Though there is one person who has been largely left off the hook in all of this. A person who, by some accounts, may be as responsible as anyone for the downfall of the team.
Head coach Denise Reddy.
Over the last few months I have spoken with a number of sources connected to Sky Blue, most of whom requested to remain anonymous, for fear of retaliation. That includes several previous members of the Sky Blue’s staff as well as one person still with direct knowledge of the team. Each provided an independent account of how things reached their current state, and each identified Reddy as a significant source of concern.
That may be surprising to some. After all, for the past year, so much of the focus has been trained on the team’s general manager, Tony Novo, as well as the owners Phil Murphy and Steven Temares. Given the obvious issues at the higher levels of management, we’ve grown accustomed to buck-passing and a general lack of leadership. So much so that Reddy has seemingly been protected by the idea that all the dysfunction is coming from the higher levels.
But, I have been told by someone with direct knowledge, this is mistaken. The main reason Sam Kerr and other players are no longer with Sky Blue FC isn’t the lack of showers or other necessary upgrades to the facilities. It’s because of Denise Reddy.
Speaking directly of Kerr it was made clear that “she didn’t want to come back because of Denise [Reddy].”
And it’s not just Sam Kerr. If that was the only problem, maybe Reddy could still have build around other players. But I was told directly that Kelley O’Hara, Nikki Stanton, Leah Galton, Janine Beckie, Shea Groom, Katie Johnson, Amanda Frisbie, Christina Gibbons, Daphne and Rachel Corboz all refused to suit up while Reddy was the coach. And that doesn’t even cover the mass exit of the coaching staff over the last year due to Reddy helming the ship.
Everyone I spoke to to said that issues with Reddy created a difficult environment on top of the problems with the off-field work environment. Common issues were a “hard time communicating” with the head coach and how her style “made it very difficult for players to understand what their role was on the team and to understand if she took them out of the game, why.”
In nearly any other professional sport, a head coach amassing a record of 1 win, 17 losses and 6 draws over a 24 game season would be a virtual guaranteed sacking. Yet there have been hardly any calls for a new head coach in New Jersey. No introspection about game plan, tactics, or style, presumably because everyone’s eyes are constantly being draw away from the the mess on the field to the off-field garbage dump.
And maybe that’s where our attention should be trained. But there are enough problems here to pass the blame pretty widely around.
Going into the 2019 season, the team will likely be without both of their first round draft picks in Haley Mace and Julia Ashley. They will still be playing at Rutgers with the same missing accommodations that have been so relentlessly detailed. Their own supporter’s group is actively working on Twitter challenge the club to turn things around.
At what point does this all become performance art instead of a soccer team? At what point do the owners take responsibility, make the changes that are necessary by firing Novo and Reddy and replacing them with staff that will be able to do more within the confines of the club’s limited resources? And if they can’t do it, at what point do they acknowledge that this is a lost cause? At what point do even more players decide it’s simply not worth it?
I don’t have the answer but I hope they do figure it out before 2020 comes. If they can’t, they may end up in the trash bin of former NWSL teams.
At the time of this posting Sky Blue FC has not returned our request for comment.
2017 has been a good year for defenders moving into the midfield. First, was Julie Ertz with Chicago. And this weekend, we got another fascinating (and potentially transformative) example, with Christina Gibbons stepping out from her traditional left back role to patrol the central midfield for KCKC.
It’s impossible to discuss any part of KC’s season this year, without mentioning Amy Rodriguez, whose injury in the first game of the season threw everything into chaos. It’s hard to think of many players in the league that would have been more essential to the team’s plan going into the year. Without Rodriguez, they lack a true linking player in their attack. Despite immense talent (the KC frontline looked to be one of the most dangerous in the league at the start of the season), they’ve struggled mightily to find the creativity that can help unleash the full talents of Sydney Leroux and Shea Groom—who both work better as slashing attackers rather than as central strikers. Combined with the absence of Mandy Laddish, it’s been tough times down the middle for Kansas City this year.
Now, they are hardly without resources, and Vlatko has managed to put together a solid Plan B: a system with two holding midfielders at the base of a compact 4-2-3-1. The goal is to put a firm hand on the throttle, keep control of the game, and prevent the other side from getting the chance to come at you. But it’s hard to spend the whole year in a defensive crouch, and to his credit, he’s continued to tinker at the edges—looking for a way to get his talented attacking players better looks at goal.
