It's a short week this week with only seven games on. We begin with a pair on Friday, with the first one being...
The Chicago Fire hosting the San Jose Earthquakes. David Bingham and Sean Johnson are the keepers. San Jose's Simon Dawkins had a yellow card for a foul in the tenth minute. In the forty-ninth minute, the Earthquakes' Shaun Francis took a yellow card for his foul. Chicago saw a yellow card for a Michael Stephens foul in the fifty-third minute. The Fire got going with a John Goossens goal in the fifty-eighth minute. Fatai Alashe of San Jose saw a yellow card for his sixty-sixth minute foul. Chicago's Nick LaBrocca received a yellow card for a foul in stoppage time. The game ended 1-0, with Goossens the man of the match for his winner.
The other Friday game sees Real Salt Lake welcome DC United. Bill Hamid and Nick Rimando protect the nets. Taylor Kemp of DC had a yellow card for a third minute foul. Salt Lake took yellow cards for a nineteenth minute Tony Beltran foul and dissent by Kyle Beckerman in the forty-second minute. Real dented the scoreboard in the fifty-seventh minute with a Juan Manuel Martinez goal, assisted by Yura Movsisyan. United saw a yellow card go to Bobby Boswell in the eighty-first minute for a foul. DC tied it on a stoppage time goal by Jared Jeffrey, passed from Fabian Espindola. The game ended 1-1, with Hamid the man of the match for making seven of eight saves to keep his team in it for the draw.
On Saturday, the first of three games features the Montreal Impact bringing in the New England Revolution. Brad Knighton and Evan Bush are in goal. New England opened in the eighteenth minute with a goal by Kei Kamara, passed from Kelyn Rowe. The Revolution added on with a Kamara goal in the thirty-third minute, via Chris Tierney. Montreal got on the board with a fortieth minute goal from Michael Salazar. The Impact tied it in the forty-eighth minute with a Salazar goal, helped along by Hassoun Camara. Knighton took a yellow card for a fifty-third minute foul for New England, and that led to a fifty-fourth minute Ignacio Piatti penalty kick goal against him. The Revolution's Scott Caldwell had a yellow card for his fifty-fifth minute foul. The game ended 3-2, with Salazar the man of the match for his response brace.
In Ontario, Toronto FC hosts the Seattle Sounders FC. Stefan Frei faces a lesser foe in Alex Bono in goal. Toronto had a yellow card for a forty-fourth minute foul by Marco Delgado. Toronto drew first blood in the sixtieth minute on a Jordan Hamilton goal. Seattle tied it in the sixty-first minute as Jordan Morris scored, thanks to Joevin Jones. Toronto's Steven Beitashour took a yellow card for his foul in stoppage time. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, with Morris the man of the match for his quick equalizer.
Saturday's last game is the Houston Dynamo bringing in the Philadelphia Union. Philadelphia's Joshua Yaro took a yellow card for a foul in the second minute. In the eighty-seventh minute, Yaro took a second yellow card for the Union and was ejected. Warren Creavalle took a yellow card in stoppage time for Philadelphia for his foul. Houston's Cristian Maidana scored a minute later to give them a 1-0 lead. Maidana was the man of the match for his winner.
On Sunday, the first game is a New York Derby, as New York City FC welcome the New York Red Bulls. Luis Robles and Josh Saunders man the nets. NYCFC started with an eighth minute goal by Jack Harrison, via Andrea Pirlo. The Red Bulls took a yellow card for a foul by Felipe in the thirtieth minute. NYCFC saw a yellow card in the forty-fifth minute for RJ Allen's foul. NYCFC added on in the sixty-sixth minute with a David Villa goal, assisted by Harrison and Frank Lampard. NYCFC's Pirlo had a seventy-sixth minute yellow card for a foul. The Red Bulls saw a yellow card for Bradley Wright-Phillips in the seventy-eighth minute. The Red Bulls went down to ten men in the seventy-ninth minute as Chris Duvall took a straight red card for a foul. In stoppage time, Aurelien Collin took a yellow card for a foul. The game ended 2-0, with the man of the match being Harrison for his goal and assist.
Finally, Sporting Kansas City hosts the Columbus Crew SC. Steve Clark and Tim Melia are the reliable keepers. Kansas City had a yellow card for Benny Feilhaber in the thirteenth minute for his foul. Columbus began in the twenty-second minute on an Ola Kamara goal, via Harrison Afful and Ethan Finlay. The Crew went down to ten men as Tyson Wahl took away a goal scoring chance in the box and received a straight red card. Sporting tied it on a Feilhaber penalty kick goal. In the fifty-first minute, Dominic Dwyer of Kansas City took a yellow card for persistent infringement. Graham Zusi put Sporting ahead with his fifty-sixth minute goal, coming off of Roger Espinoza. Matt Besler of Kansas City had a yellow card for a sixty-sixth minute foul. Columbus retied it on a Kamara goal in the seventy-fifth minute, made possible by Tony Tchani. The Crew's Afful had a yellow card for his eighty-second minute foul. In the eighty-fourth minute, Jimmy Medranda of Sporting took a yellow card for a foul. Kansas City gained the lead on a Besler stoppage time goal, fueled by Ike Opara and Medranda. This stood for a 3-2 win and made Besler the man of the match.
Due to my own failure to check the appropriate sources, there's actually three more games to fill the week on Monday, July 4. The first of those is...
The Colorado Rapids welcoming the Portland Timbers. Jake Gleeson and Tim Howard protect the nets. Eric Miller of Colorado had a yellow card for his fifteenth minute foul. Portland's Diego Chara took a yellow card for a foul in the fiftieth minute. The game ended at 0-0, with the man of the match being Gleeson for his four-save clean sheet.
Next, FC Dallas brings in Orlando City SC. Joe Bendik and Chris Seitz are in goal. Dallas led off in the eleventh minute with a Walker Zimmerman goal, via Mauro Diaz. Dallas added on in the twenty-first minute with a Michael Barrios goal, coming off of Maximiliano Urruti. Barrios of Dallas had a yellow card for his twenty-ninth minute foul. Tommy Redding of Orlando took a yellow card for a thirty-ninth minute foul. In the fifty-fifth minute, Orlando's David Mateos had a yellow card for his foul. Dallas extended the lead as Matt Hedges scored a sixty-first minute goal, thanks to Diaz. Carlos Gruezo and Atiba Harris of Dallas received yellow cards for fouls in the sixty-eighth and seventieth minutes, respectively. Dallas iced it at 4-0 with a stoppage time goal by Fabian Castillo, assisted by Tesho Akindele and Kellyn Acosta. The man of the match was Diaz for his two assists.
Finally, and I mean it this time, the Los Angeles Galaxy host the Vancouver Whitecaps FC. David Ousted and Brian Rowe protect the nets. Los Angeles struck first in the twelfth minute with a Robbie Keane goal, via Steven Gerrard. The Galaxy added on with a forty-seventh minute goal by Jeff Larentowicz, courtesy of Gerrard. Matias Laba of Vancouver took a yellow card for a sixty-seventh minute foul. Los Angeles' Nigel de Jong took a straight red card for his seventy-fourth minute foul. The game ended 2-0, with the man of the match being Gerrard for his two assists.
Monday, July 4, 2016
Sunday, July 3, 2016
NWSL Week 11
The NWSL is back with a short week after last week's longer offering. We begin with...
The Western New York Flash hosting the Chicago Red Stars. Michele Dalton and Katelyn Rowland are the keepers, both in part due to the absence of all the international and USWNT players for this month. There seemed to be a bit of a weather issue in Rochester, but you can find the game here for your viewing needs. The weather delay took over an hour. Chicago had a shot in the first minute, with Sofia Huerta putting it right across the face of goal. In the second minute, Makenzy Doniak tried a cross to McCall Zerboni, who headed it over the goal. In the fourth minute, the Flash's Abby Dahlkemper took a ball away from Vanessa DiBernardo. The Red Stars kept going with a shot by Alyssa Mautz from outside the box, forcing Rowland into a save. Alanna Kennedy tried to help defend on the play for Western New York. In the fifth minute, Amanda Da Costa struck the crossbar on a long-range shot. DiBernardo sailed another shot over the bar in the sixth minute. Chicago is really owning possession early on. Elizabeth Eddy saw a cross blocked away by Katie Naughton. Arin Gilliland also did some defense in the seventh minute. Lianne Sanderson's ninth minute cross for Western New York was sent away by Sam Johnson, and Chicago took over. Doniak sent a cross into McDonald for the Flash in the tenth minute, but Dalton punched it away. Zerboni also lost the punch to Danielle Colaprico. Meredith Speck went long for Lynn Williams in the twelfth minute, but Naughton got there first for the Red Stars. The Flash had a lot of pressure along the right wing with McDonald, Doniak, Abby Erceg, Dahlkemper, and Eddy all working on the ball. In the seventeenth minute, Gilliland broke up a pass from McDonald toward Zerboni. In the eighteenth minute, Zerboni put a ball in to Williams, and then dropped to Sanderson, who poked it wide right. Zerboni's moves around DiBernardo and Gilliland helped create the chance. DiBernardo had a cross blocked by Dahlkemper out to Chicago's Casey Short, who found Mautz, but she shot it wide right. Williams took a long ball from Kennedy in the twenty-first minute, going around Naughton and shooting, forcing Dalton into the save and Johnson cleared it out. McDonald's long throw in for Western New York went to Speck and was cleared by Da Costa and Mautz. McDonald had a couple more of these result in nothing. Naughton cleared the first one of those and Mautz did the second after McDonald served it in on a second effort. Williams charged Dalton in the twenty-third minute as the keeper tried to clear, and it bounced off of the Western New York striker and out of bounds. Dahlkemper had a free kick into the box in the twenty-sixth minute, finding Erceg but eventually cleared by Short. Zerboni also had a shot on the next Flash sequence, but it went wide. Eddy put a cross in for McDonald in the twenty-ninth minute, which was blocked on the header. Western New York earned a corner kick, and Dahlkemper came on to take it. Williams and Erceg both had chances, but the defense held, with Da Costa clearing the trouble. Short had to break up a Sanderson run in the thirtieth minute, as the Flash take a greater share of possession at this stage. Kennedy had a shot run wide left and long in the thirty-first minute. The crosses and long balls dried up a bit, as the game was contested in the midfield for awhile. In the thirty-seventh minute, Williams charged forward with the ball, passing out to Doniak, who then crossed to McDonald. Her header went off the post, and Sanderson struck the rebound into the goal for a 1-0 Western New York lead. Chicago had a good spot for a free kick, taken by DiBernardo in the thirty-ninth minute, and blocked by the wall. Sanderson and Williams had efforts blocked by Gilliland and Johnson in the fortieth minute as the Flash occupy the Red Stars box again. There was another lull for a bit after the goal. McDonald's long throw got cleared to Speck, who took a long and curling shot that Dalton caught safely. McDonald had a shot immediately following for the Flash, but Dalton caught that one too, with Naughton preventing her from going out wide. Huerta put the ball in for Jen Hoy in the forty-fourth minute, and Kennedy slid in to disrupt Hoy's shot, which went wide left as Rowland watched it out, marking the Red Stars best chance so far. The first half ended with Western New York ahead 1-0. The best players of the half for the Red Stars were RB Gilliland, CB Johnson, DM DiBernardo, RW Mautz, and LF Huerta. For the Flash, the best performances came from RB Eddy, CB Dahlkemper, RW Doniak, ACM Sanderson, LW Zerboni, and RF McDonald. Williams had the first cross for Western New York in the forty-seventh minute, going long and out of bounds. On the next foray forward, Williams took a pass from Zerboni and fired a shot off target. Zerboni broke up a through ball from Cara Walls, allowing Rowland to pick it up as Western New York takes over. Eddy crossed after a pass from Doniak, but Short was able to send it out for a corner kick. Dahlkemper took the set piece and served to Zerboni, who chipped it into McDonald, and she put it on top of the net. Eddy tried to go long for Sanderson in the fifty-first minute, but it ran into Dalton's arms. Gilliland, Mautz, and Short combined for a play, but Rowland eventually picked it up. On the counterattack, Sanderson's pass caught Williams in an offside position. Dahlkemper's free kick was partially blocked by Naughton, going out to Sanderson in the fifty-third minute. Eddy served back in, and then Mautz settled for a Red Stars attack. Mautz and Da Costa tried a combination that Kennedy sent away. Naughton shut down Williams as the Flash countered back in the fifty-fourth minute as the game goes into a back-and-forth spell. Eddy broke up a DiBernardo pass intended for Huerta. Sanderson went long for McDonald, who dove to head it on goal, and Dalton robbed her of a brilliant chance with an equally brilliant save. In the fifty-eighth minute, Doniak won a corner kick for the Flash. Dahlkemper served it in and Kennedy and McDonald worked to pop it up, where Dalton caught it above Williams. Short blocked a cross attempt by Taylor Smith, giving the Flash another corner kick chance in the sixty-second minute. Dahlkemper sent it to Sanderson, who got a weak shot off. Another corner kick a minute later saw Dahlkemper going to the middle, where it was sent out. Zerboni took a shot and Huerta blocked it. The Flash earned another corner kick in the sixty-fourth minute. Dahlkemper's attempt this time went to Erceg, who had her attempt saved off the line by Da Costa, and then another shot from a Western New York bounced off the post before being cleared out. Dahlkemper teed up another one in the sixty-fifth minute that Kennedy corralled. The ball worked back around to Dahlkemper, who crossed out of bounds, finally allowing Chicago to clear out. In the sixty-seventh minute, Johnson slid to surrender a corner kick to the Flash with Eddy pressuring. Dahlkemper continued the service from the near side, and Erceg headed it out wide left. Eddy stood up Huerta in the sixty-eighth minute as the Red Stars pressed forward. McDonald had a cross in the seventieth minute that Williams couldn't quite poke toward Dalton. Colaprico took a low shot for Chicago in the seventy-first minute, harmlessly grabbed by Rowland. Sanderson's long ball toward Smith got taken away by Johnson. McDonald did the long throw in for the Flash, down to Eddy, and McDonald crossed it but Gilliland cleared it away from Williams. Johnson continued to play well, breaking up Zerboni's pass fro McDonald in the seventy-fourth minute. McDonald took a ball from Sanderson out wide, and then crossed to Williams, who scored on a deflection off Dalton's hands after shooting around Naughton. The Flash lead 2-0, and are showing no signs of letting this game go. Chicago got a corner kick in the seventy-sixth minute, and DiBernardo went low for Gilliland, cleared by Kennedy. Gilliland had to defend against Smith as Western New York tried to counter. The Flash had a shot by Williams go over the bar in the seventy-eighth minute. Zerboni took a yellow card for her foul on Gilliland in the same minute. Huerta fired a shot that Rowland saved in the seventy-ninth minute. Sanderson fired a ball in for Williams, and she managed to get a corner kick after failing to control it. Dahlkemper served it in straight at Dalton. Mautz had a shot in the eighty-first minute, but Rowland was far enough out of the goal to block it, and the Flash didn't give up another on the play. Short took a shot in the eighty-second minute that Dahlkemper blocked after Erceg blocked a pass partially by DiBernardo. McDonald got a ball behind the back line, and Williams just poked it wide right. Naughton was a step behind Williams when she shot it. Gilliland had a cross for Chicago on the other side, but Rowland picked it out of the air. In the eighty-sixth minute, Williams ran down a ball and crossed to McDonald, who turned and shot around her defender, hitting the post. Erceg blocked a DiBernardo shot after Huerta's cross toward Gilliland went over the latter's head. Gilliland took a shot after Huerta found her in stoppage time, but Rowland was there once again. The game ended 2-0, and the RF McDonald was the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match. Improved in the second half were the Red Stars LB Short and the Flash's GK Rowland, DM Erceg, and LF Williams.
On Saturday, the first of three games saw the Washington Spirit welcome FC Kansas City. Nicole Barnhart and Kelsey Wys protect the nets. You can find the game here. Estefania Banini tried to find Katie Stengel in the third minute for Washington, but Yael Averbuch broke it up for Kansas City. In the fifth minute, Shea Groom tried to pick out Tiffany McCarty for the Blues, but the latter was offside. Katie Bowen took one away from Banini in the sixth minute as the Spirit forward made a rush forward. Brienne Reed and Alyssa Kleiner got tangled up evenly in the box, and it rolled out away from Reed of Kansas City got a Washington goal kick. Joanna Lohman made a good pass to Cali Farquharson, but Reed stole it away for the Blues. Stengel's tenth minute cross for the Spirit was cleared away by Averbuch. Bowen received a ball in space for Kansas City, and she tried to feed into Fran Silva, but she was caught offside. Caprice Dydasco had a cross into Lohman that got on to Stengel, but the Blues stood tall and Averbuch finished the clearance. Mandy Laddish of Kansas City beat Kleiner but couldn't make her cross get around Tori Huster in the thirteenth minute. McCarty earned a corner kick off Kleiner in the fourteenth minute. The service came from Erika Tymrak, who went for McCarty, and she headed it wide left but not by much. Lo'eau LaBonta had a chip into the box, which Wys grabbed easily to give the Spirit possession back. Stengel and Farquharson couldn't create a chance on the other end. In the seventeenth minute, McCarty's cross was blocked out by Kleiner for a corner kick. Tymrak's service went for McCarty again, but fell to Groom. She got a shot off through traffic, but Wys snagged it. Reed's kick for Groom was disrupted by Estelle Johnson, but Kansas City kept possession. Reed tried a cross that Megan Oyster blocked out to LaBonta, who then shot wide right. The Spirit got a corner kick thanks to Lohman's work in the twenty-first minute. Christine Nairn served it in for Lohman, who headed it on goal but Tymrak sent it out for the Blues. The Spirit retained possession for a bit. Nairn got the wrong side of the ball on her twenty-third minute shot for Washington. Stengel won a corner kick in the twenty-seventh minute for the Spirit, which Nairn served in and Reed headed out for another one. Nairn's service this time went to Lohman, who headed wide left with some disturbance by Oyster as the teammates crashed into each other a bit. Laddish, Groom, and Reed had a sequence of passes, but Reed's chip into the box went right at Wys. Countering, the Spirit went Lohman, Banini, and Farquharson before losing the ball to Averbuch and Barnhart. Banini and Stengel couldn't keep it alive in the box as Washington keeps attacking in the thirty-second minute. Averbuch again made a disruption. Kansas City broke out in the thirty-third minute through Silva, and Tymrak's pass went long to Wys. In the thirty-fourth minute, Nairn passed into Farquharson, who took a wide-open shot and sent it wide right. Groom escaped a tackle from the Spirit's Lohman in the thirty-fifth minute, and then shot over the bar. Silva tried to find McCarty, but Kleiner poked it away just in time to save Washington. Tymrak got fouled on a break, with Huster doing the dirty work, although no foul was called. Averbuch took the free kick for the Blues, and put it on goal but also right at Wys on the low shot in the thirty-eighth minute. Tymrak took a shot that Oyster blocked in the thirty-ninth minute as Kansas City has taken a bit more control. Lohman passed toward Kleiner, but Reed made a falling interception. The game calmed down near the end of the half, mostly with the battles in the midfield instead of crosses. Banini broke up a Blues attack by Tymrak and Laddish. Johnson took over when McCarty had a heavy touch in the forty-fifth minute, shepherding the game into halftime at a scoreless tie. For the Spirit, the GK Wys, CB Oyster, RW Nairn, and LW Lohman have played best, while the Blues have seen strong efforts from RB Reed, CB Averbuch, LB Bowen, DM Laddish, LW Tymrak, RW McCarty, and striker Groom. In the forty-seventh minute, Dydasco's cross went over Stengel and straight to Barnhart. Huster lost the ball to Bowen and Averbuch on her foray forward. Kansas City's McCarty was fouled by Kleiner, allowing Averbuch a fiftieth minute free kick in a decent spot. Averbuch's kick went too close to Wys, who caught it cleanly. Oyster took one away from Tymrak with the help of Dydasco as Washington holds strong defensively. Bowen split the defense to get a shot off, but she was heading away from goal and it curled to Wys in the fifty-first minute as the Blues continue strong play. Lohman had a shot on a pass from Stengel in the fifty-second minute, forcing Barnhart to dive for a save. Nairn's corner kick found Kleiner, who sent it out wide left, although it appeared to deflect off of Bowen. The announcers have voiced their dissent about the refereeing, and they're not completely wrong in this instance. McCarty took a pass from Laddish and crossed it into Silva, who headed it toward goal. Groom got a second header on it in front of Wys, but it went off the crossbar in the fifty-fourth minute. The Blues got a corner kick in the fifty-fifth minute, taken by Tymrak, who served in near Silva, but Wys caught it for the Spirit. Dydasco and Lohman broke up the run on the left wing from Bowen, who had no help centrally in the fifty-eighth minute. In the sixty-first minute, Tymrak tried to find McCarty, but it went too close to Wys. In the sixty-second minute, Nairn took a free kick for Washington, serving it into the box where Averbuch headed it clear. Dydasco and Francisca Ordega just missed a connection in the sixty-fourth minute for Washington. Tymrak took a shot from distance in the sixty-fourth minute, sending it just wide right on the dangerous chance. Lohman crossed toward Banini but Bowen got there first. A second effort in the sixty-fifth minute ended with Lohman shooting and Barnhart getting a save on the play after a Farquharson cross. Tymrak danced around Dydasco to take a shot in the sixty-eighth minute, but it was a bit too weak and didn't challenge Wys. Ordega had a cross in close to Nairn after a dummy, and Nairn mishit the shot, going weakly on goal for Barnhart to save it. McCarty and Kleiner battled hard in the seventy-first minute, ending with McCarty's third crossing attempt caught by Wys after a deflection by Farquharson. On the next Blues attack, Groom got in on a break straight at Wys, losing controlling and colliding with the keeper, which was a foul to end the play, although the ball would have dribbled wide anyway. Nairn tried a cross in the seventy-third minute, and it went too long for Lohman or Banini to corral. Ordega's through ball intended for Cheyna Williams ran long in the seventy-fifth minute. Averbuch blocked Ordega from turning to shoot after Kleiner's cross to her. Dydasco had a cross blocked by Reed in the seventy-seventh minute. Caroline Kastor broke up a Williams cross in, and the Spirit are producing a flurry of activity now. Groom played in Kastor for Kansas City in the seventy-eighth minute, but Oyster shut it down. Nairn had a cross into the box for Ordega in the seventy-ninth minute, who failed on her bicycle kick attempt. Lohman fell down on the second attempt after her shot, but this allowed Ordega enough time to get up and collect the ball, shooting to the left side of the goal and in behind Barnhart. Washington leads 1-0. In the eightieth minute, the Blues made their comeback attempt start with a Groom shot from wide, saved by Wys. Ordega got caught offside in the eighty-first minute, although Barnhart saved the invalid shot anyway. Groom couldn't get on a botched clearance by Dydasco, and Wys got there in time to save the Spirit. Washington had a corner kick thanks to Lohman's bounce off Averbuch, and the eighty-fifth minute Nairn crossed it in for Lohman, who flicked it to Ordega. It was blocked by LaBonta but fell to Huster, who absolutely roofed it and gave the Spirit a 2-0 lead. Huster then blocked a shot on the other side, as Tymrak's offering went wide left after Groom passed it to her. The Blues had their corner kick by Tymrak, who served it in the middle, where Wys punched it. Kastor had a second chance that went high. Johnson cleared a ball away from Groom as Oyster slowed her down. Lohman had a cheeky back heel and then received the ball back before feeding Williams, whose shot was hard but right at Barnhart, and then cleared out by Averbuch. Silva had a shot for Kansas City in stoppage time that went wide right. The Spirit did well after that to kill off the game, winning 2-0. The Outsider Sports Woman of the Match was LW Lohman, who had critical plays during both goals to create the opportunities, as well as numerous close chances. Also impressing for the Spirit were the DCM Huster and sub forward Ordega as well as RF Banini and LB Kleiner.
