Tag: Megan Rapinoe

Megan Rapinoe had an iconic year. But she wasn’t the best player.

Posted on by Backline Soccer

I am a huge fan of Megan Rapinoe. Over the course of her career, she has been one of the most dynamic and exciting players in the game. Pinpoint crosses, aggressive playmaking, thumping shots and delicate tap-ins, and maybe the best throw-in mojo in the world. I’ve been lucky enough to see her in person a good fifteen or twenty times, and it’s always a joy.

She’s also one of the most important voices in the game today. She takes stands for important causes, wears Audre Lorde’s name on the back of her shirt, and always provides honest and insightful comments on demand. She’s a superstar, and we’re lucky to have her.

But she wasn’t the best player in the world in 2019, and it’s not a close call.

It’s not surprising that she’s taken home all the major awards, of course. She won the Golden Boot at the World Cup, and therefore also won the Golden Ball. And awards-voting being what it is, there was never going to be anyone else at the top of these lists.

But we shouldn’t let ourselves be resigned to this fact. Awards don’t matter that much, but we all still do care about them—from fans to media to players themselves. They are signals of respect, honors for special performances. They should go to the players who earned them. And it’s beyond the realm of plausibility to argue that Rapinoe’s performances on the pitch earned these awards.

Rapinoe’s year was iconic, not great

Over the course of 2019, Rapinoe played 1075 minutes for the United States and 333 minutes for her NWSL club, Reign FC. She scored nine goals and recorded seven assists for the US, and added nothing to either of those numbers in the NWSL. A forward who contributes nine goals over a calendar year maybe be a useful player, but is nowhere close to the elites of the world. Just by way of comparison, Sam Kerr notched 43 goals in 2019, while Vivianne Miedema is closing in on 50.

To even put Rapinoe in the conversation for best in the world, you would have to decide that club performance is basically irrelevant, and would have to massively downgrade international performances outside of the World Cup.

But even narrowing the focus to that extent still doesn’t actually work. Yes, Rapinoe won the big awards in France, but was she actually the best player in the tournament? No. And she really wasn’t even close. She scored six goals, which is obviously a lot, but also isn’t an especially noteworthy total for the Golden Boot winner. And consider the nature of the goals. One came at the tail end of the Americans’ 13-0 drubbing of Thailand—a game in which Rapinoe looked rusty at best. Three more came from penalties. Penalties count as much as any other goal, of course, but the worst penalty takers in the world will still convert about half their chances. There’s value in being the person with the nerves to stand there and do the job, but it’s hard to believe that one of the many other world class Americans couldn’t have done the same.

Her final two goals both came in the quarterfinal matchup against France. One was a strange free kick that somehow failed to be blocked by three different French players. It was a bit of a freak result, though Rapinoe absolutely deserves credit for taking the shot and giving herself the chance to find the opening. The other came from open play—a nice reminder of what a fantastic player Rapinoe is when she’s at her best.

That France game was a genuinely excellent performance, and is certainly the crown jewel of her case. In arguably the biggest game of the year, she played well and delivered the decisive goals.

But one game is just one game, no matter how important. And outside of that match, she was average at best. Against Sweden, Rapinoe looked lost, regularly giving the ball away, and struggling mightily to create anything. Against Spain in the octofinals—probably the closest the US ever came to losing—the American attack was pathetic. They managed a measly two shots on goal, and created virtually nothing from open play. A large part of that is because Spain deliberately shunted the US attack out left, giving Rapinoe chance after chance to create something. She never did.

Rapinoe then missed the semifinal to injury, and the difference was notable. In the same role, Christen Press not only scored a brilliant goal, but also contributed significant defensive work—something the US had been missing from the hobbled Rapinoe. And when she came back for the final, the injury that had left her out of the previous match remained notable. She once again scored a penalty, but looked well off the pace of play.

The final tally: one great game, a couple average ones, and a couple stinkers. She did provide critical nerve in converting some big penalties, and was an important leader on the best team in the world. That’s not nothing. I didn’t include her on my Best or Second XIs for the tournament, but I understand why many reasonable people might disagree.

But those five games are the entirety of her case. Outside of France, she contributed virtually nothing over the rest of the year. And if you’re going to reward someone for a transcendent performance on the biggest stage, it better be truly transcendent. This wasn’t, by any stretch.

We should absolutely celebrate the iconic nature of Rapinoe’s World Cup. We’ll look back at this decades from now and remember her standing, arms outstretched. We’ll remember her drawing the ire of the president. We’ll remember the way it changed our collective conversations about the sport. That all matters. But it has nothing to do with whether she was the best player.

Picking the right players for awards is hard, but it’s important to try

Again, I want to reiterate how much I appreciate Megan Rapinoe. She is one of my favorite players of all-time, and I have been thrilled to see her resurgence in 2017 and 2018. She was famously taken to the Olympics in 2016 while still recovering from an ACL injury, only to be subbed on and back off in a horrible half-hour of the US quarterfinal exit to Sweden. At that point, it looked like her time as a key contributor for the US might be coming to an end. But instead, she came back revitalized, shifting her style of play to become more physical and direct and actually getting better in the process. She really was one of the best players in the world over those couple of years.

So I don’t begrudge her the accolades that are raining down this year. She’s been one of the best for a long time, and there is literally no one I’d rather have as the face of global soccer in 2019.

But I care about the sport as a whole. I want people engaged in it to take their responsibility seriously. I want considered, engaged debates that reflect the accumulated knowledge of experts. I want performances to matter more than fame.

This is not an easy thing. As my friend Kieran Theivam has noted, the availability of statistics is extremely limited. Matches are hard to see. Good commentary is hard to find. I consider myself reasonably well informed about the global game, but that’s purely a relative comparison. I have been able to watch maybe three Frauen-Bundesliga games this year, a handful from France, a couple from South America, basically none from Asia. My colleague Sophie Lawson has expressed the same feelings, and if you know Sophie, you know there is almost no one in the world who watches more (and a more diverse range of) women’s soccer than her.

If it were my job to cover the global game, I could certainly watch more. But it’s not my job because that job basically doesn’t exist. There are a handful of people in the world who can actually devote their full time to covering the sport. The rest of us are either amateurs or professionals who can only devote some of their limited bandwidth to the game.

