Week 2️⃣2️⃣ is a go. pic.twitter.com/jTqtOKhcpJ— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 21, 2018
[SEA-HOU] 4-3-3 for 4-2-3-1; Rapinoe for Kawasumi (and Spencer => RF); McNabb for Long; Catley for Westphal. Available substitutes tonight are Addo, Betos, Johnson, Kawasumi, Kleiner, Leon, and Westphal pic.twitter.com/RrdWYXjk6m— Seattle Reign FC (@reignfc) August 22, 2018 Van Wyk for Polkinghorne. Our starting XI for tonight: Campbell; Comeau, Brooks, Van Wyk, Chapman; Motlhalo, Huerta; Hanson, Daly, Ohai; Latsko#SEAvHOU pic.twitter.com/1RRqSX4sQD— Houston Dash (@HoustonDash) August 22, 2018 Seattle: Rapinoe (starting), Utsugi / OUT Long Yanez / SEI Averbuch Dallstream Houston: Q Polkinghorne / OUT Henninger Shim / SEI K.Mewis AirNow.gov says Seattle-Bellevue-Kent have an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading for 2.5µ particles (sooty haze from fires) of 180 = unhealthy for everybody. NWSL has mandated two hydration/throat-clearing breaks per half, at 15', 30', 60', and 75'. Some fans in Memorial Stadium are wearing the masks.
07' 0-0 Rapinoe cuts centerward to 24m mid-left, rolls a pass to Fishlock through 23m right post. Fishlock touches past Hanson, shoots across mouth past Campbell diving, off left post, bounces back across mouth and cleared away. Off The Post!#SEAvHOU | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/XLI3aHnpfw— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 22, 2018
26' 0-0 Seattle have pinned Houston deep in their own 1/3. Rapinoe dribbles to arc top mid-left, quick ground pass to J.Taylor at box top mid-left. Van Wyk slide-pokes but Taylor keeps ball, rolls a short pass down mid-left for Rapinoe continuing her run. Rapinoe goes to 3m mid-left, drives a low cross past Campbell through 2m, nobody there to touch it. 27' 0-0 Seattle cross from the right to ~9m left post, Rapinoe runs on and turns a header too wide right. 28' 0-0 Oyster fouls Daly down at midfield. Foul, yellow card on Oyster. 29' 0-0 Daly limps into touch, gets her right ankle (re-)taped.
30' 0-0 Oyster dribbles to arc top mid-right, rolls a pass down box right to Nielsen overlapping to 8m. One-touch cross to 7m right post, J.Taylor stoop-heads across mouth, bounces it just wide left low. Just wide.#SEAvHOU | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/MtFpf1ryp4— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 22, 2018 31' 0-0 1h 2nd oxygenation break.
35' 0-0 Daly returns. 36' 0-0 Fishlock wrests ball from Hanson in own 1/3, sprints hard and pulls away from her through midfield arc left, Seattle has a 3-v-3. Fishlock threads a long ground pass toward arc top mid-left, Van Wyke slides and misses, Rapinoe collects and touches to 1m mid-left. Ground pass through 5m 1/4 right, J.Taylor is almost there and juuust misses a poke-touch into the completely empty net. Fishlock & Rapinoe connect, but Taylor just misses getting on the end of the final pass.#SEAvHOU | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/ECHWb2mXTM— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 22, 2018
41' 0-0 Rapinoe turns inside to arc top box right, bends a cross toward 9m center. Ball drops just over Van Wyk's head jumping, Fishlock stoops for a flick back-header but misses. Ball bounces toward right post, Spencer hop-lunges and just misses a touch, ball bounces just wide right. That kind of night so far 45' 0-0 Rapinoe fk at 29m right post, right instep bend over wall to right 90 (about 1 diameter below it, actually), Campbell flies across and blocks it wide. +5'. Rapinoe with a strong free kick, but Campbell is there to push it aside!#SEAvHOU | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/ywT5FRw1aE— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 22, 2018 45+1' (of +5') 0-0 Houston ground cross from 3m wide right, Barnes bobbles it but clears. Huerta crosses high from 25m wide right, Ld.Williams catches high. HT 0-0.