Next up, the Seattle Reign FC bring in the Boston Breakers. Jami Kranich and Haley Kopmeyer are the little known goalies. Here's the game. Kendall Fletcher broke up a Boston counterattack by picking off Stephanie McCaffrey's pass intended for Eunice Beckmann in the third minute. Kyah Simon tracked down McCaffrey's ball and crossed in to Beckmann, who turned it out wide right. Nahomi Kawasumi tried to find Manon Melis in the fourth minute for Seattle, but it went to Kassey Kallman of the Breakers. Kawasumi's sixth minute cross was sent out for a corner kick by Boston's Christen Westphal. The Reign saw the kick taken by Kawasumi, served into Fletcher who shot high after a deflection. Simon and Rachel Corsie of Seattle stumbled over each other, with Corsie called for a retaliatory foul, giving Boston a good free kick. In the ninth minute, Beckmann took the free kick and forced Kopmeyer into a save that she put out for a corner kick. The Breakers corner kick was cleared by Jess Fishlock. Kim Little led the counterattack and won a corner kick off Boston's Mollie Pathman. The eleventh minute service from Lauren Barnes went low and Westphal cleared back to Barnes, who got it to Keelin Winters. She tried a give-and-go with Fishlock, but Kranich covered it. Barnes and Corsie shut down a break by McCaffrey in the twelfth minute. Westphal stole the ball from Little in the thirteenth minute as Seattle gets quite a bit of possession right now. The Reign struck first with a goal in the fifteenth minute by Kawasumi as Melis cut a cross off Julie King, allowing Kawasumi to score under the pressure of two Breakers defenders. Seattle leads 1-0. In the eighteenth minute, Kallman fouled Kawasumi on the right wing as Elli Reed passed it up. The Seattle free kick allowed Kawasumi to serve it in low and Westphal cleared it. McCaffrey had a weak cross in the twenty-third minute, grabbed by Kopmeyer. Fishlock went long for Beverly Yanez in the twenty-fifth minute, but Kranich took it first. McCaffrey won a corner kick for the Breakers against Winters. Kopmeyer punched the service from Louise Schillgard away. Boston held possession with another corner kick after Fishlock put it out. Schillgard served it in where Fishlock cleared it to Simon, who shot off of Corsie and produced another corner kick. Schillgard came over to the other side for another corner kick, going toward Fishlock again, who helped with Fletcher to relieve pressure. Kopmeyer grabbed it and Seattle takes over. Yanez had a cross in the thirtieth minute blocked by Westphal after significant buildup by the Reign. Kawasumi's cross in the thirty-first minute was sent out by King, although the Reign maintained possession. Kawasumi put a cross into Yanez in the thirty-second minute, who flicked it on into the hands of the Boston keeper Kranich. Simon tried a cross in the thirty-fourth minute that Barnes got a back on to clear. Fletcher's ball intended for Little was kneed out by Kallman for a corner kick. Kawasumi served the ball in for Yanez, but Kallman got the clearance. Barnes blocked McCaffrey but surrendered a corner kick for Schillgard in the thirty-seventh minute. Her service went to Fishlock's head, who cleared it once again. Fishlock tried a shot that King blocked in the thirty-eighth minute, and Melis couldn't quite get on it for Seattle. In the thirty-ninth minute, Yanez tried to feed Melis, who fell but King received a yellow card as it appeared to be a trip. Seattle's Kawasumi did the free kick and sent it to Fletcher, who headed wide right. Fishlock saw her cross hit Melis but go wide in the forty-second minute. The Reign continue to hold the bulk of possession. Melis tried a cross in the forty-fourth minute toward Kawasumi, but it ran long and out of bounds. Little had a header hit the post in the forty-fourth minute after a Kawasumi cross. The game went into halftime with the Reign leading 1-0. Impressive for the Breakers are the RB Westphal, CB King, and RW McCaffrey, while the Reign's top players have been CB Fletcher, LB Barnes, DCM Winters, RW Fishlock, LW Little, RF Kawasumi, and CF Melis. The second half was a bit slow in developing, with not many forays into either box in the first five minutes. Fletcher guided a King free kick out of bounds in the fiftieth minute. Yanez had a cross blocked by King in the fifty-first minute, and Kawasumi couldn't get on to the end of another service. Kawasumi's next cross was knocked away by Boston's Angela Salem. King just shielded Little away from a Fishlock through ball, allowing Kranich to pick it up. Kawasumi's pass intended for Yanez ricocheted to Kranich in the fifty-fourth minute. Beckmann took a shot after McCaffrey, Salem, and Schillgard all got touches, and it deflected out for Schillgard's corner kick in the fifty-sixth minute, caught by Kopmeyer. Fletcher stole it away from Beckmann in the fifty-seventh minute, and Salem later got a shot that Kopmeyer saved. Kawasumi brought down a switching ball from Yanez, but she couldn't quite pick out Melis from the Breakers back line, and Kranich took the ball. Kawasumi shanked a shot after a give-and-go with Melis, and Kranich kept it in play despite it being off target. In the sixty-second minute, Kawasumi danced around at the top of the box and caught Kranich off her line, going down the middle for her second goal of the game to make it 2-0 Reign. She made Pathman look bad on the play with her juke. Simon crossed into the box in the sixty-third minute, and Kopmeyer dove to catch it. Reed made a brilliant tackle and steal against McCaffrey in the sixty-fourth minute. Reed went forward to Melis, but King did well to poke it away. Melis had a ball fall to her in the sixty-seventh minute, but her shot was blocked by Kranich after Barnes sent it across from the left side of the attacking formation. Fishlock went long for Melis in the sixty-eighth minute after stealing it from Breakers sub Brittany Ratcliffe. Melis and Kranich collided hard, and Melis took the worst of it while also being called for the foul. On the other end in the seventy-first minute, Ratcliffe shoved Fletcher into Kopmeyer, and this drew a yellow card for Ratcliffe. The game has taken a turn for the ugly side. In the seventy-third minute, Little got the ball in a dangerous space but King did just enough to stall Little long enough for Kranich to put it out for a corner kick on the save. Barnes served the corner kick in for Fletcher but the Reign couldn't hold possession as it rolled out. Winters made the initial pass to Little. In the seventy-seventh minute, Kawasumi was just caught offside even as she passed to Yanez, who would have scored had the flag not gone up. In the eightieth minute, Winters went long for Kawasumi, who was again offside. Little got the ball again in the eighty-second minute, and Kranich again stole it away from her feet after the midfielder got behind the defense. Simon took a very long shot in the eighty-second minute for the Breakers, but it soared well high and out for a goal kick. Reed shut down a nutmeg move McCaffrey tried in the eighty-sixth minute as the Reign are bunkering in now. Corsie and Lindsay Elston shut down Katie Schoepfer of of Boston after Schillgard made the steal. Fishlock unleashed a rip of a shot in stoppage time that Kranich had to punch down before catching on the bounce as Michelle Cruz made a few plays against the Breakers defense. The game ended at 2-0, with the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match being the RF Kawasumi. Also impressing in the second half for the Reign was RB Reed.
Finally, the Portland Thorns FC host Sky Blue FC. Caroline Stanley and Michelle Betos are the keepers for this game. You can find the game here.In the first minute, Portland's Mallory Weber sent a ball up to Nadia Nadim, where she was cut down by Christie Rampone of Sky Blue with no call. Catherine Zimmerman sent a cross in that Betos caught shakily and had bumped out by a Sky Blue player. Nadim flicked on a deep ball from Meleana Shim in the fifth minute, but Stanley made the grab for Sky Blue. Leah Galton had a cross blocked by Katherine Reynolds of the Thorns in the fifth minute as they are holding their own well. Erica Skroski threw in to Natasha Kai, who settled, turn, and shot right on goal at Betos in the seventh minute. Raquel Rodriguez finally stole the ball away from Shim after Nadim's pass. Galton had a cross land to Kai, and Betos just got in front of it in time in the ninth minute. Kai shook McKenzie Berryhill of Portland in coverage. Galton had another cross in the tenth minute, and Berryhill was in better position this time to clear it away as Sky Blue continues their heavy pressure. Skroski went over the top for Taylor Lytle in the eleventh minute, and Reynolds put it out for a corner kick. Sky Blue's service came from Sarah Killion and was punched out by Betos. Rodriguez had a good takeaway from Amandine Henry, but the Thorns took it right back, and Reynolds fed Nadim, who waited too long to shoot and had it grabbed by Stanley in the thirteenth minute. Berryhill tackled away from Zimmerman to break up another Sky Blue attack. Weber shoved Kai down in the box as a pass from Kristin Grubka came in during the sixteenth minute. Weber had a botched clearance for Portland in the eighteenth minute, which fell to Galton. She shot just wide and a bit high. Emily Menges did well to keep Lytle from a ball passed up by Galton. After a long passing sequence for Portland, Henry dribbled forward and fired a shot high in the twentieth minute. Rampone did well to disrupt Shim's pass for Hayley Raso in the twenty-first minute. Skroski just lost control after Menges botched a clearance straight to Galton. Celeste Boureille forced Skroski into the heavy touch out of bounds in the twenty-second minute. Boureille sent one up for Raso, but Grubka and Simon kept the Thorns' Raso away and Sky Blue cleared. Nadim twice failed to get around Skroski and Rampone as she attacked the right side in the twenty-fourth minute. Simon then had a clearance when a ball came in from wide. Lytle mostly shut down Henry as Portland made an attack in the twenty-eighth minute. Shim went out wide to Raso in the twenty-ninth minute, and she crossed it around Simon toward Dagny Brynjarsdottir. She dummied it, and Nadim couldn't get there in time before it was cleared away by Sky Blue. In the twenty-ninth minute, Sky Blue struck back with Galton crossing for Zimmerman, who missed it under the pressure of Menges. Lytle picked it up on the other side, and Kai smashed it in past Betos to give Sky Blue a 1-0 lead. Rampone barely put it out for a corner kick after Nadim tried chasing down Weber's long ball in the thirty-first minute. Shim took the corner kick for the Thorns, going to Dagny, who didn't get anything. It came out to Berryhill, who chipped it in to Nadim, and she shot over the bar. Grubka got a block on Nadim's cross, surrendering a corner kick. The thirty-fourth minute service came from Nadim, and Rampone cleared. A foul was called, negating the play. Reynolds made a good stop against Galton in the thirty-sixth minute. Simon made a strong tackle on Raso in the thirty-eighth minute after a long ball by Berryhill. Nadim's corner kick for Portland went to Dagny in the thirty-ninth minute, as she headed it down to the bottom right corner of the goal, tying the game at 1. Stanley got collided with on the set piece and was hurt, and Caroline Casey had to replace her in goal for the remainder of the game. Rodriguez tried to make magic in the forty-fourth minute after a steal from Nadim, but it didn't last as she ran into traffic. Nadim and Raso did a give-and-go, with Nadim settling the return and shooting over the bar as she produced another dangerous chance in the forty-fourth minute. Much like the game started, stoppage time saw Rampone foul Nadim, and this time Sky Blue's Rampone took a yellow card for the foul. Reynolds nearly picked out Dagny on the free kick before Skroski could clear it. Rampone made a clean steal against Nadim right at the end of stoppage time. The game went into halftime tied 1-1. The best Sky Blue players have been LB Skroski, CB Rampone, DM Rodriguez, LW Galton, RW Lytle, and LF Kai. The top efforts from the Thorns have been GK Betos, RB Weber, CB Reynolds, DMs Henry and Dagny, ACM Shim, and striker Nadim. Kai burst around Weber and Dagny and crossed in, but Menges made the stop. Raso made a counterattack for Portland, and Simon cleared it out for a corner kick by Nadim in the forty-seventh minute. Rodriguez cleared it and Zimmerman pushed forward, until Dagny disrupted the play for the Thorns. Henry went out to Raso, and then Berryhill tried to send it in, but Grubka cleared away in the forty-ninth minute for Sky Blue. Skroski won a corner kick off Weber in the fiftieth minute, with service from Killion in to the mass of players. Menges cleared after a punch from Betos. Kai and Berryhill collided in the fifty-first minute, and Kai was down for awhile. Raso picked off a throw by Casey, but Raso's shot was high for Portland. Kai had returned but went down again and was subbed off for Sam Kerr. Grubka had to take Nadim down in the box after a pass from Boureille in the fifty-sixth minute. The Thorns corner kick came from Raso, and Nadim headed it off the crossbar. Grubka cleared out another through ball from Henry toward Nadim. Rodriguez blocked a shot from Raso after a drop from Shim in the fifty-ninth minute. Berryhill poked one away from Zimmerman after a Rodriguez pass. Sky Blue had a sixtieth minute flurry as Galton had a cross. Kerr, Rodriguez, Lytle, and Killion all had looks with many red Thorns jerseys in the way before Galton got a second chance, shooting wide left. Boureille had the pressure on both Galton plays. Simon fouled Raso from behind in the box, giving Portland a penalty kick. Nadim stepped up and buried the penalty kick to make it 2-1 for the Thorns. Casey went the right way but Nadim's shot was much better. Shim had the through ball to Raso. Boureille earned a corner kick off of Rampone in the sixty-fifth minute, and Shim's service was dropped by Casey in front of Reynolds, who pulled a quick shot off but Grubka blocked it. Weber took a yellow card in the sixty-sixth minute for a foul. Nadim served in to Henry, but the play was offside. Boureille lost control of the ball in the seventieth minute on a Thorns attack. Kerr tried a flip at the seventy minute mark, but Betos made the catch. Kerr flubbed a pass and Berryhill picked it off. Lytle's pass for Kerr was blocked out for a corner kick by Menges. Killion's service in the seventy-fifth minute went straight at Dagny, who cleared for Portland. Maya Hayes got a shot off for Sky Blue, but it went wide left. Weber saw a cross in the seventy-sixth minute blocked by Killion. In the seventy-eighth minute, Henry crossed to Nadim, but she headed it just wide left. Henry blocked a Rodriguez shot in the seventy-ninth minute as Sky Blue search for an equalizer. Menges blocked Killion's try to get to Hayes in the eightieth minute. Shade Pratt found Nadim, who nutmegged Simon and shot on goal, but Casey blocked it. Nadim rocked another shot in the eighty-first minute, but it went wide left and low. Boureille trued going through Rampone and Simon in the eighty-third minute, laying off for Nadim's shot going high and wide right. Kerr sent a shot just wide in the eighty-fifth minute after a chip from Rodriguez. Galton's pass for Hayes got picked off by Weber as the Thorns have had to take a defensive stance recently. Simon picked off a Nadim pass for Raso. Kerr got a cross into Rodriguez in the eighty-sixth minute, but Nadim came back to block it. Reynolds blocked a shot by Galton in the eighty-eighth minute. Lytle got a cross that dropped down from Kerr to Rodriguez, but Kerr was offside negating a shot by Rodriguez nearly on goal. Menges cleared a Killion offering into the box. There were seven minutes of stoppage time that Portland will try to weather. Galton and Hayes tried to work on the left wing, but Hayes got caught offside. Weber buckled under pressure but didn't break. Reynolds blocked a cross from Galton deep in stoppage time, as Portland has done well to limit the chances. Henry sent a rocket wide left. The game ended 2-1 for the Thorns, and the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match is Nadim for her goal and assist. Also impressing for the Thorns in the second half were the LW Raso and CB Menges. Sky Blue saw good efforts from DM Killion.
Outsider Sports NWSL Best XI - Week 11
GK Kelsey Wys
RB Christen Westphal
CB Yael Averbuch
CB Katherine Reynolds
LB Lauren Barnes
DCM Raquel Rodriguez
RW Dagny Brynjarsdottir (out of position)
LW Joanna Lohman
RF Nahomi Kawasumi
CF Nadia Nadim
LF Jessica McDonald
The Western New York Flash hosting the Chicago Red Stars. Michele Dalton and Katelyn Rowland are the keepers, both in part due to the absence of all the international and USWNT players for this month. There seemed to be a bit of a weather issue in Rochester, but you can find the game here for your viewing needs. The weather delay took over an hour. Chicago had a shot in the first minute, with Sofia Huerta putting it right across the face of goal. In the second minute, Makenzy Doniak tried a cross to McCall Zerboni, who headed it over the goal. In the fourth minute, the Flash's Abby Dahlkemper took a ball away from Vanessa DiBernardo. The Red Stars kept going with a shot by Alyssa Mautz from outside the box, forcing Rowland into a save. Alanna Kennedy tried to help defend on the play for Western New York. In the fifth minute, Amanda Da Costa struck the crossbar on a long-range shot. DiBernardo sailed another shot over the bar in the sixth minute. Chicago is really owning possession early on. Elizabeth Eddy saw a cross blocked away by Katie Naughton. Arin Gilliland also did some defense in the seventh minute. Lianne Sanderson's ninth minute cross for Western New York was sent away by Sam Johnson, and Chicago took over. Doniak sent a cross into McDonald for the Flash in the tenth minute, but Dalton punched it away. Zerboni also lost the punch to Danielle Colaprico. Meredith Speck went long for Lynn Williams in the twelfth minute, but Naughton got there first for the Red Stars. The Flash had a lot of pressure along the right wing with McDonald, Doniak, Abby Erceg, Dahlkemper, and Eddy all working on the ball. In the seventeenth minute, Gilliland broke up a pass from McDonald toward Zerboni. In the eighteenth minute, Zerboni put a ball in to Williams, and then dropped to Sanderson, who poked it wide right. Zerboni's moves around DiBernardo and Gilliland helped create the chance. DiBernardo had a cross blocked by Dahlkemper out to Chicago's Casey Short, who found Mautz, but she shot it wide right. Williams took a long ball from Kennedy in the twenty-first minute, going around Naughton and shooting, forcing Dalton into the save and Johnson cleared it out. McDonald's long throw in for Western New York went to Speck and was cleared by Da Costa and Mautz. McDonald had a couple more of these result in nothing. Naughton cleared the first one of those and Mautz did the second after McDonald served it in on a second effort. Williams charged Dalton in the twenty-third minute as the keeper tried to clear, and it bounced off of the Western New York striker and out of bounds. Dahlkemper had a free kick into the box in the twenty-sixth minute, finding Erceg but eventually cleared by Short. Zerboni also had a shot on the next Flash sequence, but it went wide. Eddy put a cross in for McDonald in the twenty-ninth minute, which was blocked on the header. Western New York earned a corner kick, and Dahlkemper came on to take it. Williams and Erceg both had chances, but the defense held, with Da Costa clearing the trouble. Short had to break up a Sanderson run in the thirtieth minute, as the Flash take a greater share of possession at this stage. Kennedy had a shot run wide left and long in the thirty-first minute. The crosses and long balls dried up a bit, as the game was contested in the midfield for awhile. In the thirty-seventh minute, Williams charged forward with the ball, passing out to Doniak, who then crossed to McDonald. Her header went off the post, and Sanderson struck the rebound into the goal for a 1-0 Western New York lead. Chicago had a good spot for a free kick, taken by DiBernardo in the thirty-ninth minute, and blocked by the wall. Sanderson and Williams had efforts blocked by Gilliland and Johnson in the fortieth minute as the Flash occupy the Red Stars box again. There was another lull for a bit after the goal. McDonald's long throw got cleared to Speck, who took a long and curling shot that Dalton caught safely. McDonald had a shot immediately following for the Flash, but Dalton caught that one too, with Naughton preventing her from going out wide. Huerta put the ball in for Jen Hoy in the forty-fourth minute, and Kennedy slid in to disrupt Hoy's shot, which went wide left as Rowland watched it out, marking the Red Stars best chance so far. The first half ended with Western New York ahead 1-0. The best players of the half for the Red Stars were RB Gilliland, CB Johnson, DM DiBernardo, RW Mautz, and LF Huerta. For the Flash, the best performances came from RB Eddy, CB Dahlkemper, RW Doniak, ACM Sanderson, LW Zerboni, and RF McDonald. Williams had the first cross for Western New York in the forty-seventh minute, going long and out of bounds. On the next foray forward, Williams took a pass from Zerboni and fired a shot off target. Zerboni broke up a through ball from Cara Walls, allowing Rowland to pick it up as Western New York takes over. Eddy crossed after a pass from Doniak, but Short was able to send it out for a corner kick. Dahlkemper took the set piece and served to Zerboni, who chipped it into McDonald, and she put it on top of the net. Eddy tried to go long for Sanderson in the fifty-first minute, but it ran into Dalton's arms. Gilliland, Mautz, and Short combined for a play, but Rowland eventually picked it up. On the counterattack, Sanderson's pass caught Williams in an offside position. Dahlkemper's free kick was partially blocked by Naughton, going out to Sanderson in the fifty-third minute. Eddy served back in, and then Mautz settled for a Red Stars attack. Mautz and Da Costa tried a combination that Kennedy sent away. Naughton shut down Williams as the Flash countered back in the fifty-fourth minute as the game goes into a back-and-forth spell. Eddy broke up a DiBernardo pass intended for Huerta. Sanderson went long for McDonald, who dove to head it on goal, and Dalton robbed her of a brilliant chance with an equally brilliant save. In the fifty-eighth minute, Doniak won a corner kick for the Flash. Dahlkemper served it in and Kennedy and McDonald worked to pop it up, where Dalton caught it above Williams. Short blocked a cross attempt by Taylor Smith, giving the Flash another corner kick chance in the sixty-second minute. Dahlkemper sent it to Sanderson, who got a weak shot off. Another corner kick a minute later saw Dahlkemper going to the middle, where it was sent out. Zerboni took a shot and Huerta blocked it. The Flash earned another corner kick in the sixty-fourth minute. Dahlkemper's attempt this time went to Erceg, who had her attempt saved off the line by Da Costa, and then another shot from a Western New York bounced off the post before being cleared out. Dahlkemper teed up another one in the sixty-fifth minute that Kennedy corralled. The ball worked back around to Dahlkemper, who crossed out of bounds, finally allowing Chicago to clear out. In the sixty-seventh minute, Johnson slid to surrender a corner kick to the Flash with Eddy pressuring. Dahlkemper continued the service from the near side, and Erceg headed it out wide left. Eddy stood up Huerta in the sixty-eighth minute as the Red Stars pressed forward. McDonald had a cross in the seventieth minute that Williams couldn't quite poke toward Dalton. Colaprico took a low shot for Chicago in the seventy-first minute, harmlessly grabbed by Rowland. Sanderson's long ball toward Smith got taken away by Johnson. McDonald did the long throw in for the Flash, down to Eddy, and McDonald crossed it but Gilliland cleared it away from Williams. Johnson continued to play well, breaking up Zerboni's pass fro McDonald in the seventy-fourth minute. McDonald took a ball from Sanderson out wide, and then crossed to Williams, who scored on a deflection off Dalton's hands after shooting around Naughton. The Flash lead 2-0, and are showing no signs of letting this game go. Chicago got a corner kick in the seventy-sixth minute, and DiBernardo went low for Gilliland, cleared by Kennedy. Gilliland had to defend against Smith as Western New York tried to counter. The Flash had a shot by Williams go over the bar in the seventy-eighth minute. Zerboni took a yellow card for her foul on Gilliland in the same minute. Huerta fired a shot that Rowland saved in the seventy-ninth minute. Sanderson fired a ball in for Williams, and she managed to get a corner kick after failing to control it. Dahlkemper served it in straight at Dalton. Mautz had a shot in the eighty-first minute, but Rowland was far enough out of the goal to block it, and the Flash didn't give up another on the play. Short took a shot in the eighty-second minute that Dahlkemper blocked after Erceg blocked a pass partially by DiBernardo. McDonald got a ball behind the back line, and Williams just poked it wide right. Naughton was a step behind Williams when she shot it. Gilliland had a cross for Chicago on the other side, but Rowland picked it out of the air. In the eighty-sixth minute, Williams ran down a ball and crossed to McDonald, who turned and shot around her defender, hitting the post. Erceg blocked a DiBernardo shot after Huerta's cross toward Gilliland went over the latter's head. Gilliland took a shot after Huerta found her in stoppage time, but Rowland was there once again. The game ended 2-0, and the RF McDonald was the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match. Improved in the second half were the Red Stars LB Short and the Flash's GK Rowland, DM Erceg, and LF Williams.
