Big game for the Royals with a lot of subplots. You've got Harvey against her former team for the first time. You've got Press and Johnson now available for the Royals. You've got a pissed off Seattle who lost 4-0 last week. You've got a (hopefully) pissed off Royals who lost 2-0. Oh, and fireworks after the game. I doubt we see Press or Johnson in the starting lineup but it also wouldn't surprise me. Hoping we get at least 30 minutes of Press. Would love a goal from her in her first game but just hoping for something good to build on.
This'll be a fun one to watch, but it would probably be kind of miserable to play in. Supposed to be 95° at game time.
it'll be fun to watch if you're in the shade. My seats are on the east side, but I think I might forget that and sit in my RSL tickets, instead.
It was actually 4-1 that Seattle lost by. It's not fair to take away the one goal they did score. Seattle is also missing both Fishlock and Barnes, and those are two key players who make them much stronger.
Starting XI: Smith Bowen Corsie Sauerbrunn Moros Scott Gunny Matheson Gorry A-Rod Press Speculation over. Press goes into the XI straight away. Curious about the switch of Matheson and Gorry, though. And Press is better as a #9 than as an outside FW. She and A-Rod should switch.
Seattle makes some of the more inept passes/decisions with the ball of any team I've seen in a long time. For their sake, hopefully just tonight.
Ugh. A-Rod just wasted a great serve from Press. And Seattle looks like they're still shellshocked from the last game.
They don't have a player on the field who can just hold the ball and settle the play down. They had that player once upon a time in Kim Little, but she left after 2016 and the Reign never replaced her.
That was one of the best offensive halves from the Royals this year. Nothing on the scoreboard yet, and A-Rod and Press haven't been on the same page, but the potential is there. It's almost like the mere presence of Press has sparked the offense up. Now just need the finish.
Agreed. But I don't know how much was Seattle being terrible and Seattle being made to play terribly by the Royals.
I just sigh every time Stengel plays. She's not good enough for this league. My grandma can run faster than Stengel.
Six of one, half a dozen of the other. Subpar game from Kawasumi. I forgot she was on the field at times.
Seattle is the dirtiest team in the league (they lead the league in fouls per game at 11.6), but they always complain when calls go against them. And that's without the queen of complaining Fishlock playing.
Nice shout-out to the departing Maddie Lee from the announcers. Lee had the RSL/Royals beat for the Salt Lake Tribune for a bit more than a year, and was indeed excellent. She will be missed.
That would have been a nice way to mark her debut. But I think she had a moment to improve the angle before shooting.
Rapinoe is the most maddeningly inconsistent player I've ever seen. Some games she can do no wrong and pulls things off that no one else in the world would even try to do. Other games she's nothing but a selfish turnover machine. And it's impossible to tell which Rapinoe will show up.
Rome wasn't built in a day. I think the Press-A-Rod combo will come together, but it'll take some time.
FYP - this Royals team is maddingly slow. Whats even worse is how little they seem to realize it. How many through balls are just a yard or two too far ahead of our slow players? All of them. Every position.
Press is not blazing fast, but she does have surprising speed. And if the O'Reilly trade does in fact bring in Doniak, she's another fast player. Unfortunately, she did the A-word on the first day of preseason, so y'all will have to wait until next year to see that speed. But two players isn't enough. This team needs more speed and youth all over the field.