Tag: NWSL

Semifinal Preview: North Carolina Courage host Chicago Red Stars … in Portland

Posted on by RJ Allen

On Saturday, the Portland Thorns defeated the Seattle Reign to advance to their second consecutive NWSL Final. The defending NWSL Champions now await the winner of tonight’s contest between the Chicago Red Stars and the North Carolina Courage.

If Chicago advances, it will be the first time Rory Dames gets his team to the championship match. If the North Carolina Courage win, it will be the third consecutive season Paul Riley leads his team (Western New York, 2016 & North Carolina, 2017) all the way to the title game. These two teams have history, so Tuesday night in Portland is guaranteed to be fireworks!

Setting the scene

Last year, Dames and his squad  figured out Riley and the Courage in all three of head-to-heads.  This season, the teams played to a pair of draws, with a Courage win sandwiched between. Of course, the history of the series matters little in a winner or go home semifinal, especially since the back-to-back shield winners will not have home field advantage.

Tonight’s match was originally scheduled for Sunday at Sahlen Stadium in Cary, North Carolina. However, the threat of Hurricane Florence forced a venue change. Both teams will face-off for a spot in the final in Portland, home of the defending champs, and the site of their 2-1 victory over Seattle on Saturday.

Sam Kerr & Company

If Chicago intends to advance, it will need a huge game from Australian striker and two-time Golden Boot winner, Sam Kerr. Of the 38 goals this season, Kerr has scored 16.  The next highest total belongs to Alyssa Mautz (five), followed by Yuki Nagasato (Four).  No other Chicago player has scored more than two goals on the season. Defensively, the Red Stars have let up 28 goals this season. Starting keeper Alyssa Naeher has seven clean sheets in 22 starts with Chicago.

There is no getting around the fact that Kerr is the main target—for Chicago to feed and North Carolina to stop. Despite having no NWSL playoff experience, she is up to the task. “I think as forward we kind of struggle with … if you don’t score you don’t have a good game.  I’ve tried to learn over the last few years that it’s not necessarily the case.” Her skill and ignorance to the pang of defeat in the past several years may work to her teams advantage.  Yet, so too may the vivid memory of the past. 

Veterans like Naeher and defender Julie Ertz carry in spades. Both remember the sting of the 89th minute goal by Denise O’Sullivan which deflected off Ertz and beyond the react of her teammate for club and country.

The year before, Francisca Ordega broke a 1-1 draw in the 11th minute to send the Washington Spirit to the final against the Western New York Flash (now the NC Courage).  Western NY went on to win the final in penalty kicks.  For 10 players on the North Carolina roster, this is their third-straight finals appearance, adding crucial playoff experience to an already dominant team. 

Nevertheless, Dames and his squad are ready to turn the pages of history in their favor. “You want to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best,” Red Stars head coach told the media last week. “North Carolina is the tip of the sword. So we’re excited to see what we can do against them.”

The Greatest NWSL Team Ever?

Sure, the above could be a statement, but will anything short of a title diminish the legacy of this North Carolina team? No NWSL team has had a better record, ever! At 17-1-6 this season, the Courage hold the league record in wins, fewest losses, most points (57), lowest goals against average (.71), and largest goal differential (+36).

Where Chicago has one out-of-this-world offensive threat in Kerr, the Courage have multiple scorers. To begin, 2016 Golden Boot winner Lynn Williams has 14 goals and 5 assists for North Carolina in 21 games played. She and Jessica McDonald, the team leader in assists (8) are known as the “Twin Towers”.  They stand at 5’7″ and 6’0″, respectively and offer a perfect balance of speed, size, and physicality to keep defenders on their toes.

The smaller but equally as dangerous (Tiny Terrors?) Debinha and Crystal Dunn each have eight goals for the Courage this season. At 5’2″ and 5’1″, respectively, the pair are devilishly fast and powerful. The formula has worked for the Courage as of late, but will be enough to bring home the second title in three years?

Well, first there is Chicago. Defensively, the Courage roster contains the league leader in minutes played (Abby Erceg) and assists (Jessica McDonald). The Courage also have four players and head coach Paul Riley  nominated for end-of-season awards.  The Courage will however be without the services of MVP Candidate McCall Zerbroni, who suffered a broken elbow while with the U.S National Team.

Unfortunately, injuries are nothing new for North Carolina this season. Between injuries and national team duties, the Courage have manipulated their starting XI multiple times. No doubt, they are hoping the growing pains from earlier in the season will allow them to take the uncertainties of the postseason in stride. “We’ve been pretty consistent I think what’s important for us. We haven’t really had a downturn during the season where we’ve been struggling and lost our form,” said Riley on last week’s media call. 

“Due to that, I think we like our chances.”

You can catch the second semifinals game between the North Carolina Courage and the Chicago Red Stars live on ESPNews at 9:00 p.m ET.

 

Route Two Soccer: My 2018 NWSL awards ballot

Posted on by RJ Allen

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

MVP

  1. Crystal Dunn
  2. Lindsey Horan
  3. McCall Zerboni
  4. Megan Rapinoe
  5. Sam Kerr

It’s the most wide-open field the league has ever seen this year. To my eyes, there are a half dozen serious candidates, with plenty of others where you could make a plausible case. That’s a reflection of the depth in the league, as well as the fact that a lot of potential candidates ended up missing time. I predict that Kerr will win—the Golden Boot winner has never failed to win the MVP, after all—and won’t really be upset if it happens. Despite missing a quarter of the season, she really is just that good.

Still, I have her toward the bottom of my shortlist, behind some players that I think provided a bit more all-around value. Dunn faded a bit in the back half of the season, dropping from ‘impossibly great’ to ‘very good,’ but I’m going to stick with her as my MVP. Compare this year’s NC to last year, and you can see the difference that Dunn makes. Without her, they were a powerful, dominant team—one of the best in the league. With her, they were superhuman, producing the best season that any team has ever managed in the NWSL, arguably the best single season from a women’s professional soccer team…like, ever.

Meanwhile, Lindsey Horan excels at literally everything, making her the linchpin of Portland’s attack and defense. McCall Zerboni does the dirty work that helps make North Carolina so unplayable, while also contributing plenty to the attack. Rapinoe might have been my #1 pick if she’d been able to play the whole season. When she’s at full strength, she’s the most impactful player in the league. It’s truly astonishing how much she’s been able to expand her game. So that’s five excellent choices, and it would be wonderful to see any of them win.

Rookie of the Year

  1. Linda Motlhalo
  2. Savannah McCaskill
  3. Imani Dorsey

This was not a strong year for rookies, to put it mildly. That’s partly a function of league contraction, which left far fewer opportunities than usual. It’s also a function of some big name rookies simply having down years. Andi Sullivan, for example, was a consensus #1 pick, one of the biggest talents to emerge from college in recent years. And she may yet come good, maybe as soon as next year. But at the moment, the performances haven’t been there.

By comparison, Linda Motlhalo was no one’s tip for the award back in March, but ended up lapping the field by a huge margin. She’s nowhere close to a star, and had plenty of bad moments, especially at the start of the season. But she played almost 2000 minutes, playing a critical role in binding together the surprisingly solid Houston midfield all year. And there’s a lot of value in simply showing up and being average. When you compare that to the rest of the rookie class, it becomes even more clear.

I have McCaskill second, despite more than a few anonymous performances over the season. It wasn’t the year we were all hoping for, but she provided some real drive in the Sky Blue attack that often sputtered without her. The same goes for Dorsey, whose arrival midway through the season gave the New Jersey side pace and precision they desperately needed. You could also put Veronica Latsko in the mix, who made a similar sort of impact in limited minutes for the Dash.

