NWSL Week 2

It's the second week of the NWSL season, and we begin with three Saturday games. The first is in...

Chicago, as the Red Stars host the Western New York Flash. Sabrina D'Angelo and Alyssa Naeher are given the starting nods in goal. Watch the game. Western New York has had a number of chances early in the game, mainly going through Adriana Leon, including three corners in the first five minutes. Chicago made a foray in the tenth minute, with a lot of passing that led to a corner kick that was barely saved by D'Angelo from Alyssa Mautz. The extra pressure allowed Cara Walls to send a cross in. The Red Stars have had a lot of attacks go through Casey Short on the left side. Around the twenty-first minute, the Flash had a bit of possession, with Samantha Mewis setting up a shot for Alanna Kennedy that deflected out for a corner, and Abby Erceg just missed on the header from the set piece. Western New York had the best chance so far in the twenty-fifth minute, as Lynn Williams crossed in, and Jessica McDonald nearly beat Naeher with a half-powered shot that Naeher covered. Chicago began the scoring with a goal on deflected shot from Short, bouncing off of Erceg and past D'Angelo, giving the hosts the 1-0 lead. The pressure remained high on an Arin Gilliland cross in, and a later Mautz through ball that didn't got too close to D'Angelo. Williams had a shot for the Flash that went wide in the thirty-fifth minute, but they haven't had much offense since the first ten minutes or so. Sofia Huerta had a cross in that D'Angelo just plucked out of the air in front of Walls on the counterattack. Christen Press nearly found a goal from way out, and D'Angelo had to palm it out for a corner kick. Press tried running at the defense of Western New York before the half, embarrassing Michaela Hahn but getting shut down by Elizabeth Eddy and Abby Dahlkemper in the box. The half closes with a 1-0 Red Stars lead. The Flash have seen strong efforts out of Mewis and Williams particularly, while the Red Stars have seen Short and Mautz be their best players so far. Chicago picked up right where they left off, attacking relentlessly toward the Flash net. Press had a shot, and both Mautz and Short were taken down with no calls made. Huerta got around Erceg after a Short through ball, but the chip went wide of the net as D'Angelo could only watch. Leon managed a shot in the fifty-fifth minute, but straight at Naeher on the fast break. Chicago has since seen crosses by Vanessa DiBernardo and Gilliland get taken care of by D'Angelo. Mautz and Press exchanged passes around the Flash box, and a DiBernardo shot went high and wide in the sixty-fifth minute. The Red Stars have done well to suppress any chance of a Western New York attack. Huerta had two good chances, but one hit the post and another was high and wide as Chicago can't quite get a second goal. Taylor Comeau quickly followed that up with a shot of her own, directly to D'Angelo. The Flash have taken over a bit since the seventieth minute, earning a couple of corner kicks, but Julie Johnston and the defense have worked well to clear for Chicago. Williams couldn't quite connect with Flash sub Taylor Smith on a cross straight on front of Naeher, which Gilliland cleared up. Huerta had another shot on the counter in the eightieth minute. Smith had a free kick, which McDonald missed and Johnston cleared, only to hear the offside whistle blow. The Red Stars are just trying to hold on at this point in the game. Press nearly added to the lead, but her eighty-fourth minute break was stopped at close range by D'Angelo. The Flash had a corner kick in the eighty-ninth minute and had the ball in the box for awhile, and then a second effort after a halfhearted clear saw Williams shoot high. The game ended 1-0 for the Red Stars. The Outsider Sports Woman of the Match is Short, the left back, while CB Johnston, RB Gilliland, F Huerta, and RW Mautz impressed for the Red Stars, while DM Mewis, RB Eddy, and F Williams played well for the Flash.

