Quick Hits
- The Good: There wasn’t a lot of good for the Spirit in this match. They struggled in the first half to put any sort of passing together. Too many missed passes and it seemed like the team wasn’t in sync. They did improve in the second half and were able to string some passes together and started to get opportunities. Croix Bethune had some good runs and looked the part in the attacking midfield. When Trinity joins next week it will be interesting to see if the team can develop some better attacking chances.
- When Casey Kruger was moved to the left side of the field, the Spirit looked their best. She could have had a tieing goal to add to her performance if it weren’t for the VAR check. Despite the red (which was incredibly suspect at best), Aubrey Kingsburry registered some vital saves to keep the Spirit alive in that game. If it weren’t for two terrific saves, the Reign could have run away with the game in the first half.
- The Not So Good: I discussed earlier about just how out of sync the team looked. Maybe that is to be expected. They started a lot of their draft picks in this game, and the team is still trying to figure out and develop a system. Too many times it felt disjointed and disorganized from the Spirit. It is hard to really point out specific names, because it felt like nearly every player had a miss-pass that lead to a Reign opportunity. Hopefully that develops in time. The team overall seemed very slow to wake up to the game and almost seemed shell shocked from the seven-second penalty call.
- Ouleymata Sarr continues to be an enigma for the Spirit. She is clearly a professional and competent player, but lacks real game changing ability. The team registered a lowly .04 xG according to the broadcast. It was difficult to get her service, but she also didn’t really involve herself in the game. Of the new draftees, Kate Wiesner looked the weakest. The Reign hit her side of field constantly in the first half and generated some very good chances. She was subbed off and the team shifted Krueger to her natural spot and Carle to the right back spot. From there things got much better defensively.
- The refereeing will be the storyline here. Missed calls particularly a crunching tackle on Hatch that went uncalled in the first half. Missed offside calls on Reign attacks allowed them to keep pressure, even if VAR had overruled goals. The foul call on Bethune interfering with the keeper is fair. I am sure that Dickey is making a meal of it, as Bethune is the smallest player on the field. It is still a bit of unfortunate luck for the Spirit. Then there is Kingsburry red. A nearly 10 minute review resulted in a red card and a handling outside the box for Kingsbury. The video was incredibly fuzzy and in my mind it is incredibly difficult to tell if Kingsbury doesn’t have at least part of the ball inside the box. Then there is the fact that Tara McKeown is right there and closer to the ball than the attacker. If the laws had a carve out for keepers handling outside the box, but there isn’t. In my opinion, there is no way this can be construed as a clear and obvious error and a call for DOGSO even if Kingsbury handles the ball out outside the box. We will see if the team appeals, but losing Kingsbury for the home opener will be rough.
- Turning Point: It came seven seconds into the game and was decisive call. The Reign went right at the Spirit from the opening whistle and forced Gabby Carle into a challenge that resulted in the games only goal.
- Player Spotlight: Casey Krueger earns player of the match honors here. Once she was moved out of center back to her natural left side she was involved in basically every attack from the wing back position. She even had the incredible towering header that could have tied the game. Overall it was a strong performance from her, and very excited to see what she will bring to the team this season.
- Locking Ahead: The Washington Spirit turn their heads to their home opener next Saturday where they will host Bay FC. They will have Trinity Rodman back from suspension, but will unfortunately be without Kingsbury barring any sort of appeal from the team. Asisat Oshoala for Bay FC got on to the scoresheet in her first appearance. The team is new, but already playing strong against Angel City on the road. Despite Bay FC being an expansion team, it will be a tough opponent for the Spirit to contend with.
Final Thoughts: Patience might need to be the key to the game here for Washington. It was a bit disjointed, but we saw signs of improvement as the game went on. We were all wondering just where the Spirit would fall to start the year. Based on this performance, I think it is a bit further away than the fans would like. Adrian Gonzalez talked about in his post-game press conference that he wants the team to be more fluid, but it will take some time. I think based on the first half versus the second half performance, there is reason to be optimistic it will be sooner than later. The team is also working on securing some international talent to hopefully boost the team. Until then, the college draftees will need to step up.