Racing v Spirit Preview

Courtesy Connor Cunningham

It's hot. There is frankly little relief from the heat while the sun is out, so the kick-off for tomorrow’s match had been moved from 3:00 to 7:30 to try to get some relief. The temperatures are forecasted to still be in the eighties during the majority of the match. I played soccer this morning in a similar temperature range, and it was rough. Kudos to anyone who can play at a high level in this heat.

Racing achieved their first ever victory against the Spirit back in May. As I have stated several times, I consider that win to be a bit lucky. The good news for Racing is that their roster looks quite different from the previous matches vs. Washington. While Racing may benefit from new editions to the rosters, Washington is missing 4 players from the match in May due to Olympic commitments. Washington is plenty deep and you could argue that their top players are still here. This begs the question, are we sure the USA's best players are even at the Olympics? Let's not go there and say that Washington's attacking talent is here even if their defensive talent isn't.

In the last match the Spirit defense didn't have to do much other than watch Bledsoe pick the ball up out of the back of her goal twice. Racing will obviously have more attacking thrust this time around with Salmon surely starting again and Nadia Nadim to possibly get some minutes as well. Coach Holly had a rather wide grin on his face when asked about if Nadia was available for selection during his recent presser. For a second I thougbt maybe he knows he is going to start her, but given the match conditions, a sub appearance after the sun goes down is much more likely. I will make a rather straightforward prediction and say that if Washington gets off around 30 shots in this match, they are going to win. Thankfully, I think the Bonner/Martin pairing will keep the total shot number well below 30.

This match in my mind is the critical match of the season so far. It will tell us whether there are 7 teams fighting for a playoff spot or 8. If the Spirit win, I think we can pretty much split the league into a top 7 and a bottom 3. While no match before the team has played half of their games is a must win, I think enough of the season has passed for this match to serve as a barometer for Racing's chances the rest of the year. A draw means Racing can hedge for one more week. A win means now is the time to push to get into the top six. I usually make a prediction here, but I think I will pass this week. Something tells me that Racing is owed some Karmic payback for their victory in May, but maybe Washington just doesn't know how to finish off matches. Here's hoping for the latter.

Know Your Foe with Jason Anderson of Black and Red United

Racing and the Spirit already know each other pretty well due to a couple of early season meetings, one in the Challenge Cup and Racing's improbable first ever victory back on May 21st. A bit of time has passed between their last meeting, so I wanted to catch up with Jason Anderson, who runs Black and Red United. Jason is also a Podcaster in addition to being a member of the NWSL Media Association.

Going back through the results for this year, the Spirit have seemed to have a chance at points in every match they played, yet they sit 7th in the table. To be fair that's only 4 points from first. What's your assessment of on field performance related to where they sit in the table?

It's been an interesting season. The Spirit have some truly impressive performances (the recent win over the Courage, plus road wins against Houston and OL Reign stand out), but they've also pretty clearly let some points slip through their grasp. They've had at least two opportunities to climb into 1st place with a win, but couldn't get the job done on both occasions. I think they're a top 4 team in the NWSL, but the Spirit sometimes struggle to reward themselves for their good work. It's been a mix of reasons: they haven't been that great at converting good performances at home into actual wins — they've taken more points on the road (8) than at home (7) — and seem to have one substantial mistake (never the same player or same kind of mistake) in the back in most games. Ultimately I think they're going to address that tendency to not reliably convert good performances into good results, but we have to be realistic and note that the season is nearly halfway over, and the solution hasn't arrived yet.

Fotmob rates Trinity Rodman as the Spirit's best player this season, slightly ahead of Huster and Sanchez. What's your assessment?

I've voted for Tori Huster in the league's Team of the Month poll twice, and I think she's been the team's most consistently good player. But Trinity Rodman has been outstanding too, and has often been the player that breaks the defensive scheme for their opponents. Ashley Sanchez has also been ramping up her play, becoming more consistent within games since a move into a false 9 role a few weeks ago. One player not mentioned here that I think has to be brought up as well is Andi Sullivan, who on top of setting the tempo in possession and organizing the midfield has also been the main source of dangerous balls over the top for the Spirit's forwards.

Racing was frankly really lucky to hand Washington a loss in Louisville last time around. Do you think Washington will stick to the same formation/plan?

Broadly speaking, yes. Richie Burke is going to try to out-possess the opponent whenever possible, and the Spirit are going to go about this game the same way they did last time in terms of the big-picture tactics. Washington's offseason plans were really about moving into a 3-4-2-1 or 3-4-3 formation, but they dropped that plan before the Challenge Cup was over and have played a 4-3-3 since then. However they have adjusted a major aspect of that 4-3-3 since playing Louisville: Sanchez was playing as an attacking midfielder in that game, but has for the last 5-6 weeks she pushed up as a nominal center forward who drops off the front line to create for Rodman and Ashley Hatch. I mentioned what this has done for Sanchez above, and I'll add that Hatch has been able to find more space slashing in off the wing, and is now tied for the league lead in goalscoring with 5, so the adjustment has worked quite well.

Washington has been in the league since its inception I believe, but have yet to win any silverware. What are their chances to change that over the next few seasons?

The Spirit came as close to winning something as you can without doing so in 2016, when they lead the league for weeks only to opt to rest players in a couple games right at the end and let the NWSL Shield slip away. They then went to the championship game, took a 2-1 lead in extra time, got past the 120th minute...and gave up a goal to Lynn Williams with what was essentially the last play of the game, and then lost on penalties. It was brutal, and I apologize to any Spirit fans who happen to read this for even discussing it.

I do think their chances of changing that are pretty good, though. Washington has built a very young core group, where you can safely argue that seven starters still have plenty of room to grow and they've shown that they can play as well as anyone in the league at this point. That's created a pretty long window right now where, as long as that group is largely kept together and continues to grow, the chances at a title somewhere in there feel pretty realistic.

What does Washington need to do to close out the season in a playoff position?

I think the main thing is more consistency. The Spirit have shown that they can, at their best, match anything other teams in the league can put together. The last three games illustrate the problem, though: they played at their best against the Courage, but that game is sandwiched by losses to Chicago and Gotham. Against Chicago, they controlled possession but couldn't create chances, while against Gotham they were unlucky to get a very early red card that has since been overturned, but still gave up two goals on corner kicks. I think it's reasonable for the Spirit to still strongly expect to end up in one of the six playoff spots out there, but this is a team aiming for the top, and they'll have to be able to regularly match good performances with good results if they want to host a playoff game.

