Week 3 Pre/In/Post (5/26-30): Enter Midweek Madness!

Maybe bringing in Gemma Bonner will help address that defensive needs.

Finally the journey begins .. ✈️🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/l7ddIp3fXw

— Gemma Bonner (@gembon23) May 29, 2021

 

Woohoo! Congrats to Houston winning! Let’s help my prediction!

 

I want to say I REALLY like how Gotham plays while on the ball.
A tough game today 50 degrees and fairly heavy rain for the entire match. That will lower your body temperature big time. I hope the players have plenty of opportunity to get warm and snuggy as fast as possible.
Portland wasn't going to lose 3 in a row, but I thought Gotham had a good chance to get a point from the match, even after going down by 1. Onumonu had a few hard luck situations, more than we usually see from her. Sheridan also had a couple of brain cramps, which could have gone terribly wrong.

 

Just remember that Ebony Salmon should be joining Louisville soon and the French league is nearly done and hope to see the OL players from France join OL Reign soon.

 

I’m 4 out of 5, not too shabby. Sadly OL Reign didn’t meet my expectations to make it 5/5.

 

Three dullish 1-0 matches last night. If I were redesigning the game of soccer, I would get more scoring by making the goal bigger: a foot wider and six inches higher. It's been the same size since the 1860s and players are bigger, faster, and more skilled now -- and when that's the case it seems that defense dominates.

I rather like the NWSL's rule allowing 5 subs. Gives the coaches a bit more flexibility and allows more strategy.

Orlando may be my favorite team to watch this year: Morgan, Leroux, and three talented rookies (or almost rookies): McClernon, Petersen, and Korniek. I counted the number of touches with her head by Korniek last night: 19! That's extraordinary.

 

I’m surprised you think the goal posts should be bigger when goalkeepers are smaller to help scores go higher.

 

what I don't get than is why Reign are allowed to have such a narrow field which definitely hampers flank attacks?(thus dulling the game a bit). Looking at highlights; Ashley Sanchez has done a great job reinvneting herself into an CAM and looking way more dangerous than Rose Lavelle. And why were he Reign so cold hearted as to let their own GK injured on the field as they didn't want to stop play. I mean no win/draw should be worth the price. Got the feeling the Reign are going to be the most hated team in the league by seaon's end

 

Well, an alternative to larger goals to cause more scoring would be smaller goal-keepers. Maybe GKs should not be allowed to be more than 5 feet tall? (That's a joke, weak though it may be.)

 

I think the reason the Reign field is so small is that it's a baseball field. It's definitely the worst field in the league.

I agree with you concerning Sanchez. She's found a place at the CAM spot, and is looking good.

I like Lavelle, but in England she couldn't displace Caroline Weir as a starter. Weir, I see, has deservedly made the British team for the Olympics.

 

Sanchez looks good. She keeps making that kick whether pass or for a goal with her right outside feet.

Reminds me of this move. I wouldn't be surprise she could score a goal doing this. Women rarely shoot like this or pass this way.

 

Based on TV appearances, I think Legends Field in KC is even smaller than Tacoma's Cheney Stadium. Games played there tend to have a U8 look about them, when players clump around the ball. There is simply less space to work with.

 

Week 3 Where Ya At 📈

How do you feel about your team's position?#NWSL21 pic.twitter.com/7S2Jf1tAYx

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 31, 2021

 

Kansas needs some help, Jessica Silva should be with the club soon.

 

Am I the only one who thinks Orlando's position is fortuitous and they will get back to mid table soon? They certainly play much better than the last two seasons, but look lucky to me.
I do look like the fact that Skinner has given up playing like Barcelona/Man City and now plays a more pragmatic if uglier football.

 

Apparently the pitch at Cheney Stadium is 70 yards x 110 or at least that size. That seems implied in an interesting article on the groundskeeper in Tacoma, whose job it is to convert the stadium from a baseball field to a soccer pitch and vice versa.

The typical pitch in a professional soccer-specific stadium is, I believe, 75 x 120; however, a pitch of 70 x 110 does meet the FIFA requirements for international matches.

 

is the field grass or astro? it looks like one big rug! the narrow field could have its virtuous by teaching more accurate passing

finally watched the full game. Lavelle did have an good debut! She might of not been the so called ‘perfect fit’ for Man City’s system that could of constricted her movement compared to the more free wheeling she displayed in this game(as well as USWNT).
Reign’s problem was Rapinoe taking most of the shots/as well as most from long range . The Reign really need to find an target person to get it inside more, so would of thought Balcer would of been perfect for that since she’s tall & got a good header game(but she barely gets change as an sub)
If it wasn’t for Macario being able to sub as an CAM(in case Lavelle got injured) I could see Vlatko given a very close look at Sanchez for the Olympic squad