Goalkeeper of the Year

  1. Lydia Williams
  2. Adrianna Franch
  3. ????

The only real question here is Williams vs. Franch. I have no idea who belongs in third place, but I know they’re a country mile behind these top two. I went with Williams, who I think played a huge role in organizing that wonderful Seattle defense, but would have no problem with someone choosing Franch. Even with both missing significant time, I think the top two slots are locked down pretty easily here.

If you forced me to pick a #3, I guess I’d go with Alyssa Naeher, whose worrying loss of form compared to her peak of a couple years ago continued in 2018. But even with the occasional mishap, she’s still a solid keeper who turned in a decent year. I did consider Aubrey Bledsoe, but I just see too many mistakes there. She had a good season, and deserves credit for breaking the saves record. But that’s mostly a function of her defense letting in a ton of shots.

Defender of the Year

  1. Abby Erceg
  2. Jaelene Hinkle
  3. Becky Sauerbrunn

It’s always hard to know what to do with individual North Carolina players. Given how stacked the whole team is, it’s going to be easier for every specific player to shine. So I’m open to persuasion here. But Erceg was absolutely immense this year, doing plenty to maximize the value of their system: ranging into space to close down plays before they became dangerous, holding off one-on-one challenges, and winning tons of aerial challenges. Just a rock solid year from top to bottom.

Hinkle, meanwhile, was less impressive defensively—though she had a pretty good year there, too—but was outrageously good in the attack. She had the best year from a fullback by leaps and bounds, contributing more key passes than the best creative midfielders. This is not an exaggeration. She literally had more key passes than the best attacking players in the league. Look it up.

I seriously considering going with Megan Oyster as my third pick. She had a wonderful year for Seattle, but I ultimately had to trust my gut, which tells me that Sauerbrunn remains the most intelligent center back in the world. She’s not as dominant in close-quarters defending as she once was, but her anticipation of play is out of this world. And that’s the difference maker for me.

Once again, Emily Menges had a fantastic season, but just missed too much time. If she’d been able to play in 4-5 more games, I’d have her on this list.

Coach of the Year

  1. Paul Riley
  2. Vera Pauw
  3. Vlatko Andonovski

We’re blessed with tons of great choices here. In the end, though, you just can’t argue with what Paul Riley has done with the Courage. It’s the most cohesive and complete team ever assembled in US professional soccer, with every position contributing to the whole. Sure, they’ve got tons of great players. But he deserves a ton of credit for getting the most out of that roster, and helping players like Zerboni, Hinkle, and Lynn Williams develop from solid contributors into world-class talents.

Then there’s Pauw, who took a team that everyone (myself included) had pegged for last place, and kept them in the playoff hunt until the final week of the season. If I sometimes had a hard time understanding why it was working, that might only makes it feel more impressive. I picked Riley at #1, in part because of the culture he’s built over the years. But given the situation in Houston at the start of the season, I’m not sure anyone had a more impressive spring and summer than Pauw.

Finally, Vlatko Andonovski. Seattle looked so good right from the start of the season—and maintained that quality over the whole year—that it became easy to take them for granted. But it’s truly remarkable how seamlessly he was able to step in, right the ship, and produce an absurdly good defensive unit despite an endless parade of injuries and absences.

Team of the Season

Megan Rapinoe – Sam Ker – Rachel Daly

Lindsey Horan – McCall Zerboni – Crystal Dunn

Jaelene Hinkle – Abby Erceg – Becky Sauerbrunn – Theresa Nielsen

Lydia Williams

The toughest call here was my third forward. I went with Rachel Daly, who was a massive difference maker for a Houston team that sometimes struggled to create chances and needed her to be great. But any of the forwards on my Second XI could easily have fit in here.

Second XI

Yuki Nagasoto – Lynn Williams – Tobin Heath

Christine Sinclair – Allie Long – Sophia Huerta

Steph Catley – Megan Oyster – Emily Menges – Arin Gilliland

Adrianna Franch

It was a weak year for fullbacks. Catley was a clear step below her performances in some previous years, while Gilliland blew very hot and cold. But both did enough for me to take them. I almost went with Caprice Dydasco, who had a very nice season in the midst of the mess that was the Spirit season. In the midfield, I thought long and hard about Dani Colaprico, who had another great Colaprico season, and the other NC midfielders, who all could easily have made the list. But ultimately I thought that Long’s contributions as the solid holding player in that Seattle midfield were more significant. I also originally had Amber Brooks as my final center back, but decided that Menges was so good in her limited time that it was enough to overcome a great year from Brooks by a hair.

Finally, I want to note a few players who were outstanding in limited minutes, but simply didn’t play enough to merit consideration on these lists. First is Mallory Pugh, who was the best player in the league for the first 5-6 weeks, but was clearly not at the same level when she returned.

Second, Vanessa DiBernardo, whose return was instrumental in turning Chicago from an underperforming group into a devastatingly effective team.

Third, Sam Mewis, who never seemed to get out of second gear, but still contributed a ton of value in limited time.

Finally, Julie Ertz, whose ability to be one of the best players in the league at multiple positions gave her team some critical flexibility when it came to make trades and re-arranging their options.

While the NWSL is on Hurricane Watch, Rory Dames says what we’re all thinking

Posted on by RJ Allen

In the latest edition of “The NWSL needs a Commissioner”, we have a hurricane set to hit North Carolina as early as today. Hurricane Florence will hit the Tar Heel state just three days before the North Carolina Courage host the Chicago Red Stars for Sunday’s NWSL semifinal match.

Late Thursday afternoon–roughly ten minutes after a scheduled conference call with players and coaches from Sunday’s competing teams–the league released a statement regarding forthcoming hurricane:

“The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), in conjunction with the North Carolina Courage and Chicago Red Stars, continue to monitor the changing forecast of Hurricane Florence as it relates to the potential of the NC Courage’s NWSL Semifinal home playoff game being played as scheduled on Sunday, Sept. 16, at 3 p.m. ET.

 

The league and teams continue to explore all options and scenarios that would ultimately permit the match to be played in front of the NC Courage home fans.

 

The safety of the fans, players and staff, as well as the ability for the Red Stars to travel to North Carolina safely, remains the top priority for NWSL. An announcement as to the status of the match will be made as soon as reasonably possible.

However, for Chicago head coach Rory Dames, we’re already beyond “as soon as reasonably possible”. The league, in his mind, should have made the decision two days ago. “The hardest thing when preparing the team for a game is you always kind of work backwards from the game,” said Dames on a media call Wednesday afternoon. 

He was insistent the decision should consider not solely Sunday’s tip-off time (3:00 p.m ET), but also the travel his team will have to endure, presumably through inclement weather, to get to North Carolina. 

“I understand the wanting the wait as long as possible to see the next phase projections and all those things but it doesn’t change the fact that a lot of rain–best case scenario–a lot of rain is going to fall. The weather conditions are going to be bad and we still have no idea what we’re doing. So it just kind of leaves an anxious uncomfortable feeling on everybody involved.”

Earlier today, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper feared time was running low for residents to relocate from coastal areas, according to reports by NPR.  The rain accompanying the hurricane is expected to be more than any other hurricane to hit the area and is projected to last through Monday.

