So while I was out of the country for a week and a half no one started any game threads for the Red Stars? OK, so the Red Stars go to game 5 against the Thorns with a 0-2-2 record at 5:00 Sunday evening at Benedictine. The CRS defense have another big job on Sunday. They also need to put some balls in the net. We are well into the season and Dames needs to start figuring out how to get a win and fast. He risks losing any momentum in attendance that would have been brought by having Alex Morgan in town 2 weeks apart.
I will be at the game Sunday hoping the red stars can turn this season around. I'm not real optimistic.
Red Stars have a LOT of work to do. The defense is like Swiss Cheese and there is NO ONE that can put the ball in the net consistently. Rory Dames has no answer for what the other coaches are putting on the field. I see no consistent improvement game to game. It's early but the season is well under way. Dames has to make some moves and corrections now otherwise the two seasons under Emma Hayes will feel like bliss to CRS fans compared to what we are seeing now. And another question: Are our Mexican players that bad that they don't get a minute of playing time? I wouldn't question the Mexican Federation if they quit financing. Their players aren't even getting a chance to play. At least not on the Red Stars. -Frustrated Season Ticket Holder (but hoping for better).
I also haven't been impressed with Dames. Why isn't Garza playing? At least to try her out and see.. is she injured? Isn't Dominguez a better option off the bench then McDonald? Then again, I wasn't exactly thrilled with the allocation. I've never thought highly of Moscato and her play thus far isn't helping change my mind. The biggest issue is the inability to hold possession.
Not to mention had trouble completing her passes. I know Chicago has been screwed so far on the injury front and obviously things could be a lot different should LePeilbet and Boxx be playing but it's still disconcerting to watch this team. At times they looked good today and that tended to happen after a bit of sustained possession but that did not happen nearly enough.
Right now Lori Chalupny is the only player doing her job, up and beyond. Everyone else other then McLeod can be replaced by someone that does want to step up. The defense has no leader. We have a very good goalkeeper but when you are one-on-one with the opposing forward on a consistent basis, there is nothing that you can do but get frustrated. Posession is a problem and we have no one with the nose for the goal. Ella in the pro ranks IMO, has never been the one you look to for scoring goals on a consistent basis. She had a short stint of scoring when Namazi took charge of the Red Stars after Hayes was let go. But that's because he started playing her in the right position and had her recieve the ball at her feet on the run. Ella is a compliment to the goal scorer on a team. She made a good compliment to Abby Wambach on MagicJack. However Ella does a have a role. What we need is a real goal scorer with Ella next to her as the workhorse. A real goalscorer will also take marking pressure off of Ella. When is Grings coming in? It's a shame that our Mexican players aren't getting a shot in game. Put them in there, see what happens. It's not like we are winning with the players that are out there now. And this isn't the U-16 girls squad. We're beyond fundamentals at this point. Start using some professional tactics and putting the right people in the right positions.
The last game in the swiss league final round is June 8th. Grings team is already swiss champion and I did read that Fuss and Grings are coming in May. I doubt they can save the season for Chicago, but Fuss will bring stability in defense and Grings will score for sure. http://www.womenfootball.ch/verein_11548_spielplan_de.html
Here's an idea Rory and Alyse. Sarah Hagen's season at Bayern Munich is over. I'm sure she'll come home to Wisconsin for the summer to be with her family. Drive a couple hours up north to Appleton, WI. Knock on the door and ask to speak to Sarah Hagen. Then say "Sarah, we sure can use your 5'11'' frame and canon foot to put some balls in our opponent's net. We can sure use you, even if it's for a little while. Can you please play for the Chicago Red Stars while you are in town for the summer? Please?"
Again Red Stars staff, her we go: http://www.socceramerica.com/article/51625/hagen-finishes-tied-for-fifth-in-frauen-bundesliga.html Call the Bayern Munich front office and ask if you can borrow Sarah Hagen for a couple of months over the summer. Same story as in the WPS days, we have no real goal scorer. No one with a nose for the goal.