The Washington Spirit

I think the cold has been sapping the energy out of the players.

I know my fingers are near fallling off...

 

DC player warming up on the sideline....
68' UMD sub

68' GOAL UMD. Same player as before, beat the defender, then this time beat the keeper too.

 

69' DC#10 streaks forward dodging defenders, but shoots wide

70' shot UMD, caught in a dive by Spirit keeper

71' Sub Spirit, #9 for #13?
71' goal kick UMD

 

72' UMD #4 NOT called offside but whiffs the kick, light ball easily recovered

 

73' Spirit #5 gives a great cross from the right; goes over intended receiver, though (dang, she's short!)

Ball staying mostly in UMD's half for now

 

76' Spirit#2 takes a shot; low and wide

 

77' SOG by DC, caught by keeper

Alright, I gotta leave now if I want to catch my bus home. I will have more discussion when I get there.

 

Catch the next bus!!!!!!!

 

Alright, as I was leaving I saw Maryland make two subs, followed by the Spirit getting two chances and blowing both - the first one being particularly bad as #10 was open in the box with a cross lobbing in from behind left; instead of making the header that would have easily gone in, she just kinda flopped. =-/

Seeing on Twitter at the moment that no more goals were scored after I left (though I heard the crowd for a while after actually leaving the stadium, it sounded like UMD had several great chances). So UMD 2-0 DC FT.

This is rather embarrassing for the Spirit...
Other NWSL teams are 10-0 (3PPG) versus NCAA teams, scoring 45 goals (4.5/game) while only conceding 4 (0.4/game).
The Spirit is 2-1-1 (1.75PPG) versus NCAA teams, scoring three times (0.75/game) while conceding two (0.5/game).
So I guess the defense isn't bad, but the offense is INCREDIBLY anemic. This game did not encourage me as to the potential for the Spirit for the season. It really did look like UMD was playing another college team out there. Which, considering all the allocated players were away and DC's other players don't have an incredible amount of professional experience.... But STILL! YIKES!

 

I'm just not sure where the firepower upfront is going to come from this season...Yes the defense will be fortified with the return of the national/internationals but I'm serisously doubting our offensive capabilities at this point as well....thanks Siberianthunder for your updates!

 

First goal by UMD was played in from the right side, 3 WS players just ball watching, center-back did the right thing by heading the perfect pass but just bad luck it went in.
Second goal by UMD, off a goal throw....WS goalie rolled the ball out to left center-back who misplayed it, the UMD forward scooped up the mess, drove in and scored. Is this little strikers?

3 problems keep coming up:
1. Inconsistent scoring skills from the buildup to finishing.
2. Midfield is tooooo slow on offense and defense. They consistently put the defense in constant jeopardy.
3. To Timid! This is Professional Soccer. Knock someone off the ball, slide tackle someone, get stuck into your opponent. Get Aggressive!

Did UMD deserve to win....probably.....mistakes by WS and better finishing by UMD.
Will WS be the same team in another week.....probably not!
Will WS woes continue......probably.... as long as WS continue to have a Happy-go-Lucky attitude.

 

Jasmyne Spencer. Literally joined the team at the pregame meal.

Also a Maryland alum, which no one in the stands seemed to realize. (To be fair, no one was announcing names, and it's tough to recognize players from afar. The track at Ludwig Field keeps the fans a considerable distance from the field, and the lighting isn't great.)

Probably better to have Ochs on the other end of those crosses.

Yeah, that was a nasty giveaway. Other MD chances were largely the result of the outside backs pressing forward -- the Terps fed on the counter all night. But that goal? Ouch.

 

5 goals- in one half nonetheless..... I mean that's embarrassing come on

 

I can't help but think ahead to 2014 for Washington.
2013 doesn't look like it is gonna be a banner year for the Spirit.
If Washington does get the #1 pick in the 2014 draft, then they should draft Crystal Dunn.
Getting a healthier Jordan Angeli is also important in 2014.
Maybe Tasha Kai will be there and in a prominent role.
McCarty, Miller, and Ochs, will all be more experienced by then.
Maybe Lori Lindsey will be taken off the 24-player subsidized list.
Washington then signs Lindsey as a free agent (instead of an allocated player to Washington), and then the Spirit get a new allocated player (such as Meghan Klingenberg or Yael Averbuch) in 2014.

Adding these kind of players, and getting their current young talent more experience, plus a healthy and present Angeli and/or Kai could do wonders to this team. Plus Candace Chapman will be back to 100% by then. But Crystal Dunn and a new allocated player like Klingenberg or Averbuch, could be the difference.

Washington needs to keep their head up.
2013 might not look like a championship year, but Spirit fans need to enjoy that there is a league, enjoy the pride of the sport this year, and enjoy a "building process" over the next 12 months, as they build toward a better tomorrow for on-the-field success.

 

It will be interesting to see what they do for players that fall out of the player pool. The Spirit badly NEED an allocated forward.

 

Christen Press would be a major shot in the arm.
Amy Rodriguez would even be an upgrade over Lori Lindsey as an allocated player to Washington, but then I think Washington would still sign Lindsey to a Tier-1 quality free agency deal (at least $20,000 per season).