Match delays or postponements are not something new to NWSL players. This year alone,  teams have played through rain storms and smoke from wildfires. North Carolina defender Abby Erceg is content to place her faith in the the league, “I mean there’s not a lot we can do about it. We’ve had a lot of delays with weather delays and obviously with the Orlando game, we were delayed there as we. so you kinda just have to take it in hand. The decisions that the league make at the end of the day or what’s going to be best for the players.”

Chicago striker and two-time golden boot winner Sam Kerr felt more or less the same, but added, “I think this one is a little bit different. This one is a little bit more dangerous.” She noted when the smoke threatened a game cancellation in Seattle, the players felt they could play and wanted to play. Kerr and her head coach don’t believe the numerous circumstances and possible scenarios surrounding Hurricane Florence are the same. 

Courage head coach Paul Riley offered a few potential alternatives to Sahlen Stadium if need be, “We’ll play in the local parking lot … we’re​ playing anywhere and you know obviously at this point it’s more about the safety of everybody That’s the most important part.” While Riley alluded to being comfortable changing the date of the match, it was unclear if he would be open to relocating to Chicago, or even Portland and giving up home field advantage. 

Though, Dames is not calling for the match to be moved to Chicago, he just wants it moved! “It’s just an uncomfortable situation. And when you see all these other events getting canceled and college football games getting canceled and all the youth soccer games from the [North Carolina] triangle area are getting canceled. It’s kind of a head-scratcher, what the thought processes and what common sense is and is not,” added Dames. 

Adding to his confusion is the fact that the NWSL has neither made a decision nor made it clear who would have the final say. “ I think the normal answer is the commissioner,” said Dames when asked where the buck stops. “But since there isn’t one. I’m honestly not sure. You know, I’m sure there’s a lot of people involved.” The NWSL has operated without a commissioner since March 2, 2017.  If the league decides to have the game in North Carolina on the scheduled day or otherwise, Dames will leave the final decision to whether to travel to his players and staff.
“I’m not going to mandate somebody step on a plane and fly into something that they are not comfortable with or they fear for their safety,” Dames told the media Wednesday afternoon. ” Each person has got to make their own decision … once that decision is made or once we’re told what’s happening then we’ll have another talk amongst the group and people can make the decisions that they think are best for them.”
Many believe the North Carolina Courage should enjoy the home field advantage they earned as shield winners, but we might be beyond that. If the storm makes the pitch unsafe or causes an additional burden of travel for Chicago, the NWSL is jeopardizing everything from attendance and sales, to the health and safety of its players and staff.
Dames believes the best solution is to move the game to Portland. It seems the sensible plan to offer safety without any particular advantage to one team over another. Neither team would have home-field advantage, both must factor in travel, and to boot, the winner is already in Portland–the predetermined location of the 2018 NWSL Final. Furthermore, if any fanbase can muster up a crowd last minute, my money is on the Rose City Riveters.
As of now, no decision has been made. Backline Soccer will update this story as more information is available.

The NWSL Podium: Top Performances in Weeks 23 and 24

Posted on by RJ Allen

The NWSL Podium: Top Performances is a weekly series that looks at the best attacking, defensive, and goalkeeping performances each week.

The 2018 NWSL season has come to an end. After an exciting playoff race that was often too close to call, we finally have our final four. And in the last two weeks of action, the matchups did not disappoint. These were the weeks of the home team, where only the Washington Spirit were denied a win for the home fans (they settled for a draw).  Sky Blue earned their first win of the season in their final game against the Orlando Pride. The North Carolina Courage scored five goals in a thrashing of the Houston Dash that broke all sorts of NWSL records. And at Providence Park on Friday night, the Cascadia rivalry added another stunning chapter. Here is a full breakdown of the scores from Weeks 23 and 24:

Washington Spirit vs. Sky Blue (1-1)

Chicago Red Stars vs. Sky Blue (5-0)

Portland Thorns vs. Seattle Reign (3-1)

Sky Blue vs. Orlando Pride (1-0)

Utah Royals vs. Chicago Red Stars (2-1)

North Carolina Courage vs. Houston Dash (5-0)

Top Three Goalkeepers

1. Nicole Barnhart— The Utah Royals were so close to making the playoffs in their inaugural season, but missed the mark by just two points. While their final game against the Chicago Red Stars was purely playing for pride, pride is something the Royals were interested in. What better way to send off home fans than by beating the team that topped you in the playoff race? Barnhart played a critical role in earning this win for the Royals. She faced 14 shots from the Chicago Red Stars and made seven saves. In the first half, Chicago dominated the offensive opportunities. With the exception of Kerr’s goal in the 39th minute, Barnhart was generally able to read the Chicago offense and stop their attack. Her best save came in the 40th minute, right after Kerr’s goal. Nagasato took a shot, and Barnhart got her fingertips to it, pushing the ball up and over the net.

2. Kailen Sheridan— Sky Blue had a tough schedule this week. And I understand that some will say Sheridan shouldn’t be on this list after allowing five goals against Chicago on Tuesday night, regardless of what she did in the other games. But I think Sheridan’s other performances are worth looking at, particularly her performance in the win over Orlando. Sheridan faced 20 shots from the Orlando offense and made six saves. She had help from her defenders, particularly Dominique Richardson and Erica Skroski, but she made some critical saves to earn the clean sheet. In the 10th minute, Sydney Leroux passed a ball to Alex Morgan, who got behind the defenders. Sheridan made the decision to come out, and was able to stop Morgan from getting her shot off. In a similar play in the 42nd minute, Leroux got behind the defenders and Sheridan made the decision to come out. Leroux launched her shot, but Sheridan deflected it, and it was collected by the Sky Blue defense.

3. Aubrey Bledsoe— In the Spirit’s match against Sky Blue, Bledsoe officially broke the NWSL record for most saves in a single season. Bledsoe finished the season with 108 saves and just four shutouts. She faced 20 shots and tallied five saves against the Sky Blue offense. It didn’t take long before she was challenged— in the 5th minute, she had to make a diving save off a shot from Madison Tiernan. At the start of the second half, she made another diving save off a shot from Shea Groom. It’s worth noting that Bledsoe’s opponent in goal, Kailen Sheridan, finished the season just one save below her at 107.

Top Three Defenders

1. Erica Skroski— It was a busy week for Sky Blue, but despite their exhaustion, they did not give up the battle to earn their first win in the final match of the season. They did find that win, thanks to a late goal from Carli Lloyd. But it was also thanks to some excellent defending, particularly from Skroski. Skroski provided excellent coverage of Alex Morgan, preventing the stellar forward from scoring on more than one occasion. Her first block came in the 10th minute, when a beautiful ball came into the final third for Morgan. Skroski ran with the forward, and stuck her leg out when Morgan took her shot. When Morgan tried to recover possession, Skroski jumped up and tapped the ball forward to her teammate, who cleared it out. Nearly the same play occurred in the 63rd minute, where again Morgan was sent in a long ball and again Skroski was able to stick her leg out and gain possession. Skroski finished the game with seven clearances, two tackles, and one block.

2. Abby Erceg— The North Carolina Courage have already won the Shield and punched their ticket to the playoffs as the No. 1 seed. But in their last match of the season, they were aiming to set records. Team Captain Abby Erceg helped them do that. She started the game with an assist on Jess McDonald’s goal in the 13th minute, the first of the night for the Courage. But she shined on the other side of the pitch, where she played a key role in earning the Courage their 11th shutout of the season. In the ninth minute, Sofia Huerta charged down the field, looking to spark the Houston offense. But Erceg came in with a sliding tackle. In the 15th minute, Houston again tried to get things going up front with Veronica Latsko, but Erceg was able to get the takeaway. Houston’s offense has definitely clicked, especially in the later half of the season, but any time they were able to get going, Erceg and her fellow defenders were there to shut it down.