Down in Florida, the Orlando Pride welcome the Houston Dash. Lydia Williams and Ashlyn Harris protect the nets. You can find this game here. Orlando had the first chance early on with Steph Catley crossing in to Becky Edwards, who just shot over the bar. Houston picked up some pressure after the fifth minute or so, but nothing came of it. The Pride had a decent chance in the seventh minute with a Kristen Edmonds cross that saw Kaylyn Kyle crash into Williams, but the play was offside. Officially, Carli Lloyd was subbed off due to injury in the thirteenth minute, with Kealia Ohai coming on. There is no official information, but Lloyd's knee was being examined on the sideline. On a fifteenth minute sequence, Poliana cleared a ball dangerously for a corner, and Orlando's Monica had a header chance that was saved by Williams. The Dash's Janine Beckie capitalized on a defensive mistake from Edwards, but Harris gloved it away and created a corner kick for the Dash. Houston's Ellie Brush received a yellow card for her twenty-first minute foul on Alex Morgan. The free kick produced nothing, and the game is scoreless about midway through the first half. Andressa had a free kick for the Dash in the twenty-fourth minute, and a rebound out to Ohai resulted in a wide right shot. Ohai had some pressure in the twenty-sixth minute, but a heavy touch sent the ball out. Laura Alleway had a breakup of one of Ohai's ventures forward in the thirty-second minute. The game has played tight, and not many big plays have occurred. The Pride thought they had a play going, but Jasmyne Spencer was offside, nullifying the attack. Orlando had another decent chance as Spencer went wide to Catley, who crossed to Edmonds, but Williams knocked it away from the post for a corner kick. Orlando couldn't attack the goal from the play. Orlando's Josee Belanger made a foray forward on the right side, earning another corner kick. In first half stoppage time, Spencer received a yellow card for her foul on Rachel Daly. Impressing so far for the Pride are Catley, Kyle, Edwards, and Spencer for their fruitless thus far attacks, while the Dash have seen great work from Williams and Poliana in particular. In the forty-sixth minute, a Morgan shot from Spencer's pass bounced off Houston's Andressa and into her own net, giving the Pride the 1-0 lead. Houston tried a quick answer through a Morgan Brian low shot. The combination of Daly and Ohai produced early second half pressure, including earning a corner kick. Orlando sustained some pressure after the fiftieth minute, including Lianne Sanderson having the ball just taken off her feet in the penalty area. Morgan had a shot on the fifty-fourth minute, which Williams snatched out of the air. In the fifty-seventh minute, Sanderson struck on a free kick to double the Pride lead. Houston nearly got on the board with an Andressa shot in the sixtieth minute, which Harris bobbled but covered. On the counterattack in the next minute, Morgan scored on a Catley pass to make it 3-0 in a wonderful second half effort by the Pride. In the sixty-sixth minute, an Edwards foul earned her a yellow card. In the seventy-third minute, Morgan had a wide shot for Orlando as they maintain decent pressure even with the big lead. Morgan had another cross come in during the seventy-fourth minute, but Becca Moros cleared it, and Kyle's second chance didn't hit quite right. Houston got on the board with a seventy-fifth minute Andressa goal from far out. Spencer did more work in the seventy-eighth minute, earning a free kick after a throw-in, which Sanderson put over the mob and out. Daly nearly had one again in the eighty-third minute, but Harris challenged her and sent it away to preserve the 3-1 scoreline. The Dash kept their pressure up in the eighty-fifth minute with another Daly shot stopped by Harris, followed by Poliana's shot in the next minute, with Harris coming up big again. Ohai shot one for the Dash in the eighty-ninth minute, but Harris was up to the task yet again as the Pride keeper stars late in the game. In stoppage time, Houston's Allysha Chapman took a yellow card for her foul on Spencer. The game ends 3-1 for the Pride, with the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match being Alex Morgan. Also impressing on the Pride side: GK Harris, LB Catley, DCM Kyle, ACM Sanderson, RF Spencer. For the Dash, the best players were CF Daly and CB Poliana.

