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Racing 1 Spirit 2 Player Ratings
Racing dug itself too big of a hole but fought galantly. It's hard to fault the effort but there were too many early mistakes.
Lund-5: Looks to be a bit off her game if I am to be completely honest.
Pickett-6: As always good going forward.
Erceg-6: A decent effort from the captain.
Wright-6: Continues to grow into the team.
Milliet-5: Not her best match, but the own goal was only partially her fault.
Flint-7: Helped Racing control large sections of the match.
DiGrande-6: Had a decent effort on goal.
Fischer-6: Had an interesting game as a winger.
DeMelo-8: She had her second really good performance in a row, but has to get her penalty conversion percentage up.
Bahr-7: Getting more involved in attack.
Sears-8: Put in her first 90 minutes and was really quite excellent.
Racing v Spirit Pre Match Thoughts
Photo Courtesy of David Mucker
The Washington Spirit (donning their stupid and pointless kits) return to Lynn Family stadium to face Racing on Friday evening. The Spirit are almost always good value for the money and play in entertaining football matches. After beating Racing 3 out of 4 times in Louisville’s first season (with a memorable win from Racing on Ekic's super strike thrown in) there has been nothing to separate the teams. The script has typically been the Spirit starting strong and Racing fighting back to equalize (with the sole exception of a Nadim opener canceled out by a Hatch equalizer). The moral of the story is that you are never really out of match when facing Washington.
The Spirit this season are kind of the anti-Racing. They have zero draws and score more and concede more than Racing. I like their attitude of “damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead”. This philosophy has put Washington in the top 4 so far. Racing, to me at least, tend to go with a “safety first” approach, especially when they get a lead. Both teams are coming off of a loss, so both will be looking to avoid a second straight one. It will be interesting to see how each team approaches the first 10 to 15 minutes in this match.
Howell and DeMelo could be available, but we likely won't know for sure until the lineups are announced. Borges seems further away from returning. For the first time in a while, I find myself struggling to pick out Racing’s best XI, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. However, some of that is down to not being able to evaluate players and connections due to injuries. I have a hunch that it is going to be “one of those years” where each match will have a key player or two who are unavailable (this is above and beyond Elli P's SEI). Racing's depth has held up so far, but I don't think anyone wants to see it stretched further.
In her media availability on Wednesday, Bev talked about not dwelling on the loss or going down “a very dark rabbit hole” to analyze what exactly went wrong. In my opinion, one of Bev's key strengths is maintaining a positive attitude. Let's hope that translates to the players. Historically, Racing is prone to long bouts of malaise when the results start to not go their way. Friday will be a good test for her and the team.
Orlando 1 Racing 0 Post Match Thoughts
Courtesy USA Today Sports Images
Racing were bound to have a game like this sooner or later. If I am being honest, I have to say that overall, I came out of Sunday's match more impressed with Orlando's performance versus disappointed in Louisville’s. That being said, there are definitely a few talking points to hit on from a Racing perspective.
We all knew that sooner or later Racing’s streak of never trailing would come to an end. If I had to grade their response, I think I would give it a solid C. They didn't panic for sure and stuck to game plan. On the other hand, there didn't see to be any real sense of urgency to turn things around either. I definitely didn't see anything that conjured images of “running through a brick wall.” That's honestly fine at this point in the season. This team is on a journey but it's way too early to tell if it is a destination towards the playoffs or another road to nowhere.
We are 7 matches into the season now which means I will be writing my “1st quarter of the season” review this week. I expect to have more to say there, but so far I would say that their has been marginal improvement in the club. It might take a full season with Bev at the helm to reap the results of any real change. There will be more to come on this.
It think the impact of Racing missing both DeMelo and Howell really showed in this match. Fischer and DiGrande were fine individually, but the added loss of Borges meant that the connections just weren't there. Who knows if the result would have been different, but their absences were crystal clear.
Sears for all of her strengths isn't quite ready to put in 60 or 70 minutes of defending. I like her as a number 9 who would have less defensive responsibilities. Bahr isn't getting enough touches, so I wonder if something different up front might be a wise idea. When Kirsten Wright is fully fit, I think she goes right back into the 9 slot.
Emily Sams will always kind of be the one that got away for Racing. She was excellent for Orlando and was the player of the match in my opinion.
Pride 1 Racing 0 Player Ratings
Orlando jumped out fairly early and Racing never really looked like they were going to get the equalizer. All in all, you would have to say that Orlando was clearly the superior team on the night.
Lund-7: Kept Racing in the match with some fine saves.
Pickett-7: Delivered some of Racing's best opportunities from corners in the first half.
Erceg-7: Took the sting out of Banta's shot to keep it 1-0.
Wright-6: Tried some longer attacking passes with mixed results.
Milliet-6: Didn't really connect with Sears who was surely a last minute replacement.
DiGrande-7: Subbed in well for Howell.
Flint-6: Would like to see her touch improve in matches like this.
Fischer-6: Had a decent effort on goal saved.
Kanu-6: Was a little bit off her game in this match.
