I still contend that the team that gets a bye the first week has an advantage over their opponent in Week 2. They get to see their opponent's style and plan for it while keeping their own style under wraps.
FCKC Starting XI: Barnhart, Robinson, Moros, Sauerbrunn, LePeilbet, Averbuch, Buczkowski, Holiday, Tymrak, O'Reilly, Rodriguez. #FCKCvSBFC— Blues Gameday (@BluesGameday) April 12, 2015 Only 9 starters and one sub from the NT program
And on a less sour note, I hope KC draws a good crowd today. If the fans show up, then that could open the door for future FCKC games at Sporting Park.
Looking at that lineup, FCKC is a strikingly veteran team. The youngest players in the starting 11 are Tymrak, and then Holiday (of over 100 int'l caps). The rest are 28 or older.
Would be great if FCKC can consistently sell out Swope. I heard they were increasing seating there to 4,000. Then maybe they could host a playoff game at Sporting Park.
#SBFC Starting XI: Cameron; Rampone, Nadim, Freels, Hayes; Grubka, Killion, Cutshall, O'Hara; Levin, Morris. #FCKCvSBFC— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) April 12, 2015 Would be nice if these Twitter lineups made sense. Based on this is looks like: Cameron Rampone Nadim Freels Hayes Grubka Killion Cutshall O'Hara Levin Morris
New players underlined. Guessing L/R. Kansas City: 8 Amy Rodriguez 15 Erika Tymrak, 12 Lauren Holiday, 9 Heather O'Reilly 14 Yael Averbuch, 6 Jen Buczkowski 13 Leigh Ann Robinson, 17 Amy LePeilbet, 4© Becky Sauerbrunn, 3 Rebecca Moros 18 Nicole Barnhart Sky Blue: Hayes is wearing #5, tho listed as #11. Diamond midfield? Killion clearly deeper than Freels. 32 Meagan Morris, 9 Nadia Nadim 10 Katy Freels 19 Kelley O'Hara, 18 Lindsi Cutshall, 14 Sarah Killion, 5 Maya Hayes 13 Kristin Grubka, 3© Christie Rampone, 22 Cami Levin 1 Brittany Cameron
I haaaaate the color blur font KC uses for its lineup intro! It makes me think my projector has decollimated! should not prey on my insecurites that way Antehm to be sung by ... a choral society? in fifty-part harmony!
01' 0-0 KC pings in the back. Ob. joke: KC in blue, with blue scoreboard graphic background; Sky Blue in orange 02' 0-0 Rodriguez chases down a longball through 12m box left, creeps alone to 8m mid-left, shoots left foot but bends it wrong way, just wide right.
03' 0-0 Rodriguez touch-pass forward to Holiday facing away at arc top left. Holiday turns, standing dink pass sends Tymrak clean through box top mid-left to 13m. Shot rising to crossbar, Cameron blocks it over. 04' 0-0 KC right ck, eventually served to upper left 90, and just over. 05' 0-0 KC still controlling with their tika-taka. Pass to box top mid-left just misses Rodriguez's path.
SBFC needs to commit more bodies forward if they want to win this game. If not continue doing what you doing
19' 0-0 Tymrak vs. Hayes just behind midfield right -- Hayes spins into a backshield, but Tymrak gets leverage through the legs and pries Hayes off her feet. Foul on Tymrak. 20' 0-0 Rodriguez surges to arc top right, diagonal pass springs Holiday unmarked through box top arc left. Scoop shot on the run from ~14m, Cameron blocks it, Rampone volleys into touch. KC is close, but meh finishing isn't beating Cameron.
22' 0-0 Killion chips a bouncer through box top mid-left, Nadim chases LePeilbet and makes up a 5m gap into a tough backshield at 6-top left. Barnhart falls on ball at their feet. 22' 0-0 Off the punt, KC cross low from box top right to Rodriguez, she volleys way high. Z-Rod, because that's where it went
24' 0-0 Sky Blue forward with numbers, Freels chips too-high from 24m mid-left to centerline. Diagonal pass hits RB Levin overlapping up in stride, she spins a high cross to 6m center. Barnhart catches high as Morris flies in for a no-chance header. Morris is not tall but, um, stocky and wide, so that might distract a GK ... 26' 0-0 KC deep chip from 22m wide right to 6-top right, O'Reilly(?) heads it across 6-top over Rodriguez's head.
27' 0-0 Freels tries a sharp 20m vertical pass up centerline, hacky-sacked away. KC does not clear, Freels shoots from 25m arc left -- bends to crossbar 1/3 left, Barnhart pushes it over. 28' 0-0 Sky Blue right ck ... no, left! Freels trots a large triangle ... ck cleared, dumped into Nadim at 5m 6-left, she can't get a clean shot away. Sky Blue reset ...
29' 0-0 Hayes rounds Robinson, drives down wide right. Robinson cedes a throw-in? 29' 0-1 Sky Blue right throw-in at the corner arc, weird bounce at 20m mid-righ. Morris chips it over a gaggle to 5m mid-right. Nadim bursts onto it through the trap line, one-touch right roundhouse with no angle, over Barnhart's fingertips and just under crossbar center.
33' 0-1 Moros(?) crosses from 16m wide right -- Dempsey's chip to the upper left 90. Cameron tracks it all the way, palms it across and over. 34' 0-1 Holiday 1-v-3 at circle top right, loses it. Tymrak dribbles to arc top, broken up. KC volley up centerline, dump down box left for Buczkowski. Backpass, floating cross to the upper right 90 -- Cameron tracks that and palms it across and over.
36' 0-1 Freels another 20m flat vertical pass into space -- Hayes chases up wide right, gets past Robinson, but LePeilbet cuts the angle inside-out and squares to Barnhart. 37' 0-1 Averbuch(?) overhits down wide right, too far for O'Reilly. And that's too far