Louisville 3 Chicago 0 Post Match Thoughts
Courtesy Chris Humphrey
Louisville got its first win of the season and looked really good doing it. Chicago didn't put up much of a fight, but there should never be any apologies for getting a convincing win.
I will own the fact that I was very critical of this team prior to this match. One match won't convince me that everything will be bright and sunny going forward, but if they play this well, you can bet on more wins soon. The key will now be to continue the momentum.
Wang Shuang started the match with a bad giveaway and a pretty cynical foul and then proceeded to play the best match she has ever played for Louisville. I will reiterate what I said in my player ratings. She seemed to get better and better as every minute of the match ticked by. There are things she does and passes she sees that nobody else on the team can duplicate. Consistency will be the key for her. She doesn't have to be this brilliant every match, but she can't alternate between a performance like this and the one she had in Orlando.
You have to wonder if Sav DeMelo had kept her head against the OL Reign, that Louisville might be another 5 points to the good. On this team, there is nobody else that can consistently drive the team forward like she does. She won the penalty, and forced the own goal from Naeher. Personally, I will take Wang's cool poise from the spot, but her power was just enough. It does now mean she is 1 for 3 from the spot, so Louisville's next penalty could go back to Wang. Other than that, it would be hard to find any fault in her performance.
My player of the match however goes to Jae Howell. She put in a true captain's performance. One of these days she will actually score a header that ends up counting, but her real value was in how she threw herself around to stop danger and win the ball back at critical times. I thought Louisville was the tiniest bit flat in the first few minutes, but Howell's effort pulled the team out of this brief spell of mediocre play and jump-started the performance.
This was not a mistake free performance, but to my eyes at least, they seemed to collectively cover for each other more fiercely than they had done in previous matches. Mistakes will always be made, but this performance makes me hopeful because they demonstrated just that little bit more fight for each other and that can ultimately make a difference.
Louisville might not have an easier clean sheet all year. Lund's best save actually never counted because the buildup was offside. She did make a couple of solid saves at the end, but she didn't have to stand on her head at all this match. The defensive effort can probably be most likely be credited to how they controlled the match versus how they actually defended at the back. It was a front footed defensive effort. I’m sure this is how everyone in the organization envisions the defensive working. However, not every opponent will be as poor as Chicago. It's good to see, but I still need to see more to feel comfortable that this will work against better teams. Plan A was excellently executed on the night. However, it was the first time Plan A has produced 3 points in a while.
Don't discount the importance of Parker Goins late goal. We don't yet know how Louisville will approach the Challenge Cup, but with Davis's late injury that ruled her out and another match on Wednesday, Goins might be selected to start up front or at least play a few more minutes. It's good that she has a goal fresh in her memory if she's called upon in the upcoming cup matches.
Thembi Kgatlana looked so dangerous on the counter that it makes you ponder if a little route one football might make sense once she's in the starting lineup. I don't think Louisville will play this way frequently, but a quick, direct ball to her when one of her teammates wins the ball in their opponent's half might be worth a shot now and then.
Coach Björkegren cooled off his hot seat a bit last night but will likely need an extended run of good results to get it cool enough for his comfort. He was visibly elated when Howell appeared to score, so we know how much this match meant to the usually stoic coach.
Maybe the most encouraging thing that I noticed after the match was that the team, while happy to win, looked more relieved than excited. Now it really only matters if they come out for their next league match and play with the same intensity, but it's good to see that the players expected to win.