3. Emily Menges— The Portland Thorns needed to win this match to secure home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs, and the defense was a factor at both ends of the pitch. After getting a bit rattled by the early goal from Jess Fishlock, the Portland defense locked in and kept Seattle out of the net. Menges played a critical role defensively, alongside Emily Sonnett. She had 47 touches and two tackles on the night.

Top Three Attackers

1. Sam Kerr— The Red Stars had some work to do in these last couple of weeks if they wanted to make the playoffs, and they got the job done. First, the Chicago Red Stars faced Sky Blue at home. Sky Blue was playing their second game in 48 hours, after a rain delay in Washington DC on Saturday night led to a Sunday morning match between the Spirit and Sky Blue. Chicago was able to take advantage of their exhaustion, scoring five goals in their win. Amongst those goals was Sam Kerr, who earned the team’s 3rd goal of the night in the 64th minute. Brooke Elby sent a ball into the box and Kerr was able to get her head on it. Sheridan dived to make the save, but the shot was too strong, and the ball bounced off her hand and into the back of the net. Kerr earned an assist on the next goal. After Gilliland sent a ball into box, Kerr was able to send it over to Rosie White, who slipped past the defenders and sent it into the back of the net. Chicago’s second match in these weeks was on the road against the Utah Royals. The lone goal for Chicago came from Sam Kerr in the 39th minute— a stunning header where Kerr actually seemed to hang in the air, waiting for the ball. Kerr took a total of 14 shots between the two games and finished the season with 16 goals, enough to win her the 2018 NWSL Golden Boot.

2. Lindsay Horan— The narrative couldn’t have been better. Under the Friday night lights, the Portland Thorns needed a win to claim the No. 2 spot on the table and earn homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. Their opponents? The Seattle Reign, their biggest rivals. The Reign have been a fantastic team this season, and they went up early in the match, but the Thorns weren’t intimidated. The Great Lindsay Horan made sure they came out on top. Her first goal came in the 30th minute. Midge Purce sent a ball across to Sinclair, but Sinclair was tripped up. The ball rolled out of the box to the feet of Horan, who launched a rocket into the top corner. The Thorns took the lead early in the second half, courtesy of Tobin Heath, but the rest of the match remained tense as Seattle sought their equalizer. Horan put those thoughts to bed in the 82nd minute. Heath took the corner kick and Horan got her head to it, sending the ball into the top corner. The Thorns now have homefield advantage in the semi-final and host the championship, a huge advantage in Portland.

3. Lynn Williams— One of the many records the Courage broke this week was the most goals in a single season. They needed to score three goals to break the record, but always the overachievers, they scored five. Two of those goals came from Lynn Williams. Her first goal came at the end of the first half. Jess McDonald split the defenders, sending the ball to Williams. Williams was covered by Lindsay Agnew, but she was able to cut back and send the ball past Sheridan for the Courage’s third goal of the game. Williams also got the 4th goal of the match, in the 57th minute. McDonald sent the ball into the box, and Williams tapped it into the bottom corner. Williams finished the season with 14 goals, just two behind Golden Boot winner Sam Kerr.

The NWSL Weather Woes: Playoff Edition

Posted on by RJ Allen

The National Women’s Soccer League 2018 season will be remembered for the extremes of the standings with the dominance of the North Carolina Courage and the woes in New Jersey both on and off the field with Sky Blue FC. Among the lesser stories which will be nothing more than footnotes in the season, will be the impact of the weather in the season.

Unlike the increased risk of heat which had to be dealt with in 2017 by the league with a change to the extreme heat policy and hydration breaks mid-season, this year the league’s weather bone of contention was lighting delays. Multiple matches throughout the season had to be rescheduled, most notably was Sky Blue’s match against the Washington Spirit on Sunday, September 2nd which caused the side from the Garden State to play the Chicago Red Stars the very next Tuesday with less than 48-hours of rest.

Fast forward to the star of the post season and the playoff games scheduled for this weekend where North Carolina is scheduled to host Chicago in the second playoff game on Sunday, September 16.

However, the league is going to face a unique weather related situation, Hurricane Florence is projected on making landfall as a major hurricane somewhere along the coast in the days leading up to the match. The same time the Red Stars will be looking to fly in to North Carolina and the same time fans will be looking to head toward Cary. 

The Saffir-Simpson scale is a wind rating from category one, being the weakest, to category five, the strongest winds causing catastrophic damage. A major hurricane would be a category three or higher. The current projections put Hurricane Florence at a category four. 

[media-credit name=”Chart Source: NOAA” align=”aligncenter” width=”762″][/media-credit]

Several factors to consider is this storm will bring a large amount of rain to the area, and potentially flooding to parts of the state. Tornadoes can potentially occur even several hundred miles away from the center of the hurricane. This isn’t going to be an ideal situation to host a playoff game even with Cary being much further inland that it would be spared much of the initial impacts.

The league should already be working on getting ahead of the situation since the threat is real even with the high level of uncertainty.  Last season, the league moved up the game in Orlando from Saturday to Thursday when the Pride hosted Seattle due to Hurricane Irma. The NWSL could do this as well, but since it is a scheduled televised game that may not work out. That option may be too soon, and not logistically wise since the storm would arrive by the end of the week which could push up the Courage playoff game too early for anyone to travel into North Carolina. Additionally, the teams would have to leave quickly, so they wouldn’t feel the impact of Florence.

The North Carolina Courage have issued a statement advising they are monitoring the situation. 

The North Carolina Football Club is closely monitoring the forecast for Hurricane Florence related to potential impacts on the upcoming home NC Courage NWSL Semifinal on Sunday September 16, as well as travel for NCFC as they visit Penn FC on Sunday evening.

Specific to the NC Courage NWSL Semifinal against the Chicago Red Stars on Sunday, September 16 at 3:00 p.m., at Shalen’s Stadium,  the club is in contact with the League and the visiting team. The safety and well-being of fans, players and event staff is the club’s priority.

Any updates will be posted on NorthCarolinaFC.com and NCCourage.com, as well as shared with fans via email, social media and other communications channels. 

The NWSL needs to act swiftly by coordinating with both teams to move the venue for the playoff game to Chicago or a neutral city since the Chicago Fire will actually host Orlando City on Sunday at Toyota Park.. It will be an unfortunate situation since this will impact attendance and cause North Carolina to travel when they have obviously earned the right to host the playoff match. The prospect for this situation to create another black eye for the league is extremely likely especially if it doesn’t get ahead of this possible weather woe.

The NWSL Podium: Top Performances in Week 22

Posted on by RJ Allen

The NWSL Podium: Top Performances is a weekly series that looks at the best attacking, defensive, and goalkeeping performances each week.

