where is Mallory?
Yeah this is absolutely asking for some “football images that precede unfortunate events” nonsense and I’m probably going to wear this when she scores a hat-trick in front of my face in July but…WHERE IS MALLORY? Many in San Diego are asking.
Swanson managed two good looks in the game. The first came in the opening half where she cut inside, created separation and looked to curl one in the top corner. The shot sailed harmlessly wide. In the second half she got A DIME from our favorite punka Yuki Nagasato over the top of the back line. Kaleigh Riehl did enough to close the gap, forcing a tight angle on the shot (0.33 xG), and Kailen Sheridan did the rest with a great kick save.
In three matches (300 minutes played) against San Diego, Swanson has two shots on target, no assists, and no goals from open play. She’s also 1-for-2 in penalties, both of which Sheridan guessed correctly. (Not sure if that gets in a shooter’s head but maybe!). Speaking of penalties…
PENALEX MORGAN IS BACK
Last season, Wavé were tied for 2nd in penalties awarded with 5, all of which Alex Morgan converted on her way to winning the Golden Boot with 15 tantos. In a turn of unserious behavior, they were also tied for 1st in penalties conceded with 7. HOWEVER, only 3 of those penalties converted. No other team stopped more than 2. Was it awesome to watch, hell yeah. Is a sustainable rate, probably not and I would prefer not to find out. Unfortunately as it stands: one game, one penalty conceded, one goal.
Saturday’s penalty came in the way of a silly foul. In an effort to cover up a missed assignment on a loose ball, Danielle Colaprico challenged an innocent ball near the penalty spot. It’s a ball she probably didn’t need to challenge. Watching it live, followed by replays, I thought it was a foul so I’m not going to stink on VAR. But watching it again today, it was a bad call. Let’s get our Benoit Blanc hats on.
phantom foul
Firstly, I can’t emphasize enough what a textbook aerial duel this was by Colaprico. The biggest key was keeping both arms down while she jumped to avoid giving the refs any incriminating evidence of foul play in the box. As you can see in Pic 1, she is first to establish position. Her feet are set and she begins her challenge for the ball straight up and down, no arms used for leverage. While Colaprico has set her position to challenge, Chicago’s Arin Wright is tracking the ball and backpedaling.
As the play develops in the images, you can see Wright is the one who runs into Colaprico. The only thing Colaprico is guilty of is being a physical presence. Wright essentially was caught ball watching, stumbled into a wall, and crumbled.
This isn’t some frame-by-frame propaganda illusion either. Colaprico’s established position is lined up with the goalpost. You can see her jump lines up with it, while Wright is constantly moving positions. Anyway all this writing, snip tooling and Adobe Express to say: no era penal.
STONEY BALL
Off the jump, the starting XI was exciting. A front three of Jaedyn Shaw, Morgan and Amirah Ali is a recipe for some joga bonito. But instead of those three up front, she lined up a 4-2-2-2 (something I don’t remember seeing at all last season) with Morgan and Ali as the two strikers. Ali scored a beauty of a poacher’s goal and Shaw hit A BANGER from outside the box, but it was not attractive football. The midfield looked disjointed, unable to find a way to connect the backline with the attacking front, an issue they struggled with last season. Not sure if it was first game rust or Chicago’s defensive scheme, but they forced Wavé to play the ball wide and closed them down quickly. Instead of seeing Ali and Shaw springing 1-v-1s on the wings, there was congestion and minimal passing lanes.
Off the ball, the frontline press seemed to get beat with ease. Red Stars constantly found ways to pass around it, get the ball to open players wide, carry it upfield, and find connections in the middle. Despite all that, only 5 of Chicago’s 14 shots were on target. Here’s a nice breakdown of the ball movement in the first half.
One more note about the lineup, what the hell is even that:
Are game minutes being used for rehab assignments?
JAEDYN HA MOOD
In the season preview where I hyped up Ali’s dynamic two-way play, I mentioned there wasn’t a sample size large enough to measure Shaw’s defensive shifts. WELL, LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT SATURDAY. She led the team with 5 tackles, 3 of which were in the defensive third. She also led the team with 3 passes blocked (tied with Naomi Girma) and 1 interception.
We know about the banger she scored, but did you see the Tekker pull this out in the build up to the first goal?
Shaw was definitely the highlight of the game amid the uneasy collective defending in the box and the disjointed possessions.
NEXT MATCH - North Carolina Courage (1-0-0)
It’s not always who you play but when you play them. NCC opened the NWSL season Saturday with a win over title-favorite KC Current. Although they only won by the minimum (1-0) against a depleted KC roster, those 3 points against a top team are sure to be massive considering how tight the 2022 playoff race was (they missed the playoffs by 1 point).
Last season, Wavé went 1-1-0 against NCC, drawing at home with their B-squad and winning away behind an Alex Morgan goal. This time around, Courage will be without superstars Debinha (KC) and Diana Ordoñez (HOU).
PREDICTION: Courage shy at the mouth of The Dragon, stadium atmosphere too heavy for NC’s XI, Wavé cruise 3-0.