A bit of serendipity brings Gibbons to central midfield
And this weekend, against Sky Blue, a small bit of serendipity seems to have helped that process along. With Lo’eau LaBonta suspended for the match, Andonovski asked Christina Gibbons, his rookie left back, to try her luck in the midfield.
On paper the move makes a lot of sense. Gibbons is very skilled on the ball, an excellent passer, with good field vision, and good pace. And while she still has work to do with her defensive positioning and tackling, she’s a good defender one-on-one. All of those skills suggests an able box-to-box midfielder, something KC has really been lacking this year.
Still, it was a gamble since, despite having moved around a lot—as young and talented players are often asked to do—central midfield is not one of the positions she’s spent much time in. And with only a few days to practice, there wasn’t much time for direction. As Gibbons described her training: “He gave me a few directions going into the weekend, but mostly just said ‘I want you to feel it out yourself and make adjustments as you go.’” She had a few days to try and get comfortable working with Desiree Scott to manage her new responsibilities covering arguably the most important area on the pitch.
So this was by no means a sure thing. But this sort of move—slightly outside the box, based on an expectation that his players all understand the team’s overall approach and setup, grounded in a deep sense of trust between player and coach—that’s been the hallmark of Vlatko’s tenure at Kansas City. After all, this is a coach who looked at Yael Averbuch and saw one of the league’s best center backs.
And once again, Andonovski’s vision paid off. It seemed to take Gibbons five or ten minutes to really get comfortable in the role, but before long, things started to click.
A fluid 4-4-2
One crucial advantage to playing Gibbons is the additional flexibility she brings to the role. Desiree Scott, Becca Moros, and even Lo’eau LaBonta (who has shown some flair this year) are all excellent players, but they’re generally best utilized as true holding players. They can get forward in the attack, but that’s not their primary role. With Gibbons, KC instantly becomes more expansive.
And in an effort to take advantage of that opportunity, the formation needed some tweaking as well, moving away from the 4-2-3-1 that looked to pack the midfield and seize control of the game and toward a 4-4-2 that played more expansively. And which played at a much higher tempo.
On defense, they generally worked with two banks of four in the defense and midfield, with Gibbons and Scott spread out to cover the midfield horizontally. On offense, however, Gibbons had a lot more freedom to move forward aggressively into an attacking midfield role. In fact, at times, the 4-4-2 actually split apart a bit, playing more like a 4-1-4-1, with Scott staying back as the only true holding player, and with Gibbons and Groom almost playing side to side as a pair of inside forwards.
Closer to a 4-1-4-1
And this raises another key point. This setup is notable for the flexibility it provides for the strikers. Groom, in particular, seemed to relish the opportunity. It gives her the chance to come back, pick the ball up high, and take people on going forward. There are few in the league who can match her at full flight with the ball at her feet, but playing out wide for most of the year, she’s had fewer chances to exploit defenses this way. In this 4-4-2, she had that freedom, and it made a huge difference.
A scary sight for opposing defenses
For almost the first time since that opening match, Kansas City looked like the dominant attacking force a lot of us expected them to be. And while Gibbons is still a long way from being ‘the next Amy Rodriguez,’ it was still notable just how much this setup seemed to revolve around her creativity and passing acumen on the center stage. You can see clear evidence of this in the first KC goal, of course, but there are plenty of other examples. The thing that immediately strikes you when watching Gibbons is how quickly the ball moves. One-touch passes, quick touches to produce an angle, and then moving the ball along. I’d love to see the Opta stats on this one, because at least subjectively, it didn’t seem like she necessarily had all that many touches. But when she did get involved, things tended to happen.
A (much) more open game
For all the benefits of this approach, there are of course consequences as well. If their previous setup was focused on managing and limiting the other side, this more fluid attacking approach depends on sacrificing some defensive stability. When the game is more open, there are more chances for both sides to step into that space. And if the KC attack is generally going to play higher up the pitch, it requires the whole team to do more pressing in order to close down counterattacks before they can get going. This is an approach that emphasizes disruption over control.
But (at least in the first half), this gamble more than paid off. Sky Blue spent most of the half looking a bit overwhelmed, and were often at a loss to make much of their possessions—turning the ball over as soon as they won it on quite a few occasions. In particular, neither of their central duo, Killion and Rodriguez, seemed to be particularly crisp. Amidst the harrying from Kansas City, they lost the ball far more often than they would have liked.
