My FIL asked me something about the game, and I said “Chicago isn’t exactly the best team in the league… but might be the worst, except for our expansion team.”
Her first save was world class. The others were shots pretty much right at her. She distributed pretty well too. I thought the Royals looked promising. Against most GKs they would have had at least one goal and maybe two.
Royals actually had the majority of chances in the first half but couldn't finish. Lots of chances in 2nd half too but Naeher showed no signs of slowing down after the Gold Cup performances.
Huge missed opportunity last night for the club. I know the talk, RIGHTFULLY, has been focused on the joy of bringing this club back. I cannot disagree with that… but last night was a massive missed opportunity. Folks are going to leave that game saying it was a good time and the fireworks were fun. I don’t think many are walking away asking when they can come back again, unless they already had those plans
Do you mean because of the quality of play? This is why I was expressing some confusion about roster building upthread. Lots of quality players around the world now - more than a couple of years ago even - and we did almost nothing with that market.
My comment is more about the specific result It’s an extension of what appears, on paper, as a lacking roster. Still, home opener with that crowd and energy… you’d have expected more quality
Or at least a bit more urgency. Our keeper had to have had the most touches. Royals were way too apprehensive to make a forward pass. When they did gamble and tried to connect through the midfield it led to good chances. It just didn't happen enough. And the chances we had were either squandered or devoured by Naeher. We could have had 3 goals and an energized crowd instead of what we got.
No question the game was a bit deflating. Chicago might be a little better than the preseason predictions - Sam Staab was a really good pick up for them - but it was a winnable home game and we fluffed it. And all that backward passing... yikes, that was frustrating to watch. I'm not sure it was a good idea to start both Foederer and Nyberg in the middle. I can see why the team wanted them with their possession-based approach, but I don't think they were quite prepared for the hyper-athletic NWSL. They've only ever played in smaller European leagues. They faded by the end of the first half, and started giving away balls and failing to track their marks. I wouldn't be surprised to see Cluff start next time around, in place of one or the other. Our defense is another problem. All four of them seem like they can thrive in a press-and-possess team, but Del Fava and Riehl aren't a great CB pairing in terms of speed/recovery. Or at least that's how it looked from my low-angle seat. They were afraid to take chances with forward passes because they knew they'd be in trouble if someone like Swanson starting running at them in transition. Sadly, looking at the roster I don't see an easy fix for that. I'm hopeful about our attackers, though. Sentnor looked great, and I think Mozingo will eventually fit in really well as an offense-minded sub. Betford, in spite of her awful finishing, posed all sorts of problems with her physicality. Taken in context - no big free agents, youngest squad in the league - I think this season is mostly about building an identity, staying competitive, and figuring out which players are worth keeping long-term. And hopefully finding a way to play attractive soccer, because 15 to 32 is right: that wasn't a great advertisement for the casual fan.
I’m hoping Betford was simply rusty given its early season. Her finish was good on Naeher’s first save, but she made a terrific save. She’s going to need better service too. The crosses into the box didn’t have the needed accuracy.
So are we surprised they won last night? Heard there were some wild moments and may have lost a player to injury. https://www.wasatch.soccer/post/2024-03-24/301/utah-royals-2-1-win-north-carolina-courage
Bummed I missed it!!! I gave blood, and let my daughter dictate my day, which led to skipping lunch, which led to me passing out after snacking at 4pm. I watched the highlights, and the double pk was freaking wild! It didn’t show the other shenanigans.
I watched it. The injury was a no contact one. She was stretchered off but I think she was walking on the field after the game so who knows. Sentnor had an absolute banger. I thought the chance was lost when she decided not to switch the field but she had the confidence to run at the defense and hit an outside shot. Royals had to weather a lot of attack and bent pretty hard but didn't break. PK#1 would have been a dogso if not in the box. The taker hit the post and then we made a bonehead tackle trying to clear the ball out of the box and earned ourselves an immediate PK#2. Haught saved this one with her legs as it was hit nearly down the center. Wild stuff. Our ladies seemed to be enjoying themselves.
It sounds like Dorsey ruptured her Achilles. That's a big blow - she looked like one of our most important pieces before she went off. Sentnor is the real deal. Tight ball control, can shoot/pass with both feet, and she rarely looked tired. The midfield is a work in progress, but I liked the scrappiness. We look better without the ball. We're going to rack up a lot of yellow cards this year, and I'm not sure that's a bad thing. Stick with the "fight for every ball" mentality, and it'll win over a lot of fans.
In this article: https://www.sltrib.com/sports/royals/2024/03/22/vide0-utah-royals-score-first-goal/ This is the specific quote: “Imani Dorsey injured The Royals announced that defender Imani Dorsey ruptured her Achilles tendon late in the first half. She had to be helped off the field by two teammates. “Devastating,” Rodriguez said. “Imani is a clear leader in our team. She was having an excellent night and it’s just so unfortunate to watch her kind of go down with that injury.” Rodriguez said Dorsey will be out “for the foreseeable future.” “.
New signing for the Royals: a young New Zealand international who's been playing for Wellington in the A-League. Looks like a good signing at a position where we've seriously underwhelmed so far (midfield). Adding a Kiwi to the mix 🥝Welcome to Utah, Macey Fraser!— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) April 16, 2024
https://www.rsl.com/utahroyals/news/spanish-defender-joins-utah-royals-fc https://www.rsl.com/utahroyals/news/french-midfielder-bolsters-utah-royals-fc-squad 2 more additions. Are they recognizing they need more to be competitive?
If they lost but were still entertaining (the Jazz this season is a good example of this) I would support them more. But the current plan of endlessly passing between our two CBs and GK is nauseating to watch. If they are trying to lull the opposition to sleep then it's only working on me thus far.
There's still no signature player(s). Even the Dell Loy Royals had a couple of these from the get-go. No one competing for an Olympic slot, no one on the fringe of a club like the USWNT, etc.
To me a signature player’s name is immediately recognized by most fans of the sport via their high level accomplishments in the sport. Players from the USWNT, other national teams, and accomplished in the league would be candidates.