So I have no confidence in stating who I think should have won all these awards. But to my own eyes, the shortlist should be: Vivianne Miedema, Sam Kerr, Julie Ertz, Amandine Henry, Crystal Dunn. You could also make credible cases for players like Ada Hegerberg, Pernille Harder, Ewa Pajor, Kosovare Asllani, Lucy Bronze, Griedge Mbock Bathy, Caroline Graham Hansen, Debinha, and others.

You could extend out another rung and bring in dozens more truly excellent players, all of whom contributed more over the course of the year than Rapinoe. That’s not a slight to Rapinoe, just an honest reflection of what actually happened.

We are blessed with an unbelievable amount of quality in the game today. Awards season should be a chance to celebrate that talent. It should inspire a bunch of heated and engaging conversations about how to assess the relative quality of leagues, and a diverse range of performances. It shouldn’t be about anointing the most famous player simply because she’s famous.

I know we aren’t there yet, and I certainly wasn’t surprised to see Rapinoe sweep the awards. But just because something is predictable doesn’t make it good. And I don’t accept that we have to treat this as an inevitability. We should demand more. The players are delivering unprecedented excellence on the pitch. We should also demand excellence from those evaluating and analyzing them.

Rapinoe on WC Pay Disparity: “Certainly Not Fair”

Posted on by Backline Soccer

US Women’s World Cup star Megan Rapinoe did not hold back on Saturday when she fielded questions about the increase in World Cup prize pay disparity that is set to happen between the men’s and women’s game in 2021. 

FIFA President Gianni Infantino wants to double the prize money for the top international competition in women’s soccer to $60 million. While on the outside this may look like progress, the men’s World Cup scheduled for Qatar in two years will see an increase in prize money to $440 million. The disparity will increase by an astounding $380 million. 

“It certainly is not fair,” said Rapinoe when asked by the press. “We should double it now and then use that number to double it or quadruple it for the next time.”

Rapinoe has been on the front line during this World Cup and in recent years as the women’s game looks for major support from big money backers and federations. She has vocally criticized FIFA and US Soccer for their shortcomings both domestically and internationally. The money issue is one that brings many of the complaints to the forefront.

“That is what I mean when we talk about: ‘Do we feel respected?’ Earlier in the year, a quote came out where I said FIFA doesn’t care about the women’s game. That’s what I mean. If you really care about each game in the same way, are you letting the gap grow.”

In recent years the fight for support from FIFA has been a strain. Just four years ago the fight to have games played on actual grass was an issue that the men’s World Cup would never need to concern themselves with. Now, it is a fight for respect when ratings, ticket sales and eyeballs have increased far more on the US Women’s team than with the men.

“I’m not saying that the prize money is $450 million this time or next time around. I understand that for a lot of different reasons the men’s game, financially, is far more advanced than the women’s game but if you really care, you’re letting the gap grow?”

Thus far the off-the-field battle for their place in the sporting world hasn’t affected the on-the-field product. Tomorrow the US Women’s National Team goes for their fourth World Cup championship and their second in a row against Netherlands. Thus far they have impressively dispatched Spain, France and England in the knockout stages and are heavy favorites against the Netherlands.

Working Through The Break: 5 Things NWSL Players Did While On National Duty

Posted on by RJ Allen

Congratulations, NWSL fans: we got through the international break! And even though we didn’t get to see our favorite clubs play this past week, we did get to see some of our favorite NWSL players do some pretty great work on the national team level. In case you missed it, here is a quick recap of just five amazing things that happened this past week for our NWSL stars:

Estefanía Banini’s Free-Kick Goal

Washington Spirit’s Estefanía Banini may have had the greatest goal of the international break. The Argentinian forward had a free-kick opportunity from right outside the box in their match against Brazil, and she did not waste it. She hit a screamer to the top right corner of the net and it left the audience speechless. Unfortunately, Banini’s heroics were not enough to pull out a win for Argentina, but damn if I don’t want to watch this on repeat:

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Alex Morgan Did Alex Morgan Things

Four goals in two national team matches? I’ll take it. Alex Morgan was a woman on a mission this past week against Mexico, and that mission was dominance. Morgan played in what looked to be mid-season form as she was the constant threat for the US inside the box. On set pieces, in transition, and with the ball, she seemed to be unstoppable. Add in beautiful passes from Megan Rapinoe and what do we have? A confident striker that was a terror for Mexico’s defense. No doubt she will be taking some of that momentum with her back to Orlando. 

Katie Johnson’s Chip

It was a tough international break for Mexico, but for the NWSL fans out there, they got to see a nice, cheeky little shot from Katie Johnson, the Mexican and Sky Blue forward. Alyssa Naeher hit a bit of a rough patch in the first of the USA-Mexico friendly when coming off the line. Katie Johnson was there to capitalize on that, and it was quite a goal. She chipped Naeher as she came off her line, a decision I’m sure the goalkeeper wishes she could have back. Check it out below.

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Carli Lloyd Got 100

With a goal in the first and second of the US-Mexico friendlies, Carli Lloyd achieved the 100 goal milestone that everyone has been waiting for. It was only a matter of time before it happened, and I don’t think anyone was surprised when it did. Though the 100th goal was not a pretty one by any stretch of the imagination, a goal is a goal. And that one, my friends, was a big one. Even if Carli Lloyd likes to pretend that it was no big deal. If you want to watch it again (because who doesn’t?) here’s the clip:

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Jess Fishlock Flew Home in Style…Jodie Taylor Did Not.

When England and Wales played this past week in a World Cup qualifier, it made opponents out of Seattle Reign teammates Jess Fishlock and Jodie Taylor. The match was a hard-fought draw, with Wales (and Fishlock) coming out ahead of England. But the weirdest thing that happened was that Taylor and Fishlock both took the same flight back to the United Kingdom—only Fishlock got a business-class seat and Taylor was left in economy. And of course, as all good teammates would, Fishlock made sure Taylor was aware:

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Obviously, a lot more happened over the international break, but I only have five slots to fill, so go check out some recaps and brush up on your international soccer IQ. Just make sure you come on back and get ready for tomorrow and Sunday. The NWSL has returned to us, my friends. Let’s not miss a second of it.  