Week 22 has come and gone, and the NWSL playoffs are starting to take shape. This week, the Portland Thorns clinched their ticket to the playoffs with a 2-1 win over Sky Blue and followed it up with a 1-0 victory over the Washington Spirit in their game at Audi Field. The Orlando Pride were eliminated from the playoffs after a 3-1 loss at the hands of Chicago Red Stars. The Dash were also eliminated from the playoffs despite their 6-1 victory over Sky Blue on Saturday, leaving the Red Stars and the Utah Royals competing for the last playoff spot. Here is a full breakdown of the scores from Week 22:

Seattle Reign vs. Houston Dash (2-0)

Washington Spirit vs. Utah Royals (0-1)

Portland Thorns vs. Sky Blue (2-1)

Seattle Reign vs. North Carolina Courage (1-1)

Orlando Pride vs. Chicago Red Stars (1-3)

Washington Spirit vs. Portland Thorns (0-1)

Houston Dash vs. Sky Blue (6-1)

Top Three Goalkeepers

1. Lydia Williams— Williams has had an amazing season, and she put forth two great performances in Week 22. Seattle’s first match of the week was on Tuesday night against the Houston Dash. Williams earned her 10th shutout of the year, making three saves out of thirteen shots faced. But her skills really shined against the North Carolina offense on Saturday, where she made twelve shots out of 29 shots faced. Jess McDonald challenged Williams early on. McDonald snuck behind the defense and launched a shot at Williams, who blocked the shot with her hands and Megan Oyster cleared it off the line. In 27th minute, McDonald had a solid header right in front of Williams. Williams reacted instantly, blocking the shot with her hands and then jumping on the ball to end the play. That save earned her an NWSL Save of the Week nomination. 

2. Adriana Franch— The Portland Thorns faced two of the weaker offenses in the NWSL this week— Sky Blue and the Washington Spirit. But Franch made some important saves in both matches, shutting down any opportunities from the opposing team. In the first match against Sky Blue, Franch faced fourteen shots and made four saves. In the 21st minute, Savannah McCaskill got her head on a nice cross, but Franch was there to calmly collect the ball. In the 69th minute, Raquel Rodriguez sent the ball into the box and Franch caught it, shutting down the Sky Blue offense. In the weekend match against the Spirit, Franch faced nine shots and made two saves. In the 33rd minute, Rose Lavelle launched a rocket from the edge of the eighteen-yard box. Franch got her hands up in time, knocking the ball away and collecting it before the Spirit offense could gain control. The match marked Franch’s third shutout of the year. 

3. Jane Campbell— While Campbell failed to get a shutout in either of her matches this week, she faced a solid offensive effort from both opponents and made some impressive saves. In the Houston Dash’s first match of the week against the Seattle Reign, Campbell faced 16 shots and made six saves. In the 45th minute, Rapinoe tried to send a free kick into the top corner of the net and she might have succeeded, but Campbell read the play and hit the ball over the net. In the 53rd minute, Rapinoe handed the ball off to Jess Fishlock, who took a shot from outside the 18-yard box. Campbell got both hands to it, knocking the ball out of play. That save earned her an NWSL Save of the Week nomination. In the Dash’s match against Sky Blue, Campbell faced fourteen shots and made four saves. 

Top Three Defenders

1. Theresa Nielsen— Nielsen had an impressive week for the Seattle Reign, playing the full 90 minutes in both matches. She had a notable offensive impact in addition to her defensive skill. In the first match against the Houston Dash, Nielsen assisted on Jodie Taylor’s first goal of the night. In the match against the North Carolina Courage, Nielsen scored her first goal of the season. In the 66th minute, Jess Fishlock took a corner kick that went to the far end of the 18-yard box. Nielsen headed the ball, and Jodie Taylor and Katelyn Rowland collided, allowing the ball to bounce past both of them and into the net. Nielsen then turned around and had a goal-line save in the 88th minute. Abby Erceg got her head on a North Carolina corner kick, but Nielsen was able to get her head to the ball as well and clear it off the line.

2. Becky Sauerbrunn— Sauerbrunn played an important role in Utah’s 1-0 victory over the Washington Spirit. In the 15th minute, Mallory Pugh tried to sneak a pass past the Utah Royals, but Sauerbrunn intercepted the pass and cleared the ball. In the 61st minute, Pugh was on the move again. She tried to pass the ball in the 18-yard box to Ashley Hatch, but Sauerbrunn stretched and blocked the pass. The Utah Royals are still in the playoff hunt, with their final game of the season against the Chicago Red Stars on Saturday Sept. 8th. 

3. Lauren Barnes— Barnes also put in two 90 minutes shifts for the Reign this week in the central defense. In the game against Houston, she had a particularly nice block and strip on Rachel Daly. As Daly ran with the ball, Barnes blocked her and gained control of the play. She turned and cleared the ball, sending Houston down to the other side of the field. In the match against North Carolina, she tackled Jess McDonald and regained possession for the Reign. Barnes has been a critical part of the Seattle defense this year and will continue to be going into the playoffs. 

Top Three Attackers

1. Sam Kerr— It was a critical week for the Chicago Red Stars— playing a match on the road against another team vying for the playoffs— and Kerr showed up. She earned two goals and an assist in Chicago’s 3-1 victory over the Orlando Pride on Saturday night. Her first goal came in the 44th minute. Colaprico sent the ball down field, and Nagasato kept the ball rolling towards Kerr, who slipped past most of the Pride defense. She dribbled the ball a bit, getting herself into the best position to slide the ball past Ashlyn Harris and into the net. But Chicago wanted more before the halftime whistle, and Kerr helped make it happen. In the first minute of stoppage time in the first half, Kerr got the ball at her feet, but didn’t have the angle to take a shot. She sent the ball into the box and Vanessa DiBernardo finished off the play, giving Chicago their second goal of the night. In the 59th minute, Kerr stripped Kennedy of the ball and buried her shot in the back of the net, putting Chicago up 3-0. Kerr was voted NWSL Player of the Week in Week 22. 

2. Sofia Huerta— The Houston Dash had a rough start to Week 22 with a 2-0 to the Seattle Reign, but there offense bounced back with a 6-1 win over Sky Blue later in the week. She had one goal and one assist, and drew the penalty that lead to Rachel Daly’s goal in the 67th minute. In the 48th minute, Huerta sent a cross into the box and Veronica Latsko got her head on the ball, getting a nice bounce on the ball that Kailen Sheridan couldn’t stop. In the 65th minute, Huerta got a goal of her own. Kealia Ohai sent the ball into the box and Sofia Huerta got her foot on it. It wasn’t clear if she intended it to be a shot, but the ball went into the far side of the net. She ended the night with seven shots and four shots on goal. 

3. Tobin Heath— Heath scored two goals in two games for the Portland Thorns this week, against Sky Blue and the Washington Spirit. In the match against the Spirit, she dribbled around the defense and put her ball just under the crossbar for the lone goal of the match. The goal earned her the NWSL Goal of the Week honors. In the match against Sky Blue, Heath scored off a free kick. Her ball took a good bounce and went past Sky Blue goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan. She had seven shots and four shots on goal across both games.

Backline Chat: Playoffs, Referees, MVPs, and More on Sky Blue

Posted on by RJ Allen

Charles Olney (@olneyce): Hi everyone, and welcome to this week’s Backline chat. It’s been an exciting weekend in the NWSL, so let’s start by discussing the playoff race. I think the general consensus has the current top four (NC, Seattle, Portland, and Chicago) as the most likely to make it in the end. Anyone care to disagree with that?

RJ Allen (@TheSoccerCritic): If Houston can win against Seattle, they would be 4th. I would like peak madness to happen even if I don’t know if they can pull it off. On the other hand, half of Seattle is on the injured reserve this match.

Allison Cary (@findingallison):  I think Chicago is questionable. I’m with RJ, peak madness is fun. I think Houston and Utah are fun.

RJ Allen: If Kerr is scoring you two, you should be able to hold for a win.

Charles Olney: I will disagree that Utah is fun, though I do like them hanging out in the race even in spite of their relatively dire style of play.

Allison Cary: I meant fun in the sense of them sticking around, less so how they play on the field.