On Saturday, the first of three games saw the Washington Spirit welcome FC Kansas City. Nicole Barnhart and Kelsey Wys protect the nets. You can find the game here. Estefania Banini tried to find Katie Stengel in the third minute for Washington, but Yael Averbuch broke it up for Kansas City. In the fifth minute, Shea Groom tried to pick out Tiffany McCarty for the Blues, but the latter was offside. Katie Bowen took one away from Banini in the sixth minute as the Spirit forward made a rush forward. Brienne Reed and Alyssa Kleiner got tangled up evenly in the box, and it rolled out away from Reed of Kansas City got a Washington goal kick. Joanna Lohman made a good pass to Cali Farquharson, but Reed stole it away for the Blues. Stengel's tenth minute cross for the Spirit was cleared away by Averbuch. Bowen received a ball in space for Kansas City, and she tried to feed into Fran Silva, but she was caught offside. Caprice Dydasco had a cross into Lohman that got on to Stengel, but the Blues stood tall and Averbuch finished the clearance. Mandy Laddish of Kansas City beat Kleiner but couldn't make her cross get around Tori Huster in the thirteenth minute. McCarty earned a corner kick off Kleiner in the fourteenth minute. The service came from Erika Tymrak, who went for McCarty, and she headed it wide left but not by much. Lo'eau LaBonta had a chip into the box, which Wys grabbed easily to give the Spirit possession back. Stengel and Farquharson couldn't create a chance on the other end. In the seventeenth minute, McCarty's cross was blocked out by Kleiner for a corner kick. Tymrak's service went for McCarty again, but fell to Groom. She got a shot off through traffic, but Wys snagged it. Reed's kick for Groom was disrupted by Estelle Johnson, but Kansas City kept possession. Reed tried a cross that Megan Oyster blocked out to LaBonta, who then shot wide right. The Spirit got a corner kick thanks to Lohman's work in the twenty-first minute. Christine Nairn served it in for Lohman, who headed it on goal but Tymrak sent it out for the Blues. The Spirit retained possession for a bit. Nairn got the wrong side of the ball on her twenty-third minute shot for Washington. Stengel won a corner kick in the twenty-seventh minute for the Spirit, which Nairn served in and Reed headed out for another one. Nairn's service this time went to Lohman, who headed wide left with some disturbance by Oyster as the teammates crashed into each other a bit. Laddish, Groom, and Reed had a sequence of passes, but Reed's chip into the box went right at Wys. Countering, the Spirit went Lohman, Banini, and Farquharson before losing the ball to Averbuch and Barnhart. Banini and Stengel couldn't keep it alive in the box as Washington keeps attacking in the thirty-second minute. Averbuch again made a disruption. Kansas City broke out in the thirty-third minute through Silva, and Tymrak's pass went long to Wys. In the thirty-fourth minute, Nairn passed into Farquharson, who took a wide-open shot and sent it wide right. Groom escaped a tackle from the Spirit's Lohman in the thirty-fifth minute, and then shot over the bar. Silva tried to find McCarty, but Kleiner poked it away just in time to save Washington. Tymrak got fouled on a break, with Huster doing the dirty work, although no foul was called. Averbuch took the free kick for the Blues, and put it on goal but also right at Wys on the low shot in the thirty-eighth minute. Tymrak took a shot that Oyster blocked in the thirty-ninth minute as Kansas City has taken a bit more control. Lohman passed toward Kleiner, but Reed made a falling interception. The game calmed down near the end of the half, mostly with the battles in the midfield instead of crosses. Banini broke up a Blues attack by Tymrak and Laddish. Johnson took over when McCarty had a heavy touch in the forty-fifth minute, shepherding the game into halftime at a scoreless tie. For the Spirit, the GK Wys, CB Oyster, RW Nairn, and LW Lohman have played best, while the Blues have seen strong efforts from RB Reed, CB Averbuch, LB Bowen, DM Laddish, LW Tymrak, RW McCarty, and striker Groom. In the forty-seventh minute, Dydasco's cross went over Stengel and straight to Barnhart. Huster lost the ball to Bowen and Averbuch on her foray forward. Kansas City's McCarty was fouled by Kleiner, allowing Averbuch a fiftieth minute free kick in a decent spot. Averbuch's kick went too close to Wys, who caught it cleanly. Oyster took one away from Tymrak with the help of Dydasco as Washington holds strong defensively. Bowen split the defense to get a shot off, but she was heading away from goal and it curled to Wys in the fifty-first minute as the Blues continue strong play. Lohman had a shot on a pass from Stengel in the fifty-second minute, forcing Barnhart to dive for a save. Nairn's corner kick found Kleiner, who sent it out wide left, although it appeared to deflect off of Bowen. The announcers have voiced their dissent about the refereeing, and they're not completely wrong in this instance. McCarty took a pass from Laddish and crossed it into Silva, who headed it toward goal. Groom got a second header on it in front of Wys, but it went off the crossbar in the fifty-fourth minute. The Blues got a corner kick in the fifty-fifth minute, taken by Tymrak, who served in near Silva, but Wys caught it for the Spirit. Dydasco and Lohman broke up the run on the left wing from Bowen, who had no help centrally in the fifty-eighth minute. In the sixty-first minute, Tymrak tried to find McCarty, but it went too close to Wys. In the sixty-second minute, Nairn took a free kick for Washington, serving it into the box where Averbuch headed it clear. Dydasco and Francisca Ordega just missed a connection in the sixty-fourth minute for Washington. Tymrak took a shot from distance in the sixty-fourth minute, sending it just wide right on the dangerous chance. Lohman crossed toward Banini but Bowen got there first. A second effort in the sixty-fifth minute ended with Lohman shooting and Barnhart getting a save on the play after a Farquharson cross. Tymrak danced around Dydasco to take a shot in the sixty-eighth minute, but it was a bit too weak and didn't challenge Wys. Ordega had a cross in close to Nairn after a dummy, and Nairn mishit the shot, going weakly on goal for Barnhart to save it. McCarty and Kleiner battled hard in the seventy-first minute, ending with McCarty's third crossing attempt caught by Wys after a deflection by Farquharson. On the next Blues attack, Groom got in on a break straight at Wys, losing controlling and colliding with the keeper, which was a foul to end the play, although the ball would have dribbled wide anyway. Nairn tried a cross in the seventy-third minute, and it went too long for Lohman or Banini to corral. Ordega's through ball intended for Cheyna Williams ran long in the seventy-fifth minute. Averbuch blocked Ordega from turning to shoot after Kleiner's cross to her. Dydasco had a cross blocked by Reed in the seventy-seventh minute. Caroline Kastor broke up a Williams cross in, and the Spirit are producing a flurry of activity now. Groom played in Kastor for Kansas City in the seventy-eighth minute, but Oyster shut it down. Nairn had a cross into the box for Ordega in the seventy-ninth minute, who failed on her bicycle kick attempt. Lohman fell down on the second attempt after her shot, but this allowed Ordega enough time to get up and collect the ball, shooting to the left side of the goal and in behind Barnhart. Washington leads 1-0. In the eightieth minute, the Blues made their comeback attempt start with a Groom shot from wide, saved by Wys. Ordega got caught offside in the eighty-first minute, although Barnhart saved the invalid shot anyway. Groom couldn't get on a botched clearance by Dydasco, and Wys got there in time to save the Spirit. Washington had a corner kick thanks to Lohman's bounce off Averbuch, and the eighty-fifth minute Nairn crossed it in for Lohman, who flicked it to Ordega. It was blocked by LaBonta but fell to Huster, who absolutely roofed it and gave the Spirit a 2-0 lead. Huster then blocked a shot on the other side, as Tymrak's offering went wide left after Groom passed it to her. The Blues had their corner kick by Tymrak, who served it in the middle, where Wys punched it. Kastor had a second chance that went high. Johnson cleared a ball away from Groom as Oyster slowed her down. Lohman had a cheeky back heel and then received the ball back before feeding Williams, whose shot was hard but right at Barnhart, and then cleared out by Averbuch. Silva had a shot for Kansas City in stoppage time that went wide right. The Spirit did well after that to kill off the game, winning 2-0. The Outsider Sports Woman of the Match was LW Lohman, who had critical plays during both goals to create the opportunities, as well as numerous close chances. Also impressing for the Spirit were the DCM Huster and sub forward Ordega as well as RF Banini and LB Kleiner.
Next up, the Seattle Reign FC bring in the Boston Breakers. Jami Kranich and Haley Kopmeyer are the little known goalies. Here's the game. Kendall Fletcher broke up a Boston counterattack by picking off Stephanie McCaffrey's pass intended for Eunice Beckmann in the third minute. Kyah Simon tracked down McCaffrey's ball and crossed in to Beckmann, who turned it out wide right. Nahomi Kawasumi tried to find Manon Melis in the fourth minute for Seattle, but it went to Kassey Kallman of the Breakers. Kawasumi's sixth minute cross was sent out for a corner kick by Boston's Christen Westphal. The Reign saw the kick taken by Kawasumi, served into Fletcher who shot high after a deflection. Simon and Rachel Corsie of Seattle stumbled over each other, with Corsie called for a retaliatory foul, giving Boston a good free kick. In the ninth minute, Beckmann took the free kick and forced Kopmeyer into a save that she put out for a corner kick. The Breakers corner kick was cleared by Jess Fishlock. Kim Little led the counterattack and won a corner kick off Boston's Mollie Pathman. The eleventh minute service from Lauren Barnes went low and Westphal cleared back to Barnes, who got it to Keelin Winters. She tried a give-and-go with Fishlock, but Kranich covered it. Barnes and Corsie shut down a break by McCaffrey in the twelfth minute. Westphal stole the ball from Little in the thirteenth minute as Seattle gets quite a bit of possession right now. The Reign struck first with a goal in the fifteenth minute by Kawasumi as Melis cut a cross off Julie King, allowing Kawasumi to score under the pressure of two Breakers defenders. Seattle leads 1-0. In the eighteenth minute, Kallman fouled Kawasumi on the right wing as Elli Reed passed it up. The Seattle free kick allowed Kawasumi to serve it in low and Westphal cleared it. McCaffrey had a weak cross in the twenty-third minute, grabbed by Kopmeyer. Fishlock went long for Beverly Yanez in the twenty-fifth minute, but Kranich took it first. McCaffrey won a corner kick for the Breakers against Winters. Kopmeyer punched the service from Louise Schillgard away. Boston held possession with another corner kick after Fishlock put it out. Schillgard served it in where Fishlock cleared it to Simon, who shot off of Corsie and produced another corner kick. Schillgard came over to the other side for another corner kick, going toward Fishlock again, who helped with Fletcher to relieve pressure. Kopmeyer grabbed it and Seattle takes over. Yanez had a cross in the thirtieth minute blocked by Westphal after significant buildup by the Reign. Kawasumi's cross in the thirty-first minute was sent out by King, although the Reign maintained possession. Kawasumi put a cross into Yanez in the thirty-second minute, who flicked it on into the hands of the Boston keeper Kranich. Simon tried a cross in the thirty-fourth minute that Barnes got a back on to clear. Fletcher's ball intended for Little was kneed out by Kallman for a corner kick. Kawasumi served the ball in for Yanez, but Kallman got the clearance. Barnes blocked McCaffrey but surrendered a corner kick for Schillgard in the thirty-seventh minute. Her service went to Fishlock's head, who cleared it once again. Fishlock tried a shot that King blocked in the thirty-eighth minute, and Melis couldn't quite get on it for Seattle. In the thirty-ninth minute, Yanez tried to feed Melis, who fell but King received a yellow card as it appeared to be a trip. Seattle's Kawasumi did the free kick and sent it to Fletcher, who headed wide right. Fishlock saw her cross hit Melis but go wide in the forty-second minute. The Reign continue to hold the bulk of possession. Melis tried a cross in the forty-fourth minute toward Kawasumi, but it ran long and out of bounds. Little had a header hit the post in the forty-fourth minute after a Kawasumi cross. The game went into halftime with the Reign leading 1-0. Impressive for the Breakers are the RB Westphal, CB King, and RW McCaffrey, while the Reign's top players have been CB Fletcher, LB Barnes, DCM Winters, RW Fishlock, LW Little, RF Kawasumi, and CF Melis. The second half was a bit slow in developing, with not many forays into either box in the first five minutes. Fletcher guided a King free kick out of bounds in the fiftieth minute. Yanez had a cross blocked by King in the fifty-first minute, and Kawasumi couldn't get on to the end of another service. Kawasumi's next cross was knocked away by Boston's Angela Salem. King just shielded Little away from a Fishlock through ball, allowing Kranich to pick it up. Kawasumi's pass intended for Yanez ricocheted to Kranich in the fifty-fourth minute. Beckmann took a shot after McCaffrey, Salem, and Schillgard all got touches, and it deflected out for Schillgard's corner kick in the fifty-sixth minute, caught by Kopmeyer. Fletcher stole it away from Beckmann in the fifty-seventh minute, and Salem later got a shot that Kopmeyer saved. Kawasumi brought down a switching ball from Yanez, but she couldn't quite pick out Melis from the Breakers back line, and Kranich took the ball. Kawasumi shanked a shot after a give-and-go with Melis, and Kranich kept it in play despite it being off target. In the sixty-second minute, Kawasumi danced around at the top of the box and caught Kranich off her line, going down the middle for her second goal of the game to make it 2-0 Reign. She made Pathman look bad on the play with her juke. Simon crossed into the box in the sixty-third minute, and Kopmeyer dove to catch it. Reed made a brilliant tackle and steal against McCaffrey in the sixty-fourth minute. Reed went forward to Melis, but King did well to poke it away. Melis had a ball fall to her in the sixty-seventh minute, but her shot was blocked by Kranich after Barnes sent it across from the left side of the attacking formation. Fishlock went long for Melis in the sixty-eighth minute after stealing it from Breakers sub Brittany Ratcliffe. Melis and Kranich collided hard, and Melis took the worst of it while also being called for the foul. On the other end in the seventy-first minute, Ratcliffe shoved Fletcher into Kopmeyer, and this drew a yellow card for Ratcliffe. The game has taken a turn for the ugly side. In the seventy-third minute, Little got the ball in a dangerous space but King did just enough to stall Little long enough for Kranich to put it out for a corner kick on the save. Barnes served the corner kick in for Fletcher but the Reign couldn't hold possession as it rolled out. Winters made the initial pass to Little. In the seventy-seventh minute, Kawasumi was just caught offside even as she passed to Yanez, who would have scored had the flag not gone up. In the eightieth minute, Winters went long for Kawasumi, who was again offside. Little got the ball again in the eighty-second minute, and Kranich again stole it away from her feet after the midfielder got behind the defense. Simon took a very long shot in the eighty-second minute for the Breakers, but it soared well high and out for a goal kick. Reed shut down a nutmeg move McCaffrey tried in the eighty-sixth minute as the Reign are bunkering in now. Corsie and Lindsay Elston shut down Katie Schoepfer of of Boston after Schillgard made the steal. Fishlock unleashed a rip of a shot in stoppage time that Kranich had to punch down before catching on the bounce as Michelle Cruz made a few plays against the Breakers defense. The game ended at 2-0, with the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match being the RF Kawasumi. Also impressing in the second half for the Reign was RB Reed.
Finally, the Portland Thorns FC host Sky Blue FC. Caroline Stanley and Michelle Betos are the keepers for this game. You can find the game here.In the first minute, Portland's Mallory Weber sent a ball up to Nadia Nadim, where she was cut down by Christie Rampone of Sky Blue with no call. Catherine Zimmerman sent a cross in that Betos caught shakily and had bumped out by a Sky Blue player. Nadim flicked on a deep ball from Meleana Shim in the fifth minute, but Stanley made the grab for Sky Blue. Leah Galton had a cross blocked by Katherine Reynolds of the Thorns in the fifth minute as they are holding their own well. Erica Skroski threw in to Natasha Kai, who settled, turn, and shot right on goal at Betos in the seventh minute. Raquel Rodriguez finally stole the ball away from Shim after Nadim's pass. Galton had a cross land to Kai, and Betos just got in front of it in time in the ninth minute. Kai shook McKenzie Berryhill of Portland in coverage. Galton had another cross in the tenth minute, and Berryhill was in better position this time to clear it away as Sky Blue continues their heavy pressure. Skroski went over the top for Taylor Lytle in the eleventh minute, and Reynolds put it out for a corner kick. Sky Blue's service came from Sarah Killion and was punched out by Betos. Rodriguez had a good takeaway from Amandine Henry, but the Thorns took it right back, and Reynolds fed Nadim, who waited too long to shoot and had it grabbed by Stanley in the thirteenth minute. Berryhill tackled away from Zimmerman to break up another Sky Blue attack. Weber shoved Kai down in the box as a pass from Kristin Grubka came in during the sixteenth minute. Weber had a botched clearance for Portland in the eighteenth minute, which fell to Galton. She shot just wide and a bit high. Emily Menges did well to keep Lytle from a ball passed up by Galton. After a long passing sequence for Portland, Henry dribbled forward and fired a shot high in the twentieth minute. Rampone did well to disrupt Shim's pass for Hayley Raso in the twenty-first minute. Skroski just lost control after Menges botched a clearance straight to Galton. Celeste Boureille forced Skroski into the heavy touch out of bounds in the twenty-second minute. Boureille sent one up for Raso, but Grubka and Simon kept the Thorns' Raso away and Sky Blue cleared. Nadim twice failed to get around Skroski and Rampone as she attacked the right side in the twenty-fourth minute. Simon then had a clearance when a ball came in from wide. Lytle mostly shut down Henry as Portland made an attack in the twenty-eighth minute. Shim went out wide to Raso in the twenty-ninth minute, and she crossed it around Simon toward Dagny Brynjarsdottir. She dummied it, and Nadim couldn't get there in time before it was cleared away by Sky Blue. In the twenty-ninth minute, Sky Blue struck back with Galton crossing for Zimmerman, who missed it under the pressure of Menges. Lytle picked it up on the other side, and Kai smashed it in past Betos to give Sky Blue a 1-0 lead. Rampone barely put it out for a corner kick after Nadim tried chasing down Weber's long ball in the thirty-first minute. Shim took the corner kick for the Thorns, going to Dagny, who didn't get anything. It came out to Berryhill, who chipped it in to Nadim, and she shot over the bar. Grubka got a block on Nadim's cross, surrendering a corner kick. The thirty-fourth minute service came from Nadim, and Rampone cleared. A foul was called, negating the play. Reynolds made a good stop against Galton in the thirty-sixth minute. Simon made a strong tackle on Raso in the thirty-eighth minute after a long ball by Berryhill. Nadim's corner kick for Portland went to Dagny in the thirty-ninth minute, as she headed it down to the bottom right corner of the goal, tying the game at 1. Stanley got collided with on the set piece and was hurt, and Caroline Casey had to replace her in goal for the remainder of the game. Rodriguez tried to make magic in the forty-fourth minute after a steal from Nadim, but it didn't last as she ran into traffic. Nadim and Raso did a give-and-go, with Nadim settling the return and shooting over the bar as she produced another dangerous chance in the forty-fourth minute. Much like the game started, stoppage time saw Rampone foul Nadim, and this time Sky Blue's Rampone took a yellow card for the foul. Reynolds nearly picked out Dagny on the free kick before Skroski could clear it. Rampone made a clean steal against Nadim right at the end of stoppage time. The game went into halftime tied 1-1. The best Sky Blue players have been LB Skroski, CB Rampone, DM Rodriguez, LW Galton, RW Lytle, and LF Kai. The top efforts from the Thorns have been GK Betos, RB Weber, CB Reynolds, DMs Henry and Dagny, ACM Shim, and striker Nadim. Kai burst around Weber and Dagny and crossed in, but Menges made the stop. Raso made a counterattack for Portland, and Simon cleared it out for a corner kick by Nadim in the forty-seventh minute. Rodriguez cleared it and Zimmerman pushed forward, until Dagny disrupted the play for the Thorns. Henry went out to Raso, and then Berryhill tried to send it in, but Grubka cleared away in the forty-ninth minute for Sky Blue. Skroski won a corner kick off Weber in the fiftieth minute, with service from Killion in to the mass of players. Menges cleared after a punch from Betos. Kai and Berryhill collided in the fifty-first minute, and Kai was down for awhile. Raso picked off a throw by Casey, but Raso's shot was high for Portland. Kai had returned but went down again and was subbed off for Sam Kerr. Grubka had to take Nadim down in the box after a pass from Boureille in the fifty-sixth minute. The Thorns corner kick came from Raso, and Nadim headed it off the crossbar. Grubka cleared out another through ball from Henry toward Nadim. Rodriguez blocked a shot from Raso after a drop from Shim in the fifty-ninth minute. Berryhill poked one away from Zimmerman after a Rodriguez pass. Sky Blue had a sixtieth minute flurry as Galton had a cross. Kerr, Rodriguez, Lytle, and Killion all had looks with many red Thorns jerseys in the way before Galton got a second chance, shooting wide left. Boureille had the pressure on both Galton plays. Simon fouled Raso from behind in the box, giving Portland a penalty kick. Nadim stepped up and buried the penalty kick to make it 2-1 for the Thorns. Casey went the right way but Nadim's shot was much better. Shim had the through ball to Raso. Boureille earned a corner kick off of Rampone in the sixty-fifth minute, and Shim's service was dropped by Casey in front of Reynolds, who pulled a quick shot off but Grubka blocked it. Weber took a yellow card in the sixty-sixth minute for a foul. Nadim served in to Henry, but the play was offside. Boureille lost control of the ball in the seventieth minute on a Thorns attack. Kerr tried a flip at the seventy minute mark, but Betos made the catch. Kerr flubbed a pass and Berryhill picked it off. Lytle's pass for Kerr was blocked out for a corner kick by Menges. Killion's service in the seventy-fifth minute went straight at Dagny, who cleared for Portland. Maya Hayes got a shot off for Sky Blue, but it went wide left. Weber saw a cross in the seventy-sixth minute blocked by Killion. In the seventy-eighth minute, Henry crossed to Nadim, but she headed it just wide left. Henry blocked a Rodriguez shot in the seventy-ninth minute as Sky Blue search for an equalizer. Menges blocked Killion's try to get to Hayes in the eightieth minute. Shade Pratt found Nadim, who nutmegged Simon and shot on goal, but Casey blocked it. Nadim rocked another shot in the eighty-first minute, but it went wide left and low. Boureille trued going through Rampone and Simon in the eighty-third minute, laying off for Nadim's shot going high and wide right. Kerr sent a shot just wide in the eighty-fifth minute after a chip from Rodriguez. Galton's pass for Hayes got picked off by Weber as the Thorns have had to take a defensive stance recently. Simon picked off a Nadim pass for Raso. Kerr got a cross into Rodriguez in the eighty-sixth minute, but Nadim came back to block it. Reynolds blocked a shot by Galton in the eighty-eighth minute. Lytle got a cross that dropped down from Kerr to Rodriguez, but Kerr was offside negating a shot by Rodriguez nearly on goal. Menges cleared a Killion offering into the box. There were seven minutes of stoppage time that Portland will try to weather. Galton and Hayes tried to work on the left wing, but Hayes got caught offside. Weber buckled under pressure but didn't break. Reynolds blocked a cross from Galton deep in stoppage time, as Portland has done well to limit the chances. Henry sent a rocket wide left. The game ended 2-1 for the Thorns, and the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match is Nadim for her goal and assist. Also impressing for the Thorns in the second half were the LW Raso and CB Menges. Sky Blue saw good efforts from DM Killion.
