Tag: Jane Campbell

Not That Bad: 5 Things the Dash Have Going For Them

Posted on by RJ Allen

We can all agree that the Houston Dash didn’t quite have things go their way this off-season. They lost some great international players to trade, ended up being shunned by Christen Press, and had their owner make some rather unfathomable choices for the club. It went so horribly that the women’s soccer media and NWSL fanbase seemed to give up on analyzing the decisions and defaulted to just pitying them. Yeah, it was that bad. And it still isn’t great by any means. But going into this international break, Houston can repeat this point of pride to themselves: “We are currently an undefeated team.” Sure, it’s only two draws, but that’s not nothing.

Everyone is still looking at them like winning a match will be a miracle. Analysts are plopping them at the bottom of their power rankings. Old southern women are practically ‘blessing their hearts.’ But this isn’t necessarily rock bottom for the club. And they shouldn’t be written off so easily. To paraphrase Monty Python, they’re not dead yet! So although things are bad, there are still some bright spots for the team looking forward into the season. Here are five of them:

1. Jane Campbell Is A Boss

One of the biggest takeaways from the first two games of the season is that Jane Campbell is a phenomenal goalkeeper. She has played on a new level for the start of this season, and brought a lot of stability for the Houston side. As a last line of defense, Houston can at least feel comfortable in the fact that they have Campbell. She comes up big when they need it. She is confident. And she is finding her rhythm in Houston, a fact that I am sure allows Vera Pauw to breathe a little easier. While a good keeper alone isn’t enough to make you the best team in the league, it sure is a start. If she can continue this trend, other US keepers are going to need to watch their backs.

2. Daly & Mewis Bring Creativity

When Rachel Daly was moved to fullback, I was seriously wondering what Houston was doing, especially since Kealia Ohai was still out on injury. But there has been  a certain level of magic created by the pairing of Daly and Kristie Mewis as Houston’s outside backs. They command the offense and set the pace for the team. They bring creativity up and down the pitch. And they are all over the field, aggressively going after the ball because they both have the speed to make it back on defense in time. The commentators of the Houston-Utah match called them two of the best in the league, provoking some snarky comments. But there’s something to it. Neither of them is a singularly phenomenal outside-back. But together—working as one unit, establishing a proper give and take for the team—they are a force to be reckoned with.

3. Pauw Has A Plan

It was clear from the first few games that Vera Pauw doesn’t particularly care what others may think of her team. She is coaching with purpose, and convincing her players to play with purpose. She understands that her team has weaknesses. She isn’t ignorant of that fact. But she is also able to see that this team has strengths. Every player brings a different skillset, and her job is to find how all those pieces fit. It’s still a work in progress, but one that she is working diligently at. She’s also been quite honest about where things stand, owning in her last post-match interview that her team wasn’t fully able to play to their strengths against Utah—that they still had some homework to do. But it looks as though Vera is willing to put in the work as long as the players are. No phoning it in from the Dutch leader.

4. The Return of Ohai

Houston hasn’t won a match yet this season. But they also haven’t had their greatest attacking threat on the pitch yet. Kealia Ohai, who is coming off of an injury, will be a welcomed sight. Although she only got to play 10 matches last season before tearing her ACL, in the 2016 season she recorded 11 goals and four assists in 20 matches. Even if her return to the pitch doesn’t immediately bring those kind of results, it will still be great news for the Dash, because even when Ohai isn’t on the ball, she is still going to pull the attention of defenders. That is something that Houston has been missing. With Ohai’s return, we’ll get a chance to see some new dynamics of the Houston team. They haven’t shown all of their cards just yet.

5. The Underestimation Factor

Everyone knows Houston is supposed to be bad this year. But in a funny way, that’s an advantage. When your opponents expect very little out of you, they tend to get complacent. And then they lose. Just ask the University of Virginia men’s basketball team—whose first game as the overall favorite in the NCAA March Madness Tournament against 16th seed University of Maryland, Baltimore County didn’t quite go to plan. When there isn’t a lot expected of you, opponents tend to sit back and allow things to happen. They allow the underdogs to set the pace—and then the underdogs have no choice but to seize opportunity when it comes. It is David and Goliath. It is the tortoise and the hare. It is USA vs Russia in the 1980 Olympics. Could it be Houston vs North Carolina or Portland? Maybe. The stage is surely set and primed to have it played out.

So in light of all this, I refuse to feel bad for Houston. And I will not do the team the disservice of pitying them. Instead I will root for them—to get better, to fight the good fight, to play to their strengths. Because this team isn’t a lost cause, and we should stop treating it like one. They have a lot of talent and a great coach in Vera Pauw to steer this team toward a season that could mean something for them. They have some positive aspects that they bring to the table. We need to stop only talking about the negative.

