Credit to NC, this is the least boring Seattles offense has been in the last several games and NCs defense is staying strong. The Reign need to get Long more involved, and I don't think Yanez is the answer on the right wing.
46' 1-2 Rapinoe turns down box left alongside Mathias, whips a cross from 11m box left to 6-top 2-right. Yanez jumps leaning backward, can only pop her header over bar. 48' 1-3 NC right ck, to 4m left post, Ld.Williams comes into the scrum and punches away. Hinkle chips to 6m center, Ln.Williams hop-flick goes nowhere. Ball bounces to 5m 6-right, Debinha runs on and -- whiffs, runs over ball! Seattle clear up wide left, Mathias regains and jukes past Rapinoe, to arc top mid-right. Right foottop shot swerving away from Ld.Williams's dive -- off her fingertips, into back right high North Carolina can't even believe it Another stunner from Merritt Mathias! @TheNCCourage up 3–1 now in the second half.#SEAvNC | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/nSId7Qme1L— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) June 23, 2018
58' 1-3 Seattle subs in (1 of 3) #12 Morgan Andrews for #20 Rumi Utsugi. 65' 1-3 Seattle subs in: - (2 of 3) #9 Nahomi Kawasumi for #24 Alyssa Kleiner - (3 of 3) #13 Adriana Leon for #17 Beverly Yanez. 66' 1-3 Rapinoe cuts to arc top, backheel springs Leon through arc left. Leon clangs ball off right shin, way too far to Rowland coming out. Seattle just aren't up to the pace of play, and trying to play faster magnifies tiny errors. (To be fair, North Carolina spends about 70' of every game being not up to their own pace of play but they score)
70' 1-4 L.Williams dribbles fast up mid-right lane to 24m arc right, diagonal pass to box top left post springs Dunn past Oyster, to 9m left post. Simple shot across mouth, into back right pipe 1/2 high. Seattle lose the speed match-up at every position on the field, and eventually NC convert some fast-break layups. Make it ✌️ for @crysdunn_19. @TheNCCourage are locked in today.#SEAvNC | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/vkh1uiVaOp— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) June 23, 2018 71' 1-4 Mathias counters up right touch to ~15m, fast cross to 5m 1/4 left. Ld.Williams comes out, stretch-pushes ball past Ln.Williams' bow, to 6m 7-left. McDonald chests ball, taps back to Debinha unmarked at 8m left post. Debinha shuffles feet, shot blocked by Kleiner coming across. McDonald goes back to ball, turn-and-shoot from 12m mid-left to 5m left post -- Ld.Williams falls on it thereat, out of position but the ball came right to her. 73' 1-4 Zerboni quacks a bad pass to Kawasumi at 14m mid-right, rushed chip across mouth bounces wide left low. And when Seattle get these half-chances, they put all of them not on frame.
78' 1-4 Long longball to Rapinoe at arc tangent left, she chests ball square to box top 1/3 right. Leon rushes a half-volley, lifts it waaay over bar. Not on frame 79' 1-4 Rapinoe quick pass toward box top mid-left, Taylor splits the high line. Taylor lets ball catch up to her, runs behind it -- Kurtz comes back across her front, clears ball over endline left. Half-chance and not even a shot ...
86' 1-4 North Carolina subs in (3 of 3) #21 Darian Jenkins for #14 Jessica McDonald. Jenkins has had a long road back from the broken leg/ankle. FT 1-4. Maybe NC is a dynasty in the making, until the rest of the league all reboot their rosters with new talent.
You know what the really scary part of NC's dominance is? That even though they're running away with the league this year, most of their players haven't even reached the typical peak age yet. I have to keep reminding myself of how young everyone is.
As long as Charlie Naimo is on board, they should stay strong. And keeping Riley is key to the future commitment of current players, I'm sure. IF Expansion happens for the 2019 season, that will re-shuffle the player pool and somewhat level the talent distribution. Hopefully Julie King gets healthy and still wants to play (somewheere) and Makenzie Doniak comes back. I do think Riley has some Duke and North Carolina players in his sphere of influence and probably some Long Island Fury players as well - to help keep the youth coming in. Which broadens the reach within the younger talent pool - not all the future Courage need to be ex- Pali Blues.
