23' 0-0 Cruz counters to box top mid-right, shoots quickly, just over bar 1/3 right. 24' 0-0 Reign pass to J.Taylor at 14m mid-right. Taylor turns back, backpass through box top right to arc top wide right. Jenkins runs on and shoots one-touch right foot, rising all the way, high. 26' 0-0 Short chases Jenkins down box right. Jenkins backpasses to Cruz at 25m box right. Cruz weaves past 2 defenders, shoots wistfully from arc top box right, it one-hops across mouth to 1/4 left, Naeher collects. 27' 0-0 Huerta receives or steals a square through arc top mid-left, goes alone to box top mid-left, but -- steps on the ball? And faceplants, with nobody within 5m In the ensuing scramble, Huerta dribbles away, St. Georges closes with an exuberant challenge from the left flank, levers Huerta off the ground into a flying flop. Foul. 28' 0-0 Fishlock fk at 27m wide left, soft chip to 6-top 4-left. J.Taylor completely eludes Chicago's scrum, arrives alone but looking back at ball, lifts left foottop and micro-deflects ball toward goalline center, Naeher barely has to move and saves. Taylor couldn't get any power.
Fishlock has promised to celebrate a goal on the slide, so while I'm cheering for Chicago here, I wouldn't mind Fishlock also getting a goal.
These are the NWSL games for the year. a better question might be which teams will survive to next year.
31' 0-0 Fishlock taps square right to Cruz at 27m box right. Cruz returns pass to Fishlock in a seam of 4 at 22m right post. Fishlock tries a flick pass between Ertz and Gorden(?), but ball rattles off both of them and spins back into Fishlock's path. Fishlock promptly drives through Chicago's line to 15m right post, shoots right foot hard to 1/3 left low, Naeher dives flat and pushes it wide right. 33' 0-0 Cox left ck, to 9m right post, headed away. Watt puts it over own endline. 33' 0-0 1H hydration break. That Cruz-to-Fishlock ball control is already on a different tier of existence than the first 4 matches.
36' 0-0 Jenkins goes 1-v-1 on Short -- what a duel! Backpass to Cruz, wide pass to Cox stepping up to box top right touch. Cox drives a low cross to 6-top right, J.Taylor juggles ball straight up twice, Gorden(?) alertly lunge-heads ball away before any bicycle trickery. Cruz runs on and shoots one-touch right foot from arc top box right, high again. She really wants a long gol tonight 37' 0-0 K.Johnson receives through 8m mid-right, Brooks does a crazy flying sidekick and pokes ball away cleanly, Johnson then trips over Brooks' hamstrings, no call. 38' 0-0 Huerta cuts centerward to 7m box left, St. Georges dumps her down. Foul, yellow card on St. Georges. 39' 0-0 Barnes fk at 7m box left, sent low to 4m 1/5 left. J.Taylor gets a glancing header touch, ball rattles(?) off Ertz +1, skitters toward 6-left foot, McNabb slides but can't keep it in.
42' 0-0 McCaskill fk at circle top, to 12m 6-left, K.Johnson heads it straight up into the scrum. Various things happen, then Watt runs on at 15m arc right and shoots one-touch right foot but directly to Murphy, and Ertz is offside anyways. 43' 0-0 K.Johnson sprints through circle front right, right outstep flick up wide right, then runs self aground upon Brooks' slower back. Foul on Brooks. 44' 0-0 DiBernardo fk at 35m box right to 15m mid-right, Cook(?) heads it away. Barnes gets trapped 1-v-2 at own arc top left touch, Hill sticks toes through Barnes' wicket from behind and pokes ball loose. Watt comes away with it, turns alone across box top mid-right, could shoot left instep bend -- instead pokes a square pass toward McCaskill at arc top. Cruz overtakes her from behind and intercepts, does a bicycle clearance straight up. 45' 0-0 Huerta scoops a cross from 10m wide left, it drifts over goal behind right endline. +3'.
