There's a lot of that this year. I just added all of NWSL to my weekly planner, and I had to go to two-per-line I don't get Lifetime, boo.
[SEA-WAS] 27' 1-0 Kawasumi dribbles away from Kallman at arc top wide right -- but wanders into a 1-v-2 with Cheyna Williams, who bumps her down and takes ball. OK, that's a speed mismatch. What nice weather everywhere except where I'm at 35' 2-0 Seattle surge to arc top, long diagonal pass springs Kawasumi alone down wide right to 2m with LB(-ish) Kallman caught way inside at mid-right. Kawasumi crosses to 5m 1/4 right, Yanez steps in front of Zadorsky(?), flicks one-touch left outstep rising gently past Labbé's shoulder into back 1/3 right high. Washington are kind of struggling to control pings in midfield, and Seattle are generating a constant stream of quick serves into box (they miss, but there's a lot of them) and wide passes to Kawasumi.
45+2' (of +1') 2-0 Scramble in Seattle's box, ball deflects out to box top mid-right. Solaun (how fitting ) stops ball with nobody within 10m, shoots right instep hard low through traffic. Kopmeyer dives and gets a touch, ball skims past left post. 45+2' (of +1') 2-0 Washington left ck, Fishlock heads it down awkwardly to spot, Kawasumi(?) clears. HT 2-0. Interview with Pugh! (live, or replay?) Did they fly a film crew out to her, or did she have to log in to Skype?
59' 2-0 Washington subs in (1 of 3) #2 Arielle Ship for #6 Kassey Kallman. Another former Reign (draftee) 59' 2-0 Cheyna Williams touches through box top mid-left, scoops a cross/shot into Corsie's left forearm held tight against her own back. Arm bends at elbow, ball deflects: handball. 60' 2-1 Solaun pk, calmly blasts it into back right edge 1/2 high, past Kopmeyer's dive.
69' 3-1 Rapinoe dribbles alone through box top left to 5m mid-left, hard cross to 3m right post bends past Labbé coming out. Kawasumi trails perfectly, taps in at right post. 70' 3-1 Seattle subs in (1 of 3) #33 Katlyn Johnson for Beverly Yanez. 71 4-1 Washington's frantic numbers-forward endgame is getting shellacked by Seattle's ruthless counter. Rapinoe crosses from 24m box left to Kawasumi wide-open at arc top mid-right. Kawasumi settles ball, sizes up a shot -- then taps a delicate pass to 10m left post for Rapinoe continuing her run. Labbé is stranded halfway between nowhere, Rapinoe bends a shot into back left low.
74' 4-1 Rapinoe long switch from 22m wide left to Kawasumi running on alone at box top right. Kawasumi settles, taps short pass to K.Johnson(?) at 12m 6-right, roundhouse shot blocked wide left and just misses left post. Washington's 3-back never has somebody to spare to match up with Kawasumi. 75' 5-1 Kawasumi chases unmarked down wide right to 3m, ground cross to 7m right post just behind K.Johnson, who turns back and toe-pokes it. Ball continues to Rapinoe crashing from the left, one-touch shot from 14m left post curls past Labbé still swiveling, into center back low. It's looking like Jester, Jester, Jester vs. Maverick & Goose. 77' 5-1 Seattle subs in (2 of 3) #6 Lindsay Elston for #2 Christine Nairn. 79' 6-1 Cross to Kawasumi unmarked down box mid-right to 10m, she hop-volleys a gentle square cross to 10m 2/5 right. Elston runs on, half-volley off the bounce, golaaazo into back right low past Labbé. You sub in, you get a goal
88' 6-2 Church fk at 25m right touch, drops behind the scrum and bounces at 6-top center to 3m 3-left. K.Mewis hop-volleys just inside near post. FT 6-2. That was a tactical meltdown, which can probably be fixed by shifting (on the fly) to a 4-4-2 with person-marking on the wings. Washington seemed determined to play their system and measure it later, and so now they know. Rapinoe/Fishlock/Kawasumi can be neutralized by speed and smothering defense, but they have the skill and finesse to just tear apart open spaces. Don't give them that look! (and don't give it to them ten times in a half)
The Dash are just a mess. Waldrum has got to be feeling the heat, because that team just gave up today.
