I am curious to see if, after World Cup, there will be an increase or a decrease in goals scored and, in general, in quality of the performances. Let's see.
This is what Budweiser's sponsorship looks like This @NWSL weekend slate is packed. RT if you’re headed to a game or tuning in! #WontStopWatchingTune in on @YahooSports and #NWSL site/app: 📺@TheNCCourage vs. @WashSpirit @HoustonDash vs. @ReignFC @chiredstarsPR vs. @UtahRoyalsFC @ThornsFC vs. @SkyBlueFC pic.twitter.com/0kCMZ6l265— Budweiser (@budweiserusa) August 2, 2019
Oh, it's even worse. USA wvb plays in the new FIVB Olympic Qualification system for Tokyo 2020 and beyond: four-team pods x6, seeded by FIVB rankings via the serpentine system. Argentina-Bulgaria is in progress now, USA hosts Kazakhstan later today -- at 19:00 EDT, exactly the same time <== I'll keep one eye on each
[#2.NC-WAS.#4] Pruitt for McDonald; Zerboni for S.Mewis; Roccaro for Dunn; Kurtz for Dahlkemper. 1157414686243139590 is not a valid tweet id Bailey for Pugh; Dougherty Howard for Lavelle; Kellond-Knight for Harrison. The XI for our match-up with the Courage.#NCvWAS // #CatchTheSpirit pic.twitter.com/2OUSexklmL— Washington Spirit (@WashSpirit) August 2, 2019 North Carolina: (OK <= Q) Pruitt / Q (=) Ln.Williams / OUT (=) Harbison Rn.Williams / INTL (USA) Dahlkemper Dunn McDonald S.Mewis Washington: Q none / OUT (=) McGrady / MAT (=) Eubanks / INTL (USA) Lavelle Pugh Weather delay: We are entering a weather delay due to lightning in the area. Please clear the stadium until further notice and check back with us for updates.— NC Courage (@TheNCCourage) August 2, 2019 There has been another lightning strike. We will have the next update at 7:40 p.m.— NC Courage (@TheNCCourage) August 2, 2019
[#6.HOU-REI.#5] Simon for Fields. Starting XI vs Reign FC.Kickoff is at 6 p.m. on EPNews.#DashOn #HOUvRFC pic.twitter.com/bKtE6gw3mb— Houston Dash (@HoustonDash) August 2, 2019 Groom for J.Taylor (and Balcer => CF); White for Long. Here is your Reign FC Starting XI for today's road match against @HoustonDash! Kickoff is at 4 p.m. PT on ESPNEWS#HOUvRFC #ShePlaysHere #BeBold #RFC253 pic.twitter.com/qoxXS1POx9— Seattle Reign FC (@reignfc) August 2, 2019 Houston: OK (<= OUT, not a sub) Polkinghorne / Q (=, sub) Chapman / OUT none / SEI (=) Latsko McCoy Prince / INTL (MEX) Romero Reign FC: OK (<= Q, starting) Jiménez Delgado (<= OUT, sub) Jenkins / Q none / OUT (=) Cox Utsugi / 45D Ld.Williams / SEI (=) Betos Fishlock J.Johnson T.Smith Spencer Watson / INTL (USA) Long Rapinoe Strange are the days when Reign FC have the longest injury report, and Washington have the shortest
08' 0-0 Reign are kind of stuck in their own 1/2. This portion of the score graphic is brought to us by Super Chewer they make Barkboxes full of dog toys ... and the empty box unfolds into a cat maze
11' 0-0 Andrews shoots from ~arc top across mouth, wide right as Campbell dives. 