Red Stars 0 - Racing 0
Courtesy USA Today Sports Images
Not all 0-0 draws are created equal, and the match tonight was an about as entertaining at you get for 0-0. There were several good chances for both teams and a Racing goal that was (probably…who could tell with the lack of good camera angles) correctly ruled offside. Both teams hit the woodwork, and Chicago hit it multiple times. It seemed like the game would find one team getting that crucial final touch, but in probably a fair outcome, the points were shared. Racing continues to look better each match in their high press, but once Chicago found a cutting pass to beat the forward line, they were off to the races. That tends to happen in a 3-4-3. Racing keeps its streak alive of never losing a match to the Red Stars and played their best full match of the season. One might wonder if a McDonald or Kizer substitute would have changed things late, but honestly I was fairly convinced that they would be getting the full night off before the match even started.
First the Player Ratings:
Lund-6: For as much danger as there was inside the Racing box, she really only had to make a couple of saves.
Fox-7: The switching of sides through me for a loop, but it’s good to know that Fox and Merrick are somewhat interchangeable in defense.
Lester-7: In her full debut, she seemed like a calming presence in the back line, which is always welcome. Also had a very impressive 94% pass completion percentage and one vital challenge to prevent a really dangerous opportunity for Cook.
Bonner-7: Had another solid performance.
Merrick-7: See above for Fox and also had a really good tantalizing pass into the box late in the first half. Had a team leading 14 passes in the final third.
Otto-6: She doesn’t quite have Olofsson’s hard edges, but worked well with Howell. She had the most duels (16) but only won 6 of them.
Howell-7: Probably not as good as an overall performance as last week, but gets an extra point for the late clearance on a really good chance for the Red Stars
Milliet-6: Won possession in the final third a team leading 3 times.
Ekic-7: Took her headed goal nicely, but it was offside.
Salmon-7: (Player of the Match): All that was missing from her performance was a goal. Naeher made a world-class save on her clever finish and I am sure Ebony thought she had her beaten.
Davis-7: Looks every bit the part of a threat to score in every match. She might be knocking on the door of the USWNT before you know it.
Two points out of 3 matches probably means that Racing doesn’t have much of a chance advancing in the Challenge Cup now that KC has 7 points, but if they can win away at KC on Saturday they can pull themselves back in contention for a spot in the last four. . The remaining 3 matches can be used to prepare for the regular season, but I don’t think Björkegren will necessarily treat them any differently if they were in striking distance. I for one would like to see a Salmon/McDonald pairing, but I wouldn’t want to be the one to decide who I would replace in the Starting XI. Davis might be a likely candidate for a rest on Saturday, but honestly so is Salmon. The next match might be an opportunity to see a McDonald/Kizer/Gordon front line, but who knows.
Racing probably need to win one of their final 3 matches to show progress, and the home rematch vs. the Red Stars should be an interesting one.
