Bay 1 Racing 0 Post Match Thoughts
Courtesy USA Today Sports Images
Racing couldn’t figure out how to stitch enough positive possession together to find a breakthrough against Bay on Saturday evening. Without DeMelo, the team looked lost (not for the first time) and the second half was far too similar to road efforts from the past.
Racing was never near finding the back of the net. Their best chance was probably the corner that Borges headed similarly to last week against the Reign. This time, the power and direction were not as good, and it fell harmlessly in the box to be cleared away. The frustrating thing there and also at other points in the match was the lack of any other Racing player being ready for a second chance opportunity. Several times Sears made attacking runs to find that Bay had defenders there that outnumbered the Racing attackers. I don’t think Sears is good as a distributor on the left side. One time when she found Balcer, the pass was not where Bethany wanted it and she skied the shot. Sears also isn’t as good at getting her shot off on the left side. I guess what I am saying is that I don’t like her over there. That is going to be the reality when Beckie is out there although they did switch sides for a time late in the second half.
The first part of the season is really going to come back and haunt Racing. Some of the growing pains that they are experiencing now are a direct result of not having an experienced attack early in the year. Racing needed attacking subs last night, but we all saw that Petersen was preferred to a presumably available Bahr or Goins. Racing whiffed on their forward signings this spring other than Sears and Turner who were drafted. I guess it is possible that Motlhalo or Bahr could have a second-year jump like Kanu, but I don’t see how they will get minutes to do so. Milly Clegg was obviously never going to get minutes this year, so maybe the hope next year is that she will get the minutes that Goins is playing. By being too speculative on non-NWSL proven talent, Racing ultimately dug themselves a hole that they are struggling to dig out of.
Flint and to some degree Borges were the big disappointments for me last night. I tend to think of the midfielders’ job as winning and maintaining possession. Flint has been excellent as a disruptive force for Racing and the numbers will show that she has had an excellent season in that role. However last night, Racing needed their midfield to win possession in their own half and keep it. Racing’s midfielders had ZERO, NADA, NIL interceptions last night. More than any other type of match, this was one that direly needed either Borges or Flint to step up and make a play when Racing was getting pinned back, and they were nowhere. When this season ends, someone from the Racing communications staff will surely post on social media the gaudy numbers that Flint will almost definitely have amassed at the end of the season. When they do, remember this match too because when they needed her to take control she didn’t, and the pressure built to a point where Bay couldn’t be denied. This match feels like the beginning of the end for this iteration of Racing, and it was because the midfield wasn’t good enough.