Becky Schoenecker(@Beckster20): I’m all for the madness and I’m rooting hard for Houston and for New Jersey to finish the year with some wins.

RJ Allen: I know this might sound cynical but Sky Blue finishing with 0 wins might be better for them long term than finishing with 1 or 2. And by better I mean a better chance they are sold or they are disbanded and the players can go to places with showers.

Becky Schoenecker: My heart just needs one though.

Charles Olney: I haven’t been able to get up to Houston much this year, but I’ll be there next weekend for the match against Sky Blue. Depending on what happens between now and then, it could be an incredibly tense game, or not so much.

Becky Schoenecker: Also, that one win can’t happen against Houston, my heart would not be able to take that.

Charles Olney: If results go against them, Houston could effectively be out by the time that game happens. If results go in their favor, they could be playing to occupy a playoff position going into the final week. Given what we all said about them going into the season, that’s truly astounding.

Allison Cary: It’s impressive.

Luis Hernandez (@radioactivclown): I think Orlando can win its last two and back in, but boy do I have my doubts. If the Dash make it in, I’ll be in shock. I don’t believe in the Red Stars.

Allison Cary: I have no faith in Orlando’s season.

Becky Schoenecker: I’m with Allison I think Orlando are out.

RJ Allen: I don’t think Orlando will win both of their last two and they need to.

Charles Olney: I lean toward thinking that Orlando still has a decent shot, ironically because I’ve rated them a bit worse than most people all season. Which means I don’t see this recent run of results as especially damning, and think it’s still quite plausible they come out strong to close things out.

I’m not predicting they make the playoffs, to be clear, but I wouldn’t be remotely surprised if they did.

Luis Hernandez: I’m questioning (Orlando) the players’ mental fortitude and resistance.

RJ Allen: I’m questioning the tactics and the player selection.

Allison Cary: I’m questioning all of it.

Becky Schoenecker: If they do make the playoffs – which I don’t think they will – they’d be out first round in my opinion

Charles Olney: What could they do to turn things around? Or is it just a lost cause at this point?

Luis Hernandez: As far as player selection, what exactly do people want to see? I never understood that point. Okay bring on Poliana??

RJ Allen: I have a warm take. I won’t call it hot, but warm.

Orlando is spending too much on Marta. They are paying her max which means she is draining the cap.

Becky Schoenecker: I don’t think Marta’s the problem.

RJ Allen: Marta ISN’T the problem. Marta’s pay is.

Becky Schoenecker: But they’ve still been able to field well above average players. Where would you spend her money if you could?

RJ Allen: They need four starting level defenders and help in the midfield. They need that more than they need Sydney, Morgan and Marta.

Luis Hernandez: I think you have a valid point but a bigger issue is talent identification and scouting.

RJ Allen: Sure, but her pay means that is handcuffed.

Charles Olney: I don’t know if I agree with RJ on the whole take, but I do agree that their defense is a lot more suspect than it might seem by looking at the names. I’d love for them to have a bit more flexibility there. I’d also point out that their midfield has never been one of the stronger, and while they’ve managed to shore up (and play around) that weakness to some degree, it’s still a weakness.

RJ Allen: I really think the NWSL needs to change the pay structure. Marta’s salary means they can’t upgrade some players as easily as other teams can. I’m not saying it’s the only reason or the main one. But I do think it is a big factor.

Becky Schoenecker: I would blame it on tactics then.

Luis Hernandez: I can point out Kennedy’s regression and inconsistent play more than Marta’s salary. Or EvE’s face on a milk carton all season long

RJ Allen: That’s on the HC then for keeping them on the roster.

Charles Olney: I guess my ultimate feeling about Orlando is: I don’t think they’re wildly underperforming. I had them 5th (but very close to 4th) going into the season, and that’s right about where they are. I think the issue is that they’re more hot/cold than some of the other teams. When they play well, they blow the doors off. When they play poorly, they’re quite depressing. With a different coach, different structure, they might well play more consistent, but I’m not certain they’d be better.

Luis Hernandez: I have to defend Sermanni’s tactics because when the players follow the plan they play well. They just haven’t put in a full 90 which fine you can blame Tom for that.

RJ Allen: I think Orlando plays some of the worse looking soccer in the league and that’s a mix of players and coaching. They don’t have a really strong flow about them.

Luis Hernandez: I believe the Pride roster is going to get blown up after the season anyway

RJ Allen: Head coaching change and a new roster would do the team wonders.

Luis Hernandez: I hope the coach doesn’t change but I also think after the season anything can happen.

Becky Schoenecker: Tom to Washington? haha

RJ Allen: I do not think Sermanni is a great coach. He is fine, but he isn’t great.

Charles Olney: I’d love to see Sermanni at Washington, FWIW.

Becky Schoenecker: I think he can get teams started.

RJ Allen: He would be good in a Washington or even a Sky Blue.

Luis Hernandez: Tom in Washington would be very interesting

RJ Allen: I think GM/HC needs to be more strongly defined in this league. And that is something that would help a lot.

 

Charles Olney: Alright, we’ve spent a lot of time talking about the playoff teams, but very little about North Carolina, probably because there’s nothing really new to say there. Their season has been astonishing, and there’s no doubt they’re the best team in the league. But we all know that the playoffs can be a crapshoot and (famously) the Shield winner has never actually taken home the title. So: if I gave you even odds would you bet North Carolina or the field?

Luis Hernandez: The Courage for me. I love the killer instinct

Becky Schoenecker: I’d bet North Carolina.

Allison Cary: I bet on the Courage.

RJ Allen: I think the match up is important.

Portland: 60/40

Seattle 70/30

Chicago: 80/20

Orlando: 90/10

All in North Carolina’s favor.

Becky Schoenecker: RJ what about Houston?

RJ Allen: lol

Charles Olney: #TeamOfDestiny #DashTFOn

Becky Schoenecker: #DashTFOn

Charles Olney: I have to say, much as I love this Carolina team, I think I’ll still bet the field. We’ve seen Chicago play them very close in two games recently. And even Orlando was giving them real trouble this weekend until the wheels came off. And we all remember what happened when the rubber hit the road in the final last year.

RJ Allen: I think this NC team remembers the pain of last year.

Becky Schoenecker: I still think when it matters they’re going to win in commanding fashion.

Charles Olney: Even if they’re 2 to 1 favorites in both matches, that’s still under 50% chance of actually winning.

Luis Hernandez: There’s a blueprint to beat N.C. Doing it is a separate story

RJ Allen: I think you could make a super team out of the other 8 teams in the league and NC still wins.

Allison Cary: I would tentatively agree with that.

RJ Allen: It’s going to be a shame when expansion comes and strips half their players.

 

Charles Olney: Dialing into the games a little bit, it was a pretty exciting weekend with plenty of talking points across the league, with referees featuring a number of times. Any in particular that people want to discuss?

Luis Hernandez: Sky Blue! I really thought they could win this week.

RJ Allen: I’m sorry Sky Blue fans, from what I saw the ref did nothing wrong giving 3:50ish in stoppage and not stopping at 3 minutes on the dot.

Charles Olney: The level of anger about that one really surprised me. I understand why people were frustrated – for the sake of Sky Blue who really deserved a win there – but there is just no there there in this controversy. Three minutes just means a minimum of three. If the ref felt like there should be 3.5 minutes, he’d signal 3 and stop it whenever (in his judgment) full time was up. This is bog standard stuff.