Outsider Sports NWSL Best XI - Week 11
GK Kelsey Wys
RB Christen Westphal
CB Yael Averbuch
CB Katherine Reynolds
LB Lauren Barnes
DCM Raquel Rodriguez
RW Dagny Brynjarsdottir (out of position)
LW Joanna Lohman
RF Nahomi Kawasumi
CF Nadia Nadim
LF Jessica McDonald
Sunday, June 26, 2016
Major League Soccer 2016 - Week 16
There's eight games on Saturday and one more for Sunday, beginning with...
The Seattle Sounders FC hosting New York City FC. Josh Saunders and Stefan Frei are the gloved men. New York City led off in the thirty-eighth minute with a Frank Lampard goal, assisted by RJ Allen. In the forty-second minute, Thomas McNamara of New York City had a yellow card for his foul. New York City saw a yellow card for an Andoni Iraola foul in the seventy-fifth minute. New York City added on with a Ronald Matarrita goal in the eighty-seventh minute, set up by Mikey Lopez. The man of the match in the 2-0 game was Matarrita for his goal.
Out in DC, United welcomes the New England Revolution. Brad Knighton and Bill Hamid are in goal. DC opened with a twentieth minute Lamar Neagle goal, via Luciano Acosta. United saw Kofi Opare take a yellow card in the twenty-second minute for his foul. DC added on with a Sean Franklin goal in the twenty-seventh minute, courtesy of Neagle and Alvaro Saborio. United had yellow cards for fouls by Fabian Espindola in the fifty-seventh minute and Acosta in the sixty-seventh minute. The game ended 2-0, and Neagle was the man of the match with a goal and assist.
Along to Philadelphia, where the Union bring in the Vancouver Whitecaps FC. David Ousted and Andre Blake guard the woodwork. Philadelphia began in the fourteenth minute with a Ronald Alberg goal, via Sebastien Le Toux. Vancouver tied it on a nineteenth minute goal from Andrew Jacobson. Tranquillo Barnetta of the Union took a yellow card for a foul in the thirty-sixth minute. The Whitecaps took the lead with a forty-first minute goal by Kekuta Manneh, coming off of Pedro Morales. In the fifty-first minute, Manneh took a yellow card for his foul for Vancouver. The Whitecaps added on with an eighty-fourth minute Christian Bolanos goal, set up by Erik Hurtado. Philadelphia got one back with a Chris Pontius stoppage time goal. The man of the match was Bolanos for his late winner.
West to Columbus, as the Crew SC host the New York Red Bulls. Luis Robles and Steve Clark are the veterans in goal. New York had yellow cards for Connor Lade in the thirty-second minute, Alex Muyl in the thirty-third minute, and Sacha Kljestan in the thirty-ninth minute, the first two for fouls and the third for diving. The Red Bulls struck first in the fifty-second minute with a Bradley Wright-Phillips goal, guided in by Muyl and Dax McCarty. Tony Tchani of Columbus took a yellow card for a sixtieth minute foul. In the eighty-fifth minute, New York's Robles had a yellow card for time wasting. To make matters worse, the tactic ultimately failed, as the Crew tied it in stoppage time with an Ola Kamara goal, passed from Waylon Francis and Ethan Finlay. The game ended 1-1, and Kamara was the man of the match for salvaging a point.
Into Canada, as the Montreal Impact welcome Sporting Kansas City. Tim Melia and Evan Bush are between the posts. Montreal started in the sixteenth minute with a Lucas Ontivero goal, via Hassoun Camara and Didier Drogba. Kansas City tied it on a twenty-first minute Dominic Dwyer goal, fueled by Roger Espinoza. The Impact's Ontivero had a yellow card for a twenty-fourth minute foul. Sporting saw a yellow card for a thirty-eighth minute foul by Jimmy Medranda that led to Montreal taking the lead with an Ignacio Piatti penalty kick goal. Ambroise Oyongo of the Impact took a yellow card for his forty-third minute foul. Drogba of Montreal had a yellow card for a foul in the fifty-fifth minute. Dwyer retied it for Kansas City with his second goal of the game, assisted by Benny Feilhaber. The game ended in a 2-2 draw, with Dwyer the man of the match on his brace.
South to Florida, where Orlando City SC brings in Toronto FC. Clint Irwin and Joe Bendik man the nets. Orlando City was first to score in the fifth minute on a Cyle Larin goal, coming off of Kevin Molino and Adrian Winter. David Mateos of Orlando City had a yellow card for his foul in the thirty-second minute. Toronto tied it in the forty-seventh minute with a Jordan Hamilton goal, made possible by Jonathan Osorio and Justin Morrow. In the sixty-sixth minute, Osorio had a yellow card for his foul for Toronto. Irwin had to be subbed out with an injury in the seventieth minute, forcing Alex Bono into action. Orlando City retook the lead with a Winter goal, passed from Molino in the eighty-third minute. Toronto tied it with a Morrow goal in the ninetieth minute, thanks to Sebastian Giovinco and Osorio. The long delay from earlier led to a massive amount of stoppage time, and nine minutes in, Josh Williams of Toronto took a straight red card for his foul and abusive language. The foul was in the box, giving Orlando City a penalty kick, and in the one hundredth minute, Kaka converted the penalty kick, sending Orlando City to a 3-2 win. The man of the match was Molino for the two assists.
West to Texas, with FC Dallas hosting Real Salt Lake. Jeff Attinella and Chris Seitz are in the six-yard boxes. Dallas dented the scoreboard with a Kellyn Acosta goal in the nineteenth minute, via Michael Barrios and Mauro Diaz. Dallas had yellow cards given to Matt Hedges for a forty-ninth minute foul and Diaz for dissent in the fifty-first minute. Dallas added on with a fifty-eighth minute Fabian Castillo goal, set up by Diaz. Salt Lake's Omar Holness had a yellow card for an eighty-first minute foul. The game ended 2-0 for Dallas, with the man of the match being Diaz, who had a hand in both goals.
Saturday ends with the San Jose Earthquakes welcoming the Los Angeles Galaxy. Brian Rowe and David Bingham play goal. Los Angeles took a yellow card in first half stoppage time for a Jelle Van Damme foul. The Galaxy got going in the sixty-ninth minute on a Giovani dos Santos goal, passed from Steven Gerrard. dos Santos had a yellow card in the eighty-ninth minute for not retreating. San Jose made him pay as Chad Barrett scored in the ninetieth minute to tie the game, with the help of Shea Salinas. Ashley Cole had a yellow card for the Galaxy in stoppage time. He later had a straight red card for violent conduct a minute later. The game ended 1-1, with Barrett the man of the match.
On Sunday, the Portland Timbers brought in the Houston Dynamo. Tyler Deric and Jake Gleeson are the keepers. Houston drew first blood in the twenty-eighth minute on an Andrew Wenger goal, via Boniek Garcia. The Dynamo added on in the thirtieth minute as Will Bruin scored, thanks to Garcia. Houston's David Horst took a yellow card for a forty-second minute foul. At halftime, Joe Willis replaced Deric in goal. Portland got on the board in the sixty-fourth minute on a Lucas Melano goal, courtesy of Diego Valeri. In the eighty-second minute, the Timbers tied it on a Valeri penalty kick goal. Portland took the lead with a Valeri penalty kick goal in stoppage time. A minute later, Alex of the Dynamo had a yellow card for a foul. Two minutes after that, Fanendo Adi took a yellow card for his foul for the Timbers. Portland went on to win 3-2, with Valeri the man of the match for his brace and assist.
Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.
The Seattle Sounders FC hosting New York City FC. Josh Saunders and Stefan Frei are the gloved men. New York City led off in the thirty-eighth minute with a Frank Lampard goal, assisted by RJ Allen. In the forty-second minute, Thomas McNamara of New York City had a yellow card for his foul. New York City saw a yellow card for an Andoni Iraola foul in the seventy-fifth minute. New York City added on with a Ronald Matarrita goal in the eighty-seventh minute, set up by Mikey Lopez. The man of the match in the 2-0 game was Matarrita for his goal.
Out in DC, United welcomes the New England Revolution. Brad Knighton and Bill Hamid are in goal. DC opened with a twentieth minute Lamar Neagle goal, via Luciano Acosta. United saw Kofi Opare take a yellow card in the twenty-second minute for his foul. DC added on with a Sean Franklin goal in the twenty-seventh minute, courtesy of Neagle and Alvaro Saborio. United had yellow cards for fouls by Fabian Espindola in the fifty-seventh minute and Acosta in the sixty-seventh minute. The game ended 2-0, and Neagle was the man of the match with a goal and assist.
Along to Philadelphia, where the Union bring in the Vancouver Whitecaps FC. David Ousted and Andre Blake guard the woodwork. Philadelphia began in the fourteenth minute with a Ronald Alberg goal, via Sebastien Le Toux. Vancouver tied it on a nineteenth minute goal from Andrew Jacobson. Tranquillo Barnetta of the Union took a yellow card for a foul in the thirty-sixth minute. The Whitecaps took the lead with a forty-first minute goal by Kekuta Manneh, coming off of Pedro Morales. In the fifty-first minute, Manneh took a yellow card for his foul for Vancouver. The Whitecaps added on with an eighty-fourth minute Christian Bolanos goal, set up by Erik Hurtado. Philadelphia got one back with a Chris Pontius stoppage time goal. The man of the match was Bolanos for his late winner.
West to Columbus, as the Crew SC host the New York Red Bulls. Luis Robles and Steve Clark are the veterans in goal. New York had yellow cards for Connor Lade in the thirty-second minute, Alex Muyl in the thirty-third minute, and Sacha Kljestan in the thirty-ninth minute, the first two for fouls and the third for diving. The Red Bulls struck first in the fifty-second minute with a Bradley Wright-Phillips goal, guided in by Muyl and Dax McCarty. Tony Tchani of Columbus took a yellow card for a sixtieth minute foul. In the eighty-fifth minute, New York's Robles had a yellow card for time wasting. To make matters worse, the tactic ultimately failed, as the Crew tied it in stoppage time with an Ola Kamara goal, passed from Waylon Francis and Ethan Finlay. The game ended 1-1, and Kamara was the man of the match for salvaging a point.
Into Canada, as the Montreal Impact welcome Sporting Kansas City. Tim Melia and Evan Bush are between the posts. Montreal started in the sixteenth minute with a Lucas Ontivero goal, via Hassoun Camara and Didier Drogba. Kansas City tied it on a twenty-first minute Dominic Dwyer goal, fueled by Roger Espinoza. The Impact's Ontivero had a yellow card for a twenty-fourth minute foul. Sporting saw a yellow card for a thirty-eighth minute foul by Jimmy Medranda that led to Montreal taking the lead with an Ignacio Piatti penalty kick goal. Ambroise Oyongo of the Impact took a yellow card for his forty-third minute foul. Drogba of Montreal had a yellow card for a foul in the fifty-fifth minute. Dwyer retied it for Kansas City with his second goal of the game, assisted by Benny Feilhaber. The game ended in a 2-2 draw, with Dwyer the man of the match on his brace.
South to Florida, where Orlando City SC brings in Toronto FC. Clint Irwin and Joe Bendik man the nets. Orlando City was first to score in the fifth minute on a Cyle Larin goal, coming off of Kevin Molino and Adrian Winter. David Mateos of Orlando City had a yellow card for his foul in the thirty-second minute. Toronto tied it in the forty-seventh minute with a Jordan Hamilton goal, made possible by Jonathan Osorio and Justin Morrow. In the sixty-sixth minute, Osorio had a yellow card for his foul for Toronto. Irwin had to be subbed out with an injury in the seventieth minute, forcing Alex Bono into action. Orlando City retook the lead with a Winter goal, passed from Molino in the eighty-third minute. Toronto tied it with a Morrow goal in the ninetieth minute, thanks to Sebastian Giovinco and Osorio. The long delay from earlier led to a massive amount of stoppage time, and nine minutes in, Josh Williams of Toronto took a straight red card for his foul and abusive language. The foul was in the box, giving Orlando City a penalty kick, and in the one hundredth minute, Kaka converted the penalty kick, sending Orlando City to a 3-2 win. The man of the match was Molino for the two assists.
West to Texas, with FC Dallas hosting Real Salt Lake. Jeff Attinella and Chris Seitz are in the six-yard boxes. Dallas dented the scoreboard with a Kellyn Acosta goal in the nineteenth minute, via Michael Barrios and Mauro Diaz. Dallas had yellow cards given to Matt Hedges for a forty-ninth minute foul and Diaz for dissent in the fifty-first minute. Dallas added on with a fifty-eighth minute Fabian Castillo goal, set up by Diaz. Salt Lake's Omar Holness had a yellow card for an eighty-first minute foul. The game ended 2-0 for Dallas, with the man of the match being Diaz, who had a hand in both goals.
Saturday ends with the San Jose Earthquakes welcoming the Los Angeles Galaxy. Brian Rowe and David Bingham play goal. Los Angeles took a yellow card in first half stoppage time for a Jelle Van Damme foul. The Galaxy got going in the sixty-ninth minute on a Giovani dos Santos goal, passed from Steven Gerrard. dos Santos had a yellow card in the eighty-ninth minute for not retreating. San Jose made him pay as Chad Barrett scored in the ninetieth minute to tie the game, with the help of Shea Salinas. Ashley Cole had a yellow card for the Galaxy in stoppage time. He later had a straight red card for violent conduct a minute later. The game ended 1-1, with Barrett the man of the match.
On Sunday, the Portland Timbers brought in the Houston Dynamo. Tyler Deric and Jake Gleeson are the keepers. Houston drew first blood in the twenty-eighth minute on an Andrew Wenger goal, via Boniek Garcia. The Dynamo added on in the thirtieth minute as Will Bruin scored, thanks to Garcia. Houston's David Horst took a yellow card for a forty-second minute foul. At halftime, Joe Willis replaced Deric in goal. Portland got on the board in the sixty-fourth minute on a Lucas Melano goal, courtesy of Diego Valeri. In the eighty-second minute, the Timbers tied it on a Valeri penalty kick goal. Portland took the lead with a Valeri penalty kick goal in stoppage time. A minute later, Alex of the Dynamo had a yellow card for a foul. Two minutes after that, Fanendo Adi took a yellow card for his foul for the Timbers. Portland went on to win 3-2, with Valeri the man of the match for his brace and assist.
Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.
NWSL Week 10
After this week, we'll be halfway through the season. It's a rare six-game week, and we begin with single-game days, the first on Wednesday. We begin with...
The Portland Thorns FC hosting the Chicago Red Stars. Alyssa Naeher and Michelle Betos are the keepers. Watch the game at that link. The early part of the game saw some struggles in keeping possession and getting chances going. Katherine Reynolds had a cross in the fourth minute toward Christine Sinclair, but Sam Johnson stopped it for Chicago. Nadia Nadim went around Vanessa DiBernardo to keep the Thorns attacking, but her pass to Lindsey Horan ended in a handball as Casey Short harassed the Portland midfielder. Julie Johnston had an error in the box, taking a heavy touch tight into Sinclair's path, allowing the Thorns striker to strike for a goal in the sixth minute, leaving Naeher with no chance. Tobin Heath, while she didn't get an assist, helped pressure the Red Stars' Johnston into the mistake as Portland takes a 1-0 lead. Reynolds had a long cross in the seventh minute, broken up by Chicago's Alyssa Mautz. In the eighth minute, Heath earned a corner kick against Johnston, and Heath served it in to Emily Sonnett, who flicked it to Amandine Henry, who chipped it over the bar. Mautz did brilliantly on a Chicago counterattack, feeding Sofia Huerta and avoiding the offside Amanda Da Costa. Betos came way off her line, and Huerta beat her but the post got the last laugh to save the Thorns. Short tried a long ball in the tenth minute, but Betos was there. Mautz had a second attempt, but no one was on the end of it. Mautz and Da Costa combined to get the ball central to Christen Press, but she was out of position. Henry played the defense for the Thorns. Danielle Colaprico had a good takeaway from Sinclair in the thirteenth minute. Arin Gilliland's cross was cleared by Henry, and the next two efforts were cleaned up by Portland's Allie Long. Betos ended the Red Stars attack with a save on a Press shot. Mautz couldn't quite find Da Costa in the fifteenth minute, but Meghan Klingenberg got there first. Long fouled Huerta in a good spot for Chicago, and Colaprico served it into Mautz, who put it well over the bar. In the eighteenth minute, Sonnett took a free kick and found Horan, who headed wide left. Henry broke up a rush by Da Costa on the counterattack as Chicago has taken a good share of possession after falling behind. Reynolds had a cross toward Horan that didn't work out, all after Sinclair outran Johnston the Red Stars to get the ball for Portland. Da Costa had a half hit, and when Sonnett miscleared off a teammate, Press fired just wide in the twenty-second minute as Chicago continues to swarm. Johnston fouled Sinclair, and Nadim took the ball from there, getting a long shot to go wide right in the twenty-fifth minute, although a corner was earned. Heath took the kick to Henry, who flicked on to Nadim for a shocking goal to put Portland up 2-0 in the twenty-sixth minute. Nadim's positioning left Naeher no chance again. Henry took the ball away from Press in the Portland box in the twenty-ninth minute, allowing Sonnett to clear away. Colaprico kept it for the Red Stars, and passed to Huerta, who chipped a shot just wide right, sending Betos diving. Mautz ran over Klingenberg to keep the ball with Chicago, and then a cross found Betos' hands in the thirtieth minute. Long blocked a DiBernardo shot, and then Press whiffed on a Colaprico through ball. Heath went by Gilliland, Johnston, and Mautz before passing to Henry, who shot high from distance in the thirty-third minute. Nadim tried to pick out Heath, but Johnston intercepted the pass from the Thorns. Heath blocked a shot by the Red Stars' Press in the thirty-fourth minute, and then Mautz shot wide right after a popped up header by Sonnett. Henry went long to Nadim in the thirty-fifth minute, allowing Nadim to win a corner kick off of Short. Heath's service went toward Sonnett, who put it just over the bar. Heath went straight around Gilliland but couldn't get past Naeher, who blocked it to a teammate and returned Chicago to possession. A good spell of Portland possession ended with Gilliland winning the ball from Klingenberg. On the other side in the forty-fifth minute, Gilliland had a cross against Klingenberg, but Betos was the first one there, giving the Thorns the ball again. Press had a knockdown to give Huerta another shot at the end of the half, which went wide left. The Thorns have a 2-0 lead, and have seen great efforts from RB Reynolds, CB Sonnett, DM Henry, RW Nadim, ACM Horan, and striker Sinclair. The Red Stars have had good performances from RB Gilliland, DM Colaprico, RW Mautz, LW Da Costa, LF Press, and RF Huerta. In the forty-sixth minute, Short fired a decent shot low but wide left, with Betos covering it to prevent a Chicago rebound. Long prevented Da Costa from getting a cross off as the Red Stars have come out strong in the second half. Short tried a cross into Mautz in the forty-ninth minute, but it was long and Mautz had no angle on it. The Thorns tried to make a break, but Horan lost the ball to Colaprico. Chicago had a fifty-first minute free kick from Colaprico, and the onrushing Johnston collided brutally with the Thorns keeper Betos as the latter punched it out. Johnston proved to be okay after taking the worst of it. Johnson had a strange cleared for the Red Stars, and ended up gifting Portland a corner kick. Heath's service went away from any Thorns, and Johnston sent it away for Chicago. In the fifty-sixth minute, Horan and Colaprico crashed into each other, and it was Chicago's Colaprico who stayed down a bit before getting up. The game has taken a physical turn. Short couldn't quite get around Reynolds in the fifty-seventh minute as the Red Stars keep pushing well. Horan nutmegged Press, and then Press fouled Henry in a bold move for the Thorns in the midfield. Horan took a heavy touch that Johnston poked away. Sinclair touched around Johnston in the sixtieth minute and then fired, skimming the top of the net on her shot as the Thorns couldn't quite make it three. Heath went against Johnston after a Sinclair pass, and Johnston got the better of it to halt the Portland attack. Huerta and Emily Menges of Portland had a good battle in the sixty-fourth minute, with Menges eventually winning the ball for the Thorns. Klingenberg found Long in the sixty-fifth minute, but Johnston recovered after her misplay to take it back for Chicago. Heath had a shot for the Thorns in the sixty-sixth minute after Nadim laid it off from a Reynolds cross. It took Klingenberg and Menges to stop fancy footwork from Gilliland before Betos got to the ball in the sixty-seventh minute. Klingenberg cleaned up Short's cross in the sixty-eighth minute, giving the Red Stars a corner kick. DiBernardo's service went long and was cleared out by Horan, and then Horan cleared a Press effort too. Heath earned a corner kick off Huerta in the seventy-first minute, and took it short to Klingenberg. Dagny Brynjarsdottir had the cross, and it found Long, who was then fouled by Jen Hoy of Chicago. The Thorns saw Heath take the free kick in a good spot, and put it well over the bar. In the seventy-fifth minute, the Red Stars got a free kick after Reynolds fouled Short on the left wing side of the box. DiBernardo did the free kick, and Horan got to the service and then Betos caught it in the mob. Heath shoved Huerta down in the seventy-seventh minute, teeing up another Chicago free kick. Sonnett got on the end of the DiBernardo service. DiBernardo earned a corner kick and took it after Klingenberg's mess up. Press put it into the box from up high, and Betos got there just before Short as the Red Stars flurry of activity continues. Press had a good cross in the seventy-ninth minute, but Klingenberg got it out of danger for the Thorns. Colaprico continued with a shot low and wide right at the seventy-nine minute mark. Menges outran Hoy to limit Chicago to a corner kick in the eighty-first minute. Betos punched it out very cleanly after DiBernardo served it in. In the eighty-third minute, DiBernardo did another corner kick after Hoy earned it, and this one landed on top of the net. Gilliland and Huerta combined for a play, but Menges and Klingenberg were up to task. Sonnett sent out a Press pass intended for Hoy. Johnston tried to pick out Hoy in the eighty-eighth minute, but the through ball went long to Betos as the Thorns continue to weather the attacks. On the counterattack, Portland's Long found Hayley Raso, and just a poke from Chicago's Katie Naughton prevented a shot. The Thorns took the corner kick short to stay deep in the attacking zone as they try to kill the clock. Raso eventually crossed to Dagny, who just missed getting a shot off. DiBernardo went long to Press, and Sonnett shielded Press, but she still managed a half-chance with Betos blocking it. Gilliland had a cross in stoppage time, which Betos caught cleanly, neutralizing another Red Stars attack. Raso went around Gilliland on a Thorns attack, and then found Mallory Weber, who just flubbed the shot wide right with Naeher way out of position. Press made a deep run but ended with a weak and wide shot, and this left the game at 2-0 for the Thorns. The Outsider Sports Woman of the Match is Horan, who didn't have a hand in either goal, but played well on both sides of the ball and helped shut the game down. Improving in the second half for the Thorns were GK Betos and LW Heath, while the Red Stars had CB Johnston and LB Short also look much better.