45+2' (of +3') 0-0 Huerta sidesteps 1 at 24m right post, shoots right foot to right post but gets too much arc on it, Naeher catches. 45+3' (of +3') 0-0 Brief stoppage, K.Johnson is stretching hamstrings(?) at circle back. She resumes, a bit gimpy. 45+4' (of +3') 0-0 Cruz rounds DiBernardo to arc top mid-right, passes down wide right for Jenkins, to 5m. Ground cross cleared by Gorden. HT 0-0. Back and forth, and both teams are going at each others' weak zone. Barnes seems to have figured out her positioning, neutralizing Hill's too-easy runs. Diagonally opposite, Short is staying back more often to match up with Jenkins. Reign 7(2)-(1)4 shots(sog), 3-1 corners, 13-9 crosses vs. 11-7 clearances, 0-1 offside, 8-10 fouls, 60% possession.
Pretty sure this is an accurate stat: Julie Ertz first half heat map pic.twitter.com/2NDwasDAQx— Jeff Kassouf (@JeffKassouf) July 19, 2020
Is that even really a question? Sure, teams don't have attendance income this year, but they don't have stadium rental fees either. And with all of the new sponsorship money that's come in this year, I fail to see how any teams are in any real danger. It just kinda annoys me that people keep bringing this up each year when we're seeing less and less of a reason to keep asking the question, now eight years in. Like, there's been nothing but green flags all summer.
51' 0-0 Jenkins slows up at 5m wide right, 1-v-2 with Short and Watt tracking back. Jenkins audaciously dumps ball between them, swims through their gap, collects and continues to 5m mid-right. Cross to 12m mid-left, Huerta shoots one-touch right roundhouse, blasts it way over bar 53' 0-0 St. Georges(?) crosses from wide right, Reign head straight up, ball bounces near spot. McNabb(?) bravely heads a square clearance across own box, to 12m 6-left, Jenkins turns and clears it into near touch. Chicago's urgent crosses are causing some havoc. 55' 0-0 Short crosses on the run from 9m wide left, Brooks(?) heads away. 56' 0-0 Short left throw-in at box top, Watt back-cuts Cruz along box top mid-left, Short throws a pinpoint to her foot. Early in 2H, it's all Chicago so far.
58' 0-0 Murphy punts long past circle top right. Gorden takes a better path, but ball glances off her torso and bounces ahead toward right corner flag, J.Taylor anticipated that and is already accelerating past her. Taylor wins race at 3m wide right, shields ball over. 59' 0-0 Cox right ck, outswings to 4m 4-left. Huerta is unmarked from mid-left, lunge-heads a bullet to 1/4 left face-high, Naeher is already squatting and reflex-double-blocks it back to 6-top center, McCaskill turns and blasts it clear.
Is Fishlock okay? She keeps bending over after that collision. On the other end, Watt doing work, but nothing to show for it.
I'm rooting for the Reign, but man, that dribble was so fun (and nerve wracking) to watch. That run deserved a finish that was just as composed.
65' 0-0 Fishlock plays a give-and-go wheel route down right touch to 10m, tries Jenkins' dump-and-split-2 move, but takes -- an arm to the nose or throat? She stays down at 12m box right, all play on, eventually she resumes. 67' 0-0 Chicago crosses from the right to arc top, Cook clangs it across. Watt collects at 25m mid-left, fakes a turn centerward and jukes due north past Brooks(?) stepping up, alone through box top mid-left to 12m. Hard centerward cut shakes the last defender, Watt goes alone to 7m 1/5 right, with forlorn Murphy +1 on right post waiting for the shoe to drop. Watt shoots hip twist right instep pull but twists too far, juuuust wide left low 68' 0-0 OL Reign subs in { 1st of 3 }: - (1 of 5) #24 Bethany Balcer for #10 Jessica Fishlock.
