Sky Blue FC has announced that defender Christie Pearce will miss the remainder of the 2017 season due to accumulating injuries.
“I’ve always had a really good awareness of my body and the ability to recover,” Pearce said in the Sky Blue press release. “I feel that I started the season off strong, but I’ve been consistently fighting through injuries, and I’m not able to give to the team what I consider to be my 100%. This decision, while it is hard to swallow, I know is the right thing for me and the team because I just can’t leave it all on the field every day. Something I must do is personally thank all of the fans. I feel so privileged to have their unwavering support, and they have always stood by me through thick and thin.”
Some very tough news to deliver. Christie Pearce will miss the remainder of the season due to accumulative injuries. https://t.co/NgZa5Vg8jV
Pearce, who earned 311 caps for the U.S. Women’s National Team between 1997 and 2015, has played for Sky Blue FC since the founding of the NWSL in 2013.
In 2009 she was the player coach of the Sky Blue FC team that won the WPS championship title.
A two-time world cup champion (1999 and 2015) and three-time Olympic gold medalist (2004, 2008, and 2012), Pearce announced in June 2017 that her retirement would likely come at the end of the 2017 season.
I am going to miss Christy Holly. He was a sharp-dressed man and built something good with Sky Blue FC and I think was on the cusp of something great with them.
ON THE TYLER LUSSI SUSPENSION & MORE The NWSL DisCo’s decision to suspend Tyler Lussi of the Portland Thorns three matches and an undisclosed fine for pulling Chicago Red Stars’ Dani Colaprico last Saturday is fair. Tyler Lussi doesn’t have an ill-reputation, either as a rookie nor one from her college playing days. Could it have played a factor in say maybe she should have only received 2 matches? Probably, but the DisCo is at least consistent with making it loud and clear for everyone in the league – DO NOT PULL HAIR. Simple enough of a rule, right? That said, Tyler Lussi is not a dirty thug with anger issues. Merritt Mathias of the Seattle Reign FC is also not a dirty thug with anger issues, who also got suspended for three matches and an undisclosed fine for the same thing. Yes, shit just does happen on the field during the height of competition. No one is naive enough to think professional athletes are cordial for every single second of competition. There’s probably going to be another instance of this happening in the near future and yes we’ll all get angry about it. IT DOESN’T MEAN people can get on their social media and direct messages to the culprit and bully them about it. Empathy, kindness, respect. Look up what those words mean and try to live by their definitions. You just might enjoy the escapism of sports a little bit better that way.
The FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year top 10 nominees were released this week. – Lesson to the kids out there playing soccer: With hard work and persistence comes recognition of your contributions on the field, like elbowing people in the head. Just ask Carli Lloyd.
WEEK 19 PREDICTIONS Playoff races are fun.
North Carolina Courage OVER Washington Spirit
The Courage continue to pad their lead atop the table. Next.
Boston Breakers and Orlando Pride play to a DRAW
You read that right. Breakers hold the Pride to a draw and every Orland Pride fan will direct their special brand of Mad Online at me for calling it.
Seattle Reign FC OVER Sky Blue FC
The Reign just got rid of one bugaboo and finally won in Chicago. I think they got their mojo back from the win and will keep it going against a Sky Blue FC that who really knows which version of them shows up.
Portland Thorns OVER Houston Dash
Mark Parsons remembers he can make up to three substitutions and really losing to FC Kansas City was inexcusable and they’ll take it out on Houston.
Chicago Red Stars OVER FC Kansas City
They shouldn’t lose to a Kansas City team that’s going nowhere. If they lose this one, it’ll be time to wonder out loud (and some here on this site might write about it) if they’re running out of gas and won’t have enough to get to the playoffs. They’re the superior team on paper and should rebound to show it on the field too.
It’s been a strange season for Sky Blue FC. They got off to a strong start, and spent most of the first half looking like serious playoff challengers. That came as a surprise to those who had judged them too young, too inexperienced, and too raw to make a serious push this year. And some of us continued to hold to that position well into the season. In mid-June, for example, I wrote a buy/sell/hold column and recommending selling on Sky Blue.
Immediately after that column, Sam Kerr went full superhero and the team reeled off a run of very impressive results. And while there were still obvious flaws in the squad, it wasn’t hard to see them doing enough to compensate for those problems. There was even a clear analogue between the Sky Blue of 2017 and the Western New York Flash of 2016—who also looked to be a few pieces away from the full puzzle but were able to hang onto the 4th playoff spot anyways.
But starting in the middle of July, the wheels started to come off, and the team is now in full crisis mode, having conceded 14 goals in their past three games (by comparison, North Carolina have conceded 14 goals over the whole season). Now, with the news dropping on Wednesday afternoon that head coach Christy Holly is stepping down from the job, it might be a useful time to reflect on how things got so bad.
However, before we get into the thick of it, it’s worth noting that Sky Blue are not out of the playoff race. It’s possible that was part of the motivation for Holly to make this move right now. Whether the fault rested with him (arguable, but by no means obvious), sometimes a change at the top can be useful to reset the system. And as long as they have Kerr terrorizing opposing defenses, there’s a shot. So it will certainly be interesting to watch the end of the season. They’re unlikely to fix everything that’s ailing them, but even some modest improvements might be enough. There are three key areas of concern.