Thursday saw the Orlando Pride welcome the Houston Dash. Lydia Williams and Ashlyn Harris protect the nets. Here's the game. Orlando's Kristen Edmonds looped a ball into Alex Morgan in the second minute, but she headed it out of bounds wide left. Jamia Fields got a good ball into Morgan, who tried to cross back to Sam Witteman, but Ellie Brush blocked it for Houston in the third minute. The Dash tried a counterattack that saw Kealia Ohai pass to Rachel Daly, but in an offside position. Morgan Brian then had to make a block on Fields in the fourth minute. Brian tried to find Daly for Houston in the sixth minute, but Toni Pressley made the stop. Daly then served in off a pass from Ohai, and Denise O'Sullivan headed it over the bar. Josee Belanger broke up a pass from Becca Moros in the eighth minute, and then Houston was offside again as O'Sullivan was caught on a Cari Roccaro pass. Chioma Ubogagu's cross went long, cleared by the Pride's Steph Catley. Houston has had the bulk of possession so far. Fields set up Morgan for a tough-angle shot, and Morgan put it over the bar for Orlando. The Pride had a massive play, with Fields finding Maddy Evans, then Belanger crossing into Morgan, who headed high in the twelfth minute. Witteman had tracked the ball down to make this happen. Fields had a cross in toward Witteman, who nearly found it, but fouled the Dash's Poliana in the process to turn possession over. Ubogagu got stolen from by Belanger of the Pride after running into trouble in the seventeenth minute. Edmonds took a shot on goal that Williams stopped on the next Orlando foray forward. Ohai crossed into Daly, but the latter Houston forward couldn't control it. Brush went with a long through ball, but it was just too long for Ubogagu to get to, and Harris scooped it up for the Pride. Witteman had a good steal for Orlando against Ohai in the twenty-fourth minute. Catley took a pass from Pressley, and then found Morgan in the box, but Poliana did a wonderful job of shielding the Pride forward off the ball to allow Moros to clean it up. Daly passed to Ubogagu in the box, but she shot wide right in the twenty-seventh minute for Houston. Roccaro slipped a pass in to Daly in the box in the twenty-eighth minute, and Daly's shot for the Dash forced Harris into a save. Ohai then crossed in, but Harris came up with it again. Moros blocked a Fields attempt to cross in the thirtieth minute. Pressley did well to kill a Houston counterattack by intercepting O'Sullivan's pass. In the thirty-first minute, the first water break of the year was taken in game #46. Ohai tried a cross into Ubogagu in the thirty-fourth minute, but it was long and Ubogagu shot wide left. Witteman had a cross after a pass from Morgan, but Roccaro cleared it. Edmonds had a cross into Morgan for a second try for the Pride, and then Williams caught it to give Houston control. Poliana took a shot that Pressley deflected out for a corner kick in the thirty-sixth minute. The Dash's corner kick came from Andressa, who served in to Brian, who headed it high over the bar. Ubogagu had a poor cross after Daly passed it wide, and Belanger cleaned it up for the Pride in the thirty-seventh minute. Brian had a cross in the fortieth minute intercepted by Catley. Ubogagu had a cross, where Daly whiffed and then O'Sullivan hammered a shot off of Pressley, bouncing harmlessly into Harris' hand after a few bounces. Edmonds crossed on an Orlando counterattack, punched out by Williams and then poked out on the second attempt by Fields. Belanger and Fields strung passes together before Morgan nearly had a chance, but it was sent out for a Pride corner kick. Catley served it in short and the play didn't work. Moros made a good breakup on a Morgan pass for Fields. Ubogagu tried to find Daly in the box, but Catley was there just in time to save Orlando. Ohai had a bit of a weak cross on the second effort, caught by Harris. The game went into halftime tied 0-0. The best Dash players have been RB Poliana, RW Brian, LW O'Sullivan, and RF Ohai, and CF Daly, while the Pride's best play has come from GK Harris, LB Catley, RB Belanger, DCM Edwards, RW Evans, RF Fields, CF Morgan, and LF Witteman. Morgan had a forty-seventh minute shot off of a through ball by Pressley, challenging against Roccaro. Edmonds worked around Moros, but the Pride midfielder's cross went straight at Williams as she tried to put it across goal. Evans had a cross in, half-cleared by Moros, and then Fields just missed on the juicy leave. Poliana had a huge cross for Houston in the fiftieth minute, but O'Sullivan struck the right side netting on the outside of the goal. Andressa crossed the free kick to Poliana, but Pressley hit it out for a corner kick. Andressa had the corner kick, into Brian, who shot wide right. Ohai passed to Andressa in the fifty-fifth minute, and after a few steps, she shot, with Harris two-handing it over the bar. Andressa's corner kick was punched out by Harris, and then Poliana took a shot off Pressley for another corner kick. Andressa tried from the other side, crossing in out of bounds after Ohai took the corner kick short. Ohai found Daly in the box, but Pressley blocked the effort, and Ohai ran over it in the fifty-seventh minute. Daly had another shot against Pressley, going just wide right as Harris held the post. Fields took a shot on a pass from Morgan against Roccaro, who blocked it enough for Williams to grab it. In the sixty-second minute, Catley had a good cross for the Pride, but Williams dove onto it. The game has gotten stuck in the midfield a bit lately. Ohai tried to cross into Daly after a Brian long ball, but Laura Alleway broke up the pass for the Pride. Ubogagu's cross was blocked by Belanger in the sixty-sixth minute. Brian then tried a cross for the Dash, between Daly and O'Sullivan. On the counterattack, a foul by Poliana drew a yellow card as Witteman went down. Fields had a cross blocked by Roccaro. Edmonds had a good cross in to Morgan, who just missed settling it. Poliana had the clear for the Dash. Brush blocked another one away from Morgan in the seventy-third minute as Orlando has taken control. In the seventy-fourth minute, Brush fouled Morgan from behind, earning a yellow card. In the seventy-fifth minute, Edmonds drilled a long shot, forcing Williams into a big diving save. Jasmyne Spencer earned Orlando a corner kick off of Brush. Edmonds took it and crossed in toward Monica, but it was cleared out by the Dash. Cami Privett took a cross in the seventy-seventh minute, grabbed by Harris. Witteman blocked off Daly just after that, and then drew the foul for an Orlando free kick. Spencer tried to get behind the defense, but Roccaro broke it up as things open up late in the game. Daly took a long ball down and then passed to Ohai after Witteman tracked Daly down. Ohai shot high. Andressa broke up a Morgan pass intended for Spencer after Brush and Roccaro covered Morgan in the eightieth minute. Daly had a cross in the eighty-third minute, going right at Harris. Houston had a massive sequence, with Daly's shot blocked by Witteman, Poliana passing to Privett, who missed, and then Moros headed wide, and it went out to bail Harris and the Pride out. Evans tried to find Sarah Hagen in the eighty-sixth minute, but she couldn't turn and shoot for Orlando. In the eighty-eighth minute, Stephanie Ochs took a free kick for the Dash after Ochs was fouled by Catley. Morgan made a huge run in open field, shooting ahead of Moros and saved by Williams as Houston got off easy. Spencer received a ball in the ninetieth minute, running around Poliana but shot high over the bar. Houston had four more chances, two from Ochs, one from Daly on a bicycle kick, and one from Poliana, with Harris making multiple saves. The Pride got a late dagger, as Spencer buried a pass from Hagen, with Fields and Morgan getting chances in on the play as well. This gave Orlando the 1-0 win. The Outsider Sports Woman of the Match was Fields, for helping key the play for the late winner. Also impressing for the Pride were the LW Edmonds and LF sub Spencer, while the Dash saw good play from DCM Andressa.
On Friday, the Western New York Flash bring in the Boston Breakers. Jami Kranich and Katelyn Rowland are the backups in goal. Watch the game at that link. Kyah Simon had a shot in the first minute for Boston, blocked by Western New York's Elizabeth Eddy. Euncie Beckmann earned the Breakers a corner kick in the second minute after a Whitney Engen free kick. Louise Schillgard served it in near Beckmann, but Rowland caught it in time. Engen stole away from Jessica McDonald in the box as the Flash miss an opportunity to start their attack. Lynn Williams took a shot after Engen missed her clearing effort, but it went off the right post and then rolled out wide of the left post in the fifth minute. Engen knocked out a McDonald long throw, giving Western New York a corner kick. Abby Dahlkemper's service was cleared by Julie King in the eighth minute. McDonald had a second effort, and Kranich dealt with it for Boston. Christen Westphal took McCall Zerboni down hard, giving the Flash a free kick in their offensive third, but they made nothing of it. Possession has favored the Flash early on. Stephanie Verdoia also fouled Zerboni in the twelfth minute, with a more dangerous Western New York free kick. Dahlkemper put it in for Samantha Mewis, but the play didn't work out as planned, and Boston managed to clear it. Alanna Kennedy managed to clear under the pressure of Brittany Ratcliffe in the fifteenth minute. The Breakers kept it in with Beckmann, Simon, and then Verdoia put a shot on goal. On the counterattack, McDonald passed to Williams, but it was intercepted by Engen with Kranich out of position. Makenzy Doniak then tried a shot but it went wide in the seventeenth minute, as Western New York isn't quite sharp yet. In the nineteenth minute, Eddy stole it from Kassey Kallman, feeding Doniak, and then going long for Williams, who ran around the backtracking Engen to shoot it over Kranich's arm, giving Western New York a 1-0 lead. Beckmann had the ball in the Flash box on a pass from Ratcliffe, but Eddy slowed her down long enough to get Rowland onto the ball. Zerboni tried to cross in the twenty-first minute, but she couldn't get a foot on it for Western New York. Simon of the Breakers got hurt challenging Eddy, and had to come off temporarily in the twenty-fourth minute. Eddy tried a long cross for Western New York, and Zerboni nearly got a shot off anyway in the twenty-fifth minute, keeping the Breakers in their own half. Engen blocked a shot by Williams after a wonderful cross from Doniak, and a prior pass from Eddy. In the twenty-seventh minute, Eddy won a corner kick off of Kallman, who is getting really burned tonight. Jaelene Hinkle took the corner kick, low, and two Flash players missed it before Salem cleared it. Zerboni broke it up with a steal from Ratcliffe. Doniak passed to McDonald as Western New York countered back, but missed. In the twenty-eighth minute, McDonald struck with a goal on a pass from Mewis after Hinkle served it back in for the Flash. It's now 2-0 for Western New York. Schillgard had a free kick go near Beckmann in the thirty-first minute, but the Breakers couldn't manage a shot. Schillgard then fouled Zerboni to neuter the Western New York counterattack. Schillgard took a cross in the thirty-third minute for Boston, which Simon headed wide left. Williams crossed in toward McDonald in the thirty-fourth minute, heading high as the forwards continue to be dangerous. In the thirty-fifth minute, Kennedy fouled Verdoia, and Kennedy took a yellow card for it. Boston's free kick was in a dangerous spot, and taken by Schillgard, forcing Rowland to dive and send it out for a Breakers corner kick. King shot wide left after service from Schillgard. Boston got on the board with a thirty-eighth minute goal by Westphal from distance, on the shot-cross that drifted over Rowland and into the net, making Zerboni look bad with the deke by Westphal, cutting the score to 2-1. Western New York shot right back as Williams scored in the thirty-ninth minute, just flicking the cross from McDonald into the upper left corner. Zerboni was the one passing into McDonald on the win. Doniak had a cross in the forty-first minute that Westphal cleared out after Doniak danced around Simon, who is bandaged but playing on. Eddy crossed in to Zerboni, but just missed a shot, after Williams and Mewis strung passes together. Beckmann had a lay off for Ratcliffe, but she was just ahead of the play. Doniak, Mewis, and Eddy combined for an amazing set of passes before Eddy crossed to McDonald on the far post to head it back into the back of the net for a 4-1 lead for the Flash. The goal came in the forty-third minute. Doniak and Abby Erceg cleared for the Flash as the Breakers finally settled a bit late in the half. Hinkle's stoppage time cross toward McDonald was barely taken away by Engen. Doniak's cross was deflected by Kallman, but Kranich beat McDonald to the ball in the box. In stoppage time, Mewis found Doniak on a through ball, and Doniak shot it in easily around Kranich. Doniak went right between Kallman and Engen for the goal. The game went into halftime at 5-1 for the Flash. Impressing for the Breakers are virtually no one, but the RB Westphal and CF Beckmann have been the best so far. For the Flash, the top players are RB Eddy, CB Dahlkemper, DM Mewis, RW Doniak, LW Zerboni, and forwards McDonald and Williams. Western New York's McDonald fed Williams, who then passed to Mewis in the forty-eighth minute, but Mewis shot high with Kallman in defense for Boston. The Flash scored as Dahlkemper went long to Hinkle, who crossed in to an onrushing McDonald, who scored just in front of Engen to make it 6-1. This completed the hat trick for McDonald, her third goal of the evening. Erceg had a long ball in the fifty-first minute, but Kranich got there just before Williams to clear it, as the Breakers can't stop the counterattacks and build-up play of Western New York. In the fifty-second minute, Beckmann tried a long shot that went way over the goal. Williams danced around King before a long shot in the fifty-third minute, saved by Kranich (an uncommon phrase tonight). Engen took one away from the Flash with an interception of Zerboni's pass to McDonald. Schillgard couldn't find Beckmann in the fifty-fifth minute, as Hinkle shielded the ball out. Things slowed down a bit, as the result is practically certain, with only the number of goals left to be determined. Schillgard had a weak cross grabbed by Rowland in the fifty-eighth minute. A McDonald long throw in the fifty-ninth minute was cleared by King. In the sixtieth minute, Zerboni took a yellow card for a foul on Beckmann, although Beckmann was the aggressor on the play. Western New York made it 7-1 on a sixty-third minute Taylor Smith goal on a give-and-go from Williams. Smith made the initial steal to get the play going, and the Flash are on fire in this one. Mewis blocked an Elisa Krieghoff cross, and sprung Adriana Leon, who was only stopped by a diving Kranich on a rush toward goal. Smith had a through ball for Leon, but the forward fouled King and gave the Breakers the ball in the sixty-sixth minute. Engen's free kick found Kallman, but she turned and shot wide left in the sixty-seventh minute, as Boston is struggling badly. The Flash had a corner kick in the sixty-ninth minute, taken by Hinkle and punched out by Kranich. Dahlkemper handled the near-side corner kick, crossing toward McDonald, who had a header and a shot blocked before the Breakers cleared. Smith made Mollie Pathman look bad, earning another Western New York corner kick. Hinkle's service went toward McDonald but cleared by King. Zerboni tried a cross that Westphal blocked out, but Smith got a shot off, and it went high over the bar in the seventy-first minute. Westphal managed to get around Zerboni, but her cross was blocked away by Mewis. Leon and Kallman had a collision in the seventy-fourth minute, and both players were down for a short time. Mewis took a long ball toward Kristen Hamilton, but Kallman cleaned it up just in time for Boston. Pathman found Simon with a cross in the seventy-seventh minute, but the forward took a poor shot after beating Kennedy with position, and Kennedy blocked it away. Leon took a shot high in the seventy-ninth minute after a pass from Mewis. Hinkle had a cross cleared away by Engen in the eighty-first minute. A Schillgard foul led to a free kick for the Flash in the eighty-second minute, taken by Dahlkemper and shot wide left on a rocket shot. Pathman had to put one out for a corner kick against Eddy. Hinkle did the service, sending it into the box and knocked out by Rachel Wood for a corner kick on the other side. Dahlkemper's service went to Kennedy across goal, and then Leon had a volley try go just wide right off of Kennedy's return into the six-yard box. In the eighty-fifth minute, Boston had another defensive breakdown, allowing Zerboni to make a steal and take a long shot just barely off target. Schillgard's eighty-sixth minute cross was deflected by Erceg and grabbed safely by Rowland. On the Flash counterattack, Hinkle got a low cross in, but no one was there to shoot on it. Leon had a decent cross on a give-and-go with Mewis, but Mewis couldn't get a good shot off in the eighty-ninth minute. King did enough to break it up. The game was ended mercifully without stoppage time, ending 7-1 for Western New York. McDonald is your Outsider Sports Woman of the Match. For the Breakers, the DM Salem could be considered strong for being most invisible, instead of being the cause of the problems. For the Flash, DM Erceg and LB Hinkle looked good in the second half as well in a punishing and dominant performance.
On Saturday, the Washington Spirit hosted Sky Blue FC in the first of two games. Caroline Stanley and Stephanie Labbe guard the woodwork. Here's the game. Estefania Banini tried to go long in the second minute, but it was too long for Crystal Dunn as Washington starts off alright. Diana Matheson and Banini tried a similar thing with a similar result. Kelley O'Hara had a cross for Sky Blue go over Natasha Kai's head and out of bounds. Matheson tried to pick out Francisca Ordega in the seventh minute, but the Spirit lost control to Sky Blue's Christie Rampone. Another Spirit attack saw Dunn shoot low, forcing Stanley to make the save. In the eighth minute, Sky Blue started the scoring with Leah Galton tracking the ball down on the left flank and then passing back to Raquel Rodriguez, who fired a laser into the top corner for the goal to make it 1-0. Rodriguez had acres of space to shoot, with Tori Huster the closest defender. Dunn tried to find Matheson but Erica Skroski got in the way and Washington had to regroup for a more patient attack. Erin Simon's thirteenth minute cross for Sky Blue was intercepted by Megan Oyster. Ali Krieger found Ordega in the fourteenth minute, and the latter was fouled by Sky Blue's Erin Simon, giving the Spirit a good free kick. Christine Nairn took the free kick, serving into the box but cleared out by Rampone. Shelina Zadorsky killed the counterattack by breaking up the outlet pass toward Galton. Skroski made a good steal of an Alyssa Kleiner pass toward Dunn in the seventeenth minute. Nairn managed to keep a Washington attack alive by going around Sarah Killion, only to take a heavy touch and lose it out for a goal kick. Kleiner had a nice cross in the eighteenth minute, but Simon sent it out after Banini couldn't get to it, proving a sturdy defensive play for Sky Blue. Kai couldn't get a ball to O'Hara in the twentieth minute for Sky Blue, with Labbe grabbing it first. Taylor Lytle passed to O'Hara at the top of the box in the twenty-first minute, but Oyster blocked and cleared. The Spirit had a counterattack through Dunn, who found Banini, and she took a shot herself, going high as the Spirit were pretty close to equalizing. Lytle had a bad pass picked off by Zadorsky, but Dunn turned it right back over shortly after. Galton and O'Hara almost had a give-and-go, but O'Hara's return went too close to Labbe. Rampone did a good job to block off Ordega from a pass by Krieger in the twenty-fifth minute. Dunn did well against Skroski and Kristin Grubka, then passing to Matheson and Banini, who lost it to Rampone as Sky Blue held up in the twenty-eighth minute. Dunn had another foray forward, getting around Rampone but not Simon. Galton had a cross run long, but O'Hara crossed it back in for Sky Blue, and Kai tried a diving header that Labbe was in great position to make the save on in the thirty-first minute. Galton had a good cross that Labbe punched out in the thirty-fourth minute, and then Oyster finished the clearance before Lytle could get there. Kai had a shot on the next Sky Blue attack, but it was a bit weak and Labbe had no trouble making the stop. Dunn had two attempts in the thirty-fifth minute, a cross broken up by Simon and a shot blocked by Grubka. Washington held more possession, with Krieger's cross blocked by Grubka, and then Galton countered briefly. Dunn found Banini after Sky Blue had a turnover, but the shot by Banini went high with Skroski pressuring. Kai tried a passed in the forty-first minute that Oyster picked off. On the other end, Washington's Dunn tried dancing through the defense, but Killion took a foul call on Dunn. Nairn's free kick in the forty-second minute was taken as a shot, going into the wall. Huster had a weak shot on goal after Nairn passed it over, and Stanley made the catch. O'Hara managed a cross against Kleiner after a pass from Lytle up the right wing, but Kai shot it wide left between the center backs in the forty-third minute. Dunn made a huge run, twisting Grubka around multiple times before her shot was blocked by Rampone. The game went into halftime at 1-0 for Sky Blue, with their best players being CB Rampone, RB Skroski, DM Rodriguez, LW Galton, and LF Kai, while the Spirit's top players have been GK Labbe, CBs Oyster and Zadorsky, RW Matheson, and LF Dunn. Rodriguez challenged Labbe in the forty-sixth minute with a long ball intended for Kai. On the other side, Washington couldn't quite connected with Matheson, Nairn, and Katie Stengel. O'Hara tried to pick out Lytle in the forty-eighth minute, but Sky Blue was again shut down with Oyster's clearance. O'Hara and Lytle had another, more successful combination in the fiftieth minute, but it ended with O'Hara's cross caught by Labbe without any true danger as Kleiner played the solid defense. O'Hara had another cross in the fifty-second minute blocked by Oyster and then cleared out for a corner kick by Zadorsky. O'Hara had the corner kick, and crossed in toward Kai, but Labbe made the catch. Stanley nearly flubbed a clearing ball, with Stengel pressuring and blocking but proving unable to gain control. Dunn tried a cross in the fifty-sixth minute for Washington, but Grubka slid it out for a corner kick. Nairn's service went short to Dunn, who returned it for a true cross. Kai headed it out cleanly for Sky Blue. Huster then won a corner kick on the other side, and Nairn's effort this time went to Krieger, but Rampone put it back out for another corner kick. Nairn tried again, going over Stengel's head and into the arms of Stanley, who juggled it a bit. Nairn's corner kick in the sixtieth minute went toward Huster, who sent it back out wide on the flying kick, and then Nairn crossed it out of bounds again. Washington has had the bulk of possession in this second half. Nairn did a free kick for the Spirit in the sixty-first minute, serving in too far and caught by the keeper Stanley. Banini took a shot in the sixty-second minute, going low, and Stanley sent it out for another corner kick from Nairn, serving in toward Oyster but cleared by Grubka. In the sixty-fourth minute, Galton made a great cross to Sam Kerr, who volleyed it past Labbe for another Sky Blue goal, giving them a 2-0 lead. O'Hara tried a cross that Oyster blocked. O'Hara had a corner kick in the sixty-sixth minute, but Labbe caught it after bobbling a bit. Kleiner saw her cross in the sixty-seventh minute blocked by Rampone and cleared by Grubka. O'Hara and Kerr connected in the sixty-ninth minute, but Oyster came in for a block for the Spirit as Sky Blue still has a fair share of chances. Stengel got a half-shot off from a Dunn pass in the seventy-first minute, but Stanley smothered it to keep Sky Blue safe. Washington got a corner kick in the seventy-third minute, with Matheson doing the service now. It was easily caught by Stanley. Lytle tried a cross for Sky Blue, cleared by Krieger. Stengel and Dunn played well in the seventy-fifth minute, but Rampone blocked, and then Rampone made another block on a Krieger cross, sending it out for a Spirit corner kick. Matheson served over everyone in the seventy-sixth minute. In the seventy-seventh minute, Banini crossed in to Matheson, who headed it in with Stanley getting a touch but not enough. Sky Blue leads 2-1. Banini handled a cross from Zadorsky, but couldn't get a shot off under the smothering defense of Sky Blue. Stengel found Dunn who fired a shot blocked by Grubka. Stengel had a shot soon after for the Spirit, but Rampone made the block. Matheson had a cross in toward Joanna Lohman in the eighty-second minute, but Nikki Stanton put it out for a corner kick. Matheson did the duty on the set piece, going with a high ball to Lohman before the play ended in a foul. Dunn tried another cross in the eighty-fifth minute, but Grubka sent it away. O'Hara turned a free kick from Killion into a cross toward Kerr in the eighty-seventh minute, but Labbe was there first. Rampone turned over to Dunn, but Stanley made a good punch to keep Dunn's shot off target. Matheson's service on the corner kick was cleared by Grubka. The Spirit got a free kick in the eighty-eighth minute, and Matheson took it from a dangerous position. She chipped it toward Lohman, but nothing came of it. Galton tried to get around Oyster, but the center back steered her toward Labbe, who sent it free for Washington. Dunn tried a cross in stoppage time, but Stanton disrupted her a bit. Washington had a flurry in the last minute of stoppage time, but couldn't equalize, and Sky Blue took the 2-1 win. The Outsider Sports Woman of the Match was the LW Galton for her two assists. Also joining the honorable mentions are the CB Grubka and sub forward Kerr for Sky Blue and the CF Stengel for the Spirit.