All of which meant that, very quickly, Sky Blue seemed to settle back into a fairly deep defensive position. They looked to pack their defensive third with bodies, giving Kansas City quite a bit of room on the ball in the midfield and out wide. In general, this probably is the best way for Sky Blue to play. Their defenders are quite good at soaking up pressure and closing down attacks once they’re in the danger zone, but far less good at managing wide-open defensive space. And for the first half hour, it did mostly work, with KC settling for some tame shots from distance and some not particularly well-measured crosses.
But Kansas City was pressing hard, and eventually the dam burst, with Groom moving wide and sending in a cross that Sheridan could only punch away. A delightful bit of insight and creativity from Gibbons and a solid strike from Bowen and KC found the back of the net.
The pressure kept up for the rest of the half, with Gibbons growing into the game, and defensive harassment giving her plenty of chances to shine. Eventually, that’s what produced the second goal, with Killion losing the ball on a tough challenge from Scott. A quick KC counterattack unfolded, with the Sky Blue defenders dropping away to try and set up their bunker. But Gibbons found the ball at her feet, with space to run, and simply went for goal.
A game of two halves
As the cliché goes, this one was very much a game of two halves, with Kansas City rampant for the first half and Sky Blue even more dominant for the second. A huge part of that is Shea Groom’s red card. For the second week in a row, Kansas City found themselves down a player for the second half. But where Houston was content to settle deep and let KC have the ball, Sky Blue was chasing the game and were absolutely relentless in doing so.
And here is where the serendipity turned around a bit. LaBonta’s suspension came with a big silver lining—by inspiring Gibbons’ move to the midfield, it breathed some new life into their attack—but in the second half her absence was felt quite keenly. As set up, KC was depending on aggressive pressing to close down the Sky Blue attack—and to shut off the supply to Sam Kerr at the top. But down a player, this simply wasn’t a viable approach. And with LaBonta unavailable, they simply didn’t have the sort of solid defensive substitute that was desperately needed to shore up the backline.
Sky Blue, who had been so frustrated for the whole first half, were suddenly given space all across the field, and 45 minutes worth of chances to target Sam Kerr in the box. The Kansas City defense managed to hold out for a long time, but eventually, exhaustion seemed to set in and Kerr was able to score a dazzling hat trick to clinch the game.
Going forward
All in all, that made for a bitter defeat, but one from which KC should be able to take a lot of solace. In a year of difficult results, they’re still only a couple of victories away from the playoff race and are now possessing some additional tactical options.
It will certainly be interesting to see how Gibbons is used going forward. In the short term, it’s hard to imagine Vlatko moving her immediately back to left back, but over the long term that may still be her best role. Especially once Laddish returns and can fill that crucial linking role.
And over the even longer term, this is a question that will be interesting to folks above and beyond just Kansas City fans, since Gibbons certainly is in the mix of young and talented players with a chance to break into the full national team. Left back is an extremely deep position right now, but if she has the flexibility to play elsewhere at a high level, that might make a difference in her chances of joining the squad.
While I was working on another piece about late round draft picks, I started to notice a pattern with Sky Blue’s draft history. Since 2014, every first round pick they have had has stayed with the team.
Maya Hayes was their pick in 2014 out of Penn State, followed by Sarah Killion from UCLA in 2015. 2016 saw another Penn State player, Raquel Rodríguez, added to the team, and in 2017 a pair of USC defenders, Kayla Mills and Mandy Freeman, were drafted. The only first round pick that is currently not on the roster is Lindsi Cutshall. Cutshall sat out 2016 because of medical reasons and in 2017 she welcomed a child. If she did come back to the roster Sky Blue would have each and every first round pick.
Their second round picks have been a bit more hit and miss. Kendall Johnson is still in the league, playing for the Portland Thorns, while both Hayley Haagsma and Kristin Grubka are not currently attached to any clubs. The only second-round pick currently on their roster is Leah Galton, selected in 2016. Galton has been a breath of fresh air on the wings when able to play at 100% and has performed closer to a first-round pick than a second.
