever goal for the Pride in its inaugural season on April 21st, 2016. Sometimes I forget just how young she is but then I remember this young talent has already made 57 appearances for the National team. But I also need to give some credit to Australia’s coaches, as they are known for young talent and putting them into the squad as teenagers and finding success (Sam Kerr, Kyah Simon, Caitlin Foord and Hayley Raso to name a few).

Orlando 0-1 Chicago

While Orlando may have lost this game, (thanks to a penalty by Christen Press in the 68th minute) I do think it was one of their best efforts on the year. Steph Catley was a player who stood out on the night, starting the game strong in her left back position. Her first call to action was in the third minute as she raced down the sideline to receive a beautiful ball from Toni Pressley, splitting the two defenders who tracked her down (Alyssa Mautz and Taylor Comeau). She found fellow Australian Alanna Kennedy for the trailing ball a few yards from the Pride’s 18, takes a shot at serving up Rachel Hill in the box but her effort was a bit strong over the top.

Right off the bat, we see Catley attempting to put pressure on the Red Stars outside backs, showing not only her aggressiveness but her ability to get forward and find that space on the left side. I am an avid supporter of defenders who want to get involved in the attack and Catley is just one example who can do that on a consistent basis.

I thought Catley and Jasmyne Spencer worked well together, combining down in the offensive third (in the form of give-n-go or overlapping) for the Pride on several occasions and earning Orlando corners which they totaled six in the first half alone. With the awareness of Catley and the speed of Spencer, they could spread out Chicago for a period of stretches in the first half by exploiting the space once again on the left side.

In the first half, Orlando controlled possession nicely (70%), building an attack from the back significantly better than Chicago, which allowed them to dictate the pace of the game early on. The start of that success was the backline of Orlando, consisting of Catley, Ali Krieger, Kristen Edmonds and Toni Pressley. The organization allowed Catley to venture up as far as she wanted, knowing she had the capability to ignite the offense and it could pay off at some point.

In the second half, we finally saw Catley make a play in Pride’s end, showing her defensive prowess. The first major one being in the 58th minute when she read a sneaky seam pass from Vanessa DiBernardo in the middle of the park. By recovering to make a sliding tackle just outside the 18 on a ball that was on its way to Press, Catley prevented a dangerous 1V1 with Orlando keeper Audrey Bledsoe. It was a beautiful pass and if Catley hadn’t stretched out for it, surely Press would’ve made the backline pay for letting her slip through the cracks. It was really the first time in the run of play that Catley was called upon after spending most of the first 45 on the offensive end for the Pride.

Just a few minutes later in the 62nd minute, Catley was busy breaking up a play in a 1V1 situation on the right side of the box. Again, it was DiBernardo with the ball, this time looking to switch it to her left for potential service, Catley got a foot on it just in time to clear it another 10 yards from goal. A play that momentarily gave Orlando a breather as Chicago had been pressuring relentlessly for the last few minutes.

Catley was the best player on the field for Orlando in my opinion, her versatility clearly being showcased all throughout the game, doing a little bit of everything to help her team. She created just about every corner for Orlando, her service into the box showed promise, she worked tirelessly all game down the left side to find space and did her defensive duties to a tee all night. She was absolutely outstanding and a joy to watch against a tough Chicago team.

Catley is a key player that needs to continue her form if Orlando want to stay alive in the playoff hunt. The Pride are currently sitting in sixth place with four wins, five losses, and three draws on the season.

5 Reasons Not to be an NWSL Writer and 1 Reason You Totally Should

Posted on by RJ Allen

Being a women’s soccer reporter is great, most of the time. But there are reasons it’s not the greatest thing since bicycle kicks.

1. Pay? What Pay?

No one who goes into writing about women’s soccer is doing it for the money. Most sites don’t pay their reporters. Full disclosure, neither does this one (we do pay in cool stickers). Not because we are being cheap. Sites that aren’t attached to a larger company simply do not have resources or ad income to be able to pay staff. (And, as we’ve seen just recently with Fox Sports, the number of paying jobs for soccer writing are becoming all the rarer.)

There are some sites that do pay by the story. And some writers who already report on other sports do get paid to write women’s soccer. But most of those women’s soccer reporters you love to read the work of? They all have day jobs to pay the bills. 