I think it might have been to the nose with a bit of a nosebleed. At least that's what it looked like from the indirect shot of Fishlock on the bench.
71' 0-0 McNabb runs on at ~25m center, shoots a rocket to crossbar 1/4 right, Naeher backpedals and tips it over bar. 72' 0-0 Cox(?) right ck, back to arc tangent left. Huerta heads into box top, Watt(?) heads it away, just past arc top. Huerta races Watt to it, leans slightly ahead, Watt body-bumps her down sideways. Foul. 73' 0-0 OL Reign subs in { 2nd of 3 }: - (2 of 5) #21 Yuka Momiki for #9 Jodie Taylor. - (3 of 5) #13 Celia Jiménez Delgado for #14 Stephanie Cox. 73' 0-0 Chicago subs in { 1st of 3 }: - (1 of 5) #18 Ella Stevens for #9 Savannah McCaskill - (2 of 5) #7 Michele Vasconcelos for #33 Katie Johnson. 73' 0-0 Stevens is down at circle center, holding right knee. Stoppage becomes the 2H hydration break.
77' 0-0 Stevens walks off unassisted. 79' 0-0 Chicago subs in { 2nd of 3 }: - (3 of 5) #15 Makenzy Doniak for #18 Ella Stevens. A short stint, not even 1'.
84' 0-0 Reign string together some passes, work ball from left to right. Celia intercepts a ball way up at 30m center, pass toward box top right. Colaprico throws self onto back to stretch left foot straight up and wave at ball, and pow her leg hammer-cramps, she stays down. Brief stoppage, she gets stretched out. 85' 0-0 Huerta holds up ball at 12m mid-right, backpass to arc top wide right. Celia one-touch high cross drops at 6-top 1/3 right, Jenkins boxes out Ertz and side-heads down (too) steeply past own left armpit, ball bounces up to right post, Naeher dives and pushes it over endline right. 87' 0-0 Brooks longball from circle left to arc top, Gorden volleys away. 87' 0-0 Celia plays a give-and-go with Jenkins as pivot at 27m right touch, while Celia makes an inside-out run through arc top box right. Celia leans self past Short, who clatters into her legs. Foul. 88' 0-0 Momiki fk at arc top box right, driven low and fast over the scrum to 3m 3-left, Jenkins lunges but misses a header.
90' 0-0 Celia sprints up wide right on an overlap, Jenkins dribbles centerward. Short pass to Huerta at arc top, she eventually scuffs a pass to Celia at box top wide right -- and her plant foot stepped on Ertz's foot? Huerta stays down, Celia drives down wide right, cross blocked by Short, picks up sidespin. Naeher sprints along right endline to box right foot and gathers it before it goes over. After the play, Huerta is still down, stoppage. +4'. 90+2' (of +4') 0-0 OL Reign subs in { 3rd of 3 }: - (4 of 5) #5 Rebecca Quinn for #20 Sofia Huerta. Quinn must be a pk shooter.
90+3' (of +4') 0-0 Chicago left throw-in at 30m, they switch right but miss a pass down box right. 90+4' (of +4') 0-0 Hill dribbles away at right corner flag, then spins cw back to right corner flag. Ground cross poked away, Vasconcelos is jammed 1-v-2 at 22m arc right. Short drives down wide left, Jenkins(?) pokes ball out. 90+5' (of +4') 0-0 Chicago left throw-in around 6-top. Watt turns at 15m mid-left, shoots right roundhouse to 1/4 left face-high, Murphy catches. 90+6' (of +4') 0-0 Gorden backpass, Naeher distributes. Chicago hoof it high into box top mid-left, too far for Short, Murphy catches the bounce. AER 0-0. Both teams went forward with purpose. Watt may rue that miss. Reign 15(6)-(2)10 shots(sog), 6-4 corners, 28-20 crosses vs. 24-18 clearances, 0-3 offsides, 11-16 fouls, 57% possession.