Goalkeeping: Sheridan has been great, but needs a break
Kailen Sheridan has put together an extremely impressive rookie campaign. Confident, athletic, and decisive – she was one of the best keepers in the league through most of the season. But things have taken a turn for the worse, starting with the epic 5-4 match against Seattle. Sheridan took a number of hits that game and collapsed on the field at the final whistle. And the injuries have only continued to pile up. While she hasn’t missed any minutes, her range of motion is clearly suffering, and she has looked far more tentative over the past few games.
The best long-term approach would be to sit the young keeper for a few weeks to let her build back to 100%. It’s understandable that both Sheridan and the team are resistant – and it’s certainly possible that even at 70% Sheridan is the best option. But it’s far from an ideal situation.
Defense: Age, inexperience, and injuries
The defensive line is clearly the heart of the problem, and it was clearly a foreseeable problem as well. Their first choice back five at the start of the season featured four players 22-or-under and one player over 40. But it was hard to anticipate things collapsing quite this completely.
Relatively early in the season, Kelley O’Hara was brought back into the backline, which did make a huge difference. So her recent absence to injury has been a big loss. Without her movement and attacking quality in that fluid right wingback/fullback hybrid role, they’ve been far easier to pin back and much less stable.
Meanwhile, the other veteran on the backline has held off the march of time far longer than anyone could ever have expected. But time eventually defeats us all. And sadly, 2017 seems to be the year that age finally began to catch up with Christie Pearce. She started the season strong, playing as well in the first few months as we’ve seen from her in a long time. But since then, things have started to slip. The pace is still good, but it’s not quite as explosive. Her tackling is less precise. And while you’d be hard pressed to find a player with higher soccer intelligence, Pearce has finally started to look like a player whose body no longer is able to do what her brain needs it to do.
The youth movement has also hit some speed bumps. Sky Blue were lauded for their excellent draft—particularly for getting the duo of Mandy Freeman and Kayla Mills—and early in the season there were some positive returns. Freeman missed six weeks with injury, and even when healthy has suffered from all the expected problems that come with youth. The talent is clearly there, and she will be a rock in their defense for a long time, but she has not been the reliable presence that they’ve needed. Mills has almost limitless potential, but so far has been unable to translate that talent into consistent match performances. They’ve gotten some solid performances from Erica Skroski, but even she has been less dependable than she was last year—perhaps due to constantly being slotted into new positions with new obligations as much as anything else.
It should come as no surprise that young players would stumble, or that they would fade as the season progressed. The professional game is tougher and longer than their other experiences. It would have been surprising if they hadn’t faded a bit. That’s simply one of the dangers of building on youth. And all things considered, blooding young players, and hoping that they might be able to get you through the season probably wasn’t a terrible gamble. If they manage it, you hit the peak of your success cycle earlier than expected. If not … well, this wasn’t supposed to be a playoff team anyways. But with more experience, they might be ready to truly compete by 2018.
And that’s still a possibility. But it’s hard to look at the past few weeks and see a team building toward the future. With makeshift defenders filling in and struggling mightily to cope with expectations, Sky Blue has looked much more like a team on a downward slope than the reverse.
20/20 is perfect, of course, but it’s hard to look at the team right now and not think that they missed a chance to pick up a veteran defender at some point who could help plug some of these gaps. As it is, they’ve got the group that they’ve got. And it’s an open question whether they’ll be able to sort things out enough to at least close down the spigot of goals.
Midfield: Not enough ball-winning, not enough creativity
Team defensive breakdowns are rarely just the fault of the defense. And that’s certainly the case with Sky Blue this year. While the midfield unit is reasonably solid on paper, at times they’ve looked to be a bit less than the sum of their parts.
Look at the roster and you’ll see creative players, players with pace, players who can dribble, players who can shoot. But they’ve had a very difficult time finding an appropriate balance. And a lot of that has to do with the pairing in the middle: Sarah Killion and Raquel Rodriguez. When they’re both clicking, that can be a very successful combination. They’re similar players—all-around talents who can do a defensive job, hold possession, and make attacking runs. But when things aren’t working, it can break down pretty badly. They both tend to play narrow, and neither has the sort of defensive solidity that you’d want from a lock-down holding midfielder. As a result, Sky Blue haven’t really been able to close down the opposition in the midfield with a good ball-winner, nor have they been able to consistently hold possession once they do get the ball.
Combine those two with a rotating cast of often-good-but-inconsistent players like Nikki Stanton, Daphne Corboz, Taylor Lytle, and Madison Tiernan and the result is precisely what you’d expect: a team that can beat anyone on their day but that struggles to maintain much coherence from week to week.
There is a lot of talent here, and during the first part of the season, the mixing-and-matching worked out well enough. But one of the major themes of the past month has been the consistent breakdown of the midfield. Players have rotated in and out and there hasn’t been much coherence in the process. Despite the presence of some players with a lot of creative potential (Corboz in particular), they simply haven’t been able to build the structure necessary to let that creativity flourish.
Who is to blame? And where do they go from here?
Under conditions like these, you certainly want to put some of the blame on the coach—whose job it is to develop a system into which players can fit without needing to reinvent the wheel each game. And whose responsibility it was to build a roster that could last over the long haul.
But it’s also important to remember the baseline that this team was working from: “young, developing, probably not ready yet.” So it’s important not to overstate the problems here.
