Tag: NWSL

Welcome to American Soccer: Cashing In On Equality

Posted on by RJ Allen

This is the third article in a series titled “Welcome to American Soccer,” which focuses on providing equal treatment and access to soccer in the United States. The articles focus on where U.S. Soccer stands on a variety of issues and where they need to improve.

In May 2017, English FA Chief Greg Clarke acknowledged how men’s soccer had fallen behind in LGBT equality. Speaking at an event called “Rainbow Laces,” at Old Trafford in Manchester, Clarke said that men’s soccer was “a couple of decades” behind the women’s game with regards to LGBT equality.

“I was at the Women’s FA Cup final and it was great, inclusive—there were gay people, straight people, transgender people, and it was a wonderful occasion,” Clarke said. “For me, when the finals in the men’s competition have the same feel, we will have succeeded. It is about the when the men’s game starts to feel as inclusive as the women’s game—then we are there.”

Clarke was praised in many circles for these comments, and rightfully so. However, while it is true that the women’s game is much more LGBT friendly than the men’s game, I do not believe that any soccer league or federation has gone far enough when it comes to respect for and inclusion of LGBT people.

Gender and sexual orientation play a different role in sports. Thus, I will divide this article into two sections: the first will look at the U.S. Soccer Federation’s approach to sexual orientation, while the second will examine policies and practices surrounding transgender and gender non-conforming people.

Sexual Orientation

U.S. Soccer has made efforts in recent years to be supportive of diverse sexual orientations, and that has been reflected to some extent both on and off the pitch. Both the men’s and women’s senior national teams have worn rainbow numbers on their jerseys for Pride month. They have donated money to LGBT organizations. Most MLS and NWSL teams have Pride nights.

In the women’s game, players of diverse sexual orientations are not hard to find. Megan Rapinoe, who is openly gay, has used her platform to promote LGBT respect and inclusion. Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger announced their engagement in People magazine last month, earning a wave of support.

The men’s game is not quite there yet. However, MLS has had two openly gay players. Robbie Rogers, who played for the U.S. national team, came out as gay in 2013. That same year, he joined the L.A. Galaxy and became the first openly gay player in MLS history. In 2018, Collin Martin, who plays for Minnesota United, came out as gay ahead of the team’s Pride night. With that announcement, he became the only openly gay male player in all of North America’s major sports leagues.

But both the men’s and women’s teams have run into issues with sexual orientation. For MLS, this includes suspending players and fans for homophobic comments. But the best example of U.S. Soccer’s ongoing struggle is the situation with Jaelene Hinkle.

In 2017, Hinkle was called up to the senior U.S. women’s team for a couple of friendlies. The matches were in June, and this was the first year U.S. Soccer decided to wear rainbow numbers to celebrate Pride month. Following the announcement, Hinkle withdrew from the camp and later revealed that she did so because of her homophobic beliefs.

The decision isolated Hinkle from the U.S. team for a while. But in 2018, she earned another call-up. U.S. Soccer’s decision left many LGBT fans feeling betrayed.

“It just shows they’re full of crap,” Kelly Trione said in an interview with SBNation. “They may legally be a non-profit, but it’s all about the money and they didn’t even try and pretend it wasn’t.”

It’s decisions like this that lead some LGBT players to stay in the closet and some fans to avoid the game altogether. While U.S. Soccer has done more than other federations when it comes to inclusion and respect for diverse sexual orientations, they have not done enough to stand up to discrimination in big moments—especially if it threatens their profit.

Gender

As the world becomes more gender-inclusive, U.S. Soccer is not the only federation dealing with tough questions. There is the less-difficult question of welcoming transgender players who still fall within the gender binary. A transgender man should be allowed to play for the men’s team. A transgender woman should be allowed to play for the women’s team. This shouldn’t be as controversial as it is, but across almost all sports, teams are failing to take the proper action.

But U.S. Soccer, like almost all other sports, also needs to confront the gender binary. Teams and leagues are divided into two gender categories. Where can people play if they identify as something else? What about players who are nonbinary?

As society becomes more gender-inclusive, this is going to be an increasingly important issue for leagues and youth systems to challenge. Unfortunately, the current inaction seems to suggest that soccer is okay leaving people behind.

The U.S. Soccer policy on gender says that in youth leagues, children should be allowed to play under the gender they identify as, as long as that identity can be confirmed by a doctor or a counselor. But it doesn’t say anything about nonbinary children, and it does not apply to professional leagues. According to U.S. Soccer, FIFA would need to take action before they can at the professional level.

Whatever reasons U.S. Soccer gives, the reality is that the environment created by the sport does not welcome gender diversity. Transgender athletes are prevented from reaching the highest level of their sport, if they are even welcome to play at all. Nonbinary athletes have nowhere to go.

This ultimately will require global soccer to rethink the gender binary and the way that FIFA has organized based on gender.

“Part of it is breaking down the sexism in sports,” Chris Mosier, a transgender man who competes with Team USA in triathlons, said in an interview with ESPN. “Since sport is so binary, it becomes complicated for anyone who is not male or female. We need to have conversations about what gender actually is and what are the attributes of a successful athlete.”

U.S. Soccer, like many major sports, has a long way to go before they create a truly inclusive environment for athletes of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity. They have made progress with sexual orientation but failed to stand firmly against discrimination. With gender identity, they are lagging behind, along with the rest of the sports world. They say they support LGBT athletes and fans: it’s time to take some action.

Song Remains the Same for Sky Blue to Start 2019

Posted on by RJ Allen

If fans of Sky Blue FC were hoping for a spark to distract from the off-season craziness they didn’t get it on Saturday when the team dropped two second half goals to the Washington Spirit in a 2-0 loss. The game was eerily similar to many of their 2019 games where the midfield was erratic and chances at goal were few.

Not too much blame can be put on head coach Denise Reddy. Her team had difficulty signing draft picks in the and the constant state of flux around the team may be making it impossible to stay focused on soccer. However, the tactics could have been altered against a Washington team that had their own problems in 2018. Instead it was much the same as Sky Blue suffered from mental lapses at key moments of the game.

“There are so many things that are different,” said Washington Spirit captain Andi Sullivan when describing the week one winners. “So many new faces, coaching staff is different, everything is different. So on the field, it feels like a totally different team and it’s a fresh start.”

That quote may sting both fans and players on Sky Blue who see many of the same issues from 2018. Washington made significant stride to avoid their horrid campaign, yet Sky Blue seems to be on the trajectory towards another disappointing run.

