CHICAGO RED STARS OUT: Casey Short (right ankle sprain), Vanessa DiBernardo (stress fracture pelvis), Julie Ertz (right knee sprain), Yuki Nagasato (left hamstring strain), Rosie White (right and left navicular fracture) QUESTIONABLE: None INTERNATIONAL DUTY: Sam Kerr (AUS) HOUSTON DASH OUT: Kyah Simon (right hamstring injury – D45), Thembi Kgatlana (excused absence) QUESTIONABLE: None INTERNATIONAL DUTY: None NORTH CAROLINA COURAGE OUT: Makenzy Doniak (left knee ACL tear – SEI); Liz Eddy (right hamstring strain); Samantha Mewis (right knee strain); Yuri Kawamura (right knee ACL repair – D45); Julie King (left ankle repair) QUESTIONABLE: Abby Erceg (left hip strain) INTERNATIONAL DUTY: None ORLANDO PRIDE OUT: Camila (right torn ACL and MCL sprain – D45) QUESTIONABLE: None INTERNATIONAL DUTY: Alanna Kennedy (AUS), Emily van Egmond (AUS) PORTLAND THORNS FC OUT: Tobin Heath (right minor ankle surgery), Emily Menges (right lower leg stress reaction) QUESTIONABLE: None INTERNATIONAL DUTY: Ellie Carpenter (AUS), Hayley Raso (AUS) SEATTLE REIGN FC OUT: Yael Averbuch (illness), Kristen McNabb (right knee sprain), Kiersten Dallstream (right hamstring strain QUESTIONABLE: None INTERNATIONAL DUTY: Steph Catley (AUS), Lydia Williams (AUS) UTAH ROYALS FC OUT: Alex Arlitt (left knee strain – D45), Mandy Laddish (right hip contusion – D45), Amy Rodriguez (right knee – D45) QUESTIONABLE: None INTERNATIONAL DUTY: Katrina Gorry (AUS) WASHINGTON SPIRIT OUT: Cali Farquharson (left tibial stress injury), Rose Lavelle (left hamstring strain), Cheyna Matthews (pregnancy), Arielle Ship (right ACL recovery – D45) QUESTIONABLE: None INTERNATIONAL DUTY: None
Ouch, I now notice that I maybe should have taken account of Chicago injury list in my predictions for this match-day! On the other hand I guess Red Stars could manage to win in Houston anyway.
Please, tell me I am just day-dreaming... You know, I am old-timer, there is nothing I can do about it, so last season substitute GK Katelyn Rowland was already rubbing me the wrong way by wearing such odd-numbers as #0 or #00, maybe once even #100. Now, she's listed on the line-up of this first game on NWSL's website as #1000!!! It won't even fit the jersey, it's ridiculous, please, just no!!! Edit: apparently the number was just changed to #99. But I swear a few minutes ago it was #1000! I should have made a screen-capture, no-one will believe me. Anyway, i am relieved that such lunacy as #1000 was apparently just a mistake.
Aly Wagner and the other guy are talking and asking each other if the game will be as "physical" as the title match some months ago at the end of 2017 season (we all remember seing some players limp out of the pitch). I am sorry but I can't help wondering if Mathias is ready to pull some hair in her new team also! I know, I know... Couldn't help!
Who ever decided to move the mic down to the supporter group deserve a beer (or hot chocolate given the weather)
10' 0-0 Mathias pokes ball loose up right touch, chases it, just beats Hubly(!) to a 50-50 ... collides chest-to-chest to her, wins that bounces off as Hubly goes down. No call either way. Ball leaks out for a right throw-in?
Well, the two teams are indeed quite "physical": it was just about time the ref remembered he had a YC in his pocket. Probably there could have been more appropriate circumstances for that, but anyway at least one YC after this first 30' was needed. It was for Sonnett, and in fact it wasn't the first time she was chasing Debinha all over the pitch, alternating "clean" tackles and "not so clean" ones. And now, in a couple of minutes, another YC for Horan, who fouled Zerboni (it must be said though that about 10-15' ago Zerboni had got away with a quite "robust" challenge on Horan that hadn't been punished).
Franch's one-hand save on McDonald's diving header looked outstanding to me. I keep wondering why Franch is never considered for USWNT GK position.
0-0 at HT. NC Courage had a clear dominance and some chances, but the score isn't anyway unfair. They have to do something more if they want to break the Thorns.
HT 0-0. Up and down, and many attempted magical-touches through heavy traffic were dispelled ... or countered i.e. one touch too many, too many times
Game is very scrappy and physical right now so it's hard for any team to establish a rhythm. All things considered including 2 yellow cards, Portland should feel happy right now that this game is 0-0 at the half.
The exception to the view that a 0-0 game is not interesting. NC has wasted too many chances. Portland is really under fire, missing too many good players. I've been impressed with Sonnet -- and I've not generally been impressed with her The much maligned Mathias (how's that for poetry?) always ends up in the starting lineup at one of several positions for several different teams. Dunn looks good in her free-form roaming around the field. Watch out for Debinha. She's a real 10.
Mathias is great until that moment when she gives up a PK in a crucial game or can't cross the ball in open field. That being said I think she'll do great in NC as she fits the Riley continuous pressing style.