6 Takeaways from NWSL: Week 13

Posted on by RJ Allen

Another week, another step closer to the end of the season, and a little bit more parity. The Portland Thorns are currently occupying the last playoff slot, but just five points separate them from the top of the table … and from 7th place. It’s a close race.

Here are our six takeaways from the weekend.

Understated Journeyman, Aubrey Bledsoe – Luis Hernandez

This season has provided its fair share of highlights and outstanding play; however, one of the bright spots of the league to go slightly below the radar is the performance of Aubrey Bledsoe. When Ashlyn Harris went down against Seattle, newly signed keeper Caroline Stanley stepped in due to Bledsoe being out on concussion protocol. That setback didn’t phase Aubrey at all, and once she was cleared she was able to earn her spot in Head Coach Tom Sermanni’s starting XI. Bledsoe’s continuously improving performance coincides with Orlando adding Lloyd Yaxley as goalkeeper coach.

Her time in front of the Orlando Pride goal has delivered the team’s lone clean sheet, two Save of the Week honors, 31 saves, and a record of 4-2-1. In the coming weeks, Harris will be fit enough to reclaim her starting job, but Bledsoe’s performance should give Sermanni some food for thought as Aubrey demonstrated that she has the skills to be a starter in the league, and is making a case for herself should a team need to make a play for a goalkeeper in the offseason. Bledsoe will soon return to the bench, and she’s been overshadowed by the likes of Stephanie Labbe, Sabrina D’Angelo and Kailen Sheridan. But we need to acknowledge, and celebrate, her steadiness in goal and admit that she’s one of the playmakers behind Orlando’s resurgence this season.

The Reign May Rue Another Home Draw – Luis Hernandez

Seattle played its eighth home match last weekend, putting it up with North Carolina for having almost exhausted their home field matches of the 2017 season. However, unlike the Courage–whose home record is 6-2–the Reign have only won four of their home matches so far, notching up four draws as well. The team will have to become road warriors if they hope to break through into the playoff picture. Of course, this isn’t exactly something for Seattle to get their laces in a knot over at the moment. They currently sit in fifth place, trailing the Portland Thorns by a mere point. The club is in control of its fate.

The Reign, however, should be higher in the standings. And they made it harder for themselves by not holding on to the lead against the Boston Breakers. For the season, Seattle has scored first eight times, but only won four of those games. Compare that to the teams above them on the table–they each have a better home game success rate than the Reign. Additionally, hot on their heels are the Orlando Pride, who also have a better percentage when scoring first. If this trend continues, Head Coach Laura Harvey’s crew may miss the playoffs for the second straight season because of their inability to seal the deal at Memorial.

Defender Goals Are the Best Goals – Jordan Small

On Saturday night, two defenders scored their first NWSL goals of their careers. Yes, you read that correctly. Two defenders netted goals on Saturday and neither were headed into the net off of a set piece. Orlando’s Toni Pressley rocketed a shot past FCKC goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart in the 70’ to give the Pride a 3-1 lead. Pressley picked up the ball and took half a dozen dribbles or so before taking a booming left-footed shot from the top of the 18-yard box. The ball had so much curve on it that it ended up bending around the outstretched arms of Barnhart at the back post.

Washington’s Estelle Johnson also wanted in on the goal scoring action in their game against the Houston Dash. And so, in the 75’ Johnson streaked through the box and received a well-timed pass from midfielder Havana Solaun. Johnson shot the ball at the near post and seemed to have caught goalkeeper Jane Campbell leaning.

While forwards like Sam Kerr, Marta, and Megan Rapinoe are lighting it up on the goal sheet this season, it’s always fun to see defenders get in on the goal scoring action. With defenders being asked to get forward even more this season, don’t be surprised if more players on the backline start finding the net.

Jane Campbell Is Settling In – Jordan Small

Jane Campbell’s NWSL career didn’t start off as she had hoped. A 5-1 shellacking in late April on the road against Seattle was not great at the time, but maybe that was the bit of adversity Campbell needed to get her career underway. Now six games into her career, she has righted her goals against average to a pretty impressive 1.3.

On Saturday night, Campbell had eight saves in the 2-1 win against Washington. She was tested early and often, but stood strong in goal to pick up the three points. Her ability to command the backline and her confidence in net has allowed head coach Omar Morales to stick with her over Australian international Lydia Williams. With the Tournament of Nations coming up and Ashlyn Harris still hurt, Campbell has made a very good case for herself to be the backup to Alyssa Naeher for the United States.