It is just week one. However it is difficult to separate the issues of last year from what plagued the team on the field against the Spirit on Saturday. In fact, it could be stated that Sky Blue has adopted many of DC’s issues quite literally. Three out of the five players brought in this off-season where from the Spirit last year.

Going into this week’s game against Houston, Sky Blue’s home opener, the search for progress will be paramount. A result of some kind would be optimal but a sense of growth and optimism is what is sorely needed.

The Game Changers: Week One

Posted on by RJ Allen

The Game Changers is a weekly series looking at the three most important results of each week. Each section will look at one team and how its win, loss, or draw impacts the season.

As the NWSL season begins, some teams are looking to reassert their dominance, while others are hoping to start a new chapter in their club’s history. Some succeeded in their quests, while others will be turning back to the drawing board. Here are the Week One results:

Washington Spirit vs. Sky Blue (2-0)

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

Orlando Pride vs. Portland Thorns (0-2)

Reign FC vs. Houston Dash (1-1)

The North Carolina Courage Start 2019 With A Draw

The North Carolina Courage had a historic 2018 season. They won the Supporters’ Shield with 15 points more than No. 2 Portland Thorns, and broke the “Shield curse” by winning the NWSL Championship. The Courage are considered one of the best teams in the world, and they were hoping to start once again with three points.

But the Courage were unable to get the win in their season opener. Despite having many good chances in the first half, it was Chicago who got on the scoreboard first at the feet of, of course, Sam Kerr. Dunn curled the ball into the back of the net in the 66th minute to equalize, and both teams had decent chances after that to find a winner. But neither team could score, and the match ended in a draw.

The Courage are far from panicking. The Chicago Red Stars are a good team, and perhaps looked better than anticipated on Saturday. But for a team that only had one loss and two draws last season, the Courage will not be satisfied with that result. Maybe they will be less superhuman in 2019– or maybe the opener was just a small bump in the road.

Houston Dash Draw Against The Reign

Houston was a decent team last year, and so it might not seem like a major accomplishment that in their first match against Reign FC, they earned a draw. But watching the final moments of this game, it felt like one that a Dash team of the past would have lost at the last second.

Reign FC suffered two bad injuries in the first half– to Jasmyne Spencer and Megan Oyster– that threw off the whole rhythm of their game. But Houston looked good. They scored their first goal within ten minutes, off the foot of Nichelle Prince. Daly had another chance just a few minutes later. Multiple good saves by Michelle Betos kept the game at 1-0 until Darian Jenkins took a shot that deflected off the foot of a Houston defender and into the goal. With the game at 1-1, Houston was looking for more. But in stoppage time, Jane Campbell fouled Jodie Taylor inside the box and gave Reign FC a PK.

It seemed like Houston was about to lose. But Taylor didn’t take the best PK, Campbell got the save, and the game ended in a draw.

I’m not saying the Dash have solved all the problems that would have caused them to lose a game like that in years past. But the fact that they didn’t lose is significant. If they can get points out of close matches, they have a chance to fight for a playoff spot. This is a good starting point for them.

Orlando Struggles in 0-2 loss to Portland

It is not surprising that Orlando lost their season opener to Portland. This happens almost every year. What is surprising is just how much Orlando struggled on the pitch, particularly in the first half. Orlando has two of the greatest strikers in the world– Marta and Alex Morgan– up top, but they couldn’t get out of their own half. The defense didn’t seem to know what was going on, and the midfield was non-existent. The only thing standing between Orlando and the abyss was some fantastic goalkeeping skills from Ashlyn Harris.

Orlando is in their first season with a new head coach. Some growing pains are to be expected. But Orlando didn’t really solve their roster problems in the offseason, and it showed on Sunday. The team got better in the second half, particularly when Camila came on for Chioma Ubogagu. And Orlando fans will note that Alanna Kennedy and Emily van Egmond were both out at the last minute with illness. But that alone does not explain just how bad Orlando looked.

I don’t think Harris was hoping to start her season facing 22 shots and being forced to make six saves. If Orlando wants to competitive in this league, they’ll have to step up their game.

Backline Chat: The NWSL is back!

Posted on by RJ Allen

Charles Olney (@olneyce): Welcome to the first Backline chat of the 2019 NWSL season. We have four matches under our belts, and a lot of material to cover. To kick things off, let’s stay big picture. Did anyone see anything this weekend that changed their expectations for the year? Or is the sample size still too small to draw any conclusions?

Allison Cary (@findingallison): Too small, for me. Everything I can comment about this weekend, I can also blow off as a bad game. Or a good one

RJ Allen (@TheSoccerCritic): It looked very Week 1 of the season to me. But I do think Portland and Houston were stand outs for me so far in this season. Both looked better in some ways already than their 2018 form.

Luis Hernandez (@radioactivclown): It’s still early. Most teams looked to still be in preseason mode. I felt Portland and Chicago looked the best while North Carolina was exactly what I expected.

Charles Olney: The closest I can say is that Orlando might be even worse than I was expecting. But that’s really only one the evidence of a single half. And as Allison says, anyone can have a bad half. Still, it was a REALLY bad half.

Luis Hernandez: The second half was better. I’ve watch Orlando a bit in the preseason and I know what Skinner wants to instill. It’s going to take time.

Allison Cary: I feel like the Houston game is one they would have lost in the past. Granted, they almost choked. But it meant something to me that they didn’t.

RJ Allen: Houston played like a team with a plan and the ability to (mostly) complete that plan. Which is an upgrade for them.

Allison Cary: Exactly @rjallen, completely agree.

Charles Olney: I feel like Houston did a lot to push off the unlucky loser dynamic last year, when they actually got results in lots of games that (to my eyes) they shouldn’t have. But I agree with Allison that there was something specific about those final minutes that felt different. There was definitely an intensity, combined with a joyfulness, in the Houston players post match. They knew they played well, and felt good about being able to repeat it.

Luis Hernandez: I feel better about Houston and less so for the Reign. That team can’t afford more injuries. As for the Dash, I still think they can do better but I was pleased.

RJ Allen: I do wonder if Washington looked better or if Sky Blue are just somehow worse. More matches are needed there, for sure.

Charles Olney: To dial in a little bit, let’s talk through each match briefly. Starting with North Carolina-Chicago. It was a rematch of last year’s semifinal (the #DrainageDerby), and North Carolina picked up where they left off. But Chicago managed to hang onto a draw. What were people’s thoughts there?

