Houston 1 Louisville 0 Post Match Thoughts
Courtesy USA Today Sports Images
Louisville lacked the final product in front of goal and Houston made them pay in last night's disappointing loss. Overall the coach and players said that they were pleased with the performance if not the result. Due to Kansas City's draw vs. Chicago, Louisville still remains in control of its own destiny in the group and there is a great advantage in winning it, but the combined results last night mean that the semifinal spot is now secured.
For me the big story last night was Abby Erceg’s absence. She was listed as questionable on the availability report, but when I asked Coach Björkegren on Thursday about player availability, he didn’t mention her. During the warmup period prior to the Chicago match last Friday, Erceg came over and talked to one of Louisville's training staff. I didn’t listen into the conversation for obvious reasons, but she seemed to be dealing with a leg issue at that time so I made a mental note of this. Obviously, she came out and had a solid, if slightly below average match for her high standards vs. Chicago. I asked Björkegren after the match if it was something that Abby had been dealing with for a while. He confirmed that it was. It really did seem like a precautionary measure with Björkegren stating after the match that if it would have been a final, that Erceg would have likely been on the pitch.
As a result, that 5 to10 minute stretch where Salmon scored was a good demonstration of how Erceg’s presence on the field is key. After the match, Elli commented that while she and Lester worked together well for not having played together on the back line prior to the match, they were definitely missing Erceg’s communication and organization to some degree. Ultimately it cost them 3 points.
Louisville also couldn’t (legally) find the back of the net. I think they got some good chances, but with Erceg out they also missed her as target in the box as they had around a dozen corners. Milliet scored but was offside. That one would be a good one to look at for the “Wenger” offside rule being tested in some of Europe’s lower leagues. Obviously, Campbell was the ultimate hero for Houston as I don’t know how many times out of ten she makes that save on Nadim, but I think it’s certainly less than half and probably less than 2.