Route Two Soccer: A Strong Start for the Reign

Posted on by RJ Allen

This offseason, the Reign said goodbye to their longtime coach Laura Harvey, and quite a few players as well. For many fans, this movement was disconcerting. Even for those who liked the changes in principle, there was plenty of concern about how long it would take them to get everything organized.

One week in, it’s still far too early to draw any serious conclusions. But the news so far is good. In this column, I want to take a quick look at the Reign’s first match, and see what it tells us about the new Vlatko Andonovski regime.

The team set up in a 4-3-3, which was hardly surprising. It was very similar to how they played under Harvey, and quite similar to the way Vlatko’s FCKC teams often played as well. The personnel available definitely creates some flexibility here, with both Allie Long and Jess Fishlock able to play a holding role, allowing them to shift easily back and forth between 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 depending on game state. Against Washington, they spent the majority of the game on the front foot, allowing Long to generally play as a single holding midfielder, while giving her and Fishlock freedom to interchange as necessary.

Getting the most out of Allie Long

This is a role Long has played before, but rarely excelled in. She’s a solid defender in one-on-one situations, and her good workrate allows her to be a disruptive force, but her lack of positional discipline has always prevented her from truly excelling at the job of shielding the backline. Further, her tendency to dither on the ball is risky for a player tasked with winning the ball and distributing it quickly from dangerous positions. Finally, playing her deep tends to limit her opportunities to crash into the box—one of the most important qualities of her game.

In this game, however, Long looked transformed. All those good qualities were present, and she looked far more confident managing play. Gone were the tentative stabs that opened up space behind her. Gone was the player who often fell under some tough challenges, conceding possession in dangerous zones. She seemed far more locked into the holding role, and played it far better than she generally has managed.

She still isn’t the most dynamic passer—generally opting for static sideways balls if at all possible—but that’s really the only complaint to be found about her play. She was even able to pick and choose a fair number of opportunities to get forward and contribute in the box.

It’s never a good idea to draw firm conclusions from one game, particularly against a team as young and raw as this Washington side. But at least on the first impression, Coach Andonovski surely will have been pleased to see the Long and Fishlock partnership work out so well.

The magical Rapinoe

The Megan Rapinoe renaissance continues apace. She put on a show in this game, absolutely bamboozling Taylor Smith on multiple occasions, ranging far and wide to get the ball, shooting at will, and playing plenty of beautiful passes as well. It was a majestic game, from a player who may have lost half a step of pace, but who has more than made up for it with guile and precision.

That said, it’s once again worth mentioning the opposition. Taylor Smith had a great year in 2017, but hasn’t looked nearly as solid so far in 2018. Her first half here was particularly rough, as she persistently overcommitted only to find herself turned and chasing Rapinoe. She also struggled enormously trying to establish a working partnership on with Whitney Church—whose lack of pace exposed huge gaps in the right side of the defense.

Jodie Taylor also deserves credit. While she didn’t provide any singular moments to rival those of Rapinoe, her presence was felt all through the night. Seattle desperately needed a true #9 last year to establish a point of attack, soak up pressure, and give Rapinoe and Naho someone to play off. With Taylor, they’ve now got one, and it brought the attack into clear focus.

A backline full of options

All of the key performances for Seattle took place in the front six, but there’s plenty worth discussing in the back half of the pitch as well. We should begin by noting the incredible depth of the Seattle defense. The five starters last night are all excellent, but you could conduct a complete line change and replace them with five more top-level players. After all, they were missing two starters away on international duty (Lydia Williams in goal and Steph Catley at left back) and another (Yael Averbuch) to illness. Then consider names like Christen Westphal, Maddie Bauer, and Kristen McNabb and you’ve got two full defensive units that could easily be starting.

Of the group that started this game, the clearest positive story was Theresa Nielsen, whose first game in the league went very well. Many have suggested that the combination of Nielsen and Catley gives Seattle the best fullback duo in the league, and on the evidence of the night, there seems to be a lot to that. She is a dynamic player who will do a lot to settle the position for them. On the other side, Utsugi did fine, not blowing down any doors but getting the job done. It seems like she will be a nice luxury for Andonovski this year: a seasoned player who probably doesn’t start when everyone is healthy, but who can cover virtually any midfield or defensive position in a pinch.

At center back, Lauren Barnes looked a bit shaky. She has been a mainstay at Seattle for years, but appears to be in one of those phases that often hit players as they emerge out of their peak years: still good, but struggling to adapt to a slight loss of physical performance. It will be worth watching to see whether Averbuch slots immediately in as a starter once she’s healthy. On a team with fewer options, both would certainly be expected to play every day, but on a team with depth, some rotation might serve both players best, giving them time for rest and recovery to allow full exertion when they’re called on.

Finally, Michelle Betos put on quite a show in her first game back in the NWSL since she departed after the 2016 season. It was a vintage Betos performance, with some impressive sweeping, a few nice saves, and a few moments to set the heart racing. Williams should still be expected to start once she returns, but at a bare minimum Betos showed that Seattle have solid depth in the position.

Verdict still out, but a promising start

Ultimately, one game is only one game. Things could still very easily go wrong. But one theme coming into the year was concern that it might take Vlatko time to get everyone working together, to imprint his vision, and to establish the sort of style he wants to see. With five new players (many of them down the spine of the team), more new players to come, and a new coach, it would be understandable if things hadn’t really gelled. Instead, they hit the ground running.

Last year, Seattle finished fifth, five points off of a playoff spot. The four teams who finished ahead of them can’t have liked what they saw on Saturday night.

USWNT struggle again, Australia take full advantage

Posted on by RJ Allen

You know that saying “it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish?” Well that certainly was the case for the United States against Australia on Thursday night in Seattle in front of a cool 15,748 people. The first 15 minutes were solid from the Americans, showing wave after wave of pressure on the Matildas, with veteran midfielder Megan Rapinoe leading the effort.

The next 60 minutes, however, were a different story.

I will admit, I thought Australia put out a better lineup and they had the right personnel on the field. And though the Americans are ranked #1 in the world, their performance was far from it. Every position was make-shift; starting with the defense consisting of Becky Sauerbrunn, Abby Dahlkemper, Casey Short, and newcomer Taylor Smith. While they were solid for most of the night, the eventual game winner to Tameka Butt for the Aussies was from two poor attempts at clearing the ball. Mishaps we don’t often see from a United States backline.