RJ Allen: North Carolina’s whole MO is to take a bunch of shots and have a few land. They looked a bit rusty which happens early in a season. Plus having McCall Zerboni not look 100% yet changes how that midfield plays. She is really what drove them forward.

Allison Cary: I thought it was North Carolina’s game to lose. After such a dominant season, not being able to get three points out of your home opener isn’t exactly where you wanted to start. But credit to Chicago for going toe-to-toe with them.

Luis Hernandez: I think North Carolina could have been more sharp in the attack, and if they had cleaned that up they could have beaten the Red Stars.

Charles Olney: This very much felt like a game that NC dominated – and I fully expected them to do their normal thing of reeling off two or three goals around the 60th minute. But they didn’t, and Chicago actually ended up with the final great chance. I do think that was more to Carolina being unable to put them away than any special performance from them.

But from Chicago’s perspective, getting a point away to North Carolina, in a game they didn’t actually play that well, is hardly a bad way to start the season.

Allison Cary: Yeah, I’m happy if I’m Chicago.

RJ Allen: That is the magic of Sam Kerr.

Luis Hernandez: However, I felt the Red Stars came in with a smart game plan and Chicago was able to get a result. Taking points from the Courage at Cary is going to be a win for any team.

Charles Olney: I do sort of disagree there. I don’t think Chicago really had a great game plan. The Courage ran right through them most of the game and they depended a lot on excellent performances from the keeper and center backs. Which…it succeeded, I guess, and maybe there wasn’t any better option available. But I don’t think it was a successful game plan. But we’ll have to see them with a full strength team to really draw any conclusions, I think.

Charles Olney: Okay, the other Saturday game was Washington-Sky Blue. In the matchup of the two bottom teams from last year, Washington managed to find a win. How much of that was due to improvements on their end, and how much was due to Sky Blue’s continued problems?

RJ Allen: 40% improvements and 60% Sky Blue being terrible.

Charles Olney: I’ll admit this is one that I’ve still only seen the first half of. But at least there, the quality on both sides was still pretty lacking. But Washington at least seemed to be reasonably coherent, and occasionally exciting. It was, as usual, hard to even tell what Sky Blue thought they were doing.

RJ Allen: Sky Blue just looked bad. And I’m not sure there is anything that can be done at this point that isn’t new ownership or moving the team to fix it. A lot of the changes are a bit like putting lipstick on a pig.

Charles Olney: You do have to wonder about a team coming straight out of preseason, when they’ve had a month to talk about their approach and style, with no particular idea of how to play. And a coach whose postgame comments make clear that she doesn’t have a vision, either. That’s bad, no matter how you dress it up.

Allison Cary: Neither team really looked “good.” I feel like they’re gonna be hard to judge until they go up against other opponents, but if I’m Sky Blue I’m pretty terrified.

Luis Hernandez: The Washington/SkyBlue game was really hard to watch, and I’m not taking Yahoo Sports stream.

Charles Olney: We’ve spent a lot of time on these chats feeling sad about Sky Blue, so let’s turn our attention to the positive side. Do people see this Washington with a real chance to break out from the bottom tier? Or not? Or, again, still too soon to know?

Luis Hernandez: I can’t say too much against the Spirit since they won. I’m reserving judgment on them until they play a game or two more.

Allison Cary: I think it’s too soon but… I’m not encouraged.

Luis Hernandez: It just isn’t an accurate indicator because of who they played.

Charles Olney: The Spirit have Utah next weekend, which could be a good match to tell us a lot about both teams. Or maybe will end up being another game that will just leave us scratching our heads for more data.

The one thing I’ll say for the Spirit is that, whatever the history behind Burke as a coach (which I continue to think has not been taken nearly seriously enough by the team), he seems to be pretty popular at the moment with the players.

Allison Cary: Yeah, I’m not really a fan but I guess I’ll give him a chance to change my mind.

Charles Olney: The real test will be when things go poorly for a while, so it’s absolutely something to keep our eyes on.

Charles Olney: Okay, turning to Sunday’s games, the first was Orlando-Portland. As we’ve already mentioned, the first half was very good for Portland and very not good for Orlando, but the second was much more even. Thoughts on what that tells us?

I’ll start with the controversial statement that Tobin Heath looked very very good, which is a good sign for the US this summer, but a bad sign for other NWSL teams.

Luis Hernandez: It’s going to be a rough year for the Pride. Portland was Portland. Very good. Talented. Deep.

RJ Allen: Orlando is not a good soccer team and hasn’t really been since they were founded. For a team that has some of the best players in the world it is not a good sign. I understand it takes time to build a team and with a new coach it takes more. But they do not have 1-20 a good or solid roster.

Allison Cary: Even if they aren’t as bad as they were in the first half, Orlando is not gonna be able to compete with the top teams in this league.

Charles Olney: In some ways, I wonder if that great run at the end of 2017 actually ended up hurting the Pride overall. I think it’s pretty clear on the evidence of the past few years that this roster isn’t actually a world-beating group, but for a couple months they just looked that way. But because they had that success, they maybe stuck with the plan longer than might have otherwise happened.

Luis Hernandez: Orlando had to field supplemental players in the first match. What else do people need to know?

Charles Olney: That said, it was pretty clear this offseason that things needed changing, and they didn’t change much, so maybe not.

Allison Cary: Yeah, they didn’t fix their problems from last year. Even with a new head coach, they needed to do more. It’s gonna be a long year.

Luis Hernandez: The main problem from last year was that they underachieved.

Charles Olney: I do think there’s space in this squad to set things up for the next few years, in anticipation of the team that will come after Morgan and Marta leave. But it may be a bit of a slog.

RJ Allen: The league wants Orlando to be a good team. They might even need Orlando to be a good team. So I hope they can get it together.

Luis Hernandez: I know sports isn’t about patience but that’s exactly what everyone will need to have for the Pride. The roster isn’t even complete.

RJ Allen: That makes it so much worse though.

Luis Hernandez: And look at the first ten matches for Orlando, it’s brutal. Hi. Let’s play Portland at home then travel to North Carolina then to the Reign in one week.

Charles Olney: For Portland, any other thoughts? They looked good, certainly. Better than I was expecting for them out of the gate. I do really worry about what they’ll be able to do during the World Cup, but if they can play this well outside of that window it may not matter.

