Warning:
This power ranking is not reactionary.
This power ranking takes outside factors like weather and injuries into account.
It has bias—yours when you read it and mine when I wrote it.
Enjoy it.
It will soon change.
Notes: Yeah. It’s the same as last week. No I’m not kidding. It felt pretty much like everything lined up just the same. This is why it was late. I was trying to talk myself out of this. But for week 8 everyone is a hold.
NWSL fans deserve better. This is true for pretty much any issue you could identify—better stadium experiences, better coverage, better writing, better everything—but today I want to focus on one specific aspect: match commentary. In particular, the commentary in matches on the go90 platform.
Whether or not the Lifetime deal has fully delivered on its promises, one thing cannot be denied: the production quality associated with the weekly game has been excellent. Aly Wagner, Jenn Hildreth, and Dalen Cuff bring professionalism and excitement to the games they cover, and set a great standard against which the other games can be measured.
Unfortunately, the go90 games haven’t always lived up. In part, this is a feature of economics. Like many aspects of the NWSL, the commentary setup lives in an uncanny valley between amateur and professional. Supported by the Lifetime infrastructure—not to mention other well-funded gigs like Wagner’s job covering the men’s World Cup this summer—the game-of-the-week crew have the time and resources to hone their skills and develop their engagement with the league. Those on the go90 broadcasts simply don’t have this luxury. Many of them are busy hustling across a number of different platforms and the quality of their broadcasts, understandably, suffers. Commentary is exceptionally difficult, and it takes time and enormous effort.
Therefore, I engage this subject in the spirit of constructive criticism. No one expects perfection, but it can still be helpful to articulate a set of best practices and objectives.
1. Less is usually more
Don’t speak for the sake of speaking. Crowd noise is one of the finest auditory accompaniments to sports. And when you do speak, remember that (just like in writing) short and direct is usually the best approach. Good commentary performatively illustrates the peaks and valleys of a game by getting in quickly, making the point directly, and then letting the game slide past.
Consider all the other items below as subordinate to this overarching principle. When in doubt, opt for saying less rather than saying more.
2. The most important job of a commentary team is identifying who is doing what
The most important job of the broadcaster is to provide play-by-play. That is: to describe what is actually happening. Specifically, identifying which players are doing what. Doing this job well is the lion’s share of the battle. Ideally, this entails bringing a bit of poetry to the descriptions—little flourishes that embellish and enliven the experience—but there’s no shame in sticking to pure prose.
Consider the following: “Gilliland. To Colaprico. Back to Gilliland. Ahead to Huerta. She centers it. Ertz is there. Can’t find an angle. Sends it back to Naughton. Nice job by Kennedy to close Ertz down there.”
Is this exciting? Not especially. There’s a hint of analysis, but it’s mostly just a list of names. In essence, the commentator is simply telling the viewer what they’re seeing. Still, for all that this lacks flash, it accomplishes the basic objective: to fill in gaps in understanding without intruding on the experience. The star of the broadcast, after all, should always be the game itself. Do this simple stuff well, and you’re already 90% of the way to a successful broadcast.
3. Know the players
In many ways, this is a subsidiary point to item #2 above. In order to correctly identify who is doing what, you need to know all the players. Identification is never going to be perfect—it’s a fast moving game with a lot of participants—but it is critical for commentators to quickly identify who is where. When referencing a play, “that’s a great stop by Sauerbrunn” is infinitely superior to “that’s a great stop by the Utah player.”
For those without a deep well of experience in the league, this problem can graduate from casual inattention to actively misleading. Their attention will get drawn to big name players, who will then be hyped above and beyond any actual contributions. In a game with so many moving pieces, our natural tendency to find patterns tends to generate commentary that fulfills expectations, even if the actual play doesn’t warrant it.
One corollary: it’s also important to know how to pronounce players’ names. This year we’ve heard ‘Fishlocker,’ ‘Cernevesivic,’ ‘Ubaguga,’ ‘Nagasoto,’ and the always classic ‘Lindsey Whoreann.’ These players deserve the respect of having their name spoken correctly.
