Tag: Casey Short

Route Two Soccer: My 2019 NWSL Awards Ballot

Posted on by Backline Soccer

It’s time for some end of the year votes. Here’s my take on who should win the big awards.

MVP

  1. Sam Kerr

  2. Casey Short

  3. Christen Press

  4. Crystal Dunn

  5. Andi Sullivan

I am a longtime advocate of the ‘goals are overrated’ thesis, and have often been frustrated that the MVP award is really just a proxy for the Golden Boot award. But I don’t see how you could reasonably argue for anyone other than Sam Kerr as the 2019 NWSL MVP. She’s playing on an absolutely ridiculous level, and there’s no one else in the world who can match it right now. She participated directly in 23 goals (18 goals + 5 assists). That’s more than two entire teams scored (Sky Blue finished with 20 goals and Houston with 21). And she left for a month to go to the World Cup!

The gap between #1 and #2 is large, but the others are fairly close. In second place I have Casey Short, who deserves a huge amount of credit for the Red Stars’ best season yet (more on her below). After that I’ve got Christen Press and Crystal Dunn, both of whom missed about half the season but were so otherworldly-good during their limited time that they sneak onto the list. Dunn is the piece that transforms North Carolina from a very good team into an unbeatable one, while Press is the difference between Utah as a struggling bottom-feeder and a playoff contender. In fifth place I have Andi Sullivan, who took a massive step forward after a disappointing first season. Of all the players left off the World Cup roster, she’s probably the most likely to muscle her way into the Olympic 18 for 2020.

 

Rookie of the Year

  1. Bethany Balcer

  2. Sam Staab

  3. Gabby Seiler

This is one of the deepest rookie classes we’ve seen in a long time. Just consider that players like Tierna Davidson and Jordan DiBiasi don’t even make the top three. 

You could make a strong case for Staab as the winner here. Defending is hard, especially when you cycle out your entire defensive line and swap in a bunch of first and second year players. And Staab stepped into the role seamlessly, helping Washington produce one of the league’s stingiest defenses. But ultimately I sided with Balcer, who not only poured in goals but who also proved critical to building play and to an aggressive defensive press. 

Still, as good as both Staab and Balcer were, they only top this list because of Seiler’s season-ending injury. It’s no coincidence that Portland stumbled badly once Seiler was unavailable. She was central to orchestrating their possession. There are few players in the world with her positional awareness and passing acumen. It’s a shame we didn’t get to see a full season from her.

Goalkeeper of the Year

  1. Kailen Sheridan

  2. Aubrey Bledsoe

  3. Casey Murphy

Plenty of strong competitors here, including a few that were very good in limited minutes after spending a bunch of time away for the World Cup. I have Sheridan above the crowd for her consistency and range of abilities. She’s excellent at stopping shots, good at collecting crosses and controlling her box, and reasonably good with her feet. She struggled a bit in 2018, and understandably so given the horror show of the defense in front of her. But with a stabilized unit this year, she played with confidence and calmness, and was a big part of the reason Sky Blue conceded 18 fewer goals this season than they did last year. In fact, if you go by the advanced stats, she’s responsible for the majority of that improvement.

Defender of the Year

  1. Casey Short

  2. Megan Oyster

  3. Jaelene Hinkle

We sometimes throw superlatives around a little too easily, but Casey Short had a genuinely unbelievable year. She was voted on the Team of the Month for every single month of the season, and deservedly so. She’s always been a great defender, but took it to another level this year. She can play on either side, giving her team the flexibility to shut down whichever wing might pose a greater threat on the day. Her footwork is rock solid, her positioning good. And she even contributes a decent amount going forward. Just the complete package.

Oyster has been a stealth candidate for one of the league’s best center backs for a few years now, and this year was no different. You could make a similar case for her partner Lou Barnes, but for my money Oyster is the more important player at this point, thanks to her range and her anticipation. 

The list is rounded out with Hinkle, who is not without controversy, and who is rarely talked about as one of the key figures on this absurdly dominant North Carolina team. But she is the best attacking fullback in the league by a long way, and contributes quite a bit defensively as well.  

