Michael Shaw 8/10/22 Michael Shaw 8/10/22

Dash v Racing Preview

The big news from practice today was that Wang Shuang joined practice and is evidently available for immediate selection.

Coach Björkegren was absent from practice due to feeling unwell, but is expected to travel with the team to Houston. That meant that Coach Mario Sanchez led practice and was available to the media afterwards. I hesitate to lump the rest of Racing's fans in with me, so let me just say that I am at the point of the season where I am most looking forward to seeing what the team can do to make sure next year's squad is ready to hit the ground running AND seeing how much Racing is willing to “go for it” next week in The Women's Cup. With that in mind, I asked Coach Sanchez about next week. “We treat it like every other game,” was his response, which was good to hear. Last year, Racing was still practically in the playoff hunt during The Women's Cup, so there was a need to balance how to approach the final. For all of the bad things about the previous coach's tenure, I will say that he got that balance exactly right in that Racing won a trophy AND were rested for their next NWSL match. Of course they laid an absolute egg in that next match in Kansas City, but the roster management was right. This go around however, there isn't anything really to play for in the league beyond getting the core players for next season more time together on the pitch. Ultimately I don't think Racing will throw out a starting lineup like this next week,

but given the squads current construction, there really isn't room to go too wild. Or is there? It's not beyond the realm of possibility or even probability that some of Racing's academy players get a look in. Ella Sanchez was on the bench for the Women's Cup final, so maybe she gets a few minutes this time around. The point is: I want that trophy no matter how trivial it is.

Before that, we have Houston to “worry” about. The rest of the league season should be about evaluating the sqaud and the system. AND spoiling other teams playoff hopes. I would love to see Racing beat Houston and knock them into a tailspin of epic proportions that is somehow so bad that it gets them relegated in a league where that isn't even actually possible. Barring that, I'll take another solid performance.

Another thing to keep an eye on (if you are into such things) is if Racing sticks with its formation change. I frankly think people get too hung up on formations, and I can tell you that a player's situational positioning is much more important than their nominal starting point in a formation. Do look for Racing to continue to defend with numbers when they don't have possession (call it 5 at the back if you wish), because I think that worked well in the previous match.

One last thing: I finally got to give Nadia a small token of appreciation for being the first Racing player to score multiple goals in a match. Unfortunately, in the picture I got Nadia had her eyes closed, so instead of that, here is a picture of the actual “token”:

She graciously accepted it and then immediately and hilariously used it as a Frisbee, which delighted me greatly.

Michael Shaw 8/6/22 Michael Shaw 8/6/22

Racing 1 Spirit 1 Post Match Thoughts

Racing and Washington traded goals in the second half and both had really good chances to get the winner either saved by the keeper, or the official’s whistle. It was another case of Racing playing well enough to win, but a draw was fair based on the overall chances created by either team (with maybe Racing having a few more grudges with the officials).

It’s hard to tell how well the officials are doing in real time at the stadium, so I try to go back and watch the difficult calls. There was an alleged handball in the buildup to the goal, and I based my initial opinion on the reaction of the fans in the corner. However, I couldn’t really tell if Baggett handled the ball before her assist to Hatch. Clearly her arm was up and in an unnatural position, but I couldn’t clearly tell if touched the ball with her arm or not. I tend to look to the players on the replay, and Bonner didn’t really react or complain so I think maybe there wasn’t one. There was also a non-call on Nadim, where in real time it appeared that Rodman fouled her. On review, that was simply a good clean tackle. Racing had a goal ruled offside in the 70th minute. That call looked correct to me in real time, and the replay showed no reason for me to change my mind. Later on, Davis was clearly pulled back, but was able to make a pass to Nadim so I guess the official thought there was an advantage to be played. Upon replay, that call seemed the most suspect, but a call there would only have led to a free kick, albeit in a dangerous spot. On balance, I don’t think it was a terrible night for the officials, but I will say this to those thinking that VAR will help next year: I wouldn’t bet on it.
I think VAR works when you have these two key elements: good officials and lots of good cameras. In the case of good officials, I haven’t seen any evidence of this. If you don’t have good officials, no amount of video assistance can help and you could be constantly stopping the match for reviews. There have been too many questionable calls in this league this season for me to consider this group of officials anything other than marginally competent (the match officials are supplied by PRO-the Professional Referee Organization). However, the more important element is the right number of cameras to cover the field. From as far as I can tell, the good VAR systems seem to use around 30 cameras, but recent enhancements could lower that to the 20s or even as low as 16 which was the number used in the Women’s Euros group stages. There is some debate if 16 was good enough. Regardless, I don’t think that Lynn Family Stadium has a current setup for 16 cameras, let alone 30. Using the cameras from last night’s broadcast, and contrary to what I said on Twitter I don’t think any calls from last night would have been reversed by VAR.
Racing used (at least according to Fotmob) a 3-5-2 formation last night. I try not to get too hung up on formations. To me it still was strictly 4-4-2 personnel, which is more important that the formation anyway. I know that Lester has played a lot of center back, but to me she is a little more useful on the wings. Milliet and Lester did really play more wing back roles in the second half for sure. Like I said in my player ratings, I like the Bonner/Murray pairing. I guess Fox was the other nominal center back in the back 3. Anyway, here is the map of the average positions from last night:

and here is the one from Tuesday:

which probably lends some credence to the idea of a back 3 on Friday, especially with Murray to the right of Bonner on Friday compared to her left on Tuesday. Milliet and Fox look tight on Tuesday, because Milliet has to deputize for Fox at halftime. Regardless, the shift gave Racing an early advantage in the match that they unfortunately couldn’t turn into a goal.

Nadim had a really composed finish on her goal last night. When I asked her about it, she talked about not having a ton of time and getting a good touch on the ball. I thought it was a great demonstration of being quick and composted at the same time.

Michael Shaw 8/5/22 Michael Shaw 8/5/22

Racing 1 Spirit 1 Player Ratings

Racing were not able to convert a really good opening 10-12 minutes into a goal, but found the opener in the second half. Unfortunately Fox either deflected the ball or made Lund unsighted on Hatch's equalizer and Racing ending up with only a point.

Lund-7: Had a couple of terrific instinctual saves, but might have been able to do better on the goal. She was definitely wrong footed, but you hate to give up a goal like that at your near post.

Fox-7: Much better than her recent performances and an abbreviated 45 minute outing midweek probably assisted with that. Had an eye-popping 91% pass completion percentage.

Bonner/Murray-7: This centerback pairing looks like it could be the first choice for the remainder of the season.

Lester-7: I think she brings enough in the attack to make wing back her preferred role.

Howell-7: Looked really fierce in the first 10 or so minutes and was determined not to let Racing concede early.

Olofsson-6: Honesty she never gets as many touches as her midfield partners, which is beginning to be a bit concerning.

DeMelo-7: Back to her usual excellent self.

Milliet-7: When Racing shifted defensive tactics a bit in the second half, she kept Rodman at bay.

Davis-7: Sent an excellent pass in to Nadia for her goal.

Nadim-8: She was super composed on her finish, but might be disappointed in a few of her other chances.

Bonus: McDonald-8: Single handedly saved a goal in my opinion on her gut busting run late in the second half to catch Alexander.

Michael Shaw 8/4/22 Michael Shaw 8/4/22

Racing v Spirit Preview

Racing Louisville Football Club has won 2 matches since the last time the Washington Spirit won one. Let that sink in.

I don’t follow other clubs very much, but I do have a soft spot for the Spirit. I was in the room when Rodman, Hatch and Kingbury received their ROY, Golden Boot, and GOY awards at the NWSL Championship media day.

I talked to all three of them on media day and to Rodman literally 2 minutes before she was announced as rookie of the year. I also spent time “interviewing” many of the other players. It was mostly me blathering and giving them advice to score first, which of course they didn’t and still won. Andi Sullivan was a great interview. I also talked to Bailey, Staab, Roddar, Biegalski, Sanchez and many others. They all treated me very well.

