Match Haiku

Portland’s sweet revenge

Carries a thornier sting.

Racing at crossroads.

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY, BREAK GLASS

Here, I made sure to hedge.

I decided to pull the trigger on my back-up plan for match recap epigraphs and switch to the melancholier choice. I hope The Stone Roses reappears, but that album is mostly bravado, and Racing is out of stock on that at the moment.

“I’m lost in the fog.”

“Where Are They Now?” - Drawn to the Deep End, 1997

That was the beating that Racing has long deserved.

This team has played poorly enough in stretches to have suffered a multiple goal defeat this season prior to this one. The gap in class was on full display. Racing isn’t good enough to survive Portland when the Thorns are on there A-game and that looked to be the case last night at Providence Park.

The first 10 minutes were good for Racing. Unfortunately, that means that the narrative can be shaped around the “what-ifs” if one is inclined to do so. I am not inclined that way. Racing clearly created chances, but that has never been the biggest problem this season. The defense stinks and there is no way around it. Minus Flint and Wright it went from a D+ to a clear F.

The funny thing is that Racing played exactly how they wanted to play and Bev was pleased with the performance (more on that in the section below). I think if you asked a middle school drama teacher if they were “pleased with the performance” of their 8th graders doing Shakespeare, most would probably say something positive based on their expectations. If any of Racing’s future opponents tuned in to the match last night, they probably watched Racing’s back line like a 5-year-old child watches cookies baking in the oven.

Not every team will be able to exploit Racing’s defense like Portland, but the opportunity will be there, especially if Flint is absent. I think Racing needs to rethink its defensive structures. I would abandon any pretense of turning this season around and focus on converting to a 3 center back system. Flint serves as an ersatz third center back at times anyway. Why not just formalize the system but keep two central midfielders and sacrifice the number 10 role, at least until you have a player who can truly play there.

The team won’t do that because, honestly, the biggest problem is that the club simply lacks ambition. When Jill Loyden was trying to find something to talk about when the match was 3-0, she brought up that Racing didn’t replace Borges or Sonis with comparable talent and brought in rookies. She questioned the wisdom of it. I agree, but as I have said plenty of times, Racing can’t compete to get the best players. Some clubs, like Gotham specifically, damn the torpedoes and press forward in the talent market regardless of whether it makes financial sense or not. Racing does not have that luxury but could be ambitious in different ways. However, Soccer Holdings wants to be both cost-effective (or as much as you can be running a money pit like an NWSL team) AND safe. That’s a recipe for exactly what you are getting as a Racing fan at the moment, and it isn’t fun or entertaining in the least.

Post Match Moment of the Match

Some technical difficulties meant that our time with Bev was limited. She opened the media availability by basically doing an impression of Dwight Schrute from The Office in the episode where he accidentally shoots a gun off in the office. I wanted to play the role of Jo…

but decided that I like Bev too much to do so. Listen here if you want to. My big takeaway was that, of course, Bev wasn’t pleased with the scoreline but thought the team played well and executed the game plan, mostly. Some may see that as her trying to dodge the issues, but I think she was spot on, and that is EVEN WORSE. Whether she intended to or not, what she is saying that this is the best she can get out of this set of players. I don’t disagree. One day, some smart owner or national team is going to hand her an arsenal and tell her to go to work, and she will and succeed. She is trying to manage with a slingshot and a bunch of rocks at the moment. The issue is that Racing is starting to face one Goliath after another and they won’t back down.

Lo and Gilly once again drew the short straws. I had one eye on the England vs. Mexico match, so I only asked about how to keep the younger players on board through trying times. I am sure they gave a decent answer, but with my attention divided, I can’t remember what it was. You can go investigate here.

The Taylor Flint Honorary Yellow Card of the Match

Macey Hodge had a two-handed jersey pull. Nice! Get your money’s worth, I say. Jean got a similar one, but without the satisfaction of really yanking on the opponent’s jersey.

17th Minute: E. Jean - Foul - Tactical Foul
61st Minute: M. Hodge - Foul - Tactical Foul

Immethun for the Thorns got one that stopped an attack right in the middle of the pitch that seemed unnecessary since Portland was up 3-0, but she doesn’t play enough for yellow card accumulation to be a concern, so well done to her as well, I guess.

Madchester Song to Make You Feel Better

For some odd reason, lots of bands cover this song made famous by the Monkees. I think R.E.M. played this at their first gig before they were even named R.E.M. If you ever wonder what 1990 sounded like or want to reminisce, here is a good place to start.

“Do I ask too much?”

Racing is flirting dangerously with respectability at this point and could turn into a punchline if they aren’t careful. Or, hear me out…just become a punchline.

There is no guaranteed benefit to gain by tanking since there isn’t a draft anymore, but I do think you can plan for next season by listening to offers for players during this summer transfer window and getting financial return, if not talent. The roster needs an overhaul. I know why Racing wants to keep Sears (to pretend like they are competitive) but I don’t think it benefits anyone at this point. There are other players thay have value surely (Fischer being the most obvious).

You might have to strip things down to build them back up. Soccer Holdings didn’t want to plug holes with comparable talent this offseason, so why not just start playing the players who you think will be valuable next season, if not this season. Lardner and McKeen need to start getting minutes and getting something of value for Sears and Fischer might be the catalyst to get them the minutes they are going to need to be ready for next season.

I meant what I said earlier. There is absolutely no reason to play anyone in the central attacking midfield role right now. That is nobody’s best position on the roster (unless Sav returns). The rest of this season should be about talent development.

I also would bury the concept of flexibility 20 feet underground. Racing needs to start signing players to play in specific lines and keep them there in order to rebuild some cohesiveness and connectivity. The only way to right the ship in my opinion is to become a better defensive unit. That starts with consistency, and I would sacrifice ego and talent for it. Arin Wright may have to see her role turn into training her replacement. That’s why I like the idea of playing with 3 center backs. That way she can keep playing but also prepare the next generation. I also think that every defender that is listed as such on the roster should feel comfortable playing as a center back or get reclassified as a midfielder or forward. There needs to be no more converting wingers to defenders.

This franchise is in limbo because it is delusional and didn’t recognize that you have to go all in when you catch lightning in a bottle like last season. It may not be able to afford to do so, but like I always say: maybe you don’t get to own a top-tier sports franchise if you aren’t willing to throw away obscene amounts of money. If there is a limit on how much money you are willing to lose, then you obviously don’t have enough of it.

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“I’m lost in the fog”