PREFACE: It was a great weekend for the US Women’s National Team and for soccer as a whole. However, Chicago is becoming soccer’s Mudville because there is simply no joy as the teams continue to strike out more than Chris Davis (apologies to all Orioles fans out there).
THOUGHTS ON THE FIRE: Last Wednesday’s match against Atlanta (or rather the first half) was an example of what the Fire are capable of. The second half of that match and the whole of Saturday’s match at Kansas City has been more of what fans have had enough of seeing which is a team that is lackadaisical, cannot finish its chances, and wilt under adversity (such as falling behind in a match).
It also cannot have Bastian Schweinsteiger continue to pick up yellow cards and get suspended to accumulation which happened for a second time this season. A player of his experience is supposed to be a team leader and not be the one continuing to get frustrated and pick up cheap yellows. Yes, he is in unfamiliar territory being with a team that does not have the lineage that Bayern Munich or Manchester United has, but he knew that coming in. This team needs leaders and it is not getting them either on or off the pitch at the moment.
THOUGHTS ON THE RED STARS: Not entirely sure if the Red Stars saw Saturday’s match against Sky Blue FC as an easy three points, but it wasn’t and it ended up zero points. That’s three straight home losses and they will need to have their US National Team quartet back to provide a boost. They do have 13 matches to right the ship and that starts against a Houston team on a six-match winless streak.
It’s a good chance to refresh and get back on track. They do have more time than they did in 2015. Rory Dames will give Julie Ertz, Alyssa Naeher, Tierna Davidson, and Morgan Brian time to recover from their trip; but their return will not come a moment too soon for the Red Stars.
GROW A PAIR!!: That’s all I’m going to say to FIFA and CONCACAF regarding THAT chant. Threats are empty unless they are followed with concrete action. That should include playing in front of an empty house at Azteca if THAT chant continues.
SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL NWSL TEAM: Back in my Windy City Soccer days, I wrote about the need for fans to support the NWSL after the USWNT won the 2015 Women’s World Cup. The same holds true today.
As I said back then, the best legacy this tournament can leave behind in the short-term is that leagues like the NWSL are better supported which would lead in the long-term to many more girls dreaming of playing professionally like Megan Rapinoe, Alyssa Naeher, Julie Ertz, Rose Lavelle, and Alex Morgan. All of that starts this coming weekend and up to and including the NWSL Championship in Cary, NC on October 27th.
