And sign a new contract? I know it wasn’t intentional. Soph was being fouled - the latest of a half dozen fouls not called including an elbow in the back as she was taking a shot, causing her to miss. Foul. PK. Maybe a red for DOGSO. Instead… BUT she can restore our joy. How about it?
I thought the 3-0 loss by Utah to Angel City would catapult us up to fourth place, tied on points and goal differential but having scored more goals than Utah. It turns out that the second tiebreaker is total wins. Goals scored is the third tiebreaker, followed by head-to-head. So, by a whisker, we end the weekend just barely out of fourth place.
The NWSL website lists the game as being on the 'Roku Channel'.
Does anyone have clarification on where we can actually watch the match and the six goals Chicago routinely surrenders per game?
My plan is to use airplay from my iPhone which may or may not work.
This week of games has brought PTFC a number of positive outcomes. Seattle who started 7 points behind us but with 2 games in hand got 1 point from 2 matches. SD knocked off Utah which kept SD 1 point behind us but allowed us to bypass Utah into 3rd. The Pride beat the Spirit which allowed us to tie WA for 2nd on points (behind on GD) and 2 teams near the playoff line (KC and Houston) drew and lost, giving us a nudge toward qualifying for the playoffs. Even the loss by RL helped us a bit. If ACFC can beat (or draw with) Gotham we can go into Friday's game 6 (or 7) points behind them and a chance to really make a run for the Shield.
In the game today against Kansas City, Dudley went down in the box waiting for a corner amidst a tussle. Dudley responded by sweeping her legs violently at the Kansas City player, which could’ve caused a major injury. Elizabeth Ball did just what Jessie Fleming did to Dudley after Dudley had committed what should’ve been a red card offense against Perry and knocked Dudley down. Which made me really like Elizabeth Ball. Unless the referees start punishing Dudley for her repeated violent behavior, it will continue as will the retaliation.
The Thorns need an infusion of talent to have a chance for a title in what may be Wilson’s last with the club.
Dream addition - Naomi Girma. Soph may even decide to stay.
Elise Evans is another Stanford defender who I desperately wanted us to sign and who has inexplicably 0 minutes with Chicago.
Maiara Niehues reminded me of Moultrie the first time I saw her play. Is she out of favor at ACFC?
[Edit: The SEI for Liv makes any of this unlikely.] The points we get in the next four matches (Orlando, Denver, at Gotham, Washington Spirit) will determine how well-positioned we are for the final seven games against mostly teams at the bottom of the table (Chicago, Orlando, Houston twice, Boston, and Bay FC) plus North Carolina Courage at home. If we can pick up 8 points or more out of the next 4 and get healthy, we could legitimately make a stretch run for the Shield.
Will Lowden coach, given Villehamn's red card? After a nail-biting win at Pawtucket (Boston), we'll be facing a desperate Orlando side with Banda back from WAFCON, bringing her speed and power. We need Obaze and Reyes, NOT Hiatt or Calzada (Calzada has speed but gets turned around too easily). We need Weaver to start the match. I hope we have Olivia and/or Turner back. How awesome would it be if we use this home game to bring Hanks back?
That Jessie from Toy Story was modeled on Canada National Team Captain Jessie Fleming?
https://sandiegowavefc.com/san-diego-wave-fc-acquires-english-midfielder-laila-harbert/
As we try and fail to fill that Coffey-sized hole, I have to wonder why Harbert got so little playing time when she was here and whether she could have helped us as a #6. She always seemed promising when she was out on the field but it's hard to judge whether SD got a steal and we missed the boat. Anyone else have any thoughts?
With the return of Weaver and how impressive she looked, a thorny question (apologies for the pun) arises. When Weaver regains her form, she clearly needs to start. She is a dominating winger who can draw attention from Soph and provide room for her to operate. And if Hanks returns and also regains form, there's no room for Tordin on the front line. Pietra is a natural #10 and out of position as an attacker. But we have the best #10 in the NWSL in Moultrie.
3 possible solutions. 1) Drop Moultrie to the #6 or 2) drop Fleming to the #6 or 3) go to 3 in the back (Reyes, Calzada, Perry?) and a box-4 midfield. It's hard to justify sitting Muller or Vignola to play Bogere at the #6. Nijstad hasn't shown enough and would be a #8 anyway.