Thanks to Jason again. Check out his website blackandredunited.com and follow him on Twitter @JasonDCSoccer

Chatting with Todd from Louisville Ledgehogs

The Louisville Ledgehogs are a supporters group for both LouCity and Racing. I chatted yesterday with Todd Lanham who leads the group and runs their Twitter account.

FDLFC: Tell me a little bit about the GameDay experience with the Ledgehogs supporter group.

Todd: We just kicked off middle of last year so we're still trying to figure ourselves out. Our core group consists of 10 of us anchored at a couple of the tables on the ledge and some of our other members are further down. We partnered with the LouCity Dads to help get things off the ground. Most games we try to arrive an hour or so early. Get the flag up and walk around to say hello. We joined the Coopers March to the Match from Ten20 a few weeks back. Most of our members were an original group that went to games together from the first season on.

That's cool. Do you have a similar group for both LouCity and Racing?

Same core group. We rotate games due to our schedules and kids activities. One of our wives said that if the Ledgehogs were a movie, we'd probably be Old School…but without the streaking.

I love that. Are you Wilson, Ferrell or Vaughn?

Definitely Ferrell. What about yourself? How'd you get involved?

I always swore that whenever Louisville got a top tier sports team, I would be all in on day one. I share season tickets for LouCity with my brother and a friend, but my wife and I have 4 tickets for Racing.

Totally same. Have been trying to help with the NBA2Lou initiative for years. When I found out we had a chance for soccer, I was sold. All the different folks building from the ground up based on a pure passion has been one of the things I've enjoyed most.

Me too. What were your expectations prior to the season, and have they changed at all based on the on the field performance?

For Racing, my expectations were that we'd be competitive but I didn't think we'd have a chance at the playoffs. I had hoped we would have had a nationally known player but I've really enjoyed getting to know our group and see the new player we've added. Huge fan of Gemma and Ebony.

Are you excited about seeing Nadia Nadim on Sunday?

For sure...but just as much for the impact she can make here off the pitch. Can't wait to see her interviews.

Racing play the 7th, 9th and 10th place teams the next 3 matches. What's a good point return for those matches?

I'd say at least 5 points but would love to see 7.

5 was my expectation too. Do you have a favorite piece of Racing merch?

Well...I was hoping it would be a signed Salmon jersey, but I got outbid at the last minute. I tried to get Salmon, Emina or Gemma but lost them all...otherwise my purple shoes to match my purple Racing Nike t-shirt. I tried to buy one of the Hawaiian shirts but it didn't fit my Will Ferrell build.

I like the Nike Racing shirt too. Probably my go-to shirt. I don't know if you've been following my Skyline Chili War with Benton on Twitter. Have an opinion on Skyline?

I've maybe had it 3 times in my life and usually because someone else picked it. I don't get the hype. I guess if I was drunk it might sound better...plus, it's from Cincy, so…

I'm going to put you in the Skyline=”Meh" category.

Agree. I can see him defending it though. I defend mint juleps the same way.

I am 100% pro mint julep. Thanks for answering my questions.

Enjoyed it. Thanks again for reaching out! Go Racing!

Follow the Ledgehogs on Twitter @Ledgehogs

I won’t be watching the Olympics, and I want to talk about why.

My brother and I often reminisce about our favorite summer…1984. We make a George Orwell joke and talk about how that summer seemed to last forever. There were so many memories we crammed into that summer that there are too many to mention. One particular memory that sticks out is going to McDonald's after swimming lessons to get something to eat for free. McDonald's legendary miscalculation on Team USA's performance during the 1984 Summer Olympics is quite often parodied. My favorite is obviously this gem.

Those were the first summer Olympics of my cognizant lifetime, with the USA boycotting the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. I loved watching them. The details are a little fuzzy, but I think we just got cable that summer with a whopping 30 channels. Regardless, only ESPN was a sports outlet in competition with the big 3 broadcast networks. This was pretty much your only chance to see Olympic sports outside of some sporadic coverage on ABC's Wild World of Sports. I recall watching pretty much anything I could: boxing, swimming, gymnastics, diving, track and field, etc. What I don't remember is watching was any team sports. To begin with, I think there were only a handful, and I already watched plenty of team sports anyway. In my view, the Olympics were great and the new and unfamiliar sports were the draw for me. For me the appeal of the Olympics was never about the familiar team sports: Basketball, Baseball and Soccer.

As I have gotten older, I have become less and less interested in the Olympics. One reason is pretty banal…you can view “Olympic” sports fairly easily now either on TV or online. The second reason is the one that I want to talk about here: The Olympics are bad. Quite often the Olympics are an economic disaster for the host city at best, and a human rights disaster at worst. I would be shocked if this is news to anyone reading this. I feel like there are many more reasons the Olympics are bad, but those two are good enough to turn me off.

Here is the part where I know the ice is getting pretty thin, but I am going to plow forward regardless. I think the World Cup is a bad idea in its current setup with FIFA as its governing body. ANY INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION THAT REQUIRES BUILDING NEW FACILITIES IS A TERRIBLE IDEA. I truly believe the World Cup should only be ever held in like 5 or 6 counties…those that wouldn't have to build a single stadium.. We as a global community of Football fans have got to come to grips with this. I think the Euros this year were a great example of using existing stadiums, although not quite exclusively. The Puskás Aréna in Budapest was built for the Euros, but replaced the older national stadium. There is no good reason to hold the World Cup in any country that doesn't have the existing infrastructure. Does anybody think Qatar is going to make it out of the group stage? Reports say that 6500 migrant workers have already died in preparation for the Qatar World Cup.

I think American fans of Women's sports are in a peculiar position when it comes to the Olympics. I cannot imagine any Men's Basketball or Baseball fan saying their favorite team is the US National Team. However, I can definitely imagine the Women's National teams for Basketball, Softball and Soccer being someone’s favorite team. Who I am I to deprive someone the opportunity to cheer on their favorite team? If one of those teams is your favorite then by all means watch. I just think the Olympics is the wrong place for those competitions. If the infrastructure doesn't exist to host those events, why spend millions of dollars? Women's sports in this country have been so historically undervalued that we are just beginning to close the gap. The Olympics have often been the best place to display female athletes. I just hope that one day soon people will put more value in specific competitions for sports like swimming, gymnastics and others, so that host cities like Tokyo don't have to spend a small fortune on building venues that are destined to sit empty after the Olympics are over. Make the World Championships for each sport THE event and forget the Olympics.