Jonelle Filigno, if she's a subsidized player from Canada in 2014, would also do.
She has lots of quality (maybe not quantity) international experience for such a young player.

But if Washington gets the #1 overall pick, they should get Dunn over Ohai or Johnston.
They could use Dunn. Ohai just becomes even more glut of "youth" forwards without senior national team experience up top for Washington. Dunn at least is a freak player (freak as in talented). She could eventually become a Top 10 overall player in this league within 2-3 years.

 

does A-Rod live on the West Coast? I can't see her putting a club in the East as a choice with a newborn. Two teams in the West in 2014? I'm guessing Press stays in California, esp is Pali or the Strikers is apart of the group, since either will try to grab her, if she leaves Sweden. Who in the world outside of Krieger comes from that region, who can play forward and is prominent?

 

I don't know that they desperately need an experienced forward. They scored three against UVA with limited service from the midfield. McCarty, who didn't play against Maryland, tore up UNC and UVA. And they're still missing Colleen Williams.

The midfield will be a bit better when Matheson returns.

We'll see how things go.

All that said, if the scoring suffers, I don't know where they turn. They'd probably have to trade -- which in a league like this, with players residing with host families, could be tricky.

 

I don't know what you would expect out of Dunn honestly, she isn't that piece that is key for a team. She fits best as an outside back and if you have a top pick in a draft, its best to draft those players that make the spine of your formation. Centerback, Midfielder or forward. A championship team must have a strong spine if they plan on competing against top teams. Washington has the forwards in McCarty, Miller and Ochs, they need help at midfield. On paper their defense might be fine, most of them have not played yet because they are on national duty. So we will have to see, but their midfield looks like they could use more help. I've noticed that Stephanie Ochs frequently drops to the midfield to help facilitate ball movement. That is nice to see, but also a sign that the midfield could have problems linking up with the forwards.

Diana Matheson might help the midfield, she has the never die attitude, but will she be that answer to what is ailing the Spirits, I think for me the midfield is a big weakness for them currently. We'll see how it all pans out when the national players return.

 

actually, wps is correct. in most sports, you take the best available athlete on the board. u20 and north carolina won a championship on goals created by dunn coming up the line. she can defend, but she can come up the line and motor pass any defensive mid-fielder or backline and get the ball to a player like ohai, who just needs to keep the ball on frame. i'd grab dunn @ #1 in a minute. she's a little freak (in a sports way).

 

Yeah, and if Dunn continues to progress, she's got the ability to be a Top 10-15 overall player in this league within a couple of years. You take her over Ohai, Hayes, Johnston.

 

You would take Dunn over a midfielder that might help the Spirit out more? Crystal Dunn is a great player, Kealai Ohai is going to be a superstar forward. So either pick would look good, but looking over the streams I watched of the Spirit matches. They had a very hard time building up through the midfield, even more problems scoring because of it. Against the other teams in the NWSL they will be dominated possession wise if they play like we witnessed.

Is Dunn or Ohai going to solve this? No neither will, so if the Spirit do draft either Dunn or Ohai then they will get a great player. But their midfield is still going to be problematic.

The problem I see with the Spirit is what kind of style of football are they playing. Is it a possession style keep the ball until you set up scoring chances? Will it be more of a physical high pressure longballing attack where they stretch the backline and get crosses in? Or will they play more of a defensive style game with their backline pulled back close to their 18yard line and counter attack whenever they get a turnover?

Neither of these styles were evident watching their games on their feeds. Really hard to say considering I have no idea if they plan on using Ingrid Wells as a holding midfielder. She doesn't seem to be filling that roll. Which probably means the Spirit won't be using a holding midfielder. Not all formations require a holding midfielder, the US national team didn't use one under Pia Sunhauge. They used 2 attacking mids and 2 defensive mids. But right now the Spirit do not seem to have a clear identity. Will they defend and counterattack? Will they hold on the ball and make quick passes? Will they push their outside backs forward and pressure the backline by overloading one side with players? Its really hard to say what kind of style of football the Spirit will play.

 

Dunn plays defense for the national team but was recruited by UNC to play midfield. She has played outside back, center back, outside mid, forward and center mid for UNC - that is what makes Dunn so unique. There have been games when UNC starts her on defense, moves her up top to score and then drop her back to hold a lead all in the same game. However, healthy defenders at UNC next year will allow her to play center mid or outside mid all year during her last season. I would take at #1 because as her coacher referred to her "she is a problem solver". But if I drafted her, I would put her at outside mid and not on defense.

 

Ohai will be lucky, if she can get a backup mid-field spot on the national team. dunn will be the second coming of rampone by 2015. you only hold her back a bit, because kreiger gives you experience and stability, and Dunn needs to learn how to control that killer pace, which bit her in the Germany game, when she completely over-ran a play which resulted in a goal.

Now, ohai may do ok in the nwsl, but ohai has a winning goal in the NC championship and U20WC because Dunn got up the line and completely broke down the defense. It wasn't like Ohai created those opportunities.

You guys try to turn all of these ladies into superstars.

Dunn is the stud coming out of the college ranks in the next 2 years, not Ohai, Johnstons, Hayes or even Mewis.