Bahr-6: Didn't have many chances, but did have Louisville’s best chance in the second half.
Sears-6: Was just okay in her first start, but her touch when receiving the ball needs to be better.
Orlando v Racing Pre Match Thoughts
Courtesy Chris Humphrey
Racing’s all-time record is now 17W-29D-28L. For the first time since Racing drew in its inaugural NWSL league match the club has more draws than losses in its overall league historical record. Congratulations, I guess. This year’s vintage of Racing Louisville is still in the unique (but not as helpful as it could have been) situation of never having trailed this season. If Racing are going to stay in the playoff hunt this season, they will surely need to top their best ever return of 6 league wins last season. That means that they will likely need a win percentage of at least 30% in their remaining matches. That doesn’t seem like an impossible or even improbable hill to climb, but they would have to demonstrate form better than any other Racing squad has ever consistently shown. I am a big believer in “form”. Put more mathematically, I would never expect (but also never rule out) a run of data in a time series to which I hadn’t witnessed a similar pattern before. However, I would say that winning at least 6 more matches is about equally likely to happen as to not happen. It’s still early in the season but based on what I have seen so far, I wouldn’t rule out a playoff run but I also wouldn’t plan on one yet either.
Speaking of plans, I get the sense from talking to Bev Yanez over the last few months that she doesn’t necessarily like to “plan” for adversity. I asked her on Wednesday, if she was “anxious” to see how the team responded when they inevitably trail in a match at some point. She flipped her answer on me and said that she focused on putting the team in positions to not be trailing. She likes the positive “mindset” by asking players to be “brave” when they go into matches. Let’s be frank here. Racing hasn’t really faced any real adversity this season. They sure have faced disappointment a few times, but that is different than adversity. The problem is that when you don’t face adversity, sometimes you mistake disappointment for adversity. I think there is a clear difference in mentality between “holding on” to a lead and “fighting back” to equalize or even overtake an opponent. Whether you like it or not, you build memory based on your experiences. Racing definitely has quite a bit of collective memory built up around not holding on to leads. In their history they really only have a small number of instances of fighting back to win from behind. I’m not saying they can’t do it and if somehow, they go through a continued stretch never trailing, I would put my money on getting more wins. At some point they will fall behind, and if 0-0 is the scoreline where you see the team’s true style, 0-1 is the scoreline where you first start to see their true mentality.
I believe that there is a pretty good chance that neither DeMelo nor Howell play on Sunday in Orlando. Luckily Racing has the depth to overcome this. I have to think DeMelo is closer to returning than Howell. Howell’s removal seemed semi-precautionary, but repeated leg muscle injuries are hard to manage. I have full confidence in DiGrande and maybe just slightly less confidence in Fischer, but she is certainly capable of slotting in for DeMelo on a good day. Dropping Borges into midfield is an option too. A less experienced bench means we could see more minutes for Motlhalo.
Gotham 1 Racing 1 Post Match Thoughts
Courtesy USA Today Sports Images
I very much want to write the post where I declare that Racing is in the upper echelon of the league now. I thought I might get to write that post for a grand total of 2 minutes yesterday. The way that Racing set up in the match was nearly perfect. It was the ideal “snatch and grab” scenario (although Racing really wasn’t outplayed at all). They snatched it, but the grab was beyond them.
I feel like the art of goalkeeping is evolving. For the tops teams in the top men’s leagues in the world, it is almost quaint to think of the goalkeeper’s role as that of a shot stopper. They frequently are involved in build-up play and are becoming more part of the proactive effort on defense rather than the last line of it. A huge part of that is grabbing dangerous passes out of the air, before they become a problem. The key to this skill is to do it with 100% conviction. I’ve rewatched the botched grab from Katie Lund several times, and while it may be harsh to put all of the blame on her for not catching it, once you decide to go for it and don’t get it I feel like you have to take the blame whether you merit all of it or not. In real time it looked like one she should have grabbed. After rewatching it, maybe Wright got in her way a bit. Ultimately, the correct decision there may have been not to go after the ball since Wright seemed to be in a good position. We don’t know what the communication was, and I really don’t care to dwell on it by trying to find out later. Either way, it resulted in two points dropped and I still wait to write the piece that says maybe this team has learned their lesson because obviously they haven’t.
What does this team need to do with Emma Sears? I can’t quite decide if she is so effective because she is used as a sub or would be just as good if she started from the first whistle. She is so good at running at the defenders when they are tired, but could she be used just as effectively to make them tired? Luckily it isn’t a question that is yearning for an immediate answer. I will tell you one thing…I wish she would have signed a 3-year contract instead of a 2-year one. That run was other-worldly. Turner’s name is on the scoresheet and her finish was delightful, but it was made by Sears.