Sky Blue overachieved at the start of the season, and that may have created some rising expectations. But all things considered, they’re right about where they ‘should’ be at the moment. Considering the serious injuries they’ve sustained, I would still rate their performance over the whole season as a modest coaching success.
It’s possible that Holly felt like he had taken the team as far as they could go under him, and he wanted to give them a chance to make the final playoff push with someone else. Perhaps the recent problems generated tension that made his position unsustainable. Perhaps there are other reasons that have little or nothing to do with the performance on the pitch.
But whatever the motivations for the change this week, taking a broad perspective and thinking about his full tenure on the job, there is plenty for Holly to be proud of. Whether or not Sky Blue is able to arrest their decline and make the playoffs this year, they are on far more stable ground than they were when he took on the job.
Sky Blue FC President and General Manager Tony Novo had this to say about Holly’s departure:
“First and foremost, we want to thank Christy Holly for everything he has done for Sky Blue FC. From the first day he came to our club as an assistant coach, Christy has always been committed to Sky Blue FC, and we wish him nothing but the greatest of successes in whatever he chooses to do going forward.”
Holly, who has been head coach for Sky Blue FC since January 2016, held an overall record of 14-7-17. In the current season, Sky Blue FC is 7-2-9 and aiming for a place in the NWSL playoffs.
There has been no news of a head coaching replacement at this time.
6 Takeaways from NWSL: Week 15 – Jordan Small, Luis Hernandez, and Elizabeth Wawrzyniak break down their takeaways from week 15 including a tide change in international competition, the youth movement of the Spirit, the final NWSL playoff spot plus much more.
As the NWSL season gets closer to the playoffs, we are seeing some distance between the top 3 and bottom 3, but movement in the middle. Let’s take a look at the upcoming games for the weekend.
Game 1: Washington Spirit vs. Boston Breakers
Washington Spirit record: 4-9-3
Position: 9th
Total Points: 15
Boston Breakers record: 3-7-6
Position: 8th
Total Points: 15
The Spirit are finally back at home after playing two games on the road and are looking to salvage the rest of their season. After a tough offseason, this is about where they were expected to end up, but they certainly won’t be satisfied and will want to tighten things up to close out the year. Their defense was in shambles against Orlando earlier this week so that will be the biggest thing to figure out with this quick turnaround. I don’t see a reason why their captain, Shelina Zadorsky, has been stuck on the bench. If she really has been worse in training than Kallman and Church, then the Spirit have bigger problems than we even knew.
Boston will be looking to pull out a win on the road and start another uptick in their season. They showed some good signs last week with a draw against FCKC but will need to get production from a broader range of players–last week it was pretty much Rosie White or bust–if they want to get more out of this match. If they can improve the attack, they should be able to get behind the Spirit backline, and hopefully, find some chances to finish.
Game 2: Orlando Pride vs. Sky Blue FC
Orlando Pride record: 6-6-5
Position: 5th
Total Points: 23
Sky Blue FC record: 7-8-2
Position: 6th
Total Points: 23
The Pride are in must-win mode as they try to recover from a slow start and grab that fourth spot in the playoffs. They are coming off a dominating win against the Spirit and need to carry that momentum into this game. There weren’t major defensive problems against the Spirit midweek, but the floating right back position has caused distress, and with Sam Kerr back, they’ll need to get everything they’ve got to shut her down. Kristen Edmonds has been a liability for the Pride most of the season and if she can’t get her turnover ratio under control, Sky Blue will exploit it. The Pride attack, however, has seemed to find their groove, with Alex Morgan coming back into form and Marta staying on the top of her game. They’ll be facing a defense that has conceded the most goals in the league, and with their attack options ready, they should find the back of the net.
Last week, Sky Blue was missing Sam Kerr (and Kelley O’Hara) and we saw a lot of cracks in their game. They’ve rescued plenty of results this year, thanks to some late match magic from Sam Kerr, but what is there to this team if she’s not around? She will be back this time, but they need to figure out the rest of the team and how they play because depending on Kerr can only get you so far. The defense is in trouble, and I’d like to see some changes. They’ve got injury problems, but what they’re doing now isn’t working and needs some tweaks. The big question marks this week will be the injury statuses of Kailen Sheridan, who was clearly in pain toward the end of the last game, and Kelley O’Hara, whose status has not been updated since the Tournament of Nations. If Kerr can get loose against the Pride and the defense can hold the strong Pride attack, we should be in for one exciting game.
Game 3: Chicago Red Stars vs. Portland Thorns
Chicago Red Stars record: 8-3-5
Position: 2nd
Total Points: 29
Portland Thorns record: 8-4-4
Position: 3rd
Total Points: 28
The top three are quite compacted right now and so this is a must-win game for Chicago to hold on to that 2nd place spot. They should have all of their usual starters back after resting some of them last week against Orlando. With Sofia Huerta reminding people that she can score goals, expect to see even more link up between her and Christen Press this week against Portland. Chicago has a lot of luck at home and with probably the strongest defense in the league, they’ll like their chances of shutting Portland down. As long as Press or Huerta can get in behind, they should see success.
Portland is starting to come into their game, after quite a few struggles over the season. For a while, it seemed like they were just waiting for Tobin Heath to return. But as that looks increasingly less likely, they’ve finally started to make adjustments and pulled themselves back up toward relative playoff safety. Christine Sinclair has come into herself a bit more in the last few games, and that will need to continue if Portland wants to keep this run going. Nadia Nadim should also be back from the Euros, which will give the attack an extra boost. Overall, it will be hard to beat Chicago at home, but if they can shut down Press or Huerta, they may have a fighting chance.