4. Don’t be afraid to criticize
NWSL commentary is often almost uniformly positive. Every player is exceptional. Every story is great. Everyone is starting to put things together. This sort of coverage does a disservice to the fans watching at home, as well as to the players themselves, who are professionals and deserve to be judged like it. Not every player is going to have a great game. One of the key jobs of an analyst is to identify who is failing, and why.
This is not a call for cruelty, personal attacks, or unrelenting negativity. It’s just a request for commentary to identify is actually happening on the pitch—both the positive and the negative. Infusing a bit more criticism into the broadcasts will make the positive comments stick that much better. After all, one of the great truths is that Lake Woebegone treatments (which imply that everyone is above average) do nothing but dull the quality of legitimate positive treatments. Basically: if you praise everyone, you’re really praising no one.
5. Play-by-play and color commentary should (mostly) stay in their lanes
The two-person commentary model is based on the separation of responsibility. The play-by-play person describes what is happening on a granular level. The color commentator provides bigger picture analysis, drops in the occasional story, and generally tries to liven things up. This is a good setup, but it only works if both partners (broadly speaking) stay in their lane. Trying to do everything is a recipe for failure. Better to focus your attention on one job and do it well than dabble in two.
As part of this, it’s also important for the color person to be in tune with the flow of the game. You may have a good story about a player’s dog, or some analysis about a team’s injury woes, but there are better and worse times to bring these things up. There are few things more frustrating than a meandering story being interrupted by “and there’s a shot!” To avoid this sort of thing, keep a close eye on the flow of the game and build in off-ramps to ease out of an anecdote in sufficient time for the buildup to be described.
6. Avoid reasoning exclusively from results
Far too often, commentary operates teleologically: working backward from the result, emphasizing the factors that contributed to the conclusion and deemphasizing everything else. Now, quite obviously, the result has to be part of the conversation. But soccer is a game of probabilities, with hundreds and hundreds of actions per game but very few goals. A team can be excellent on the day, but simply be unlucky in their finishing. A player can launch themselves into a dangerous slide-tackle and execute perfectly. In both cases, the poor finishing and the excellent technique are clearly part of the story. But they’re not the whole story. We want the bigger picture, too. A player who executes a risky slide tackle today is quite likely to concede a penalty the next time. A team that dominates but can’t find their finishing boots may lose today, but is likely run away with things next time.
It’s a difficult job, but the analyst needs to keep both of these pieces in conversation. Acknowledge that many choices contain a measure of opportunity and risk, and then do your best to fill in that context for the viewer.
7. Try to avoid clichés
Watch a women’s soccer game in the US and you are extremely likely to hear multiple comments about “switching the point of attack.” The announcers are almost guaranteed to discuss the importance of “finding pockets of space.” If a team is playing well but not scoring, they will be described as needing to “work on that final ball.” If a player misses wide, she’ll be instructed to “put that on frame; make the keeper make a save.” Watch any game, and you’re sure to hear discussion about the importance of “getting between the lines.”
Generally, these clichés exist for a reason. When used judiciously, they all communicate real meaning. And their proliferation is by no means unique to women’s soccer. There’s a whole book on football clichés if you want a comprehensive assessment. Moreover, cliché fatigue is a problem for the super-viewer more than the casual fan. Given the limited set of available commentators, those of us who watch most NWSL games are subjected to the same verbal tics repeatedly. That familiarity can breed frustration that is not felt by the vast majority of viewers.
All that said, clichés can be a crutch that undermines the quality of a broadcast. At their worst, they function like idioms whose meaning has been obscured from overuse: the simulacra of wisdom, used in place of actual analysis. Broadcasters hoping to produce high-quality experience will do well to watch their deployment of these phrases. When they are used repeatedly, seemingly divorced from any specific context, they become white noise. Save them up for when they apply, recognize their limits, and they will pack much greater punch.
So that’s it: my seven tips for improving the quality of the viewing experience. If you want to distill these down, I’d say the core underlying theme is respect. Give the players the credit of their professionalism, and treat them like athletes with exceptional skills playing a difficult game. Sometimes they’ll succeed; sometimes they’ll fail. Your job is to help the viewers understand why. In the same sense, you should also respect your audience. Trust them to be able to follow the game, and see yourself as a steward in that process.
