America de Cali 0 Racing 2 Post Match Thoughts

Photo courtesy of The Women's Cup

Racing Louisville cruised to an fairly easy win in The Women's Cup semis. I'm not sure we learned too much, but here are the items that caught my eye:

• Kayla Fischer looks to have made a pretty big leap from year one to year two. As I mentioned in my player ratings, she saw quite a few passes that other Racing players in the past would have never attempted. The one that came off flawlessly was the long pass to Turner. After the success of that pass she tried a few more that were a little too fast or heavy but she still attempted them. I like when players try ambitious attacking passes. It isn't always great for your pass completion percentage, but when they work they create real chances. I hope Kayla keeps up her ambition.

• Turner and Sears are still really raw when it comes to NWSL-level performance, but they both should see minutes this season. Sears seems like a constant danger on the left and in the middle. Turner stuck more to the right side consistently and seemly slightly more composed. I expect that they will likely be deployed as attacking subs to start the season, but Racing would not be in bad shape if they ended up getting a few starts.

• DeMelo had become a bit of a peaks and valleys player. Her highs are really high, but at times I find myself wondering what she is thinking. It's still preseason, so maybe she is still shaking off the rust, but I would like her to cut down on the errant passes and the reckless challenges. She still gets fouled too much and late in the match invited a needless foul when the game was already put to bed. She is too important to put her body needlessly at risk. She should NOT play 90 in the final.

• Based on one match, I would say that the back line is a little more fluid due to the flexibility of Arin Wright. The match on Friday against Gotham should show us more.

• Olivia Sekany hilariously picked up a yellow card before she had even had a touch. That isn't something you see everyday. It was good to see her get some minutes.