RJ Allen: I do think they dip a bit during the World Cup but I think they will still end up in the playoff picture and end strong.

Allison Cary: They looked impressive, albeit with very little resistance.

Luis Hernandez: Yeah, I wanted to call out Kling for a dirty foul on Morgan that didn’t get called.

Allison Cary: Yeah, that was a bad missed call.

Charles Olney: I think we’re all pretty sick of rough play going uncalled. This was just one more example.

RJ Allen: A lot of players in the league play to whatever level of reffing there is. Kling is one of them. If they let her get away with murder, she and a lot of other players will go for it.

Luis Hernandez: The Thorns need to grab all the points while they have their starters. They will make the playoffs. I didn’t think they would until Sunday.

RJ Allen: Can we talk about the surprise front runner for best match of the week now?

Charles Olney: Absolutely. In the final game of the weekend, Houston drew with Reign FC. I was able to make it up to Houston for this one, and it was one of the most enjoyable games I’ve attended in a long time. We’ve already talked a bit about Houston, but any further thoughts there, or about the Reign?

Allison Cary: Injuries suck

RJ Allen: Two subs for two hurt players in quickly is going to hurt any team. I think Seattle handled it about as well as you could.

Allison Cary: Yeah, especially considering who they lost and who was already out.

Charles Olney: I’ve got a full post coming up on the site about this game, so I won’t repeat myself too much here. But the main point I do want to hit is that I saw qualities from both of these teams that helped answer some of the lingering questions I had about them.

RJ Allen: Houston had 8 shots on goal. 8! And they were good chances too.

Charles Olney: Houston actually possessed the ball really well, which is a huge change from last year. They also pressed well, which is different, and gives them a new angle. Those suggest a team who isn’t just hanging on. They think they’re good enough to outplay the opposition. That’s great.

For the Reign, the first half was really rough, but the second half showed that they should be very good again. Even accounting for injuries, and for the strange poor play from Theresa Nielsen. They’ve got a real player in Darian Jenkins. They’ve got a potential replacement for what they’ve traditionally gotten from Rapinoe (playmaking from the wings drifting inward) in Shea Groom. They have real depth in the defense, with McNabb and Celia both performing well. But oh boy do they need to get Fishlock back and/or need better performances from Andrews and Kellond-Knight.

RJ Allen: Charles took the words right off my keyboard.

Luis Hernandez: The game I felt was officiated well. I don’t give credit when that happens but I kind of feel like I need to since I’ve been bashing the refs in Orlando.

RJ Allen: Also maybe have Allie Long take the Seattle PKs?

Allison Cary: Yeah that PK from Taylor was… not good.

Charles Olney: Okay, we’ll wrap up with the conversation about matters ON the pitch there. But let’s also take a moment to discuss everyone’s favorite topic: streaming. How was the experience using Yahoo for the first time?

RJ Allen: My Roku played the Yahoo app without issue. The only problem was the steams on day 1 being switched and then switched back.

Luis Hernandez: I had difficulties casting to my TV but I could watch on my laptop. I didn’t try to use the mobile app

Allison Cary: I just watched on my laptop. It was fine.

RJ Allen: Chromecast doesn’t allow Yahoo steams to be cast, so I’ve been told.

Charles Olney: Everything also basically worked for me. I do have some nitpicks: the streams swapping, some difficulty actually finding the streams on the app, technical issues causing problems with the replays (both during the broadcast, and with attempts to watch the streams after the match was over), and the obligatory name-flubs and other commentary issues. But it’s far better than the go90 rollout. And we heard some nice new voices in the broadcasts, too.

Luis Hernandez: I wasn’t expecting Dan on the broadcast.

RJ Allen: Having someone with as much woso knowledge as him back, was nice.

Luis Hernandez: I’m going to try the other options as the matches come up. Or invest in a Roku.

RJ Allen: Roku’s are the best.

Charles Olney: On the whole, it sounds like our experiences were okay, though there could always be improvements. I certainly would like to see more and better options for streaming, casting, and watching. It continues to frustrate me that the experience on the league website is clearly superior to the official one through a huge tech company. But que sera.

RJ Allen: VPNs are good my friends.

Charles Olney: Alright, any thoughts on the matches coming up this week? We’ve got North Carolina and Orlando tonight, and four more games on the weekend. Any that particularly catch your eye?

Luis Hernandez: I’m looking forward to seeing Utah.

Allison Cary: Orlando is gonna get killed.

Luis Hernandez: Which match Allison?

RJ Allen: Both.

Charles Olney: Both.

Allison Cary: I meant NC, but both.

Charles Olney: I actually would be a little surprised if they lose both. But not that surprised.

Luis Hernandez: I think they’ll fare better in Tacoma.

Charles Olney: To me, Chicago-Portland looks like the game of the week, and could give us a real sense of where those teams stand at this point. But I also am excited about Utah and Washington, as a game with two teams that have some potential to make big improvements this year facing off.

RJ Allen: I’m just glad the NWSL is back and we can talk soccer weekly.

Allison Cary: Amen

Charles Olney: RT @rjallen

Luis Hernandez: Are we expecting a Chicago win at home or a Portland win on the road. RJ picked a draw.

RJ Allen: Spoilers!

Allison Cary: Portland win. Because why not.

Charles Olney: Draw seems like a fair call. I wouldn’t be surprised at any result, though.

Luis Hernandez: I expect Chicago to find a way to win.

I also expect Kerr to get fouled like it was going out of style.

Allison Cary: Fair prediction.

Charles Olney: Alright, with that we’ll call it a wrap for this week. Thanks to everyone for joining us. And as always, feel free to hit me any of us up on twitter with questions or comments.

Washington Spirit Looking Ahead to the Future, Not Back at the Past

Posted on by RJ Allen

With the NWSL season beginning this weekend, teams across the league are pushing hard in their last few practices before the matches. For the Washington Spirit, practice was intense, but light-hearted with the players enjoying working hard together, constantly teaching and learning from one another.

Head coach Richie Burke even made up songs about his players and sung the hilarious lyrics during the beginning of practice (surprisingly somewhat in tune) as he participated in a touch pass drill with the team.