Coverage of the NWSL can be better. It should be better. The fans deserve it, the players deserve it, the league deserves it. The Lifetime games provide a great model of what this should look like, Here’s hoping that we continue to see improvements in the other matches that bring them closer to this standard.
The NWSL Podium: Top Performances is a weekly series that looks at the best attacking, defensive, and goalkeeping performances each week.
There were six matches played in Week 7, including two mid-week matches on Wednesday and four matches on Saturday. The Houston Dash picked up two points from two draws this week after earning their first win of the season last week against Sky Blue FC. The Seattle Reign continued their hot streak, defeating Sky Blue FC 4-1 on Saturday night with two goals from Megan Rapinoe. And the Orlando Pride earned their first win against the Portland Thorns in franchise history when they traveled to Providence Park for the Lifetime Game of the Week. Here is a full breakdown of the scores from Week 7:
Houston Dash vs. Portland Thorns (1-1)
Utah Royals vs. Orlando Pride (0-0)
Portland Thorns vs. Orlando Pride (1-2)
North Carolina Courage vs. Washington Spirit (1-0)
Chicago Red Stars vs. Houston Dash (2-2)
Seattle Reign vs. Sky Blue FC (4-1)
Top Goalkeeping Performances
1. Katelyn Rowland— Rowland had to step up into the goalkeeping role for the North Carolina Courage this weekend because Sabrina D’Angelo was out with an ankle injury. Rowland had a stellar game for the Courage, making three saves and earning her team another clean sheet. Her best save came in the 48th minute when she faced a shot from Washington Spirit Midfielder Tori Huster. Rowland stretched out her arm and the ball bounced off the palm of her hand. The ball was still inbounds, and Pugh took the follow-up shot, but Rowland had another save and knocked the ball out of bounds.
2. Lydia Williams— Williams took over as the starting goalkeeper for the Seattle Reign this season, with Haley Kopmeyer getting traded to the Orlando Pride, and on Saturday night, Williams played a key role in the Reign’s dominant win. While Sky Blue doesn’t have the best attacking power in the league, Williams faced fourteen shots that night and was forced to make four saves. Her Save of the Week nomination came in the 88th minute of the match. Savannah McCaskill sent the ball into the 18-yard box for Sky Blue and the ball connected with Katlyn Johnson– who had two goals in last week’s match against the Houston Dash. Johnson headed the ball towards goal, but Williams extended her arm and managed to get a couple of fingers on the ball, knocking the ball out of play.
3. Aubrey Bledsoe— While Bledsoe was on the losing side of her match this weekend, Bledsoe has been a solid addition to the Washington Spirit lineup this season. Bledsoe leads the league in saves with 37 so far this season, including 5 in this weekend’s match against the Courage. While Bledsoe did allow a goal, only allowing one goal isn’t bad against the best offense in the league. Bledsoe’s saves have earned her a couple of Save of the Week nominations so far this season, and I expect that she’ll continue to show off her talents in the weeks to come.
Top Defensive Performances
1. Janine Van Wyk— Van Wyk has been a solid defender for the Houston Dash so far this season, appearing as our top defender just two weeks ago for her performance against the North Carolina Courage. The Dash had two matches this week, facing the Portland Thorns during the week and the Chicago Red Stars over the weekend. Both games ended in draws, and Van Wyk had some fine moments against some of the best offenses in the league. Her best moment, earning her a Save of the Week nomination, came towards the end of their match against the Portland Thorns. Meghan Klingenberg took a corner kick for the Thorns and sent the ball into the 18-yard box. The ball found the head of Lindsey Horan, but Van Wyk was on the line to stop it. She headed the ball herself, and it soared over the net and out of play.
2. Allysha Chapman— Chapman only joined the Houston Dash last week, but already she is making an impact. She sat on the bench for their game against the Thorns (understandably, since she was only traded to the team earlier that day), but she played the full 90 minutes in the match against the Chicago Red Stars. Chapman had many good defensive moments for the Dash, particularly when she was covering Sam Kerr in the box. In the final moments of the game, the Red Stars sent a cross into the box for Kerr, but Chapman got her head to it first and sent it out of play. Earlier in the match, Nagasato sent a cross to Kerr in front of goal, but Chapman once again got her head to it first and got the ball out of the 18-yard box. The Dash gave up their 2019 first round pick for Chapman, but it looks like she may be a great addition to their backline.
