We only have one game in Week 1, but just for consistency, I'm labelling it that way. Saturday, Sept 5 at 1 pm ET: Washington Spirit vs Sky Blue FC at Washington's Segra Field (on CBS, CBS All Access, and Twitch) Injury Report: Injury report for tomorrow’s #NWSL Fall Series match between the @WashSpirit and @SkyBlueFC. pic.twitter.com/01YP4mvPem— Rachael Kriger (@RachaelKriger) September 4, 2020
I am almost sorry to say but I am finding it impossible to get excited at all about the so called "season." I know they are trying but, judging by their made up tournament all we will have is a lot of boring matches and we will be missing many top players that have moved on to leagues that are taking the matches seriously. I wish the best to the NWSL but I am not continuing my subscription to CBS All Access because I do not find value, for me, in it. I also guess this is a farewell to the many people I have interacted with on these forums. It is just not fun anymore and if it is not fun it is not worth spending my time on. The current soccer culture has just ruined the sport for me and the NWSL has done much to feed that feeling. Of course the MLS and all the European leagues have done even more. I may, if it becomes allowable, attend some local soccer matches to try to recapture the magic but I am just about totally burnt out on the pro game and it will take time, maybe a lot of time, for me to really want to watch matches again.
Sorry to hear you think soccer culture has pushed you away and made you disinterested. You bring detailed posts often, but it's also been clear this summer you haven't been satisfied with much. Hopefully you come back around in the future and can enjoy the growth of the league and everyone around it. In the meantime, I'm immensely glad to have even more soccer to watch and more chances to cheer on my teams. Not only was DC/NJ supposed to be the opening match of the season on CBS, making it a nice callback to the original TV deal, but it's a low-key historical rivalry that has some unfinished business this season with a PKSO in the Challenge Cup QFs that DC need to get revenge for. Settled in with a nice drink and CBS on TV and ready to go! Segra field looks nice; I haven't been there yet before but probably will be next year.
First real shot of the game from Sky Blue at 8'; not a hard save but not an easy one either from Bledsoe
Ooooooof near disaster for NJ as the GK passes to a defender who mishandles it; DC attacker basically had an open net from distance but put it over
DC having generally better possession and pressure, but NJ doing well at quickly moving the ball up field when they get the opportunity and getting shots off.
This feels like an early afternoon college game with not too many people in attendance. All you hear are the players and coaches.
And of course I missed the goal X'-D That's an interesting point; CBS isn't laying on fake crowd noise for viewers now like they did in the Challenge Cup. I wonder who made that call.
omg I hear the Spirit Squadron in attendance! Though it kinda sounds like they're chanting and drumming from the parking lot.
Hey, soccer again! I like it better without the phony fan noise. Players I've liked so far: Flores and Purce for Sky Blue, Sanchez for Washington.
For the record: Your starting XI to kick off the #NWSLFallSeries 🍃#WASvNJ pic.twitter.com/V4Jufk1PNZ— Washington Spirit (@WashSpirit) September 5, 2020 ⚡ XI vs. Washington ⚡ Matchday presented by @HMHNewJersey#WASvNJ | #NWSLFallSeries pic.twitter.com/rU5Ci3qAYO— NJ/NY Gotham FC (@GothamFC) September 5, 2020 18' 0-1 Onumonu catches Staab turning, steals and shoots over Bledsoe into right 90. Looks like Staab tried a drag-left, but Onumonu anticipated it and put her foot there. Sometimes the bull does win. First goal of the #NWSLFallSeries 👏👏@ify_on22 turns 💪 defense into offense to put @SkyBlueFC in front. 0-1 | #WASvNJ Tune in now on @CBS and @Twitch. pic.twitter.com/dstD9rPzUG— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) September 5, 2020 HT 0-1.
46' 0-1 Washington subs in { 0th of 3 }: - (1 of 5) #26 Meghan McCool for #2 Ashley Sanchez. 46' 0-1 Sky Blue subs in { 0th of 3 }: - (1 of 5) #8 Erika Skroski for #22 Mandy Freeman. 51' 0-1 Good one-touch inside-out pass sends Flores to 2m wide right, a bit too wide for her to collect in stride. Flores faces off 1-v-1 with Jacobs, pokes ball past but Jacobs intercepts, boxes her out, wins a strength duel and clears. 58' 0-1 Sky Blue cross from ~arc top box left, Nielsen(?) heads ball straight up to 15m left post. Woldmoe turns back to goal, tries a bicycle kick to raucous applause, never got hips high enough to generate downward angle, launches it well over. 59' 0-1 Washington subs in { 1st of 3 }: - (2 of 5) #7 Jaye Boissiere for RB #5 Brooke Hendrix (jammed right leg). 61' 0-1 Sky Blue subs in { 1st of 3 }: - (2 of 5) #11 Mallory Pugh for #17 Dominique Richardson. Pugh's 1st cap with Sky Blue.
