"Now the time has come"
Photo by Elizabeth Shaw
Match Haiku
Sears scores. Lo assists.
An unprecedented run.
Dare we dream of five?
“Now the time has come”
“Shoot You Down” - The Stone Roses 1989
Racing has won four matches in a row. Let that sink in. It’s a run that should put a team in the mix for a playoff spot, but due to Racing’s poor, poor, start to the season, it only has them within striking distance. However, based on form, only Gotham can claim to be as hot at the moment. It isn’t lost on me (nor should it be you) that this run has come against teams that are not among the league’s elite this season. That probably helps account for the poor start to the season, when it seemed to be one tough opponent after another. Racing’s final ten matches see them facing Top 5 competition five times.
For now, Racing seems to be playing good enough football to hang with the top of the league. They were definitely good enough to finally beat Seattle in a league contest. This was also the most difficult win in this four-match winning streak. What stuck with me is the calm nature by which the team seemed to regroup after conceding the opening goal. The first 20 minutes of the match were pretty brutal from a Racing perspective, with the Reign seemingly finding space to attack at will. Even before the goal went in for the Reign, they were clearly bossing the match. Racing sat back at the beginning of the match. Neither Sears nor Fischer pressed very high. This was by design, as Racing was looking to prevent long balls from Seattle. The Reign still tried them and were also pretty successful at going from back to front in a matter of seconds. After about 20-25 minutes, Racing adjusted to this and there was a small tactical attacking adjustment around the 30th minute that led to the first goal.
Kayla Fischer’s ball into Milliet for the opening goal was the key pass that unlocked the Reign defense. Like all good Racing moves, it started in transition and the ball moved quickly. By dropping Fischer into the midfield during the buildup, it allowed the two most connected players at the moment, Sears and Milliet, to read each other’s movements and create a goal. The second goal was also built on this connection. Milliet dribbled wide with time to lift her head and check Sears’ run. She placed the pass perfectly and the comeback to get all three points was complete. This goal came from one of the few pressing opportunities that Racing undertook in the match and was another goal that occurred shortly after halftime. Racing has scored five goals in the last six matches in the first 15 minutes after halftime.
Racing defended well in the last 40 minutes after taking the lead. They sure didn’t have much of the ball. This is something that Racing will need to improve upon in the upcoming matches against better opposition. The Reign had 72% of the possession after halftime. Some of that was due to circumstances, but I think you would like to see Racing get their possession number up to at least 35% when they have a lead like that. Their typical possession sits at 40%.
Post Match Moment of the Match
There seems to be the right amount of exuberance, and not overexuberance, around the team. Everyone is enjoying the four-match winning streak, but nobody seems too bombastic about it. There is still much work to do. Lo was up first and said that the team started a bit “slow” but that the huddle that the players had after the Reign goal helped settle things down and allowed them to adjust to the Reign’s tactics. Racing had to defend 12 corners in this match, so I asked Flint how important it was to be locked in on those. She said that “Seattle is really good on set pieces, so that was huge for us.” Bev was pleased with the players’ adjustments and the tactical battle that unfolded during the match. I am sure she was also very, very pleased to beat Laura Harvey, finally, even if she didn’t dwell on that when Kaitlyn asked.
Thing I bought at ear X-tacy back in the day
Artist: Saint Etienne
Album: Too Young to Die
Year: 1995
Format: CD
Store Location: 1534 Bardstown Road
Imagine if there was a German pop duo who called themselves the Cleveland Browns. That is essentially what Englishmen Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs did when they formed Saint Etienne in 1990. They named it after the French football club AS Saint-Étienne. Because I like the band, I also have a soft spot for that team (it also helps that Arsenal star William Saliba was a product of the Saint-Étienne youth academy and Arsenal secured his transfer for a £27 million fee.) Other bands have gone this route. The Kaiser Chiefs are named after a South African club. There is a French band called “Aston Villa”. It’s not quite the same, but Simply Red are named for Manchester United.
Anyway, my memory is hazy on what drew me to be introduced to this singles collection, but it was probably a glowing magazine review. I was hooked from the first listen. Bob and Pete dabbled with the idea of having different singers, but after Sarah Cracknell won them over, she became part of the band officially. She really became the face of the band, and the music wouldn’t be the same without her voice.