In a way I feel both sad and delighted about how their season has gone. I wish all of their players well, but it is also fun to see the reigning champions struggle a bit. For the 3 players pictured above, Hatch will almost definitely not win the golden boot again. Rodman may score more goals than the 6 she scored last year, but probably won’t reach last year’s 6 assists mark. Kingsbury has a Fotmob player rating of almost a half a point lower than last year where she kept 8 clean sheets. This year she only has 2.

However, the Spirit got hot at just the right time last year. They could do so again, but they would have to leapfrog 5 teams to get into playoff position. The math is against them. In the same number of matches, Racing has scored 1 more goal, but conceded 3 more goals and that is really a negligible difference. Everything other than the names on the backs of the jerseys indicate that these two teams are about the same. They are 5th and 6th for shots on target per match, .1 goal apart on goals per match and .2 goal apart on goals conceded per match.

The lack of preparation time for this match for Racing and the fact that the Spirit didn’t have a midweek match makes me think that the Spirit will dictate the style in this match much like they did in the 2-2 draw earlier this season. However, we saw in that match that a single great half of football isn’t enough to get the job done. The Spirit has won the possession battle in their last 5 matches, so expect that trend to continue. They are also capable of conceding 3 goals in a match which they have done twice in the last 6 matches.

As for Racing, the outcome still officially matters, but practically it doesn’t. Coach Björkegren and the players will never concede that the playoffs are a lost cause until it is official, nor should they. However, I encourage fans to look for other things besides the score line for the next several matches. If this them is going to play a high-pressing style, they are going to have to learn to play out from the back more consistently and win the midfield battle. The long balls that you saw in the last match might briefly increase their chances of winning in the short term, but I don’t think you learn anything from Route 1 football. I think now is (almost) the time to stubbornly stick to your chosen style and “damn the torpedoes”. The team seems close enough as a group of teammates to not get too down on each other if they take a good thumping, so I say work on the things that you will need to be successful next year and press until you physically can’t.

However, for this match and the trip to Houston: survive. There will be 6 more NWSL matches after the Women’s Cup, and I think you try to escape this one and the next with all of your players healthy and consider that a victory. Once Racing returns to the normal single match per week schedule after the Women’s Cup, I think we might see a shift in tactics back to the high press.

Michael Shaw 8/3/22 Michael Shaw 8/3/22

Racing 1 Reign 1 Post Match Thoughts

If I do an honest assessment of last night's match, I think the score line could have been anywhere between 1-5 and 2-1. The Reign definitely had their chances among Katie Lund's 12 saves and I think if McDonald had been more direct could have scored on her late breakaway. In the end Racing were outclassed and still came away with a point, but frankly a rather useless one.

After the match I asked Björkegren to assess Racing's performance irrespective of the scoreline. Sometimes I think he is a bit too honest with me. In essence he confirmed what I had noticed which was the complete abandonment of any kind of discernable style in Racing’s play. After falling behind really, really early just about all of Racing's attacks fell in the “Route 1” category wherein either Lund, Bonner, or Murray knocked the ball forward to nobody in particular and hoped for the best. It kind of worked on Davis’ goal. Lund got the ball to midfield and once it rattled around there for a bit, Davis found herself charging onto goal. Conversely, the Reign seemed to play directly through the midfield with such efficiency, it seemed like they spend the majority of the match knocking the ball around Racing's 18 yard box. Even though the match ended all square at 1-1, the Reign dominated the match. Coach Björkegren shared that Racing didn't have much time to work on a game plan on the practice field (and won't for Friday's match either). In situations like this I think the players default to what they do best. In the Reign's case, they are a group that has played together consistently for quite some time and know instinctually where their teammates will be. It's the benefit of playing in a system for an extended period to some degree, but it's also somewhat aided by the quality of their players and their experience, both collectively and individually. I don't really care what the table says because for me Portland and OL Reign are the league’s best two squads and were the best two last year as well. If Racing are to ever get to their level, it will take time.
One of the things that make the Reign and the Thorns so good is their communication with each other and the officials. If you saw my tweet last night, you know that I was highly displeased with the officials. I actually wasn't displeased at all with the calls. I don’t think they missed anything too egregious, but they demonstrated a pet peeve of mine which is to give certain players the ability to get in their ears. I’m not sure how much of this tranlated in the broadcast but Rapinoe was joined at the hip with the lead official during almost every stoppage in play in the first half. If I was running the match as an official I would make two things clear: if you want to complain, tell your captain to communicate with me, and if I hear more than one complaint from you, you are getting a card. I don’t think there are any hard and fast rules about who is allowed to get an official's ear, but in my opinion managing all complaints through the captain is the easiest way to keep a lid on the match. Conversely, if I was a player and I knew I could get in the officials ear with no consequences, I would never shut up. Kudos to Megan Rapinoe for using her stature, experience, and savvy for playing the lead official like a concert violin in the first half. Maybe the officials told Barnes (the Reign's captain) in a halftime confab between Rapinoe, the officials, and Barnes that Rapinoe needed to watch herself because the second half was honestly better. For a laugh, if you rewatch the match on Paramount Plus at the 32:02 mark on the game clock you can hear me yell, “Hey Yellow! Stop letting Rapinoe call the match for you!” The fourth official actually turned toward me for a bit, so I know he heard me. Herein lies the question: if I have to be the one demanding respect from the officials from section 107, what does that say about the team on the field? As a fan that sits within earshot of the fourth official and the side judge, I feel obliged to loudly give my opinion on their performance. I typically reserve my shouting for a) egregious missed calls or b) when the official gives the sideline a warning. In that situation I remind the officials that they can't give me a card and I will simply reiterate the complaint of the coaches, so it's to their benefit to listen to them once instead of having me in their ear for the remainder of the match. I have only had to deploy that tactic once. Frankly, I don’t really relish yelling at the officials. Okay, that is a lie, but I would much rather have the Racing players talk the officials because it carries some weight. I don’t think the Racing players have to berate the officials, but they need to be more like Rapinoe and work them better. Personally, my goal for the year would be to earn 2 to 3 yellow cards strictly for descent.
The Reign players were a huge draw for a very vocal section of the fans last night. I think most of the Reign players were nice enough to stop and sign autographs on the way back to the locker room. I was mildly annoyed at the autograph seekers volume during the post game press conferences, but I will live with that if it means a bunch of kids went home happy. It really is a star-studded roster.
Racing may have 4 nominal captains this year, but we all know who the Captain is. In its brief history, Racing has has 2 tough-as-nails Captains in Betos and Bonner. Racing is so dependent on Gemma Bonner for her leadership and defensive presence, that I’m not sure even a broken bone would have gotten her off of the pitch last night. I think we have all learned that no player for Racing is guaranteed to be back every year or even beyond the foreseeable future, and I think Bonner's contract may be up at the end of 2022. You shouldn't take the next 8-10 appearances by Gemma for granted. I think I might have spent more time enjoying what Betos brought to the club (even if I was one of her biggest advocates) if I had know that I was only going to get to watch her for a year. I encourage you to take in the complete picture of Bonner's commitment and dedication to Racing in these next few matches, because you never know what the future holds. Not everyone of us can be a professional athlete, but all of us can mimic the commitment that Gemma shows her teammates to the important people in our lives.

Michael Shaw 8/2/22 Michael Shaw 8/2/22

Racing 1 Reign 1 Player Ratings

Katie Lund evidently tied a record for most saves in an NWSL match tonight, and every one was needed as Racing came away with a hatd-earned point. The Reign dictated the match, but Racing fought hard to stay in it and KD got her first regular season goal on a fine effort in first half stoppage time.

Lund-8: I'm not sure if she knew about every single one of her 12 saves, but it was a great effort in goal.

Fox-6: Something is off with Fox. It doesn't help that she was injured in the first half and subbed off at halftime, but she hasn't looked quite as dominating as she did early in the season. My gut tells me it is the fatigue of being constantly relied upon by club and country.

Bonner-8: Artwork courtesy of Alex Chidiac.

Murray-7: Looked assured in her first 90 minutes.