I noticed we were passing it back to keeper Alyssa Naeher quite a bit. Several passing combinations between the keeper and the backline had fans gasping for a breath with the uncertainty if it was going to cost us a goal or not. Luckily it did not, but it could’ve easily produced a goal or two with how close the always-dangerous Aussie Sam Kerr was getting.

The midfield was an area that really struggled to find cohesion and rhythm all night. The lone bright spot was Rapinoe, who was racing up and down the flanks, creating opportunities for herself and the team alike and pressuring when she thought necessary. It was a relief in my eyes to see her bring her NWSL form to the National team after a spell away. Her fellow mids sprayed a few passes here and there but for long periods of time I forgot who was on the field in the midfield. Sam Mewis, Allie Long, and Mallory had a few quality moments throughout but for the majority it was disappointing.

Up top for the USWNT were Christen Press and Lindsey Horan, two players who are playing quite well for their respective NWSL clubs, Chicago and Portland. But they couldn’t find the right chemistry and when they did, Australian keeper Lydia Williams was up for the task.

Watching this American team on Thursday night, it was no secret there was some disconnect but Jill Ellis is still in her experimenting stage so in the future it could be something that works. I don’t want to take one game and use that as the sample size because that would not be fair. But at some point, when do we figure it out? I thought that point would be the SheBelieves Cup back in March, but here we are at the end of July and once again, we’re on the bottom of the table.

When Jill Ellis started bringing on the substitutes, I thought maybe our tactics would change, (you know, building an attack from the back, putting more players in the box) but I was wrong. Now in the last 10 minutes, sure, we showed some serious quality in our movement but that was due to being down and having that dreaded sense of urgency on home soil. Carli Lloyd, Kelley O’Hara, Morgan Brian, Crystal Dunn, and Alex Morgan all arrived later in the second half. Lloyd almost found an equalizer but once again Williams stood tall in goal against her Houston Dash teammate. Morgan and Dunn made their presence felt, pressuring the backline and pushing the ball forward with great pace but nothing to show for either.

Overall it was a lackluster performance from a team that continues to struggle at home, now having lost a total of three matches this year compared to three matches from 2001-2016. While we may be experimenting in nearly every position, it’s not pretty to watch. With this caliber of players, the talent we have in this country, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where we continue to lose in tournaments and something doesn’t give before the 2019 Women’s World Cup.

Tournament of Nations? More like Tournament of What-Ifs for the United States.

Clash of Titans: The USWNT vs AusWNT

Posted on by RJ Allen

The #1-ranked United States Women’s National Team will open the Tournament of Nations against a familiar opponent, Australia (#7). They have a record of 25-0-2 against the Matildas and will be looking to stay undefeated. The match is set for July 27 at 7 pm on ESPN and will be played at CenturyLink Field in Seattle.

 

The Lineups

Head coach Jill Ellis will be experimenting as has become the status quo for the US team. Her call-ups feature plenty of veterans, with a few newer faces and a small sample of youth as well.

  • Goalkeepers: Alyssa Naeher, Jane Campbell, Abby Smith
  • Defenders: Becky Sauerbrunn, Ali Krieger, Kelley O’Hara, Julie Ertz, Abby Dahlkemper, Casey Short, Taylor Smith.
  • Midfielders: Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe, Morgan Brian, Allie Long, Samantha Mewis, Margaret Purce.
  • Forwards: Alex Morgan, Crystal Dunn, Christen Press, Sydney Leroux, Mallory Pugh, Lindsey Horan, Lynn Williams.

Some notable players are currently unavailable due to injury, including Tobin Heath, Meghan Klingenberg, Rose Lavelle, Ashlyn Harris.

Australia is a dangerous team because they have two things that I love: youth and speed. It’s no secret they have always embraced their young talent Down Under and head coach Alan Stajic has continued to do just that. The Matilda’s ToN roster has an average age of 24, with two 17-year-olds (Ellie Carpenter and Princess Ibini) rounding out the bottom, while the oldest is Lisa De Vanna at 32.

  • Goalkeepers: Lydia Williams, Mackenzie Arnold.
  • Defenders: Clare Polkinghorne, Steph Catley, Laura Alleway, Alanna Kennedy, Caitlin Cooper, Ellie Carpenter, Gema Simon.
  • Midfielders: Katrina Gorry, Tameka Butt, Elise Kellond-Knight, Emily Van Egmond, Chloe Logarzo, Alex Chidiac.
  • Forwards: Sam Kerr, Lisa De Vanna, Hayley Raso, Emily Gielnik, Princess Ibini.

Notable players out due to injury; Kyah Simon, Michelle Heyman.

 

The History

The last time these two powerhouses met was back in 2015 at the opening match of Group D in the Women’s World Cup in Canada. Rapinoe led the Americans to a 3-1 win by scoring a brace while Press also contributed a goal in the second half. The United States would go on to win their third star while the Matildas reached the quarter-finals but would go no further thanks to eventual second-place Japan.

In 2016 the tables turned a bit for both countries in the Olympics. The Americans would crash out of the tournament in the quarterfinals (the earliest exit in history) while Australia took a devastating loss to Brazil (again on penalties) in the quarterfinals as well. Both teams had high expectations but were eliminated from the Games in stunning fashion. 2017–for both teams–has been a year of experimenting and figuring out how to prepare for the next major tournament as the cycle begins again, the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France.

 

The Match

The United States will want to put on a better performance than their last home tournament, the She Believes Cup back in March, where they took fourth behind France, Germany, and England. They made a better showing last month in their first overseas friendlies in years, when they managed 1-0 wins over Norway and Pia Sundhage’s Sweden last month. Australia surely feel the same need to prove something after they finished third in the Algarve Cup in March with a shocking loss to Denmark in penalties.

Players to watch for both U.S and Australia will be Megan Rapinoe and Sam Kerr. Rapinoe has been in remarkable form for her NWSL side Seattle Reign, scoring a league-leading 12 goals, including a hat-trick on July 22 in a thrilling 5-4 in over Sky Blue. Kerr has equally been impressive with Sky Blue, netting 11 goals so far this season. Rapinoe and Kerr will surely give the opposing defense some challenges if they can translate their NWSL club play onto the international stage at this tourney.