DeMelo left Sunday’s game (although not immediately) with a head injury. She is being assessed in New Jersey before returning home. It appeared that she went through some kind of head injury evaluation on the pitch before deciding that she couldn’t continue on. Sometimes head injuries are difficult to assess right way, so Sav showed real maturity by not just continuing on because she was cleared. Jae Howell also left the match early and Bev stated in her post-match press conference that the team is being cautious with her calves. Based on how the team managed her at the tail end of last season and the beginning of this one, I would expect her to miss some time (but that is just based on past observation and not any real information). Luckily, Racing has some midfield bench strength and Borges could be moved back into midfield for a bit if needed.
Zoomed in, this definitely feels like 2 points dropped, but zoomed out I don’t really think at point at Gotham is a bad result. Racing still has never trailed this season. The most frustrating part is that it seems like the Soccer gods make Racing work and earn their goals and gift goals to the other teams through mistakes. It seems that way but in reality, there is plenty of evidence in Racing’s history that simply points to the fact that they just aren’t good playing with a lead.
I hate the amount of stoppage time that is given in these matches. There were more than 17 minutes in yesterday’s match when you take both halves. The quality and intensity of play in second half stoppage time was vastly different from the rest of the match. I personally think Racing’s plan yesterday worked to a tee. They essentially shortened the match to a 10-minute period. It’s just too bad that the late goal wasn’t late enough.
Gotham 1 Racing 1 Player Ratings
The game really only came to life in stoppage time. This is one that Racing really should have won “smash and grab” style but a point isn't a bad result.
Lund-4: Have to grab that ball.
Pickett/Erceg/Wright/Milliet-8: All four defenders put in an excellent performance worthy of 3 points
Flint-7: She was the only starting midfielder to make it to the end of the match. Put in another really good shift.
Howell-6: Went off early with what appeared to be a lower leg problem.
DeMelo-6: Left with what may have been concussion-like symptoms. Prior to that did a decent job holding up possession.
Kanu-6: Missed a big chance to put Racing ahead.
Borges-6: Still getting up to speed.
Bahr-5: Wasn't involved much.
Sears-8: Changed the match. Her run on the goal was world class.
Turner-8: Found herself in the right place to score.
DiGrande-6: Subbed well for Howell.
Gotham v Racing Pre Match Thoughts
Coming off its first win of the season, Racing looks to keep the momentum going against Gotham in New Jersey on Sunday. It is way too early to be looking at the NWSL table, so keeping focus on the upcoming opponent should be the team's only concern. Racing put in an excellent performance on Saturday put not a perfect one, so there is still room for growth.
I thought it was pertinent to give Bev’s full answer when I asked her about the moments where the team switches off like the end of the half against Utah: “I think it's unrealistic to say that there won't be moments like that. No team is perfect, it just doesn't exist. No person is perfect. We all wish it, but it's not the case. I think for us when those moments occur (we ask) is it just one line? Is it one player or two players, but not the third the 4th the 5th? It's how quickly we can stop it because at the end of the day everybody's executing to their ability and for the right reasons. They're trying to make the right decision in the moment. It just can't be a domino effect, or a trickle effect. (It’s about) how quickly can we recognize that it wasn't the right decision, and we all have to go stop it.” I think you could easily argue that the overwhelming majority of goals can be traced back to a mistake by the other team at some point. Bev’s suggests that mentality is the key here and I agree.
For as well as Racing played on Saturday versus Utah, Gotham is an entirely different opponent. They haven’t played consistently well yet, but proved last season that their form can turn on a dime (good or bad). Gotham thoroughly outplayed Racing in Columbia and if Racing put in a similar performance to that one, it will be a long Sunday afternoon in New Jersey. However, Gotham are at the bottom of the league when it comes to goals/match (.5) and FotMob’s ratings of their performances puts them near the bottom too. Racing needs to capitalize on Gotham’s lack of form before they get any momentum.
This is the point of the season where I start to track performance based on which team scored first. I like to put together a chart that places team on an X axis and Y axis that contrasts the number of points that they get when they score first and the number when the other team scores first. I can’t do that yet this season, because Racing has yet to trail at all this season. The team has played 450 minutes without trailing in a match. They are the only team in the league that hasn’t trailed in a match. That is a fairly decent accomplishment.
As a team Racing is getting healthier, but one player did miss Thursday’s practice with a “head cold”. It isn’t a major concern.
The team will be making a “quick trip” to New Jersey. They will fly out on Saturday and are scheduled to return Monday morning. A direct flight to Newark makes this one of the easier road trips.
Racing 5 Royals 1 Post Match Thoughts
Courtesy Elizabeth Shaw
Racing put in its most complete performance on Saturday and ultimately cruised to a 5-1 victory over the short-handed and frankly over-matched Utah Royals. It was the sign of a superior team taking care of business, which is something that should never be taken for granted in the unpredictable NWSL.
It was clear how much the victory meant to the players and the coaches, and to celebrate it in front of a record crowd made it extra special. If you could bottle a feeling and an experience in order to reproduce it on demand, I believe you could do a lot worse than picking yesterday’s match. Now, comes the grind. I think if Racing have gotten over the proverbial “hump”, now is the time to show that they know how to grind out results when they need to do so. I think it would be foolish to expect Racing to head to Gotham and pull off another 4-goal victory. However, getting all 3 points isn’t beyond them and shouldn’t be beyond them in any upcoming match. The importance of this match was getting the victory to prove that is could be done. Hopefully the mental hurdles are cleared and now the focus to turn completely to replicating good performances.
