1. The refereeing in this league is a complete joke. Absolute garbage. The penalty call is probably fine, if soft. But the referee let Kansas City stop momentum at every dead ball. She was completely inconsistent. Saying that this league is the only women's league with VAR hides the fact that…
1. The refereeing in this league is a complete joke. Absolute garbage. The penalty call is probably fine, if soft. But the referee let Kansas City stop momentum at every dead ball. She was completely inconsistent. Saying that this league is the only women's league with VAR hides the fact that the referees are DIRECTLY affecting the product on the field because they cannot do the basics.
2. This club has known for...months? that they were going to lose Sophia Smith and Crystal Dunn and Hina Sugita among others. And yet what we have is a defender playing as a right winger, then a defender playing as one of the two attacking 10s and a center forward playing right wing. Which brings me to my next point...
3. The head coach's refusal to deviate from the system is completely bonkers. It's a system that barely works with the excellent players, but without them, it just doesn't work. I have all the respect for Sam Coffey in the world. She's a wonderful player. She's not an attacking 8 in the style of Crystal Dunn. She doesn't have the quick feet and speed in behind. So don't play her in that role; emphasize her strengths, and build a team that reacts to what you have, which includes a 6, in Taylor Porter, who cannot pass the way Coffey does (when we lost Sam Coffey last year, we had Hina who mitigated Porter's passing in midfield). Reyna Reyes is an excellent defender. Maybe she can play further upfront - in a team with Sophia Smith. Izzy D'Aquila has not yet been what we thought when drafted, and that's unfortunate. But then, change the system. React to what you have. Maybe that means a double pivot of Porter and Coffey, with two upfront. Our most threatening player was Morgan Weaver, and at a certain point you have to say, that's who we're going to play in behind too. It was all too comfortable for Kansas City because no one was looking to go in behind.
And this is my final thing. I have some sympathy for the head coach because this is, without Sophia and Dunn and Sugita and Sinc, a really bad attack. But not only is it a bad attack: it's an attack with players who don't have the profile that you need - the pace to run in behind, for example. I've seen a lot of average NWSL forwards who were far more threatening than Betfort and D'Aquila because they ran in behind with pace.
Yep, nailed pretty much everything. I wish Norris made some changes, but when your only recourse is bringing in Hannah Betfort or playing your rookie left back at RW....it’s tough to blame him fully. This game was very ugly, but it was one that KC barely threatened in. Like I said, a league average backup striker and RW probably wins this game.
And yeah...the refereeing was atrocious. Really smart by Spaanstra to go down easily, but there was a similar play literally MINUTES later on the other end that she ignored. She was also INCREDIBLY out of position- I couldn’t make this game and had to watch on TV but she was miles from the play and called multiple fouls where she was clearly just guessing.
That's what annoyed me so much about that clown of a ref: inconsistency of a sort that ended up favoring one team. I'm not claiming deliberate bias, just ineptitude.
I look at our front line (+ subs) and I think they’re probably one of the worst in the league in this current WC period honestly. I think this ends our scoring run for like, 17 or 20 league games or something…two games consecutively where we’ve gotten 0 goals.
Yeah, maybe he could do 442 or 532/352 and use Reyes and...idk, Kling? as wingbacks and play Weaver upfront, but yeah, the options are limited. No one was seriously warmed up after Betfort came on.
Kling played midfield in college and has in past int’l windows, and it actually is preferred by her. It’s how I thought they should line up before this period even started. Reyes at LB, Kling at the 8 (or a double pivot with Coffey where they switch off getting forward is good too.) Porter can sub in for her in the 85th minute lol (if we’re winning by 2.)
You can't polish a turd. And in this case, you can't even roll it in sprinkles, stick a sparkler in it, and throw some confetti as distraction. Sometimes a turd is just a turd.
Okay. I have a lot of problems with this game.