Game 4: Houston Dash vs. FC Kansas City
Houston Dash record: 6-8-2
Position: 7th
Total Points: 20
FC Kansas City record: 3-8-5
Position: 10th
Total Points: 14
The Dash are back at home and ready to face FCKC after a disappointing result against Portland. The Dash struggled with their formation and had trouble making anything of the few chances they did create. Their sub choices also left a bit to be desired. FCKC is struggling, so this is a prime opportunity for the Dash. But in this league, anything can happen on a given week. Sometimes the Dash are their own biggest enemies, so if they can put some shots on frame, they will give themselves a good chance to pick up some points.
I feel at this point I am spinning a broken record with FCKC but they just do not seem to be able to figure it out. Sydney Leroux is not the pure scorer/striker they need, and they don’t seem to have any other solutions available. My colleague Jacob Cristobal has a piece on the coaching situation this week. It’s been a tough year, but KC just need to try to finish out the season on a positive note. Despite their struggles, they do have most of the pieces. If they can just figure out how to fill some of the void of Amy Rodriguez, there’s room to build.
Game 5: Seattle Reign vs. NC Courage
Seattle Reign record: 6-4-6
Position: 4th
Total Points: 24
NC Courage record: 11-5-0
Position: 1st
Total Points: 33
This is a back-to-back matchup. Last time, the Reign fell 1-0 away. This time, they’ll like their chances better–at home and with both Megan Rapinoe and Jess Fishlock (seriously, can I get her healing regimen? Because my goodness …) for the first time in a couple months. Their difficulties on the road may well cost them a playoff spot, so they’ll need to be even better than usual at home to compensate. This week, with Rapinoe working back into the fold, they will need to find a way to get past the Courage defense. If Rapinoe is shut down, they will need to find another option to get into the attack. Seattle are pushing for that playoff spot but will need consistency across the weeks to make that happen.
The Courage will be looking to continue their reign at the top of the table. That may be tough since they’ll be coming off of short rest after the makeup game Thursday night, but if any team has the fitness to handle that run, it’s NC. Plus, unlike last weekend, this time they’ll have an in-form Rapinoe to deal with. The Courage attack has gotten the job done this year but needs a bit of a kickstart. Lynn Williams has been relatively quiet this season (at least compared to her performance in 2016) but was the difference maker last match. If they can ramp their attack and keep Rapinoe at bay, we should see another hard-fought game.
The Scouting Report:
We went live on Monday night with our weekly TSR and Sunday night with our USA vs. Japan recap. A reminder that you can catch TSR live every Monday night at 8pm EST on our YouTube channel. Make sure to follow the podcast on Twitter @ScoutingPodcast.
In case you missed the two episodes, catch up here:
UNPOPULAR… BUT SURELY A PROVOCATIVE OPINION Most of the time I look past whenever people are playing the occasional hashtag game on Twitter. However taking part in #ConfessYourUnpopularOpinion, our very own fearless leader RJ Allen tweeted something that sure was provocative.
Full disclosure, what I am about to say here is based on limited knowledge about the team as in I don’t have day-to-day access/insights to them, what their fans are saying, etc. And while their biggest victories came at the expense of the team I am a fan of, I am very much a fan of Vlatko Andonovski. That said …
I disagree with the idea Andonovski should be dismissed after this season, but I sure see why RJ thinks he should be. And likely others are thinking the same thing but don’t want to admit to it. It has been a problem for them to find a solid goal scorer not named Amy Rodriguez. Unfortunately, the cruel bastards that are the Soccer Gods deprived us (and them) of her, and now FCKC can’t score for the life of them. You might be saying: well, it’s on the coach to adjust his plan to handle the situation dealt, but it’s really easier said than done.
Look at the Seattle Reign FC last year. Simply put, teams figured out how to play against Seattle. And it took Laura Harvey and the squad pretty much the entire season to come up with something new. In fact, they’re still in the midst of that process. The 2017 NWSL has no room for error and will not hesitate to punish a team that’s still looking to make adjustment. For Kansas City, the strike force going into the year looked good. But once Rodriguez went down, it’s been rough going. Sydney Leroux’s successful comeback from 2016 was reliant on Amy Rodriguez doing her thing. Can’t count on Shea Groom, when she is being chief instigator more than the chief creator. And Brittany Ratcliffe and Maegan Kelly are fine players, but they’re still wet behind the ears as far as getting comfortable with the pace of the NWSL. Kelly played two seasons overseas after being drafted by KC in 2014 and Ratcliffe is only in her second season as a pro.
I remember when FCKC were up here in Seattle a couple months ago. It was the game where Reign defender Lauren Barnes was issued the straight red four minutes in. Kansas City should have won that match, being up a player the whole game. But they couldn’t get it done. After the game, Andonovski said that it was just too risky to go all in on Seattle, even with the player advantage, knowing how tough they are at Memorial Stadium. No one is going to dispute that, given Andonovski’s prestige in the league.