Now, as I tweeted on Saturday night, I find the stoppage time process overall to be dumb and far too reliant on ill-defined norms. But it is the process. So I’d happily join a general complaint against the whole approach, but there was nothing wrong in this instance.

RJ Allen: I have no real issue with stoppage time.

Charles Olney: It’s very low on my list of changes. So I’ll spend my capital elsewhere, for sure.

Luis Hernandez: Agreed

Charles Olney: Okay, any thoughts on the calls (or non-calls) in Portland? Do we think Chicago’s anger about either goal scored against them is justified?

Becky Schoenecker: I have a semi cool story related to that. Yesterday, after our women’s college match I was talking to the refs about the NWSL and the calls. The second I mentioned the league he goes oh that call against Chicago that wasn’t called? He watched the broadcast on ESPN news and from the sound of it a lot of higher up referees are. Just a fun little tidbit.

RJ Allen: I think Portland manages to get a lot of non calls that go their way.

Luis Hernandez: Especially at home.

Charles Olney: I wouldn’t be confident saying that they get better treatment than the average team, but anecdotally lots of people feel that way. It certainly wouldn’t surprise me if they were on balance benefactors of refereeing calls.

Luis Hernandez: The ref bias out of Portland is head-shaking. It just stands out so much. How do you explain it? The way the Thorns play, you should be whistled more than that.

Charles Olney: In this game, I don’t really think Chicago were correct about either complaint, in the sense that the goals should CLEARLY have been disallowed. But you see stuff like that called plenty, so it wouldn’t have been out of line if things had gone that way. And I can understand frustration at losing a bunch of 60/40 calls.

In terms of physicality, I think y’all know my feelings there. I wouldn’t call that favoritism, but more that the Thorns are exploiting a general problem. Utah is the same way. Both play extremely aggressive (far beyond the bounds of what I’d call acceptable), but mostly get away with it.

Allison Cary: Yeah, agree with that 100%.

Luis Hernandez: Someone should explain persistent infringement to the referees.

Charles Olney: Ironically, for all that North Carolina are possibly the most physically intense team in the league, I don’t really see them as villains on this front. At least not this year.

Luis Hernandez: I think the Courage have been less just bull in a china shop physical

RJ Allen: I am as much a fan of brutal soccer as anyone. But I am starting to really move toward the league is going to end up really hurting someone. Like not an ACL but a spine.

Luis Hernandez: NWSL Fight Club.

 

Charles Olney: Alright, another topic I wanted to bring up is the MVP race. Obviously, this depends to some extent on what happens over the final week. But I have to say that I’m thrilled with just how wide open things are.

I think you could make a serious case for at least these players: Kerr, Rapinoe, Dunn, Zerboni, Horan, Sinclair, and maybe Sauerbrunn or Erceg. I’m not saying *I’d* vote for all them, but I can see a reasonable case.

RJ Allen: Corsie over Sauerbrunn, I’m sorry but it’s true. Corsie hasn’t missed the time Sauerbrunn has and IMO has been as solid on the field when they are together.

Luis Hernandez: If the MVP comes from a non-playoff team I’d be shocked. No playoffs no MVP award.

RJ Allen: Zerboni has been my MVP since about week 9 and I haven’t changed on that.

Charles Olney: I’ve been similarly locked into Dunn, but while she’s remained quite good (as has Zerboni) I think a bunch of the folks who were below them most of the season have really kicked into gear.

RJ Allen: North Carolina isn’t 100 points ahead of everyone else if not for Zerboni.

Luis Hernandez: Just check the golden boot standings and you’ll get your MVP winner

Charles Olney: On that point, one name I didn’t bring up among the favorites is Lynn Williams. But per Luis’s point, she might well win the Golden Boot. If she does, do people think she’ll continue the trend of the MVP and Golden Boot being identical awards? Or could this be the year they’re finally severed?

RJ Allen: I think if Williams wins Golden Boot she’ll be the MVP. Same with Kerr.

Luis Hernandez: If Kerr were to win the golden boot, you’d have to believe the Red Stars are in the playoffs

RJ Allen: I think Kerr can win the Golden Boot and they still are 5th. But it would be hard.

Charles Olney: I’d like to believe that people could see their way to breaking the connection with Williams. But I generally agree if Kerr does win the Boot, it’ll be because she scored enough that Chicago made the playoffs. And she’d also have done enough to deserve the MVP regardless. In fact, that might be where I’d bet at this point.

RJ Allen: I think 2017 might still be on people’s minds. She has been very good this year but not 2017 Kerr.

Charles Olney: Sam Kerr is very good.

RJ Allen: Sam Kerr is very good.

Luis Hernandez: I’m going to say the unpopular thought but I think Horan should be MVP

 

Charles Olney: Alright, one final topic: the situation at Sky Blue. We’ve talked about their problems a few times here, but Cloud 9 just put out a statement confirming that the promised changes haven’t materialized, and that there doesn’t seem to be any indications of progress. Thoughts about where this stands at the moment? Does anyone have any faith that Sky Blue can survive in its current form?

RJ Allen: I know a few of the Cloud 9 people and they care about their club, the league and women’s soccer as much as anyone I know. They are good people and reading the statement I can only imagine how difficult it might be. But I think they said what needs to be said in a way that is very honest and in the end I think they are right. The league needs more than part time GM’s and part time staff. Sky Blue promised to change and they have not.

Luis Hernandez: I’m going to hope Sky Blue uses the off-season to right the ship with better improvements. It’s hard to find a better practice field right at the end of the season

RJ Allen: I think the only way it gets “righted” is a sale and move a la Western New York or the Boston route. The ground needs to be salted.

Charles Olney: I would really like that to not be true, but I’m increasingly finding it hard to see any other alternative.

Luis Hernandez: I think things went passed the point of no return but I’m still hoping Sky Blue can fix thing by the start of next season. Don’t mean to talk out of both sides of my mouth here.

Charles Olney: Sky Blue were barely able to meet standards at the beginning of the league when expectations were much lower. What they provide has never been acceptable but at least you could squint and say that it was necessary. It no longer feels necessary. If they can’t make big improvements (and I don’t think they can) that may be the end of the road.

RJ Allen: I think it’s alright to be sad about this. Mourning the history and the jobs and team lost. But I do think if the league wants to make it, it has to grow and that includes higher standards. The NWSL should have higher standards than nearly everything Sky Blue has done.

Luis Hernandez: I’m curious how much better off things are in Seattle. Is it safe to say that the Reign are next after Sky Blue?

RJ Allen: No.

Luis Hernandez: Then who is the team above Sky Blue in this department?

RJ Allen: I think they are apples and oranges. I don’t think it’s that kind of scale. It’s not nearly that easy.

Luis Hernandez: It is a scale; meet the standards as they rise.

Charles Olney: Seattle have some serious issues, but in their case it’s a matter of finding ways to thread the needle. It absolutely can be done, and they’re working on it. Maybe they’re the team that’s ‘next after Sky Blue’ but only because someone has to be next. I don’t think it’s even in the same ballpark.

RJ Allen: I agree with Charles.

Charles Olney: The stadium issue obviously has to get fixed, and if they can’t figure out an answer, they’ll have to leave. But I have much much more faith in their ability to get a satisfactory answer than I have faith in Sky Blue resolving they’re many problems.

Allison Cary: I have very little knowledge of what’s going on in Seattle, but I would agree with Charles. It seems like Sky Blue and Seattle aren’t even close in terms of problems.

RJ Allen: Seattle’s big issues are 1) Finding a better home field and 2) Keeping some staff in like the media departments for more than a year at a time. That is like one-tenth of the Sky Blue list.

