2014 NWSL season

South American · May 28, 2014

Ledbetter said: ↑

Hey NewTex and Waldrum,

Assuming Kling plays LB and Engen CB, these are proposed changes to the Dash:

- Play the 4-3-3, but reverse the triangle into a Seattle triangle.
- Pair Edwards with Noyola at the bottom of the triangle.
- Move Kyle to CB. Ask her to do it for the team and because she exceled at that role in Seattle.
- Play Toulouse at RB.
- Move Ohai to CAM.
- Move Ochs up to LAM. She has an excelent left foot.
- Play Masar at RAM.
- Play Berger at F.

When on D, play a 4-5-1 and compress the midfield to make up for the lack of an elite midfielder. This should keep the team in more games because they won't be giving up as many goals. At least stay tied for most of the game!

Send the attack in surges. The Dash don't have enough possession players. (After possession is lost, fall back to the 4-5-1. Pack it in.)

When on O, send Kling way up out wide on the left flank to send a few crosses in. Ochs is also good on the ball, so the left side will be your stronger side.

On the right side, send Masar up the right flank, not Toulouse.

fire123 said: ↑

Some good ideas but some not so good.
1) The Houston triangle at midfield is already very flexible, on defense, they have 2 DM, on offense 1 DM moves up so you already have 2 AM.
2) Noyola's place is not at the bottom of the triangle, have you watched her play defense ?

3) Kyle is not a CB, she played there once already. She is a temp. at best. Houston will already have 3 capable CBs, Engen will start for sure. Ohale is probably the other. Hein comes off the bench.

The reason is for a good tandem at CB, you want sort of a stopper/ sweeper combo. You need one who is fast, good at 1v1 who likes to be the 1st one to step up and stop the ball, that fits Ohale best. The other CB needs to be strong, solid, good at team defense, backup and clean up the other one's mistake, that's Engen . Hein plays like Engen but not as well.

4) How many mids are you going to have ?
Houston have 3 mids and 3 forwards and 2, sometimes 3 forwards already drop on defense. They in effect play 4-3-3 in attack and 4-5-1 in defense already. Calling it out by name does not change anything.

5) You absolutely do not leave out Romero at RB, she is as good as it gets there .

My guess at the line up is:

F: Ohai Masar Burger ( Ochs , McCarty back up . I actually rather one of these guys start in place of Burger but ....)

M: Edwards, Kyle, Jackson ( Noyola back up )

D: Klingenberg, Engen, Ohale, Romero (Hein, Toulouse back up)
Click to expand...

Down the road, trade Masar and picks for any good holding midfielder to play CAM. Then move Ohai back to RAM.[/QUOTE
Click to expand...

fire123 said: ↑

Some good ideas but some not so good.
1) The Houston triangle at midfield is already very flexible, on defense, they have 2 DM, on offense 1 DM moves up so you already have 2 AM.
2) Noyola's place is not at the bottom of the triangle, have you watched her play defense ?

3) Kyle is not a CB, she played there once already. She is a temp. at best. Houston will already have 3 capable CBs, Engen will start for sure. Ohale is probably the other. Hein comes off the bench.

The reason is for a good tandem at CB, you want sort of a stopper/ sweeper combo. You need one who is fast, good at 1v1 who likes to be the 1st one to step up and stop the ball, that fits Ohale best. The other CB needs to be strong, solid, good at team defense, backup and clean up the other one's mistake, that's Engen . Hein plays like Engen but not as well.

4) How many mids are you going to have ?
Houston have 3 mids and 3 forwards and 2, sometimes 3 forwards already drop on defense. They in effect play 4-3-3 in attack and 4-5-1 in defense already. Calling it out by name does not change anything.

5) You absolutely do not leave out Romero at RB, she is as good as it gets there .

My guess at the line up is:

F: Ohai Masar Burger ( Ochs , McCarty back up . I actually rather one of these guys start in place of Burger but ....)

M: Edwards, Kyle, Jackson ( Noyola back up )

D: Klingenberg, Engen, Ohale, Romero (Hein, Toulouse back up)
Click to expand...