3. Alanna Kennedy— Kennedy played the full 90 minutes in both matches for the Pride this week, but she really stood out in the match against Portland. Kennedy plays as a central defender for the Australian National Team, but Tom Sermanni put her back in the defensive midfield for the Pride starting last season. Kennedy was all over the field for this match, making crucial stops and even tallying her own shot on goal. Kennedy works well in that defensive midfield position, roaming around the field where she is needed. She definitely showed her skill this week.
Top Attacking Performances
1. Megan Rapinoe— Rapinoe had two goals in Seattle’s 4-1 win over Sky Blue FC this weekend. In the 38th minute, she tacked on Seattle’s second goal when she got the ball just outside of the 18-yard box. She settled the ball and sent it flying into the top-left corner. She hit a very similar shot in the 60th minute, when she ran down the field with the ball, set up the shot, and launched it past Kailen Sheridan. She currently sits second in the league in goals, with four on the season, and helped her team earn their fourth win of the year. They currently sit in second place in the league with 13 points in 6 matches.
2. Christine Nairn— Nairn earned the Pride their second goal in the match against Portland and it was beautiful. After getting a long ball from Monica, Nairn attempted to settle the ball but lost it to a Portland defender. The ball bounced off the defender’s head and back to Nairn. The ball bounced off of Nairn’s chest, and Nairn connected with the ball mid-bounce. It soared over an empty 18-yard box and barely slipped under the crossbar and into the back of the net. Britt Eckerstrom was caught a bit off guard and the Pride took a 2-0 lead. The goal was Nairn’s first of the season, and earned her the NWSL Goal of the Week. She also leads the Pride in assists with two on the year.
3. Savannah McCaskill— McCaskill, the rookie out of the University of South Carolina, has had a solid start to her season. She tallied another goal for Sky Blue on Saturday against the Seattle Reign; a bright moment in an otherwise disappointing match for Sky Blue. In the 62nd minute, Carli Lloyd handed off the ball to McCaskill inside the 18-yard box. McCaskill was at a difficult angle, but sent the ball over her defender, and into the back of the net. The goal marked McCaskill’s second of the year; she currently is tied with Katlyn Johnson for the most goals for Sky Blue so far this year and has started in all five of Sky Blue’s matches.
Corri Goates was at the Portland Thorns vs Orlando Pride match. Check out some of her photos below.
[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”63″ gal_title=”Portland vs Orlando – May”]
Emma Bayer is an 11-year-old who does a recurring interview series for Backline Soccer. You can find more out about how Emma got into soccer here.
Taylor Comeau is in her fourth NWSL season. She started with the Portland Thorns and has been with the Chicago Red Stars the past three seasons.
Birthdate: 7/21/93
Nickname from teammates: More like chants: comeback Comeau or Tay haha
Hometown: Los Gatos, California
Age started playing: 4 years old started running around with a ball
College/major: American Studies emphasis on consumerism
Career aspirations after soccer: I am really into nutrition! Have taken some classes on nutrition and loved it.
Why did you pick your particular uniform #: I did not choose my number, but number 7 was my oldest brother’s football number. He was pretty good.
Pregame meal: Depends on the time of the game. The earlier game usually eggs, oatmeal, and pressed juice with beets. The later game usually smoothies and sushi. Always have some matcha before the games.
Workout music: Ranges from Kygo, Drake, to Cardi B.
Favorite cartoon character: This is tough. I like Tina from Bob’s Burgers.
Fave movie: I recently watched the Lion King and remembered how great it was. I can’t say I have a favorite.
Fave actress: I like Rachel McAdams or Kristen Wig.
Hidden talent: I really enjoy music so I have taken piano and singing lessons. Not talented yet! I also enjoy dancing.
Mentor (in soccer or life): My parents have always pushed me to do well. They’ve always supported me too.