2. The Hours are The Worst

The NWSL has this fun little habit of putting big news out at the worst possible time. 60 seconds before kick off. Friday night. A week after the thing happens. To make it worse, most of the time it’s something that you at least need to know about, if not need to drop everything and write about. 

Even if the news isn’t drop-everything-and-write-about-it-right-now worthy, it is frequently something that we women’s soccer writers do have thoughts about. Twitter is a very easy way to express that. And the hours we’ve all spent on Twitter expressing those thoughts are longer than the amount of time most of us see our families in a week. 

3. Haters Gonna Hate

One of the facts of writing anything — not just sports — and putting it online is that someone will hate it. Someone is going to tell you that it’s stupid. That you’re wrong. That the facts used are just biased garbage. 

Sometimes they are right. More likely, it’s hate for the sake of hate. You expressed your professional opinion about something and they disagree and “OMG YOU ARE WORSE THAN CANCER” because of it. It can be harsh and it can be annoying and there are times when good reporters have left the job because of it. 

Be prepared to be hated sometimes. We all are.

4. Forgetting How to Fan

As a fan, you love your team. As an NWSL reporter, you pick apart your team in articles, opinion pieces, interviews, and everything else you write. You have to. It’s the job. And sometimes that leads to a disconnect from the very joy that brought you to the game in the first place. 

Nearly every NWSL reporter I know still has a spark of fan in their hearts. They love the game and they have teams or at least players they enjoy. And doing this job does require putting a wall around that enjoyment. You have to be able to critique and read or write criticism about your favorite team and players. And sometimes, that’s hard. But you either have to accept the wall or you have to step away. 

5. Big Fish Eat Small Fish

It happens now and again. You have the perfectly sourced story. You have the receipts. You break it. And the NWSL media world and fans go nuts. And then you see someone on ESPN “breaking” the story a few days later. You see all of the hard work you put into being the first, brushed away because you are not on the payroll of one of the large media companies.

It is maddening. It is frustrating. And one day we all hope it changes so someone who works for a site without ESPN bankrolling them can be asked on to the news to break the story they worked so hard on.

So. Why do we do it? Why should you do it?

Because there is one big reason that this job is the best in the world …

1. It’s a Labor of Love

Literally. We’re here because we love soccer. Because we love women’s soccer in particular. We’re here because we love watching the game, cheering for the players, rooting for the underdogs, coaching from our keyboards, dissecting every minute of the game from every angle. We’re here because we have been inspired, because we have made great friends, because in the end, it’s the love that keeps us coming back each and every day. 

We do it because we love it. And that makes everything else worthwhile.

Read all of that and still think you might want to give women’s soccer writing a shot?

Apply to join the Backline Soccer family here.

Dear USSF: It’s Time for a Women’s Cup

Posted on by RJ Allen

Soccer is our beautiful game and we’ve been lucky to watch as the sport we love has grown across the United States. But there’s a big hole in the landscape, at least on the women’s side of the game.

One national soccer tradition which U.S. Soccer Federation has been able to establish over the years is the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. For those not familiar with the Open Cup, it is the world’s third longest running open soccer tournament for men going back to 1914 and the US hasn’t missed a year since its inception. Considering U.S. Soccer was established in 1913, this tournament has been a part of soccer in the United States from the very beginning of its history.

What is an Open Cup?

As an open tournament, soccer teams from every level can enter the competition, meaning all amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer can take part; as an example, this year’s tournament saw Christos FC, an amateur team named after a liquor store, take on DC United from Major League Soccer in the Fourth Round after beating professional teams from the lower divisions. The Round of 16 recently ended and Miami FC of the North American Soccer League (NASL) and FC Cincinnati of the United Soccer League (USL) both beat teams in MLS. The excitement and uniqueness of the Open Cup generate interest from the national soccer community, which is a key objective of the USSF. So much so that this is codified within the federation’s by-laws.