16' 0-0 Daly shoots from arc top mid-right, wide left. 19' 0-0 Simon shoots from ~24m arc right to 1/3 left low, Murphy falls on it. 21' 0-1 Campbell gk, to midfield circle right, Andrews(?) chests ball to circle top left. Simon(?) comes back and pokes ball away -- directly to White at 33m center. White lays off to Balcer at 25m, continues her own run up centerline. Balcer turns rightward, diagonal pass to Groom at 15m mid-right. Agnew jams her as the pass comes in, Groom fends her off, steps back to ball at box top 3-right and pulls left instep shot toward back left high. Ball hits Prisock's chest at spot (or forearms? no call), drops down to 12m 2/5 right. White digs ball out and does a swim-move around Prisock, spins her down and rounds her to 9m 2/5 left, shoots left foot rising over Campbell into 1/3 left back high. Big moment for @rosiewhite13. See how she grabbed her first @ReignFC goal.0-1 | #HOUvSEA on ESPNews pic.twitter.com/QsPICb9E8O— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 2, 2019
25' 0-1 K.Mewis steals and counters through arc right to 12m, taps inside-out to Daly through 10m mid-right. Murphy comes out and slides through 6m 4-right, clears ball away and Daly trips over her. 29' 0-1 Nairn passes to Daly at arc left not closely marked, she spins and shoots standing right instep no bend, way wide right. 30' 0-1 K.Mewis to Daly at arc top, she shoots into Oyster(?)'s back. Ball deflects through mid-right, Reign collect. 33' 0-1 1H hydration break. 94°F = 34°C, 51% humidity
36' 0-1 Groom receives at 28m center, shoots just wide right as Campbell dives again. Both Houston and Reign FC kind of must play patient possession in midfield to work the ball upfield, because they don't have the speed to outrun teams. (Also, nobody's fast in heat like this.) Houston has been settling for some long shots. Reign's end product is sometimes to have 2-3 players loose in a void just above Houston's arc top, and then they either shoot long or try a pass into the box. No longballs to Daly today, it's not that kind of game. 38' 0-1 Reign pass from wide right to Balcer at 27m mid-right, Balcer one-touches ball past Brooks and drives past her, rides off an arm-push in her left flank, leads 1-v-3 to 7m 6-right -- then pulls up and tries to cut inside as they overpursue, but has no shot window with left foot. Bad backpass through spot misses everybody, Nairn turns alongside ball and White bumps her down from behind, foul.
40' 0-1 Houston right ck, tight inswinger to crossbar center, Murphy double-blocks but doesn't hang on. Ball bounces out through 6-top left, Ohai(?) runs on but whiffs. 41' 0-1 Houston right ck, to 6-top center, Murphy catches in traffic. 44' 0-1 Simon chips from 22m mid-right to 5m 1/3 left, Ohai runs on behind Oyster and Barnes, hop-pokes high into Murphy's hands chest-high. Ball bounces off Ohai's chest, over Murphy's shoulders to 1m, Ohai rounds her and pokes into back left. Offside HT 0-1. [NC-WAS] is now delayed until 17:30 PDT / 20:30 EDT. One match at a time, yaay! We are still under a weather delay. We will have another update at 8:30 p.m.— NC Courage (@TheNCCourage) August 2, 2019
63' 0-1 Houston subs in (1 of 3) #13 Sophie Schmidt for #17 Kyah Simon. 63' 0-1 Reign FC subs in (1 of 3) #19 Kristen McNabb for #12 Morgan Andrews. 66' 0-1 Groom lunges for a header, Agnew(?) makes near-simultaneous contact, ball rebounds into Groom's head and ... twists her neck? Brief stoppage, trainer applies the focus-on-finger eye test. Groom steps into far touch. 68' 0-1 Groom returns at midfield right touch ... 69' 0-1 ... and promptly front-cuts Agnew that high up, dribbles through Agnew's pressure to 25m box right, runs into Brooks and bounces off and down. Reign dump ball down box right, Groom chases it over endline.