1. The refereeing in this league is a complete joke. Absolute garbage. The penalty call is probably fine, if soft. But the referee let Kansas City stop momentum at every dead ball. She was completely inconsistent. Saying that this league is the only women's league with VAR hides the fact that the referees are DIRECTLY affecting the product on the field because they cannot do the basics.
2. This club has known for...months? that they were going to lose Sophia Smith and Crystal Dunn and Hina Sugita among others. And yet what we have is a defender playing as a right winger, then a defender playing as one of the two attacking 10s and a center forward playing right wing. Which brings me to my next point...
3. The head coach's refusal to deviate from the system is completely bonkers. It's a system that barely works with the excellent players, but without them, it just doesn't work. I have all the respect for Sam Coffey in the world. She's a wonderful player. She's not an attacking 8 in the style of Crystal Dunn. She doesn't have the quick feet and speed in behind. So don't play her in that role; emphasize her strengths, and build a team that reacts to what you have, which includes a 6, in Taylor Porter, who cannot pass the way Coffey does (when we lost Sam Coffey last year, we had Hina who mitigated Porter's passing in midfield). Reyna Reyes is an excellent defender. Maybe she can play further upfront - in a team with Sophia Smith. Izzy D'Aquila has not yet been what we thought when drafted, and that's unfortunate. But then, change the system. React to what you have. Maybe that means a double pivot of Porter and Coffey, with two upfront. Our most threatening player was Morgan Weaver, and at a certain point you have to say, that's who we're going to play in behind too. It was all too comfortable for Kansas City because no one was looking to go in behind.
And this is my final thing. I have some sympathy for the head coach because this is, without Sophia and Dunn and Sugita and Sinc, a really bad attack. But not only is it a bad attack: it's an attack with players who don't have the profile that you need - the pace to run in behind, for example. I've seen a lot of average NWSL forwards who were far more threatening than Betfort and D'Aquila because they ran in behind with pace.
Yep, nailed pretty much everything. I wish Norris made some changes, but when your only recourse is bringing in Hannah Betfort or playing your rookie left back at RW....it’s tough to blame him fully. This game was very ugly, but it was one that KC barely threatened in. Like I said, a league average backup striker and RW probably wins this game.
And yeah...the refereeing was atrocious. Really smart by Spaanstra to go down easily, but there was a similar play literally MINUTES later on the other end that she ignored. She was also INCREDIBLY out of position- I couldn’t make this game and had to watch on TV but she was miles from the play and called multiple fouls where she was clearly just guessing.
That's what annoyed me so much about that clown of a ref: inconsistency of a sort that ended up favoring one team. I'm not claiming deliberate bias, just ineptitude.
Crap refereeing is usually going to benefit the team that’s winning.
She also had an incredibly delayed whistle every time. There would be like a 2-5 second delay like she was trying to decide what to do. It was awful.
I look at our front line (+ subs) and I think they’re probably one of the worst in the league in this current WC period honestly. I think this ends our scoring run for like, 17 or 20 league games or something…two games consecutively where we’ve gotten 0 goals.
Yeah, maybe he could do 442 or 532/352 and use Reyes and...idk, Kling? as wingbacks and play Weaver upfront, but yeah, the options are limited. No one was seriously warmed up after Betfort came on.
I’d cede a little possession and play a 4-2-3-1 with Kling and Coffey in holding midfield and Moultrie higher up. Just....no more Porter, please.
Kling played midfield in college and has in past int’l windows, and it actually is preferred by her. It’s how I thought they should line up before this period even started. Reyes at LB, Kling at the 8 (or a double pivot with Coffey where they switch off getting forward is good too.) Porter can sub in for her in the 85th minute lol (if we’re winning by 2.)
We really need another fast attacker who isn’t Morgan Weaver.
You can't polish a turd. And in this case, you can't even roll it in sprinkles, stick a sparkler in it, and throw some confetti as distraction. Sometimes a turd is just a turd.