While this was Racing’s best performance, it certainly wasn’t perfect. Sometimes coaches have to dig deep for coachable moments in victories, but I don’t think that is the case here. I have been really pleased with Uchenna Kanu’s performance so far this season, and she had another good game yesterday. However, she switched off for a moment when the match approached halftime and it cost Racing a goal in my opinion. The Royals had just won possession back and Kanu wasn’t tremendously out of position, but her slight hesitation to track back to help Pickett on the left side meant that Carson was isolated when the ball was played to Utah’s right side. Pickett was left deciding which player to cover and she slipped when trying to cover both. A fine finish from Griffitts meant that Racing went into halftime at 1-1. It shows that you can’t shut off even for a moment if you want to win in this league. Fortunately Racing showed its class, and this moment became a footnote rather than the story. It is still a moment that is coachable, and I expect that next time Uche will be where she needs to be.
DeMelo finished her best game in a long time as Racing’s all-time leading scorer. I think that this match was a good reminder of her best quality which in my opinion is being in the right place at the right time. She is still trying to do too much in my opinion, but by scoring her first goal in a while and seeing new names on the score sheet maybe she can get back to her very best. She was excellent in the second half after having a rather pedestrian first half. Perhaps the biggest sign of her continued maturity was avoiding a second yellow after Encarnación gave her a final talking to. After that final warning she played in a more controlled manner and scored twice. I think there is a lesson in that more measured performance.
It will be interesting to see how Bev uses Turner and Sears going forward. I liked the double substitution of the rookies with the score level and with the opponent being Utah. I’m not sure how that would go in the same situation with say the score level and Racing on the road against North Carolina. I think Bev likely wouldn’t play it any differently, as coaches tend to like to show faith in their players. Being more of a pragmatist, I think I would go with the substitution of DiGrande a bit earlier on the road. In fact, I think on the road I would have gone with Baggett over Goins or Motlhalo on the bench. The good news is that Bev has actual decisions to make versus having no real options.
Goals make matches fun and all four goals from open play had something to like about them. I think Sears’ goal was my favorite, but the mirror image goals from Kanu and Turner aren’t that far behind. Pickett and Milliet both had excellent matches, so it was good to see them rewarded with assists. Lo was so close to scoring herself, and if that one would have gone in, it would have been the best of the bunch. The Milliet/Wright combination was the most frequent passing combination for Racing in the match. It’s good to see the right side of defense gelling as much as the left side.
Racing 5 Royals 1 Player Ratings
Photo Courtesy of NWSL
Racing ended up winning comfortably and hopefully this is the start of better things to come. Utah was overwhelmed in the 2nd half, but Racing was the impetus for it.
Lund-7: Made some solid saves and her defense let her down on the goal she allowed.
Pickett-8: The outer backs ended up with bookends assists. It's hard to pick which was better.
Erceg-8: Commanding at the back.
Wright-8: Made some key interceptions and looks to be back to her best.
Milliet-8: Unlucky not to score to go with her assist.
Howell-8: Jae and Taylor kept Utah penned in well.
Flint-8: Keeps improving and the Racing midfield looks really solid now.
DeMelo-8: It was her best match in a while, so hopefully this kickstarts a good run of form.
Kanu-8: Scored on a beautiful header. Her improvement has been so important.
Bahr-7: Her shot led to the first DeMelo goal.
Borges-7: Looked really solid in her first start.
Bonus: Turner/Sears-7: Nice goals from the rookies.
Racing v Royals Pre Match Thoughts
Racing will host its first “Thunder Over Louisville” match this weekend against the new version of the Utah Royals. It will be a rather unique match on Saturday, and I don't think anyone really knows what to expect. I have to admit that I am not a huge fan of fireworks unless I am setting them off myself. Let’s just say that I am probably fortunate to only have had temporary hearing loss from my earlier adventures with explosions. All of that to say that I have never attended “Thunder” in person. Therefore, I have to rely on other people’s experiences to let me know what to expect. Everyone I have talked to expects the air show to continue into game time, so I guess let’s go with that. If that ends up being the case, it will be interesting to see if fans (and players) can keep their eyes on the pitch at all times. It’s already projected to be a record crowd, and I hope that Racing’s puts on an entertaining enough display to win over some new converts.
On the pitch, this is a match that Racing needs to win. Utah being an expansion team on the road, should be vulnerable especially with the added distractions. Ary Borges put in the type of cameo in the last match that makes you think that she may be up for a start in this match. Racing should also focus on trying to improve its possession in this match. Regardless of how much possession that Racing has managed, too much of it has been frantic and disjointed. This could be an opportunity to start to get things right in the attacking third with possession. This will hopefully be the second match in a row with a Howell/Flint/DeMelo midfield, so I think we can expect some improvement there.