With a new coaching staff comes a new style, and there were serious questions raised about Burke’s tough style, but the players in preseason seem to have been very comfortable with his style thus far. And Burke is similarly pleased with his squad. “Not only are they a pleasure to work with, they’re flexible, versatile,” Burke said. “We have superstars that can adjust and adapt. The tactics that we’ve worked on so far in our preseason have been a joy for me to watch and we’ve had a lot of positive results from it. I’m very happy where we are and happy we have this type of quality players in our program.” Change is a good term for this team and the players are truly feeling the power of these improvements.

The Spirit have a new look this season with a young roster, brand new coaching staff, new ownership, and front office staff dedicated to improving the program. Some major changes include a new locker room, Live TV and broadcast streaming deals, a contract with a world class strength and conditioning facility, and much more! Media Day at the Maryland SoccerPlex gave an inside preview as to where the team stands for the start of the season from the perspective of Aubrey Bledsoe, Tori Huster, and Mallory Pugh.

AUBREY BLEDSOE – Goalkeeper
Q: “What’s the general feeling of the team with having a new coach?”
A: “A lot of excitement! There’s been a lot of change. Not just with Richie, but we have a whole new coaching staff, new ownership, new front office staff – just the whole feel is a nice, exciting buzz around the club and it’s great to have that new feeling. Richie has been big on saying we aren’t looking at the rear view mirror, we are going forward. Last year was not something we are proud of but we don’t want to dwell on it. We’ve got a lot of talent, the right pieces, we are looking forward and we are going to put all of that together.”

Q: “You have four new players right in front of you, how is that going to test your skills and working together as a team?”
A: “I am excited. I think we have a lot of potential. There’s definitely a lot of room for growth, but it’s a long season and we are just looking to get better and add pieces to our game day by day. Hopefully I have less work to do than last year, I’m confident in who we’ve got in front of me, and I think they’ll step up for the challenge on Saturday.”

Q: “Being a leader on the field, how do you take on that role?”
A: “Honestly, I’ve always been a leader. I communicate a lot. With a lot of new faces this year communication is key and being on the same page because we all come from a little different backgrounds and styles of play so we’ve had to learn what is our brand of football is going to be this year. My main leadership role is communication on the field to try and get us all working collectively.”

Q: “Obviously, it’s not ideal to have shots on goal on you, but how does it toughen you up as a goal keeper?”
A: “Just experience. Facing a lot of different scenarios. I wouldn’t say it made me tougher, but I think I grew a lot in my reading of the game and decision making. This year I know I can make saves. I’ve got a lot of confidence.”

TORI HUSTER – Midfield
Q: “What has it been like this year playing with new players and coaching staff this season thus far?”
A: “Whether it’s this year, a new coach or new players, that’s kind of happened every year. It’s definintiely not something that’s super new to me. There’s always some sort of change over and this year is no different. I think off the field we have made a lot of improvements and just the culture that’s surrounding the group – the technical staff, the players – has been really good.”

Q: “Since you’re a veteran player now can you walk through from where you started until now and how your game has progressed?”
A: “It’s funny that you say that because I feel like while I’ve learned a lot, it’s been the experience of the last couple five years or so that I’ve had. I think playing in the league for six seasons now I know a lot of the players and how they play so now it’s about me being able to give that knowledge to our team to make us successful. Just looking at it, the league has really progressed and it’s still super competitive. It’s exciting to be a part of and hopefully this year we are successful on the field.”

Q: “What will be the challenge when facing Sky Blue?”
A: “It’s the first game of the year so everyone is going to be flying, it’s going to be super energetic and mistakes happen, even if they are silly, they’re going to happen that first game. There’s a lot of unknowns for them so we are just focusing on ourselves and how we want to play, attack, what we need to do in compact defending, and getting all on the same page. Not letting mistakes add up. Solve the problem as soon as possible. Communicating to the group with how we want to play.”

Q: “With first game jitters, how do you take on that leadership role and calm everyone down?”
A: “I think it’s a balance between being calm and being as vocal as possible so that the messages are communicated so that we have the least amount of mistakes at possible. Everyone has been waiting for this for five or six months in the off-season.”

Q: “How does it feel playing against your old teammates?”
A: “I’m really excited to see them! I hate that they’re on the other team but that’s how it goes. Friends have come and gone from the Spirit for a really long time. It’s always great to see them, but you never want to play against them – that’s just the job and it’ll be fun to match up against them.”

MALLORY PUGH – Forward
Q: “What improvements is the offense looking to make to promote goal scoring this season?”
A: “We have more a freedom to play. We’re the players and we are the ones playing so we can be creative. As the season goes on, we are going to start to mesh more and know each other’s tendencies.”

Q: “What do you think is going to be the biggest challenge against Sky Blue this Saturday?”
A: “I think they have a lot of good quality players, but I think for us it’s not really focusing on them and more on us and what we can bring to the table.”

The Washington Spirit’s first season match versus Sky Blue FC is Saturday April 13th at 7:00pm located at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds, MD.

Backline Chat: Welcome to the 2019 NWSL season

Posted on by RJ Allen

Charles Olney (@olneyce): Welcome to the Backline Soccer NWSL opening weekend chat. This week, we’ll go through team-by-team and offer our thoughts, questions, and (if we’re brave) some predictions.

We’ll be going straight down the 2018 table, so that means starting off with the North Carolina Courage. Coming off one of the all-time great club seasons in the history of the sport, will they be able to maintain their form and establish a true dynasty? Or will they slip a bit?

Luis Hernandez (@radioactivclown): After such a dominant performance, I think the only thing that can happen is for them to slip a bit. They are still the top team in the league. No doubt with be at the top of the table by season’s end but with the World Cup I just don’t see the same level of dominance.

RJ Allen (@TheSoccerCritic): North Carolina is going to go back to back in the shield race. They are just so good and so committed to Riley’s system. Plus Lynn Williams is going to have so much fun with backup defenders.

Allison Cary (@findingallison): Yeah, North Carolina will dominate again. No doubt, they’re just too good.

Charles Olney: The one big question for them does seem to be in the spine. There’s a real chance they lose both central defenders and both holding midfielders for several months, with Dahlkemper, Erceg, Mewis, and Zerboni all pretty likely to be gone. That is the heart of the team, and their solid performances have often helped keep everyone else afloat.

Becky Schoenecker (@Beckster20): I think they’ll obviously have the same issues as a lot of the teams will with losing players, but I feel like their depth will be fine and give the opportunity for other players to step up – which I think they will.

Charles Olney: While we’re on the subject, insert my obligatory comment that Lynn Williams feels like someone who really ought to be going to France. More to the benefit of North Carolina that she’s not, but it is a little odd.