Celebrate Good Times

Posted on by RJ Allen

In the women’s game, when the ball hits the back of the net there are two typical celebrations. Either the player who just scored will run to the arms of her teammates that are on the field, or run to the arms of her teammates on the bench. Watching this, a spectator might assume that it’s because women see goals as team efforts, and want to celebrate them as such. However, if we look a little deeper, it’s not hard to see this as partially a product of the standards set for women in society. This is a world where women are often told that their successes are not as important or as great as that of men. And, as a corollary, that they shouldn’t celebrate with as much enthusiasm.

So, if the standard celebrations are pretty low energy, is that because women generally just celebrate differently? Or is it because they’ve been encouraged to keep it low? Every league has its rules on celebrating. The National Football League can fine players for celebrating in a different way than what they define as being a “nice celebration.” People will complain no matter what the circumstance is, however, some gender-norms are also played into the women’s league. 

Now, National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) fans are accustomed to watching great celebrations from players like Samantha Kerr or Megan Rapinoe.

Loud.  

           Crazy.

                        Exciting. 

And there have also been examples of great team celebrations, like the US Women’s National Team’s (USWNT) celebrations in the London 2012 Olympics. But these are generally the exceptions rather than the norm. So the question stands, why do we almost always see the same celebrations?

To understand the conversation surrounding goal celebrations, we need to take a look into the dynamics of women’s sports teams. Back in 2007 Hope Solo was banished from team USA after publicly calling her coach out. It’s not hard to see a double standard at work here. When a man calls a coach or teammate out it is often seen as a bold choice. Contentious and maybe even disruptive, but well within the bounds of normal behavior. However, when a woman does it, she is banished from the team and marked as too outspoken in the women’s soccer community.

It may well be that muted celebrations are a product of this climate. Don’t be aggressive, or loud. Don’t call too much attention to yourself. No one will complain about a group hug with your teammates or a pat on the back and a few high fives, so just stick with that. 

As noted above, there are some exceptions to this rule. Sam Kerr is famous for her backflips, and Megan Rapinoe is often seen dancing on the field after a goal and encouraging her teammates to join in on the fun. Even on the national team back in 2011 she picked a field mic up and sang, “Born in the USA!” after her goal against Colombia. And in the 2012 Olympics, the USWNT was famous for their team celebrations. They did the worm, a salute, and even somersaults. And other national teams have occasionally got in on the fun. But generally, this sort of thing remains uncommon.

And that’s unfortunate. Kerr’s backflips are instantly turned into GIFs that get shared all around women’s soccer blogs and Twitters. The women’s soccer community loves to see big, fun celebrations. We can all take the game seriously, while still remembering that it’s a game and it’s supposed to be fun. And there are plenty of girls out there watching, who might see these joyful goal celebrations and get excited to score themselves. 

Route Two Soccer – Which Seattle is the Real Seattle

Posted on by RJ Allen

Which Seattle is the real Seattle? The one that destroyed Houston and Washington? The one that was devastated by Boston early in the season? The one that ran roughshod over Portland a couple weeks ago? Or the one that was manhandled by North Carolina the following week?

The glib answer is to just say ‘all of them,’ and of course that’s true in the broadest sense. But if you’re looking for one game to encapsulate this team in 2017, you wouldn’t go wrong to watch this weekend’s draw with Boston. In it, we saw evidence of just how strong this team can be—the fluid movement, the incisive passing, the wonderful creativity of their front six. And you also got plenty of good examples of where things can often go wrong—the peculiar defensive lapses, the problems handling width, the relative weakness of the backline.

Re-tooling and re-kindling the Seattle Reign style

In 2014 and 2015, the Reign were a force of nature. When they were on (and they were usually on), they were close to unplayable. Their midfield trio of Kim Little, Jess Fishlock, and Keelin Winters was likely the best in the world and provided the engine that kept everything else humming along.

But all good things must pass and so it went with the Reign midfield. By 2017, only Fishlock remained, and coach Laura Harvey was faced with the task of re-organizing her team to meet the abilities and talents of the players on the roster. With mixed results.

It’s clear that Harvey has a preferred style of play: an attacking 4-3-3, with a lot of fluid movement high up the pitch—players interchanging freely, covering tremendous ground, making it exceptionally difficult for defenses to settle. And Seattle has broadly speaking continued to play that way. But Harvey has also shown some flexibility. You’re still most likely to see them playing that 4-3-3, but there have been some exceptions. Notably, Harvey moved to a back three against Portland in an effort to flood the midfield and close down their passing lanes. At other times, she’s deployed a defensively-minded 4-2-3-1 in order to slow games down to a more stately pace.

Against Boston, Seattle mostly stuck to character—spending most of the game in their usual setup—but within that structure they showed that not every 4-3-3 works the same way.

Generally, at least one midfielder will play in a true holding role. That was Keelin Winters in previous years, and this year it’s been Rumi Utsugi—the steady rock who helps stabilize the rest of the squad. But beyond that, there’s a lot of room for innovation. Seattle found great success with Fishlock as the linking player and Little as the attacker, but you don’t need to simply find one-to-one replacements in order to make it work. Which is a good thing, because ‘find another Kim Little’ isn’t a plan with much chance of success.

The importance of fluidity

The key to this setup is the variability of movement among the individual pieces. Megan Rapinoe generally plays in the wide left attacking role—which gives her the space she needs to take on isolated defenders, whip in crosses, and make those slicing attacks that have produced so many goals this year. But she is by no means confined to that role. And on the other side, the same is true of Naho Kawasumi, who theoretically play on the right wing but generally covers close to every inch of the pitch at one time or another.

One particularly devastating switch involves Naho dropping a bit and drifting central, with Rapinoe dancing freely just behind Matthias as the central striker. It’s not a ton of movement on the ground, but it produces a very different attacking structure—basically a 4-4-2 pinched diamond, with Naho playing as a de facto Number 10. That puts the other side in the difficult position of deciding whether to ask the wide defenders to drag inward to follow Naho (leaving the wing exposed), or to give her free access to a pocket of space just above the backline in which she can work her magic.