I think there is a bit of an illusion that the Dash players are giving up. I don't think that's true and think it's more to do with the X's & O's. The players don't really look like they really know where to go or who is responsible for what, & they're just reacting to the play as it develops instead of making purposeful, directed runs. Towards the end of the game Wagner made a comment about Brooks not going after a ball as a sign of not really wanting it, but I think Bruna just waved her off of it.
With Mathias out and the score climbing, I was hoping Michaela Hahn might get some playing time. I stuck with Dash vs. NJ, hoping for the Dash to equalize, and have no interest in replaying either the Reign game or the KC game. If one of those games was a 6 or 7 pm eastern, I would have watched. Sam Kerr imposed her will on the game. She seems to be delivering on the potential that many believed she was capable of.
if by that you mean committing at least 3 yellow card offenses that were worse than the foul she had already received a yellow for, yea... I guess. Officiating was fairly egregious in the game, although it isn't much to complain about when the Dash play like that. One close up you can see Rachel very angry about something before a corner & he just sort of laughs at her. Wagner made the comment he was being polite... politeness is not what I saw.
Perfect analysis, Gilmoy: just my same thoughts as I was watching Naho tearing apart Spirit's left-flank. I really don't get Washington's obstination in sticking to the 3-back defense. Somehow reminds me of USWNT vs France at SheBelieves Cup this year... I mean, wasn't it obvious that Kawasumi and Rapinoe were going to rip to pieces this kind of defensive set-up from both sides? I mean, even if you never saw the speed of these two players in action (but you should have, if you coach a NWSL team!), the development of this match itself should have suggested a change of game plan. Basically it was like inviting Rapinoe and Kawasumi to a free-for-all party: "Oh, really? No-one to keep our runs in check? Oh, well, let's have fun!". I read on NWSL website that Naho's 4 assists in a game are a new NWSL record (and actually she could have had a 5th one, if Johnson hadn't toe-poked her cross for 2nd Rapinoe's goal: basically Kawasumi was involved in all of Seattle's goal): I guess she's now well poised to get Player of the Week award, isn't she? I can't remember well, but I guess she won one or two of them in season 2014 already.
I agree: that PK could have changed the course of the game, but it was a miserable call, in my opinion. The only better way Corsie could have shown that she hadn't any intention to touch the ball would have been chopping off her own arm! I mean, as Gilmoy wrote, she basically had her arm not only attached to her own body, but even behind her own back!
If what you say is true about the fouls, it just reinforces the fact that Kerr IMPOSED her will on the game (including, perhaps, the ref).
For the one part, as usual the preparations for the match left the players uncertain as to what he wanted them to do. Then he continued to start Beckie in the midfield and leave Heap on the bench to the ongoing frustration of the team. There are players that are super fit and are going to work hard no matter what all game long - K (who tried to take on way too much herself yesterday and made a lot of uncharacteristic mistakes), Daly, Brooks, Roccaro, maybe one or two others. You have a few that have poor fitness levels. As a whole, Waldrum has lost the locker room so individual effort is down to personal pride. Sooner he is gone the better, this is a sinking ship right now. Of course, this is why I picked them bottom three this year. Was entirely predictable.
great, a game i could watch at least part of live. they miss the first 4 minutes of the game, and now there's technical difficulties...
I could not get a screen that acknowledged that the game had started as of 5:06 or 7.. Tried my iPad, rebooted my computer. I pad says Technical Difficulties, so does computer. NWSL; NWSL Media Inc; and probably the broadcast partner LIfetime (as a partner in NWSL Media) have some explaining to do. There were 5 working days between games for the last 3 weeks. How is it that the Techs have not got everything up and running seamlessly? IMO no one with the power to make things right gives a rats ass. 5:26pm -still nothing.
The screen freezed from time to time (especially in the first minutes) for me (I am in Italy), but otherwise I could watch all of 1st half in HD quite well. Admittedly, the occasional freezing was very annoying, but I wonder if it was from technical difficulties or from issues on my PC/connection. Anyway, NC look though and they sure aren't afraid to foul when needed. No big chance from either part: are we going to see the usual NC 0-1 win in 2nd half? Edit: I am watching it on the NWSL website.