I know this opinion is wildly unpopular. Many fans of Women's soccer became fans of the USWNT first, and still consider them “Their Team". They will watch their favorite team in the Olympics, and very possibly see them win another gold medal. The NWSL has historically gotten an attendance boost after international success. Racing could very well benefit. That would be good in the short term and possibly good in the long term.

I guess my real point is that it's time to move on. The Olympics are a relic and are dying a slow death, but way too slowly. We need to pull the plug. Many more people's lives will be impacted both positively and negatively by the Olympics. I am completely aware of the positive aspects of the Olympics. They really can change lives for gifted athletes and aid the dreams of the people who watch. The thing that gnaws at me is that the negative effects tend to disproportionately impact the poor. I for one will not be tuning in. There has to be a better way to promote the beautiful game and we need to face the ugly truth. I don't believe this post will change anyone's mind, but I would feel dishonest by staying silent on this issue. Sorry for the downer post. Back to regularly scheduled optimism tomorrow.

Jumbled: A quick look at the NWSL table and Monday notes.

Courtesy ISI Photos

You take a week off and the world is turned upside down! Well, not quite but the NWSL table looks quite a bit different than it did before I left for New England last week:

• Portland is the only tram to hold their place in the top 4.

• Early season leaders (and perennial posers) Orlando are now in 5th, where frankly they probably belong.

• Chicago, although having played one more match than most of the other teams is nicely placed in 2nd and has been playing well since Racing embarrassed them on their home pitch.

• Houston is moving nicely up the table and steady as you go Gotham continues to rack up points while not conceding many goals.

• The Courage seem to be missing their Olympians and have dropped two in a row and down the table to 6th.

All of this is interesting to watch and still probably means next to nothing at this point. Only 4 points separate 1st from 7th.

Racing has a real opportunity to make up some ground over the next few matches. Their next 3 matches are against 7, 9 and 10 in the league table. While Washington is a playoff contender, Racing know that they are beatable. The stats from the last match will definitely have to improve, but the belief should be there. A trip out to Tacoma will be tough, especially if they have another travel nightmare like their trip to Portland. Speaking of travel nightmares, I had a bit of one on my way back from Boston due to storms in Philly and an unnamed airline's (for now) general incompetence. I spent an extra night in Philadelphia and a small fortune to get back to the Ville last night. I missed my pick up soccer game, which is a clear tragedy.

KC looks to be the league doormat and anything but a win there will be a disappointing result. This is the stretch where Racing will solidify its season goal. Will it be playoffs or bust, or to finish with the best point total of an expansion franchise? I think 5 points keeps us in the playoff hunt, but anything less, and it will be time to reassess a realistic goal.

In case you somehow missed it, Nadia is here! I am sure she will need a bit of time to get back up to match fitness. I predict a brief appearance on Saturday, but not a start until August.

Where in the world is Fleur-de-lis-fc?

Undisclosed location northeast of Louisville

Quick post. Fleur-de-lis-fc.com will be on hiatus for another few days. I am currently on vacation in parts unknown, (or known if you're paying attention on Twitter). I will back next week with the normal posting cadence. GO RACING!

Pride 1 - Racing 1 Analysis

ISI Photos

Racing got to experience the other side of the coin of a late equalizer last night at Exploria Stadium last night. Even after conceding that late goal, it was still Racing's best overall performance so far. Before the match I said that Racing needed to improve the passing accuracy to 75% and they nearly hit that number with 74.6%. In fact, the first half passing accuracy almost hit 80%. Racing out passed Orlando 426 to 394 as well. Racing was outshot again, but the Pride only managed 2 shots on target. In a game where the margins are so fine, a decision here or there could have turned the match. I think Coach Holly has done an excellent job with this team, but one choice caught my eye last night, and I can't help but wonder how it ultimately impacted the game.

Erin Simon was having an excellent game last night, having made a few good defensive plays on Syd Leroux. Her passing accuracy was 78.1% and I didn't think she looked tired. However, Simon has started every game and only played the full 90 once, so off she went at the 63 minute mark. I am clearly not in charge, but I thought she was playing well enough to stay in the game at least a little longer than she did. On the flip side, if you were looking for players to sub, I thought Yuki and Savannah looked to be struggling a bit in the first half. More than once in the first half I noticed Yuki had open space in front of her, but chose a short pass to a teammate. I think she went on to have a decent game, but I wondered if she and Savannah, might have been affected by the heat and humidity a bit in the first 30 minutes. Coach Holly made 5 substitutes, as you would expect on a hot and humid evening and he usually does this every match anyway. For the first time that I can recall, the level of play seemed to drop some when the substitutes entered. Only Matthews had a passing accuracy over 60%. Simon’s replacement, Ashley only completed 43% of her passes.

However, I don’t want to dwell too much on those minor items because the overall performance was great. If Gemma Bonner can get her fitness levels up enough to start every match, I really think she gives Racing a markedly increased chance at points every time she is on the pitch. Other than the last sequence leading to the goal, the back 4 (5 late) was up to the challenge. We need to get used to the fact that Nealy Martin is a first choice center back. Her play has merited this. She has done nothing to make you think she doesn't deserve a spot in the starting XI. I think she's won the job. Now as soon as I type this, we may see the Hendrix/Bonner pairing that everyone seems to expect, but I for one am no longer going to expect it. The job is Nealy's until someone else steps up.

The goal that Racing scored was a fine effort, and a clinic on how to score playing out from the back. The sequence that you see on Twitter/YouTube omits this, but the build up actually starts from Nealy Martin making a nice defensive recovery on her own blocked pass. Leroux steps in to block a pass and wins possession, but Martin calmy recovers to run down a misplaced pass to Leroux. Leroux is sprinting towards the ball, but Martin calmly plays if back to Betos who starts the forward attacking move. You can watch the rest.

