Summer Transfer Window (so far) Recap
There have been quite a few squad changes prior to Racing’s return to NWSL action on Saturday at home against the Red Stars (and still time for more). Overall, one would have to say that this points to Racing going all in on a playoff run, so that outcome will ultimately be used to evaluate the moves.
I am not going to insult anyone's intelligence by pretending we all don't know exactly what was going on with the Pickett trade. If you don’t know and still care to know, a little bit of research into the NWSL fan sphere should do the trick. Regardless, this trade weakens the team on paper, but is probably for the best all things considered. Wright is a downgrade on the left side of defense, but not an insurmountable one. The club still needs to find a different solution there, but Wright can hold down the fort temporarily.
The big surprise (timing wise, but probably not so much from a roster building perspective) was the Howell/Balcer swap. Simply put, Howell hasn't been as defensively reliable as Flint (although personally I think Taylor's form has dropped recently) or offensively productive as Borges so she was always going to be the odd player out in midfield. Balcer theoretically should provide exactly what Racing needs, but she will have to do it in a new system with new teammates. It's a deal that you have to roll the dice with, but as in all things the proof is in the pudding. Balcer (a frankly delusional Spurs fan) was a name that I heard connected with Racing back at the start of the season, and one would assume that the projected at-the-time short-term absence of Kirsten Wright probably played into the deal not making it through in the spring window. If she brings goals, it will be a fine signing.
One thing leads to another, and you have to think that the addition of Balcer led directly to the Turner/Beckie swap. This means that yet another first-round pick doesn't see out their original contact with Racing. I prefer Sears to Turner because I think her ceiling is higher and she has more range. In my opinion, this is more of an endorsement of Sears rather than anything Turner did not do. I think every team in the league expected Sears to be less polished than she actually is. I believe the narrative on Turner was that she was a nearly finished product that would be ready to start day one. She remains that, but Racing obviously felt that Balcer was the better option at this particular moment in time. I can't imagine that Turner relished dropping down the depth chart on Racing, but she will have a similar issue to try to earn every minute she can in Portland. Beckie isn't a tremendous goal scorer, but does give excellent service from the right and paired with Milliet could be a very different look for opponents. This probably shifts Sears to the left on a more semi-permanent basis, which I don't necessarily love, but her left foot isn't bad. If she can learn to cut in on her right from the left side that could be a good thing, but I think her natural right footed shot fades to the right as much as it curves to the left, so that might be something to work on.
Ángela Barón has been with the team for a while but because the NWSL seems pathologically and comically poor when it comes to handing paperwork or announcing transfers it was finally presented on Tuesday, thus having much less fanfare than the Howell/Balcer swap. She probably doesn't slot it immediately, but as I keep pointing out, the back line will need a rebuild sooner rather than later, so this will be a good first step if she can prove herself.
The front office/ ownership/ coaching staff has taken some pretty big swings during this transfer window. As always, now isn't the time to pass judgment, but that time is coming soon. If these moves facilitate a playoff appearance or better, then I will lead the charge on showering the club with praise. I honestly believe at this moment that they may have done enough to move into 7th or 8th. Obviously we will know more after a few matches. However, let me also say that if this doesn't work I expect some consequences for ownership/front office/coaches. For ownership, another season without a playoff appearance will surely result in an attendance drop, and for ownership I have exactly zero sympathy. I made a mental note when Kaitlyn mentioned “this is a business” on the most recent episode of BTRD, with “this” being owning a football club. In one sense, of course it is. In a greater sense, it is also a social contract, albeit a precious and non-binding one. Anyone who owns an NWSL franchise at this point for any reason other than as a public service AND/OR for their own vanity is kidding themselves. Expect to lose money, because you absolutely are doing so at this point. Any bellyaching about it seems naive at best or disingenuous at worse. On the other hand, if this team does make the playoffs and heaven forbid actually win a playoff match I think the ownership is well within its right to expect better from the city. If the city doesn't oblige, it will be city who has broken the social contract.
For Ryan Dell, I think he had to swing big and try to get this window right. If it works and I hope it does, good for him. If it doesn't, I think he should be concerned for the long term prospects for keeping his job. Since I am not in charge, the results of his moves may not matter when it comes to his performance evaluation, but it absolutely should.
As for the coaches, I assume that Bev is safe regardless, but then that also might depend on Dell. I don't like it when coaches change too much, so I would never advocate for only giving a relatively inexperienced coach a single year. What I will say is that the next time Racing gets a new head coach, they need to wipe the slate clean. There has always been a hesitation to introduce too much change in the coaching staff, but all that has been achieved by doing that here is that you have coaches that have been around for a lot of losing.
I really don't expect things to go so poorly that Racing misses the playoffs, but it is something that if it happens should be addressed swiftly.
