35' 0-1 Seattle pattycake in the back, as Houston's press doesn't venture past midfield. (It's hot!) McNabb to Long(?) at midfield right touch, pass to Kawasumi unmarked at box top wide right. Quick ground cross cleared, Addo collects and passes wide left to Catley. Catley faces up at 12m wide left, 1-v-1 on Ohai. Numerous cutbacks, no advantage, Catley eventually backpasses to Utsugi. Ohai is tenacious as ever 38' 0-1 Seattle cross from ~box top right to 8m 1/3 left, Long and Daly both jump and knock heads? Stoppage, both resume.
[ORL-NC] 52' 1-1 Marta gets to 3m wide left, fast ground pass to 2m 1-left. Rowland comes out and sprawls down, Ubogagu sneaks left foot under/between Erceg's split legs, pokes ball under Rowland's right armpit , just inside left post low. All even in Orlando! Ubogagu with the equalizer for @ORLPride.#ORLvNC | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/nLRNeaYjik— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 24, 2018 57' 1-2 Hinkle drives a ground pass to arc tangent left, Zadorsky sit-kicks it away to 22m arc left. Kennedy settles ball but loses balance under Debinha's pressure, sits down herself -- and tries a backpass-while-falling, but it's a disaster: a perfect through-ball past Krieger moving forward, rolling untouched to 12m left post. Debinha swim-moves past Krieger, wins race vs. Edmonds scrambling, flicks right outstep across mouth under Harris coming out -- and rolls it into back right low. Two monitors is not enough And just like that, Debinha gives @TheNCCourage back the lead!#ORLvNC | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/Bq9CTGgmVA— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 24, 2018
Good half from Seattle. Had the game under control. I feel like they should be able to do more with all that possession
61' 1-3 McDonald spins away from 2 to 3m wide left, crosses outswinging to 8m 1/3 right. S.Mewis is unmarked thereat, jump-tucks and twist-heads across mouth -- off right post. Ball bounces square left along goalline, hits Harris's left shin/calf (<= bold means own-goal), deflects into own goal. Harris dive-twists self back into goal, hooks ball out before it lands. AR flags it fully over line, goal And Mewis makes it 3-1 with this header!#ORLvNC | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/d3PUbbSt18— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 24, 2018 NWSL credits S.Mewis with a goal? Should not be -- by definition, her shot-on-frame was not on goal 64' 2-3 Nairn left ck, she scoops it to 7m 1/3 left. Kennedy out-heights all in vicinity, twist-heads a lob across mouth, gets not much power but perfect placement -- drops it perfectly over the scrum, into right side netting back low, as Rowland never moved. And @ORLPride pulls it back within one, thanks to Kennedy! #ORLvNC | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/yOEYZQGMZS— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 24, 2018
[WAS-NJ] 64' 1-0 Sullivan fk at 29m 6-left, delicate chip to 7m right post. Hatch emerges 1-v-1 from the front of the scrum, fends off Beckie on her back and jumps in front of her, heads across mouth and bounces it into back left low. The set play pays off for @WashSpirit - Hatch gets the go-ahead goal.#WASvNJ | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/tGDUE6DRYr— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 24, 2018 74' 1-0 Washington subs in (2 of 3) #16 Rose Lavelle for #10 Estefanía Banini. Tweet-worthy! Return of the Rose.#WASvNJ | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/Rsr4RZjIui— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 24, 2018
[HOU-SEA] 46' 0-1 Houston subs in (1 of 3) #12 Veronica Latsko for #7 Kealia Ohai. 46' 0-1 Seattle subs in (1 of 3) #15 Megan Rapinoe for #11 Elizabeth Addo. 48' 0-1 K.Mewis scoops a pass from 23m center to 8m left post, Brooks pushes off the front of the scrum and arrives first, half-volley over Betos off crossbar center, bounces up and away. Houston cross ball back in, but -- offside on the first shot? That's how Brooks was open. Crossbar makes a bid for Post of the Week
[ORL-NC] 83' 3-3 Rowland punts to circle top (Orlando's) left, van Egmond heads down to Marta unmarked up wide left. Marta veers inward to box top left, inviting S.Mewis and Mathias into a 1-v-2 -- then jukes down box left to 12m. Hard ground cross flashes through box, Rowland is frozen near-post and stays upright. Ball skitters untouched to 3m 3-right, Hill volleys it just inside right post into 1/5 right 1/2 high. Nobody expects the instant turnover -- you can see Hinkle caught waaaaay up at circle back wide left, and thereafter a non-factor on Hill's run. HILL! We're all level in Orlando. AGAIN!#ORLvNC | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/3GmDAut1i0— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 24, 2018 90' 3-4 Erceg steals ball past circle top right, passes left to Hinkle. Hinkle chips from 27m mid-left to 8m center. McDonald tracks ball over her left shoulder, outjumps Poliana and pops ball up off her head or upper back -- 8m+ high near-vertical pop-up way over Harris doing a jumping-jack at 5m center. Ball drops at 0.5m 1/6 left, Zadorsky is backpedaling into own goal, stoops and heads ball down -- but then it topspins in after her, and she scuffs it out late. AR flags ball fully over line again A wild Wednesday indeed (understatement). Jessica McDonald puts @TheNCCourage ahead late with this goal.#ORLvNC | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/KJhOfJMmvW— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 24, 2018 FT 3-4. This league