Having complained a bit about Yuki earlier, I will complement her here. She led the way in passing accuracy for the match with 88%. Cece completed 80% of her passes and had a very nice assist to Salmon. Ebony obviously has been a clinical finisher so far. In what has become a trend, Fox led the team in touches for the third consecutive match. She has started to move more into the center of the pitch during the attack, and it's just a matter of time before get gets her debut goal.

One quick note on Orlando…in my opinion they are no threat to win the league. Their early season performances were probably a bit of fool’s gold. They clearly miss Morgan and Marta, but I think NY/NJ, NC and Portland are clearly superior.

Overall it was a performance that deserved 3 points, but Racing will have to settle for one. A quick note about next week. Since there is no match expect fewer posts, but I will return to the normal frequency leading up to the match against Washington.

Pride 1 - Racing 1

For 93 minutes, it was the best performance of Racing's existence. However, there were unfortunately 5 minutes of extra time. Normally I say you take a point on the road, but this definitely felt like 2 points dropped. The performances were still good, so let's get to those.

Betos-6: Not given much to do other than pick up the ball out of her net on the late goal.

Simon-7: I thought she had an excellent defensive match and was only subbed to get fresh legs on the field.

Matrin-7: Her composure on the ball leading up to the goal was a highlight. Could have safely knocked it out but took her time to find Betos to start the build up for the goal.

Bonner-8 (Player of the Match): It's almost day and night defensively when she's on the field. Needed one more player better positioned behind her on Orlando's goal.

Fox-7: Looked dangerous going forward and solid on the ball as always. Won a corner near the end that almost saw the match out.

Olofsson-7: Solid again and fought hard for the ball in the midfield area.

Milliet-7: Other than the goal, was the attacking threat while on the pitch.

McCaskill-6: Looked to suffer through the heat a bit in the first half. Had a nice run in first half stoppage time.

Nagasato-6: I thought she looked a little off the pace in the first half, but played better after halftime.

Kizer-7: Earned an assist on the goal and looked threatening while on the attack.

Salmon-7: Converted the single good chance in the game. Will be even more dangerous if Racing can find a 2nd reliable attacking option.

More analysis tomorrow…

Pride v Racing Preview

It's the Purple Derby! OK I know I said I was going to be patient about trying to push too much immediate tradition on this team, but I couldn't resist on this one. Anyway, can Racing grab a point or three against Orlando? Let's see how things stack up.

Orlando: Contenders or Frauds

I think the big question is which Orlando team will show up. Will it be the dominant force that won 10 pts out of 12 in May while defeating both North Carolina and Portland? Or will it be the team that has only taken 5 points from their last five matches? The Pride are short 3 key players for the Olympics, (they are also missing backup keeper Erin McLeod). The Pride actually played what I think will be a very similar lineup, minus Mcleod, in their 3-1 victory over KC. I think KC is very clearly the worst team in the league so take that for what you will. Although Orlando is losing some firepower in Morgan and Marta, Sydney Leroux is clearly still dangerous with 4 goals on the season. In previous years Orlando has fallen down the table with players out, and it won’t be a shock to see them do the same this year, even though they seem a little better prepared this time around. Benton and Zack commented on their Vamos Morados podcast that they thought Orlando was a mid-table team masquerading as a top 3 team. I concur, and I think Racing has a chance for some more road points.

Do we know what Racing is yet?

I don't have the slightest idea how Racing is going to line up. The back 4 seems a complete mystery to me. Simon and Fox will surely start, but as soon as I day that you may see one of them get a rest. Coach Holly has seemed to prefer Neely Martin at center back over the last few matches. Martin has played 5 matches in a row, 4 in the middle of the defense. My experience has been that you want have a solid center back pairing and not mess with it too much if you want to be successful. Whether it be injuries, fixture congestion or trying to evaluate talent, the center back pairings for Racing have been a bit too unpredictable. I am hoping Coach Holly finds one he likes and sticks to it.

I wasn't as down on the performance against Portland as some, but the passing accuracy was definitely off. If Racing has a shot to draw against or defeat Orlando, I think the passing accuracy needs to be 75% or higher. Racing needs better accuracy in the middle of the field, and it will be on Freja Olofsson (with a passing accuracy or 84%) to lead the charge. Plan A always seems to sit back and play on the counter, but in the first match against Orlando at home the possession was a 50/50 split. Orlando is next to last in the league in possession with Racing dead last, so an even split in possession should be the bare minimum expectation for Racing in this match. Can Racing beat a team by winning possession against a full 11 for an entire match?

Prediction

I think Racing puts on a better performance and earns a point against Orlando. Let's say 1-1 with Salmon scoring first and Leroux equalizing.

Collect them all!

“You’ve got my card!”

Michelle Betos examined a picture of herself and signed one of many items she often does after matches. This particular item caught her attention because it was her Parkside Collectables 2021 NWSL Premier Series card. The Racing players get asked to signed a variety of items after matches from jerseys, to paper plates. However there must be something special about signing a trading card of yourself.

Parkside Collectables, the creator and distributor of the NWSL card set has been featured in The Athletic and if you have a subscription you can read the article here.. In a nutshell, Parkside seized on a gap in the trading card market, and has had a very successful run of selling their NWSL set. Parkside did a limited set in 2020 for the NWSL Challenge Cup and printed only 3000. For this year's set, Parkside printed many more cards and found a couple of distribution partners in Walmart and Target. So far, the set has been a resounding success with fans and is sold out on the Parkside site.

I have always been a collector of things, but particularly trading cards. There's something special about opening a pack and not knowing what you're going to get. One Easter I got 10 packs of 1991 Upper Deck Baseball Trading cards and pulled the Michael Jordan insert out of one of them. Another time I opened a pack that was all inserts (special cards not in the base set). Over the last few years, I really haven't bothered much with trading cards, and I thought I might never buy a pack for myself again (my wife still collects NFL trading cards and has frankly a ridiculous collection). Then I heard that the NWSL would be having a trading card set this year, and ordered 5 packs from Parkside. While waiting on those cards to arrive, I stumbled across a few sets in Target. Over the next few weeks, I started monitoring eBay and searching Targets and Walmarts. I had become hooked.

I wasn't the only one. On Twitter and Facebook, groups started popping up that were interested in trading cards. One of the leaders in the effort to get organized around trading cards is Luke Fritz. I have traded with Luke a couple of times and asked him about his experience.