But even without a full assault, they had plenty of chances. They just couldn’t do anything with them. Largely because, of all things, they kept sending crosses into the box hoping, apparently, that Leroux had suddenly become a target forward who could get a head on the ball. But if Leroux was ever that player, she sure isn’t now. And there was no way Shea Groom was going to bail her out when she basically had her right arm in a 90-degree angle all match. A friend post-match was wondering the same thing: “Why are they sending crosses into the box like Syd can get to them? They blew this game.”
We know Kansas City has a solid defense, with Becky Sauerbrunn there and Nicole Barnhart in goal. They just can’t score, and it’s upsetting the whole balance of the team. Still, I don’t think it warrants Andonovski getting his walking papers at the end of the season. Maybe it’s a silly thing, but I think winning your league’s championship puts some credit in the bank, and it takes more than one lost season to squander it. Yes, a playoff format means that the NWSL functions a bit like a Random Champion Generator, but still … winning two in a row is some feat.
In 2017 FCKC won’t be making the playoffs. Once the season is put to rest, we’ll all look back and wonder “what could have been?” If Rodriguez didn’t tear her ACL and if the team could have built around her. Would Leroux have looked better in her more natural role? Would Groom have been able to play off the other two more easily?
Andonovski certainly won’t try to shift the blame. He’ll tell you that the bad results are his responsibility. But I think his resume is solid enough that he deserves some benefit of the doubt. Maybe there were some mistakes, and maybe they shouldn’t have relied so heavily on Rodriguez. Maybe they missed out on an international signing or a trade that could have turned the ship around earlier. But that’s all speculation. What we know from the record is the Vlatko put in an earnest effort, and sometimes things go wrong. A big injury to a key player can ruin a season. But he deserves a chance to show what he can do in the offseason.
So, while I don’t think Vlatko Andonovski should lose his job at the end of this season, the seat will definitely be hot come 2018. Not like the dead man walking situation of former Houston Dash head coach Randy Waldrum this season, but plenty of eyes will be on Andonovski to show that those championships were for real. For me, I think the key is to get a forward with a proven resume of goals at the club and international level to compliment Rodriguez. Get that done, and FC Kansas City is back in the mix come 2018. Imagine if Kansas City pulled a coup and got someone like Jodie Taylor fresh off her Golden Boot-winning campaign from the Euros.
Is it guaranteed that Andonovski will turn it around? Nope. And will he definitely get the chance? Maybe not. Perhaps the KC ownership will make a change. That would be a little unfair, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world. He certainly wouldn’t be unemployed for long. And if it did happen, at least there would be some chaos in the game, which is only more fun for us media folks–from the fully established folks all the way to yokel bloggers like me.
What RJ tweeted probably is incredibly unpopular, and I disagreed with it, but I also understand why she thinks it. And disagreeing about contentious things is ultimately what this thing is all about, right?
WEEK 16 PREDICTIONS
The race for the playoffs is on.
Washington Spirit and Boston Breakers play to a DRAW.
Washington clowned Sky Blue last weekend. Orlando clowned Washington on Tuesday. Boston is rested but they’re still Boston. I still think Boston can jack up one of the teams hoping to get into the playoffs, but this weekend it’s going to be a meh match between these two.
Sky Blue FC and Orlando Pride play to a DRAW.
I think should there be a winner and a loser in this, yet I struggle to think which team could get the full 3 points. Orlando has momentum after taking care of Washington. At the same time, Sky Blue got humiliated by Washington last weekend and wants get that out of their system. If anyone does lose, their campaign is close to over, so there might be a lot of fear about getting that L and falling out of contention. So I’m going to be lame and say it will be a draw, with both teams taking the point and struggling on to the next battle.
Chicago Red Stars OVER Portland Thorns.
One Chicago player who wore the number 23 made mincemeat pie out of a Portland team so many years ago. I think the current Chicago player wearing the number 23 will do much the same this time.
Houston Dash and FC Kansas City play to a DRAW.
This is a game that the Dash should win because KC is bad and can’t score to save themselves, yet they’ll somehow hang with Houston and the Dash will rue not getting the full points.
Seattle Reign FC OVER North Carolina Courage.
It won’t be a fireworks spectacle like the last Reign FC home match, but they’ll get the points to keep their playoff hopes alive. Memorial is still a fortress. It’s the road games that will make or break Seattle’s season.
As I write this, the Pacific Northwest is in the middle of a crazy heat wave. It’s hot in the room I am typing this and my brain has melted.
NWSL ALL-STAR GAME? SURE WHY NOT I just finished watching the 2017 MLS All-Star Game in which the league’s best players took on Real Madrid – maybe you’ve heard of that upstart team from Spain. Yes, the game had the significance of navel lint and I’m sure I could have spent the time better continuing watching GLOW or something. However, it did give thought to maybe someday the NWSL could have an All-Star Game.
I recall asking Megan Rapinoe about the idea for the league to have one after the Reign picked up the win in a bonkers, nine-goal game against Sky Blue FC before the league went on international break. She said she’d like the league to have it and yeah, who wouldn’t? Of course, entertaining the idea of an All-Star Game is a really, REALLY long ways away. There are so many other things the league needs to do in terms of ensuring sustainability, we know this. But let’s say in the distant future, if/when the conditions are met, how could a NWSL All-Star Game look like?