North Carolina Need to Watch Out for a Second Half Swoon – Charles Olney

Last year, the Western New York Flash raced out to a strong start, only to stumble badly in the second half of the season—picking up one solitary win in their final eight matches. That was enough to hold off Seattle for the final playoff spot, but it was a close call. If not for some major strokes of luck (getting to play Boston two extra times, and snagging three points secured on an extremely tiny field), they could easily have missed the playoffs. This year, they’ve got a new location, but they might just be in some risk of repeating the results of last year. North Carolina remains at the top of the table but they’re starting to look just a little ragged. Some of that may be down to their style of play: aggressive pressing, constant running, leave nothing on the field. That takes a lot of energy and can be difficult to sustain for a full year. What’s more, teams around the league seem to have made some adjustments. This weekend, Portland looked far more comfortable dealing with the NC attack and far less troubled by the high press.

With only ten games to go, Carolina is still pretty close to a lock to make the playoffs. But if they can’t make some adjustments, the Supporters Shield and home-field advantage might very well be on the table.

Have Sky Blue Been Lucky or Good? Why not both? – Charles Olney

In their last two matches, Sky Blue have started out looking thoroughly outclassed. In each game, they went down 2-0, and it could easily have been worse. Their backline looked haphazard, their midfield sloppy, and Sam Kerr could barely get a touch on the ball. Against Kansas City, a red card for Shea Groom helped turn the tide. Sky Blue came roaring back, winning the game on a Kerr hat-trick. Groom’s foul wasn’t much, but by a strict reading of the rules was a red card offense. A hand to the face is a hand to the face. But this week, the story went the other direction. Nikki Stanton was (correctly) given a yellow card in the opening minutes, and then committed an awful foul about 20 minutes later, but was allowed to continue. That in and of itself isn’t shocking—NWSL referees are quite lenient about rough play and are usually quite hesitant to issue dismissals. But by a strict reading of the rules, it was clearly a bookable offense.

In one sense, these two discretionary calls were the key turning points of their respective games. And had the decisions been reversed—if the referees had been loose in the first case and strict in the second, rather than the opposite—it’s quite likely that Sky Blue would be looking back at two rough losses in a row. So in that sense, they were quite lucky. But it’s important to remember that lucky chances are only as important as you make them. Even with a bit of luck in refereeing decisions, the New Jersey side still had a lot of work to do to pull those results back. And they deserve all the credit in the world for staying tough, holding on, and capitalizing on the opportunities provided. At the end of the day, you can’t control what sorts of lucky breaks will come your way, but you absolutely can control what you do when they do show up. And right now, Sky Blue is exploiting their luck to great effect.

Jane Campbell Didn’t Have an Excellent First Start (And That’s Okay)

Posted on by RJ Allen

Saturday evening’s game between the Seattle Reign and the Houston Dash was a bit of a bust for some people. Reign fans were all in, and with good reason. Seattle scored consistently and well, earning five goals over the 90 minutes of play, while the Dash tried time and again and only managed to find the back of the net once, when Poliana scored one for the visitors in the 84′.  Continue reading “Jane Campbell Didn’t Have an Excellent First Start (And That’s Okay)” →

Kickbacks: Five Things about the Roster for Russia

Posted on by RJ Allen

Earlier this morning, US Soccer released a 24-player roster in anticipation of the Women’s Team’s upcoming friendlies against Russia.

The two-leg set will open in Toyota Stadium in Frisco, TX on April 6, and be followed-up with a match on April 9 at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, TX, a homecoming game of sorts for Houston Dash players Morgan Brian, Kealia Ohai, Carli Lloyd, and 2017 draftee Jane Campbell.

Included in the roster are:

24-player roster of call-ups for April 2017 matches against Russia

As we look at the roster, some things are immediately apparent.

Keepers: No Hope Solo

Solo’s suspension from the USWNT concluded in February, and she is eligible again to be called into camp by Ellis. However, having undergone shoulder surgery in late 2016, the long-time US #1 is only partially through the rehabilitation process. Her absence on the roster could indicate that Jill Ellis and US Soccer really have moved on from Solo or that she is not yet cleared and ready to return. Ellis, on her part, has been mum about her intentions toward the goalkeeper even with Solo’s declaration that she wants and expects to return.

