Nervous about this one y’all. I was really hoping for a Nighswonger yellow in their last game, because she sits at 4 (as does Midge and Farrelly), alas, we’ll get no help. Midge, Lynn, Esther, and Stengel is a pretty formidable offense. They need to be locked in immediately bc Gotham is gonna high-press and try to suffocate us. We know the state of our defense, and our offense has struggled without Soph. C’mon gals, show us that Reign game wasn’t just an aberration because they’re old and tired!
Same challenges as SDW; without Smith we don’t have the hero-ball factor, so the squad has to 1) make a team goal, or 2) hope for a golazo to go up early. The normal panic-attack reaction to the high press won’t help with #1.
The backline and DMs have to be solid and not give up dumb-mistake goals. The get-pressed-turn-over problem hurts with that, too.
I’d be more confident if we hadn’t seen this stuff on and off all season. Yes, we’re due for a good game. No, that’s not a given, and last week was kind of scary in the “needs to rise to the occasion and doesn’t” sort of way…
I really hope Norris doesn’t continue on with his super high fullbacks. Midge and Lynn will destroy Kling and Natu, and exposing our CB’s when they also have Esther and Stengel centrally is asking for a bloodbath. Even if they both stay home more, they’re both gonna struggle with the speed. As you said, the DM’s are gonna have to have a very good game. Both of them. This has been the most inconsistent season I can remember in recent history, so I have no confidence in, well, anything. They could show out and put on a clinic, or they could immediately crumble. Honestly it’s been either one or the other all season and we have no idea which team decides to show up! Gotham will punish us if we are not 100.
I think the critical thing is to avoid the play-in. So even a draw - not that I’d be okay with that! - is the minimum acceptable. Ideally the squad will come out sharp, possess, score early, and stay organized. But if it means bunkering for 90+ to secure a scoreless draw?
Ugh. Hate it…but sometimes y’gotta go with what works.
I do think after tonight’s results Thorns technically clinch a playoff spot, even if they don’t get any more points out of the next two games. I say technically, because we could tie on points with HOU or OLR if either team wins out (in the worst-case scenario depending on other results as well), but, it’s mostly impossible either team catches our GD (those two are 0 and 2, respectively.)
I THINK (emphasis on "think", because I'm not good at this sort of 12th dimension chess) that the worst-case scenario would be:
If the Thorns lose out and finish on 32 points and:
San Diego loses to Carolina and beats Louisville,
Gotham wins out,
Carolina beats San Diego and draws Washington,
Washington draws Carolina and beats Seattle, and
Seattle loses to Washington and beats Chicago...
Then:
San Diego finishes with 36
Gotham finishes with 36 (but is probably second on GD),
Carolina finishes with 33,
Washington finishes with 33, and
Portland finishes fifth and has to beat Seattle to play in.
For a squad that's only won two in a row twice this season - and both times was aided by a tomato can - I am thoroughly confident that it's about 98% likely that they cannot win three in a row. So that'd be bad.
I honestly don't have a clue how this one will go. Given the way they collapsed against SDW I'd give Gotham a big edge today...but the inconsistency the Thorns have shown this season has swung both ways, so...
Which Thorns show? All I've got. It's like Janet and Bad Janet from "The Good Place."
Nervous about this one y’all. I was really hoping for a Nighswonger yellow in their last game, because she sits at 4 (as does Midge and Farrelly), alas, we’ll get no help. Midge, Lynn, Esther, and Stengel is a pretty formidable offense. They need to be locked in immediately bc Gotham is gonna high-press and try to suffocate us. We know the state of our defense, and our offense has struggled without Soph. C’mon gals, show us that Reign game wasn’t just an aberration because they’re old and tired!
Same challenges as SDW; without Smith we don’t have the hero-ball factor, so the squad has to 1) make a team goal, or 2) hope for a golazo to go up early. The normal panic-attack reaction to the high press won’t help with #1.
The backline and DMs have to be solid and not give up dumb-mistake goals. The get-pressed-turn-over problem hurts with that, too.
I’d be more confident if we hadn’t seen this stuff on and off all season. Yes, we’re due for a good game. No, that’s not a given, and last week was kind of scary in the “needs to rise to the occasion and doesn’t” sort of way…
I really hope Norris doesn’t continue on with his super high fullbacks. Midge and Lynn will destroy Kling and Natu, and exposing our CB’s when they also have Esther and Stengel centrally is asking for a bloodbath. Even if they both stay home more, they’re both gonna struggle with the speed. As you said, the DM’s are gonna have to have a very good game. Both of them. This has been the most inconsistent season I can remember in recent history, so I have no confidence in, well, anything. They could show out and put on a clinic, or they could immediately crumble. Honestly it’s been either one or the other all season and we have no idea which team decides to show up! Gotham will punish us if we are not 100.
I think the critical thing is to avoid the play-in. So even a draw - not that I’d be okay with that! - is the minimum acceptable. Ideally the squad will come out sharp, possess, score early, and stay organized. But if it means bunkering for 90+ to secure a scoreless draw?
Ugh. Hate it…but sometimes y’gotta go with what works.
Got an extra ticket in 110
I do think after tonight’s results Thorns technically clinch a playoff spot, even if they don’t get any more points out of the next two games. I say technically, because we could tie on points with HOU or OLR if either team wins out (in the worst-case scenario depending on other results as well), but, it’s mostly impossible either team catches our GD (those two are 0 and 2, respectively.)
I THINK (emphasis on "think", because I'm not good at this sort of 12th dimension chess) that the worst-case scenario would be:
If the Thorns lose out and finish on 32 points and:
San Diego loses to Carolina and beats Louisville,
Gotham wins out,
Carolina beats San Diego and draws Washington,
Washington draws Carolina and beats Seattle, and
Seattle loses to Washington and beats Chicago...
Then:
San Diego finishes with 36
Gotham finishes with 36 (but is probably second on GD),
Carolina finishes with 33,
Washington finishes with 33, and
Portland finishes fifth and has to beat Seattle to play in.
For a squad that's only won two in a row twice this season - and both times was aided by a tomato can - I am thoroughly confident that it's about 98% likely that they cannot win three in a row. So that'd be bad.
I honestly don't have a clue how this one will go. Given the way they collapsed against SDW I'd give Gotham a big edge today...but the inconsistency the Thorns have shown this season has swung both ways, so...