There have been some suggestions that it could be the best of the NWSL taking on a women’s club team from Europe, much like the format the MLS has. It’s not a bad idea. Another suggestion is NWSL East versus NWSL West. Again, not a bad idea. I’m sure what I’m about to say is not an original idea as I’m sure it’s been proposed on Twitter or (shudders) the black hole of WoSo fandom, Tumblr, but what about one team made up of NWSL players from the United States, Canada, and Mexico versus NWSL players from the rest of the world. Being that the league started off with the federations of Canada, Mexico, and the United States – there’s enough talent there to field a starting eleven with adequate subs. Then with the NWSL Internationals, I think we can safely assume that by the time anything All-Star Game related is actually materialized, the league will have grown and be sustainable enough that there are just as many international players in the league as there are from North America. Schedule it around a mid-season FIFA break and in addition to the game, you can have NWSL Skills competition like a free kick competition, have fans vote for say team captains or the final roster spots for each team, and make it a day or weekend of festivities. It could work, right?
So, NWSL North America versus NWSL International. Thoughts?
WEEK 15 PREDICTIONS I’m glad the break is over and the league resumes. Here are this weekend’s predictions.
Boston Breakers OVER FC Kansas City. I don’t know if the break has given Vlatko Andonovski the time to come up with something new so the ball gets to Sydney Leroux or Shea Groom and they’re actually putting shots on target. That’s Kansas City’s problem and I have my doubts they can find the trick. I said before that Boston is going to be a problem for some teams as the push for the playoffs heats up and I think a win here starts that momentum that enables them to look at the playoff contenders with bad intentions.
Sky Blue FC OVER Washington Spirit. Sky Blue will look to avenge that bonkers game against Seattle before the break, and they will take it out on Washington.
Portland Thorns FC and Houston Dash play to a DRAW. I have no idea if moving the kick-off time will play an advantage to either side. The extreme heat that’s blanketing the Pacific Northwest is going to result in a game where everyone moves like wet sponges.
North Carolina Courage OVER Seattle Reign FC. I’d like to be proven wrong in that Seattle will pick up a major win on the road with this one given North Carolina will have the make-up game against FC Kansas City after this before they travel to Seattle for the return leg of this series the following weekend. That said, the side that’s hosting does not lose in this league. Also, who knows if this one will kick-off on time.
Chicago Red Stars OVER Orlando Pride. Last time I said Chicago Red Stars would do good and win, Christen Press claimed a brace. So clearly she saw my predictions and went, “I like the cut of this guy’s jib.” Red Stars keep their hold at the top of the table.
This weekend, Seattle and Sky Blue played one of the craziest games in the history of the league.
I was lucky enough to see it in person, from high above the Memorial Stadium pitch, perched with the seagulls. And when I arrived, my plan was to write a normal tactical column.
Sky Blue had announced a three-back setup, and I was curious to see if that stuck. Would this be their normal 3.5/4.5 approach that they have used before, with O’Hara ranging all up and down the right side? Would it be a true back three? Something else?
And for the first half, that column still made sense. And we will be turning to that tactical conversation in a moment. But ultimately, it felt pointless to fixate in too much detail on the particularities of positional arrangement, when the true story of the game was its emotional arc and the absolute chaos that ensued in that half-hour of madness. So before talking O’Hara and Sky Blue’s hybrid system, we should take a moment to think about momentum.
The power of momentum
In the space of just thirty minutes in the second half, seven goals were scored. By the 60th minute, Seattle was off to the races, with a 4-0 lead and no end in sight. And yet, even then, things didn’t feel secure.
Still 30 minutes left. Honest to god, Sky Blue could still pull this one back. Or lose 7-2. Anything is possible #SEAvNJ
Seattle’s coach, Laura Harvey, commented post game that she still felt nervous, knowing how explosive this Sky Blue team is, knowing how easily the momentum could shift. And that worry was prescient. Because in the 60th minute, Merritt Mathias conceded a penalty on a pointless foul right at the edge of the box (or possibly, even, just outside the box). Kelley O’Hara stepped up to convert, and the whole game turned on a dime.
Both Harvey and Christy Holly, the Sky Blue coach, called attention to this change in the tide, though neither seemed to think that it resulted from any cataclysmic shift in the style of play. So there is a lot to unpack here. Did the game open up during this period? Did the teams change their game plans? What, exactly, happened here?
The simplest answer is that the game overtook the players. Adrenaline rushed, the pace of play quickened, the blood began pounding, and the relentless drive to score took over. Meanwhile, the defensive structure became frayed, passes started to go askew, lines broke down.
And there’s a lot of truth to that. As I said above, trying to analyze this game from a tactical perspective feels a bit beside the point. At the same time, the basic structure of the game didn’t change all that much.
Sky Blue made some substitutions and slightly re-arranged their shape, dropping Killion into the back line, bringing on some more wide attackers, and giving O’Hara even more freedom to wander at will. But more than anything, what changed was the sense of belief.
The defining characteristic of the New Jersey side this year has been their deep faith. No matter what, they believe that the game remains winnable. They don’t stop working; they fight and scrabble and push. Meanwhile, Seattle seems to be a team that blows a bit more with the wind. When things are going well, they look great. But when the high begins to wear off, they look discombobulated.
You saw some of this even in their two blowouts earlier in the season (against Houston and Washington). In both of those games they were rampant for long periods, but once the game was beyond reach, they lost the plot. Neither Houston nor Washington had enough time to make a game of it, but the trouble signs were there nonetheless.