51' 0-0 Houston turnover, Rapinoe turns and dribbles to arc top mid-left, shoots right foot to left post 1/2 high, Campbell dives and blocks it wide left and over. Campbell pushes another Rapinoe shot away.#SEAvHOU | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/EC0vFxhnAk— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 22, 2018 53' 0-0 Rapinoe passes square right to Fishlock, she shoots from arc top to 1/3 right, Cambell dives and blocks it wide right. Campbell again! 🙅♀️#SEAvHOU | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/dfeOqrGWns— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 22, 2018
58' 1-0 McNabb dribbles from circle back to circle right -- and RB Nielsen starts her own run up wide right, attacking behind Ohai's turned back as Ohai watches McNabb. McNabb passes to Spencer at circle top mid-right, Spencer touches inside and faces off vs. LB Chapman (who is that high up), Nielsen flies past Ohai's back through 32m, into the void behind Chapman. Spencer passes down box right, Nielsen has a 4m lead on Ohai to 7m box right -- nobody has J.Taylor trailing through arc right, almost exactly halfway between Brooks and Van Wyk. Nielsen crosses to 6m 1-right, J.Taylor veers to it better, sneaks a foot ahead of Van Wyk and half-volleys up across mouth into back left high, with Campbell stranded at right post. .@ReignFC take a 1-0 lead!#SEAvHOU | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/09k7J4UdvP— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 22, 2018 60' 1-0 Rapinoe juggles to self up left touch, sprints alone through box top right. Cross to 5m center for J.Taylor completely alone in box, Taylor lifts right knee and volleys into Campbell's chest, Houston clears.
61' 2-0 Rapinoe receives at circle top left, dribbles to 28m mid-left, snaps a fast ground pass to J.Taylor backshielding Van Wyk at 23m arc left. Taylor spins ccw and goes to 23m right post, opens lateral separation on Van Wyk chasing, faces up to goal and chips a perfect lob over Campbell stranded out at 5m, it sails well over her and drops in perfectly through right 90. Make that 2⃣ for @Jodes_14!#SEAvHOU | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/MLsBXOn5ZK— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 22, 2018
70' 2-0 Seattle subs in (1 of 3) #9 Nahomi Kawasumi for #15 Megan Rapinoe. 75' 2-0 Comeau(?) spins a cross from arc top wide right over spot. Ball bounces at Nielsen's foot, to Ohai's chest at 13m 8-left. Ohai settles ball, blasts right instep rising to 1/4 left high. Ld.Williams jump-blocks ball straight up, it drops and bounces at 3m 1/3 left. McNabb comes across and tries to scuff it over endline left, it goes off left post and bounces directly into Williams's gloves Nearly a goal for @HoustonDash, but Williams & the Post keep the clean sheet going for @ReignFC.#SEAvHOU | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/Dk3UrDFK2Y— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 22, 2018 78' 2-0 Houston subs in (1 of 3) #11 Thembi Kgatlana for #7 Kealia Ohai. 82' 2-0 Seattle subs in (2 of 3) #11 Elizabeth Addo for #22 Jasmyne Spencer. 86' 2-0 Seattle subs in (3 of 3) #21 Christen Westphal for #7 Stephanie Catley.
90' 2-0 Seattle maintain possession and play keep-away in Houston's 1/3. +6'. 90+2' (of +6') 2-0 Seattle right ck, taken short. Seattle backpasses, switches left. J.Taylor(?) passes to Fishlock cutting center-to-left through 10m left post, Chapman pushes her off ball and down. No call, that's not a foul in extra time of a 2-0 game 90+2' (of +6') 2-0 Houston subs in (2 of 3) #14 Nichelle Prince for #4 Allysha Chapman. 90+4' (of +6') 2-0 Motlhalo(?) crosses from 5m box right, ball drops over a screen and hits Huerta at 5m 1/5 right facing rightward -- so ball rebounds rightward, glances off Kgatlana at 6-right foot and deflects over. 90+5' (of +6') 2-0 Huerta touches unmarked through box top left to 14m mid-left, shoots a ground curler directly to Ld.Williams. FT 2-0. Seattle clinches the playoffs, and ties the NWSL record of 12 shutouts in a year. (Too many of those were 0-0 ) Houston's slim hopes get slimmer, but their long-term plan looks very promising.
Yes, Seattle didn't score enough this year, despite their 2nd place in the league. Now, I know I shouldn't criticize Jodie Taylor the day she scores a brace and leads the Reign into play-off, but I guess she actually should have scored at least 4, with the chances that were served to her by her team-mates. I am more and more disappointed by this player: it looks like the only things she's good at are soft lobs (half of her goals this season were made this way) and easy deflections from about 1 m from the goal-line (and she sometimes flubs even those! ). Well, I'd actually scratch them out from the play-off picture right now, but I agree that the way they finished their season look quite promising and Pauw mostly did a good job.