You are right about Noyola! Romero stays for sure, I would go Ohai, McCarty and Masar...

NilamCA · May 28, 2014

cpthomas said: ↑

I'll pitch in a comment here as a disinterested observer: It seems like Ohale has passed the ball to the opponents a lot.
Click to expand...

CP-So astute of you to notice!! She can head in those goals though.

SiberianThunderT · May 28, 2014

NilamCA said: ↑

CP-So astute of you to notice!! She can head in those goals though.
Click to expand...

She's also pretty good at dispossessing other players.

cpthomas · May 29, 2014

I agree with both of the preceding comments, from what I've seen. But passing the ball to the opponents is not good. It doesn't help much to dispossess and then give it back. It seems like she needs to calm down a little when she has possession of the ball.

newtex · May 29, 2014

Wednesday results:

Wednesday, May 28
Sky Blue FC 0-2 Chicago Red Stars
Boston Breakers 4-1 Portland Thorns FC

Saturday, May 31
WNY Flash v. Houston Dash 6:00 pm

Sunday, June 1
Sky Blue FC v. Seattle Reign FC 5:00 pm
Boston Breakers v. Washington Spirit 5:30 pm

Standings:

1. SEA 9 g.p. 23 pts +12 g.d. 19 g.
2. CHI 9 g.p. 19 pts +9 g.d. 15 g.
3. KAN 11 g.p. 15 pts +2 g.d. 18 g.
4. POR 9 g.p. 14 pts +0 g.d. 10 g.
-----------------------------
5. WAS 9 g.p. 13 pts -1 g.d. 17 g.
6. WNY 8 g.p. 11 pts +2 g.d. 13 g.
7. SKY 10 g.p. 10 pts -5 g.d. 10 g.
8. BOS 8 g.p. 6 pts -8 g.d. 11 g.
9. HOU 9 g.p. 4 pts -11 g.d. 8 g.

newtex · Jun 3, 2014

Week 8 is complete:

Wednesday, May 28
Sky Blue FC 0-2 Chicago Red Stars
Boston Breakers 4-1 Portland Thorns FC

Saturday, May 31
WNY Flash 1-2 Houston Dash

Sunday, June 1
Sky Blue FC 1-3 Seattle Reign FC
Boston Breakers 2-3 Washington Spirit

Standings:

1. SEA 10 g.p. 26 pts +14 g.d. 22 g.
2. CHI 9 g.p. 19 pts +9 g.d. 15 g.
3. WAS 10 g.p. 16 pts +0 g.d. 20 g.
4. KAN 11 g.p. 15 pts +2 g.d. 18 g.
-----------------------------
5. POR 9 g.p. 14 pts +0 g.d. 10 g.
6. WNY 9 g.p. 11 pts +1 g.d. 14 g.
7. SKY 11 g.p. 10 pts -7 g.d. 11 g.
8. HOU 10 g.p. 7 pts -10 g.d. 10 g.
9. BOS 9 g.p. 6 pts -9 g.d. 13 g.

newtex · Jun 3, 2014

Week 9 schedule:

Wednesday, June 4
Chicago Red Stars v. Washington Spirit 7:00 pm
FC Kansas City v. WNY Flash 7:00 pm

Saturday, June 7
FC Kansas City v. Boston Breakers 7:00 pm
Seattle Reign FC v. Chicago Red Stars 9:00 pm
Portland Thorns FC v. WNY Flash 9:00 pm

Sunday, June 8
Sky Blue FC v. Houston Dash 5:00 pm

newtex · Jun 5, 2014

Wednesday results:

Wednesday, June 4
Chicago Red Stars 0-1 Washington Spirit
FC Kansas City 1-0 WNY Flash

Saturday, June 7
FC Kansas City v. Boston Breakers 7:00 pm
Seattle Reign FC v. Chicago Red Stars 9:00 pm
Portland Thorns FC v. WNY Flash 9:00 pm

Sunday, June 8
Sky Blue FC v. Houston Dash 5:00 pm

Standings:

1. SEA 10 g.p. 26 pts +14 g.d. 22 g.
2. WAS 11 g.p. 19 pts +1 g.d. 21 g.
3. CHI 10 g.p. 19 pts +8 g.d. 15 g.
4. KAN 12 g.p. 18 pts +3 g.d. 19 g.
-----------------------------
5. POR 9 g.p. 14 pts +0 g.d. 10 g.
6. WNY 10 g.p. 11 pts +0 g.d. 14 g.
7. SKY 11 g.p. 10 pts -7 g.d. 11 g.
8. HOU 10 g.p. 7 pts -10 g.d. 10 g.
9. BOS 9 g.p. 6 pts -9 g.d. 13 g.

newtex · Jun 9, 2014

Week 9 is complete:

Wednesday, June 4
Chicago Red Stars 0-1 Washington Spirit
FC Kansas City 1-0 WNY Flash

Saturday, June 7
FC Kansas City 2-0 Boston Breakers
Seattle Reign FC 3-1 Chicago Red Stars
Portland Thorns FC 0-5 WNY Flash

Sunday, June 8
Sky Blue FC 0-3 Houston Dash

Standings:

1. SEA 11 g.p. 29 pts +16 g.d. 25 g.
2. KAN 13 g.p. 21 pts +5 g.d. 21 g.
3. WAS 11 g.p. 19 pts +1 g.d. 21 g.
4. CHI 11 g.p. 19 pts +6 g.d. 16 g.
-----------------------------
5. WNY 11 g.p. 14 pts +5 g.d. 19 g.
6. POR 10 g.p. 14 pts -5 g.d. 10 g.
7. HOU 11 g.p. 10 pts -7 g.d. 13 g.
8. SKY 12 g.p. 10 pts -10 g.d. 11 g.
9. BOS 10 g.p. 6 pts -11 g.d. 13 g.

newtex · Jun 9, 2014

Week 10 schedule:

Wednesday, June 11
Boston Breakers v. Washington Spirit 6:00 pm
Houston Dash v. WNY Flash 6:30 pm

Saturday, June 14
Houston Dash v. FC Kansas City 8:00 pm

Sunday, June 15
Chicago Red Stars v. Sky Blue FC 1:00 pm
Portland Thorns FC v. Washington Spirit 4:00 pm

The NWSL hits the half-way point of the season this week.

newtex · Jun 12, 2014

Wednesday results:

Wednesday, June 11
Boston Breakers 2-0 Washington Spirit
Houston Dash 2-1 WNY Flash

Saturday, June 14
Houston Dash v. FC Kansas City 8:00 pm

Sunday, June 15
Chicago Red Stars v. Sky Blue FC 1:00 pm
Portland Thorns FC v. Washington Spirit 4:00 pm

Standings:

1. SEA 11 g.p. 29 pts +16 g.d. 25 g.
2. KAN 13 g.p. 21 pts +5 g.d. 21 g.
3. WAS 12 g.p. 19 pts -1 g.d. 22 g.
4. CHI 11 g.p. 19 pts +6 g.d. 16 g.
-----------------------------
5. WNY 12 g.p. 14 pts +4 g.d. 20 g.
6. POR 10 g.p. 14 pts -5 g.d. 10 g.
7. HOU 12 g.p. 13 pts -6 g.d. 15 g.
8. SKY 12 g.p. 10 pts -10 g.d. 11 g.
9. BOS 11 g.p. 9 pts -9 g.d. 15 g.

newtex · Jun 16, 2014

Week 10 is complete:

Wednesday, June 11
Boston Breakers 2-0 Washington Spirit
Houston Dash 2-1 WNY Flash

Saturday, June 14
Houston Dash 1-2 FC Kansas City

Sunday, June 15
Chicago Red Stars 2-2 Sky Blue FC
Portland Thorns FC 2-0 Washington Spirit

Standings:

1. SEA 11 g.p. 29 pts +16 g.d. 25 g.
2. KAN 14 g.p. 24 pts +6 g.d. 23 g.
3. CHI 12 g.p. 20 pts +6 g.d. 18 g.
4. WAS 13 g.p. 19 pts -3 g.d. 22 g.
-----------------------------
5. POR 11 g.p. 17 pts -3 g.d. 12 g.
6. WNY 12 g.p. 14 pts +4 g.d. 20 g.
7. HOU 13 g.p. 13 pts -7 g.d. 16 g.
8. SKY 13 g.p. 11 pts -10 g.d. 13 g.
9. BOS 11 g.p. 9 pts -9 g.d. 15 g.