Fave charity/cause: Any cause of mental illness or cancer. I also have psoriasis so I enjoy people who try to bring awareness to these issues that people have.
Life motto: Treat others the way you want to be treated.
Superstitions: I have a superstition of nail polish. Very strange but I stick to certain colors.
Pets: I love dogs. I have an Irish setter named Bailey. Also, a cat named Oscar, who basically acts like a dog.
If you were going on Amazing Race, which teammate would you want as a partner, and why? I don’t know if I can choose one! Stef is smart and strong. Sofia is also very strong and smart. Julie is good at everything so maybe her.
If you had your own reality show, what would it be called? Today with Taylor. Haha
Warning:
This power ranking is not reactionary.
This power ranking takes outside factors like weather and injuries into account.
It has bias—yours when you read it and mine when I wrote it.
Enjoy it.
It will soon change.
Some Notes:
North Carolina somehow finds a way to win every week. It really is something.
Seattle has gotten Rapinoe back and they look to be in peak form themselves.
Orlando moving up 4 spots is more of a course correction from me than anything. The team looked sharp against Portland without Marta even needing to be on the pitch.
As I am ranking teams it feels like there is a huge space after North Carolina and Seattle. And a second, though smaller, space between Orlando and Utah. The middle of the table is pretty bunched together.
Leanne Keator was in New Jersey as the Dash visited Sky Blue. Check out her photos below.
[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”61″ gal_title=”Sky Blue vs Houston – May”]
So we are about a quarter of the way through the 2018 NWSL season. There has been some great moments, some beautiful shots, and some excellent defense. Some teams surpassed expectations, while others are exactly where the world predicted they would be. We still have the majority of the season to go, but now is a great time to review exactly where all our favorite teams are at and how they have fared. So let’s get into it!
Chicago Red Stars
Chicago started their season off with a bit of a depleted roster because of injuries and international players participating in World Cup Qualifiers. The Red Stars have also played more games this season than any other team so far. But despite the roster holes and the heavy schedule the Red Stars are currently camped out near the top of the table. And good news Chicago fans—Sam Kerr is officially back from international duty, so there is a chance that you rise a spot in the table moving forward.
Houston Dash
Well, things aren’t great for the Dash. But they certainly aren’t as horrible so far as originally expected. The Dash had some important draws early in their season, and just this last week they recorded their first win. They are hanging out at the bottom of the table but they aren’t in last place. And now with the return of Kealia Ohai and Kyah Simon the Dash offense is beginning to really take form. They also just recently acquired Allysha Chapman in a trade for North Carolina. So with those added components they may be able to steal a few more points and climb a bit in the standings toward the middle of the season.
North Carolina Courage
The Courage are exactly where everyone expected them to be – in first place. They have been dominant in this first quarter of the season but there are still some things they need to work on. Specifically, converting those shots on goal into actual goals. NC creates a lot of chances and take more shots than any other team in the league, but they haven’t been able to score a lot of goals. Still, the Courage are currently undefeated and don’t look to be slowing down any time soon. And once those finishing touches come they will be even more lethal than they already are.
Orlando Pride
The Pride have done mediocre so far this season. Not too good, but not too bad either. They are camped out in the middle of the table and ended week 6 with a record of 2-2-2. But this team definitely is on the upswing of the pendulum, as their last three results of the quarter ended in two wins and a draw. Orlando had to deal with the loss of Marta and Alanna Kennedy for international duty and had a few other key minor injuries that made the first quarter of their season a bit challenging. But things are looking up for the Pride now that their roster is almost back to full form.
Portland Thorns
The Thorns are at about the exact same place as the Pride at the end of week 6. Though, most would consider their first quarter of the season underwhelming. Much was expected of the Thorns and they haven’t fully delivered yet. But with the majority of the season still ahead, they have plenty of time to find their form. Tobin Heath is only just back from a very lengthy string of injuries, but her touch on the ball seems to be coming back to her rather quickly as could be seen by her first goal of the season against Utah. Overall, the Thorns can do better, and most likely they will continuing through the season.