Lester-7: I like her at outside back if Murray can be the #2 CB.

DeMelo-6: Once again the numbers are going to point to a better performance, but she got outplayed by the Reign midfield.

Chidiac/Howell-5: Alex had 20 touches and Jae had 28. The rating is more reflective of Racing's decision to pretty much abandon playing through the midfield versus an indictment on their play.

McDonald-6: Has to score on that breakaway or at least get off a shot. Seemed trigger shy tonight as evidenced by her zero shots.

Davis-8: Definitely more effective up the middle in the first half versus out wide in the second. Took her chance excellently.

Milliet-7: Put in a good shift and got a much deserved break in the second half.

Michael Shaw 8/1/22 Michael Shaw 8/1/22

Racing v OL Reign Preview

It’s tough to know who exactly will be on the pitch when Racing face the OL Reign on Tuesday night at 8 PM at Lynn Family Stadium. It could be Racing’s last chance to make a push for the playoffs, however unlikely that seems. In addition, the OL Reign will be flying in from a match in LA on Saturday, and back home for another match next Saturday so some players may not make the trip. Unlike Racing, the Reign have a rather large squad and are fully capable or rotating without losing too much quality. I am looking forward to (finally) seeing Megan Rapinoe and Kim Little, so that pretty much guarantees their absences. Little will be returning to Arsenal prior to August 15th, and she will definitely not want to return overworked. Rapinoe served a red card suspension against Angel City, so she might be slightly more likely to appear. Heath could get a start, but hasn’t played 90 minutes since the Olympics and hasn’t played 90 minutes for her club since December 2020. Tziarra King king was the only Reign started subbed off early against Angel City, so there is the possibility that players like Quinn, Fishlock, Lavelle, Hiatt, Cook, Barnes, or Huerta could stay back in Washington.

As for Racing, it would seem prudent to rotate Ekic and Davis into the squad, and Martin and Lester seem likely but beyond those 4 it’s tough to imagine Coach Björkegren trusting any other player for such an “important” match. If we see Racing get anything other than an full 3 points, last place seems like their final destination. Personally, I think you get pretty reliable quality from the first 4 or 5 picks in the NWSL College Draft and more of a mixed bag past that point, so ending up with the 1st or 2nd pick in next year’s draft is more desirable in my opinion than finishing in 7th place. I don’t think Racing will “tank”. I don’t think they have to. Looking up at the table it’s hard to imagine Racing overtaking any teams other than Orlando and/or Gotham based on their current form. North Carolina has 3 matches in hand on Racing and they seem capable of getting 3 points from those matches which would see them jump Racing. Racing’s best ever run of form in 3 matches is 7 points out of 9, and that wouldn’t take them into 6th place even if no other matches were played. It’s time to start thinking about next year. My thought would be to get your younger players that aren’t seeing much time some minutes. Racing chose not to do this last year and ran out the season with many players who are no longer here. Racing needs to figure out which of their younger squad players are going to be here next year (Davis/Ekic/Malham/Goins) and get those players NWSL minutes now. Maybe their current best XI is the lineup that they are counting on for next year. Not to be too harsh but that lineup, while playing well in stretches, hasn’t exactly set the league on fire. The issue is that I think the area in most need of an upgrade (defense) doesn’t exactly have a ton of young talent waiting on the bench. I am almost certain that Racing’s back line will look different next year, but that will take free agency and a draft class to solve. McDonald and especially Nadim will want to play as many minutes as possible, but that may not be what is best for the team at this point. I think a nice compromise would be to spend the rest of the season rotating the group of McDonald/Nadim/Ekic/Davis/Goins by giving each player 60 minutes on and 30 minutes off in each match. There is also no reason for DeMelo, Howell, and Milliet to continue to start every single match. Now is the time to experiment a bit and see how different midfield combinations play together. In defense, you may be stuck a bit, but Holloway should be given at least one more look and a Murray/Lester CB combo should be given at least one run out. This would be my pragmatic approach, but then again is there anything in the Soccer Holdings’ philosophy that screams “pragmatism” to you? Frankly that would be a terrible club motto anyway. It seems like Racing’s management is in love with “tweaking” the roster, so why not “tweak” the lineups with the players who are still here? The only thing you have to lose is matches, and Racing have done plenty of that in their short lifetime.

Michael Shaw 7/30/22 Michael Shaw 7/30/22

Racing 1 Thorns 2 Player Ratings

*Chidiac dedicates her first Racing goal to Gorp.*

Racing and Portland traded first half goals on fantastic individual efforts from Smith then Chidiac, but the Thorns second half goal from Sugita was the decider. For the first time in a while Racing significantly lost the battle in midfield, which probably swayed the match in Portland's favor.

Lund-6: A quick straw poll among friends was split on how much Lund could have done to prevent the second goal. I maintain that she took the incorrect angle on the ball (more side to side vs. head on) but that might be a bit harsh. Conversely, Bixby seemed to either catch the second half chances from Racing cleanly or palm them to safety.

Fox-6: Looked like she might have been nursing a minor injury after the match, which would explain her rather average performance.

Murray-6: She had a decent debut, but found herself one on one vs. Smith on the opener. That's not a position any defender relishes, but she made up for it with some rather physical tussles with Smith later in the match. Subbed off late on a yellow card.

Bonner-6: An unlucky bounce in midfield with Gemma battling Smith contributed to the first goal. I thought the bounce hit Smith's elbow, but the official deemed her arm not to be in an unnatural position (or just missed it) and play continued until Smith scored. This would have been an interesting VAR review.

Milliet-7: The numbers point to her having a better match than I thought, but her positioning needs to improve if she is going to be the full time right back.

Howell-8: She continues to improve and was Racing’s highlight in the midfield. Had 4 shots as well.

DeMelo-6: In the long run, she will probably learn a lot from this performance as the touches she took in this match that might have been successful before somehow didn't work out as well against Portland. All credit to Portland's midfield for that, but I have the feeling Sav will use this match video to get better.

Olofsson-6: Freja had a mixed performance and probably needs to find out where she fits best in Björkegren's system.

Chidiac-8: She was critical of her toe poke final touch on her goal, but you take any shot you can get in that tight space. It was a great effort and instinctual finsih.

McDonald-6: Looked a little off the pace in the first half. She and Nadia couldn't quite find their magical connection in this match. She did get really close to scoring but Bixby made a really good save.

Nadim-6: Needs more time to build on field chemistry with her attacking partners. It was good to see her play the full 90.

Michael Shaw 7/27/22 Michael Shaw 7/27/22

Racing v Thorns Preview

*Fox in the rain…which should be the name of a song, poem, book or something…but evidently isn’t.*

While this will nominally serve as the preview for the upcoming match between Racing and Portland, it is really more of a meditation (or rant depending or your slant) on how to consume the rest of Racing’s season. Sometimes we get wrapped up in our own type of fandom that we forget that other types exist. Some people are fans of teams due to proximity (and that is even subdivided into local fans and regional fans), some are fans of teams by association (their favorite player in on the team), some are just fans of the league, some are fans of the sport, some are fans of hanging out with their friends in a stadium 15-20 times a year and some are fans for some other esoteric reason (maybe they like the uniform or color or novelty of the team). There is no right or wrong type of fan, but these different types of fans create tension. I will put myself firmly in the proximity category. Those of us in that category are more often concerned with the “team” vs. the players, although we certainly do have our favorite players. We likely will feel sad when our favorite players leave, but we won’t switch allegiance because the allegiance is to the team/city. Fans by association will conversely see their team allegiances as temporary if they exist at all. I have experience in this domain, and it is rewarding but fleeting as time remains undefeated and inevitably you find yourself looking for the next player(s) to follow. In addition, I also love soccer and like hanging out with friends at game. Purple has always been my favorite color and my favorite rugby club is Racing 92 (if you find those facts esoteric). All of this is to say that you can consume Racing however you deem appropriate.

