Racing 1 Reign 1 Post Match Thoughts
If I do an honest assessment of last night's match, I think the score line could have been anywhere between 1-5 and 2-1. The Reign definitely had their chances among Katie Lund's 12 saves and I think if McDonald had been more direct could have scored on her late breakaway. In the end Racing were outclassed and still came away with a point, but frankly a rather useless one.
After the match I asked Björkegren to assess Racing's performance irrespective of the scoreline. Sometimes I think he is a bit too honest with me. In essence he confirmed what I had noticed which was the complete abandonment of any kind of discernable style in Racing’s play. After falling behind really, really early just about all of Racing's attacks fell in the “Route 1” category wherein either Lund, Bonner, or Murray knocked the ball forward to nobody in particular and hoped for the best. It kind of worked on Davis’ goal. Lund got the ball to midfield and once it rattled around there for a bit, Davis found herself charging onto goal. Conversely, the Reign seemed to play directly through the midfield with such efficiency, it seemed like they spend the majority of the match knocking the ball around Racing's 18 yard box. Even though the match ended all square at 1-1, the Reign dominated the match. Coach Björkegren shared that Racing didn't have much time to work on a game plan on the practice field (and won't for Friday's match either). In situations like this I think the players default to what they do best. In the Reign's case, they are a group that has played together consistently for quite some time and know instinctually where their teammates will be. It's the benefit of playing in a system for an extended period to some degree, but it's also somewhat aided by the quality of their players and their experience, both collectively and individually. I don't really care what the table says because for me Portland and OL Reign are the league’s best two squads and were the best two last year as well. If Racing are to ever get to their level, it will take time.
One of the things that make the Reign and the Thorns so good is their communication with each other and the officials. If you saw my tweet last night, you know that I was highly displeased with the officials. I actually wasn't displeased at all with the calls. I don’t think they missed anything too egregious, but they demonstrated a pet peeve of mine which is to give certain players the ability to get in their ears. I’m not sure how much of this tranlated in the broadcast but Rapinoe was joined at the hip with the lead official during almost every stoppage in play in the first half. If I was running the match as an official I would make two things clear: if you want to complain, tell your captain to communicate with me, and if I hear more than one complaint from you, you are getting a card. I don’t think there are any hard and fast rules about who is allowed to get an official's ear, but in my opinion managing all complaints through the captain is the easiest way to keep a lid on the match. Conversely, if I was a player and I knew I could get in the officials ear with no consequences, I would never shut up. Kudos to Megan Rapinoe for using her stature, experience, and savvy for playing the lead official like a concert violin in the first half. Maybe the officials told Barnes (the Reign's captain) in a halftime confab between Rapinoe, the officials, and Barnes that Rapinoe needed to watch herself because the second half was honestly better. For a laugh, if you rewatch the match on Paramount Plus at the 32:02 mark on the game clock you can hear me yell, “Hey Yellow! Stop letting Rapinoe call the match for you!” The fourth official actually turned toward me for a bit, so I know he heard me. Herein lies the question: if I have to be the one demanding respect from the officials from section 107, what does that say about the team on the field? As a fan that sits within earshot of the fourth official and the side judge, I feel obliged to loudly give my opinion on their performance. I typically reserve my shouting for a) egregious missed calls or b) when the official gives the sideline a warning. In that situation I remind the officials that they can't give me a card and I will simply reiterate the complaint of the coaches, so it's to their benefit to listen to them once instead of having me in their ear for the remainder of the match. I have only had to deploy that tactic once. Frankly, I don’t really relish yelling at the officials. Okay, that is a lie, but I would much rather have the Racing players talk the officials because it carries some weight. I don’t think the Racing players have to berate the officials, but they need to be more like Rapinoe and work them better. Personally, my goal for the year would be to earn 2 to 3 yellow cards strictly for descent.
The Reign players were a huge draw for a very vocal section of the fans last night. I think most of the Reign players were nice enough to stop and sign autographs on the way back to the locker room. I was mildly annoyed at the autograph seekers volume during the post game press conferences, but I will live with that if it means a bunch of kids went home happy. It really is a star-studded roster.
Racing may have 4 nominal captains this year, but we all know who the Captain is. In its brief history, Racing has has 2 tough-as-nails Captains in Betos and Bonner. Racing is so dependent on Gemma Bonner for her leadership and defensive presence, that I’m not sure even a broken bone would have gotten her off of the pitch last night. I think we have all learned that no player for Racing is guaranteed to be back every year or even beyond the foreseeable future, and I think Bonner's contract may be up at the end of 2022. You shouldn't take the next 8-10 appearances by Gemma for granted. I think I might have spent more time enjoying what Betos brought to the club (even if I was one of her biggest advocates) if I had know that I was only going to get to watch her for a year. I encourage you to take in the complete picture of Bonner's commitment and dedication to Racing in these next few matches, because you never know what the future holds. Not everyone of us can be a professional athlete, but all of us can mimic the commitment that Gemma shows her teammates to the important people in our lives.