A great performance from Elston

One of the other key features of Harvey’s 4-3-3s is the importance of goal-scoring midfielders. The classic example, of course, is Kim Little. But even without a player of her incredible quality, the Harvey setup can produce a lot of great chances for midfielders to crash the box and exploit spaces ripped open by the movement of the attackers. And we saw wonderful evidence of that in this game, with Lindsay Elston turning in a marvelous performance. She wasn’t able to find the net, but put herself into dangerous positions constantly, and gave Boston fits all night as they struggled to manage the additional body arriving late and unanticipated.

Elston is hardly a star, but she turned in a POTM performance in this game. And while that’s obviously partially a sign of her own skill and commitment, it’s also a testament to Harvey’s tactical management. One mark of a top coach is their ability to build collaborative systems in which good players are made to look great.

Elston’s performance was particularly impressive given just how many different hats she had to wear at different points. Those deep runs into the box are exceptionally hard for the defense to track—which is what makes them so dangerous—but they can also leave your own midfield quite exposed. You need to be judicious about your movement, and you need good communication to ensure that your run is protected. We expect that level of sophistication and precision from Jess Fishlock, but for Elston to step in so assuredly is a good indication that the whole team is on the same page.

Persistent weaknesses

Still, for all the good work that Harvey has done to adapt her system and integrate new players in the process, there are still major weaknesses in this team. When everything is clicking, and they have the space they need to orchestrate their attacks, they look incredible. But there’s a fairly simple solution: don’t give them that space.

And it doesn’t take an aggressive gegenpress to unsettle them, either. You just need to stay organized and consistently apply pressure on their weaker passers, to break up the rhythm and keep yourself from getting pulled completely out of shape when the ball gets to their more creative players. And Boston generally did this to great effect in this game. It wasn’t a perfect performance by any means, and Seattle certainly had plenty of decent attacks. But in general, they were able to keep Rapinoe and Naho fairly restrained to the sidelines and kept the pressure on them strong when they did get the ball.

They were certainly aided in that project by their own tactical setup—with Angela Salem and Morgan Andrews both playing in holding roles, allowing them to pack that crucial central space into which Seattle hopes to find exploitable openings.

Of course, that choice doesn’t come without costs. By packing the center, Boston had to sacrifice the chance to really come at Seattle with pace on the wings. It’s no surprise, then, that this ended up a tense low-scoring affair. Boston’s setup was designed to limit Seattle’s attacking space, and in order to achieve that result, they were willing to forego an aggressive assault on the Reign’s weakest point.

And it mostly worked. Seattle’s only goal was the product of a defensive miscue from Abby Smith (whose poor clearance only made it as far as Naho’s feet) and a wonder strike, not from any sophisticated build up.

Meanwhile, Boston’s goal helped to clarify that if the Reign make the playoffs this year, it will be primarily because they were able to outscore the opposition, not from any particular defensive solidity. It all started with a corner, which left Seattle out of position. Once the ball was cleared, they tried to reset but didn’t have time. Which meant that Westphal received the ball on the right wing with acres of space—since the ostensible left back (Pickett) was effectively playing right back at the moment. They tried to shift, with Barnes moving out to cover the left and Stott moving into a de facto center back position, but it was all a bit sloppy. So when Westphal’s deliciously weighted ball arced toward the net, three Seattle players formed a neat triangle around the onrushing Adriana Leon, with none of them actually close enough to stop the shot.

This was by no means a catastrophic failure. Stott and McNabb gave Leon just a bit too much space, and Kopmeyer may have waited a hair too long to come out and missed her chance. But it still took a truly superb cross and a clinical finish to find the net.

Which Seattle is the real Seattle?

In the end, Seattle will likely be frustrated to have only managed a point from a home fixture against a struggling Boston side. But they’ll also likely savor any result against a team that beat them so comprehensively earlier in the season.

And beyond the result, the same sort of gray picture emerges—with pluses and minuses in equal doses. Seattle played the style they wanted to play and mostly played it well. That’s a good sign, especially given the absence of Fishlock. At the same time, for all the decent play and fluid movement, they still found it pretty difficult to actually penetrate the Boston defense. And that is worrisome because Boston’s setup was hardly a complicated one, and their personnel is hardly the most daunting in the league.

Ultimately, if Seattle hope to make the playoffs and make a run for the title, they need to keep adding tools to the arsenal. Going into the season, Seattle’s two biggest red flags were probably depth and lack of flexibility. On both of those fronts, this game provided some clear evidence of consolidation. But it remains to be seen how much more room there is there for progress.

6 Takeaways from NWSL: Week 11

Posted on by RJ Allen

Week 11 brought us a double scoop of NWSL action with most teams playing a midweek match on top of all the action from the weekend. There were highlight reel goals, penalty kicks awarded, and referee controversy. That was just the beginning, so let’s buckle in as we offer up our top takeaways of the week.

Alex Morgan Returns But Too Late? – Luis Hernandez

It was the moment most Orlando Pride fans had been waiting for, the return of Alex Morgan from her stint in France. Entering the match against Chicago in the 65th minute, the home crowd roared to life hoping to see the returning hero score in her debut. However, two minutes after she entered the match Christen Press put away what would be the game winner from the spot.

The disjointed Orlando side couldn’t come away with anything on Saturday, once again dropping three points at home. In the presser after the match, Morgan stated, “But, maybe when Chi came in, I didn’t know what we were playing, who was playing what position. Because Camila was the 10 and then I wasn’t sure where she was and I wasn’t sure where Chi was so there was a little bit of confusion. I wish the communication was better. I think we can work on that a lot more.” You can’t fault Tom Sermanni for playing Morgan as soon as she was able, without better incorporating her into the rhythm her teammates have started to create, especially in a week with multiple matches. Needed fresh legs and wanting to see what her fitness level, Sermanni put her in, hoping she could boost the offense.

Certainly, the Pride will be able to work it out and improve. However, it’s the defensive errors which have caused them to drop 13 points so far this year, and each of the top four teams have more than a one-match cushion on Orlando. A trip to the playoffs may soon be out of reach.