Why you may ask, would any of this be relevant? For me, I am in this for the long haul. These next 3 matches might seem vitally important, but in the grand scheme of things they probably aren’t. Honestly, I don’t think Racing has a playoff run in them this season. I want to see progress and improvement, but I’m really not overly concerned with the points collected in the next 3 matches. I always listen to Tom and Bekki on the Butchertown Rundown podcast and on the most recent episode, they both made good points about winning being necessary to keep your young talent. I don’t disagree, and a poor start to next season may put Fox at risk of leaving, but this club has decided to take the long view on building a team. I could complain about that, but what would be the point? You aren’t going to change the fact that the club is going to play a certain way, so you can either get on board with it or fight a losing battle worrying about why they operate the way they do. I like to assume the best intentions. Some people on WoSo Twitter (which I rarely if ever read) seem to think that ownership groups bought franchises with the sole purpose to make players miserable, although you could in fact argue that that is exactly what these clubs did. I doubt if any of them entered into the enterprise of team ownership with the intention to create dangerous work environments, even if that is what ultimately occurred. In the case of Soccer Holdings, I could either complain about the things I don’t like (but are ultimately stylistic choices that I don’t agree with) or live with these very minor annoyances which frankly probably don’t translate to real performance differences in the table. Long story short, I wouldn’t run Racing the way it is currently run, but who is to say that my way would mean the team would be in better shape. More than likely, it would be much worse. I could pout about it, but I choose to enjoy the ride instead.

Therefore, I want to see good performances and honestly, I won’t get too hung up on the results. If Racing put in 10 performances like they did against San Diego in the next 10 matches and accumulate 0 points, that is a win in my book. That is very unlikely to happen. I believe that ultimately the results will match the performances. If they don’t, then you look at the roster and make changes for next season.

However, I do agree with Tom and Bekki on this point too…there is no reason to play for a draw in any of these matches. If Racing is tied in the 90th minute, it should be a full-on blitz to get that winning goal. I think if the coaches are honest with the players about this, there shouldn’t be any regrets about conceding a late goal on a counterattack. I do worry a bit about the veterans like Nadim and McDonald if Racing loses some matches late, but I believe they know what they signed up for.

I continually get feedback on Twitter (which I increasingly ignore) that somehow Coach Björkegren is at fault for Racing’s lack of results. I think general sports fandom has been brainwashed into thinking that changing the coach is the right decision. It certainly is the easy decision when compared to revamping the roster or the front office looking into the mirror about roster decisions. When the coach does something immoral or loses the locker room, they need to go. I don’t think they need to go or even be threatened with their job being in danger less than a season into their tenure. Having been on this earth for 47 years, I can also pretty confidently say that not every person reading this has been great at their job 6 months into it. I am a firm believer in this: some strategies fail 9 times before they succeed the first time, and some succeed 9 times before they fail the first time, and some never succeed. I also hear about these supposed “great players” that Racing has misused or let go. I think some of you are misremembering last season as this run of great results that somehow inexplicably led to Racing finishing in 9th place and missing the playoffs. Sometimes your roster isn’t good enough. Last year’s wasn’t good enough to make the playoffs. I’m not convinced this year’s is good enough either although it is clearly better. The young players need time to get better, and the coach also needs time to adjust to his players and the league.

If I haven’t managed to run everyone off by now, let me wrap up by saying that you could do worse than chilling out and enjoying the rest of the season. This is supposed to be fun. Some fans are acting like none of this is any fun. I have been in attendance for zero Racing wins this year. I have still had fun at every match I have attended. I refuse to let the results ruin my day. You can’t make me. But feel free to let it ruin yours. Tantrum over.

Michael Shaw 7/16/22 Michael Shaw 7/16/22

Wave 0 Racing 0 Post Match Thoughts

Racing continued its run of good performances paired with less than optimal results. Heading into a week off, I feel like the team is close to getting over the hump, but it may just be too late for a playoff push this year. Here are some items from the match that caught my attention

Starting big picture first…I believe in Björkegren. It has to be really frustrating for him to not see the results match the performances, and sometimes you can definitely read that on his face in post match press conferences. I am sure that he is used to winning much more than he has here. The results aren't showing it, but this team is vastly improved over last year. I believe rational people can disagree with his player selection and formation choices, but if you think a coach's job is to get the best out of his players I believe he has done well in that area. After the match, I asked him about waiting until very late before making any substitutes. He said that he didn't want to disrupt the team’s collective performance which up until the point of his first sub had been really good. I totally agreed with this decision. Sometimes coaches feel like they have to make changes around the 60th minute just to feel like they have “coached” a match. Racing had San Diego on the ropes in the 2nd half, so why change things just to change them. One change that the team made was to move DeMelo around in the second half. I get the feeling that these type of shifts in matches are more of a conversation between player and coach vs. an outright tactical change for Björkegren. While I like stability on the back line, I like a bit of unpredictability in the attack. One day very soon I expect the results to come for this team and he will deserve a good amount of credit for that. Now the history of coaches in this league is frankly appalling, so I am sticking my neck out some in giving him this praise. Some fans are never going to trust a coach in this league and I get that, but I still believe that there are good coaches out there and if I am proven wrong I will gladly take my lumps. For me, he has earned a second season coaching this team. Check back in about 12 months to see if I still believe that.
I started off this season thinking about tactics, style, and formations. The more I watch this league, I have thought less and less about those. I am not saying that they don’t matter. What I am saying is that in every league, it's the talent that usually decides things. Don't get me wrong. A team's style and tactics matter, but I don’t think there is any style that can't work given time. Racing dominated the second half by simply not giving up the ball for large sections. At the end of the day, that is the best defense of all. I think the more reps this team puts in having large chunks of possession, the more likely they are to turn those chunks into goals. This team might have more points playing a different style, but they wouldn't be as far along in their collective development. If the team can put in 3 performances in the next 3 matches like they did in San Diego, they will surely have more than 3 points to show for it.
My optimistic view may seem like a complete 180 from even a week ago, but there was something about the second half last night that made me think that the team has figured something out. Maybe it is just an aberration, but I think it could be more that that. Racing felt comfortable enough in possession to crowd the box more than I was accustomed to seeing. Long periods of possession tend to create this, but there seemed to be just a little more desire to win the ball back high up the pitch last night. This was coupled with a stiffer back line especially in the second half. This could just be San Diego playing without some of its stars, but you never just shrug off a good performance.
Racing had a goal ruled out and a penalty miss or they could have come away with all 3 points. I never check Twitter or Slack during a match. I can't concentrate on the match and interact on social media at the same time. I don't know what the reaction was to the foul called on Howell that caused the goal to be disallowed, but I can guess. In my opinion, it was a foul that gets called pretty frequently. I don't like that goalkeepers are treated like they are made of glass and gossamer, but they are given an extra level of protection and Howell did bump her. If the ball doesn't end up in the net, does the official give the call? I say “yes”, so I can live with it. Chidiac then earned a clear penalty that was taken by DeMelo and saved by Telford (who was the player of the match by any rational thinker’s assessment). I asked Björkegren about having DeMelo take the penalty. He said that it was based on her form, which I think we all can agree has been great. Players will miss penalties from time to time. Savannah seemed to shake off the miss pretty well. I asked Bonner if she felt that DeMelo recovered quickly from the miss and she said the team was totally behind her and that it didn't seem to weigh on her. In my opinion, penalty taking is a specific skill. Nadim should be the normal penalty taker when she is on the pitch so it isn't a huge deal to find a deputy, but I would have thought McDonald would have been the natural choice. I’m not saying the moment was too big for DeMelo, but she didn't seem like the obvious choice in my book.

Michael Shaw 7/16/22 Michael Shaw 7/16/22

Wave 0 Racing 0 Player Ratings

Racing couldn't quite find their finishing touch tonight in San Diego, but kept a clean sheet for the first time since May. Telford came up big for the Wave and you could say she just about earned 2 points for the Wave all by herself.

Lund-7: Made several really good saves and dealt well with a narrower pitch after taking a few minutes to adjust.

Wyne-7: Had a other solid performance and definitely made a case to stay with the team past her NTRP contract.