Tell me a little about your collecting history...I'm guessing the NWSL trading cards are not your first collection.

Luke: I used to collect sports cards growing up, then in middle/high school I collected (but did not play) Star Wars CCG. Since then, I have not purchased or collected any cards, so it has been probably 15+ years since I have collected cards.

What was it that made you take particular interest in the NWSL cards?

I have been a huge supporter and advocate for the NWSL since its inception in 2012 and inaugural season in 2013. I was born and raised in Portland, and so making sure I did everything possible to help the Thorns and league be successful was (and is) very important to me. When the cards were announced last year, I knew for sure that I wanted a Christine Sinclair signature card (she is my favorite player and I watched her play a lot in college), so that was an easy hook in.

What do you think of the set?

I like the set! It has been fun to collect and there are a ton of inserts that will interest almost anyone interested in trading cards and/or the league itself. I also know that as a first big release for Parkside, there is always room for improvement and cutting down on errors.

What's your favorite pull so far?

Definitely a Simone Charley autograph, which I *finally* pulled after not pulling any autographs in 45+ packs. It was also a fun pull because I bought the pack in a Target in a different state on a whim, as I was there for a totally different reason.

Let's move on to the trading aspect. This set seems like a true "trading card set". You started a Google doc and a Twitter group to encourage trading. How have those technological advances enhanced your newly revived collecting fascination?

I knew from the 2020 Parkside release that it was somewhat challenging to find traders - it sort of relied on Parkside itself retweeting those who might be trading. When the current set was released (and the checklist was unveiled), I knew that there needed to be a better way to organize trades. I am a high school teacher and I use Google Docs/Sheets all the time in meetings with colleagues, so it seemed like an easy way to just use similar templates and share it with everyone. The Twitter group was really only so that I would know who to share the document with once it was ready for editing.

Are you using Facebook as well?

I am! That was also cool to see - that someone both joined the spreadsheet to track their inventory and created a Facebook group to more easily facilitate trades. I would guess I have made about 20 trades so far, about half via Twitter and half via the Facebook group.

Do you think Parkside will release an update set? They seemed to misjudge the demand a bit for the 2021 initial release.

It sounds like for sure that they are going to make a series 2 set, at least according to indications on their Twitter account. As for the demand part: it's funny, because the 2020 Challenge Cup set was *seriously* misjudged in terms of demand. They only made 3000 sets/packs, and they sold out almost instantly whenever they went on sale. So I'm not surprised that a print run of 140,000 for the 2021 set is in demand, given how hot the trading card market is at the moment.

Do you consider yourself a "completist"? I'm sure you have a full set. What other subsets are you trying to complete?

Haha, I consider myself a completist when it comes to the team I support, Portland Thorns FC, yes. My aim was to collect every card possible (within reason - the Chrome 1 of 1 set would be impossible to collect all 20 of) for the club, both for 2020 and for 2021. I have just about accomplished this, pending receiving some final cards (including the trade that we just made)!

What the longest distance between you and a trading partner so far?

I think Long Island, New York is the furthest away. Portland to New York is about as far as it gets in the continental U.S.

…

The set has really been fun to trade and there are a lot of cool inserts. Of course it has been difficult to produce a set of cards for an expansion team when you don’t have any game action shots from the previous year to use for your cards. There are two unsung heroes that made it possible for Racing to be included in this year's set. Toni Geiger of EM Dash Photography and Joe Robbins of ISI Photos are responsible for the action shots and the headshots respectively. Toni told me that Parkside reached out about some photos she had taken for ISI during a preseason march. You have seen Toni and Joe's work on the Racing website even if you weren't aware of it.

For me, trading the cards has almost been as much fun as collecting them. I have mailed cards to Portland, Newport, KY, Port Orchard, WA, Columbus, OH and have made an exchange with a fellow fan that sits in my section at the Fam. It has been really cool to see people just give away cards to help collectors fill in their sets. I am hoping for an update set later this year to include Salmon, Miramontez, Bonner, Nadim and Matthews.

Know Your Foe: Orlando Pride with Sean Rollins from The Mane Land

The Mane Land is an SB Nation Soccer site dedicated to covering both Orlando City SC and the Orlando Pride. Sean Rollins is an Editor and Senior Columnist.

I wanted to include a little preamble prior to this post. I think it is of note that Louisville owes quite a bit to Orlando when it comes to soccer. Louisville City moved from Orlando to begin playing in 2015. Minority owner of Orlando City Wayne Estopinal was instrumental in the relocation. Orlando kept its formal association with LouCity for about a year, and the purple color scheme remains an enduring reminder of the association. LouCity's success led to the building of Lynn Family Stadium, without which there would be no Racing Louisville FC. This connection is important and one day, maybe can even lead to an eventual friendly rivalry, maybe even one that honors the late Mr. Estopinal. I am slowly learning not to force things with this club, so I will leave it at tbis: One day I hope this league is full of natural rivalries that mean something to the fans, and I think this match-up could be one of them.

Now onto the main event:

The Pride were at the top of the table for a while this season. Is that the expectation, to finish top and win the league?

Since the Pride joined the NWSL in 2016, they've had high expectations. Big names have been in the team every season, but the only playoff appearance came in 2017. Marc Skinner took over in 2019 and began to build the team around non-internationals, players they wouldn't lose for major tournaments. This has increased expectation that the Pride will continue to play well during the Olympics and not fall apart as they did during the 2019 World Cup.

How do you expect Orlando to deal with missing players during the Olympics?

The Pride are well-prepared to handle the absences during the Olympics. Skinner showed his plan two weeks ago against Kansas City when he left forward Alex Morgan, midfielder Marta, and right back Ali Riley out of the lineup. Ali Krieger has played a lot of right back in the past, they recently signed England center back Amy Turner, and Sydney Leroux will move up to the forward position. They won't be as strong without Morgan, Marta, and Riley, but they should be able to handle the absences must better than they have in the past.

On a recent trip through Orlando, Racing's players noticed the Orlando City/Pride pub at the airport. Have you visited it, and if so what did you think?

The club has opened a pub at Orlando International Airport and on Church Street in downtown Orlando. I haven't visited the pub in the airport but it was created as a part of Flavio Augusto da Silva and Alex Leitao's plan to expand the club's brand globally.