[HOU-SEA] 68' 1-1 Daly fk at 42m mid-left, into the scrum at 8m 1/4 right. Long heads ball directly into K.Mewis's head, ball drops and bounces once at 7m center. K.Mewis sit-falls and gets a full left roundhouse half-volley through ball, past Betos screened, into 1/4 right back low. Full credit for that: Mewis tracked the ball all the way down, and got her foot to the ball before anybody else did. Kristie Mewis puts it home for Houston! The Dash have their equalizer in the second half.#HOUvSEA | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/symv8QSjJt— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 24, 2018 76' 1-1 Motlhalo drives to 25m arc left, square pass right to Simon, one-touch right foot shot from 23m 6-right, Betos catches face-high. Off the punt, Rapinoe lets ball catch up to her -- and is called for a foul or handball? 78' 1-1 Much, much Houston possession and pressure in Seattle's 1/3. Daly 1-v-1 at box left foot, cuts back to 5m, cuts forward to 2m mid-left and has her own shot window for a moment. Hard cross to 2m center, Betos dives with McNabb(?) and Latsko both sliding, ball pops straight out up centerline to 14m -- and somehow Houston has 2 unmarked there, with no defenders in sight Simon shot blocked, re-entry dink pass to Latsko at 4m 5-right, with Betos basically swimming freestyle across the grass to claw at her kneepads. Latsko loses ball off her foot/shin, over endline right Houston working on finding goal no. 2 at home.#HOUvSEA | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/kUz2y6HP4m— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 24, 2018
85' 1-1 Rapinoe dribbles away to 27m box left, crossbody cross to 6-top right post. Tayor is unmarked with lateral separation, heads downward across mouth past Campbell, watches it bounce just wide left low. Sheesh we basically have to have Taylor stand still like a mirror and bank the ball in off her chest, or something -- 88' 1-1 Barnes chips long to 11m 2/5 left, Campbell comes out about 9m and doesn't get there. Spencer jumps with 2(?), heads just wide left. 89' 1-1 Spencer dribbles right-to-center to 27m, passes to arc right for Taylor unmarked down mid-right, to 2m. Taylor scoops a slow, high pass toward 6-top left post, Utsugi runs on but can't sync her feet to the bounce, shin-blocks it way over bar.
Same story different day for this team, total domination in the first half, complete capitulation in the second. Quite frankly it's getting annoying. Did we hire a new trainer, the team look gassed and same as always out of ideas in the second half. And as I was writing this Houston took the lead, deservedly.
Subs remains questionable. Long, Utsugi, Taylor have all played every minute they have been available and yet no subs for them. I love Yanez, I really do but she's not a midfielder in this league. Taylor can not finish. Kleiner offers nothing going forward. Long remains our best player this season. I wish I had gotten that beer I planned on getting
90' 1-1 Taylor dribbles to arc top mid-left, cuts back as Rapinoe runs past her, shoots right foot across mouth -- just wide right low. +3'. 90+1' (of +3') 1-1 Kleiner dribbles to arc top box right vs. Motlhalo, drives to 12m box right, bends a shross right instep outswinging, lobs Campbell jump-falling backward -- touched(?) onto left post low, bounces away. Rapinoe runs on at 12m mid-left, cross/shot deflected, skitters rightward. Chapman clears, Simon pokes it upfield to Daly at circle back left, she sweeps leftward into Motlhalo's stride. 90+2' (of +3') 2-1 Motlhalo races to 24m mid-left in front of Seattle's line, veers centerward to arc left, passes square right to Latsko at arc top mid-right. Latsko touches to box top mid-right, shoots right instep across mouth -- ball nutmegs Catley and deflects off her inner leg, flattens out across mouth past Betos's dive -- off left post low, and inevitably bounces in. A stoppage time stunner from Latsko to give the @HoustonDash the late lead!#HOUvSEA | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/CVU6bq9rbV— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 24, 2018 FT 2-1. I totally knew their shot would bank in, after nobody else's did all day. Post of the Week!