Sky Blue has had more third round picks than any other round, with nine in total. Ashley Baker, Michelle Pao, Shade Pratt, and Catrina Atanda do not currently appear on the roster, but the other five do. That’s Daphne Corboz, Erica Skroski, Caroline Casey, Madison Tiernan, and Kailen Sheridan. All have started games, with Skroski and Sheridan being first choices for their positions. With Corboz, it did take a slightly roundabout route, with her going to England rather than joining Sky Blue after the 2015 draft. But when she decided to return to the states, it was Sky Blue who added her to their roster.
Sky Blue have had quite a bit of success finding useful players in the 4th round, though often it’s been to the benefit of other teams. Elizabeth Eddy, Chioma Ubogagu, and Lo’eau LaBonta were all drafted by Sky Blue in the 4th round, but play on other teams. Their other picks include Becky Kaplan–not on an NWSL roster–and their 2017 4th rounder, McKenzie Meehan, who has appeared in seven games, starting two this year.
But round by round can only tell us so much. The coach for the first three years, Jim Gabarra, left in 2016 to join the Washington Spirit. That left former assistant coach Christie Holly to take over. Turnover at the top means that Sky Blue’s drafts haven’t all been run by the same people at the top. That said, Tony Novo has been the GM for Sky Blue since the winter following the 2013 season, offering a bit of consistency even as the coaches have transitioned.
Still, if you divide the tenures, it becomes clear just how good a job Christie Holly has done. Of the 10 players selected under his watch, only one is currently excluded from the club’s roster. And that one, Catrina Atanda, is still in the practice pool.
Compare that to Gabarra’s tenure, from which only three out of 14 picks are still on the roster. Of course, the further back in time you go the more chance there is for players to move on. And the three still with the club (Maya Hayes, Sarah Killion and Daphne Corboz) are all fantastic players. But the defining feature of Holly’s tenure has been his ability to pick up up the Madison Tiernans or the Erica Skroskis of the world–good players, but not considered to be draft standouts–and turning them into solid, dependable players who can start for a playoff contender.
And having someone who can put together consistently strong drafts is a big deal. Drafting takes more than just identifying talent. It means creating a game plan focused on both tactics and club culture, and identifying how well players coming out of college might be expected to fit into that plan. That’s not something every club has. Even very successful coaches (looking at you Tom Sermanni and Laura Harvey) seem to be unwilling or unable to do what it takes to put together a strong draft.
Holly is doing more than just putting together a good 18 to 20 players for his roster. He is looking for players that will grow a culture that is very much “play for the player beside you, damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead” that has paid off with a team in 3rd place at close to the halfway point of the season.
Rory Dames, long held to be the NWSL’s King of the Draft, finally has a worthy challenger.
Long-time United States Women’s National Team midfielder Heather O’Reilly has announced she will be playing in the Women’s Super League (FA WSL 1), England’s top league for women’s soccer. Simply known as HAO, she recently retired from international play, but at just 32 she still has plenty left to give to the sport. O’Reilly played college ball at UNC, won three Olympic gold medals, was crowned World Cup champion in 2015, and accumulated 231 appearances over 15 years for the National Team.
The one thing left to try would be a move overseas, to experience something new and to have a different kind of challenge. The club she chose is Arsenal Ladies, a club that has a stellar reputation and a few connections to the NWSL here in the states. For one, they are the most decorated club in the WSL, earning 43 titles since the debut in 1987. Secondly, they’ve had legendary coaches and players throughout their history; including Kelly Smith, Katie Chapman, Faye White and current Seattle Reign coach Laura Harvey.
With the addition of HAO, Arsenal once again has an impressive roster to compete for the championship. They have plenty of star power to chose from; Fara Williams, Jodie Taylor, Danielle van De Donk, Asisat Oshoala, and Kim Little. HAO brings an explosive element on the wing, relentless energy, and unmatched passion. I’m sure fans cannot wait to get the season started.
Sky Blue Lands Corboz:
Daphne Corboz has played in the WSL for Manchester City since graduating Georgetown in 2014. She earned 15 starts and tallied two goals for the club. The young midfielder recently won the league with City in 2016, the first major trophy for the club since joining the WSL in 2014.
Corboz is the latest addition to a talented Sky Blue squad that boasts Kelley O’Hara, Christine Rampone, Natasha Kai, Leah Galton, Raquel Rodriguez and Sam Kerr. In the College Draft, Sky Blue got some more serious young talent, including USC duo Kayla Mills and Miranda Freeman. They later chose Kailen Sheridan out of Clemson, and Madison Tiernan from Rutgers.