Lester-7: Typical solid performance.

Bonner-8: Had one nervy touch that could have been trouble, but other than that put in a really good defensive performance.

Milliet-7: it will be interesting to see if she moves into midfield or forward or stays as right back after Fox returns.

Howell-7: We are really starting to see the signs of what she will be for this team.

Olofsson-7: Got a rare 90 minutes and put in a really dangerous ball into Davis.

Chidiac-8: Won a penalty and had another really close effort. My money is on her getting a goal soon.

DeMelo-7: Seemed to shake off the penalty miss, and put in a fantastic ball from a corner on goal that was ruled out after a foul on Telford by Howell.

McDonald-7: I think I like her better at the 9 when Nadia comes back, but she worked well outside with DeMelo.

Davis-7: Got off 5 shots, producing a couple of good saves from Telford.

Michael Shaw 7/14/22 Michael Shaw 7/14/22

Wave v Racing Preview

Racing has a 10PM EDT kickoff in San Diego on Friday against the Wave. The Wave will be missing their national team players which include Naomi Girma, Sofia Jakobsson, Taylor Kornieck, Alex Morgan, and Kailen Sheridan, which means that they are slightly more impacted by absentees than Racing. After this weekend’s matches, the NWSL will take a week off and return to action on July 29th. By that time, it is likely that all international players other than those whose teams make the semis of the Euros will be back. For Racing, that means that they should be at full strength unless Denmark makes a deep run which would have to start with a win vs. Spain on Saturday.

In a way too early look at 2023, I have started to wonder what the NWSL season is going to look like from a scheduling perspective with the World Cup next year. One option that likely will not be as readily available next year is the ability for teams to sign national team replacement players. The USL Super League will be gearing up to start its season in August next year and while it might not overlap with the July 20 to August 20 schedule for the World Cup, I would have to believe that the USL Super League teams will be running training camps in the June/July period. That means that there will be around 250-300 more women who will be playing professional soccer. I think this pool is likely to include several of the players that served as national team replacement players this year. Yesterday the NWSL had a press release that mentioned broadcast improvements coming soon (yay!), expansion in 2024 (cool), VAR in 2023 (we’ll see), but no mention of the schedule for next year. I am throwing it out there: I think the league has to split the season in half and take off 4 or 5 weeks for the World Cup. If that means pausing the Challege Cup for a year or revamping it to be played in either a season-long format or during the World Cup with diminished squads, I am fine with that. It may be too early for the fans to be worrying about this, but I would like to have some indication that the league is planning for it. What I definitely don’t want is Racing Louisville matches in January or February.

Back in the present, Racing is in dire need of a result to match their recent performances, and I believe they can get a good one if they can just cut down on their mistakes. For all its intricacies, soccer is really a game of capitalizing on your opponent’s mistakes. In its history, Racing has scored 48 goals. Exactly half have come directly from an opponent’s mistake (off the press, in transition, from a free kick, corner, or penalty or from an own goal). It can be argued that another 9 were started in transition from a mistake. Only 15 have been with any kind of interconnected play (13 with sustained possession and 2 long passing moves started with the keeper).

I kind of wished I had been tracking how Racing conceded goals but going back and collecting that data seems like a depressingly daunting task that should be reserved for a dark and dreary winter night. Therefore, based on memory alone, I think that Racing’s conceded goal chart would look very similar. As a small sample size, if you look at the last match vs. Gotham, you will clearly see that all 3 goals started with at least one clear mistake. Fans could talk ad nauseum about formations and player selection but cutting down on mistakes is the key. Players should always be encouraged to show their skills and take chances, but the defensive third is not the place to play a low percentage pass and taking a risky touch should never been done with 8 or 9 teammates on the wrong side of the ball. It really is like the Hippocratic Oath: Primum non nocere.

Racing has a chance to get back in the playoff hunt, but they really are reaching the point of no return if they don’t get 3 points in this match. Even though San Diego leads the league, it is a team missing fire power and defensive steel. The next few matches, even though Racing are at home, would be decent draws if Racing weren’t in such dire need of points. I think 7 points from the next 12 available going into the August 12th match at Houston is likely necessary to keep any realistic playoff hopes alive. It’ s a tall order. I think 3 points in San Diego is vital in that it would give the team a little hope and momentum heading into the off week.

I also think there is little point in playing for draws at this point, at least until Racing gets within striking distance of the playoffs. I don’t think this actually would be a noticeable change anyway, as the team’s current style is to go forward when the match is tied.

Michael Shaw 7/9/22 Michael Shaw 7/9/22

Racing 1 - Gotham 2 Post Match Thoughts

I don’t feel like there are many new insights to glean from last night's performance, so I will be brief. It was once again a case of committing unforced errors. We could debate continually about why the team isn't preforming well enough to win, but the simple explanation is that this team concedes too many goals. I don't think in Racing’s brief history that they have ever rolled out a back line that made me feel like they were difficult to score on. In my experience, the best pressing teams in the world (which heavily overlaps with the best teams in the world period) succeed by keeping the ball as far away from their defenders as humanly possible, but when their back lines are called upon, they are ready to step up. Racing’s team defending has let them down enough not to blame all off Racing’s recent issues on the back line, but tonight the nominal defenders were guilty on both goals. I said earlier this week and stand by my assertion, that there simply isn’t enough defensive talent on this team and that it will likely take on offseason to address. Players and coaches and employees of the club aren't allowed to give up on a season this early, but I would suggest that fans manage their expectations. Without a significant change in either talent or tactics, I see no clear way to the top of half of the table. That really is a shame based on the attacking talent that will be available once Nadim returns and Kgatlana joins, but I am afraid the hole the team is currently digging may be too large to climb out of.

Michael Shaw 7/8/22 Michael Shaw 7/8/22

Racing 1 - Gotham 2 Player Ratings

It was the story of 3 transition goals from defensive mistakes tonight at Lynn Family Stadium with Racing making two of them. Again, Racing dominated for a section of the match but couldn't get the opening goal.

Lund-6: Wasn't put in a very good position to stop either of the goals.

Milliet-6: Filled in admirably at left back, but this team will miss Fox until she returns.

Bonner-5: Gave the ball straight to Gotham on the second goal under no pressure. Had a good strike from distance late, but it was right at Harris.

Lester-5: Gave away the ball in a very dangerous spot that led to Gotham’s opener.

Wyne-6: Pretty steady in her debut. Could continue to see minutes if she plays as well as she did tonight.

Howell-7: Had 4 shots and 2 on target.

DeMelo-8: Made Gotham pay dearly for their turnover. Had an 88% passing accuracy. Is carrying the team's slim playoff hopes on her back at the moment.

Chidiac-7: Had a pretty good penalty shout in the second half. It was a jersey pull that is given 99 times out of 100 in midfield and about 25 out of 100 in the box. That drives me absolutely insane.

McDonald-6: Had a relatively quiet night out wide.

Ekic-7: Produced a fantastic save from Harris on a set piece

Davis-7: Like Ekic was close to a goal but Harris was on the spot again.

Michael Shaw 7/6/22 Michael Shaw 7/6/22

Racing Gotham Preview/Thembi Kgatlana Signing

*Unofficial Racing Mascots, but officially cute doggos Louie and Sparky after practice on Wednesday*

Racing announced the signing of Thembi Kgatlana from Athletico Madrid on a two-year deal. The South African winger fills a specific need in attack as a outside player deployed in her preferred postition, as opposed to the converted wingers Racing had been using like Ekic and Salmon. It will likely be the end of July before she is available to make her Racing debut. She will be expected to move right into Racing's Starting XI. Coach Björkegren was non-committal on whether to expect any more business in this transfer window, but I have a feeling that only a game-changing addition would be considered at this point.