[WAS-UTA] 4-2-3-1 for 4-3-3; Eubanks for Ordega; Church for Dougherty Howard; Haricic for Bledsoe. Introducing tonight's Starting XI!#WASvUTA | 💻 https://t.co/9EndaJHBJt pic.twitter.com/ZK0U9Vv5q1— Washington Spirit (@WashSpirit) August 22, 2018 Lytle LF for Tymrak (and Rodriguez => RF); Stengel for LaBonta; Scott RM for Matheson (and Jónsdóttir => LM). Tonight's starting XI in Washington 💪Lineup Breakdown 🎧: https://t.co/q1lhKV1VNJ pic.twitter.com/Xzfra3DqfO— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) August 22, 2018 Washington: Q Ordega / OUT Banini Huster WYS / D45 Weimer / 9MO Matthews Utah: Q O’Hara / OUT nil / SEI Arlitt Doniak Laddish
12' 0-1 Stengel on the left plays Lytle past arc top wide left, ball triangulates back to Stengel. Stengel switches to Press loosely marked at box top right. Rodriguez lurks at 15m center, follows behind E.Johnson's turned back through spot. Press sees the same thing, bends a low cross around E.Johnson to 6m center, Rodriguez times her lunge and chests/abs ball to 2/5 right low. Haracic sprawls and blocks to 0.5m 1-right, Rodriguez follows and half-volleys right roundhouse off Haracic's left hand, up into right roof, and down into 1/4 right back low. Not quite enough defensive pressure by Washington anywhere in that sequence. A-Rod making it happen! @UtahRoyalsFC take the lead, 1–0.#WASvUTA | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/FD8sLWtyzK— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 22, 2018
38' 0-1 Lytle chips high from 35m wide left to 12m 2/5 right, ball drops just over E.Johnson's head. Rodriguez measures it better, swings left low roundhouse full volley across mouth toward 1/4 left, Haracic dives and blocks wide left. Haracic denies Rodriguez a second!#WASvUTA | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/pXOR7fhIkR— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 23, 2018 38' 0-1 Press crosses from ~25m wide right to box top center. Ball bounces off Quinn's chest, Rodriguez darts around her and touches to 10m 1/4 right, slide-pokes toward right post low, Haracic dives and pushes it just wide. HT 0-1. Utah looks sharp and desperate, and dominate the stats: WAS 01(0)-(6)14 shots(sog), 2-5 corners, 4-19 crosses, 0-3 offsides. Yellow card on Corsie at 17' for getting beat by Lavelle through circle center and blatantly hauling her down by the shoulders. Youthful skill is being no match for canny experience.
59' 0-1 Bowen left ck, ground pass to Lytle at box top left, pass back to Bowen at 7m wide left. Bowen one-touch cross to 6m left post, Jónsdóttir back-heads a bloop high dropping toward right 90, Haracic flies and pushes it wide right. Alas, Haracic must play lights-out because her team isn't stopping the other team. 👀 Haracic again!#WASvUTA | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/oQ5bH2z7eX— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 23, 2018 76' 0-1 Utah subs in (3 of 3) #5 Kelley O'Hara for #8 Amy Rodriguez.
Yes, #23 Gunnhildur Yrsa Jónsdóttir. It's a Viking thing. Iceland still traces lineage through patronymics (sometimes matronymics), not a persistent family name. We deduce that Gunnhildur's dad is named Jón, and thus her brothers all have the "last" name Jónsson. (In fact, her dad is Jón Saemundsson, so his father was Saemund. And so on.) To them, we do it the weird way
FT 0-1. Utah (32 pts +1 game left) leaps into 4th, over 6.Orlando (30 pts +2 games left) and 5.Chicago (31 pts +3 games left), for at least three nights. Not coincidentally, Orlando and Chicago play h2h, so they can't both pass Utah this week.
Dalen Cuff mentioned Jonsdottir has never been subbed off the entire season -- played every minute of every game. Any now she has to jet off to Iceland to play a crucial WCQ against Germany. Her endurance and work rate is incredible. Also Taylor Lytle, in a quiet way, is a very effective player. Again the Spirit manage only a few shots, zero (I believe) on goal. An exercise in futility. The biggest disappointment of 2018 by far, with Sullivan, Quinn, Lavelle, and Pugh added to the mix. They should be better than this. While the standings show them ahead of Sky Blue, when you watch NJ play they have a cohesive strategy and more purpose, and have been quite unlucky not to get any wins. You don't get that same streak of optimism and togetherness about Washington.
I've been told that, according to Icelandic practice, she should be called Gunnhildur, or Gunny for short, that Icelanders don't call each other by last names. It's certainly less of a mouthful to just say "Gunny." Washington was pathetic. Nobody on the team is pressing forward hard. No leadership on the field. Lavelle and Pugh played okay -- but not up to national team standards. The only Wash player who moderately impressed me was Taylor Smith. Ashley Hatch is probably the best Washington player, and maybe she should holler at her teammates, "I need some help up here."
[POR-NJ] Foord for Crnogorčević (and backline mirror-imaged? and Raso CF <=> Heath CAM). Let's do this. 💪 #PORvSJ #BAONPDX pic.twitter.com/epwhCBou3d— Portland Thorns FC (@ThornsFC) August 23, 2018 Skroski RB(!) for Dorsey (and McCaskill => LM, Gibbons => RM). Tonight's Starting XI presented by @HMHNewJersey.#PORvNJ pic.twitter.com/QSf8cQk3i8— NJ/NY Gotham FC (@GothamFC) August 23, 2018 Portland: Q nil / OUT Reynolds / SEI Morris Sky Blue: Q Freeman Meehan / OUT Stott