Mid-Season Discipline (Is that Another Yellow Card?) – Luis Hernandez

As we reach the halfway point of the season, we tend to start taking a count of how it’s going, who’s leading the pack, how many cards have been issued, that sort of thing. This week actually brought out a high number of yellow cards; there were two matches that saw four yellows thrown on the weekend and one astonishing six yellow card match in the midweek between Portland and Kansas City. Looking at the numbers, the NWSL stats site tells us that 132 yellow cards have been shown so far this season, and on top of that, five red cards. This is out of the 60 matches so far this year. That’s an average of 2.2 yellow cards per match. To put it in perspective, the 2016 season had 174 yellow cards (1.74 yellows/match) with five red cards in the 100 matches. Heck, this was the first season, I even heard of the NWSL disciplinary committee.

It’s hard to find a reason for the steep increase. Has there been a shift in the style of play? Has the league or PRO changed the points of emphasis without putting out a public statement? Has the Lifetime partnership caused this somehow? I don’t believe we’ll figure out the why, but it’s worth keeping in mind as the second half of the season, and the league has no “good behavior” incentive like Major League Soccer.

MVPinoe – Elizabeth Wawrzyniak

Halfway through the season, it’s time to start talking seriously about this year’s MVP.

With nine goals (four scored in the past week alone), including three successful PKs, and one assist, I don’t think anyone has to look further than the Seattle Reign’s five-season veteran Megan Rapinoe. She’s on-track to take home the Golden Boot this year, and with it, MVP, because the two always seem to go hand-in-hand. (That, I think, is a discussion for another day, however.) But whether Rapinoe ultimately wins the Golden Boot or not (at three goals ahead of the pack, surpassing her would be a challenge but not impossible) if anyone else takes home MVP this year it would be an injustice.

The reason? You really don’t need to look further than her numbers so far this season. Numbers which include far more than just her nine goals.

Rapinoe has been carrying Seattle on her back this year, determined to get back into the playoffs after missing them by a hair last season. Leading the league in goals, but with just one assist, when Seattle hasn’t been able to find the net on their own, Rapinoe has been chasing down every possible chance, creating opportunities when seemingly none exist, and basically, to mix my sports metaphors for a moment, crashing into the boards time and time again. Of her 40 shots so far this year (2nd in the standings), 22 (3rd) have been on goal, giving her a SOG percentage of 55%. If this were baseball, her batting average wouldn’t just be considered good, it’d be considered one of the best in the sport. Christen Press currently has the same SOG percentage, but four fewer goals to her name this season.

With 58 corner kicks, she’s second in the league so far this season, with only Abby Dahlkemper ahead of her, which means that those nine goals don’t come from set-piece opportunities, but the run-of-play. From Rapinoe moving the ball down-field or maneuvering into the right place at the right time to receive a cross and send it home. But maybe the most important stat to consider in her case for 2017 MVP are her PKs. Three of her nine goals this year have come from PKs. Why are PKs to important? Because they’re the “extra-point” or “free throw” of soccer. They’re guaranteed scoring opportunities, and missing them is unacceptable. It happens, yes. And, yes, there’s the added element of the GK, who might jump in the right direction and make a save, but for an experienced, professional soccer player to miss a PK–send it far left or right of the goal, over the crossbar, etc.–is unacceptable. A PK is a just about the easiest chance to score a player can get, and a team needs to be able to rely on their player’s ability to earn that point. Because at the end of the 90’, the game might literally come down to whether they were able to capitalize in that moment or not.

Megan Rapinoe this year has had three opportunities to score a PK for her team.

She has completed each and every one.

When you’re that clutch, you deserve to take home that “Most Valuable Player” trophy at the end of the year.

Houston Dash Undefeated in Kansas City – Elizabeth Wawrzyniak

No, really. I’m not joking.

The team that has been on or near the bottom for its three seasons in the NWSL has never lost to the two-time (back to back) NWSL Championship winners, FCKC on the road in Kansas City.

Of the four times the Houston Dash have taken on FCKC at Swope Soccer Stadium (or the Durwood Stadium FCKC played at in 2014), they have never failed to come away with at least a draw, and as of last night, have won (2-1) twice.  Surreal, no?

In 2014, Houston left Kansas City with a 2-2 draw–only their seventh game ever. Lauren Holiday (we miss you) opened the scoring in the 2’ but the young Dash team responded with a goal from Jordan Jackson in the 20’. The first-half ended 2-1 after Erika Tymrak scored in the 36’, but after a halftime break, Tiffany McCarty evened the score in the 78’. And the Houston team took home their first draw in team history. They would end the season in 9th (last) place, but at that moment, 1-5-1 into the season and coming off a four-game losing streak, a draw against the eventual NWSL champions had to feel like the promise of good things to come.

2015 saw another draw between the two teams, 1-1, but the scoreline hides the fact that FCKC didn’t manage to score at all that game. In fact, if not for an own goal from Toni Pressley in the 55’, Carli Lloyd’s goal in the 45’ would have given the Houston Dash the win. The Dash finished 5th that season, and by the time of the away game in Kansas City, they had been doing fairly well, with a 3-4-4 record in the season when they took the field that night. But that night they could have had a win against the 2014 Champions, the same team that would go on to beat Seattle for the second year in a row in the final.

The Dash took home their first road win against FCKC in 2016, just their fourth game of the season. Playing without Amy Rodriguez (pregnancy), Lauren Holiday (retirement), and newcomer Sydney Leroux (pregnancy), FCKC’s season got off to a rough start, and they came into the match against the Dash with two losses and a draw under their belt already. When Houston opened the scoring in the 56’ with a goal from Irish international Denise O’Sullivan, and Chioma Ubogagu gave them a second just 15 minutes later, Kansas City had already lost the game. Despite their valiant efforts, and a late goal from Yael Averbuch in the 87’, they couldn’t pull out a draw against the Dash, who would end up finishing just one position ahead of them at 7th in the final 2016 standings.

And then last night, the Dash pulled out what, at least according to history, isn’t such an improbable win after all, despite the belief of many (including myself). Granted, they were assisted by a second-half yellow card accumulation that sent one of FCKC’s most creative players, Lo’eau LaBonta to the locker room, but the Houston Dash came out determined to turn their season around. Though Kansas City seemed to have the advantage at first, especially after a stoppage time goal from Shea Groom in the first half, a 55’ goal from Rachel Daly and then a 64’ goal from Nichelle Prince as FCKC were struggling to recover themselves after LaBonta’s ejection gave the Dash the win and kept this odd streak alive.