Racing will be playing at Lynn Family Stadium for the first time since June 11th. Their last two matches, have been played on frankly embarrassing pitches. Segra Field is a terrible turf pitch which is built for everyday use. My own personal experience on turf is that its integrity decreases pretty significantly after the first dozen of so uses unless it is properly maintained. I'm pretty sure the players hate it. The pitch at Daytona held up from a structural standpoint, but wasn't ideal for many reasons. I think it's fair to say that Toni Pressley had been struggling for Orlando, but a shorter and narrower pitch allowed her to have her best player rating since May according to Fotmob. Racing likes a big pitch and a narrower and shorter one that was also “squishy” wasn’t ideal for them. It probably didn't impact the result, but it impacted the players’ experience. Aren't there enough football and soccer stadiums in America now that we can find a way to not spend $1,000,000 on a temporary pitch.? I hated this idea from the start and hope that the lack of overwhelming ticket sales will mean that we don't see it again. If there is a next time, expect Racing to suggest that Orlando find another opponent. Long story short: play soccer in soccer specific stadiums if at all possible.

As for the match on Friday, Gotham come into town riding a 3 match losing streak where they haven't scored. It's the classic resistible force vs. movable object match up. I predict goals galore, but that's typically means you can bet the house on a 0-0 draw. Gotham might feel like the woodwork owes them from the last match against Racing, so expect them to try their luck from distance again in hopes that the ball breaks their way this time. I expect no changes from the last match in Racing’s starting lineup.

Michael Shaw 7/4/22 Michael Shaw 7/4/22

Pride 2 Racing 2 Post Match Thoughts

I am a big fan of Occam’s Razor when it comes to explaining why things are the way they are. For the uninitiated, Occam’s Razor is a mental model (how we understand the world). It has a really technical definition that I won’t get into here, but feel free to explore if you like. In its most basic terms, it translates to “among competing hypotheses, the one with the fewest assumptions should be selected.” In even more basic terms: the simplest explanation is preferable to the one that is more complex. In a world filled with needless conspiracy theories, it is how I keep my sanity. If you have even heard young physicians being taught “if it looks like a horse and sounds like a horse, it’s probably a horse, not a zebra” when diagnosing patients then you are familiar with the principle. Applying it to a Racing example, my answer to “Why was Ebony Salmon traded” is “she wasn’t getting any minutes on the pitch.” One could make all kinds of other hypotheses, but that one is the one we know to be true and doesn’t assume anything else. Again, that isn’t to say you couldn’t come up with another hypothesis, but you would be hard pressed to prove it. I like proof.

Bringing this into more focus on this match and where Racing stands at this point in the season, the burning question to me is “Why can’t Racing hold a lead?”

Racing has been so uniquely poor when scoring first that I had to change the bottom end of the scale on this graph. Here are a few of facts:

Racing is averaging approximately .75 fewer points than the league average when scoring first.
Racing is also the worst team in the league when you factor in how many points they have won with a two goal lead after scoring first (1.33). Seven teams have perfect records when leading by at least two goals and only Racing and Washington are below 2.
Racing is the only team to not always get at least a point when having a 2 goal lead.

I have a couple of hypothesis as to why Racing can’t protect a lead.

Hypothesis #1: The NWSL is too chaotic and no lead is safe.

That is the branding that the NWSL seems to embrace most of the time. In fact, while the matches do seem to go back and forth, the overwhelming majority of matches are won by the team scoring first and 78% of two goal leads are converted into 3 points by the team that scores first. This hypothesis can be easily rejected.

Hypothesis #2: Racing’s culture doesn’t value the bird in the hand.

This is the one that makes me the most infuriated. While I will ultimately find a simpler working hypothesis, I think there are some things to mull over here. We have seen Racing do a few things that makes this hypothesis not so easily dismissible. I present this evidence:

Racing has spent the last month giving a preference to what they might one day get, vs. valuing what they currently have. They traded away their all-time leading goal scorer and a solid defender to get picks and cash. They bizarrely let Erin Simon go, knowing that she was a solid back-up defender, exactly what they would need during a time of missing international players. They traded Ebony Salmon, who was not perfect but had proven plenty in order to get more allocation money. Each one of these moves made the status quo worse in my opinion. You can’t always be looking to the future by neglecting your present. One of the last memories I have of my grandfather was him telling me that he wished he had taken my grandmother out to dinner a few more times when she was alive. It was the biggest regret he had in his life. He always saved for a rainy day, worrying about the future, so that he sometimes forgot to live in the moment. Wishing away time is a folly of the young. Racing wants its fans to be patient and trust that better things are coming. I get the need and desire to plan for a better future, but you also need to exist and live and protect the current moment. I also wonder if this philosophy translates on the pitch. You have a range of tactics when you have a lead in a match. On one end of the scale, there is “protect the lead” and on the other end is there is “build on the lead.” Racing chose last night to build on the lead and that tactic worked until it didn’t. This is purely a gut feeling, and why I will ultimately not fully embrace this hypothesis, but Racing (to me) doesn’t seem to be a team that values a lead. It always wants a bigger one. In fact, that actually may be they only way they can win, but it definitely seems to me to be the only way they try to win. This leads me to:

Hypothesis #3: Racing isn’t a good enough team defensively to protect a lead.

And maybe not good enough overall for us to expect anything more than what we are currently getting. If Racing were a good team, they would have put away a frankly pretty poor Orlando team last night. They couldn’t, so the simplest answer is that they themselves aren’t a good team yet. Enough of the season has passed for me to think that while this team has shown flashes of competence and even brilliance, it is still a year and a draft and a free agency season away from being playoff ready. For me, this hypothesis fits Occam’s Razor and is my operating assumption (for now). I would be delighted to be proven wrong.

It wasn’t all doom and gloom, because Racing scored a couple of excellent goals. DeMelo is clearly this team’s best attacking player. More than once she showed the determination to take on the game herself. I will be optimistic on this one and say it was determination and not frustration, but her teammates could stand to step up a bit to make sure that her determination doesn’t morph into its negative cousin.

The offside and penalty calls were debatable, but should be irrelevant when you have 2 goal lead in the second half, so I don’t want to waste any more energy thinking about those. Racing clearly missed Fox the most last night. I’m not sure she changes the outcome, but her absence was the most glaring. I will go back to reference hypothesis number 2 in that I don’t understand the wisdom of signing defensive cover that is going to be unavailable when you need it most in the short term. It’s like Racing isn’t taking this current season seriously. I am sure the club still believes it has made the correct long-term decisions, but it would have been nice to have a few more defensive (or any) options on the bench last night.

Michael Shaw 7/3/22 Michael Shaw 7/3/22

Pride 2 Racing 2 Player Ratings

After going into the international break win a draw that felt like a win, Racing returned to action with a draw that feels like a loss. Racing has to figure out how to hold onto a lead, let alone a two gaol lead to be considered as a serious contender for a playoff spot.

Lund-6: Had a really nice save to prevent an early own goal. Probably should have been more confident in her initial approach on the Pride's first.

Martin-6: Subbed off for Malham in the 74th minute.

Bonner-6: In my opinion, her back foot kept Jenkins onside for the 2nd Pride goal.

Lester-7: Good going forward and on defense.

Milliet-7: Deputized well at outside back.

Howell-7 Helped settle the team early in the match.

Olofsson-6: Subbed off for Chidiac and picked up a typical yellow card.

DeMelo-8: Fantastic and deserved the match winner, but it wasn't to be.

Ekic:-8 Had the cheekiest of cheeky goals to open the scoring.

Davis-6: Needs more consistent minutes to show what she can do. Was the most isolated of players when on the pitch.

McDonald-7: Seemed energized by her recent connections with Nadim and continued to put the ball into dangerous spots. Really put in a good shift on defense in the first half, but may have tired a bit in the second.