Saturday's final game has FC Kansas City hosting the Portland Thorns. Michelle Betos and Nicole Barnhart tend the nets. The game can be found at this link. Kansas City's Shea Groom didn't hesitate to make an impact early, firing off a quick shot in the first minute that went over the bar. Portland hasn't had a lot beyond an early Meghan Klingenberg free kick grabbed by Barnhart. Groom had another shot on goal in the fifth minute, keeping the Blues dangerous. Kansas City had a bit of time in the Thorns end, but Heather O'Reilly and Groom were caught offsides once each. Groom had another chance disrupted by a clean tackle in the box by Kat Williamson in the tenth minute. Brittany Taylor had a good cross in the fourteenth minute, and the punch from Betos dropped to Amanda Frisbie. On the restart, chances by Desiree Scott and Frisbie were blocked. In the nineteenth minute, Taylor crossed to Groom, who was shoved from behind by Williamson, resulting in penalty kick opportunity. Groom took her own kick, but Betos knocked it away and the defense managed to clear for Portland. The chances the Thorns have developed have been mostly harmless, taken care of by Barnhart. A bad pass from Portland's Emily Menges ultimately was harmless, as Groom, Taylor, and Yael Averbuch couldn't connect with teammates. The next attack for the Blues saw O'Reilly take a pass from Mandy Laddish, but the cross went across goal with no connection. In spectacular fashion, O'Reilly had another cross in the thirtieth minute, and Groom scored a diving header to the bottom right behind Betos for the 1-0 Kansas City lead. The play started with Laddish in the midfield. Barnhart didn't quite get all of an over-the-top ball, and Nadia Nadim couldn't quite score as Averbuch cleared it. Williamson hurt something in the thirty-seventh minute, looking like the right leg for the defender. In the forty-first minute, Groom took a yellow card for her foul on Emily Sonnett. The game was 1-0 at halftime. The Blues have seen good efforts from Taylor, Averbuch, Scott, Laddish, O'Reilly, and Groom, while the Thorns have had their best work from Williamson, and Klingenberg. Early in the second half, Groom crashed into Sonnett and Betos in the box, and received a yellow card in the forty-seventh minute. This put Kansas City down to ten women, as that's Groom's second yellow of the game. Laddish worked on a counter in the fiftieth minute, but Betos swallowed the shot up. Portland has predictably upped the pressure with the player advantage. The Thorns had another break in the fifty-sixth minute with Hayley Raso taken down outside the box. Tobin Heath shanked the free kick, but the Thorns are still pressing well. Becky Sauerbrunn did her part to disrupt Heath, not for the first time tonight, in the sixty-first minute. In the sixty-fourth minute, Sauerbrunn fouled Allie Long in a decent shooting position for Portland. Heath took the free kick off the wall. Kansas City had some sixty-eighth minute pressure, but Menges did well to clear. The Blues earned a free kick when Laddish got fouled, but Averbuch had a low hit on the kick. Katherine Reynolds had a cross in that Barnhart grabbed as Portland continues to dominate the half. Tiffany McCarty had a break for the Blues, but Menges shut it down before McCarty could get a shot off. The Thorns have lacked much danger on their attacks so far in the half. That changed on a Heath corner kick in the seventy-eighth minute, where she found Lindsey Horan to tie the game with a sharply placed header, scoring over Taylor and Barnhart. Long had a deep shot in the eighty-first minute, drawing a corner as Barnhart knocked it out. They had a number of shots blocked on the corner kick, the best being one dribbling off Heath's foot but just out of reach of Raso. The Blues sustained some pressure as McCarty laid a pass off to Taylor, who just shot high with the booming kick. The Thorns nearly had a shot, but Averbuch disrupted Long just enough to allow Barnhart to clean things up. After bumps to Klingenberg and Betos, play restarted with a lot of extra time. The Thorns had a late free kick from a good range, which Long put directly on goal for Barnhart to cover. The game ended in a 1-1 draw. The Outsider Sports Woman of the Match was Groom, despite her ejection. Also solid for the Blues are LB Taylor, DM Scott, and AM Laddish, while the Thorns saw strong efforts out of AMs Horan and Heath, as well as RF sub Raso for the pressure in the second half and LB Klingenberg.

