And the USWNT wraps its friendlies against Brazil
Well, that was brutal. In a game that started pretty even, with a lot of great looks from the Courage, Gotham ultimately prevailed, racking up three points mid game. The lone goal from the Courage was literally the last kick of the match.
But hey, we’re here to break things down through thick and thin, so let’s see what went wrong, and look ahead to this week’s match against Bay FC.
Recap: Courage v. Gotham FC
The Courage posted another shakeup in the starting XI. Left back Feli Rauch returned from illness, with midfielder Shinomi Koyama and forwards Manaka Matsukubo and Hannah Betfort rounding out the other shifting positions. At the last minute, Maycee Bell replaced Malia Berkely.
Play started strong for about the first 30 minutes. The Courage pressed well with multiple chances created, but nobody to capitalize. One persistent challenge evident in this match is defenders weren’t being drawn much from the ball, and the Courage continue to struggle to make the keeper guess, allowing Berger to easily field several shots. Shaw had one incredible chance that hit the top crossbar.
In terms of bright spots, our midfield continues to shine, with captain Denise O’Sullivan creating two chances and several excellent long passes. While it doesn’t show up in the stats, Koyama had several well-placed through balls … but teammates often aren’t in a strong position to pick them up.
Things started breaking down a bit before the half, but the teams still appeared evenly matched, until Ella Stevens started a run down the Courage right side, confronting Ryan Williams. Williams was pacing well, but with some fancy footwork, Stevens got a cross into Esther González, who scored on a header.
To make matters worse, Esther got another run and a shot shortly after, which was saved by keeper Casey Murphy. Unfortunately … Murphy got a little too aggressive trying to get a pass off quickly and start the next build. Esther saw a chance, stuck her toe out, and tipped the ball. It was an unusual error from Murphy, and Esther was ready to capitalize. She took a shot, which bounced off of Murphy, took a second chance and scored. Within minutes, it was 2-0 Gotham.
Coming back after the half, Gotham got a set piece and managed to create enough chaos thanks to a high lob from Bruninha, and Lilly Reale put away a third goal.
That pretty much set the tone for a rough second half for the Courage. The team made some large-scale substitutions including Meredith Speck, Brianna Pinto, Brooklyn Courtnall, Aline Gomes, and Riley Jackson. The subs looked strong, and kept some life in the game.
There was additional excitement on the Gotham side, as forward Midge Purce returned to the field a year after her ACL injury. She played well, too, giving Courtnall and Jackson the run around and drawing a yellow for Jackson, who initiated a light foul from behind to prevent Purce from escaping entirely.
At the end of the match, very literally the last play, the Courage scored. After a long bomb from Murphy, Jackson had a nifty header touch on the ball. Speck gave a lively cross into the box, and Pinto had positioned herself well to retrieve the ball and take a quick shot to the left side of the goal. If you’ve made it this far you deserve the replay:
On this week’s podcast, Katie and I talk a bit about the team’s dynamics at this point in the season, and I’ve linked to two think pieces below if you want more analysis, as I’ve probably rambled long enough here.
Suffice to say, the fierceness the squad showed two weeks ago against Portland was lacking against Gotham. Offensive timing and production remains a challenge, and something will have to give with tactics, the positioning of Ashley Sanchez, and likely both.
The season is still young, the upper tiers of the table are not out of reach, but the Courage haven’t yet played the league’s toughest teams. They’ll need to notch some wins soon. We’ll see how the team responds against Bay FC.
Let’s take a look at that matchup …
Look ahead: Courage v. Bay FC
Bay had a rocky offseason, with the NWSL initiating an independent review of the culture set by head coach Albertin Montoya, and several key player departures and retirements (including Katelyn Rowland, who joined the Courage as assistant goalkeeping coach this year).
That said, they surprised most of the league last year with a late-season run that was good enough to qualify for them for the first round of the playoffs. The acquisition of defender Abby Dahlkemper and keeper Jordan Silkowitz solidified their defense.
This season, they made a major pickup with rookie midfielder Taylor Huff from Florida State University, who has earned a starting spot.
Like the Courage, Bay has been tinkering with their front line and hasn’t quite found the right formula. But they do have weapons, including Racheal Kundananji, Asisat Oshoala, Karlie Lema, Rachel Hill and Penelope Hocking.
Expect another midfield battle, with perhaps a bit more conservative play on defense to contain their talented striker pool.
Courage news and updates
- Jaedyn Shaw joined Sam Mewis for this week’s Friendlies show. In a word, fun!
- NWSL Insights did a breakdown of Jaedyn Shaw to date, discussing some system adjustments needed to support her; namely, continuing to play midfielders higher and making more off-ball runs to give Shaw a chance to get into open spaces.
- And Courage Country’s take had a strong list of what tactics need to change to improve the team’s standing (free subscription required).
- Williams was named to the NWSL Best XI in March!
Around the league and beyond
- The Denver Gazette reported on pushback from the City Council on Mayor Mike Johnston’s stadium development plans for Denver’s NWSL expansion team.
- In more Denver news, the club named Jen Millet as President; who joins after leading Bay FC’s inaugural season as COO.
- The player CBA is out if, like many of us NWSL journalists, you want to get nerdy. There isn’t much “new” news, given that the basic tenets were widely reported last year.
- The USWNT won one and lost one against Brazil in the friendlies.
- Defector’s Patrick Redford argues Phallon Tullis-Joyce makes her case for the keeper position.
- Sandra Herrera at CBS wrote a who’s up / who’s down post about the squad following the matches, including Shaw.
That’s it for this week! As always, you can get in touch with tips, suggestions, corrections and more: contact@lionspitch.com.
Next match: Saturday, April 19, 7:00 pm ET
North Carolina Courage v. Bay FC
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