I would be more than happy to have someone else open weekly threads, such as @lil_one , @Semblance17, and others have done in the past. However, I would like to get us back in a rhythm, so here goes Week 2. (Times are Eastern) https://www.nwslsoccer.com/schedule There are 3 games on Wed 5/26 that in my mind don't go with this week, which means 8 games next week. FRI 5/21 7:30 Washington at Louisville (Twitch) SAT 5/22 7:00 Orlando at North Carolina (Paramount+) 8:00 NJ/NY at Chicago (Paramount+) SUN 5/23 6:00 Tacoma at Portland (CBS Sports Network) 7:00 Kansas City at Houston (Paramount+) These are tough to pick. I will go with WAS, NC, CHI, POR, and HOU. All of the games have interesting aspects.
IIRC I saw a graphic from NWSL not too long ago that suggested "weeks" were Monday-Sunday, so you would be correct in that sense. (And I agree on that configuration)
It is 6:40 and the injury report on the NWSL site is the one from May 14. I did read that Paige Nielsen is out for WAS.
And, Julie Ertz is out for the Red Stars with a MCL strain. USWNT thinks she will be back for the Olympics.
I think Washington’s passing game was lacking a key component. The passers, particularly in the middle third, were not moving after they made the pass. To be effective, you have to pass then move. This resulted in way too many backward passes which take the vigor out of the attack. Betos and the back line are impressive. Fox, Riehl, & Hendrix are very young players, with only Simon having a lot of experience. I think they have 3 clean sheets in a row.
Good observation about Washington. I noticed that too. The Spirit have some very talented front-row players. I think Sanchez has improved a lot, especially with her physical play. She used to get bossed off the ball, but she seems stronger and kept the ball on several occasions while surrounded by multiple players. Fox was extremely impressive, especially in the first half. I hadn't seen her play in a while, but she has improved tremendously. She is so quick dribbling and cutting, and extremely fast when coming back to defend.
Missed the first 15 of NC/ORL, tuned in just time to see Deb run across almost the entire field on a counter after an ORL corner. X-D Yup, that's NC.
Couple questions: All matches are available on either Twitch for free or on Paramount+ for $6 per month, correct? Also, this may sound like a dumb question, but how many subs are allowed per game? I saw what seemed like 5 subs for the Spirit yesterday. Is that right? If so, was that always the case or did they recently make a rule change? My mind is going! LOL!
I think the CBS Sports Network games are not available for live streaming within the US, but I'd have to check that. Otherwise yes, all games are on one of the two streaming platforms. FIFA allowed for 5 subs per game last year, and that change has been extended to the end of this year. They've also added a pilot program allowing 2 extra subs if concussion protocols are activated. So, in theory, up to 7 subs per game if things go badly with head collisions.
FT, NC 1-2 ORL. I mentioned before (I think in the Challenge Cup thread/?) that ORL has been NC's bogey team for a while, but I think we're also potentially seeing the predicted collapse of NC - no dynasty lasts forever. On the other hand, defensive issues may not be as big of an issue if the midfield keeps possession much more often, a la "the best defense is a good offense".
Switched over to the CHI/NJY game now. Seeing some good offense from CHI, unlike what we've seen for a while now. I bet having fans back in Bridgeview is helping. Hope for them yet.
Strong showing for CHI tonight, but couldn't turn their numerous good looks into a goal. They get a new one each year, yeah, and they're always good.
Ok , but Sam isn’t going to stop defenders from passing to opponents in the first third. And she isn’t going to chase down speedy forwards like Morgan. I would not have predicted that Orlando and Louisville would lead the league in points at any time in the season.
Rivalry match chaos delivered X-D I think I saw on Twitter that many POR fans directed much ire at the ref here. And with HOU salvaging a draw against visiting KC, every team in the league has dropped points and every team has earned at least one point - and it's only week two. It'll be interesting to see if this parity sticks!
Well, I didn't think the referee inspired much confidence but I hardly think Portland can blame the loss on her because she seemed to miss calls both ways and, fortunately, they weren't what some call match-critical incidents. Generally I dismiss fan criticism of referees because they never acknowledge when the officiating is reasonably good given the difficult job they have. Good example is the knee-jerk criticism of the Finnish referee for awarding the PK which enabled the US to tie Sweden several weeks ago even though it was almost certainly the correct call as shown by several replays. I guess we can give credit to US fans for criticizing the referees even for calls which benefit their team — at least we're not motivated by pure favoritism(!)