[WAS-ORL] 1010646182484463623 is not a valid tweet id The squad taking on the Spirit at 7:00 on ESPNews! #WASvORL | #VamosOrlando pic.twitter.com/9ed4ulMohq— Orlando Pride (@ORLPride) June 23, 2018 Washington: Q Lavelle / OUT Eubanks Farquharson Matthews Pugh Ship Solaun Orlando: Q Krieger / OUT Weatherholt
11' 0-1 Washington control at circle back. GK Bledsoe is way up at own spot. (cue Jaws cellos) E.Johnson simple pass to Lohman at circle left. Lohman tries a square pass to Andrews in front half-circle -- but Kennedy jumps the route up centerline, takes two touches just past midfield -- (you know what's coming it's such a meme) -- and Kennedy fast-lobs Bledsoe from one step past midfield, clean over her fingertips at 9m, bouncing at 2m 1/5 right and into back right 1/2 high. Alanna Kennedy. Just did THIS 😱 The @ORLPride take the lead on the road!#WASvORL | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/YHb4dBzoFS— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) June 23, 2018 Yeah, we need all the angles of this @AlannaKennedy goal.#WASvORL | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/65Jg3ySw1y— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) June 23, 2018 That's better struck than Lloyd's in WWC'15, because it needed no woodwork and admitted no save chance. Always take that peek at the GK and do what you've practiced -- and practice it a few hundred reps, in case it happens once in your career FT 0-1 this one gimmick play is the margin
[CHI-UTA] It’s go time 🤙🏼#MKOT pic.twitter.com/in05mwdKXa— Chicago Red Stars (@chicagoredstars) June 23, 2018 but ROSTER CHANGE:Nikki Stanton will be in for Morgan Brian.— Chicago Red Stars (@chicagoredstars) June 23, 2018 Tonight's starting XI for #CHIvUTA Audio Breakdown: https://t.co/KQDEQJV9vn pic.twitter.com/Hp4yndTlDn— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) June 23, 2018 Chicago: Q White / OUT McCaffrey / HS* Elby Utah: Q none / OUT Arlitt Laddish O’Hara / HS* Press It is rumored that there was a gentlecoach's agreement to not play the players involved in the recent mega-trade.
08' 0-0 Colaprico left ck. Two young fans show off their hundred reps of training When the camera is on you, take advantage and work it.#CHIvUTA | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/71TDTy7uZM— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) June 24, 2018
61' 0-0 Handball on Moros. 62' 1-0 Colaprico fk at circle top wide right, driven high to spot. Naughton jumps drifting left-and-back away from the scrum, pops a high bloop header 5m up -- and it drops unerringly over A.Smith's fingertips, juuuust under left 90, into back left low. The lofted header from @k_naughton24 gets @chiredstarsPR on the board at home and it's her first career #NWSL goal.#CHIvUTA | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/FbnYXcNipC— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) June 24, 2018 ... and then A.Smith collides with (her) right post?
70' 2-0 Kerr collects at 35m wide right, backs down Sauerbrunn to 10m mid-right -- meanwhile, Nagasato backcuts toward 8m left post, dragging RB Bowen with her to 7m. Kerr taps a simple backpass to DiBernardo trailing unmarked to box top center. One mini-clang to 15m right post, serendipitously in her wheelhouse -- she steps into a right foot pull, hard across mouth past A.Smith at right post, bounces once into back left low. She's back! @vdibernardo10 adds another for @chiredstarsPR, giving them the 2–0 lead.#CHIvUTA | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/A1dbK3PNzk— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) June 24, 2018 73' 2-0 Gilliland hoofs from midfield wide right to arc tangent right, Kerr jumps 1-v-2 and heads down-and back to 22m center. Nagasato runs on, one-touch left foot shot over A.Smith, off crossbar 1/6 right, bounces down at 4m and out to spot. Nagasato is off by a matter of inches. Denied by the crossbar!#CHIvUTA | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/IZqTM7C9qN— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) June 24, 2018 FT 2-0.
She didn't leave Seattle specifically for Utah. She just left Seattle because she and the owners both felt it was time, and her fate was up in the air for a bit. She was passingly tied to a USSF job, but then Utah suddenly came into existence and she was convinced to come in.
I liked a lot when, some minutes before that, Nagasato dribbled a DF in the box and than shot. It was a step over that totally took Royals' DF off balance, to the point that she stumbled on the ground. I like women's football because you can see such technical moves succeed more often than in the too overly physical men's football from these days.
I agree. Don't get me wrong, I still follow the men's game and go Fire games here in Chicago as well, but I like the women's game for that reason as you stated and often even more technical, plus you don't see the girls diving absurdly and rolling 10 times in the box trying to get a PK, chasing the referee down 60 yards with profanity, or holding their face like in pain when the opponent barley touched his shoulder.
Of course that's another one of the main reasons why I follow women's football. Since I quit following men's football almost completely instead, I didn't even remember to mention those antics!