RJ Allen: Lynn Willams is behind Morgan and Press. How many of that type of player do you need on the NT?

Becky Schoenecker: With all of Ellis’s ‘experimenting’ I feel like Lynn hasn’t gotten enough opportunities to play that she should have. I can’t say she should be going to France because RJ is right with Morgan and Press, but I feel like she didn’t get a good enough chance to make her case.

Charles Olney: So, the consensus seems to be that Carolina isn’t going to be hit any harder than anyone else by the internationals leaving, and should probably still be considered heavy favorites to finish in first again. Until something actually goes wrong, I think that’s probably the best bet.

What about the Portland Thorns, who finished in a distant second last year, and who will also be missing many crucial players? Do we see them as real contenders or is the gap still pretty large?

Becky Schoenecker: I think the gap is still pretty large for them and that they’ll be the team to struggle the most without their star players.

Charles Olney: I do really wonder who is going to help them build attacks, with virtually their entire midfield gone for several months. And they’ll also probably lose their keeper, who will likely not play a single minute in France but will still be gone the whole time. But even at full strength, I’m still not completely sold on the Thorns. If Sinclair is even a little bit slower, if Horan drops back to merely Great as opposed to MVP-level, this starts to feel like a roster that can’t quite hang with the very best.

RJ Allen: Portland feels like the team that is still that solid second pick for the best team in the league even if when their national teamers are gone they’re going to drop to maybe fifth or sixth.

Allison Cary: Yeah, I’d agree with that. They’ll definitely be hit hard by international absences, but they’re still my pick to finish second or third this year.

Charles Olney: I don’t necessarily disagree – I still have them as a pretty clear playoff team – but they strike me as the team in the league with the most potential to drop off significantly.

RJ Allen: In 2015 the same issue happened, didn’t it?

Charles Olney: Yeah. I think this team is better than the 2015 team. But so are a lot of the other teams in the league. So if they slip up, there’s a lot more room for others to pounce.

RJ Allen: I do wonder how Parsons will handle it from the coaching side. Out of the top coaches in the league I do wonder about his adjustment abilities.

Luis Hernandez: Of all the playoffs teams, I have the least faith in Portland. I don’t think they will be able to overcome the absences due to the World Cup. In fact, I’m calling it now. The Thorns miss the playoffs.

Charles Olney: In third place last year were the Seattle Reign. With their move to Tacoma, it’s now just Reign FC. But do we expect Vlatko Andonovski to keep his team in the playoff spots?

RJ Allen: Losing Rapinoe is tough. One player who does so much when she’s on the field and in a lot of ways is the soul of that attack.

Charles Olney: They definitely seemed to lose a step last year when Rapinoe was out. But I do think that with more time to prepare they might be better set up to handle her loss.

Becky Schoenecker: I think they still have the talent to do so, and with having Betos while Williams is gone will be great for them over break.

Charles Olney: I’m a big Shea Groom fan, as everyone knows, but I think she can perform as a sort of cut-rate version of Rapinoe, which might help them keep the momentum through the summer.

Goals will be tough over the World Cup period, but this is a team that could definitely set up to play some tight games and nick a goal here and there. I like their depleted roster better than Portland’s, certainly.

Becky Schoenecker: I also think Spencer has been getting better every season and she’s capable of getting in behind d’s and scoring.

Luis Hernandez: Last year, I felt the fate of the Reign was dependent on Rapinoe. I think Vlatko has had the time to plan ahead and will be able to weather the storm of World Cup absences. I’m looking forward to seeing Groom back in a system that will use her talents effectively.

RJ Allen: Having some older players in this context does help. Lu Barnes shouldn’t be a defender that breaks down in touch matches the way some rookies may.

Charles Olney: There’s a lot of still-young talent in this squad that hasn’t quite been able to make it stick. Players like Morgan Andrews, Christen Westphal, Darian Jenkins, etc. If they can get good performances out of those depth players, along with solid veteran shifts from the players RJ mentioned, they should be okay. But that’s also a lot of ‘ifs’ and ‘maybes.’ It’s not hard to see the team just struggling to put it all together and getting beat by teams with more contained approaches.

RJ Allen: They are a solid team but a lot of their horse power comes from players that will be gone. They are a bit like cake without frosting. Good but not what they can be.

Charles Olney: Our final playoff team from 2018 was the Chicago Red Stars. They’re on a long streak of making the playoffs, and a long streak of losing their first playoff game. Do you see either of those streaks as likely to end this year?

RJ Allen: I think it very much depends on the World Cup. If Kerr gets hot during it, comes back and stays hot, I think that could push them over. If she doesn’t have a great World Cup she very well might come back a bit dejected.

Becky Schoenecker: I think their playoff streak ends.

Charles Olney: Bold pick!

To me, this looks like the team with the best chance to knock the Courage out of first place. There is a huge amount of talent in the squad, and if they can play like they did in the final 6-8 weeks of 2018, they will be truly formidable. If not…well, Becky might be right.

RJ Allen: I think in 2-3 years, yeah. But I don’t see it for 2019.

Luis Hernandez: Well the Red Stars will make the playoffs again. At least that’s what I think. The key for Chicago to see is how well the team seems to be coached.

Charles Olney: I don’t want our conversation on every team to fixate too much on the internationals leaving, but Chicago is potentially very well placed, with a TON of players who are clearly among the very best non-NT players in the pool. They could potentially run out a midfield of DiBernardo, Colaprico, Brian, and Stanton all summer. That could wreck some teams. That’s very similar to 2015, when Chicago were fantastic during the WC. Less so otherwise.

RJ Allen: I don’t think Morgan Brian matters if she plays like she has been. I think her run of being a top midfielder is all but over. Sadly.

Charles Olney: Brian was excellent in the back half of 2018. If she can’t get on the field, that’s one thing. But she was a big part of why Chicago was playing so well at the end of the season.

RJ Allen: I disagree but I do hope she does well.

Becky Schoenecker: I’m sticking to my sinking ship prediction and saying Houston takes a playoff spot over Chicago. I think aside from North Carolina the last spots are going to be really tight. I agree with Luis that Thorns might see themselves out as well. So there’s a prediction: I don’t think both Chicago and Portland make it.

Charles Olney: Alright, so now we should move into the even more difficult part: figuring out which of the teams who missed out on the playoffs last year might take over one or more of these spots. So, in 5th place last year was the Utah Royals. Will they improve on that performance?