In her press conferences, Bev Yanez has been really positive in her comments about the team. I expect that to continue regardless of the outcome on Saturday, but this team needs 3 points in order to start getting some momentum. I think it’s fair to point out that a team doesn’t even have to be league average in points production to make the playoffs this season, so just making the playoffs won’t be seen as much progress in my eyes. Racing has played well enough in spells to make the top-four their collective goal. I think when we get about 10 games into the season, we will see how close they are to that goal. The immediate goal for this match should be to jump out to a lead and put the Royals away early. However, matches in this league have the tendency to surprise you.
Paige Monaghan returns to Louisville, and I hope she gets a warm welcome during the lineup announcements. She was a bright spot on the team last season, and I know that the team hated to lose her. After the whistle blows, Racing needs to make sure to lock her down and not let her turn into another Savannah McCaskill, who seems to relish scoring against her old team. Paige has the added bonus of scoring on Racing before she joined Big Purp, so I am sure she will be extra incented to do so again.
Racing 0 Wave 0 Post Match Thoughts
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Shaw
Four draws in four matches isn’t the ideal way to start a season, but Racing fought back from a lackluster first half to make the second one much more entertaining. The team still needs to find a way to put two good halves together, but a squad that is getting healthier in attack gives Coach Yanez some options as the season progresses.
I mentioned in my first player rating post of the season that I likely needed some time to figure out how to evaluate Taylor Flint. She doesn’t necessarily play like a traditional midfielder, so that took some getting used to from me. I still stand by my earlier ratings of her performances, but now knowing what to expect and what not to expect allows me to more fairly rate her performances. I don’t think any reasonable person can disagree that her performance last night was clearly her best yet. Earlier in the week, the club tweeted out a graphic demonstrating her “impact” in the first few matches. Being that it was messaging from the club, it was clearly slanted to show the statistical categories where she excelled. Even so, I was surprised that she was at the top in so many categories. I tend to think of a midfielder’s role as a player that stiches things together, but Taylor’s strengths are clearly in disrupting things. Once I wrapped my head around that, I saw her most recent match much differently. Don’t get me wrong, she is still learning how to stitch herself into the possession fabric of the team, but when it comes to disrupting the opponent, she is clearly becoming a true force. If she can continue to improve her offensive touches, (and they were clearly better in this match) she could be an even bigger force.
Savannah DeMelo on the other hand is still looking to find her form. She is the team’s offensive engine, but a couple of times in the match she slowed down things when speed would have been more prudent. If we are honest with ourselves, she hasn’t been the same since her absence from the team to play in the World Cup. It’s difficult to say if one thing has anything to do with the other, but the drop in form has been noticeable. Racing needs her to recapture her early career form. She will never be a liability on the pitch, and the team is clearly better with her on the field, but she has to learn to play with this group of players because at the moment her teammates are getting into better scoring positions than she is. Perhaps her early success led to her feeling that she has to do too much. Honestly, if she gets her head up a little more when she is on the ball, she will be fine.
The crowd was really good last night, but it took some questionable officiating to really get them involved. Flint’s goal was correctly ruled offside, but there were some other baffling decisions that disrupted the flow of the match. Personally, I don’t think they were enough to impact the outcome, but you would always rather be unaware of the officiating crew that blatantly aware of them.
The first half attack for Racing was anemic, so it was good to see Bev pull the trigger on a halftime sub with Sears entering for Turner. Things immediately got better, and Sears had a couple of good looks early in the second half. Borges had a brief cameo and was close to scoring but a fantastic save from Sheridan prevented a storybook return. I guess the message is that the attacking options off the bench look to be good enough to change matches.
Racing Wave Player Ratings
Racing are still looking for their first win but put in a really good 2nd half performance after a rather lackluster first half.
Lund-6: Wasn't called into action much but was there when she was needed.
Pickett-7: Shiowed her attacking prowess well in this match.
Erceg-7: She had an odd moment early in the second half conceding a bizarre corner but was solid otherwise.
Wright-7: I’m sure she will take a clean sheet in her first start
Milliet-7: Managed an early yellow card well.
Howell-7: Looks to be fully fit and confident now. I would still like to see her pull the trigger on a shot every now and then.
Flint-8: Correctly denied a goal, but even without that had her best performance yet. If she continues to improve at this rate she will be a force of nature by mid-season
DeMelo-6: Still yet to reach the heights she did early in 2023.
Kanu-6: None of the starting forwards were terribly involved, but she put in a decent shift.
Turner-5: Got no service but didn't create much either. She was subbed at half and Sears immediately contributed more significantly.
Bahr-6: She was the last of the starting forwards to be subbed off, but didn't have much impact while shen was on.
Racing v Wave Pre Match Thoughts
Have I mentioned before how much I hate international breaks?