On Sunday, Sky Blue FC brings in the Washington Spirit. Stephanie Labbe and Caroline Casey protect the nets. Watch here. Things started even, although Sky Blue had the best chance with pressure from Shawna Gordon early in the game. Washington had a decent chance with Christine Nairn's pressure in the sixth minute. The Spirit saw a shot from Crystal Dunn bounce off Joanna Lohman and out of danger as the visitors gets more comfortable. Christie Rampone did well to clear a dangerous service in the eleventh minute, keeping the Sky Blue back line safe. Kelley O'Hara nearly had a cross in for Sky Blue, but got caught offside. There's been a lack of dangerous scoring chances in the first twenty minutes for either side. Shelina Zadorsky dispossessed Maya Hayes in the nineteenth minute on the latter's forays forward. Washington saw Alyssa Kleiner give Dunn space on the flank, but the cross went to Casey. In the twenty-fourth minute, Tori Huster's clearance out gives Sky Blue a corner kick, but O'Hara's corner was too strong. On the other end, Washington saw a Katie Stengel header go wide right. Hayes made another move forward, but Zadorsky again nullified the efforts. In the twenty-eighth minute, O'Hara fouled Dunn hard, but avoided a card. Dunn had a decent shot in the thirty-seventh minute, but it found the wrong side of the netting. Washington began with an Ali Krieger goal in the fortieth minute, passed from Huster, with Krieger using a shot-cross to fool Casey. Labbe snagged a Rampone service in from a group of five players or so. In the forty-fourth minute, Natasha Kai set up O'Hara, but the latter's cross was cleared out by Megan Oyster. On a Spirit corner kick, Taylor Lytle of Sky Blue had to bail out Casey after Nairn's service was left on the line. On the break by Hayes, Zadorsky tossed her down and earned a yellow card for the Spirit for the foul. At half time, Washington leads 1-0, with the best efforts coming from Zadorsky, Huster, Krieger, and Dunn, while Sky Blue has seen their best play from Rampone, O'Hara, and Lytle in the tightly contested game. The Spirit defense is holding strong to start the second half. In the forty-seventh minute, a sliding block from Rampone stuffed Stengel's shot to keep the deficit steady. Washington had another decent chance as Kleiner set up Matheson in the box, but Casey knocked it aside, earning the corner by Nairn, cleared by Sky Blue. Washington added on with a Matheson goal, set up by Dunn, going right through the legs of Casey. Sky Blue had a decent counter attack with Erin Simon feeding Hayes, but Zadorsky shut Hayes down once again. An O'Hara cross to Kai resulted in a header going straight at Casey in goal for the moderately difficult save. In the sixty-sixth minute, Hayes scored with a quick chip past Labbe off a pass by Lytle, with Hayes outrunning Zadorsky this time. Simon had a pretty deep shot-cross that Labbe had to punch away as Sky Blue threatens for an equalizer in the seventy-third minute. In the seventy-fourth minute, O'Hara received a yellow card for a foul on Dunn, or it could be persistent infringement for her previous fouls. Cheyna Williams of Washington thought she had a sure shot opportunity, but Simon slid in and stole it away. Dunn had a shot go wide in the seventy-eighth minute, which would have likely sealed it for the Spirit. On the counter, Raquel Rodriguez fired a shot high a minute later. Sky Blue sub Danielle Schulmann had a couple of attempts blocked, the second going out for a corner kick. Labbe knocked the service away. O'Hara did get another corner, and Kai's header went wide, where Rodriguez got fouled after collecting it, earning a free kick. Rodriguez received the free kick and shot low toward Labbe, who had to dive for it to keep it out in the eighty-third minute. On the other side, Williams had two crosses blocked, allowing Nairn to take a corner kick, which went straight at Casey. In the eighty-seventh minute, Dunn had a curling shot just go over the top right corner kick, as the Spirit continue to press. Sky Blue owned the last minute of the game, earning a corner when Kai's header went off Labbe, but O'Hara's cross came back around to her, and she resent it in for Kai, but Labbe caught it to end the threat. The Spirit won 2-1, and the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match is Krieger. Also impressing are CB Zadorsky, DCM Huster, RF Dunn, and LF Matheson for the Spirit and LB O'Hara, CB Rampone, RB Simon, and ACM Lytle for Sky Blue.