How long did it take for Orlando to stop feeling like an "expansion team"?

The Pride joined the NWSL at an interesting time. The Boston Breakers were on the verge of folding and the league was looking to expand. The club also made big moves by bringing in Ashlyn Harris and Alex Morgan in 2016 and Marta in 2017. I'd say that they no longer felt like an expansion team in 2017, the team's second season.

Whom should Racing fans pay special attention to on Friday night?

Defensively, Ashlyn Harris has been incredible this year in goal. Courtney Petersen can be a handful at left back when at her best. On the attacking side, the two players to watch are Sydney Leroux and Taylor Kornieck. Fans of the USWNT will remember what Leroux can do and Kornieck has had a breakout year in the attacking midfield.

You can follow Orlando Pride News on Twitter @TheManeLand.

A Quick Story from Last Night

Courtesy Racing Louisville

Courtesy Racing Louisville

Addison Merrick and Katie McClure were teammates on Kansas University's Women's Soccer Team prior to joining Racing Louisville for its Inaugural season. In 2019 Kansas won the Big 12 Tournament and qualified for the NCAA tournament. During their time at Kansas they developed a few dedicated fans.

At last night's game, there was a family of 5 in my section that traveled all the way from Kansas to see Addisyn and Katie in Racing kits. Although the family is KC fans, they were decked out in full Racing gear last night with all 3 of the children wearing Racing home jerseys, two of them customized for Merrick and McClure. One of the girls had been a mascot (one of the young kids you often see lining up with players in the tunnel and on the field before matches all across the world) at KU and lined up with Katie for one match. The young lady was lucky enough to get to show Katie this old picture and take another to relive the moment. I shouldn't say, lucky because the Racing players are very intentional about interacting with fans after games. Each of the girls got their jerseys signed and got to spend time with Merrick and McClure.

I think it says something about the pull of this sport particularly in this league that you get fans willing to travel such distances. The connections with players start early in their careers and are genuine. I’m sure this wasn't a unique experience, it's just the one I witnessed. I think we should share these little snapshots of Racing and it’s players interacting with the fans, because it shows their commitment to the fans, the city and the city's visitors.

Racing 0 - Thorns 2 Analysis and broader trends

Courtesy ISI Photos

I’m sure most fans were disappointed in the outcome of last night's victory. Two sets of eyes that I really trust, Benton from Vamos Morados and Bekki from BGN both commented that the performance seemed off. Judging by Benton's immediate post game video reaction, I think it might have been hard for him to envision a different outcome. Becki and I chatted at halftime and she said that if Racing ending up losing 0-2, that it would be a disappointing night for her. I think I saw a slightly different match but like I said, I value their opinions.

I could clearly have envisioned a point from this match. Reasonable people can differ on whether the contact from Nagasato on Rodriguez was a penalty (I think it was) but a few seconds prior, there was a shove on Fox that caused her to tumble over. I have seen this called as a foul from an ensuing corner a great many times and I believe it was a foul on this occasion too. A few bounces here or there, and I could have clearly seen a path to a draw.

I think Racing looked better in attack than in the previous game against Portland. Milliet again was great going forward. I think Kizer looks more comfortable playing out wide and Salmon has proved that sometimes she only needs half a chance to score. Yuki and McCaskill came fairly close to socring. Overall I thought the attacking performance was decent. The defensive performance I thought was decent as well, although Racing clearly missed Bonner, especially on that second goal.

The Trends

However, I do see what Benton and Bekki were talking about. The passing accuracy was off in this game. It was only 71%. In fact passing accuracy has generally been trending in the wrong direction:

To be fair, the opponents accuracy has been generally lower trending as well, which tends to mean more pressure being applied by Racing. As you saw above, the 2 most recent wins have come when Racing has been the more accurate passing team. The odd thing when you look at the passing stats, is sometimes the player of the Match has bad passing stats. Milliet and Fox both had relatively low passing stats, but were two of the best players for Racing last night. To be fair Fox had the most completed passes for Racing.

Looking on the bright side, the shot trends are looking better.

Racing’s total shots have been pretty steady, and that number needs to increase. What I will say, is that most of Racing's shots have been quality ones. Rarely do they take an ill-advised shot. Racing's opponents shots are dropping too. They still obviously need to drop more. It's frankly a great testimony to Racing's defense and their captain that they have 10 points while being out shot in all buy one match.

The shots on target are clearly trending in the right direction. Last night, Racing had opportunities to score, even though most of those lacked real quality in the finished product. Racing's opponents are getting fewer attempts on target too.

Final Thoughts

Perhaps the most encouraging positive trend is something that cannot be measured. Last night's reactions tell me that expectations have increased tremendously. On many people's minds was the fact that Portland was missing 4 starters due to Olympic commitments. Many people expected a better performance and possibly a win vs Portland. When I asked Grant Little from Stumptown Footy who covers the Portland Thorns if he was concerned about the missing starters, he said that he really wasn't. He knew that the Thorns roster was plenty deep. I think some of the Racing fans thought that Portland Thorns might roll out 4 stiffs to replace their missing starters and that obviously wasn't the case. However, from the Racing perspective this was seen as a real opportunity to grab a result. This is the right attitude to have. Like I said I think last night was a missed opportunity, but not a crippling defeat. Going forward, the trip to Orlando ought to be met with the same optimism. It is a chance for points against a weakened team. Let's see if Racing can meet those expectations.

Racing 0 Thorns 2

Tonight's loss was a bit of a tough pill to swallow. The penalty given was probably the right call, but I still maintain that there was a foul not called in the build up before the penalty decision. Definitely missed Bonner's stature and presence on the second goal. Racing still had a few really good chances to score and played much better than the previous effort in Portland.

Betos-6: Could do nothing on either goal. Had a few nice saves. Solid as usual.

Fox-7 (Player of the Match): Played well on both sides of the ball. Dangerous in attack in supplying the front line.

Simon-6: Worked some good combination play with Milliet.

Martin-6: Has definitely earned Coach Holly's trust with her steady displays.

Riehl-6: Maybe (combined with Martin) could have done better on the 2nd goal. Other than that was solid.

Olofsson-6: Seems to be playing better and better each match.