Luis Hernandez: For sure.

 

RJ Allen: How many NWSL teams do we have opening day of 2019?

Luis Hernandez: An even number.

Becky Schoenecker: It’d be nice to have 10

Allison Cary: 10 would be nice.

Luis Hernandez: 12 would be crazy

Allison Cary:I don’t see things staying the same no matter what.

Becky Schoenecker: I would LOVE 12.

Luis Hernandez: Expansion draft for 2019 for sure. In a Wold Cup year.

Charles Olney: Reading the tea leaves, I don’t see any of the usual suspects that seems like they’ll be ready to enter in 2019. And if we think Sky Blue might not be long for this world, it’s really hard to see them finding two franchises. I’m not saying that it won’t happen, but I’m a lot less certain that it’ll be 10 than I was a few months ago.

Luis Hernandez: 8?

RJ Allen: That is my guess.

Becky Schoenecker: I really hope it isn’t 8 that would be concerning and I don’t feel like the NWSL is in a place of concern, but growth (or change).

Luis Hernandez: That would just be a down ending

RJ Allen: I think 8 would be fine for a year to get the house in order. Growth without stability is an issue.

Charles Olney: I don’t think eight would be a real problem. But I agree the optics wouldn’t be great. Still, I’d rather have eight solid franchises than struggle to make 10.

Allison Cary: I agree. Hopefully not long-term obviously, but stability should be key.

The NWSL Podium: Top Performances in Week 20

Posted on by RJ Allen

The NWSL Podium: Top Performances is a weekly series that looks at the best attacking, defensive, and goalkeeping performances each week.

With only a handful of games left for each team this season, the race for a spot in the NWSL playoffs is heating up. In Week 20, the Seattle Reign moved closer to cementing their spot as a playoff team with a 1-0 win over the Utah Royals in a hot and smoky afternoon match. The Chicago Red Stars earned a point against the North Carolina Courage, which they needed to keep their playoff hopes afloat. The Orlando Pride seem to be slipping from that playoff spot, losing 2-0 at home to the Portland Thorns this weekend. While the Seattle Reign are starting to pull away in second, this week did little to clarify who will be going on to the postseason and who’s season will soon come to an end. Here is a full breakdown of the scores from Week 20:

Utah Royals vs. Washington Spirit (1-0)

Chicago Red Stars vs. North Carolina Courage (1-1)

Utah Royals vs. Seattle Reign (0-1)

Sky Blue vs. Houston Dash (1-2)

Orlando Pride vs. Portland Thorns (0-2)

Top Three Goalkeepers

1. Adriana Franch— Franch had an outstanding night for Portland against the Orlando Pride in Week 20. She faced thirteen shots from the Pride offense and made six saves, earning her second shutout of the year. In the opening minutes of the game, the Orlando Pride earned a corner and Franch had to punch the ball twice to keep it out of the net. In the 63rd minute, Marta took a shot that forced Franch to make a diving save, which earned an NWSL Save of the Week nomination. When Marta launched another shot in the 88th minute, Franch was able to get her fingertips too it and knock the ball over the net to keep her clean sheet.

2. Abby Smith— Smith returned to the Starting XI for the Utah Royals this weekend after missing a few weeks due to injury, and the Seattle Reign decided to test her early. Rapinoe started things off with a powerful shot in the tenth minute. Smith positioned herself correctly, but with the strength on the ball, she juggled it a bit before making the final catch. Rapinoe took another shot from about 30 yards out in the 17th minute. But Smith fell to her right and blocked the ball. That stop earned her an NWSL Save of the Week nomination. Overall, Smith made five saves and faced ten shots from the Seattle Reign. 

3. Jane Campbell— The Houston Dash are keeping themselves alive in the playoff picture with 26 points, just four points off the No. 4 Orlando Pride, but there chances are distant. Still, they wanted to leave New Jersey with three points and that meant holding off a Sky Blue offense that had scored three goals in the two matches prior to this one. Campbell faced sixteen shots from Sky Blue FC and made five saves.  Houston dominated the attack at the beginning of the match, scoring an early goal. But the Sky Blue offense came charging forward in the 29th minute. Imani Dorsey had a good ball served to her, and she got behind the Houston defense, forcing Campbell to bat the shot away. Savannah McCaskill settled the rebound, but sent the ball flying over the net. That save earned her an NWSL Save of the Week nomination. 

Top Three Defenders

1. Abby Erceg— We’ve run out of superlatives for the North Carolina Courage, and the same is quickly becoming true of Abby Erceg. She has been on the NWSL Team of the Month every month this year for a reason. In the match against the Chicago Red Stars, she faced a stronger offense than the Courage had seen in previous weeks. In the first part of the match, Erceg did a good job at heading the ball any time it got near the 18-yard box. Chicago’s offense built more momentum at the end of the first half, but the North Carolina defense denied them too many serious chances. One example of her importance could be seen in the second half, when Chicago tried to mount an attack on North Carolina. Chicago was trying to get the ball into the box, but twice in the 74th minute, Erceg just sent the ball back to the midfield before Chicago could put an attack together. 

2. Katie Naughton— Naughton played in the central defense alongside Julie Ertz in the match against the North Carolina Courage and they both did a fantastic job at holding off the North Carolina offense. Naughton had a particularly impressive moment towards the end of the match, when North Carolina was looking for that second goal and three points on the road. The ball came into the box for Lynn Williams, and Alyssa Naeher tried to grab the ball but Williams got their first. Naughton covered Williams while Naeher got back on her line, and Naughton tracked Williams up and down the box, until she had no choice but to send a poor cross/shot in that Naeher grabbed easily. 

3. Taylor Comeau— Comeau put up another solid performance for the Houston Dash on Saturday night against Sky Blue. She played at right-back and helped her team get the ball forward to create scoring chances. Her best defensive moment of the night came in stoppage time, when Sky Blue was searching for the equalizer. Comeau cleared the initial chance, blocked a shot from Sky Blue, and tracked her player forcing Sky Blue to make an awkward cross into the ball for another attempt. 

Top Three Attackers

1. Rachel Daly— Daly had a brace this week against Sky Blue FC, helping her team secure three points on the road. The first goal came in the 7th minute, after Ohai did some nice work to get the ball down the field. Daly finished off her cross, heading the ball past Kailen Sheridan and into the back of the net for an early lead. Daly’s second goal came off a penalty in the 72nd minute, after Raquel Rodriguez was called for a hand ball. Daly sent Sheridan the other way and put the ball into the top corner. Daly had five shots and four shots on goal that night. 

2. Jess Fishlock— The Utah-Seattle match was important for both sides, and both teams were desperate to walk away with three points. Fishlock was the difference-maker for Seattle, scoring the only goal of the match in the 48th minute. Utah cleared the ball after a short corner, but Megan Oyster kept the ball in play, sending it into the box for Fishlock who was able to get her head to it and send it past Abby Smith. Fishlock had two shots in the match, both of which were on goal. 

3. Hayley Raso— Raso was on fire for the Portland Thorns in Saturday night’s match against the Orlando Pride. In another match-up critical to the playoff race, Raso solidified her team’s 2-0 win with a goal in the 53rd minute. After getting the ball from Ana Crnogorcevic, Raso charged past the Pride defenders and beat Harris in front of the net. Raso had a couple of other close chances, including one in the 16th minute that went off the post. Overall, she played a critical role in helping her team create chances. She had four shots in the match, one of which was on goal.