Finally, the Boston Breakers host the Seattle Reign FC. Hope Solo and Libby Stout are in the six-yard boxes. Here's the game. Seattle had dominated possession early, but the game has lacked dangerous chances in the first four minutes. Seattle had a dangerous opportunity in the box, but nobody got a shot off of Manon Melis' cross. The Reign nearly saw Beverly Yanez get a shot, but Whitney Engen knocked it clear for Boston, with help from Julie King defensively. In the ninth minute, Melis scored on a short pass from Kim Little after Jess Fishlock did good work to establish the offense. A minute later, Merritt Mathias had a wide shot as Seattle continues to pin the Breakers in. A mistake by Mathias, with the steal from Angela Salem set Stephanie McCaffrey off, but the Reign cleared it. Kristie Mewis' corner kick allowed Brittany Ratcliffe a shot, but Solo picked it up. Seattle charged back on a counter, but Stout relieved the pressure. Mewis nearly got her head on a play, but Lauren Barnes blocked it in defense for the Reign. McCall Zerboni had a foul in the seventeenth minute for an attacking third free kick for Seattle. Little's kick was easy for Stout to handle. Solo had to make a punch on Engen's free kick in the twentieth minute. The Breakers have had trouble getting crosses in during the run of play. Mathias earned a corner on Engen in the twenty-sixth minute, and Barnes' service went straight to Stout. The Reign saw an attack with Fishlock getting a shot blocked by Engen, and then Yanez set up a curling shot from Carson Pickett that didn't quite find the net. In the thirty-first minute, Zerboni and Fishlock got tangled, and it appears Fishlock has a left leg injury. She walked off under her own power. Elli Reed will eventually be the replacement. The Breakers had a cross in by Ratcliffe, but cleared by Rachel Corsie and company on the Reign back line. A free kick for Boston in the thirty-seventh minute saw Salem send a ball into King, but the Reign got clear with Barnes and Yanez. Melis took the ball all the way up the left flank and then cut inside, with Mollie Pathman sending it back for a corner kick for Seattle. That kick from Little was knocked in by Corsie for a goal to make it 2-0. McCaffrey had a shot on goal in the forty-third minute, but the low shot is taken up by Solo. Mewis' cross in the next minute was cleared by Barnes and Kendall Fletcher. Zerboni set up Ratcliffe for a shot in stoppage time, but it went curling wide and the Breakers are still looking for their first goal. Impressing for the Reign are Corsie, Barnes, Pickett, Little, Melis, and Yanez, while the Breakers have seen Engen, King, Zerboni, Salem, and Ratcliffe do the best work for the team. Solo took a yellow card for time wasting in the fiftieth minute. In the fifty-first minute, Melis had a cross knocked out for a corner by Engen, and Barnes took the kick, which Stout grabbed in traffic against Yanez. Mewis had Boston's best chance of the game on a break toward Solo, but she pulled it wide right in the fifty-third minute. Pathman had a decent cross for the Breakers in the fifty-sixth minute, but the Reign are remaining strong in defense. Boston continued to take looks with Ratcliffe shooting off the bar in the fifty-seventh minute, and Salem had a low shot after that as well, but Solo covered it. Kyah Simon fed Ratcliffe in, and the latter collided with Solo, earning a yellow card for the foul in the sixtieth minute. Melis and Yanez had some combination play in the sixty-first minute, but Stout covered the ball as the play has opened up quite a bit. Mewis set Simon up with a back heel in the sixty-second minute after earning space in the box, but the shot lacked pace. A minute later, they connected again, with Simon skying the ball. Salem's free kick in the sixty-sixth minute connected with King, but went off the bar after getting Solo beat. The pace of the shooting has slowed a bit as the game reaches its final stretch. The Reign made it 3-0 on a Little strike from a tough angle, set up by Yanez and Reed as the play built up. In the eighty-first minute, Zerboni earned a yellow card for a foul on Lindsay Elston. Seattle kept things in the corner for awhile, before breaking out for an Elston shot that Stout saved. The Breakers got a stoppage time chance with a Morgan Marlborough shot that Solo made a reaction save on. The Reign took the win 3-0, with the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match being the left-wing midfielder Little for her goal and two assists. Also impressing this game: GK Solo, CB Barnes and Corsie, CF Yanez, and RF Melis. The Breakers had good efforts from CB Engen, RW Ratcliffe, ACM Mewis, and DCM Zerboni.

Outsider Sports NWSL Best XI - Week 2
GK Hope Solo
RB Ali Krieger
CB Shelina Zadorsky
CB Rachel Corsie
LB Casey Short
DCM Desiree Scott
RW Alyssa Mautz
LW Kim Little
RF Manon Melis
CF Alex Morgan
LF Shea Groom

A note on the team of the week list: I construct this team in a more rigorous set up than most do, specifically to keep players who excelled in a particular position to be in that position if this team were to actually take the field. On the defense, this tends to be a good choice, although it can get messy with various midfield/forward combinations. I assume a 4-3-3 formation with two wingers. However, if it is not obvious which side a player usually played their game on, the positional listing may be a bit more flexible, so the positions should not be taken as gospel here. The primary goal is to recognize players for excellence in their performance as much as possible.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.