Gotham v Racing Pre Match Thoughts
Coming off its first win of the season, Racing looks to keep the momentum going against Gotham in New Jersey on Sunday. It is way too early to be looking at the NWSL table, so keeping focus on the upcoming opponent should be the team's only concern. Racing put in an excellent performance on Saturday put not a perfect one, so there is still room for growth.
I thought it was pertinent to give Bev’s full answer when I asked her about the moments where the team switches off like the end of the half against Utah: “I think it's unrealistic to say that there won't be moments like that. No team is perfect, it just doesn't exist. No person is perfect. We all wish it, but it's not the case. I think for us when those moments occur (we ask) is it just one line? Is it one player or two players, but not the third the 4th the 5th? It's how quickly we can stop it because at the end of the day everybody's executing to their ability and for the right reasons. They're trying to make the right decision in the moment. It just can't be a domino effect, or a trickle effect. (It’s about) how quickly can we recognize that it wasn't the right decision, and we all have to go stop it.” I think you could easily argue that the overwhelming majority of goals can be traced back to a mistake by the other team at some point. Bev’s suggests that mentality is the key here and I agree.
For as well as Racing played on Saturday versus Utah, Gotham is an entirely different opponent. They haven’t played consistently well yet, but proved last season that their form can turn on a dime (good or bad). Gotham thoroughly outplayed Racing in Columbia and if Racing put in a similar performance to that one, it will be a long Sunday afternoon in New Jersey. However, Gotham are at the bottom of the league when it comes to goals/match (.5) and FotMob’s ratings of their performances puts them near the bottom too. Racing needs to capitalize on Gotham’s lack of form before they get any momentum.
This is the point of the season where I start to track performance based on which team scored first. I like to put together a chart that places team on an X axis and Y axis that contrasts the number of points that they get when they score first and the number when the other team scores first. I can’t do that yet this season, because Racing has yet to trail at all this season. The team has played 450 minutes without trailing in a match. They are the only team in the league that hasn’t trailed in a match. That is a fairly decent accomplishment.
As a team Racing is getting healthier, but one player did miss Thursday’s practice with a “head cold”. It isn’t a major concern.
The team will be making a “quick trip” to New Jersey. They will fly out on Saturday and are scheduled to return Monday morning. A direct flight to Newark makes this one of the easier road trips.