Coach of the Year

  1. Vlatko Andonovski

  2. Paul Riley

  3. Rory Dames

The easiest vote on the ballot – even easier than picking Kerr. What Andonovski managed this year, taking an injury-ravaged Reign team to the playoffs, is arguably the greatest coaching accomplishment the league has yet seen. As with all of Vlatko’s teams, they were defensively solid, calm in possession, and consistently hard to break down. To play that way under the best of conditions is impressive; to manage it through unprecedented roster turnover is genuinely astonishing. 

We’ve grown used to the dominance of North Carolina but it’s still worth noting how Riley has been able to keep his team firing on all cylinders. It’s always hard to come back after a record-breaking season, and they could easily have fallen to pieces once they started to struggle a bit early in the season. But he kept them moving and once everyone returned from the World Cup, they sliced through the rest of the league like a hot knife through butter. 

Rounding out the list is Rory Dames, whose Red Stars just put together their most complete season yet. I’ve written a lot about Chicago in the past few years, wondering why this collection of exceptional players couldn’t ever quite play up to their abilities. In 2019, they did it. This is now the smoothest-passing and most aesthetically-pleasing team in the league to watch, and the results have followed as well.

Team of the Season

Christen Press – Sam Kerr – Carli Lloyd

Crystal Dunn – Andi Sullivan – Kristie Mewis

Jaelene Hinkle – Megan Oyster – Becky Sauerbrunn – Casey Short

Kailen Sheridan

Most of these should be obvious from the comments above. But it’s worth noting Kristie Mewis, who is playing some of the best soccer of her life, and Carli Lloyd who continutes to shut up all her critics (myself included). Becky Sauerbrunn isn’t really Becky Sauerbrunn anymore, but she’s still great, and still somehow consistently underrated.

Second XI

Yuki Nagasato – Lynn Williams – Kristen Hamilton

Debinha – Sarah Killion – Denise O’Sullivan

Meghan Klingenberg – Abby Erceg – Julie Ertz – Tori Huster

Aubrey Bledsoe

Lots of great players here, including several that I’ve called overrated in the past. But not even I can deny how critical both Debinha and O’Sullivan have been to sustaining the North Carolina machine. I would never have guessed that Tori Huster would be in my second XI as a right back of all things, but she made a strong transition into the job. 

The three toughest calls were leaving out Christine Sinclair, Gabby Seiler, and Morgan Brian, each of whom was exceptional in limited minutes. But spots are limited and ultimately I decided to err in favor of players like Killion, O’Sullivan, and Williams who contributed a lot more bulk. 

 

Route Two Soccer: Chicago’s Win Over Houston Bodes Well for Their End-of-Season Hopes

Posted on by Backline Soccer

It’s been a puzzling season for the Chicago Red Stars. They were supposed to dominate during the World Cup break, when they held onto most of their key players even as all the other top teams were decimated. But they struggled mightily during that period. Then they came out of the World Cup break on fire, reeling off five consecutive wins, only to turn around and lose back-to-back games to the two worst teams in the league.

Looking at the roster, they should easily make the playoffs. And yet here they are, right in the thick of a tough race over the final month.

It’s always hard to make predictions about this team, but on the evidence of this weekend’s performance against Houston, they might just have kicked things back into gear at the key time. It was an accomplished, comprehensive, and thoroughly dominant result, and a demonstration of just how good this Red Stars team has the potential to be.

As I flagged last week, Chicago has faced significant problems this year in the central defense, and that was addressed directly by coach Rory Dames’s lineup as the two best center backs on the roster were finally moved back into the central defense. Julie Ertz and Tierna Davidson bring a huge amount of value in their other roles, so it’s certainly not an easy choice to place them at center back. But for a team struggling to keep a tight ship, it made sense.

To some extent, the change was informed by the opponent. The Dash are one of the league’s weakest teams at building play through the middle, making it far easier for Chicago to get by without Ertz in the holding role to break up possession. Where they do pose a threat is in quick counters and out wide. Dames countered this by matching the ever-adaptable Casey Short up against Kealia Ohai, and by using the lightning-fast Sarah Gorden on the opposite flank. This arrangement shored up the middle by removing the shaky Katie Naughton, and strengthened the wide defense.