McCaskill-7: Ran hard a usual, almost scored a fantastic goal.

Milliet-7: My vote for Player of the Match while she was on the field. Really dangerous playing down the right side.

Nagasato-6: A bit unlucky to give away a penalty.

Salmon-6: Had half a chance to score in the first half. Other than that, not given much service.

Kizer-7: The most dangerous of the front 3.

Subs-6: Merrick looked good early, but had a few nervous touches late. Ashley was solid again. Matthew’s had a decent effort on goal.

Racing v Thorns Preview

Saturday will see the 2nd match-up between Racing and the Thorns. The first match was memorable for the travel nightmare that ensued, and a rather handy 3-0 victory for Portland. Thus time around, I expect it to be quite a different match and potentially a different outcome.

Total statistical dominance

The last match was a total dominant performance by Portland. The Thorns won the big stats, possession and shots, with 59% possession and out shot Racing 28-4. Portland jumped out to an early lead and Racing never really looked threatening on attack.

A different set of teams

However, the teams are going to be quite different this time around. Portland is missing 4 starters for this game due to Olympic commitments, but that doesn't mean they lack steel or firepower. Two of the goal scorers (Rodriguez and Salem) are likely to start and frankly Rodriguez is terrifying every time she is near the ball. Portland are missing 2 defenders and their starting keeper, but they have plenty of talent to replace them. I talked to Grant Little of Stumptown Footy and he reckons Portland will go with a 4-4-2 diamond formation, which could look like this:

Designed on buildlineup.com

On the Racing side of the ball, there could be a few potential changes. Taylor Otto is listed as questionable instead of out, so we could see her make her first appearance since the opener. I don't think it's likely that she will start, but I think she may see the field at some point. The only two other players listed on the injury report are Higginson, who is still out and Kizer is listed as questionable. I think this is the most fit and complete the roster has been all season, so Coach Holly will be able to look at the match-ups and see if he favors any different starters versus the last match in Portland. I will be interested to see:

• Will Ebony Salmon play a full 90?

• Will Martin be given her 5th start in a row?

• Can Racing hold the ball at least 45% of the time?

• Will another player score their first goal for Racing?

Prediction

I predicted a draw last time and Racing won. Let's stick with that and hope I am being too pessimistic once again.

Can we talk…with Leigh Nieves

Leigh Nieves is the President of the Lavender Legion, one of Racing Louisville FC's fantastic supporters groups.

I don't know if even the most ardent Racing fan would have said they would get 6 points out of 9 in their 3 game in 7 days stretch. What were your expectations?

Leigh: I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but I knew we were going to pull off some points! I think now that we are beginning to see the line up really come together, we will be seeing more of this. Having Merrick, Salmon, and Cheyna now available full time has been a game changer and you can tell!

Speaking of player availability, Racing are about to face two of the league's best in Orlando and Portland with them missing players. Do you expect the winning to continue?

It will be interesting to see how we fair against Portland. They are a great team this year, but we are going to be in front of a home crowd and our confidence and finishing is building and improving every game. Orlando has really been impressing me this year, but I think now that we are even more lethal up top, that we can take them.

It will be an interesting match to watch. Switching gears a bit, what's it been like being involved in a new Supporters Group, while being limited a bit by Covid restrictions? I have found the club to be great to work with and never imagined the amount of cooperation I have received. What has it been like for the Lavender Legion?

Well, I'm not going to sit here and tell you that it's been a cake walk because it hasn't been, ha ha. Especially kicking off in a pandemic. It was challenging trying to conjure up organization because we wanted to get off the ground, but we wanted everyone to be safe while doing it. Now that we are gaining some traction, we are realizing it was a huge bonding experience. We are building a pretty cool and inclusive culture in the Legion, which I am stoked about.

Does the Lavender Legion have preferred section? Do you enjoy watching the matches surrounded by a rowdy crowd or are you like me, trying to pick apart the game analytically?

Currently we hang out in the Estopinal End with lots of sun screen. (It's the worst spot in the stadium for sun, lol). I really am all about the experience when I attend a game. I leave the analytics for after the game when I rewatch it at home. Live sports and entertainment has always been so much more of a feeling rather than a think piece. This is why I 100% could never be a coach or athlete.

I am an analytical person, so I always default to that way of watching a game. Since you brought it up, do you rewatch every game?

I try to! I would say I do it for about 50% of games!

I think the kits and the variety of merchandise have been great. Do you have a favorite piece of merch?

It really has been! I mean, I selfishly want to say the "This is Her Louisville" collaboration shirt we made with Racing to recognize our first tifo,

but the real answer is the #DatAss shirts, lol.

You can't beat that one! Does the Lavender Legion have any special events coming up?

Well we are REALLY excited because this Saturday will be our first official March to the Match EVER! Thank you vaccines and weekend games. 🙏

Awesome. Where does the march start?

We are starting a Ten20 Brewing. They've been amazing supporters this season. They even named a drink after us.

That is cool. What's it called?

The Lavender Legion Lemonade! Its vodka, lemonade, and lavender syrup.

Sounds delicious. Thanks for answering my questions.

You're so welcome!

Follow Leigh on Twitter @LeighNieves and also be sure to join The Lavender Legion for only $5.02 and follow them on Twitter @LavenderLegion.

Inaugural Fleur-de-lis-FC Player of the Month Award

Courtesy ISI Photos

Each month I will conduct a Twitter poll to let people vote on the Player of the Month. I will pretend to consider input from this poll then award the honor precisely to who I think deserves it.

June's Player of the Month, and frankly the Player of the Year so far is Michelle Betos. She received 75% of the votes via Twitter (including mine as well). Michelle has been a great Captain on and off the field. She was awarded with the NWSL Player of the Week on honor for her performance against Houston. She leads the league in Saves (43/27 in June) and is tied for the lead in Clean sheets (4/2 in June). Although there is not true way to measure this, she probably leads the league in fan engagement too. She often sticks around long after the match is over to take pictures and sign autographs.

Courtesy Connor Cunningham

Several fans on Twitter have posted that she made their day after an interaction with her. She is a tremendous ambassador for the club and a great example to her young teammates as captain.