Seattle Reign FC
Seattle may just be the greatest surprise of the 2018 season so far. They are exciting to watch, incredibly skillful, and are giving their competitors a run for their money. Their current second place position is a bit unexpected, but the Reign are here to defy expectations this season. Even with Rapinoe out on injury, they have still found a way to win. Just look at last week’s match at Providence Park. They weren’t expected to win, but the Reign don’t live in a world where they do what is expected. It’s hard to say what could potentially slow this team down currently, but for our entertainment value let’s hope they don’t.
Sky Blue FC
The 2018 NWSL season surely has not gone Sky Blue’s way up to this point. After numerous roster changes in the off-season, a new head coach, and a on-again-off-again schedule throughout the first quarter Sky Blue has not fared well. They are still in the hunt for their first win of the season and are sitting in last place, but they have also played less games than all other teams. That makes it difficult for a team to get into a good rhythm, and well the women from Jersey are quite a bit off-beat right now. But there is still time to turn it around. They have a lot of attacking power that can be utilized, and they still have 20 matches left to go, so not all hope is lost.
Utah Royals FC
New kids on the block had a bunch of…draws. Utah’s first quarter of their inaugural season was littered with them. Some of them were hard fought, like their match against North Carolina. While others were simply poor luck, like getting a PK called for a hand ball after your best defender actually got drilled in the face. But hey, you can’t win them all. Regardless of the draws in the first quarter, Utah is starting to come together. And with the stable roster they have, matched with the coaching skills of Laura Harvey, they are definitely not a team to underestimate moving forward.
Washington Spirit
Washington is the epitome of young raw talent. They haven’t quite figured out how to harness all that talent yet, but their future-whether this season or next-looks promising. Probably the biggest impact for the Spirit in the first quarter comes from the goalkeeper, Aubrey Bledsoe. She has had some down-right filthy saves this season, and has helped to keep the Spirit competitive. How they will progress through the rest of the 2018 season is still a bit of a question mark, but they are definitely a team to keep an eye on.
So there you have it—a review of where we have been. Where we are going? Who knows. But with so much season left to be played there are sure to be some excitement, some upsets, and some surprises.
The NWSL Podium: Top Performances is a weekly series looking at the top three goalkeeping, defensive, and attacking performances each week.
Week 6 was full of excitement, providing a lot of options to choose from. The Utah Royals earned their first win in franchise history against the Washington Spirit at Rio Tinto Stadium, and the Houston Dash earned their first win under Vera Pauw on the road against Sky Blue. The Saturday matchup between the Portland Thorns and the Seattle Reign was an instant classic, with the Seattle Reign solidifying themselves as a force to be reckoned with this season, and the North Carolina Courage were almost handed their first loss of the season, but were saved by a goal in the 82nd minute. Here is a full breakdown of the scores from Week 6:
Chicago Red Stars vs. Orlando Pride (0-2)
Portland Thorns vs. Seattle Reign (2-3)
Sky Blue vs. Houston Dash (2-3)
Utah Royals vs. Washington Spirit (2-0)
North Carolina Courage vs. Chicago Red Stars (1-1)
Top Three Goalkeepers
1. Alyssa Naeher— Naeher may have put up the NWSL goalkeeping performance of the season on Sunday against North Carolina. The Courage are a difficult opponent to face under any circumstances, and the Chicago Red Stars were coming in with tired legs after their 2-0 loss to Orlando on Wednesday. The Red Stars faced a total of 42 shots from North Carolina, yet the Courage didn’t get their equalizer until the 82nd minute. It’s hard to pick a single top save from the dozen she managed. In the 17th minute, she made a brilliant block to keep a strong shot from McCall Zerboni. At the start of the second half, Naeher used her face to block a shot from Crystal Dunn, who was only a few feet in front of her. In the 56th minute, she made a diving save to stop a shot from Sam Mewis from sneaking into the bottom-right corner. Ten minutes later she stopped another shot from Crystal Dunn by diving to her right. And that’s just what made the highlight reel.