Alyssa Naeher (Chicago), Ashlyn Harris (Orlando), and Jane Campbell (Houston) have all been called back into camp for the friendlies. With Solo out of the picture right now, Harris and Naeher are neck-and-neck for the top spot at the moment, with Naeher probably having just the slightest edge over Harris after being named to the Rio roster while the Orlando Pride GK was relegated to the Alternates list. Campbell, on the other hand, seems to be in for a great period of mentorship under the two during the drive towards France in 2019, and it wouldn’t surprise us to see her slowly earning caps over the next two years. Will we see her take the field against Russia? Probably not as a starter, but I think it’s probably a good bet we see her take the pitch in the 46′ if the US has–as they should–built up a good lead.

The Backline: Allie Long, Midfielder, and Megan Oyster’s First Call-Up

Despite being played in the centerback position of Ellis’ experimental three-back backline, Allie Long (Portland) continues to be listed in the midfield on the released rosters. This could be because, say it with us now, Allie Long is a midfielder. She’s not comfortable in the backline–much less as being the pivot or anchor that stabilizes and directs the shape of the backline. Continuing to list her as a midfielder seems like a concession to those of us who don’t see a future for her in the three-back system.

In a related note, Megan Oyster (Boston) has been called into camp for the first time. Oyster is a consistent centerback who played that role for Washington until the recent off-season when she was traded to Boston. Oyster’s performance for Washington was fairly solid but she was benched when the Spirit suffered a bit of a lag in the 2016 season and then continued to sit when Ali Krieger and Shelina Zadorsky returned from national team duties in Rio. Oyster was a part of the starting XI in the Spirit’s failed bid for the NWSL championship last October, where she played centerback in a three-back that featured Krieger and Alyssa Kleiner (and sub Caprice Dydasco) on the wings.

What does Oyster’s call-up mean for the team? Could be a couple of different things. First, of course, it could represent a return to the four-player backline that held the US up throughout the 2015 road to their third Women’s World Cup. With Julie Johnston (soon to be Julie Ertz) out of the roster for her wedding and honeymoon, Oyster and Sauerbrunn could find themselves the center of a classic four-back formation.

Or, it could mean that Ellis’ experiment with Allie Long is finally over, and she’s exploring other options to anchor her three-back. Oyster did very well in that formation for the Spirit in 2016’s final match, with Ali Krieger on her right running up the wings to move the ball and even make some attacking moves. A three-back with, say, Krieger on the right, O’Hara on the left, and Oyster in the center? Now that’s something I’d really love to see.

Midfield: The Return of Rapinoe

When Megan Rapinoe (Seattle) was left off the roster for the 2017 She Believes Cup, there were people (including us) wondering if her career with the national team was over. Certainly it was in jeopardy after last year’s performance, where she failed to make an impact in her two games off-the-bench in Rio, as well as the few later friendlies in which she was rostered. And, of course, there was also the stir she made by supporting Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling protest during the National Anthem, taking a knee on the sidelines at a friendly against the Netherlands in September. With the official position of US Soccer made public earlier this month in a billboard announcement during a She Believes Cup match, it seemed as if Rapinoe’s absence had a bit of a sharp edge to it.

https://twitter.com/stuholden/status/838109929802063872

But, maybe we all assumed too much? Because Rapinoe is back, and just before the NWSL season where she’ll take the field for the Seattle Reign again too.

Forwards: Rodriguez Back, Still No Leroux

Amy Rodriguez (Kansas City) has been called back to the third consecutive camp of 2017 after taking time off in 2016 to give birth to her second son. Rodriguez was left off the final roster for the She Believes Cup in March, but this latest call-up would suggest that Jill Ellis isn’t counting her out at all as the team moves forward toward the next WWC cycle. Sydney Leroux (Kansas City), also out in 2016 for the birth of her first child, has been training hard with FCKC as well but hasn’t yet received a call-up to return to camp with the national team at this point. This is in no way to suggest that her international career is over either, of course. We fully expect to see her back in the USWNT lineup when she’s ready. Both, it needs to be noted, tallied a goal in FC Kansas City’s recent preseason match against Missouri Women’s Soccer, so there’s no doubt that both players are eager to lace up their boots and drive up their numbers.

One name that has made a return to the roster is Kealia Ohai (Houston). Ohai made her senior team debut just last fall, in a friendly against Switzerland at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, MN. Ohai took the field in the 82′ and scored her first international goal just 48 seconds later, breaking a record set by Lynn Williams (North Carolina) set just days before (Williams’ goal was 49 seconds after she took the field for the first time in the 46′). Ohai’s breakout season with the Dash last year–scoring nine goals in seven games–earned her a look from Ellis and the senior team, and we anticipate that she will continue to find the back of the goal at both levels of play.

 

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)