“Avenue” is probably my favorite song. My favorite lyric is definitely from “Like a Motorway”:
”She said her life, was like a motorway. Dull, grey, and long, ‘til he came along.”
This band is worth a listen if you are uninitiated.
The Taylor Flint Honorary Yellow Card of the Match
Not only has Racing been playing well; they have also been behaving themselves well too. This is the second straight match without a yellow card. Maybe the heat drains the players willingness to misbehave. With the Reign having almost two-thirds of the possession, you have to commend Racing for defending well and legally. Racing had 8 fouls in the match, which was below their season average of 10.5. Seattle had 12 fouls, which was above their season average of 10.5.
Flint is back healthy and Hodge was available on the bench, so I don’t expect that we’ll get a third match in a row without a yellow card.
The 2026 UFL Champion Louisville (Draft?) Kings Sports Betting Corner
It might be a good time to throw out some moneylines for making the playoffs. Let’s assume that the Top 5 are locks.
North Carolina (-500): They are in 6th with a game in hand. It isn’t outside the realm of possibility that they miss out, but they look safe.
Kansas City (-1000): Even though the Courage has a game in hand and lead in goal differential, it’s just too hard to fathom KC missing the playoffs.
Seattle (-150): They also have a game in hand, and they look too steady to go on a long losing streak.
Houston (+150): They have a slightly tougher run-in, but the head-to-head matchup with the Reign on August 30th will go a long way towards making things clearer.
Angel City (+130): Only higher than Houston due to having 2 games in hand, but their form hasn’t been good of late.
Denver (+140): They have a game in hand and a superior goal difference. Don’t sleep on them.
Louisville (+200): Probably just a case of “too little, too late”, but still within striking distance.
Orlando (+250): Could turn it around, but they look like toast.
Boston (+400): No real shot based on anything I have seen.
Bay (+500): They look to have given up on 2026.
Chicago (+10,000): No shot.
“And when this thing is done”
Racing is not going to win out the remainder of the season. At some point, this run is going to come to an end. It will be fun while it lasts, and I think beating Chicago on the road on Sunday would be a suiting conclusion to the run. They have a definite shot in San Diego, but while we can dream big, we shouldn’t get greedy as fans. In addition, a good run of form isn’t an excuse to ignore the overall health of the club. Emma Sears still wants out, presumably. Things had to get bad for that to come out, so let’s not forget that. The team has beaten 10th, 16th, 13th, 14th, and 8th in this run of five wins out of six. That is impressive when you start off in 16th, but there was a reason they were in 16th at the start of this run. The formation change looks to be here to stay. That’s a good thing. The fact that it took a formation change to change this team’s fortunes isn’t. Maybe one could look back and say that an early season injury to Gacioch stifled the plans to change the formation, but I really don’t think this is a roster that was put together with a three center back formation in mind. Be glad that this team has a gifted coach that could adjust. Parts of the fanbase made some very silly assertions about Coach Yanez’s ability before this winning run started. That has completely disappeared (or at least I’ve blocked it out).
This has been the best stretch of football in Racing’s history, and it isn’t even close. That should be celebrated. Even last season, when the results were more consistent, the football wasn’t as good. This team likes to put on the posture of a team that grinds things out. In reality, it is a team that succeeds when it has flashes of brilliance (and can keep the flashes of self-destruction to a minimum). Naggingly, one of my early season assertions holds true in that Racing almost certainly needs at least two goals per match to secure a result. The defense is better, but having to defend 60% of the time is not a great recipe for extended success.
San Diego will (hopefully) be the first real test in some time. They’ve cooled a bit after a hot start, but you can fully expect them to pin Racing back in the upcoming match. However, let’s not skip past Chicago quite yet. This is a must win match. There is no reason to lose to that team. They got throttled by Houston on Wednesday, so they could be looking to take it out on Racing, but with what? They have scored one goal in the last 5 matches and that was the gift that Bloomer handed them a few weeks ago. This match will be a good test for Racing’s focus and drive. If Racing plays a relatively mistake-free match, a win should be a piece of cake. Racing should be confident, but not overconfident.