Anyway, this time it likely helped Racing out quite a bit. Excluding the announced SEI to Elli Pikkujämsä and the shorter-term injury Kirsten Wright, Racing is getting closer to having a full complement of players available. Against Portland, Racing didn’t even have enough healthy players to fill out a full bench. Without getting into specifics, let’s just say that the availability report should be much rosier for Racing. For the reigning Shield champions the Wave, their availability report could be longer with players returning from international duty or deciding that they have better things to do than be with their teammates in Louisville. The other good news is that we can finally say good riddance to this frankly dreadful week of weather and look forward to a nice evening on Saturday.
On the pitch, Racing simply has to pull out a win or two in the next few matches. The team definitely hasn’t put together a solid 90 minutes yet, and one could argue that they really haven’t put in much more than a solid 45. Carson Pickett, Marisa DiGrande, and Bev Yanez all talked about the competition for minutes on the squad (partly because I asked them directly about it). Actually, Carson brought up that nobody is promised minutes. Personally, I would like to see DiGrande get more minutes, especially if Racing is in the lead again. Holding a lead is a learned skill and other than the back line, Racing still has a lot of players that don’t have whole lot of experience winning in this league. Carson talked about the responsibility of the back line when it comes to protecting a lead, but also said that protecting a lead is difficult when the back line gets pinned in. It’s okay to defend with a lead and its even okay to defend deep with a lead, but you have to be super organized and super composed. I haven’t seen Racing demonstrate much defensive organization outside of the back line and I definitely haven’t seen much composure yet this season. The other school of thought is to try to make it 4-0 once you get up 2-0, but let’s not kid ourselves about that. The margins are too fine in this league for teams to win many matches 4-0 so you are likely going to have to learn to get wins in close matches.
I have to say that watching practice on Friday that Bev is coaching her heart out. I still have full confidence in her abilities. However, I was once in my twenties and let’s just say that I am a better listener now than I was then. I think the message that is being communicated is the right message. Bev told the media on Friday that she spent the long plane ride home from Portland “reframing” the performance. Even with the disappointing result, there were positives in her mind and if you treat learning as a process, then the mistakes that cost them the win are part of that process. The next step will be to learn the same lessons while getting the full 3 points.
One final note: I asked Bev about Millie Clegg since it was my first chance to see her fully participate in practice. One of the things she said was that she was always smiling. That’s a good sign, but I think it might be some time before we get to see her on the pitch. Racing’s attacking depth looks pretty good, so I personally think we could see her during the Olympic break, but that isn’t a given. That could change, but for now I don’t think there is any real need to rush her development.
Thorns 2 Racing 2 Post Match Thoughts
Courtesy USA Today Sports Images
Racing fail to hold a lead (again) and only pick up a point (again) in what is already starting to become a too familiar pattern. The current style seems set up well to score quickly from transition, but it’s hard to see any other great advantages yet.
If Racing is going to continue to jump out to early leads, then it going to have to learn how to find a way to possess the ball. In its history, Racing has never been a great “in possession” team but seems to have taken a step back this season. What is evident is that they are a dangerous attacking team when the moves are in transition, or the opportunities are taken quickly. After going up by 2 goals, Racing basically spent the rest of the match defending. There were a few longer passages of possession late in the second half after it looked like the Thorns might have expended all of their energy trying to make a comeback. However, from basically the 7th minute to the 80th minute it was one-way traffic for the Thorns. When Racing did win possession, most of the time it was unfortunately deep in their half where a long ball was the only way out. On the rare occasion that Racing was able to string a few passes together, the positive movement was really only made with the intent of adding a 3rd goal. Maybe I am alone in thinking this way, but there is value in just keeping the ball in your opponent’s half without immediately making a move toward goal. Sometimes, and especially with a lead, there is value in taking the speed out of the match and attempting to pass the ball around just to keep yourself from running back constantly on defense. Racing’s game management with the lead has never been great and hasn’t really shown any sign of improvement under Yanez (yet).
Uchenna Kanu has shown such improvement that the greatest tragedy of the season so far is that she hasn’t had a match-winning performance. She has done everything in her power to try to will the team to a win, but things haven’t worked out. Her commitment on defense has been great too.
Elli Pikkujämsä went down with a worrying injury. She will be further evaluated in Louisville today.
Racing gets to go back to the drawing board during this week without a match. The team is still missing key players, but I am starting to wonder if the players missing are the problem. I will be watching the possession numbers in the next match to see if the coaches can figure out a way to try to possess the ball more in the next few matches.
Thorns 2 Racing 2 Player Ratings
Racing just can't quite figure out how to close out a match. They simply have to find a way to keep some possession when they have a lead.
Lund-5.5: I thought she was completely at fault for the first goal by not picking up the ball when she decided to try to clear it with her foot. She did make a couple of good saves after that.
Pickett-7: Kept Portland's attack at bay on the wings.
Erceg-7: Was brilliant in the first half, but only average in the second.
Pikkujämsä-6: Went off injured and it didn't look good. She had a solid match prior to that.
Milliet-7: Just like Pickett, kept any outside attack from Portland locked down.
Howell-7: She had a fabulous first half, but Portland had more joy through the midfield in the second.