It also had an additional advantage: with Ertz and Davidson at center back, Chicago were ideally suited to pass through and around a scurrying Houston press. Few, if any, central defenders in the league are as comfortable on the ball as this pair. If the Dash are closing down Morgan Brian or Dani Colaprico coming for the ball, it was very easy for Davidson or Ertz to simply dribble forward to create new angles.

The only real danger here was overconfidence. At times, Chicago seemed to double down so much on beating the press that they played themselves into danger. But once they found their rhythm, it was extremely comfortable for the Red Stars to build from the back.

And this set the tone for the whole game. Chicago didn’t dominate possession, nor did they play a tiki-taka style. Instead, they held possession comfortably while drawing the Dash forward, and then pounced, moving the ball quickly into space. You can see it from the goals.

For the first, Morgan Brian received the ball around the halfway line, picked her head up and saw a clear, direct vertical line. One beautifully weighted pass, a single touch from Kerr, and Chicago scored. The whole move took 8 seconds.

For the second, Davidson intercepted a pass, found Nagasato in tons of space, who passed to Kerr, who dropped the ball back to DiBernardo. In those few seconds, Nagasato had raced forward and was now ready to receive another simple, lovely vertical pass from DiBernardo. She then slid the ball between two converging defenders to Kerr, who let it roll and then unleashed a shot. Five passes in about 12 seconds. 2-0.

For the third, Naeher gathered the ball, passed to Brian, who advanced it to Colaprico, who sent it back to Davidson, who found Short out wide. Short received the ball well behind the halfway line, had time to watch the forward runs, and launched a ball over the top. McCaskill ran it down, beating Amber Brooks who inexplicably let it roll, and shinned it past the keeper and into the net. Five passes in 15 seconds. 3-0.

This is what we’ve been expecting from Chicago for so long. They have the personnel to attack with lightning speed and precision. Not because their players are particularly pacey, but because of their collective ability to pick out passes, isolate defenders, and capitalize on space.

Obviously, it doesn’t hurt to have Sam Kerr leading the attack. We all know how good she is, and yet her conversion rates continue to astound.

But this is by no means a one-woman show. After a poor start to the season, Yuki Nagasato is back in good form. Dani Colaprico also seems to have righted the ship and found some of the precision that usually defines her game. But perhaps the most important cog in the machine is Morgan Brian. After several lost years between 2016 and 2018, it’s now been roughly a year that she’s been mostly fit and very good. But her performances over the past few weeks are another step above. She still might never get back to where she was at the end of 2015, but for the first time in a very long time, it feels like she’s back in the conversation for being one of the best midfielders in the league. Her calm possession and incredible field vision are critical to this style of play, and if she can keep it up, it could be the difference that finally earns Chicago that playoff victory they’ve been seeking for so long.

Nothing is set in stone. Chicago have looked great before, only to fall away just as they seemed to be poised to grab hold of the league. And while they could afford to live without Ertz against the relatively frail Houston midfield, they might not have that luxury against a team like Portland or North Carolina. And for all the great performances lately, they haven’t been getting the best from Vanessa DiBernardo, another key player who looks like she’s carrying some significant nagging injuries.

So everything could very well still fall apart. But if anyone can disrupt the duopoly at the top of the league, Chicago is probably your best bet. If they can continue to play like this, they can beat anyone.

WoSo Remix: Chance The Rapper and Chicago Red Stars

Posted on by RJ Allen

This is the first installment of a three-part series.

*DISCLAIMER*

Yes, this is a women’s soccer article referencing a rap album. Yes, there is foul language. Yes, this is your Parental Advisory.

Chance The Rapper - Coloring Book (cover art)
Chance The Rapper – Coloring Book (cover art)

If you’re from Chicago and are unfamiliar with hip hop or have been living under a rock the last 4 years, Chance The Rapper is an artist from the south side of Chicago who has been receiving tons of critical acclaim for his new release, Coloring Book. If you haven’t heard it yet, go do yourself a favor and download it. It is free.

In Chance’s album, he touches on many of his loves. His Family, his Faith, and his City. Although it holds gospel influences, the tracks throughout the album invite you into his world with native Chicago house music influences and juke beats – all guided by a flow uniquely his own. Seriously, go download it.

 

WHY WOMEN’S SOCCER & HIP HOP?