The other Saturday game saw FC Kansas City welcome the Seattle Reign FC. Hope Solo and Nicole Barnhart tend the nets. Watch the game. Kansas City's Becky Sauerbrunn thwarted the first Seattle attack with a steal from Seattle's Beverly Yanez in the second minute. In the third minute, Lauren Barnes took a deep ball in to Yanez, who dropped back for a shot by Kim Little, deflected out by Barnhart for a Reign corner kick. Barnes' service went long, and Desiree Scott cleared for the Blues. A fifth minute corner kick went long from Barnes toward Rachel Corsie, but Yael Averbuch cleaned it up for Kansas City. Seattle had a seventh minute corner kick. Barnes served it in, with Averbuch putting it back out for a corner kick on the other side. Little handled this one and sent it in, where Shea Groom headed it away. Merritt Mathias squashed the counterattack by Kansas City. Groom and Kendall Fletcher of the Reign got tangled in the ninth minute, giving Seattle a free kick. Groom tried to pick out Erika Tymrak in the tenth minute, but Elli Reed stopped it to shut down the Blues attack. Mandy Laddish fouled Corsie as the Kansas City midfielder couldn't reach the ball. Laddish had a cross in the twelfth minute blocked out by Keelin Winters for a Blues corner kick. Heather O'Reilly did the set piece, headed out by Yanez. Scott's second effort was sent away by Winters. Tymrak took a long shot that went high for the Blues in the fifteenth minute. In the sixteenth minute, Averbuch and Yanez got tangled, with the Reign awarded a free kick. Barnes sent it long into the hands of the keeper Barnhart. Little tried a cross for Mathias in the eighteenth minute, but Averbuch cleared it for the Blues. Corsie fouled Groom on the Kansas City counterattack, earning a yellow card for the Seattle defender. Averbuch served in on the free kick, with Groom heading it wide left. Brittany Taylor and Katie Bowen couldn't connect thanks to a Barnes interception in the twentieth minute. A long span of Seattle possession ended with a long Fishlock through ball. Fishlock made a huge tackle in the twenty-fourth minute to disrupt a Kansas City attack, stealing from Tymrak in her usual clean fashion. Yanez did well to win a ball away from Alex Arlitt, but her cross was off the mark. Fishlock chipped a ball into the box in the twenty-seventh minute, but Barnhart caught it again. Bowen crossed into O'Reilly, who had a shot-cross go just a bit left in the twenty-eighth minute, marking the Blues most dangerous chance. Yanez had a ball forward for Mathias in the thirty-first minute after a hydration break, but it didn't bend enough to find the Reign forward. In the thirty-second minute, Havana Solaun took a shot that went wide left, with Sauerbrunn cutting the angle down well. Winters and Mathias hooked up for a play, but nobody got on the end of Mathias' flick, and Barnhart picked it up to give the Blues control again. Sauerbrunn did a long throw in the thirty-fourth minute, with Groom getting a head on it, but Solaun cleared it for Seattle. Mathias had plays to Little broken up by Averbuch and Arlitt in the thirty-fifth minute. Yanez tried a shot on another Reign attack, but Taylor made the block. In the thirty-sixth minute, Groom and O'Reilly broke through the Seattle defense, but the play ended with O'Reilly taking a shot after she got around Solo, but it went into the outside of the side netting as Kansas City misses a brilliant chance. Winters couldn't pick out Mathias because of Averbuch's block to key a Blues counterattack. Arlitt had the cross in the thirty-ninth minute, blocked out by Elli Reed for a corner kick. O'Reilly served it in for the Blues, picking out Scott after a give and go with Tymrak. Solo punched it away, and then Mathias cleared it as Seattle continues to let Kansas City be dangerous. Reed again made a defensing play to lead to a corner kick. O'Reilly tried again for the Blues in the fortieth minute, but Solo made the catch this time to give Seattle control. Bowen, Tymrak, and Groom strung passes together, ending with a wide shot in the forty-first minute from Groom. Tymrak made a solid steal from Little after she had knocked down Laddish. In the forty-fifth minute, Winters picked out the run of Solaun, but the header was off target for the Reign. Barnes fouled O'Reilly as she made a run forward, giving the Blues a stoppage time free kick. Averbuch's free kick was knocked out for a Kansas City corner kick by Fishlock. O'Reilly served this one in, where Solo punched it away. Groom knocked out down for Laddish, for a deflected shot that led to another Blues corner kick. O'Reilly's service this time was popped up and out by Laddish. The score at halftime was 0-0. The Reign's best players have been LB Barnes, DCM Winters, LW Fishlock, LF Mathias, and CF Yanez. The Blues have seen good play out of CBs Averbuch and Sauerbrunn, DM Scott, RW O'Reilly, LW Tymrak, and striker Groom. Winters couldn't quite find Fishlock in the forty-sixth minute as Seattle continues their strong play early in the second half. Mathias had a cross against Sauerbrunn, but Averbuch cleaned it up before Fishlock could find it. Tymrak looked to have a good chance, but Reed slid in just in time to send it out for a corner kick. O'Reilly put the service in, where Fletcher sent it away. Sauerbrunn and Averbuch combined for a chance, but it was offside. O'Reilly had a corner kick in the fifty-third minute, punched by Solo and cleared by Solaun. The Blues continue to draw corner kicks, getting another in the fifty-fourth that saw O'Reilly cross out of bounds on a sloppy service. O'Reilly tried another cross in play, with Fletcher of the Reign putting it out for yet another Kansas City corner kick. O'Reilly did it again, with no success as Yanez cleared it for Seattle. Little never fired a shot on the play, as Scott broke it up. Barnhart made a save on the second Reign effort. Groom had a cross in the fifty-sixth minute, but Little intercepted it. In the fifty-seventh minute, Mathias went around Averbuch and shot, straight at Barnhart for the save. Mathias passed to Solaun in the fifty-eighth minute, who tried to return it despite being plenty open for a shot. O'Reilly and Groom tried to combine on a Kansas City counterattack, but it was offside. Scott took a yellow card for fouling Fishlock in the fifty-ninth minute, leaving the Reign midfielder injured. Little and Fishlock had a couple of connections disrupted by Averbuch in the sixty-first minute. The Blues countered with O'Reilly charging for a cross that Solo fell on easily. Solo then grabbed an O'Reilly long ball intended for Groom as Kansas City has taken control a bit. Fishlock had a cross in the sixty-fifth minute that Manon Melis couldn't get to in her first appearance since her injury. Corsie kept Groom off the ball nicely in the sixty-seventh minute. O'Reilly had a cross in the sixty-eighth minute, but Carson Pickett blocked it out for a corner kick for the Blues. O'Reilly served in for Tymrak on the short play. Winters cleared it away from Sauerbrunn, and the play was offside anyway. A Blues attack through Groom was stalled when she got away from goal. Seattle's Solo covered it when O'Reilly and Groom couldn't connect in the sixty-ninth minute. Pickett's seventieth minute cross went out without danger. The second half hydration break occurred in the seventy-second minute. O'Reilly went direct at Pickett after taking a Tymrak pass, forcing Solo to dive down for a grab. Fletcher knocked a ball away from Groom, giving Kansas City a corner kick in the seventy-seventh minute, where O'Reilly's service was sent away by Yanez. Scott tried to pick out Groom, but the striker collided with Solo, and the play was called dead. Taylor's seventy-ninth minute cross went a bit long for Arlitt, and Mathias eventually chased it out for a throw-in for the Blues. O'Reilly won a corner kick off of Fletcher and took it in the eighty-second minute, serving in low with Yanez and Melis clearing. Seattle earned a free kick in a good spot after Fran Silva fouled Mathias. Little took the kick, serving in to Winters under pressure from Laddish. The Reign failed to produce a shot. O'Reilly had a cross in the eighty-sixth minute against Pickett, who tipped it enough to keep it from Silva. Winters couldn't Kiersten Dallstream due to Arlitt making a huge stop. Groom got around Corsie in the eighty-eighth minute, and Solo did enough to make Groom lose control of the ball. In the eighty-ninth minute, Pickett took a straight red card for a high kick on O'Reilly, a questionable call. In stoppage time, Groom couldn't get a shot off in the box, and then Corsie shielded away Sauerbrunn. Kansas City is expected to attack a lot in the five minutes of added time. Reed cleared out for a corner kick against Arlitt. Alexa Newfield went long for Sauerbrunn, who headed it wide right. Solo kept the pace slow to nurse the even score for the Reign. Melis won a corner kick about halfway into the extra time, going against Arlitt. Little served it in, but Barnhart made the catch. Deep in stoppage time, Sauerbrunn took a yellow card for a foul on Fishlock, giving Seattle a late free kick. Little did the service this time, but Fishlock couldn't manage a shot. The game ended in a 0-0 draw. The Outsider Sports Woman of the Match is CB Averbuch, who made many critical stops. Earning honorable mentions from the second half are Blues LB Arlitt and the Reign's RB Reed and RW Little.
Finally, the Orlando Pride get their second game of the week, hosting the Portland Thorns FC. Michelle Betos ans Ashlyn Harris are in the six-yard boxes for the second time this week. The game can be found by following the link. Christina Burkenroad of Orlando made a strong steal from Nadia Nadim of Portland in the fourth minute, as the game has started a bit slow. Steph Catley broke up a pass out wide in the fifth minute, as the Pride are looking defensively sound. Catley's long ball intended for Alex Morgan in the sixth minute was broken up by Emily Sonnett of the Thorns. Josee Belanger twisted Meghan Klingenberg all around in the tenth minute, but her cross toward Jasmyne Spencer or Morgan was errant and Orlando went without danger. Kaylyn Kyle was called on to disrupt a cross from Amandine Henry of Portland. Morgan earned a corner kick off Sonnett in the twelfth minute, and the Pride's Kristen Edmonds had a try, but Portland cleared. Belanger sent it back in, and Kyle headed it up, but Betos caught it. Burkenroad had a through ball that Betos had to clear in the thirteenth minute. Orlando has looked more dangerous recently. Henry went long with her through ball, scooped up by Harris in the fourteenth minute to end the Portland attack. Orlando's Spencer was ruled offside just before Betos fouled her on Edmonds' through ball. Portland's Christine Sinclair got caught off side in the sixteenth minute on a Tobin Heath pass. Katherine Reynolds and Sonnett held strong against Burkenroad in the seventeenth minute. Edmonds had a shot wide right after Spencer headed it to her, giving the Pride another strong attack. Catley switched fields to Spencer in the twenty-first minute, but Spencer couldn't get a shot for Orlando and turned it over to Henry. Horan took the ball in midfield and gave it to Sinclair, who then passed to Heath, who shot and put it in the net, but was ruled offside, leaving the game scoreless as the Thorns nearly made a breakthrough. Reynolds had a steal from Spencer, but Morgan passed back to Dani Weatherholt, whose shot was saved by Betos, and then Spencer shot and Betos put it out for a corner kick. The play saw Edmonds cross into Laura Alleway, who headed it over the goal in the twenty-fifth minute. In the twenty-sixth minute, Heath took a free kick with service bouncing in front of two Portland players, Allie Long and Sonnett. Harris fumbled it, but the defense shielded it to let Harris recover. Spencer beat Klingenberg and then won a corner kick off of Emily Menges. Catley took the corner kick that fell to Morgan, who had to turn before shooting and went over the bar in the twenty-eighth minute as Orlando continues to challenge. Klingenberg managed a cross after Belanger and Kyle couldn't stop her, but Nadim couldn't corral it and Edmonds cleared in the thirtieth minute. Heath had a header fall short after a through ball from Sonnett. Harris picked it up. Klingenberg had another cross in the thirty-second minute, which Alleway sent out for a corner kick. This brought on the hydration break. Heath took the corner kick in the thirty-sixth minute, sending it to Henry and putting it wide right. Menges made a block on a cross from Morgan in the thirty-eighth minute. Belanger had a cross dummied by Morgan cleared by Reynolds, and then Sonnett cleared the shot attempt in the fortieth minute, with the Thorns just holding on here. In the forty-third minute, Alleway and Nadim knocked heads, with the Pride's Alleway taking a yellow card for the foul. The free kick from Sonnett found Heath, who shot around Catley and hit the crossbar, with the Thorns missing another great chance. Spencer has tried to do damage in stoppage time, but no crosses or shots have come from her plays. Menges cleared a Catley through ball in the final minute of added time. Belanger lost control late and Horan took it away for Portland. Kyle tried a shot that Long blocked. Heath than fouled Morgan outside the box on the right wing. Orlando's free kick came from Catley at the end of the half, but Henry blocked it. The game went into halftime scoreless. The Thorns top players have been GK Betos, RB Reynolds, CB Sonnett, DM Henry, ACM Horan, and striker Sinclair, while the Pride's best efforts come from RB Belanger, LB Catley, DCM Kyle, RW Edmonds, RF Spencer, and CF Morgan. Heath had a forty-sixth minute cross for Portland caught by Harris on the hop. Heath and Spencer collided on the next Thorns attack, and Heath got the worst of it with a bad fall on her arm. Nadim's deflected through ball caught Heath offside in the fiftieth minute, as the winger is alright. Weatherholt and Morgan each had efforts for Orlando that didn't go according to plan. Belanger, Weatherholt, and Morgan did well under pressure from Menges and Klingenberg, but couldn't produce a shot. Catley did a cross in the fifty-third minute on the other side of the field, but Morgan directed it out wide right. Monica fouled Heath in the fifty-fourth minute, giving the Thorns a decent free kick. Heath served it in to the box, cleared by Edmonds. Spencer won a corner kick for the Pride off Klingenberg. Catley's service led to nothing due to a foul call. Morgan got a steal from Menges and tried a shot that looked to deflect off Sonnett, but a goal kick was given. Morgan and Catley both were slow to react but sent Portland players to the turf before Morgan's pass to Weatherholt got picked off. Spencer got another corner kick off of Klingenberg. Jamia Fields popped a header up but Kyle was unable to get a head on it. Sonnett then broke up a pass from Catley to Morgan. Catley went around Nadim in the sixty-fifth minute, finding Fields, but her cross went to Sonnett, who cleared it for the Thorns. Fields won a corner kick off Reynolds, and the Pride's Edmonds put it in the box for Betos to punch away. Orlando's holding a lot of possession, and finally scored as a deep ball to Morgan got Betos off her line. Betos punched it, landing at Spencer's feet, and she took a couple of steps before striking to the top left corner for a 1-0 Pride lead. This has breathed new life into the Pride, and they keep the pressure high with Kyle, Morgan, Spencer, and Fields on a sequence. Henry made a run and long distance shot in the seventy-second minute to challenge Harris, who caught it with ease. Weatherholt picked out Morgan on a great through ball, cutting back on Menges but not quite beating the outstretched hand of Betos that caused an Orlando corner kick. Alleway took a stab at it after Betos dropped it on the service from Edmonds. Shortly thereafter, there was the second hydration break. Sonnett went deep for Horan, and a miscommunication between Belanger and Harris led to Horan shooting wide left. Portland tied it in the seventy-ninth minute on a Dagny Brynjarsdottir goal on a headed pass by Sinclair from the deep ball. Dagny got around Alleway to strike it home. This made it 1-1. Orlando had an eighty-first minute Edmonds corner kick, which Klingenberg cleared out. Belanger just got a poke in on Hayley Raso after a pass from Long to keep the Thorns from taking the lead. Portland's had some trouble with offside calls as they have upped the pressure to try for a tiebreaker. Menges made a good breakup on a pass from Spencer toward Morgan in the eighty-eighth minute. In the ninetieth minute, Horan scored on a great pass from Raso after receiving a cross from the opposite side. In stoppage time, Raso fouled Catley and took a yellow card for it. A long ball went too long for Morgan, with Betos grabbing it. Catley had a cross that Betos managed to punch away from the hard-charging Sam Witteman of the Pride. Spencer saw Menges block her cross. Catley had a poor shot on the next frenzy, with Orlando buzzing for their equalizer. Portland held on for the 2-1 win, with the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match being ACM Horan. Other Thorns doing well in the second half were CB Menges, and subs Dagny and Raso. The Pride saw a decent second half effort from the LW Weatherholt before she was subbed out.