Michael Shaw 7/1/22 Michael Shaw 7/1/22

Pride v Racing @ Daytona Soccer Fest Preview

*Alex Chidiac expressing every Racing fan’s sentiment entering into Sunday’s match*

Racing enters Sunday’s match in Daytona vs. the Orlando Pride in dire need of a positive result. Based on practice today here are the players available for selection on Sunday:

GK: Lund, Bloomer, Beall

D: Zaneta Wyne, Allison Whitfield (both National Team Replacement players for now), Lester, Bonner, Martin

MF: Chidiac (pending a face mask), Malham, Milliet (who feasibly could start as a defender or forward too), Howell, DeMelo, Olofsson, Otto

F: Goins, Gordon, Ekic, McDonald, Davis

Orlando will be missing Gunny Jonsdottir and Eric McCleod to international duty, but also will be playing their first match without Sydney Leroux after she departed for Angel City. Orlando has the worst points per match average in the league (.888), but Racing isn’t much better at an even 1. I’m not sure actively tanking is a thing in the NWSL, but if it is Orlando seems like it might be doing just that. Therefore, this is a golden opportunity for Racing to pick up 3 points. Then again, this match is taking place at a motor speedway on a newly constructed pitch that will be seeing its 3rd match in 2 days by the time Racing and Orlando take the pitch, so who knows how the ball might bounce. I am a little concerned about the pitch. Coach Björkegren confirmed that the team will get to test out the pitch prior to the match but will be seeing it at its best and not its worst. This soccer fest thing seems gimmicky to me, and I am not a fan of playing soccer outside of soccer specific stadiums (or at least stadiums equipped to handle multiple sports). Knock on wood, cross your fingers, or do whatever superstitious thing you do in hope that the pitch holds up for 3 matches.

Racing’s practices for the next month or so are going to be really limited by the fact that they are only currently carrying 17 outfield players. This pretty much precludes their ability to scrimmage 11 v 11. Coach Kim acknowledged as much but sees it as an opportunity to work on other things. The bonus for me is that I have no clue how the team might line up, so I am not giving up any state secrets by hazarding a guess. My prediction for Daytona with it coming so early in the Racing careers of Whitfield and Wyne (which wouldn’t be the worst name for a small batch bourbon) is that we will see something like the following:

Lund

Milliet/Lester/Bonner/Martin

Olofsson/DeMelo/Howell

Chidiac/McDonald/Davis

Expect 2 deep lying CMs in front of the back 4 with DeMelo at the 10 again, so more like a 4-2-3-1. I don’t think I have ever been right however, so this surely won’t be right either. I did ask Milliet about her flexibility and she was clever enough to know what I was hinting toward and deftly avoided giving anything away. Because we have often seen Björkegren go with players he trusts out of position over those he doesn’t, I say there is a 75% change we see Lauren at left back to start.

In a random, bizarre scheduling note, Racing will go from June 11 to August 27 without playing on a Saturday. In that span they have this upcoming match on Sunday, one on a Tuesday and 5 on Friday nights. They also have a Women’s Cup match on a Wednesday and a Sunday. If you group the NWSL schedule in “match weeks” that include Fri/Sat/Sun/Mon, and any match that occurs outside of that window as a “make up” game, Racing plays the last match during this match week, then the following 6 match weeks have them playing 2nd, 2nd, 2nd, 1st, 1st, and 2nd. If you are trying to make up ground and put pressure on the teams around you, winning early in the match week is a good way to do it.

Michael Shaw 6/27/22 Michael Shaw 6/27/22

Reality Check

Saturday mornings are a bit of a wasteland in terms of sports viewing in late June. This past Saturday, I found myself watching a U12 tournament held in Orlando on ESPN Plus. One of the teams featured was the Barcelona boys U12 team. By the time I had watched 5 to 10 minutes, Barcelona had scored twice and completely dominated possession. What was more striking to me was just how “Barcelona” this Barcelona team was at the ages of 10 and 11. It dawned on me that it would likely be possible to recognize a team as a Barcelona team without jerseys regardless of age or gender. The Barcelona Femení team of 2021-22 probably played the most “Barcelona” style of all of their teams this year. Every club in the world would love to be Barcelona (or Real Madrid or Liverpool or Man City on the right day), but most of these other clubs have the self-awareness to realize that they aren’t.

When you are one of the biggest clubs in the world and you have a history of being one for multiple decades, you get to decide what style of play you want to use, and you typically get good enough players to play in this style. And when you miss and some player doesn’t fit in, you can write off your losses and go out and spend millions of Euros to correct a mistake. For the rest of the rational world, you mostly have to compromise and play with the hand you are dealt. Sometimes I think Soccer Holdings thinks it is Barcelona. They only want to go with Plan A, and therefore aren’t ready to play with Plan B. One of my biggest pet peeves in sports is “winning the right way”. What does that even mean? I just want to win. The three points count the same if it’s a 4-3 win or a 1-0 win. I really do think Racing can’t come to grips with who they are vs. who they want to be. Does it make sense to anyone to want to have a pressing team that will spend the dog days of summer running its legs off with less players than most other squads? How are you going to attract players with allocation money when it seems like you can go from star to benchwarmer on a whim?

I think it’s time to examine the dichotomy of how Louisville City’s early success, have been both a boom and bane to Racing Louisville’s very short existence. First, and make no mistake about this, Racing would not exist without the overall success of Louisville City and Soccer Holdings LLC. The fact that there is even a top tier women’s football club in Louisville is amazing. The success of Louisville City’s early campaigns accelerated the growth of soccer in this city. The club figured out a way to win (not just compete) immediately. However, they did so in a bit of a free market environment with much fewer restrictions than are placed on Racing Louisville. The club pretty consistently turned over huge sections of its roster while maintaining a select core of key players. From the outside (the only perspective we as fans are afforded), the club seemed to know what they were doing. I don’t think it’s too much of a leap to assume that the club took a “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it” approach when it came to building Racing Louisville. Based on a year and a half of operation, I think we can assume that the idea behind building a roster for Racing was similar to Louisville City: Find a coach who will coach the “Louisville City” way and find players that fit the system. There isn’t inherently anything wrong with that idea, but it is greatly aided by the fact that Louisville City got to bully around a bunch of teams that weren’t really concerned with winning while being able to build their initial roster without many restrictions or concerns about transfer windows. Here is where I think the club underestimated how different it was going to be to construct a roster. First, in the case of Louisville City, at best you would be getting marginal MLS level players who frankly are a dime a dozen. I mean no offense, but does anyone think Louisville City’s management was sweating losing Paco Craig a few years ago? Of course they weren’t because they knew they could find a player of equal skill for equal cost. There hasn’t ever been a player on Louisville City that could be considered “world class”. By contrast, Racing’s has world class players. Teams typically tend to try to work around world class players vs. trying to fit them into a rigid system. That’s not to say that any of Racing’s recent departures are national team level starters (yet), but they were either top draft picks or fixtures on U19 or U23 national teams. Second, Louisville City doesn’t find themselves to be too restricted by the European transfer windows, because for the most part they aren’t really after players not already on American soil. In Racing’s case, the NWSL mid-season transfer window coincides with the summer European transfer window. Racing has chosen to do most of its business in the summer window. That means that if the club is going after European players, they either have to convince a player to move in January and miss out on the second half of their club season in Europe, or wait until the European season is over, which has been the case in every instance so far. If that is the strategy, I can live with it, but the club could be more transparent about it. I think many casual fans who are unfamiliar with the idea of transfer windows may have been taken aback by the rush of activity. Lastly and perhaps most importantly, I think the club way overestimated the value of the name on the badge when compared to the name on the back of the jersey when it comes to NWSL fans. For Louisville City, none of the players on the team have a national or international level following like many of the names on Racing Louisville. It took me a while to get it, but the NWSL operates in a manner where the name on the crest is currently secondary to the name on the back of the jersey. The football world is frankly split into two camps, those who favor club football over international and those who favor country over club. I don’t know that either of these is wrong, but the overwhelming majority of NWSL fans were first fans of the USWNT or some other national team. This group is the current core fanbase of the NWSL. It might not always be and in my opinion, the sport will never reach the heights it deserves if in 10 years this is still true. However, that is the reality in today’s world. Alex Morgan is a bigger brand than the San Diego Wave and Megan Rapinoe is a bigger brand than the OL Reign. I think Racing has deluded itself that it is a bigger brand than Emily Fox. It definitely wasn’t a bigger brand than Tobin Heath or Christen Press. Barcelona is bigger than Lionel Messi, and Real Madid and Manchester United are bigger than Cristiano Ronaldo. That shift hasn’t occurred yet in women’s soccer and maybe it never will. Who am I to say that is a bad thing? I will say that it creates a different environment for the men’s and women’s games, so maybe in retrospect Racing should have approached things with a little more curiosity and humility.