It’s no secret athletes are into music. They use it to motivate their workouts and hype up game days. Here at Backline Soccer we’re into a whole bunch of cool shit like WoSo, tacos, and music. So when Chance The Rapper dropped that mix-tape, I immediately downloaded it like the loyal Chicagoan I am. It was released back in May, about a month after the National Women’s Soccer League kicked off their historic 4th season.

Similar to athletes, music usually accompanies me whenever I do some kind of writing. So it only seemed appropriate to do a review and remix of the mix-tape that has taken the music world by storm with the squad that literally reps Chicago’s notorious stars on its crest, The Chicago Red Stars.  While going through Coloring Book’s from start to finish, I will be comparing players from this season’s active roster to specific lyrics in its tracks.

ChicagoRedStars

*DISCLAIMER 2*

AGAIN. This album contains a Parental Advisory for Explicit Content. So chill the fuck out. Also, not all players will be used in this WoSo Remix to the album. Mostly active starters and players from this season to date, with some honorable mentions.

CHANCE THE RAPPER – COLORING BOOK

ALL WE GOT (FT. Kanye West & Chicago Children’s Choir) – “AND WE BACK.”  In this track Chance lets us know he’s arrived and yet he’s never really left us. He touches on the moments in his life at the release of his album and introduces the gospel influences we will hear throughout the album.

The lyric “They don’t give nothing away, you gotta fight for your way” will be remixed for Chicago Red Stars Goal Keeper Alyssa Naeher. Granted the ‘they’ in this line can also be attributed to Chicago’s backline as well, however in the event that they do give ‘something’ away, Naeher is still there to be reckoned with. Just try and fight your way past her.

 

NO PROBLEM (FT. Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz) – “You don’t want ZERO problems big fella.”  This song was the first track to get a music video to accompany it after the album released (Angels was first). In it, Chance calls out the major music labels who failed in their efforts to deny him access to the artists he wanted to collaborate with, and his desire to put out the music he wanted to release – for free.

The hypnotizing hook “You don’t want no problems, want no problems with me” will be remixed for Chicago Red Stars captain, Christen Press. Press has been referred to as the main component of Chicago’s offensive presence on the pitch. Few goalkeepers want to be caught one on one with her on the pitch. Before she got named to the Olympic roster she left the team with four goals, 27 shots on goal, and 42 total shots. You don’t want ZERO problems with Press.

 

SUMMER FRIENDS (FT. Jeremih & Francis & The Lights) – “Summer friends don’t stay.”  A very somber track that has Chance reminiscing on friends and lives lost in his south side community of Chatham, specifically in summer time in Chicago. In remembering past summers, he acknowledges how they have shaped his present. He collaborates with fellow Chicagoan Jeremih who sings an outro on the track expressing the importance of remaining loyal with those who came up through the trials with you.

The song hits home due to the truth it holds. Some Chicagoland communities have a history with violence. It’s not hard to find someone directly affected by it somehow. It is a sensitive subject that should be discussed not glorified. Although difficult to choose a specific lyric from this very moving song, the line “Oh I used to kill em with the long hair” stands out since Chance has referenced his long natural hair in prior songs.

This line will be remixed for Julie Johnston and Samantha Johnson. Along with their fantastic defensive and leadership skills, they both have a strong hair and fashion game. They both do a great job of reaching out and working with youth as well. They have both formed a strong bond as the main center backs of the defense. Johnson has done a great job of filling as the voice of the backline during Johnston’s Olympic duty absence. And let’s not forget the recent animated short where Johnston tells us how she used to ‘kill em with the long hair.’

 

D.R.A.M SINGS SPECIAL – This track is the shortest on Chance’s album. It clocks in at one minute and 42 seconds. It features D.R.A.M and Elle Varner singing a very melodic verse repeatedly, serving as a bit of a lullaby interlude for the album. The track is literally five lines repeated twice: “You are very special. You’re special too. Everyone is special. This I know is true, when I look at you.”

Due to the short length of this track and its minimal yet significant lyrics, this whole interlude will be remixed for Sarah Gorden.