This time, though, they were playing Sky Blue, and there was still half an hour left. That turned out to be more than enough time for the lack of attention and sloppiness to completely change the course of the game. Once the momentum turned, their gyroscope was unbalanced and all hell broke loose.
What on earth is the Seattle defense doing here?
Now, to be clear, it’s not that Seattle looked terrible for the entire period. It’s just that they seemed to switch off in key moments. A Sky Blue team that had been pressing for chances all game, and making a good show of it, suddenly found that extra bit of space that they needed. And they capitalized.
In the end, the game had four distinct phases. In the first half, things were fairly even, with both sides playing the game they expected to play. The first 15 minutes of the second half featured a rampant Seattle time, full of confidence, creating opportunities and finishing their chances. Then, things turned and the next 15 minutes put Seattle on the back heel, with a Sky Blue team that seemed absolutely certain they were en route to a famous victory.
Then, to Seattle’s credit, once the lead was gone, they seemed to right the ship and set out to find the ultimate winner. They had been flailing while trying to hold onto a lead that slipped through their fingers like sand. But seemingly, the actual realization that the lead was gone allowed them to reset their approach, and return to playing their game.
That’s notable, and something that Seattle can certainly take from the game. But they certainly must also be worrying about the lack of attention and structure that allowed things to go off the rails so quickly.
3-5-2? 4-4-2? How about a 4-5-3?
As noted, Sky Blue announced their setup as a back three. And at times, they did play that way. But at other times, they were quite clearly in a standard 4-4-2. So what was it?
The key here is O’Hara, who plays as something of a hybrid. In attack, she presses very high, looking for all the world like an attacking wingback. When she does, the other three defenders spread out to split the field into thirds. And when Seattle broke in transition, they were breaking against a back three.
But when Sky Blue has time to reset their defense, O’Hara drops back and the other members of the backline settle back into a back four.
This isn’t a new setup by any means, though it was arguably more pronounced this week than it has been before. That largely seems to have been due to the limitations of personnel. Clearly concerned about the Seattle attack, Coach Holly chose to use Nikki Stanton as the left back/left CB, and asked her to stay home.
Ultimately, the terminology here doesn’t matter as much as the actual style of play. You can say that it’s a 4-4-2 with one attacking fullback and one defensive fullback. Or you can say it’s a fluid blend of two approaches.
From my perspective, it’s almost tempting to call it a 4-5-3 since, when working well, they manage to get all the value of O’Hara the fullback combined with all the value of O’Hara the winger.
It certainly asks a tremendous amount of her, and her energy in this position is a huge part of what allowed Sky Blue back into the game. It’s a huge advantage, and O’Hara’s attacking chops have been deadly in each of the past three big comeback games for Sky Blue.
At the same time, there are risks to this approach. Managing a back three can be difficult, particularly in transition against a fast team. And Seattle’s fluid attacking corps is particularly tough to handle, as I wrote about last week. A back three is usually well suited to handling a traditional frontline with two forwards but can run into problems when the opposition can rapidly switch between one and three strikers.
We saw some evidence of those difficulties in this game, particularly with Stanton on the left. When they were playing in a back three, she tended to push too narrow at times, leaving acres of space for Seattle’s right side attackers to move through. She also had some difficulty tracking the complicated movements of Naho Kawasumi (a difficult task for anyone, but particularly for a converted midfielder playing in a fluid system).
However, on the whole, the system worked successfully. It played somewhat defensively in most cases, with its main effect compared to a normal 4-4-2 being to put all of the attacking responsibilities on the shoulders of one attacking fullback. That was a useful tradeoff, on the whole, because the one attacking fullback was O’Hara, and she made the most of those chances.
Conclusion
As I noted at the start, it’s hard to draw too many conclusions from such a singular and strange game. But even though Seattle came away with the three points, it’s probably Sky Blue who can take the more positive lessons. Their ability to fight back under extreme conditions was proven once more. The team spirit was further clarified. And the usefulness of their overall team structure was confirmed.
Going forward, they will need to clamp down on the defensive profligacy earlier in matches. They are spending a huge amount of energy—both physical and emotional—on these rousing comebacks, and that could be a real problem as the dog days of summer set in. In the end, that may consign them to a strong mid-table finish rather than the playoffs that they have been hoping for.
But there is one thing that we can now state with absolute confidence: writing off this Sky Blue team even one second before they are mathematically eliminated would be a huge mistake.
The Curse of California – RJ Allen interviewed Raquel Rodriguez. She talked about her time with Sky Blue, the Costa Rica National Team, plus much more.
We have arrived at week 14 of the NWSL and the last week of matches before a break for the USWNT Tournament of Nations with Japan, Australia, and Brazil all participating. Let’s dive into some previews.
Game 1: Chicago Red Stars vs. Orlando Pride
Chicago Red Stars record: 7-3-4
Position: 2nd
Total Points: 25
Orlando Pride record: 5-5-4
Position: 6th
Total Points: 19
The Red Stars are finally playing a game at home after coming off a last-minute draw against Sky Blue last week. They will be looking to shut down the Pride attack that came alive last week against FCKC. Chicago, for all of its efforts, is still struggling to finish their chances as well even with the play of Christen Press and Sofia Huerta this season. If Chicago can keep stringing passes together and start to make something of their chances, Orlando may be in trouble.