Go Dash, I guess?

Mid-Week Off Comes Back to Hurt Spirit and Courage – Jordan Small

While eight teams spent their Wednesday night playing their second game in four days or less, the North Carolina Courage and Washington Spirit were sitting at home. Both teams had the night off and were able to prepare for the weekend matchups that awaited them. However, come Saturday, those two teams found them on the wrong side of the scoresheet.

North Carolina hosted Sky Blue on Saturday afternoon and were featured as July’s first Lifetime Game of the Week. By the 80th minute, neither team had scored, but one team looked to be gassed and ready for the match to be over. The other was racing down the field looking for a goal and the three points. Believe it or not, Sky Blue was the one with more life towards the end of the game. The team that had played three games in six days, two of which were on the road, won on a goal from Sam Kerr in the 84th minute.

Then you have the Washington Spirit. After beating the Portland Thorns at home last Saturday, the Spirit made the short trip up to Boston to take on the Breakers. The Spirit dominated the first half but were unable to finish their chances. Boston pounced on the opportunity in the 72nd minute when Midge Purce put away a goal off of lazy defending from Washington.

Both teams that had off during the week lost on the weekend. Is this just a coincidence? It might be, but to think that having too much time to think about your next opponent isn’t all that crazy to believe. It also could just be that those two teams were outplayed.

The Power of the Backup Goalkeeper – Jordan Small

Three goalkeepers who didn’t come into the season expecting to see much game time have ended up with significant minutes in recent weeks due to injuries to their teams’ starters. For Katelyn Rowland of the North Carolina Courage and Aubrey Bledsoe of the Orlando Pride, these have become long term assignments over the past several weeks. In Boston, Sammy Jo Prudhomme is just three games into her starting career.

Rowland and Bledsoe have won over half of their games since taking over. All three have picked up at least one shutout in their time as the number one. This is the first time for all three as the starter for a significant period of time and they have not disappointed. Each is making the case to be the starter for the foreseeable future which will make it fun down the stretch. Who doesn’t love a little competition?

Those are the takeaways that stood out to us. Did you take something else away from this extra long week of matches? Let us know your thoughts, and come back next week for more takeaways.

Unsung Hero of the Week: Rapinoe Brings Purple Reign

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 Seattle Reign FC forward Megan Rapinoe.

Rapinoe has been one of the original Seattle fan-favorites since 2013, when the National Women’s Soccer League began. Making 46 appearances while scoring 22 goals for the Reign, Rapinoe has been a key part of Seattle’s rise to the top of the NWSL over the last five years. But after tearing her ACL with the National Team in December 2015, Rapinoe’s appearances with her club team have been limited, and when she does take the pitch, she’s been a little rusty.

But now, I think we can all say with confidence: Pinoe’s back, baby.

Seattle 1-1 Orlando:

Throughout the first six weeks, Seattle has had a kind of Jekyll and Hyde feel about them, while Orlando’s start has been a little underwhelming, to say the least, until their surprise win over the NC Courage in Week 5.  So no one was particularly surprised as the match started and the Reign started out strong, dominating early possession. The Reign are considered one of the best clubs at home and currently have a 10 match undefeated run at their Memorial Stadium home. Orlando, on the other hand, have yet to earn a win in their last 13 away games.

One of the biggest difference makers for me in this match was the 31-year-old Rapinoe, who was vital in the Reign maintaining possession throughout the match and controlling the pace of the game.

One of the best parts about Rapinoe’s game is her passing ability. An early example of this was in the seventh minute of the game, when Rapinoe checked into space near the midfield, her back to the opposing goal, to receive a pass from Christine Nairn. With one last quick shoulder check on her defender, Rapinoe took a single touch with her right and sent a lovely ball towards Jess Fishlock, who was wide-open and charging into Orlando’s eighteen yard-box territory at the time.

In this instance, the Pride’s defensive back Alanna Kennedy was able to slide over just in time to force a crunching tackle, and both players got tangled up trying to win the ball. But what many people may overlook in watching the ball is how Rapinoe not only knew where Fishlock was running too in that split second, but gave Fishlock a real chance with her placement of the ball.

One reason it’s difficult to defend the Reign is because they are known as a technical team, they love the one-touch passing game and time and time again, they are synchronized moving up into the attack. This season, Seattle are working with a 4-3-3 formation, pushing Rapinoe up top with fellow veterans Bev Yanez and Nahomi Kawasumi.  The attack is supported by a well-connected midfield, composed of Fishlock, Christine Nairn and Rumi Utsugi. But the most important part of the Reign’s dominance on the pitch is that all the players mentioned above–Rapinoe and her teammates in the front and midfield–are interchangeable on the field.  Each one of them could swap positions on the pitch at any point and perform to Laura Harvey’s exacting standards. That’s how they create so many quality chances and in doing do, currently lead the league in Goals (15), Assists (10), Shots on Goal (39) and are second in Shots overall (73).

Rapinoe was busy all game long finding space and getting service to her teammates in critical areas. In fact, the lone goal for Seattle came off service from that special right foot in the 40th minute. After the second consecutive corner found its way back to Rapinoe out wide, she whipped in a tantalizing ball that sent Orlando backup goalkeeper Caroline Stanley out to the six-yard box to only land a weak punch that landed the ball at Rachel Corsie’s feet. Corsie, then, deflected the ball toward Yanez, who scored with a beautiful tap-in.

But remember. It all started with Rapinoe. With Rapinoe not giving up on the right side after a few minutes down in their end, making the decision to continue pressing forward toward goal and pressuring the Pride’s defensive with her service.

The goal–the point, the eventual draw–it all started with Megan Rapinoe.

While Seattle are sitting in fourth place with two wins, one loss, and three draws, they once again have the talent and leadership to make it back to a familiar place–the coveted NWSL Championship game. If Rapinoe can continue to find the back of the net (four goals so far in 2017, second in the league) while also finding opportunities for her teammates, it just may be Reigning in October.