Reign v Louisville Pre Match Thoughts
Courtesy USA Today Sports Images
I like to pull photos from the previous year’s fixture to use in my pre match thoughts blog posts. It’s pretty startling to see the Starting XI the last time Louisville traveled to the northwest to face the Reign. Kizer and Salmon were both on that team and Kizer started. Louisville only has 5 players available to start from that lineup and only 3 likely will.
I will spare you my previously well documented thoughts on international football, but in my opinion another step towards equality in women’s sports will be achieved when clubs and their players have enough combined influence and power to mitigate the necessity of having a league match played when players are committed to international duty. Nobody else wants my easy solution, but perhaps a Dec/Jan World Cup in Australia/New Zealand wouldn’t have been a terrible idea although the A-League fans would surely disagree. There is no good compromise…
Anyhoo, Louisville now finds itself in little-margin-for-error territory with no-margin-for-error territory quickly on its tail. If ever there was a chance to steal 3 points in Seattle, this could be it. The Reign is missing significant star power, but still have enough to be considered the favorite heading into this match. Most of Louisville’s goal scoring prowess will be absent for this matchup so they will need to find a way to manufacture a goal. I have previously commented on their recent inability to get a well-constructed goal, and you have to think that it will have to come from transition or a set piece. Louisville will need to rely on its defensive stability and thankfully for them the back 4 plus Howell should be available. If Louisville has an advantage over some of the other teams during this international window it is that its back 4 should remain steady and unchanged.
Where will the goals come from? If ever Davis is going to take the next step, could it be now please? Ekic is healthy and I for one would be willing to live with her defensive inconsistency because she wouldn’t have to be as good as a wing defender with Louisville’s improved sturdiness on defense. Goins will surely start at some point, but I don’t think it is tomorrow. Louisville could decide to move Pikkujämsä up and play Lester at center back and move Howell forward in the midfield. Coach Björkegren’s season will surely be evaluated to some extent by how he manages these next few weeks.