Orlando is coming into this game hoping for a much-needed, big win on the road against Chicago. The attack came alive last week, with four different players scoring the four goals. However, Orlando’s biggest problem all season has been staying consistent. If they can stay consistent, bring numbers forward, and make sure their chances are being finished, we should see a very good game. Their biggest threat from Chicago will be two-fold. One, figuring out a way to slip past the Chicago defense, who don’t leave much room for breakaways. Two, making sure, again, the attack is not stifled and making scoring opportunities happen.
Game 2: FC Kansas City vs. North Carolina Courage
FC Kansas City record: 3-7-4
Position: 9th
Total Points: 13
North Carolina Courage record: 9-5-0
Position: 1st
Total Points: 27
FCKC is struggling this season. There is unfortunately just no other way to say that. They have a lot of talent but are missing a few very key players whose voids have not been filled. For all of the struggles, the team has remained positive but the mental game has been quite strong. Sydney Leroux is still not being used in ways that best suit her game, which is a big part of why they may be floundering on that front. They will have their hands full this week against a very tough Courage attack. The biggest test at home will be if their defense is up to the task.
North Carolina is coming into the week still at number one. Will anyone knock them off of the pedestal? Even though they are playing FCKC this week, the parity of this league has reared its head on more than one occasion this season, so anything can happen. They will be best suited to continue their strong wave of attack, making sure to keep up the pressure against FCKC’s backline, and challenge Nicole Barnhart as much as possible.
Game 3: Houston Dash vs. Boston Breakers
Houston Dash record: 5-7-2
Position: 7th
Total Points: 17
Boston Breakers record: 3-6-5
Position: 8th
Total Points: 14
The Dash are coming in on a streak and I think it’s sufficient to say that the presence of Carli Lloyd and their renewed faith in their play have both contributed to that. I am of the belief that interim Head Coach Omar Morales does not have a whole lot to do with that, but rather playing a consistent starting line-up has helped a lot. This week against a Breakers side–who are also stringing a few more things together–the Dash will need to remain consistent. This will include preventing silly giveaways but also making sure the defense is on point.
The Breakers are looking to tally a few more positive results together to get themselves on a run too. With Houston, their thing will be to find a way to score. Sounds easy enough, but Boston is having trouble making that happen, especially since Rose Lavelle went out. The Breakers will have their hands full with Carli Lloyd back in the mix but will also have Allysha Chapman back from suspension as well, who has been an asset for them this season.
Game 4: Seattle Reign vs. Sky Blue FC
Seattle Reign record: 5-3-6
Position: 5th
Total Points: 21
Sky Blue FC record: 7-6-2
Position: 3rd
Total Points: 23
Seattle has been one of the bigger head scratchers of this season for me, points and playing wise. One week, they seem to be on a tear, and then the next, they weaknesses predicted at the beginning of the season rear their ugly head. My co-worker, Charles Olney wrote a great piece about this struggle this week. Facing a Sky Blue team with Sam Kerr in the form she is in, is no easy feat. Their job is to find a way to contain Kerr and not let her produce some late match magic. Megan Rapinoe also had a quiet game last week and with Jess Fishlock out for the foreseeable future, there is even more pressure for her to be on her game.
Sky Blue is the team of late-match magic this season. They have been inconsistent in stretches and then seem to come back at the very last-minute and put games away. Their defense without Mandy Freeman and some other key players has been struggling a lot this season and if Seattle can capitalize on that, they will be in trouble. While Sky Blue has many different pieces, without Sam Kerr, I believe we would be looking at a much different team right now as she has been the one to usually save the game in the end.
Game 5: Portland Thorns vs. Washington Spirit
Portland Thorns record: 6-4-4
Position: 4th
Total Points: 22
Washington Spirit record: 3-7-3
Position: 10th
Total Points: 12
Portland, while pulling out a big win against the table leaders last week at home, still seem to be having trouble just figuring out what it is they want to do as a team. Chemistry on a team that has not seen a lot of turnover plus lack of play from some big names is a bit concerning. Christine Sinclair, for all of her international prowess, has been almost non-existent for the team and Adrianna Franch’s distribution issues and weaknesses are starting to be brought more into the light. But somehow, for the most part, they keep etching out wins. They may not have too much trouble this week against a struggling Spirit side, but ultimately, it may be their own lack of chemistry and togetherness that sees the Spirit potentially pull one out on the road.
The Spirit are at the bottom of the table, seemingly struggling from injuries but also from the predicted outcomes from the beginning of the season. They have some of the pieces capable of turning it around but with Franny Ordega out, their attack has taken another big hit. The Spirit are in desperate need of a turnaround and I am not sure on the road against Portland will do them any favors in that regard. However, if they can just keep their head down and high pressure up against a Portland side that is also struggling with consistency, they might have a chance. Ultimately, the Spirit will need a big game from Mal Pugh and will rely on consistency from core players, Estelle Johnson in the back, Steph Labbé in-goal, and Tori Huster in the midfield.
The Scouting Report:
We went live on Monday night with our weekly TSR. A reminder that you can catch TSR live every Monday night at 8pm EST on our YouTube channel. Make sure to follow the podcast on Twitter @ScoutingPodcast.
In case you missed this week’s episode, catch up here:
I am going to miss Christy Holly. He was a sharp-dressed man and built something good with Sky Blue FC and I think was on the cusp of something great with them.
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