The purpose of U.S. Soccer’s existence is “to promote, govern, coordinate, and administer the growth and development of soccer in all its recognized forms in the United States for all persons …” and “to provide for national cup competitions.” Time to get on my soapbox now because that’s all fine and dandy for the men’s soccer, but why hasn’t U.S. Soccer created an open cup for women’s soccer if that’s been a proven way the federation has grown and developed soccer for the men’s side? The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is such a vital part of U.S. Soccer that it’s the second policy listed in the manual. USSF wouldn’t have to reinvent the wheel to create a women’s open cup; everything required to run the annual competition is already spelled out for them.

The closest thing in America to a women’s open cup was the National Women’s Open organized by United States Adult Soccer Association, an affiliate of U.S. Soccer, since 1996 played mostly by amateur or semi-pro teams, but the USSF plays no role in this tournament. The event was a part of USASA’s Adult Soccer Fest. However, 2016 was the last year of the competition; there will be no National Women’s Open in 2017 because of the lack of participation. Last year, only four women’s teams competed in this national tournament. Full disclosure, it wasn’t until I did research for this story that I had ever heard of that tournament, so not getting participation may be blamed on a lack of awareness. In comparison, there was a modern era record of 99 teams taking part in this year’s U.S. Open Cup.

Are There Enough Women’s Soccer Teams to Hold an Open Cup?

So, is that the reason? Has the Federation chosen not to hold a women’s competition because there’s only the small group of ten NWSL teams able to qualify to participate if there was a women’s USOC? 

The short answer is no.

Of course not. There are plenty of teams available and qualified to partake in this kind of tournament.

Women’s soccer is comprised of far more than just the NWSL in the United States. There are actually three major women’s soccer leagues in the U.S. The professional league is the NWSL, but the other two operate on a mixed professional/amateur level. Currently, the oldest active women’s soccer league is the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL), which was formed in 1998. According to the WPSL website there are 112 teams in the league. Some NWSL teams such as the Breakers and Red Stars have reserve teams that play in the WPSL. The second women’s league is United Women’s Soccer (UWS), which was formed in 2016 after the W-League (yes, there was a W-League in the U.S.) ceased operation in 2015. UWS has 20 teams in the 2017 season and includes the Western New York Flash, which joined the league after their NWSL team was moved to North Carolina and rebranded as the NC Courage. (Imagine a competition where Western NY Flash could face the North Carolina Courage!) Both WPSL and UWS are sanctioned by U.S. Soccer through USASA.

With just these three leagues, there are a potential 142 teams that could participate in an Open Cup format tournament for women, and that’s not including the rec teams that could also throw their boots into the ring. Yet the USSF still hasn’t set up an open cup for women.

Would a US Women’s Open Cup Be the First in the World?

Historically, U.S. Soccer has been forward-thinking in the women’s competition. But if they established a Women’s Cup, would they be the first? Would there be other similar competitions for women’s soccer teams they could model one after? 

In fact, there are several women’s cup competitions across the globe in a similar format of different leagues competing for a trophy. One of the better-known competitions is held in England. Created in 1970, the FA Women’s Cup is an equivalent to the FA Cup for men. Our own Carli Lloyd scored a goal in the final as Manchester City beat Birmingham City at Wembley Stadium. On the Continent, Germany holds the Frauen DFB-Pokal which pits clubs from the first two divisions of the Bundesliga and has existed since 1981. Even countries like Brazil have women’s cup tournaments like the Copa do Brasil de Futebol Feminino, founded in 2007. And Alex Morgan’s French team, Olympique Lyon, won the Coupe de France Féminine in May. That competition in France was first played in 2001. Other women’s cup tournaments include ones established in Russia (1992), New Zealand (1994), and Japan (1979) to name a few.

The Time is Now

The federation has an Open Cup committee which is responsible “for conducting the Open Cup, and for the direction of the Open Cup.” According to the U.S. Soccer website, the six-person committee has one female member, Siri Mullinix. At this point, it’s almost fairer to state that U.S. Soccer is more neglectful to club soccer for women because we don’t realize that more can be done. Establishing a competitive Open Cup for women’s soccer should have been included on the USSF’s yearly agenda by now, but it has failed to follow its own by-laws.

I’ll get off my soapbox in a second, but U.S. Soccer, do better. How about creating a competition that doesn’t just involve the national team like SheBelieves or the Tournament of Nations, and join the rest of the world in holding an annual event for women’s clubs in the U.S.? You can’t even imagine what this will inspire in the fans of the beautiful game.