Gotham 1 Racing 1 Post Match Thoughts
Courtesy USA Today Sports Images
I very much want to write the post where I declare that Racing is in the upper echelon of the league now. I thought I might get to write that post for a grand total of 2 minutes yesterday. The way that Racing set up in the match was nearly perfect. It was the ideal “snatch and grab” scenario (although Racing really wasn’t outplayed at all). They snatched it, but the grab was beyond them.
I feel like the art of goalkeeping is evolving. For the tops teams in the top men’s leagues in the world, it is almost quaint to think of the goalkeeper’s role as that of a shot stopper. They frequently are involved in build-up play and are becoming more part of the proactive effort on defense rather than the last line of it. A huge part of that is grabbing dangerous passes out of the air, before they become a problem. The key to this skill is to do it with 100% conviction. I’ve rewatched the botched grab from Katie Lund several times, and while it may be harsh to put all of the blame on her for not catching it, once you decide to go for it and don’t get it I feel like you have to take the blame whether you merit all of it or not. In real time it looked like one she should have grabbed. After rewatching it, maybe Wright got in her way a bit. Ultimately, the correct decision there may have been not to go after the ball since Wright seemed to be in a good position. We don’t know what the communication was, and I really don’t care to dwell on it by trying to find out later. Either way, it resulted in two points dropped and I still wait to write the piece that says maybe this team has learned their lesson because obviously they haven’t.
What does this team need to do with Emma Sears? I can’t quite decide if she is so effective because she is used as a sub or would be just as good if she started from the first whistle. She is so good at running at the defenders when they are tired, but could she be used just as effectively to make them tired? Luckily it isn’t a question that is yearning for an immediate answer. I will tell you one thing…I wish she would have signed a 3-year contract instead of a 2-year one. That run was other-worldly. Turner’s name is on the scoresheet and her finish was delightful, but it was made by Sears.
DeMelo left Sunday’s game (although not immediately) with a head injury. She is being assessed in New Jersey before returning home. It appeared that she went through some kind of head injury evaluation on the pitch before deciding that she couldn’t continue on. Sometimes head injuries are difficult to assess right way, so Sav showed real maturity by not just continuing on because she was cleared. Jae Howell also left the match early and Bev stated in her post-match press conference that the team is being cautious with her calves. Based on how the team managed her at the tail end of last season and the beginning of this one, I would expect her to miss some time (but that is just based on past observation and not any real information). Luckily, Racing has some midfield bench strength and Borges could be moved back into midfield for a bit if needed.
Zoomed in, this definitely feels like 2 points dropped, but zoomed out I don’t really think at point at Gotham is a bad result. Racing still has never trailed this season. The most frustrating part is that it seems like the Soccer gods make Racing work and earn their goals and gift goals to the other teams through mistakes. It seems that way but in reality, there is plenty of evidence in Racing’s history that simply points to the fact that they just aren’t good playing with a lead.
I hate the amount of stoppage time that is given in these matches. There were more than 17 minutes in yesterday’s match when you take both halves. The quality and intensity of play in second half stoppage time was vastly different from the rest of the match. I personally think Racing’s plan yesterday worked to a tee. They essentially shortened the match to a 10-minute period. It’s just too bad that the late goal wasn’t late enough.