The obvious answer is dropping Fleming to the #6 but her energy and high pressing has been so magnificent I'd hate to lose it. I think Moultrie could be better than Coffey. I wonder if Moultrie as a #6 would get more starts with the National Team than remaining at the over-crowded #10 (with Lavelle, Macario, Shaw, Bethune, etc).
Esther is questionable, which means Sam Kerr starts. I don't see how Sam Hiatt can match her for speed, strength or agility. I also don't see how we can prevent them from camping in our end without any true wingers to punish their high line. I wonder if we'll see Nijstad and, if we do, where she'll play. Does she have the speed to play winger? There's no way we should put a novice like Nijstad in the midfield against Gotham's MF - Lavelle, Shaw, O'Sullivan or Howell with Schupansky and McCaskill - subs that would start on PTFC if we had them.
UPDATE: Just saw the awesome report that Morgan Weaver will be available. If she can give us meaningful minutes, our chances are vastly improved.
Even if we select the best we have, I don't know if we're competitive with the top teams in the NWSL. But we typically don't select our best. Sam Hiatt starts regardless of her play or the opponent. Loboa and Padelski who could provide either hold-up play or speed to punish the high line rarely even get subbed in.
We do have Sophia Wilson who I consider the best female soccer player in the world and Olivia Moultrie who can break down any defense, but Liv hasn't been herself since returning from injury and we're asking too much of her to support our shaky defense and run alongside Soph on counterattacks. With Liv and Soph with Pietra and Reyna to help them out, we can beat anybody. I just don't know if we can match up well enough to win consistently.
Can Someone Explain This to Me Like I'm A Child? In her brief time on the field, Loboa had at least two outstanding instances of hold-up play, which we haven't had since Sinc retired and can be a great way to transition. She drew 2 (or was it three) fouls and was able to make a 40-yard run at the defense before drawing a yellow. She was in position to get that Soph cut-back although it went to Lyles instead. She's a matchup nightmare. Had she been in the box for the numerous corner and free kicks, she could have changed the game. With all due respect to Marie Mueller, can someone explain why we'd start her and not Loboa?
Vilahamn clarified in his after-game presser that Morgan Weaver is still several weeks from a return, but that Caiya Hanks is "further down the line”. Which clearly means further along toward a return? Or clearly means further away from a return? Maybe someone who speaks Swedish can translate "further down the line" into Swedish and tell us what it means.
I like the solidifying of the CBs and DM (Perry, Hiatt & Immethun). Not sure about McKenzie as starting winger and wondering why Reyes is again starting on the bench but overall very positive about the lineup, given player availability
The next four games will have huge impact on where the Thorns will place in the final standings. Three road games (Sea, Den & Utah) with the next-to-last of the 4 at home against Gotham. I'm optimistically projecting we get 8 points - 2 wins and 2 draws - with the wins coming at Denver and Utah and draws against Seattle and Gotham. I think that will continue to position us well for the playoffs. The earlier we get Caiya Hanks back and in form, the more likely we can pull off this scenario. Anyone else have any projections? (added note: SD lost at home to ACFC which means a draw in Seattle puts us in 1st place - precariously since the Spirit would only be a point behind us with 2 games in hand - they play 5 games in 17 days (@ Gotham; @ Bos; Den; @ Utah; SD) to get level on GP by Aug 2).
This week was the first where Vilahamn could truly put his stamp on the team. Up to now, he was mainly continuing the shape and starting 11 he inherited. Early results are very positive. Hiatt and Perry had superb teamwork and may have actually solidified our back line. Starting Vignola to counteract RL's physicality paid off over and over (hope she's ok). Immethun did the job as a #6 never straying far from its core function, which freed up JF and Liv to be more free roaming and stay involved in the attack. Starting Tordin at the #9 then moving her to the #10 when Liv was subbed out worked perfectly and may help Pietra decide to pick up her option for 2027 instead of flee for a club that can guarantee her time as a #10. Mostly, it was the fun, loose, and free-flowing play that we saw for which he deserves a ton of credit. More, please!