Drafted second overall for the Red Stars in the NWSL 2016 draft, she hasn’t seen much playing time on the pitch this year, logging minutes in only two games so far this season. However, that doesn’t reflect her great work ethic or stop her from working on her game. It’s not easy being a professional athlete and a mom on an NWSL salary, but somehow she’s doing it. We all know she’s special and it’s a matter of time before we see her on the pitch again.

Honorable Mention: Lori Chalupny. Long time Red Star and retired captain, Chups’s jersey was recently retired by the team, so we know how special she is to the Red Stars and Chicagoland fans. Check out her jersey retirement ceremony here.

 

BLESSINGS – “The praises go up. The blessings come down.” A break out song from Coloring Book, Chance literally utilizes this track as his praise song. By remembering God throughout his journey in music, Chance knows that his blessing will come. The refrain that Jamila Woods sings echoes throughout the track like a holy reprise. It is that lyric that we will remix for Casey Short.

Short has been on the Red Stars’ radar for years. Initially drafted fifth overall by Boston in 2013, she suffered a season ending injury. Chicago picked up her rights for 2014, but Short had another setback due to injury. After fighting her way back to playing form, she had a successful 27 appearances for Avaldsnes in Norway in 2015. Finally, in 2016, we saw her long-awaited arrival to Chicago.

When you put in the work, you reap the rewards. Her long journey has seen plenty of adversity, but Short has now become a staple in Chicago’s back-five, a defense that includes National Team regulars like Julie Johnston and Alyssa Naeher. Coupled with fellow outside back Arin Gilliland, she is one part of a lethal duo. Ultimately, it’s not just Short, but the fans who are blessed as well.

 

 

We will continue this WoSo Remix as a series. Coloring Book Tracks 6 through 10 and 11 through 14 will be covered in separate parts. Stay tuned!

 

This was originally posted on 

In a time when our country is most divided, is the national women’s team most inclusive?

Posted on by RJ Allen

In case you missed it, there was a presidential election in the United States this past Tuesday. No matter how you voted, or whether you were able, you might have had some feelings about it the following day.

There’s Nothing Like an Election to Remind You How Divided We Are

Full disclosure, I was one of those people with feelings. After the election, I was left more than discouraged, plagued with concern for the future of my friends and family, as well their own personal safety – and my own as included. To be even more honest, I was finding it hard to get excited about the upcoming pair of international friendlies the United States national team was about to face. I love sports. I love women’s soccer. How low must I be if I couldn’t get enthusiastic about sports?

The US national team is currently ranked number one in the FIFA standings. They will be facing Romania in these two upcoming matches. Romania is currently ranked 36th overall, and were eliminated from qualifying to the Euros. It not difficult to imagine the US will come out victorious in these matches. I thought maybe I’d skip these games and continue with my post-election processing.

Nothing Like Sports to Show Us How United We Can Be

Sports can sometimes be a way for people to try and find some solace. Sports are a constant in our American culture. Need to take your mind off something? Watch a game. I heard you can even find drone racing on television these days. Sports can be therapeutic at times. Whether you’re out on the pitch, in the press box, or watching in your home – sports can be a source of comfort.

In pulling myself out of political limbo, I’ve tried to remind myself why I should watch a couple of games that ultimately are meaningless in terms of major tournaments. This team hasn’t always been the most diverse. History has shown that. Former USWNT goalkeeper Briana Scurry recently had her jersey and gloves enshrined in the brand new National Museum of African American History and Culture. The same jersey she wore in 1999 just 17 years ago when the USWNT won their second Women’s World Cup.

17 years ago: that’s younger than our nation’s voting age.

In spite of the lack of diversity on this team–largely to things like “pay to play” and the failure, on multiple levels, to make formal youth soccer opportunities available and accessible in ethnic urban areas–the Women’s National Team has always given its fans reasons to cheer. In winning their World Cup championships and Olympic medals. They have also given its fans players who are uniquely their own to root for. Whatever your politics, if you cheer for this team you probably have favorite players.

Whether you’ve been around awhile and have looked up to a legend like Mia Hamm, or maybe you’re a LGBT youth who has found representation in a player like Megan Rapinoe. Maybe you’re strong in faith and looked up to players like Lauren Holiday. Maybe you’re a young girl or woman of color and are searching for someone who looks like you, and realizing that for the first time, watching this team on the field tonight, you have LITERAL options.

