PBP: Week 1 discussion

Gorgeous day in Portland. By game time, it will be completely sunny, temperature in the low to mid '50s. It's been rainy on and off the last few days and will be the same come Monday, but the soccer gods are shining on us today!

 

11:05 PDT: go90 goes live! New NWSL theme music for 2017

Haha -- I saw "Julie Ertz" in Chicago's starting lineup tweet and didn't recognize her.

 

12' 0-0 Hoy dribbles into Brooks at arc top mid-right. Brooks promptly hoofs long over circle top, Daly outruns Ertz to box left foot. Ertz lunges and does a just-in-time ball-stop with her sole (or toes), draws a foul.

15' 1-0 Bruna(?) quacks a clearance directly to McCaffrey unmarked at 12m left post. McCaffrey cuts once, shoots right instep across mouth, off right post hard. Houston promptly hoofs long over circle top, Ohai outruns Ertz through box top left post, shoots across mouth into right side netting. That must be the game plan: speed vs. Ertz Chicago's not giving her much support back there ...

 

Dang it. I should have factored 1pm start to my score prediction

 

ZERBONI !!!

 

I am shocked losing all your stars and not doing anything to get a big name might impact your attendence.

 

I suppose my query is, do people really go for the individual players THAT much? I'm curious as to the final numbers, and I know that a lot of casual fans are drawn by big names, but THAT many?

 

Spirit has been known as a team that doesn't spend money. Previously you had NTers like Krieger and Dunn doing promotion for them. Sharing stuff on their social media with large followings costs them very little.

And yes, casuals will go for names. They want autographs from their faves. Add some who maybe got put off by the ownership so they may have even lost some of the more dedicated. Their new pricing system was seeing some unhappy people on Twitter (tho if they wait, 50% off tickets might work for them).

 

Besides the give away in the box that luckily hit the bar she looked pretty good. Had Press shut down pretty well.
After last year's first game hype, I refuse to look too much into this result

 

Awesome job by Courage today this team looks strong right out of the gates!

 

Happy with the win, but that was some early-2016 level finishing today.

 

Courage-Spirit
Courage: 21 shots; 9 SOG -- Labbe with 8 great saves ( two or three SOW caliber)....reminded me of July 23 last year when the Flash had 24 shots; 14 SOG and Barnhart was a brick wall, making 14 saves, with a handful SOW caliber and the Flash lost at home to FCKC 1-0.

Disappointing game - too many injuries.

Franny Ordega scares me just as much as Jess McDonald used to when she was on the opponent's team.

Debinha was great, and fit right in. The Courage defense was bad; Can Bill Palladino coach defense, because Riley and Vallow sure don't.

D'Angelo always seems to get in trouble when she comes out to her left toward the 18. She came a whisker from giving one up today. Dunn scored when she did that in the Championship game. The one goal she gave up in the Olympics happened the same way. Labbe was the way better Canadian keeper today.