2. Michelle Betos— The Cascadia Rivalry is always a heated match. For Betos, there was even more meaning as she returned to Providence Park for the first time since leaving Portland at the end of the 2016 season. And the Thorns did not go easy on their former teammate. She and her teammates faced a total of 24 shots in that match, and Betos made eight saves. Amongst her best were back-to-back saves made in the 88th and 89th minute of the match. After Christine Sinclair did a fantastic job keeping the ball in play, Betos faced a shot from Tobin Heath right in front of her. Betos made the initial block, and after the ball bounced around a bit, she grabbed the ball and ended the ball. Only a minute later, the Thorns earned a corner kick. A Portland player got her head to the ball, but Betos was able to make a diving block, keeping the Thorns from scoring. Betos’ saves in the final minutes may have been the difference between a draw or a win on the road.
3. Sabrina D’Angelo— D’Angelo only had to make one save in Sunday’s match against the Chicago Red Stars, but it was a nice one. In the 86th minute, after the Courage had equalized off a goal from McCall Zerboni, Sam Kerr had the ball delivered to her feet inside the 18-yard box. D’Angelo came off her line and charged at Kerr, ultimately blocking the shot when the ball bounced off her leg. D’Angelo’s last minute save kept her team from suffering their first loss of the season.
Top Three Defenders
1. Amber Brooks—Brooks earned herself a Save of the Week nomination this week after defending an empty goal in the 55th minute. Sky Blue had a nice passing sequence and got the ball up to Katlyn Johnson, who rounded Jane Campbell and seemed to be through on goal. But Brooks anticipated the danger and cut behind her keeper, putting herself in perfect position to block Johnson’s shot.
2. Kelli Hubly— While the Thorns did not have the best defensive weekend, Hubly gets credit for a wonderful save she made on the goal line in the 74th minute. After a bad defensive giveaway a few moments before that nearly cost them a goal, the Thorns had another defensive miscommunication and Nahomi Kawasumi got possession of the ball inside Portland’s 18-yard box. She passed it to Fishlock, who handed it off to Jodie Taylor. Taylor faced three defenders in addition to the goalkeeper, but may have found the back of the net had it not been for a brilliant header by Hubly.
3. Steph Catley— Catley is a versatile player, who has great moments on both offense and defense. As an outside back, she is great at getting those runs up the field and creating opportunities for her team to score. She was traded to Seattle from the Orlando Pride in the offseason, and she has only been back for a couple of matches with the Reign. But she played a critical role in keeping the ball down the pitch and creating opportunities for Seattle in their 3-2 win over the Portland Thorns this weekend at Providence Park.
Top Three Attackers
1. Katlyn Johnson— Johnson had a stellar match this week against the Houston Dash. She earned her first goal of the night in the 57th minute, tapping in a cross from Shea Groom. Her second goal unfolded similarly, when Sarah Killion sent a ball into the box, and Johnson sent the ball with a header. While Johnson’s brace ultimately wasn’t enough to bring her team points, she is now Sky Blue’s leading goal scorer, with two goals and one assist so far this season.
2. Chioma Ubogagu— Ubogagu continued to prove her worth this week in the match against the Chicago Red Stars. She opened the scoring in the 28th minute with a ball that took a deflection off a defender and snuck past Naeher into the bottom-left corner. Ubogagu was critical to setting up the goal as well, winning the ball in the midfield and working with Sydney Leroux to take the ball down the pitch. The goal marked Ubogagu’s third goal of the season, and even with all the veteran talent on the Pride’s offense, she is currently the Pride’s leading goal scorer.
3. Diana Matheson— Matheson scored the second goal for the Utah Royals on Saturday night at Rio Tinto Stadium. As the Washington Spirit were passing the ball around their defense, Matheson made a sliding tackle on Estelle Johnson. Matheson got the ball and Johnson jumped over Matheson to stop from falling. As both players chased after the ball, Aubrey Bledsoe came out from goal. But Matheson got the ball and flicked it over Bledsoe. The ball rolled into the net with no defender to stop it.