When You Cry Because There Are So Many Players For You to Cheer For

When the national call-ups first dropped, it truly was a welcome surprise. Yes, this team is different than a year ago, but that wasn’t the surprise.  It was the range of diversity and inclusion represented on it. It was mainly because of its diversity and inclusion, something that has been somewhat scarce in games past.  It gave us six players of color to watch and cheer for in these upcoming games.

Along with national team regulars Crystal Dunn and Christen Press, we saw players like Casey Short and Lynn Williams earn their second camp call-ups. We saw the return of Jaelene Hinkle and a first time call-up for Orlando Pride’s Kristen Edmonds. When Hinkle had to decline due to injury, her Western New York Flash teammate Jessica McDonald received the call-up, and tonight, earned her first cap with the senior team. Six players. More than one hand. More than enough to help heal a heart in this divisive time in our country.

To my knowledge, I am unaware of there being any current Asian or Latinx or non-Christian players on this team. I also understand that this is professional sports and one should expect the best roster of players. I acknowledge that could mean the team can literally look different at any time.  Therefore, I will always celebrate these small moments that mean so much to so many.

The Personal Is Political

It’s easy to dismiss people’s feelings when they don’t directly affect your own. There has been a lot of that in this country the last few days. It’s also easy to say sports are just entertainment. However, let’s not act like sports hasn’t been a unifying tool for people in their time of need. Sports has always been a place for people to try and come together. Maybe these November friendlies came at the most perfect time, even if they are ‘meaningless.’

They will allow us a moment to imagine that things aren’t looking so grim.

A large amount of work must take place at a grassroots level to make this game more accessible to everyone. However, these games and this moment will give us a roster that’s starting to look toward a more diverse future. That includes representation for a sector of fans that hasn’t always been so visible. Representation matters, and these players care about that. Crystal Dunn is very good at having that conversation and has been more than willing to take on that role. 

These games might not see all these players on the pitch. Maybe these games will be completely one sided. Maybe we could all use something simple to root for, like our soccer team vs the other soccer team. Maybe as citizens we will get to a point where we will allow more love and less fear.  I will always be on the lookout for the next great national team Latinx superstar, and I will always look for women of color being dominate in their respective sports, but I have never felt more hopeful about the national team’s future than now.

Ellis Names NWSL Heavy Roster for Switzerland Friendlies

Posted on by RJ Allen

Jill Ellis, head coach of the USWNT, has named her 24-person roster ahead of friendlies against Switzerland (October 19th at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah, and October 23rd at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota).

And out of the 24 women called up, 11 players have yet to earn a cap with the senior team:  Jane Campbell, Danielle Colaprico, Lynn Williams, Kealia Ohai, Shea Groom, Andi Sullivan, Ashley Hatch, Casey Short,  Arin Gilliland, Merritt Mathias and Abby Dahlkemper.

18 players will dress for matches, meaning that several of those eleven players will earn their first caps with these matches. 

Notably absent are Meghan Klingenberg (D), Ali Krieger (D), Julie Johnston (D), Megan Rapinoe (M), and Alex Morgan (F). 

A full roster can be seen below. 

GOALKEEPERS (3): Jane Campbell (Stanford), Ashlyn Harris (Orlando Pride), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)

DEFENDERS (7): Abby Dahlkemper (Western New York Flash), Arin Gilliland (Chicago Red Stars), Merritt Mathias (Seattle Reign), Kelley O’Hara (Sky Blue FC), Becky Sauerbrunn (FC Kansas City), Casey Short (Chicago Red Stars), Emily Sonnett (Portland Thorns FC)

MIDFIELDERS (8): Morgan Brian (Houston Dash), Danielle Colaprico (Chicago Red Stars), Tobin Heath (Portland Thorns FC), Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC), Carli Lloyd (Houston Dash), Allie Long (Portland Thorns FC), Samantha Mewis (Western New York Flash), Andi Sullivan (Stanford)

FORWARDS (6): Crystal Dunn (Washington Spirit), Shea Groom (FC Kansas City), Ashley Hatch (BYU), Kealia Ohai (Houston Dash), Christen Press (Chicago Red Stars), Lynn Williams (Western New York Flash)