75' 0-1 Houston subs in (2 of 3) #15 Cecelia Kizer for #20 Lindsay Agnew. 76' 0-1 Stoppage for Barnes ... becomes the 2H hydration break. 77' 0-1 Reign FC subs in (2 of 3) #11 Darian Jenkins for #25 Ifeoma Onumonu. 78' 0-1 Ohai drives at Celia through arc top mid-left, fakes a veer-left that makes Celia spin away cw in anticipation, then veers rightward behind Celia's back to 17m mid-left, shoots right instep across mouth, Murphy dives and block wide right. .@CaseyMurph denies a potential @HoustonDash equalizer with a 💪 save. 0-1 | #HOUvSEA on ESPNews pic.twitter.com/96UHzFmaB3— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 3, 2019 79' 0-1 Houston subs in (3 of 3) #24 Jamia Fields for #7 Kealia Ohai. 80' 0-1 Jenkins bumps Nairn down from behind, foul. Then Jenkins delays the restart, yellow card. Nairn has 4 yellows, her next one sits her for 5YEL 81' 0-1 Fields drives down to 10m wide left, ground cross curls slightly behind K.Mewis not marked at 9m mid-left. K.Mewis turns facing away and pops ball straight up in front of her chest, left-foot crescent bicycle over left shoulder to 1/3 left, Murphy isn't fooled and catches it easily.
85' 0-1 Yellow card on Murphy, for delaying a gk. So if we're nursing a 5th late-game lead, she would miss the 6th I could go for that 87' 0-1 Reign FC subs in (3 of 3) #14 Morgan Proffitt for #31 Rosie White. 89' 0-1 Daly retreats through 25m center, fires an unerring 30m diagonal pass under her left armpit, through a line and a half to Nairn unmarked at 15m wide right. Nairn crosses over a header try at 7m 1/4 left, Schmidt collects at 4m mid-left. Backpass to K.Mewis flashing open at 12m 6-left, one-touch left instep shot is blocked out to Huerta at box top mid-right. Huerta taps down box right to Nairn, Nairn slices her shot way wide right low. +5'. 90+1' (of +5') 0-1 Schmidt plants to jump for a header in front of Proffitt, Groom jumps in front of her and ... leading elbow rakes Schmidt's jaw? Stoppage, Schmidt has blood dripping from a badly split upper lip. Houston has used all 3 subs, trainer brings tissue, Schmidt attempts a leak repair. 90+3' (of +5') 0-1 Schmidt can't stop the bleeding, walks off. Houston resumes with 10. 90+4' (of +5') 0-1 Schmidt returns, holding what looks like a fist-sized wad of tissue in her mouth. 90+5' (of +5') 0-1 Jenkins turns upfield through circle back mid-left, Nairn overtakes her and bumps her down with left thigh to the left outer calf. Foul, yellow card on Nairn, she misses Houston's next match for 5YEL
90+6' (of +5') 0-1 Nairn fk at 15m box right, inswings to 8m center, headed away up centerline, Balcer kicks it to midfield. 90+7' (of +5') 0-1 Schmidt shoots from 22m box right, Murphy catches easily. FT 0-1. Reign finish one ugly/beautiful hustle play. Houston created a bunch of decent shot chances in Reign FC's box, but failed to pass the ball into the net. Reign FC sneak up to 4th on 23 pts from 14. Washington could catch them on 21 pts from 13, but they're at North Carolina, waiting out the weather.
[NC-WAS] is postponed to tomorrow, 07/20 Sat at 16:00 EDT. [ANNOUNCEMENT] Tonight's game has been postponed until 4 p.m. tomorrow. All tickets from tonight's game and the NCFC game will be honored. Game will be part of a doubleheader with @NorthCarolinaFC kicking off at 7 p.m.#NoFinishLine— NC Courage (@TheNCCourage) August 3, 2019
02' 0-0 Mathias dribbles past Logarzo to 25m mid-right, shoots right foot on the run low to right 90, Bledsoe tips it over the bar. .@TheNCCourage has an early chance, but fingertips are enough for @AubreyBledsoe to tip the ball over the bar.0-0 | #NCvWAS pic.twitter.com/MIJj06l0NZ— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 3, 2019 The camera fades in and out of high resolution. Sparse attendance, but that's a byproduct of last night's weather. It might still count as a sell-out