Outsider Sports NWSL Best XI Week 10
GK Michelle Betos
RB Elizabeth Eddy
CB Yael Averbuch
CB Emily Sonnett
LB Steph Catley
DCM Samantha Mewis
AM Lindsey Horan
AM Leah Galton
RF Jessica McDonald
CF Christine Sinclair
LF Lynn Williams
The Portland Thorns FC hosting the Chicago Red Stars. Alyssa Naeher and Michelle Betos are the keepers. Watch the game at that link. The early part of the game saw some struggles in keeping possession and getting chances going. Katherine Reynolds had a cross in the fourth minute toward Christine Sinclair, but Sam Johnson stopped it for Chicago. Nadia Nadim went around Vanessa DiBernardo to keep the Thorns attacking, but her pass to Lindsey Horan ended in a handball as Casey Short harassed the Portland midfielder. Julie Johnston had an error in the box, taking a heavy touch tight into Sinclair's path, allowing the Thorns striker to strike for a goal in the sixth minute, leaving Naeher with no chance. Tobin Heath, while she didn't get an assist, helped pressure the Red Stars' Johnston into the mistake as Portland takes a 1-0 lead. Reynolds had a long cross in the seventh minute, broken up by Chicago's Alyssa Mautz. In the eighth minute, Heath earned a corner kick against Johnston, and Heath served it in to Emily Sonnett, who flicked it to Amandine Henry, who chipped it over the bar. Mautz did brilliantly on a Chicago counterattack, feeding Sofia Huerta and avoiding the offside Amanda Da Costa. Betos came way off her line, and Huerta beat her but the post got the last laugh to save the Thorns. Short tried a long ball in the tenth minute, but Betos was there. Mautz had a second attempt, but no one was on the end of it. Mautz and Da Costa combined to get the ball central to Christen Press, but she was out of position. Henry played the defense for the Thorns. Danielle Colaprico had a good takeaway from Sinclair in the thirteenth minute. Arin Gilliland's cross was cleared by Henry, and the next two efforts were cleaned up by Portland's Allie Long. Betos ended the Red Stars attack with a save on a Press shot. Mautz couldn't quite find Da Costa in the fifteenth minute, but Meghan Klingenberg got there first. Long fouled Huerta in a good spot for Chicago, and Colaprico served it into Mautz, who put it well over the bar. In the eighteenth minute, Sonnett took a free kick and found Horan, who headed wide left. Henry broke up a rush by Da Costa on the counterattack as Chicago has taken a good share of possession after falling behind. Reynolds had a cross toward Horan that didn't work out, all after Sinclair outran Johnston the Red Stars to get the ball for Portland. Da Costa had a half hit, and when Sonnett miscleared off a teammate, Press fired just wide in the twenty-second minute as Chicago continues to swarm. Johnston fouled Sinclair, and Nadim took the ball from there, getting a long shot to go wide right in the twenty-fifth minute, although a corner was earned. Heath took the kick to Henry, who flicked on to Nadim for a shocking goal to put Portland up 2-0 in the twenty-sixth minute. Nadim's positioning left Naeher no chance again. Henry took the ball away from Press in the Portland box in the twenty-ninth minute, allowing Sonnett to clear away. Colaprico kept it for the Red Stars, and passed to Huerta, who chipped a shot just wide right, sending Betos diving. Mautz ran over Klingenberg to keep the ball with Chicago, and then a cross found Betos' hands in the thirtieth minute. Long blocked a DiBernardo shot, and then Press whiffed on a Colaprico through ball. Heath went by Gilliland, Johnston, and Mautz before passing to Henry, who shot high from distance in the thirty-third minute. Nadim tried to pick out Heath, but Johnston intercepted the pass from the Thorns. Heath blocked a shot by the Red Stars' Press in the thirty-fourth minute, and then Mautz shot wide right after a popped up header by Sonnett. Henry went long to Nadim in the thirty-fifth minute, allowing Nadim to win a corner kick off of Short. Heath's service went toward Sonnett, who put it just over the bar. Heath went straight around Gilliland but couldn't get past Naeher, who blocked it to a teammate and returned Chicago to possession. A good spell of Portland possession ended with Gilliland winning the ball from Klingenberg. On the other side in the forty-fifth minute, Gilliland had a cross against Klingenberg, but Betos was the first one there, giving the Thorns the ball again. Press had a knockdown to give Huerta another shot at the end of the half, which went wide left. The Thorns have a 2-0 lead, and have seen great efforts from RB Reynolds, CB Sonnett, DM Henry, RW Nadim, ACM Horan, and striker Sinclair. The Red Stars have had good performances from RB Gilliland, DM Colaprico, RW Mautz, LW Da Costa, LF Press, and RF Huerta. In the forty-sixth minute, Short fired a decent shot low but wide left, with Betos covering it to prevent a Chicago rebound. Long prevented Da Costa from getting a cross off as the Red Stars have come out strong in the second half. Short tried a cross into Mautz in the forty-ninth minute, but it was long and Mautz had no angle on it. The Thorns tried to make a break, but Horan lost the ball to Colaprico. Chicago had a fifty-first minute free kick from Colaprico, and the onrushing Johnston collided brutally with the Thorns keeper Betos as the latter punched it out. Johnston proved to be okay after taking the worst of it. Johnson had a strange cleared for the Red Stars, and ended up gifting Portland a corner kick. Heath's service went away from any Thorns, and Johnston sent it away for Chicago. In the fifty-sixth minute, Horan and Colaprico crashed into each other, and it was Chicago's Colaprico who stayed down a bit before getting up. The game has taken a physical turn. Short couldn't quite get around Reynolds in the fifty-seventh minute as the Red Stars keep pushing well. Horan nutmegged Press, and then Press fouled Henry in a bold move for the Thorns in the midfield. Horan took a heavy touch that Johnston poked away. Sinclair touched around Johnston in the sixtieth minute and then fired, skimming the top of the net on her shot as the Thorns couldn't quite make it three. Heath went against Johnston after a Sinclair pass, and Johnston got the better of it to halt the Portland attack. Huerta and Emily Menges of Portland had a good battle in the sixty-fourth minute, with Menges eventually winning the ball for the Thorns. Klingenberg found Long in the sixty-fifth minute, but Johnston recovered after her misplay to take it back for Chicago. Heath had a shot for the Thorns in the sixty-sixth minute after Nadim laid it off from a Reynolds cross. It took Klingenberg and Menges to stop fancy footwork from Gilliland before Betos got to the ball in the sixty-seventh minute. Klingenberg cleaned up Short's cross in the sixty-eighth minute, giving the Red Stars a corner kick. DiBernardo's service went long and was cleared out by Horan, and then Horan cleared a Press effort too. Heath earned a corner kick off Huerta in the seventy-first minute, and took it short to Klingenberg. Dagny Brynjarsdottir had the cross, and it found Long, who was then fouled by Jen Hoy of Chicago. The Thorns saw Heath take the free kick in a good spot, and put it well over the bar. In the seventy-fifth minute, the Red Stars got a free kick after Reynolds fouled Short on the left wing side of the box. DiBernardo did the free kick, and Horan got to the service and then Betos caught it in the mob. Heath shoved Huerta down in the seventy-seventh minute, teeing up another Chicago free kick. Sonnett got on the end of the DiBernardo service. DiBernardo earned a corner kick and took it after Klingenberg's mess up. Press put it into the box from up high, and Betos got there just before Short as the Red Stars flurry of activity continues. Press had a good cross in the seventy-ninth minute, but Klingenberg got it out of danger for the Thorns. Colaprico continued with a shot low and wide right at the seventy-nine minute mark. Menges outran Hoy to limit Chicago to a corner kick in the eighty-first minute. Betos punched it out very cleanly after DiBernardo served it in. In the eighty-third minute, DiBernardo did another corner kick after Hoy earned it, and this one landed on top of the net. Gilliland and Huerta combined for a play, but Menges and Klingenberg were up to task. Sonnett sent out a Press pass intended for Hoy. Johnston tried to pick out Hoy in the eighty-eighth minute, but the through ball went long to Betos as the Thorns continue to weather the attacks. On the counterattack, Portland's Long found Hayley Raso, and just a poke from Chicago's Katie Naughton prevented a shot. The Thorns took the corner kick short to stay deep in the attacking zone as they try to kill the clock. Raso eventually crossed to Dagny, who just missed getting a shot off. DiBernardo went long to Press, and Sonnett shielded Press, but she still managed a half-chance with Betos blocking it. Gilliland had a cross in stoppage time, which Betos caught cleanly, neutralizing another Red Stars attack. Raso went around Gilliland on a Thorns attack, and then found Mallory Weber, who just flubbed the shot wide right with Naeher way out of position. Press made a deep run but ended with a weak and wide shot, and this left the game at 2-0 for the Thorns. The Outsider Sports Woman of the Match is Horan, who didn't have a hand in either goal, but played well on both sides of the ball and helped shut the game down. Improving in the second half for the Thorns were GK Betos and LW Heath, while the Red Stars had CB Johnston and LB Short also look much better.
Thursday saw the Orlando Pride welcome the Houston Dash. Lydia Williams and Ashlyn Harris protect the nets. Here's the game. Orlando's Kristen Edmonds looped a ball into Alex Morgan in the second minute, but she headed it out of bounds wide left. Jamia Fields got a good ball into Morgan, who tried to cross back to Sam Witteman, but Ellie Brush blocked it for Houston in the third minute. The Dash tried a counterattack that saw Kealia Ohai pass to Rachel Daly, but in an offside position. Morgan Brian then had to make a block on Fields in the fourth minute. Brian tried to find Daly for Houston in the sixth minute, but Toni Pressley made the stop. Daly then served in off a pass from Ohai, and Denise O'Sullivan headed it over the bar. Josee Belanger broke up a pass from Becca Moros in the eighth minute, and then Houston was offside again as O'Sullivan was caught on a Cari Roccaro pass. Chioma Ubogagu's cross went long, cleared by the Pride's Steph Catley. Houston has had the bulk of possession so far. Fields set up Morgan for a tough-angle shot, and Morgan put it over the bar for Orlando. The Pride had a massive play, with Fields finding Maddy Evans, then Belanger crossing into Morgan, who headed high in the twelfth minute. Witteman had tracked the ball down to make this happen. Fields had a cross in toward Witteman, who nearly found it, but fouled the Dash's Poliana in the process to turn possession over. Ubogagu got stolen from by Belanger of the Pride after running into trouble in the seventeenth minute. Edmonds took a shot on goal that Williams stopped on the next Orlando foray forward. Ohai crossed into Daly, but the latter Houston forward couldn't control it. Brush went with a long through ball, but it was just too long for Ubogagu to get to, and Harris scooped it up for the Pride. Witteman had a good steal for Orlando against Ohai in the twenty-fourth minute. Catley took a pass from Pressley, and then found Morgan in the box, but Poliana did a wonderful job of shielding the Pride forward off the ball to allow Moros to clean it up. Daly passed to Ubogagu in the box, but she shot wide right in the twenty-seventh minute for Houston. Roccaro slipped a pass in to Daly in the box in the twenty-eighth minute, and Daly's shot for the Dash forced Harris into a save. Ohai then crossed in, but Harris came up with it again. Moros blocked a Fields attempt to cross in the thirtieth minute. Pressley did well to kill a Houston counterattack by intercepting O'Sullivan's pass. In the thirty-first minute, the first water break of the year was taken in game #46. Ohai tried a cross into Ubogagu in the thirty-fourth minute, but it was long and Ubogagu shot wide left. Witteman had a cross after a pass from Morgan, but Roccaro cleared it. Edmonds had a cross into Morgan for a second try for the Pride, and then Williams caught it to give Houston control. Poliana took a shot that Pressley deflected out for a corner kick in the thirty-sixth minute. The Dash's corner kick came from Andressa, who served in to Brian, who headed it high over the bar. Ubogagu had a poor cross after Daly passed it wide, and Belanger cleaned it up for the Pride in the thirty-seventh minute. Brian had a cross in the fortieth minute intercepted by Catley. Ubogagu had a cross, where Daly whiffed and then O'Sullivan hammered a shot off of Pressley, bouncing harmlessly into Harris' hand after a few bounces. Edmonds crossed on an Orlando counterattack, punched out by Williams and then poked out on the second attempt by Fields. Belanger and Fields strung passes together before Morgan nearly had a chance, but it was sent out for a Pride corner kick. Catley served it in short and the play didn't work. Moros made a good breakup on a Morgan pass for Fields. Ubogagu tried to find Daly in the box, but Catley was there just in time to save Orlando. Ohai had a bit of a weak cross on the second effort, caught by Harris. The game went into halftime tied 0-0. The best Dash players have been RB Poliana, RW Brian, LW O'Sullivan, and RF Ohai, and CF Daly, while the Pride's best play has come from GK Harris, LB Catley, RB Belanger, DCM Edwards, RW Evans, RF Fields, CF Morgan, and LF Witteman. Morgan had a forty-seventh minute shot off of a through ball by Pressley, challenging against Roccaro. Edmonds worked around Moros, but the Pride midfielder's cross went straight at Williams as she tried to put it across goal. Evans had a cross in, half-cleared by Moros, and then Fields just missed on the juicy leave. Poliana had a huge cross for Houston in the fiftieth minute, but O'Sullivan struck the right side netting on the outside of the goal. Andressa crossed the free kick to Poliana, but Pressley hit it out for a corner kick. Andressa had the corner kick, into Brian, who shot wide right. Ohai passed to Andressa in the fifty-fifth minute, and after a few steps, she shot, with Harris two-handing it over the bar. Andressa's corner kick was punched out by Harris, and then Poliana took a shot off Pressley for another corner kick. Andressa tried from the other side, crossing in out of bounds after Ohai took the corner kick short. Ohai found Daly in the box, but Pressley blocked the effort, and Ohai ran over it in the fifty-seventh minute. Daly had another shot against Pressley, going just wide right as Harris held the post. Fields took a shot on a pass from Morgan against Roccaro, who blocked it enough for Williams to grab it. In the sixty-second minute, Catley had a good cross for the Pride, but Williams dove onto it. The game has gotten stuck in the midfield a bit lately. Ohai tried to cross into Daly after a Brian long ball, but Laura Alleway broke up the pass for the Pride. Ubogagu's cross was blocked by Belanger in the sixty-sixth minute. Brian then tried a cross for the Dash, between Daly and O'Sullivan. On the counterattack, a foul by Poliana drew a yellow card as Witteman went down. Fields had a cross blocked by Roccaro. Edmonds had a good cross in to Morgan, who just missed settling it. Poliana had the clear for the Dash. Brush blocked another one away from Morgan in the seventy-third minute as Orlando has taken control. In the seventy-fourth minute, Brush fouled Morgan from behind, earning a yellow card. In the seventy-fifth minute, Edmonds drilled a long shot, forcing Williams into a big diving save. Jasmyne Spencer earned Orlando a corner kick off of Brush. Edmonds took it and crossed in toward Monica, but it was cleared out by the Dash. Cami Privett took a cross in the seventy-seventh minute, grabbed by Harris. Witteman blocked off Daly just after that, and then drew the foul for an Orlando free kick. Spencer tried to get behind the defense, but Roccaro broke it up as things open up late in the game. Daly took a long ball down and then passed to Ohai after Witteman tracked Daly down. Ohai shot high. Andressa broke up a Morgan pass intended for Spencer after Brush and Roccaro covered Morgan in the eightieth minute. Daly had a cross in the eighty-third minute, going right at Harris. Houston had a massive sequence, with Daly's shot blocked by Witteman, Poliana passing to Privett, who missed, and then Moros headed wide, and it went out to bail Harris and the Pride out. Evans tried to find Sarah Hagen in the eighty-sixth minute, but she couldn't turn and shoot for Orlando. In the eighty-eighth minute, Stephanie Ochs took a free kick for the Dash after Ochs was fouled by Catley. Morgan made a huge run in open field, shooting ahead of Moros and saved by Williams as Houston got off easy. Spencer received a ball in the ninetieth minute, running around Poliana but shot high over the bar. Houston had four more chances, two from Ochs, one from Daly on a bicycle kick, and one from Poliana, with Harris making multiple saves. The Pride got a late dagger, as Spencer buried a pass from Hagen, with Fields and Morgan getting chances in on the play as well. This gave Orlando the 1-0 win. The Outsider Sports Woman of the Match was Fields, for helping key the play for the late winner. Also impressing for the Pride were the LW Edmonds and LF sub Spencer, while the Dash saw good play from DCM Andressa.
On Friday, the Western New York Flash bring in the Boston Breakers. Jami Kranich and Katelyn Rowland are the backups in goal. Watch the game at that link. Kyah Simon had a shot in the first minute for Boston, blocked by Western New York's Elizabeth Eddy. Euncie Beckmann earned the Breakers a corner kick in the second minute after a Whitney Engen free kick. Louise Schillgard served it in near Beckmann, but Rowland caught it in time. Engen stole away from Jessica McDonald in the box as the Flash miss an opportunity to start their attack. Lynn Williams took a shot after Engen missed her clearing effort, but it went off the right post and then rolled out wide of the left post in the fifth minute. Engen knocked out a McDonald long throw, giving Western New York a corner kick. Abby Dahlkemper's service was cleared by Julie King in the eighth minute. McDonald had a second effort, and Kranich dealt with it for Boston. Christen Westphal took McCall Zerboni down hard, giving the Flash a free kick in their offensive third, but they made nothing of it. Possession has favored the Flash early on. Stephanie Verdoia also fouled Zerboni in the twelfth minute, with a more dangerous Western New York free kick. Dahlkemper put it in for Samantha Mewis, but the play didn't work out as planned, and Boston managed to clear it. Alanna Kennedy managed to clear under the pressure of Brittany Ratcliffe in the fifteenth minute. The Breakers kept it in with Beckmann, Simon, and then Verdoia put a shot on goal. On the counterattack, McDonald passed to Williams, but it was intercepted by Engen with Kranich out of position. Makenzy Doniak then tried a shot but it went wide in the seventeenth minute, as Western New York isn't quite sharp yet. In the nineteenth minute, Eddy stole it from Kassey Kallman, feeding Doniak, and then going long for Williams, who ran around the backtracking Engen to shoot it over Kranich's arm, giving Western New York a 1-0 lead. Beckmann had the ball in the Flash box on a pass from Ratcliffe, but Eddy slowed her down long enough to get Rowland onto the ball. Zerboni tried to cross in the twenty-first minute, but she couldn't get a foot on it for Western New York. Simon of the Breakers got hurt challenging Eddy, and had to come off temporarily in the twenty-fourth minute. Eddy tried a long cross for Western New York, and Zerboni nearly got a shot off anyway in the twenty-fifth minute, keeping the Breakers in their own half. Engen blocked a shot by Williams after a wonderful cross from Doniak, and a prior pass from Eddy. In the twenty-seventh minute, Eddy won a corner kick off of Kallman, who is getting really burned tonight. Jaelene Hinkle took the corner kick, low, and two Flash players missed it before Salem cleared it. Zerboni broke it up with a steal from Ratcliffe. Doniak passed to McDonald as Western New York countered back, but missed. In the twenty-eighth minute, McDonald struck with a goal on a pass from Mewis after Hinkle served it back in for the Flash. It's now 2-0 for Western New York. Schillgard had a free kick go near Beckmann in the thirty-first minute, but the Breakers couldn't manage a shot. Schillgard then fouled Zerboni to neuter the Western New York counterattack. Schillgard took a cross in the thirty-third minute for Boston, which Simon headed wide left. Williams crossed in toward McDonald in the thirty-fourth minute, heading high as the forwards continue to be dangerous. In the thirty-fifth minute, Kennedy fouled Verdoia, and Kennedy took a yellow card for it. Boston's free kick was in a dangerous spot, and taken by Schillgard, forcing Rowland to dive and send it out for a Breakers corner kick. King shot wide left after service from Schillgard. Boston got on the board with a thirty-eighth minute goal by Westphal from distance, on the shot-cross that drifted over Rowland and into the net, making Zerboni look bad with the deke by Westphal, cutting the score to 2-1. Western New York shot right back as Williams scored in the thirty-ninth minute, just flicking the cross from McDonald into the upper left corner. Zerboni was the one passing into McDonald on the win. Doniak had a cross in the forty-first minute that Westphal cleared out after Doniak danced around Simon, who is bandaged but playing on. Eddy crossed in to Zerboni, but just missed a shot, after Williams and Mewis strung passes together. Beckmann had a lay off for Ratcliffe, but she was just ahead of the play. Doniak, Mewis, and Eddy combined for an amazing set of passes before Eddy crossed to McDonald on the far post to head it back into the back of the net for a 4-1 lead for the Flash. The goal came in the forty-third minute. Doniak and Abby Erceg cleared for the Flash as the Breakers finally settled a bit late in the half. Hinkle's stoppage time cross toward McDonald was barely taken away by Engen. Doniak's cross was deflected by Kallman, but Kranich beat McDonald to the ball in the box. In stoppage time, Mewis found Doniak on a through ball, and Doniak shot it in easily around Kranich. Doniak went right between Kallman and Engen for the goal. The game went into halftime at 5-1 for the Flash. Impressing for the Breakers are virtually no one, but the RB Westphal and CF Beckmann have been the best so far. For the Flash, the top players are RB Eddy, CB Dahlkemper, DM Mewis, RW Doniak, LW Zerboni, and forwards McDonald and Williams. Western New York's McDonald fed Williams, who then passed to Mewis in the forty-eighth minute, but Mewis shot high with Kallman in defense for Boston. The Flash scored as Dahlkemper went long to Hinkle, who crossed in to an onrushing McDonald, who scored just in front of Engen to make it 6-1. This completed the hat trick for McDonald, her third goal of the evening. Erceg had a long ball in the fifty-first minute, but Kranich got there just before Williams to clear it, as the Breakers can't stop the counterattacks and build-up play of Western New York. In the fifty-second minute, Beckmann tried a long shot that went way over the goal. Williams danced around King before a long shot in the fifty-third minute, saved by Kranich (an uncommon phrase tonight). Engen took one away from the Flash with an interception of Zerboni's pass to McDonald. Schillgard couldn't find Beckmann in the fifty-fifth minute, as Hinkle shielded the ball out. Things slowed down a bit, as the result is practically certain, with only the number of goals left to be determined. Schillgard had a weak cross grabbed by Rowland in the fifty-eighth minute. A McDonald long throw in the fifty-ninth minute was cleared by King. In the sixtieth minute, Zerboni took a yellow card for a foul on Beckmann, although Beckmann was the aggressor on the play. Western New York made it 7-1 on a sixty-third minute Taylor Smith goal on a give-and-go from Williams. Smith made the initial steal to get the play going, and the Flash are on fire in this one. Mewis blocked an Elisa Krieghoff cross, and sprung Adriana Leon, who was only stopped by a diving Kranich on a rush toward goal. Smith had a through ball for Leon, but the forward fouled King and gave the Breakers the ball in the sixty-sixth minute. Engen's free kick found Kallman, but she turned and shot wide left in the sixty-seventh minute, as Boston is struggling badly. The Flash had a corner kick in the sixty-ninth minute, taken by Hinkle and punched out by Kranich. Dahlkemper handled the near-side corner kick, crossing toward McDonald, who had a header and a shot blocked before the Breakers cleared. Smith made Mollie Pathman look bad, earning another Western New York corner kick. Hinkle's service went toward McDonald but cleared by King. Zerboni tried a cross that Westphal blocked out, but Smith got a shot off, and it went high over the bar in the seventy-first minute. Westphal managed to get around Zerboni, but her cross was blocked away by Mewis. Leon and Kallman had a collision in the seventy-fourth minute, and both players were down for a short time. Mewis took a long ball toward Kristen Hamilton, but Kallman cleaned it up just in time for Boston. Pathman found Simon with a cross in the seventy-seventh minute, but the forward took a poor shot after beating Kennedy with position, and Kennedy blocked it away. Leon took a shot high in the seventy-ninth minute after a pass from Mewis. Hinkle had a cross cleared away by Engen in the eighty-first minute. A Schillgard foul led to a free kick for the Flash in the eighty-second minute, taken by Dahlkemper and shot wide left on a rocket shot. Pathman had to put one out for a corner kick against Eddy. Hinkle did the service, sending it into the box and knocked out by Rachel Wood for a corner kick on the other side. Dahlkemper's service went to Kennedy across goal, and then Leon had a volley try go just wide right off of Kennedy's return into the six-yard box. In the eighty-fifth minute, Boston had another defensive breakdown, allowing Zerboni to make a steal and take a long shot just barely off target. Schillgard's eighty-sixth minute cross was deflected by Erceg and grabbed safely by Rowland. On the Flash counterattack, Hinkle got a low cross in, but no one was there to shoot on it. Leon had a decent cross on a give-and-go with Mewis, but Mewis couldn't get a good shot off in the eighty-ninth minute. King did enough to break it up. The game was ended mercifully without stoppage time, ending 7-1 for Western New York. McDonald is your Outsider Sports Woman of the Match. For the Breakers, the DM Salem could be considered strong for being most invisible, instead of being the cause of the problems. For the Flash, DM Erceg and LB Hinkle looked good in the second half as well in a punishing and dominant performance.