The big question here is seemingly whether Laura Harvey will be able to get her team clicking a bit more after a full season in the job.

RJ Allen: Harvey is always better year two than year old at pretty much all of her coaching jobs. I do think letting Gorry go and brining in Vero is going to help the midfield a lot. And while they will miss a boat load of time Sauerbrunn and Corsie are the best centerback pairing in the league IMO.

Charles Olney: The secondary question is probably whether Amy Rodriguez just needed some time to play herself back into form, and could return as a league-leading striker. If so, this could be a dangerous team.

Luis Hernandez: I have less faith in Utah than I did last year. I don’t think they build the roster well for this year. This is a rare off year for Harvey. I just think the team will run out of gas and not be able to make up ground. They finish 6th in the standings

RJ Allen: I think we’ll know in that first 3 to 5 game window. Harvey has done it before and I don’t doubt she could again. I don’t know though. I think how the midfield flows will say a lot. O’Hara being healthy or not changes a ton for the attack or the 3.5 back they play as well.

Charles Olney: I agree about Vero being a good move. We’ll have to see how it works out – she’s not as young as she once was – but that’s the sort of player they really needed. Another underrated possibility here is Mandy Laddish, who hasn’t played in what feels like a decade, but who is apparently healthy and ready to go. She could be a huge difference-maker in that midfield.

RJ Allen: Mandy Laddish is a player, if after 2 years and two hip surgeries, can come back could be a huge win for the team.

lol Jinx.

Charles Olney: Doniak is another one there. Great player who is effectively a new addition.

You know, the more we talk about this team, the more I’m convincing myself that they’re a serious playoff contender.

RJ Allen: Press, if she can connect with Vero and her and ARod can form a working relationship, could be a real game changer. When Press is on she is as deadly as any NWSL striker in league history. But they have to do a much better job with her in 2019 than 2018.

Charles Olney: So another popular pick for a potential playoff contender is the Houston Dash. They surprised everyone last year by sticking around the playoff race until the final week and ultimately finishing in a close 6th place – after a preseason consensus that they were among the worst in the league. Will they be able to follow up on that breakout, or will they revert back to form a bit?

RJ Allen: I think they are a compelling team that will end up in 5th at the end of the year and have a real shot at the top 4 in 2020.

Charles Olney: The Dash feel to me like the team with the highest variance in the league. I could see them crushing the opposition all summer, when they have almost a full strength squad, and staying strong to finish in 3rd. Or I could see them wilting and stumbling along to another meek 7th or 8th place finish. Or anything in between.

As with several of these contending teams, they have a new coach, so it will certainly be a big question whether he is able to put his stamp on things.

Charles Olney: The biggest question with Houston has to be the defense. They managed to get by last year with an iffy backline, and without much muscle in the central midfield. Can they keep that up, or will teams finally start to pick apart off the weak spots?

Luis Hernandez: I’m super high on Houston. This is the year the Dash make the playoffs. They seem to have all the pieces in place to be successful. Add to that they aren’t losing hardly anyone to the World Cup. They will be fine.

RJ Allen: Amber Brooks and Kristie Mewis is who that team lives and dies by IMO long term. If those two have great years while everyone is away, they have a real shot.

Charles Olney: I think that’s probably true, RJ. Though you might could say the same about Kealia Ohai and Sofia Huerta. Which maybe demonstrates that Houston has some real flexibility and depth, for the first time in their history.

Luis Hernandez: I understand the defensive concerns with Houston but really it can’t be as bad as it was last year. That in itself is an improvement. I think the back line will be able to figure it out in front of Campbell.

Charles Olney: So, with all apologies to the Spirit and Sky Blue, the final team that seems to be treated as a real playoff contender is last year’s 7th place finishers: the Orlando Pride. After a powerful finish to 2017, they seemed to be primed for a strong season last year, but it never really clicked. Which one is the real Pride?

Charles Olney: As a modest skeptic about them last year, who was never all that surprised that they finished where they did, I haven’t seen anything from this offseason to suggest they will be that much better this time around.

Still, the attacking talent there is outrageous so you certainly can’t count them out.

Luis Hernandez: I was pained to see Sermanni go, but I understood the reason why that had to happen. I’ve seen so much positive from the team now with a GM and new coach. I just think that it’s too soon for those plants to bear fruit. Coach Skinner is installing a very complex system and with the international players coming in and out, I don’t think they’ll be able to make it work consistently this year. There’s a lot to be hopeful in Orlando but they are just going to need more time.

Charles Olney: Everything I’ve heard about Skinner suggests that we’ll be talking about him with some of the top coaches in the league eventually. But it’s probably true that this team needs to take a year to reset before they can really get going.

Alright, we are running low on time, so does anyone have any thoughts about the two hard-luck teams of last year? Surely both will be better. In Washington’s case, because there’s far too much talent in that system to justify finishing as poorly as they did. And in Sky Blue’s case because it’s almost literally impossible to do worse. But how much will they improve? Enough to catch any of the seven ahead of them?

Luis Hernandez: The two worst teams in the league still have a long way to go. The thing about both those teams is they have more what ifs than the rest. We can already sense the wheels fell off the wagon for Sky Blue or are close to that. Washington has a bit better talent, but I have serious coaching concerns

Charles Olney: The little I saw of Washington in the preseason suggests they’re on a more coherent track. And they’re building heavily around Andi Sullivan, which might be what it takes to get a great season from her. If so, they could actually be quite solid in the midfield and attack. But…the defense is really going to be an issue.

Luis Hernandez: If either team has the players lose faith in the  coach , things will get worse. The hot seat is more on Sky Blue though since the club fired Tony Novo. The team named Alyse LaHue as interim general manager so to me if the team is bad and a new GM comes in then why not bring in a new coach that the new GM can pick.

Bottom line for me is that Sky Blue and Washington will remain the two teams at the bottom of the table.

RJ Allen: I worry that these two teams are both a year away from not being teams anymore. And that is a lot of pressure to put on a bunch of young players who have a lot of things to worry about overall.

Alright, we are out of time, so will have to hold off any further thoughts on Sky Blue and Washington until next week. Fortunately, they’re playing each other to kick things off, so that should give us a much clearer sense about what sort of improvements they have (or have not) made.

Thanks for reading. And enjoy the return of the NWSL this weekend!