Flint-7: I thought it was a much improved match from her. She is starting to get the hang of midfield.
Fischer-6: I thought she had a rather odd performance. It wasn't poor, but she tended to dwell on the ball longer than necessary, which isn't her strength.
Kanu-9: Fantastic again. Her defensive work rate was so impressive to match her 2 terrific goals. What does she have to do to have such a great performance be a match winning one?
Turner-7: Had a fantastic assist on Kanu's 2nd.
Bahr-6: Not nearly as involved as Kanu. Switched sides with her in the first half to try to get a bit more into things.
Thorns v Racing Pre Match Thoughts
Racing visits Portland on Saturday to take on the Thorns. Here are a few items to keep your eye on:
The availability report will be interesting to watch. As previously stated, Bev isn't going to give too much away, therefore any speculation prior to the official release will have to be taken with a grain of salt. I get the “feeling” that Sav will be missing again, but that feeling isn't anything more than a hunch. The squad is deep and even though Racing are better with her in the lineup, the drop in quality isn't what it has been in the past.
Portland is still a tough trip for Racing. They have never taken a point there. Regardless, Milliet stated that the team is looking to take all 3 points. I would have liked for Racing to have been heading into Portland with 6 points secured, but that isn't the case. This feels like a chance to maybe get a full result. It could also be a bad time to catch the Thorns who have to be disappointed in their start and therefore looking for blood. Depending on how things go, a first point in Portland may not be a bad result.
Emma Sears shared when I asked about her team speed record that Abby sets PRs when she runs with her. I think it sometimes gets overlooked that the veterans can benefit as much from the rookie/veteran relationship as the rookies do. Emma also said that she wasn't going to give up her speed record any time soon.
The actual flight to Portland was smooth according to Lo, which is always a plus.
Next week is an off week, so whether Racing heads into it with 2, 3 or 5 points, it will be a chance to reflect before going into a 7 week stretch with a match per week.
Dash 0 Racing 0 Post Match Thoughts
Courtesy NWSL/Jordan Prather
There were plenty of encouraging signs and a few not-so-good ones in the 0-0 draw against Houston on Saturday evening. Coach Yanez is still looking for her first win, but if Racing keeps getting as many opportunities to score as they did against Houston, it will come soon enough.
Reilyn Turner got off 8 shots in the first half, 6 of them on target. However, the match would have been totally different if she had stayed onside for the goal that was ruled out or if she would have buried her excellent opportunity in the sixth minute (.539 xG). Across the board, Racing needs to be more clinical in their finishing. The team has yet to have what I deem a really clinical striker in its brief history. However, I do think Turner and Sears both have that capability in them. Above all, forwards shouldn’t ever be hesitant to shoot and neither Reilyn nor Emma is hesitant at all. They just need a few more minutes under their belts to develop that killer instinct. For as many chances as Turner had, only the first couple had the potential to really trouble Campbell at all. However, a lesser keeper maybe lets one of the lower probability shots in. Campell won the Goalkeeper of the Year last season for a reason, and it really showed last night.
I thought the defense played really well last night. Other than the early opportunity for Ordonez and the late one for West, none of Houston’s shots were anything more than speculative. Albeit based on a small sample of 180 minutes so far, Racing may need this type of effort more often than not. The way that Racing play may not be set up to possess the ball for long stretches of time. The commentators on the NWSL+ broadcast both stated that they thought Racing “dominated” the first half. I understand why they felt that way, but Houston had 59% of the possession in the first half even if significant portions of it were in their own half. My assessment of the current state of affairs is that Racing simply isn’t going to hold on to the ball for large sections of time. I don’t think many fans like 0-0 draws, but to me they really show a team’s nature. Goals change matches and there is goal-related momentum in any score draw or win/loss. I think you see a team’s true nature when the score is 0-0. Right now, Racing’s nature is to press and attack quickly. I am not sure how sustainable that is. It’s one thing to press and keep your opponent’s 60% possession in their own half, but you are still expending more effort on defense than you are on offense. By the end of the match, Pickett looked exhausted. Erceg went down for a brief period with a knock. I don’t think that you can play without the ball for so many large portions of the 90 minutes and be consistently successful.
Last season, it drove fans crazy that Coach Kim waited so long to substitute in matches. Last night, Houston made 4 subs before Racing made their first one. That will be a trend to watch. I don’t think it had anything to do with squad depth. Speaking of depth, I thought Fischer deputized well for DeMelo, but she was running on fumes at the end.
I am still wrapping my head around Taylor Flint. I thought she was excellent defensively. Her presence in the box both defending and attacking on set pieces is a real asset. However, there were a few times where her passing decisions were baffling, and her first touch was frankly awful. I definitely liked her better playing alongside Howell (who was a half-step slow to start but got better as the match progressed), but I don’t like yelling at my TV, and I found myself doing it more often with her than any other player. She is still finding her way, and I don’t think she is close to unlocking her full abilities.