So today we end up with another player leaving for a wad of cash. The allocation money is piling up but unfortunately Racing can’t start $200,000 of allocation money at left back in a couple weeks when both Holloway and Fox are on international duty. There is a derogatory label applied to teams that continually have to sell its best players. They are referred to as a Selling Club. I’m not saying Racing has sold its best players (I would be at the front of the mob with a pitchfork and a torch if Racing were to announce that they had sold DeMelo), but you have to have enough incoming players of value to avoid getting that label. I am assured that help is on the way, but will it be here in time to help during the loss of international players for the Euros and CONCACAF? The fact of the matter is that I am OK with each of these decisions to move players, bar one. Kizer was going to see her minutes pulled back and Racing has cover at her spot. Merrick wanted to move home and wasn’t getting minutes. I will have more on Ebony later, but she also wasn’t getting minutes and there is cover for her too. The baffling one in my mind is Erin Simon. She always seemed like a good team player and I am sure she would have played to the best of her ability every time she was on the pitch. Why release her when a) Racing definitely could use her in the next few matches, and b) she didn’t have a club lined up and if that club is in Europe, wouldn’t start play until August? Each of these decisions in a bubble is not hard to understand. Collectively they make it look like Racing has a problem.

James O’Connor said the only thing he really could today when asked if Racing were trying to win this year. Of course he answered that they are, and it’s not impossible that they still can make the playoffs. However, these moves confirm what I think most of us thought anyway: that building Racing is a 3 year plan. That reality might sting a little when you look at how San Diego and Angel City have done in the first third of the league season. Those teams were built to win now at the extent of mortgaging a bit of their future. Only time will tell if that works out for them. To me, Racing has to start to navigate the following items better:

Be ready for roster building for 2023 the day that the 2022 season ends. I think Coach Björkegren’s arrival in January was too late to reach its full impact in year one. There isn’t anything that leads me to believe that he won’t be back for next year.
Stop letting the European team’s take advantage of you in the transfer window. Salmon’s and Bonner’s moves meant that they weren’t with the club on day one last year. If this club is going to be looking to Europe, it needs to get its business done in January, not June. There will surely be incoming players this year from Europe, but again they have missed half of the season. Either force the hands of the European clubs or look elsewhere.
Turn the allocation money into players and fast. I think Racing’s fanbase has run out of patience on seeing only money and draft picks as returns for players.
Realize that stockpiling assets may be good for the balance sheet, but there is also a line on that sheet that accounts for good will and I have to think that it (and maybe tickets sales) has taken a hit while the club is in asset building mode.

Here are a few final thoughts on Ebony. Her contributions to this team were valuable. She averaged a goal contribution (assist or goal) every 190 minutes. For comparison, CeCe Kizer averaged a goal contribution every 243 minutes, Jess McDonald every 162 minutes and Nadia Nadim a spectacular every 94 minutes. When she was on the pitch, she found a way to contribute to the score line. On the flip side, Racing has had 3 head coaches and I have heard every single one of them instruct her to press harder on defense. Be assured that it isn’t her goal scoring that doomed her, but how she did or didn’t fit into the pressing system preferred by Racing. I’m not sure Racing is at the level where they should be deciding that a goal contribution every 162 minutes is worth tossing away a player over not playing in the club’s and coach’s preferred style. But, as we all know I am not in charge. Salmon only had 6 months left on her contract and you would have to be willfully ignorant to say that there was any chance of Racing resigning her. She wasn’t a good fit, but I will let the reader decide whose fault that was. Perhaps the most troubling item (from her perspective) was that there was a breakdown in communication. The club insists that she was communicated with often and given instructions on how to improve. That message was either ignored or not communicated effectively enough depending on your slant. This isn’t the first time that communication has been brought forward as an issue with Racing. I believe communication problems are the root of many of the world’s problem, so I don’t discount that communication is hard especially for players that aren’t getting minutes. Many of Racing’s players (mostly starters) have said that Coach Björkegren is an effective communicator with them. Hopefully this is just a case of two parties unable to get on the same page.

Again, O’Connor reiterated that Björkegren likes a smaller squad. I wonder if it will be big enough to fill out a bench over the next few weeks.

Michael Shaw 6/18/22 Michael Shaw 6/18/22

Spirit 2 - Racing 2 Post Match Thoughts

The Washington Spirit dominated the stat sheet last night, but Racing snatched a badly needed point at the end of the match. This Racing team looks like a completely different problem for opponents for teams when Nadim is on the pitch. As the season progresses, Racing may have to be a team that tries to win matches 3-2 vs. 1-0. Maybe that was the plan all along.

Racing looked disorganized in the first half. They never seemed quite sure whether to press of lie deep. Coach Björkegren hinted that the plan might have been to sit deep in certain situations. Trinity Rodman's goal was simply a good individual effort off of a long ball. Last year, especially early in the season, Rodman tended to get the positioning wrong and miss shots wide from steep angles. Last night she scored from a tough angle, but not so steep that it was an amazing finish. Still, it was a really, really good finish and she got the best of Fox on that one. Fox hasn't been her terrific self in the last few matches. Against Angel City, I felt she was strategically handled, but in this one I think Rodman simply outplayed her. To be fair, Emily did have a terrific long cross into McDonald to set up Nadim's equalizer. Fox and Rodman will hopefully battle each other for a long time, so expect them each to get the better of the other from time to time.
Racing might have done better on the 2nd goal. Biegalski was giving way too much space to deliver a cross into Hatch, and Elwell knocked in the rebound from the initial save. I have a completely unconfirmed suspicion, that the space given to her partially led to Ekic being subbed off in the 56th minute. The right back is the left winger's responsibility in that scenario. Ekic plays out wide, but I think was used to playing more centrally prior to her time at Racing. More than once during earlier matches this season, I have heard the coaches instructing her to be in better defensive positions. This time she might have been pulled for not being in the right spot.
Racing's passing in the first half was to put it bluntly, awful. The team seemed out of sorts when put into stark contrast to the Spirit's excellent passing moves. The Spirit created dangerous chance after dangerous chance, and had to be disappointed with only netting two goals. Several times in the first half, Racing played hopeful or blind passes into spots where there wasn't another Racing player around. Many times a Spirit defender would stick really close to a Racing player to prevent them from getting their head around to pick out a good pass. After the first half whistle, I thought Racing was out of the match.
The introduction of Nadia Nadim in the 56th minute changed the match for Racing. Not only did she score the 2 goals to equalize, but she seemed to unlock the next level in Jess McDonald's game. McDonald always looks more effective with a striking partner. Racing's most recent formations have employed Chidiac, Milliet, DeMelo and Kizer (before she left) in its attacking positions. None of those players are natural strikers, although Kizer played there by default for Racing last year at times. True stikers like being in the box, and a few times this year, there has been a noticeable lack of a presence in the box to follow shots especially in transition. Early in the season, McDonald commented that she loved playing with Kirsten Davis who tends to have more of a striker’s mindset even when playing out wide. Last night showed the impact of having another player on the pitch who is desperate to score goals.
Coach Björkegren commented that this point felt like more than just a point. Anytime you fight back from a 2-0 deficit on the road vs. a defending champion I tend to agree, especially coming off of a 3 match losing streak and heading into the international break.
To me the international break is a “break” in the way that a Disney World vacation is a “vacation”. You burn a lot of energy and return exhausted, and it is an event looked upon with great enthusiasm by a vocal section of the population and dreaded by another less vocal section (although I am in the super minority section who is vocally critical). From a club's perspective there are only really negative aspects to international competition: interruption to momentum, player fatigue or at worst player injuries. I hope all of Racing's international players return from the break uninjured and not too tired.

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