Five Questions for the 2019 NWSL season

Posted on by RJ Allen

Can North Carolina continue their incredible run?

Last year, the North Carolina Courage’s completed the most impressive season in the history of American women’s soccer. This is a bold statement, considering the star-studded lineups possessed by some other teams from the past—most notably the 2014-2015 Seattle Reign, the WPS-era FC Gold Pride, and a number of WUSA teams able to draw from the very best players in the world. But the Courage stand above the crowd. Not just for their dominant record, good as it was. And not just for the strength of their roster, though it’s a great roster. But North Carolina is the greatest because of the full team dynamic, which lifted a group of stellar individual players up to become an unstoppable force.

The big question now is whether they can keep the magic alive. It seems impossible to imagine them maintaining the same levels of dominance – if only because the team will be splintered for several months during the World Cup. But based on their performance last year, I wouldn’t bet against the Courage finding a way to continue their obliteration campaign.

Who will step up as the next big star?

In 2015, Crystal Dunn was the final player left out from the World Cup roster. She responded by running roughshod over the league all season. There’s no guarantee we’ll get something similar this year, but there are plenty of candidates who might just seize the opportunity to take center stage and show everyone what they’re really capable of. Lynn Williams is one obvious possibility. It’s never been clear to me why she fell out of the national team rotation in the first place, but her skills are unavoidable. We might just see her improve on her Golden Boot winning campaign a few years ago.

Can Houston take the next step forward?

Many people seem to have Houston as their dark horse candidate to upset the playoff hierarchy, and there’s good reason for thinking so. After entering the 2018 season as a consensus pick for bottom of the league, they showed everyone just how much punditry and predictions should be trusted—performing strong all season and staying in the playoff hunt until the final weeks. This year, with a roster that will be less hit by the World Cup than most, they could level up again.

But there are also reasons for concern. All accounts so far suggest a positive environment around new head coach James Clarkson, but change always invites the possibility of breakdowns or disruptions. Something could go wrong there. There’s also the question of whether the Dash’s offseason moves to remedy some of last year’s weak spots will pay off. Is Sophie Schmidt the answer to a soft central midfield? Maybe. But she’s not the player she once was, so that comes with some risk. Can Ari Romero and Satara Murray shore up the defense?

There’s also the reality that Houston probably overperformed last year. Luck tends to even out in the long term, but one season isn’t necessarily long enough for it to show. So it’s possible they’re in for a bit of regression. On the other hand, as they say, good teams often find a way to make their own luck. So it’s going to be exciting to watch, and see whether their success truly was a bit lucky, or whether it was simply down to resilience, perspiration, and class.

How will the Reign enjoy their new home?

The Reign have moved to Tacoma, and it will be fascinating to watch how the transition goes. It’s an important test for a two reasons. First, Seattle has long been one of the strongest independent teams, but in spite of their success they faced structural problems. This move to Tacoma seems to have shored up those issues, and kept the organization on track. If they can succeed, that could be a good sign that independent ownership really can work. Second, Tacoma is an interesting city for a women’s soccer franchise. It has a reasonably dense population center, and can draw in a huge population base from the broader metropolitan area. But it’s also small enough that the Reign will instantly be one of the biggest draws in town. If they can build a good relationship with their new city, that could be a sign that league expansion might succeed best in cities that aren’t already saturated in sports franchises.

Can anyone displace the top 4?

At the moment, he four playoff teams from 2018 look like strong contenders to reach that status again this year. In an offseason that didn’t feature much movement, it’s hard to identify one of the five who were outside-looking-in that looks especially primed to knock any of the top teams out. One of the NWSL’s big selling points, compared to other top leagues in the world, is the degree of parity among its teams. But there actually hasn’t been that much movement at the top in recent years. Will this year be any different, or will we just get another season of the likely contenders coming out on top?

Five NWSL Questions As We Approach Opening Day

Posted on by RJ Allen

The sixth NWSL season is only two weeks away, and hopefully it will be the best season yet. As we prepare for another year of highs and lows, a million questions buzz around: will the North Carolina Courage win the Shield again? Who will be hit hardest during the World Cup? Which players will get suspended for yellow card accumulation?

There are many questions that will be answered in the coming months. Here are the five questions that I am excited to see answered in 2019.

Who will be the best without their World Cup players?

The big event looming over the 2019 NWSL season is the World Cup. It will consume the time and energy of many starting players across the league, leaving room for non-national team players to step up to the plate. The absence of so much talent has the potential to really shift the league and impact the playoff race. But it could also be the chance that launches a career for a player not on the national team radar.

So often, we overlook the talent of players who aren’t on their respective national team. This will be their opportunity to show us why we shouldn’t underestimate them.

What impact will Vero Boquete have in Utah?

The attacking midfielder from Spain, who most recently played with PSG in France and Beijing BG Phoenix in China, is back in the NWSL for the first time since her 2014 stint with the Portland Thorns. I’m excited to see what Boquete will add on the pitch for the Utah Royals. Seeing her play alongside the likes of Christen Press and Amy Rodriguez is going to be fun and might be the boost they need to take Utah to the playoffs.

Will Sky Blue win a game this year?

The answer to this question should be simple: of course. And after a terrible 2018 season, I am looking forward to seeing Sky Blue win a game this year. Between their off-the-field situation and their on-the-field struggles, this is a team that will appreciate every point in 2019. It’s hard not to cheer for them, if only because of all the negative stuff they are forced to deal with. I’m looking forward to seeing them put up a fight, and maybe even lifting themselves up from the bottom of the table.

What will happen when Portland and the Reign clash?

I’m not a supporter of either Portland or the Reign, but this rivalry remains one of the best in American soccer. Last year, these two teams met four times, including in the semi-finals of the NWSL playoffs. Portland’s 3-1 victory over the Reign just before the playoffs was one of the best regular-season matches in 2018, and their semi-final game a week later lived up to the inevitable hype. Both teams have some of the best talent in the league, and when they face each other, fouls, yellow cards, and goals are abundant. They will likely be missing a lot of their superstars for their first match on July 5th, but they’ll play two more times in Tacoma towards the end of the season.

Who is going to beat North Carolina?

North Carolina was unstoppable last year, and the team appears to have only gotten better in the offseason. I think they are the clear choice to win the Shield again, but maybe we will be surprised? Will someone challenge the Courage for the title, or will it be a runaway again? It will be fun to see how the World Cup impacts this team, and whether or not they finish No. 1 at the end of the year.