Courtesy ISI Photos

I think Michelle and the fans would be happy if this was the last Player of the Month award she ever won. That would mean she didn't have to make as many great saves as she has consistently done so far this season. However, for this month I am very pleased to say the Michelle is #1 on her shirt and in our hearts. Congratulations Ms. Betos!

Thoughts on Racing's first road win

Courtesy ISI Photos

Congratulations to the team on their first road victory! With 3 games in seven days, I think only the very most optimist of Racing fans would have predicting taking six points out of nine. In consider myself fairly optimistic and I predicted 4 points, but I thought that might be a stretch. I think Coach Holly did a masterful job managing the rotation during this busy stretch. Giving Nagasato and McCaskill a bit of a break on Wednesday so they were rested for Chicago on Saturday turned out to be a masterstroke. I believe that that the Courage is the best team that Racing has faced so far, and Louisville doesn't seem to match up well against North Carolina. Although I'm sure Coach Holly wasn't conceding defeat, it was a chance to rest some players for a more winnable game on Saturday.

The game on Saturday started out similar to Racing’s two previous road losses. In the first half, Racing lost the possession battle 60% to 40%. The key difference was the number of shots on goal. There were only 3 shots that made it past a block, and only one of them was on goal. However one of those clearly had Betos beaten and hit the frame. Racing managed 5 shots that weren't blocked, scoring on one of those. Most people love a screamer belted from outside the box, and those goals are typically the ones that made it onto Twitter or onto a highlight video. Give me a goal that is created by effective ball movement above all else.

I loved the final two touches on that goal. Milliet places is perfectly to Kizer who can use her first touch to find Salmon, who uses her first touch to simply pass the ball inro the back corner of the net. No player in the history of football (soccer) is faster than the ball when it is played effectely. In fact, ball movement is my favorite thing when watching football. It's “proper football” played as a team endeavor.

The victory on Saturday truly was a team effort. For once, Betos didn't have to do more than her fair share, although she was great as usual. I write my player ratings before taking a look at the stat sheet, because I want the ratings not to be too influenced by statistics. I actually almost always trust numbers over what I see, but in a football match I find that they truly can be deceiving. The stats say that McCaskill only completed 59% of her passes. I have to believe that is correct, bit would never have guessed it being that low. What I do know is that I don't remember very many of them being a “bad” pass. Gemma Bonner registered a 57% successful pass rate, but many of her “unsuccessful” passes had to be clearances. Regardless, for me Yuki and Savannah were the clear players of the match. Yuki's positioning on the counter attack in the 56th minute was the key moment for me. It shows up in the stats as one of three fouls won by Yuki, but it was a massive moment in the game. Yuki positioned herself perfectly to receive a pass in stride and take off toward goal. Colaprico lost her head for a split second and grabbed Nagasato's jersey, earning a second yellow card. Shortly after, McCaskill whipped a nice ball into the box, which after a deflection or two found Yuki's feet for the second goal. Game over. The third goal was icing on the cake and a great finish from McCaskill, but the game was clearly over by then. Racing had a 58% to 48% possession advantage in the second half to bring the match total to almost an even split. After Ebony's miss in the 66th minute, Racing took the air out of the ball and professionally managed the remainder of the match.

I thought the entire team played well on Saturday. One minor nitpicky thing is that I thought Salmon was a bit too isolated at some points in the first half, so that's something to watch for in the future. Racing is back in action on Saturday for what I am sure will be a tough rematch against the Thorns.

Red Stars 0 - Racing 3 Player ratings and instant analysis

There were quite a few firsts today:

• The first road victory

• The first 1st Half goal

• A first Racing goal for both McCaskill and Nagasato

• First time playing with a player advantage.

The match really was sealed when Racing scored right after Colaprico was sent off for her second yellow card in the 56th minute. Racing then did a real professional job seeing the game out.

Player Ratings

Betos-7: Had a relatively slow final 30 to 35 minutes but was right on top of her game with a couple of good saves to keep the game close.

Simon-7: Worked really hard defensively and made a few really good plays to stop threatening attacks. Got a well deserved break at the end.

Martin-7: Solid again in her partnership with Bonner.

Bonner-7: Led the back line effectively and got the last few minutes off.

Fox-7: Steady as usual and good in attack as well. Slid into the midfield a bit to help see the game out.

Milliet-7: Played forward a bit more early, but settled further back into the midfield as the game went on. Was critical in the build up to the first goal. Got a well deserved break in the last 25 minutes.

Olofsson-7: Helped the subs see out the game with another solid effort.

McCaskill-9 (Player of the Match): Threatening all game and had a cheeky chipped effort that was saved to go along with her goal. You probably could not have dragged her off the field and will surely relish this performance.

Nagasato-8: Nearly a player of the match performance. Will surely be delighted with her goal. Her attempted breakaway in the 56th minute that drew a yellow card and ultimately a red was the turning point in the match.

Kizer-8: Her one touch pass to Ebony to open the scoring was fantastic. Good to see her recovering from the eye injury.

Salmon-8: Worked hard as the furthest player forward for most of the match and was rewarded with a sweet goal taken with a nice first touch.

Subs-7: Did a nice job seeing out the last few minutes. I would like to Ashley and Merrick get a start at some point.

More analysis to come tomorrow.

Red Stars vs. Racing Super Quick Preview

With 3 games in 7 days, it has been a busy week for coverage, especially since I have been out of town since Tuesday. I will be traveling home during the game, so I hope my 4G connection lets me see the game in real time.

Just a few things to hit in this abbreviated preview, so let me just put them in bullet point form.

• Expect quite a different lineup compared to Wednesday obviously. I will be super curious to see who will be partnered with Bonner. I expect it to be Hendrix, but you never know.

• Look for a warm welcome for Yuki, even if they don't broadcast the player walkout. She was definitely a fan fave in Chicago like she is in Louisville.

• Chicago hasn't been very inconsistent, so see if Racing can exploit their defense early and pick up their first ever away goal.

• Racing's kits are so popular that Alex Campbell wore one when he interviewed me for his SoccerCast Chicago podcast this week. Also, Chicago is probably the easiest away game to get to, so see if you can spot some Racing fans who made this a weekend road trip.

• A few weeks ago, I said 4 points from 9 was a good point total from these 3 games. That's definitely possible and I predict 1-1 draw with Racing scoring first, but the Red Stars grabbing a late goal to snatch a point.