On Saturday, the Washington Spirit hosted Sky Blue FC in the first of two games. Caroline Stanley and Stephanie Labbe guard the woodwork. Here's the game. Estefania Banini tried to go long in the second minute, but it was too long for Crystal Dunn as Washington starts off alright. Diana Matheson and Banini tried a similar thing with a similar result. Kelley O'Hara had a cross for Sky Blue go over Natasha Kai's head and out of bounds. Matheson tried to pick out Francisca Ordega in the seventh minute, but the Spirit lost control to Sky Blue's Christie Rampone. Another Spirit attack saw Dunn shoot low, forcing Stanley to make the save. In the eighth minute, Sky Blue started the scoring with Leah Galton tracking the ball down on the left flank and then passing back to Raquel Rodriguez, who fired a laser into the top corner for the goal to make it 1-0. Rodriguez had acres of space to shoot, with Tori Huster the closest defender. Dunn tried to find Matheson but Erica Skroski got in the way and Washington had to regroup for a more patient attack. Erin Simon's thirteenth minute cross for Sky Blue was intercepted by Megan Oyster. Ali Krieger found Ordega in the fourteenth minute, and the latter was fouled by Sky Blue's Erin Simon, giving the Spirit a good free kick. Christine Nairn took the free kick, serving into the box but cleared out by Rampone. Shelina Zadorsky killed the counterattack by breaking up the outlet pass toward Galton. Skroski made a good steal of an Alyssa Kleiner pass toward Dunn in the seventeenth minute. Nairn managed to keep a Washington attack alive by going around Sarah Killion, only to take a heavy touch and lose it out for a goal kick. Kleiner had a nice cross in the eighteenth minute, but Simon sent it out after Banini couldn't get to it, proving a sturdy defensive play for Sky Blue. Kai couldn't get a ball to O'Hara in the twentieth minute for Sky Blue, with Labbe grabbing it first. Taylor Lytle passed to O'Hara at the top of the box in the twenty-first minute, but Oyster blocked and cleared. The Spirit had a counterattack through Dunn, who found Banini, and she took a shot herself, going high as the Spirit were pretty close to equalizing. Lytle had a bad pass picked off by Zadorsky, but Dunn turned it right back over shortly after. Galton and O'Hara almost had a give-and-go, but O'Hara's return went too close to Labbe. Rampone did a good job to block off Ordega from a pass by Krieger in the twenty-fifth minute. Dunn did well against Skroski and Kristin Grubka, then passing to Matheson and Banini, who lost it to Rampone as Sky Blue held up in the twenty-eighth minute. Dunn had another foray forward, getting around Rampone but not Simon. Galton had a cross run long, but O'Hara crossed it back in for Sky Blue, and Kai tried a diving header that Labbe was in great position to make the save on in the thirty-first minute. Galton had a good cross that Labbe punched out in the thirty-fourth minute, and then Oyster finished the clearance before Lytle could get there. Kai had a shot on the next Sky Blue attack, but it was a bit weak and Labbe had no trouble making the stop. Dunn had two attempts in the thirty-fifth minute, a cross broken up by Simon and a shot blocked by Grubka. Washington held more possession, with Krieger's cross blocked by Grubka, and then Galton countered briefly. Dunn found Banini after Sky Blue had a turnover, but the shot by Banini went high with Skroski pressuring. Kai tried a passed in the forty-first minute that Oyster picked off. On the other end, Washington's Dunn tried dancing through the defense, but Killion took a foul call on Dunn. Nairn's free kick in the forty-second minute was taken as a shot, going into the wall. Huster had a weak shot on goal after Nairn passed it over, and Stanley made the catch. O'Hara managed a cross against Kleiner after a pass from Lytle up the right wing, but Kai shot it wide left between the center backs in the forty-third minute. Dunn made a huge run, twisting Grubka around multiple times before her shot was blocked by Rampone. The game went into halftime at 1-0 for Sky Blue, with their best players being CB Rampone, RB Skroski, DM Rodriguez, LW Galton, and LF Kai, while the Spirit's top players have been GK Labbe, CBs Oyster and Zadorsky, RW Matheson, and LF Dunn. Rodriguez challenged Labbe in the forty-sixth minute with a long ball intended for Kai. On the other side, Washington couldn't quite connected with Matheson, Nairn, and Katie Stengel. O'Hara tried to pick out Lytle in the forty-eighth minute, but Sky Blue was again shut down with Oyster's clearance. O'Hara and Lytle had another, more successful combination in the fiftieth minute, but it ended with O'Hara's cross caught by Labbe without any true danger as Kleiner played the solid defense. O'Hara had another cross in the fifty-second minute blocked by Oyster and then cleared out for a corner kick by Zadorsky. O'Hara had the corner kick, and crossed in toward Kai, but Labbe made the catch. Stanley nearly flubbed a clearing ball, with Stengel pressuring and blocking but proving unable to gain control. Dunn tried a cross in the fifty-sixth minute for Washington, but Grubka slid it out for a corner kick. Nairn's service went short to Dunn, who returned it for a true cross. Kai headed it out cleanly for Sky Blue. Huster then won a corner kick on the other side, and Nairn's effort this time went to Krieger, but Rampone put it back out for another corner kick. Nairn tried again, going over Stengel's head and into the arms of Stanley, who juggled it a bit. Nairn's corner kick in the sixtieth minute went toward Huster, who sent it back out wide on the flying kick, and then Nairn crossed it out of bounds again. Washington has had the bulk of possession in this second half. Nairn did a free kick for the Spirit in the sixty-first minute, serving in too far and caught by the keeper Stanley. Banini took a shot in the sixty-second minute, going low, and Stanley sent it out for another corner kick from Nairn, serving in toward Oyster but cleared by Grubka. In the sixty-fourth minute, Galton made a great cross to Sam Kerr, who volleyed it past Labbe for another Sky Blue goal, giving them a 2-0 lead. O'Hara tried a cross that Oyster blocked. O'Hara had a corner kick in the sixty-sixth minute, but Labbe caught it after bobbling a bit. Kleiner saw her cross in the sixty-seventh minute blocked by Rampone and cleared by Grubka. O'Hara and Kerr connected in the sixty-ninth minute, but Oyster came in for a block for the Spirit as Sky Blue still has a fair share of chances. Stengel got a half-shot off from a Dunn pass in the seventy-first minute, but Stanley smothered it to keep Sky Blue safe. Washington got a corner kick in the seventy-third minute, with Matheson doing the service now. It was easily caught by Stanley. Lytle tried a cross for Sky Blue, cleared by Krieger. Stengel and Dunn played well in the seventy-fifth minute, but Rampone blocked, and then Rampone made another block on a Krieger cross, sending it out for a Spirit corner kick. Matheson served over everyone in the seventy-sixth minute. In the seventy-seventh minute, Banini crossed in to Matheson, who headed it in with Stanley getting a touch but not enough. Sky Blue leads 2-1. Banini handled a cross from Zadorsky, but couldn't get a shot off under the smothering defense of Sky Blue. Stengel found Dunn who fired a shot blocked by Grubka. Stengel had a shot soon after for the Spirit, but Rampone made the block. Matheson had a cross in toward Joanna Lohman in the eighty-second minute, but Nikki Stanton put it out for a corner kick. Matheson did the duty on the set piece, going with a high ball to Lohman before the play ended in a foul. Dunn tried another cross in the eighty-fifth minute, but Grubka sent it away. O'Hara turned a free kick from Killion into a cross toward Kerr in the eighty-seventh minute, but Labbe was there first. Rampone turned over to Dunn, but Stanley made a good punch to keep Dunn's shot off target. Matheson's service on the corner kick was cleared by Grubka. The Spirit got a free kick in the eighty-eighth minute, and Matheson took it from a dangerous position. She chipped it toward Lohman, but nothing came of it. Galton tried to get around Oyster, but the center back steered her toward Labbe, who sent it free for Washington. Dunn tried a cross in stoppage time, but Stanton disrupted her a bit. Washington had a flurry in the last minute of stoppage time, but couldn't equalize, and Sky Blue took the 2-1 win. The Outsider Sports Woman of the Match was the LW Galton for her two assists. Also joining the honorable mentions are the CB Grubka and sub forward Kerr for Sky Blue and the CF Stengel for the Spirit.
The other Saturday game saw FC Kansas City welcome the Seattle Reign FC. Hope Solo and Nicole Barnhart tend the nets. Watch the game. Kansas City's Becky Sauerbrunn thwarted the first Seattle attack with a steal from Seattle's Beverly Yanez in the second minute. In the third minute, Lauren Barnes took a deep ball in to Yanez, who dropped back for a shot by Kim Little, deflected out by Barnhart for a Reign corner kick. Barnes' service went long, and Desiree Scott cleared for the Blues. A fifth minute corner kick went long from Barnes toward Rachel Corsie, but Yael Averbuch cleaned it up for Kansas City. Seattle had a seventh minute corner kick. Barnes served it in, with Averbuch putting it back out for a corner kick on the other side. Little handled this one and sent it in, where Shea Groom headed it away. Merritt Mathias squashed the counterattack by Kansas City. Groom and Kendall Fletcher of the Reign got tangled in the ninth minute, giving Seattle a free kick. Groom tried to pick out Erika Tymrak in the tenth minute, but Elli Reed stopped it to shut down the Blues attack. Mandy Laddish fouled Corsie as the Kansas City midfielder couldn't reach the ball. Laddish had a cross in the twelfth minute blocked out by Keelin Winters for a Blues corner kick. Heather O'Reilly did the set piece, headed out by Yanez. Scott's second effort was sent away by Winters. Tymrak took a long shot that went high for the Blues in the fifteenth minute. In the sixteenth minute, Averbuch and Yanez got tangled, with the Reign awarded a free kick. Barnes sent it long into the hands of the keeper Barnhart. Little tried a cross for Mathias in the eighteenth minute, but Averbuch cleared it for the Blues. Corsie fouled Groom on the Kansas City counterattack, earning a yellow card for the Seattle defender. Averbuch served in on the free kick, with Groom heading it wide left. Brittany Taylor and Katie Bowen couldn't connect thanks to a Barnes interception in the twentieth minute. A long span of Seattle possession ended with a long Fishlock through ball. Fishlock made a huge tackle in the twenty-fourth minute to disrupt a Kansas City attack, stealing from Tymrak in her usual clean fashion. Yanez did well to win a ball away from Alex Arlitt, but her cross was off the mark. Fishlock chipped a ball into the box in the twenty-seventh minute, but Barnhart caught it again. Bowen crossed into O'Reilly, who had a shot-cross go just a bit left in the twenty-eighth minute, marking the Blues most dangerous chance. Yanez had a ball forward for Mathias in the thirty-first minute after a hydration break, but it didn't bend enough to find the Reign forward. In the thirty-second minute, Havana Solaun took a shot that went wide left, with Sauerbrunn cutting the angle down well. Winters and Mathias hooked up for a play, but nobody got on the end of Mathias' flick, and Barnhart picked it up to give the Blues control again. Sauerbrunn did a long throw in the thirty-fourth minute, with Groom getting a head on it, but Solaun cleared it for Seattle. Mathias had plays to Little broken up by Averbuch and Arlitt in the thirty-fifth minute. Yanez tried a shot on another Reign attack, but Taylor made the block. In the thirty-sixth minute, Groom and O'Reilly broke through the Seattle defense, but the play ended with O'Reilly taking a shot after she got around Solo, but it went into the outside of the side netting as Kansas City misses a brilliant chance. Winters couldn't pick out Mathias because of Averbuch's block to key a Blues counterattack. Arlitt had the cross in the thirty-ninth minute, blocked out by Elli Reed for a corner kick. O'Reilly served it in for the Blues, picking out Scott after a give and go with Tymrak. Solo punched it away, and then Mathias cleared it as Seattle continues to let Kansas City be dangerous. Reed again made a defensing play to lead to a corner kick. O'Reilly tried again for the Blues in the fortieth minute, but Solo made the catch this time to give Seattle control. Bowen, Tymrak, and Groom strung passes together, ending with a wide shot in the forty-first minute from Groom. Tymrak made a solid steal from Little after she had knocked down Laddish. In the forty-fifth minute, Winters picked out the run of Solaun, but the header was off target for the Reign. Barnes fouled O'Reilly as she made a run forward, giving the Blues a stoppage time free kick. Averbuch's free kick was knocked out for a Kansas City corner kick by Fishlock. O'Reilly served this one in, where Solo punched it away. Groom knocked out down for Laddish, for a deflected shot that led to another Blues corner kick. O'Reilly's service this time was popped up and out by Laddish. The score at halftime was 0-0. The Reign's best players have been LB Barnes, DCM Winters, LW Fishlock, LF Mathias, and CF Yanez. The Blues have seen good play out of CBs Averbuch and Sauerbrunn, DM Scott, RW O'Reilly, LW Tymrak, and striker Groom. Winters couldn't quite find Fishlock in the forty-sixth minute as Seattle continues their strong play early in the second half. Mathias had a cross against Sauerbrunn, but Averbuch cleaned it up before Fishlock could find it. Tymrak looked to have a good chance, but Reed slid in just in time to send it out for a corner kick. O'Reilly put the service in, where Fletcher sent it away. Sauerbrunn and Averbuch combined for a chance, but it was offside. O'Reilly had a corner kick in the fifty-third minute, punched by Solo and cleared by Solaun. The Blues continue to draw corner kicks, getting another in the fifty-fourth that saw O'Reilly cross out of bounds on a sloppy service. O'Reilly tried another cross in play, with Fletcher of the Reign putting it out for yet another Kansas City corner kick. O'Reilly did it again, with no success as Yanez cleared it for Seattle. Little never fired a shot on the play, as Scott broke it up. Barnhart made a save on the second Reign effort. Groom had a cross in the fifty-sixth minute, but Little intercepted it. In the fifty-seventh minute, Mathias went around Averbuch and shot, straight at Barnhart for the save. Mathias passed to Solaun in the fifty-eighth minute, who tried to return it despite being plenty open for a shot. O'Reilly and Groom tried to combine on a Kansas City counterattack, but it was offside. Scott took a yellow card for fouling Fishlock in the fifty-ninth minute, leaving the Reign midfielder injured. Little and Fishlock had a couple of connections disrupted by Averbuch in the sixty-first minute. The Blues countered with O'Reilly charging for a cross that Solo fell on easily. Solo then grabbed an O'Reilly long ball intended for Groom as Kansas City has taken control a bit. Fishlock had a cross in the sixty-fifth minute that Manon Melis couldn't get to in her first appearance since her injury. Corsie kept Groom off the ball nicely in the sixty-seventh minute. O'Reilly had a cross in the sixty-eighth minute, but Carson Pickett blocked it out for a corner kick for the Blues. O'Reilly served in for Tymrak on the short play. Winters cleared it away from Sauerbrunn, and the play was offside anyway. A Blues attack through Groom was stalled when she got away from goal. Seattle's Solo covered it when O'Reilly and Groom couldn't connect in the sixty-ninth minute. Pickett's seventieth minute cross went out without danger. The second half hydration break occurred in the seventy-second minute. O'Reilly went direct at Pickett after taking a Tymrak pass, forcing Solo to dive down for a grab. Fletcher knocked a ball away from Groom, giving Kansas City a corner kick in the seventy-seventh minute, where O'Reilly's service was sent away by Yanez. Scott tried to pick out Groom, but the striker collided with Solo, and the play was called dead. Taylor's seventy-ninth minute cross went a bit long for Arlitt, and Mathias eventually chased it out for a throw-in for the Blues. O'Reilly won a corner kick off of Fletcher and took it in the eighty-second minute, serving in low with Yanez and Melis clearing. Seattle earned a free kick in a good spot after Fran Silva fouled Mathias. Little took the kick, serving in to Winters under pressure from Laddish. The Reign failed to produce a shot. O'Reilly had a cross in the eighty-sixth minute against Pickett, who tipped it enough to keep it from Silva. Winters couldn't Kiersten Dallstream due to Arlitt making a huge stop. Groom got around Corsie in the eighty-eighth minute, and Solo did enough to make Groom lose control of the ball. In the eighty-ninth minute, Pickett took a straight red card for a high kick on O'Reilly, a questionable call. In stoppage time, Groom couldn't get a shot off in the box, and then Corsie shielded away Sauerbrunn. Kansas City is expected to attack a lot in the five minutes of added time. Reed cleared out for a corner kick against Arlitt. Alexa Newfield went long for Sauerbrunn, who headed it wide right. Solo kept the pace slow to nurse the even score for the Reign. Melis won a corner kick about halfway into the extra time, going against Arlitt. Little served it in, but Barnhart made the catch. Deep in stoppage time, Sauerbrunn took a yellow card for a foul on Fishlock, giving Seattle a late free kick. Little did the service this time, but Fishlock couldn't manage a shot. The game ended in a 0-0 draw. The Outsider Sports Woman of the Match is CB Averbuch, who made many critical stops. Earning honorable mentions from the second half are Blues LB Arlitt and the Reign's RB Reed and RW Little.
Finally, the Orlando Pride get their second game of the week, hosting the Portland Thorns FC. Michelle Betos ans Ashlyn Harris are in the six-yard boxes for the second time this week. The game can be found by following the link. Christina Burkenroad of Orlando made a strong steal from Nadia Nadim of Portland in the fourth minute, as the game has started a bit slow. Steph Catley broke up a pass out wide in the fifth minute, as the Pride are looking defensively sound. Catley's long ball intended for Alex Morgan in the sixth minute was broken up by Emily Sonnett of the Thorns. Josee Belanger twisted Meghan Klingenberg all around in the tenth minute, but her cross toward Jasmyne Spencer or Morgan was errant and Orlando went without danger. Kaylyn Kyle was called on to disrupt a cross from Amandine Henry of Portland. Morgan earned a corner kick off Sonnett in the twelfth minute, and the Pride's Kristen Edmonds had a try, but Portland cleared. Belanger sent it back in, and Kyle headed it up, but Betos caught it. Burkenroad had a through ball that Betos had to clear in the thirteenth minute. Orlando has looked more dangerous recently. Henry went long with her through ball, scooped up by Harris in the fourteenth minute to end the Portland attack. Orlando's Spencer was ruled offside just before Betos fouled her on Edmonds' through ball. Portland's Christine Sinclair got caught off side in the sixteenth minute on a Tobin Heath pass. Katherine Reynolds and Sonnett held strong against Burkenroad in the seventeenth minute. Edmonds had a shot wide right after Spencer headed it to her, giving the Pride another strong attack. Catley switched fields to Spencer in the twenty-first minute, but Spencer couldn't get a shot for Orlando and turned it over to Henry. Horan took the ball in midfield and gave it to Sinclair, who then passed to Heath, who shot and put it in the net, but was ruled offside, leaving the game scoreless as the Thorns nearly made a breakthrough. Reynolds had a steal from Spencer, but Morgan passed back to Dani Weatherholt, whose shot was saved by Betos, and then Spencer shot and Betos put it out for a corner kick. The play saw Edmonds cross into Laura Alleway, who headed it over the goal in the twenty-fifth minute. In the twenty-sixth minute, Heath took a free kick with service bouncing in front of two Portland players, Allie Long and Sonnett. Harris fumbled it, but the defense shielded it to let Harris recover. Spencer beat Klingenberg and then won a corner kick off of Emily Menges. Catley took the corner kick that fell to Morgan, who had to turn before shooting and went over the bar in the twenty-eighth minute as Orlando continues to challenge. Klingenberg managed a cross after Belanger and Kyle couldn't stop her, but Nadim couldn't corral it and Edmonds cleared in the thirtieth minute. Heath had a header fall short after a through ball from Sonnett. Harris picked it up. Klingenberg had another cross in the thirty-second minute, which Alleway sent out for a corner kick. This brought on the hydration break. Heath took the corner kick in the thirty-sixth minute, sending it to Henry and putting it wide right. Menges made a block on a cross from Morgan in the thirty-eighth minute. Belanger had a cross dummied by Morgan cleared by Reynolds, and then Sonnett cleared the shot attempt in the fortieth minute, with the Thorns just holding on here. In the forty-third minute, Alleway and Nadim knocked heads, with the Pride's Alleway taking a yellow card for the foul. The free kick from Sonnett found Heath, who shot around Catley and hit the crossbar, with the Thorns missing another great chance. Spencer has tried to do damage in stoppage time, but no crosses or shots have come from her plays. Menges cleared a Catley through ball in the final minute of added time. Belanger lost control late and Horan took it away for Portland. Kyle tried a shot that Long blocked. Heath than fouled Morgan outside the box on the right wing. Orlando's free kick came from Catley at the end of the half, but Henry blocked it. The game went into halftime scoreless. The Thorns top players have been GK Betos, RB Reynolds, CB Sonnett, DM Henry, ACM Horan, and striker Sinclair, while the Pride's best efforts come from RB Belanger, LB Catley, DCM Kyle, RW Edmonds, RF Spencer, and CF Morgan. Heath had a forty-sixth minute cross for Portland caught by Harris on the hop. Heath and Spencer collided on the next Thorns attack, and Heath got the worst of it with a bad fall on her arm. Nadim's deflected through ball caught Heath offside in the fiftieth minute, as the winger is alright. Weatherholt and Morgan each had efforts for Orlando that didn't go according to plan. Belanger, Weatherholt, and Morgan did well under pressure from Menges and Klingenberg, but couldn't produce a shot. Catley did a cross in the fifty-third minute on the other side of the field, but Morgan directed it out wide right. Monica fouled Heath in the fifty-fourth minute, giving the Thorns a decent free kick. Heath served it in to the box, cleared by Edmonds. Spencer won a corner kick for the Pride off Klingenberg. Catley's service led to nothing due to a foul call. Morgan got a steal from Menges and tried a shot that looked to deflect off Sonnett, but a goal kick was given. Morgan and Catley both were slow to react but sent Portland players to the turf before Morgan's pass to Weatherholt got picked off. Spencer got another corner kick off of Klingenberg. Jamia Fields popped a header up but Kyle was unable to get a head on it. Sonnett then broke up a pass from Catley to Morgan. Catley went around Nadim in the sixty-fifth minute, finding Fields, but her cross went to Sonnett, who cleared it for the Thorns. Fields won a corner kick off Reynolds, and the Pride's Edmonds put it in the box for Betos to punch away. Orlando's holding a lot of possession, and finally scored as a deep ball to Morgan got Betos off her line. Betos punched it, landing at Spencer's feet, and she took a couple of steps before striking to the top left corner for a 1-0 Pride lead. This has breathed new life into the Pride, and they keep the pressure high with Kyle, Morgan, Spencer, and Fields on a sequence. Henry made a run and long distance shot in the seventy-second minute to challenge Harris, who caught it with ease. Weatherholt picked out Morgan on a great through ball, cutting back on Menges but not quite beating the outstretched hand of Betos that caused an Orlando corner kick. Alleway took a stab at it after Betos dropped it on the service from Edmonds. Shortly thereafter, there was the second hydration break. Sonnett went deep for Horan, and a miscommunication between Belanger and Harris led to Horan shooting wide left. Portland tied it in the seventy-ninth minute on a Dagny Brynjarsdottir goal on a headed pass by Sinclair from the deep ball. Dagny got around Alleway to strike it home. This made it 1-1. Orlando had an eighty-first minute Edmonds corner kick, which Klingenberg cleared out. Belanger just got a poke in on Hayley Raso after a pass from Long to keep the Thorns from taking the lead. Portland's had some trouble with offside calls as they have upped the pressure to try for a tiebreaker. Menges made a good breakup on a pass from Spencer toward Morgan in the eighty-eighth minute. In the ninetieth minute, Horan scored on a great pass from Raso after receiving a cross from the opposite side. In stoppage time, Raso fouled Catley and took a yellow card for it. A long ball went too long for Morgan, with Betos grabbing it. Catley had a cross that Betos managed to punch away from the hard-charging Sam Witteman of the Pride. Spencer saw Menges block her cross. Catley had a poor shot on the next frenzy, with Orlando buzzing for their equalizer. Portland held on for the 2-1 win, with the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match being ACM Horan. Other Thorns doing well in the second half were CB Menges, and subs Dagny and Raso. The Pride saw a decent second half effort from the LW Weatherholt before she was subbed out.
Outsider Sports NWSL Best XI Week 10
GK Michelle Betos
RB Elizabeth Eddy
CB Yael Averbuch
CB Emily Sonnett
LB Steph Catley
DCM Samantha Mewis
AM Lindsey Horan
AM Leah Galton
RF Jessica McDonald
CF Christine Sinclair
LF Lynn Williams
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