Utah Royals FC 2018 Season Thread

But the transfer window would have closed, so she could not become an NWSL player until the offseason.

 

So what is the ideal XI with Press? Do the tactics and formation stay the same or does Harvey go two up top?

In a 4-2-3-1:
ARod
Matheson Gorry Press
Gunny Scott
Moros Corsie Sauerbrun O'Hara
Smith

I struggle with the midfield in the 442. I still think it's likely the same players, but I'm not sure if Gorry or Gunny are the type of players to play out wide.

 

If the teams that have MLS owners all started up NWSL academy teams. I would think that maybe the NWSL would see that as a great thing for the growth of the game, and create rules to benefit teams spending the money on it, much like what happened in MLS. That step though will be a costly one. Teams like Portland and Utah can likely afford it, but can anyone else? With attendance of 5,000 or less a game for many teams and the fact that the current salary cap is likely pushing some to the edge of what they can afford... on top of the fact that 2 teams went belly up this past year.

I don't know if NWSL, league wide, will be able to invest in the academy system for many years still. Without protections, would the Thorns or Royals want to put in the investment, just to watch players get poached? Or would giving those 2 teams protections give an unfair advantage that the rest of the league cannot afford and remain profitable or break-even?

 

Actually, I believe every NWSL team (including some of the ones no longer in the league) all have Girls' DA sides, so that's something to consider.
http://www.ussoccerda.com/2017-girls-club-map
(Chicago isn't officially pictured on the map, but the Eclipse Select was (and still is?) Rory's)

 

Color me surprised that La Roca has the USDA girls team and not Celtic or Avalanche

 

I'm still not gettting it. If her contract is up July 8, then why does it even matter that the next transfer window is sometime after that date?

 

The Royals traded for the RIGHTS to Press, not to a contract. Think Houston and Press situation there.
Further, Press was under contract with her Swedish team until AFTER the transfer window for NWSL closes. This means that, had things gone bad, Royals would have traded for the rights to Press but would not have added her to the roster during the window, as required.

 

I get the rights part; by having her rights, only Utah can sign Press in the NWSL, but they still need to actually sign her.

So the NWSL has transfer windows?;
And they apply even to players who are not under contract with some other team?

I misunderstood; I thought the June 20 date (today) was a the end of a european transfer window - a window when Goteborg was allowed to make player moves.

Thank you and @BlueCrimson for the info.

 

And more importantly, since Gunny has # 23, what number will Press wear? - or can she sweet talk Gunny into switching?

 

I am really glad Press is coming, but to me, Gunny is the face/heart/soul of the franchise. And so she bows to no one.

 

I recall Freddy Adu traded an playstation for a Jersey number

 

Can you change jersey numbers during the course of the season?

 

Press wore # 13 at Tyreso; so I am guessing she takes Elby's no. 13.

What follows are ravings of a mad man, or maybe just a guy trying to solve a puzzle.

Gunny has 23, which is 2+3 = 5 which is her Iceland number. O'Hara has 5, also her US #, but wore 19 at Stanford, Gorry has #19, her Matildas number, but she wore #10 for Brisbane, Matheson has #10, but wears #8 for Canada, ARod has #8, and has always been #8 {Bos. Breakers, Phil. Independence, FCKC}, e.g. for the recent US games, Julie Johnston-Ertz gave up her #8 so ARod could wear it. BUT ARod was #12 at USC. Taylor Lytle is #12 and she was #12 at Texas Tech, but she wore #6 at Sky Blue. Katie Bowen is #6, but she wore #15 for North Carolina and #18 for New Zealand. Tymrak is #15 now and at FCKC, but she wore #17 at Florida, Sydney Miramontez is #17, but was #9 at Nebraska, Lo'eau LaBonta is #9, but she was #21 at Stanford; Utah currently has no #21. If Bowen takes #18, that is Barnie's number, but Barnie was #0 at Stanford, and Utah currently has no #0. Talk about Blockbuster trades! The key for Press to get #23 (her Stanford #, and her "brand") would appear to lie in her sister Stanford alumnae: O'Hara, LaBonta, and Barnhart.

.... which leads to another puzzle - which team has the most alumnae from the same college. Utah 4 - Stanford, NC 5 - UCLA...... and I am not motivated to go through the rest of the teams.

 

Wow CoachJon . . .

 

I posted this over in the NWSL News and Info thread:

AWESOME interview with Sam Johnson. If you have limited time jump to 6:10 on the audio. She is so honest and genuine!
https://www.rsl.com/post/2018/06/26/samantha-johnson-beyond-pitch

Q "How special was it to earn a spot in Chicago via open tryouts?" (2014)
A. "It wasn't."

......and she goes on to explain that she had firmly decided not to play soccer after college and didn't actually regain her genuine motivation to play until her second stint in Australia. (2016)
.... and the one good thing that happened from her getting kicked in the face injury was she got a free nose job that she had been wanting.

 

Nice piece in today's Trib about Press.

 

...the erasure of her time in Chicago, both by her and by the author, is stunning. X'-D

 

Seriously, she only spent roughly 4 seasons there. Why would we want to talk about that?

 

I do not know which game it was. I assume from your question, it happened vs. WNY in Rochester. Do you know which game?
Unfortunately, the incident has not stuck in my mind - but I may have mentioned it in a game report (not all of which I post on BS).

 

Thx. I checked - I never made a note of it and sadly, I just don't remember it.