newtex · Jun 16, 2014

Week 11 schedule:

Wednesday, June 18
WNY Flash v. Chicago Red Stars 6:00 pm

Thursday, June 19
Boston Breakers v. Seattle Reign FC 6:00 pm

Saturday, June 21
Washington Spirit v. Portland Thorns FC 5:30 pm
FC Kansas City v. Chicago Red Stars 7:00 pm

Sunday, June 22
Sky Blue FC v. Boston Breakers 12:00 pm
WNY Flash v. Seattle Reign FC 2:00 pm

newtex · Jun 23, 2014

Week 11 results:

Wednesday, June 18
WNY Flash 2-0 Chicago Red Stars

Thursday, June 19
Boston Breakers 0-2 Seattle Reign FC

Saturday, June 21
Washington Spirit 1-6 Portland Thorns FC
FC Kansas City 1-0 Chicago Red Stars

Sunday, June 22
Sky Blue FC 1-1 Boston Breakers
WNY Flash 1-2 Seattle Reign FC

Standings:

1. SEA 13 g.p. 35 pts +19 g.d. 29 g.
2. KAN 15 g.p. 27 pts +7 g.d. 24 g.
3. CHI 14 g.p. 20 pts +3 g.d. 18 g.
4. POR 12 g.p. 20 pts +2 g.d. 18 g.
-----------------------------
5. WAS 15 g.p. 19 pts -10 g.d. 23 g.
6. WNY 14 g.p. 17 pts +5 g.d. 23 g.
7. HOU 13 g.p. 13 pts -7 g.d. 16 g.
8. SKY 14 g.p. 12 pts -10 g.d. 14 g.
9. BOS 12 g.p. 10 pts -9 g.d. 16 g.

newtex · Jun 23, 2014

Week 12 schedule:

Wednesday, June 25
Portland Thorns FC v. Sky Blue FC 9:00 pm

Friday, June 27
WNY Flash v. Boston Breakers 6:30 pm

Saturday, June 28
FC Kansas City v. Portland Thorns FC 7:00 pm
Houston Dash v. Washington Spirit 8:00 pm
Seattle Reign FC v. Sky Blue FC 8:00 pm

newtex · Jun 30, 2014

Week 12 results:

Wednesday, June 25
Portland Thorns FC 1-2 Sky Blue FC

Friday, June 27
WNY Flash 2-1 Boston Breakers

Saturday, June 28
FC Kansas City 1-0 Portland Thorns FC
Houston Dash 0-1 Washington Spirit
Seattle Reign FC 0-0 Sky Blue FC

Standings:

1. SEA 14 g.p. 36 pts +19 g.d. 29 g.
2. KAN 16 g.p. 30 pts +8 g.d. 25 g.
3. WAS 16 g.p. 22 pts -9 g.d. 24 g.
4. WNY 15 g.p. 20 pts +6 g.d. 25 g.
-----------------------------
5. CHI 14 g.p. 20 pts +3 g.d. 18 g.
6. POR 14 g.p. 20 pts +0 g.d. 19 g.
7. SKY 16 g.p. 16 pts -9 g.d. 16 g.
8. HOU 14 g.p. 13 pts -8 g.d. 16 g.
9. BOS 13 g.p. 10 pts -10 g.d. 17 g.

newtex · Jun 30, 2014

Week 13 schedule:

Wednesday, July 2
Washington Spirit v. Boston Breakers 6:00 pm
WNY Flash v. Seattle Reign FC 6:00 pm
Sky Blue FC v. Houston Dash 6:00 pm

Friday, July 4
Portland Thorns FC v. Chicago Red Stars 1:00 pm

Saturday, July 5
Houston Dash v. WNY Flash 8:00 pm

Sunday, July 6
Sky Blue FC v. FC Kansas City 5:00 pm
Seattle Reign FC v. Boston Breakers 6:00 pm