Corboz adds another technical component to the midfield along with a creative fire that is always burning. I think Sky Blue could finally return to the top of the table in 2017 after a three-year absence.
W-League Doesn’t Disappoint:
In last week’s fixtures, plenty was at stake as it nears the end of the regular season; premiership still undecided, home advantage, a spot in the top four, and momentum going forward.
The top four are as follows; Sydney FC, Canberra United, Perth Glory and Melbourne City FC. The weekend saw Sydney lose to Newcastle, Canberra dropped by the Western Sydney Wanderers, Glory lose to Adelaide, and City win a crucial game against Brisbane.
As far as points go, the top three are secured, but Melbourne City needs to draw or win to officially grab the fourth spot. Sitting in fifth are Newcastle with 15 points, so they need a win to give themselves a chance.
One player who has stood out this season is Sofia Huerta, who plays for the Chicago Red Stars in the NWSL March-November. Last week she scored a hat trick to lead Adelaide United to a wild 10-2 win over Sydney Wanderers. In just 11 games in the W-League Huerta has tallied seven goals and four assists, leading Adelaide United to second in the league in total goals scored with 26. Chicago fans will look forward to her return stateside in the next few months.
Americans Head Overseas:
Two recent graduates and collegiate stars here in the states have announced they will play overseas. If you follow NCAA DI soccer you should be familiar with Savannah Jordan and Lindsey Harris. Both were crucial to their respective team’s success, especially this year.
First up is Jordan, who attended Florida all four years, playing in 94 games, recording 81 goals (23 game-winning) and grabbing 27 assists as well. The exciting forward has blazing speed and is a joy to watch on the ball — combine that with excellent finishing ability and she is a quality player. Jordan has signed with Glasgow City FC, the top club team in Scotland. City is the defending champions, a 10-year reign that is impressive and has earned them plenty of UEFA Champions League experience.
Another top player to find a home overseas is UNC grad Harris. She was UNC’s first choice goalkeeper her senior year after rotating the previous three years. Harris is known for making big saves, similar to another former UNC and now NWSL star with Orlando, Ashlyn Harris. Apart from a few keepers, UNC is primarily known for producing excellent talent in field players, but Lindsey Harris made a name for herself in those three years. Harris has signed with Iceland side FH for the upcoming season. FH have won the league once in 2011 and were runners-up the last two years.
DMath to Seattle (This is Not a Typo):
For much of this NWSL offseason, Washington Spirit has been the front-runner for headlines due to all the high-profile departures since November. Six key players for the Spirit will be elsewhere come April; Ali Krieger, Crystal Dunn, Christine Nairn, Megan Oyster, Estefania Banini, and now Diana Matheson. The Spirit have sent Matheson to the Seattle Reign. In return, they have acquired the rights to Arielle Shipp, who was Seattle’s third-round draft pick out of UC Berkeley.
Commonly referred to as DMath, she spent four years in Washington, helping them to the playoffs the last three years; most recently to a Championship title match. Matheson is the Spirit’s all-time leading goal scorer with 23 goals and 12 assists in 67 appearances. The tiny and reliable Canadian midfielder will be re-united with another former Washington player in Christine Nairn.
This move will certainly help Seattle’s midfield, which saw Kim Little and Keelin Winters depart in the offseason. This addition along with Nairn, Jess Fishlock, Beverly Yanez, and Megan Rapinoe, makes me wonder, can the Reign return to the top four?
Orlando Wheeling and Dealing:
Tom Sermanni has made not one, not two, but three trades within the last week. In his latest attempt to avoid the 2018 draft, the Orlando Pride coach has sent a first and fourth-round pick to Portland in exchange for recent UConn grad and talented forward Rachel Hill. Sermanni’s second move was picking up Houston forward Chioma Ubogagu for a third round pick. His last and biggest trade was sending second-year player Sam Witteman to NC Courage for Australian defender Alanna Kennedy.
The Pride’s main agenda in their second year seems to be centered on the forwards and defenders. To be honest, it’s a bit confusing considering the midfield is the weakest position in my opinion. Nonetheless, they’ve certainly got my early vote for one of the best defenses in the league after adding Krieger and Kennedy this off-season to complement Steph Catley and Laura Alleway. Certainly, only time will tell how well these trades will work out, but Sermanni seems to know what he’s doing.
Backline Soccer Archive 