Spirit v Racing -1

Racing's schedule will be pretty congested over the next 10 days, so the first question at the top of my mind is whether the squad depth can handle it. I asked Bev to confirm on Monday that there were no new availability concerns coming out of Friday's win against Orlando. She did confirm that, which is a great relief. Makenna Morris was also made available to the media and the 20 minutes that she got against the Pride will likely prove very important. Racing will need minutes from several different players over the next few matches in order to keep up with the physical demands of the schedule. Morris commented that those 20 minutes were vital for her to shake off any rust and work on her touch. I could envision Morris getting a start soon and she would likely relish the chance to face her former club (she missed out on the playoff match last season and the match against the Spirit earlier this season).

Racing was a decent road team last season but haven't picked up any road points yet this year. I asked Bev about the importance of the first 20 minutes in a match like this. She responded that one could frame any section of the match as important based on what is occuring. Fair enough. My thinking behind that question was really more related to managing a hostile environment and not having a poor start. Against Orlando the first few minutes were fairly shambolic defensively. You definitely don't want to come out with a shaky defense at Audi.

If Racing is to pick up points in DC they will likely need another good couple of performances from Weber and Sears. Sarah's confidence has to be pretty high right now and there is a difference to how she carries herself now with a full year of experience under her belt. Sears has always been confident, but she has turned into a more balanced player this season. Like I said previously, Racing is likely going to need 2-3 goals in most matches to give themselves a shot at points, so having this duo firing on all cylinders will be key against the Spirit.