I was thinking that Daly, who can't get a spot up top with the England team, is playing way better for her club team than Taylor, an incumbent, is playing for hers.
Fun stat: Until last night, Marta had never lost a match in NWSL/WPS where she either scored or assisted a goal. 42 wins, 8 draws, and 1 loss.
I like Taylor. She has the ability to pull off quite skilled, clever finishes. And this season she's had many unlucky near misses. Her goal count count be double her current tally of 3. But she has been wasteful too, missing some easy ones. She and Daly both run hard. I appreciate their work rate. But to your point, Daly would be a shoe in for me, if I was England coach. Not sure in what role, but she is too good to omit.
The one thing with Daly is that she's always done much better for club than for country... Admittedly, her NT caps are still a small sample. IIRC ARod had the same issue.
Definitely, and to add some context, look who is playing around and behind Taylor and look who is playing around and behind Daly. Daly must do more for her team than Taylor needs to do for hers. I gotta put Daly in ahead of Taylor right now. Neville was not on board for the Euros, so Taylor's golden boot is only a history paper from his POV.
[POR-UTA] Catching up Tonight's lineup vs. @UtahRoyalsFC; kick is 7:30PM PT. #BAONPDX #PORvUTA pic.twitter.com/4hfWaJDrx6— Portland Thorns FC (@ThornsFC) May 26, 2018 Tonight's squad vs Portland! Kickoff is at 8:30 pm MT. pic.twitter.com/E4b5m0FiYA— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) May 26, 2018 Portland: Q none / OUT Franch Geist Morris Raso Sonnett (lower back pain) Utah: Q none / OUT Arlitt Laddish O'Hara
18' 1-0 Turnover at midfield circle (Portland's) right? Sinclair kicks a switch to 25m mid-left ahead of Heath. Heath pulls up and settles as Utah's backline retreats past her. Nobody picks up Sinclair continuing her own run, to arc tangent right. Heath dribbles centerward, slips a ground pass between 2 to Sinclair at box top 2/5 right. Sinclair micro-juggles ball to 15m 1/4 left, shoots left foot before it bounces again. A.Smith leans right and touches(?) ball off left post, but it banks in behind her. Heath totally saw the channel between Elby and Gorry, and got the weight just right. Who else, but @sincy12. @ThornsFC take the lead at home!#PORvUTA | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/gd9n96LVWU— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 26, 2018 39' 2-0 Andressinha passes square left across circle top, Menges one-touch pass to Klingenberg at arc top left touch. Klingenberg darts to 12m wide left ahead of Tymrak, fast cross outswings to 4m 2/5 right. A.Smith comes off near post and flaps at it, but never gets close. Ball drops untouched over Sauerbrunn's head, Horan hop-volleys with right knee and redirects it into 1/3 right back 1/2 high. Well, the entire league knows Portland attacks with Klingenberg from the left, but the fast switch and perfect execution still beats loose marking. This time @Lindseyhoran11 puts it away for @ThornsFC! #PORvUTA | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/QGBhoBCfUI— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 26, 2018 FT 2-0.
I've just watched highlights of the game, but just by looking at them you get the impression that the chemistry between Heath and Sinclair is phenomenal right now and Heath totally found her pace after her long injury. In particular the "large" triangle between the two of them for the first goal was very good soccer to see (the passes and the shot were nearly perfect). At one point, the female announcer said "Becky Sauerbrunn does what she does best" just after she had deflected an Heath's shot with her face! So it looks like being pummeled in the face by shots is Sauerbrunn special feature.
If Chesky had been the ref, Sauerbrunn probably wouldn't have had to get up; she would have been sent off for not keeping her arms at least 6' away from the ball. (No, I'm never going to let that go.)