Coach Yanez has talked about “peaking at the right time” and I get that mentality when the championship is won in November. However, you need points to get you to that position. These two matches feel like 4 points dropped already and Racing definitely doesn’t need to fall into the pattern of playing well and only getting a point again this season. For the team’s psyche, I think they need to amass some points soon, so they don’t start to think “here we go again”.
Dash 0 Racing 0 Player Ratings
You won't see too many more entertaining 0-0 draws. By the end several players were struggling to stay on their feet.
Lund-6: Had a couple of wobbly distributions but was solid when she needed to be.
Pickett-8: Put in a warrior's performance.
Erceg-8: Ditto for Abby.
Pikkujämsä-8: It looks like Racing wanted to use her long ball as a weapon fairly often, but none of them really came off. She was excellent on defense, however.
Milliet-8: Put in another good two-way performance.
Howell-6: It was good to see her fit, but she is still working her way back to her normal standards.
Flint-6: Her defense, especially heading the ball was really vital, but her attacking touches and decision making had me scratching my head.
Fischer-7: Deputized well for DeMelo and had the potential winner denied by the slimmest of margins.
Kanu-7: Put in another good shift but not quite as bright as last week.
Turner-8: Put the ball in the back of the net but was offside. She was rampant in the first half, but ultimately couldn't convert it into her first goal.
Bahr-7: Would have had a brilliant assist if Turner could have stayed onside. Her teammates still need to get her more involved.
Racing 2 Pride 2 Post Match Thoughts
Opening matches are sometimes difficult to parse, especially when there is a new coach/system in place. I think Racing has plenty of room for improvement after a very interesting first match under Bev Yanez.
To my eyes, Racing didn’t look drastically different in their style of play when compared to last season. Maybe they were a little quicker in attack. Regardless, what stood out to me in the first half at least was Racing’s commitment to building from the back. The Racing players exhibited patience for the most part on the ball deep in their own territory. There was an occasional misplaced pass that tended to invite pressure from Orlando, but the team didn’t panic and held their ground for the most part. That being said, this team is not very good at building from the back yet. At least half of the Premier League tries to play the way Racing does, (starting with short passes from the goalkeeper, looking to keep possession and progress up the pitch with high percentage passes), but none of them got it right overnight. The teams at the top of the league make it look easy. The rest of the teams that attempt it often look foolish when they try it against better competition. The keys when playing out from the back is getting the 10 to drop deep to vary the attacking points and to have a 6 that can progress the ball up the pitch by multiple means. We have seen what Sav can do, and she was deep to start the movement for the opening goal. I am not convinced that the Baggett/Flint partnership is the right one to play this way. Bagget never seemed deeply involved in the possession or buildup and Flint’s body position when she received the ball too often led to a “return to sender” pass. Those aren’t always bad because sometimes they create space, but in this match didn’t lead to much. Personally, I think Flint is playing out of position. It’s early, so I am willing to give her the benefit of the doubt and she will probably look much different when Howell is fit enough to play along beside her. Based on her first half performance, I was surprised she lasted the full 90. Coaches often see things that we don’t and after the match Bev assessed her performance positively.
Uchenna Kanu put in a performance that I thought merited a Player of the Match recognition, but that award went to Elexa Bahr, who was just as deserving. Kanu looked like a different player from last season, and her work rate on the defensive end impressed me as much as her goal. More than once she used her physicality to muscle a Pride player off the ball and win possession. On her goal she demonstrated patience to stay onside and poise to place the ball past the Orlando keeper. Hopefully, it is a good sign of things to come from her. By all accounts she had a tremendous preseason, so here’s to hoping her good run of form continues.
Elexa Bahr scored on her debut, and it was a fine goal. However, she had the fewest touches of any Racing starter along with Turner (who also had a great debut.) What was frustrating to me (and I think had to be to her to some degree although she didn’t overly vocalize it) was that she was in loads of space quite frequently, but her teammates couldn’t find her. Part of the time, this was due to the Pride effectively applying ball pressure to Racing’s midfielders. After the match Bahr did express that if they could have found a way to play just a little quicker, that she felt that she could have exploited the space that the Pride was giving her even more. In future matches, I think her spacing and runs will present Howell and Pikkujämsä opportunities to find her with a long ball. I think there will be a real battle for starting minutes on the front line this season.
There were quite a few positives, especially in attack, but on the game management side Racing’s old habits are still popping up. Orlando’s first goal was just one of those freak goals that you can’t really blame a single player for. Milliet stuck with Abello pretty well and her cross wasn’t really dangerous until Pikkujämsä stuck a leg out to deflect the ball past Lund. However, on the second Fischer committed a silly foul that led to the free kick. Orlando really shouldn't be scoring from there down a player, but they did. Since Orlando dictated large portions of play it's difficult to say that a point for them is unfair. However, Racing needs to hold a lead with a player advantage and there really isn't any excuse for not taking all 3 points. What that tells me is that Racing isn't yet comfortable holding the ball while setting themselves up against the counter. The midfielders need to dictate possession when holding a lead, but too often it was Milliet who was holding the ball out wide. Ultimately the counterattacking danger came on her side.