70' 0-1 Sky Blue subs in { 2nd of 3 }: - (3 of 5) #5 Nicole Baxter for #6 Jennifer Cudjoe. 71' 0-1 McCool receives at box top mid-left, momentary window closes. She cuts centerward, ball poked away. McCool has looked active in her 26' of action. 75' 0-1 Hatch receives through circle top, turns away, passes to Bailey(?) through box top right. Bailey turns inward and walks right into defensive pressure, Woldmoe comes back through own box top and takes ball right off her foot. 76' 0-1 Off that outlet, Purce counters through circle left, passes inside-out to Pugh at 30m wide left. Pugh drives down box left, cuts inside to 12m left post, shoots right instep pull to left post low but gets only 2/3 power, Bledsoe dives and catches. 77' 0-1 2H hydration break.
80' 0-1 Washington subs in { 1st of 3 }: - (3 of 5) #16 Averie Collins for #33 Ashley Hatch - (4 of 5) #6 Katie McClure for #17 Kumi Yokoyama. 82' 0-1 Dougherty Howard longball from circle left, McClure times it perfectly and leaves Flores behind. McClure touches alone through box top mid-left to 10m mid-left, shoots right instep to left post low, Sheridan kick-saves. 🚫 @Kailen_Sheridan doing Kailen Sheridan things 🚫0-1 | #WASvNJ Tune in now on @CBS and @Twitch. #NWSLFallSeries pic.twitter.com/yCl2WsHhqe— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) September 5, 2020 83' 0-1 Purce passes behind Onumonu at circle top box left. Onumonu turns ccw, passes to Sanchez cutting center-to-left through 25m left post. Sanchez drives 1-v-1 alongside Boisierre through arc left to 6m 5-left, shoots left instep, Boisierre blocks it over endline left. They've done this before, UCLA vs. Stanford 84' 0-1 Washington subs in { 2nd of 3 }: - (5 of 5) #18 Jessie Scarpa for #8 Meggie Dougherty Howard.
DC get a penalty and bury it past Sheridan despite her PK voodoo record, all level at 1-1 Moments later, Pugh beats Bledsoe but hits the post, and it's cleared Then Purce buries one on basically the very next sequence to put NJ back ahead! Craziness
87' 0-1 #_ fires a ground pass through box top left post behind Scarpa's run -- but ball rattles past Skrosi's right leg, spins centerward. Scarpa veers to ball, Skroski lunges backward and clips Scarpa's left foot, Scarpa sprawls. Sheridan comes out to spot, McCool clatters directly into her chest and flattens her. Foul, pk, Sheridan stays down for brief treatment. 89' 1-1 Nielsen pk, right instep to back left low, past Sheridan's dive. Calm and cool from the spot by @Paigenielsen and we're all tied up!1-1 | #WASvNJTune in now on @CBS and @Twitch.#NWSLFallSeries pic.twitter.com/KvP2DZYNZK— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) September 5, 2020
A pretty decent match, all things considered. Got to see lots of new players. Pugh and Purce are a scary fast pair for Skyblue. Shall we nickname them peepee? No! Add in Monaghan, who is a sparkplug on the left flank, and you've got some impressive scoring potential. Sky Blue looked like the better prepared team to me, but several newbies for Washington looked pretty good. McCool was active, Boissier is the energizer bunny.
90+1' (of +6') 1-1 Woldmoe dinks a short forward pass through 25m mid-left, Pugh somehow runs right past Washington's high-but-tired line and collects in stride. Bledsoe charges out to 10m 6-left, Pugh rounds her to a tight angle at 4m mid-left, shoots left instep off left post low, ball bounces straight out to 6-top left post, Nielsen collects. The commentators are just finishing discussing this play, when -- 90+2' (of +6' ) 1-2 No, it's not a replay, it's -- the same pattern! Pugh rounds 1 through circle top, lags a perfect pass to circle top. Purce has inside position on Jacobs, outsprints her up centerline and touches to 15m center. Bledsoe steps up to 9m center, Purce flicks right outstep past Bledsoe's left foot, into back right low. THIS GAME RIGHT NOW 😱@100Purcent puts @SkyBlueFC back in front!1-2 | #WASvNJ Tune in now on @CBS and @Twitch.#NWSLFallSeries pic.twitter.com/yzyDwltVbU— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) September 5, 2020 FT 1-2. Fun ending. Pugh-Purce-Onumonu vs. tired legs was a difference-maker.
When I saw the starting lineups with Pugh on the bench, I was thinking "Oh no, she's gonna come in on fresh legs like a wrecking ball late in the game, isn't she?". And she did.