Chicago Red Stars 0-2 Orlando Pride
2-2-3/2-2-2
Chicago had the lead in possession, yellow cards, and shots not-on-frame. Orlando had goals from Chioma Ubogagu (28’, Leroux assist) and Rachel Hill (81’, Van Egmond assist.) The NWSL site, famous for full names, also tells me that this was Van Egmond’s first assist since returning from international duty with Brazil, but I get in trouble for making things up. Neither Sam Kerr or Marta directly figured into the scoring, but they had an impact on defensive shape and tactics. Sarah Gorden was a flash of speed for Chicago but couldn’t connect to get anything past GK Ashlyn Harris, or perhaps was afraid of the flying tackle.
Portland Thorns 2-3 Seattle Reign
2-2-2/3-1-1
I feel like Seattle are stealth contenders for no good reason other than they don’t have the attention focused on Portland or North Carolina or the fan-loved roster of Orlando. Or the power-packed roster of the Thorns, who was fun to watch as they poured endless chances in on former Reign-turned-Thorn-turned-Reign Michele Betos. Starting a thread to be seen in the other 3-2 game this week, there was a first-half goal and then single tallies traded until the first-to-score won, but with so much action I’d recommend looking at the replay. Beverly Yanez (from Nahomi Kawasumi) was the first half tally at 36’. W-League scoring monster Emily Sonnett equalized at 61’ on a sloppy bouncer and Nearly Headless Jodie Taylor tallied the PK at 64’. Jess Fishlock drew the penalty on a defending Ana-Maria Crnogorevic by cutting into her path in a tangle of legs that will remain disputed depending on your loyalties (Cymru am byth!). The Great Horan equalized at 70’ on the ten-thousandth marginally-defended cross from Megan Klingenberg. The 2-2 deadlock lasted about as long as it takes me to type a sentence, as Rumi Utsugi scored from Steph Catley at 75’ and the last fifteen featured chances but no goals.
Sky Blue FC 2-3 Houston Dash
0-3-1/1-3-2
Houston tried a new lineup Saturday night, moving Kimberly Keever back and Kristie Mewis to mid, with Rachel Daly up top with Kealia Ohai and Nichelle Prince. Whether a new shape or the skill of the opponent played a role, some of the scoring potential teased in the first five games broke through. Nichelle Prince opened at 24’ and then the teams traded goals in the second half, with Katie Johnson at 57’ followed quickly by Rachel Daly on a shross aided by a lack of hops by GK Kailen Sheridan at 59’. Katie Johnson equalized at 73’, putting herself into the lead in NJ’s scoring race by a likely insurmountable lead, and Veronica Latsko finished it up at 79’. All the goals had assists, too, but I didn’t want to step on the “NJ can’t score” jab, so: Lindsay Elizabeth Agnew to Prince, Shea Groom and Sarah Killion to Johnson, Ohai (and gravity) to Daly, and Kgatlana to Latsko.
Utah Royals 2-0 Washington Spirit
1-1-4/1-3-2
I’m so glad I didn’t predict Washington’s youth movement of high powered talent would be printing goals like money every game. Nope, not me. Don’t bother checking the previews, trust me on this. Pretty sure I said the 30-something Amy Rodriguez would take over a game with a killer assist to 2009 Hermann Trophy winner Kelley O’Hara, marking her first of the season at 7’. Well, I didn’t predict the minutes. I’m not that stellar with my clearly truthful predictions. Also, incredibly youthful Canadian sensation Diana Matheson had the second Utah goal at 66’ on pure hustle. Washington did have more shots, but not on frame, and a slight lead in both crosses and corners, but didn’t convert. Utah’s totally youthful defense played all 90, too, but so did the Hatch-Pugh-Sullivan trifecta that apparently needs more ink for the goal printer.
North Carolina Courage 1-1 Chicago Red Stars
5-0-2/2-2-4
“Sure, North Carolina had 42 shots, but…”
But nothing.
Chicago stole a point in this one, largely via GK Alyssa Naeher. Yes, North Carolina was sloppy at times and didn’t look to be the statistical anomaly the box score presents. Samantha Kerr scored at 37’ but wasn’t largely a factor due to North Carolina’s defense. McCall Zerboni equalized at 82’ with a great shot off an Abby Erceg chip. She also had a yellow card at 71’ but no assist to complete the McCall Zerboni hat trick. Largely, NCC charged in and missed for the better part of the afternoon.
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